JP Den Tex - American Tune

JP Den Tex - American Tune
2009, Commes Les Chansons

JP Den Tex is Dutch born and sings like an Englishman, but some part of his heart has always been reserved for America. Den Tex took his own American odyssey and documented it in song on American Tune. Steeped in the deep richness of Americana, Den Tex sings and writes in the vein of Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe but finds a voice that’s uniquely his own.

American Tune opens with "The Dreamer", a solid Americana composition informed by blues, country and rock influences. Den Tex' guitar style is a mix of Knopfler's quiet intricacy and Clapton's innate mellowness. The song has a solid melody that's catchy but not ostentatious; a great opener. "Love So Helpless" is about the futility we feel at times when tragedy befalls those we love and occasionally the unseen consequences. "When I'm Down" is danceable and catchy with a chorus you'll be humming for days; truly one of the highlights of the album. "Mon Desir Noir" is a continuation of the story begun in "Love So Helpless", exploring how the shock and shame of tragedy can drive people who otherwise love each other apart. "Down And Out In Phoenix" examines the aftermath of such a relationship, where broken dreams abound and the future looks as barren as the desert that surrounds the narrator.

A new chapter opens in American Tune with "Un Amour Fou A San Francisco", a french/English take on new beginnings, new cities and new love. "Bowbow" turns out to be one of the most enjoyable turns on the album; very entertaining with a dirty blues feel. "Bowbow" is extremely catchy even if the meaning is at times opaque. Den Tex shows deep insight into the creation process with "True Art Is Lonely", portraying the striving for perfection as a solitary pursuit. "Vagabond Heart" is an acoustic, early-rock arrangement complete with doo-wop style backing vocals. Catchy and fun, it’s an ode to all of those who don't quite fit in. Answers come on "Hero" with the realization that victory often comes in the form of facing up to our own baggage, and the rewards seem to come quickly once we face ourselves. Den Tex closes with a brilliant cover of "We'll Sweep Out The Ashes", a Joyce Allsup-penned tune recorded by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris among others. Den Tex duets with Vera van den Poel providing a unique aperture into the camaraderie of loneliness and the moments when its boundaries are shared.

JP Den Tex spins a tale of love, loss, grief and renewal on American Tune. The fall from grace is hard, but rebirth the more difficult task in a quietly competent collection of songs that won't wash over you but quietly insinuate themselves into your mind. Den Tex is a deft story-teller, changing pace and perspective enough to keep the story vibrant. In an age where concept albums have lost their luster, Den Tex offers a shining example of what's right with the form.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about JP Den Tex at http://www.jp-den-tex.com/ or www.myspace.com/jpdentex.  American Tune is available from Amazon.com as both a CD and Download.  The album is also available through iTunes.

Son Of The Sun - The Happy Loss

Son Of The Sun - The Happy Loss
2010, I Blame Yoko Music

Buffalo, NY band Son Of The Sun returns on June 22, 2010 with The Happy Loss, their first full-length album and the follow up to last year’s Before The After EP. The Happy Loss is a highly detailed collection of melodic rock songs, produced by Mike Brown and the band and mixed by Alan Weatherhead (Sparklehorse, Camper Van Beethoven, Cracker).

The Happy Loss opens with "The Good Ole Days", a powerful and passionate piece of moody rock n roll. Offered in a simple, driven arrangement, the melancholy air of "The Good Ole Days" plays well on the edges of 1960's psychedelia. "The Other Side" is a moody piece in a dark Americana setting. The band employees multiple vocal lines here singing (mostly) in time and in unison, sounding like the relentless call of things we can envision but can't understand. "How Can It Be?" is a lament over a relationship lost; she mistreated him out on the way out the door but he's still searching for her.

Moving on is the theme of "Leopard Print", but this departure is mournful and startlingly desperate. "Get Together" is catchy and danceable garage rock; the best song on the album. The simple, sweet melody here will catch you by the ear and keep you interested even after several listens. In "Keys (Last Call)" we have reminiscence about a first meeting that's both sweet and messy, and driven by the hangover of the desperation apparent earlier in the album. "The Franklin" is right there with "Get Together" for best turn on the album, a mid-tempo country tune with great harmonies and a knockout arrangement. The Happy Loss closes with "Tell Me" which sounds like a classic 1950's ballad. The urgent depicted here is like the helpless dependence of a child; a stark close to an album where the undefined anti-hero falls down and never recovers.

Rather than offering the usual happy resolution of a breakup album on The Happy Loss, Son Of The Sun leaves us mired in the on-going struggle to get by; get through. While it doesn't fit the rules in the pop handbook (similar to the Disney credo of happily ever after), it's a highly realistic rock cycle dealing with loss without ever fully coming to terms with it. It fits the way most people live their lives, flitting to and fro around the damage without ever fully inspecting it or coming to terms. Musically, Son Of The Sun take a few steps forward from Before The After marking no wholesale change but the slow development of a band not in a hurry to take over the world. It's a solid effort, and worth spending some time on.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Son Of The Sun at http://www.sonofthesunmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/sonofthesunmusic. The Happy Loss drops June 22, 2010. Expect wide availability via Amazon, iTunes and Son Of The Sun's website.

Review: Patrick Coman - Used Records

Patrick Coman – Used Records
2008, Patrick Coman

Patrick Coman is a singer/songwriter who draws comparisons to folks such as Neil Young, Gram Parsons and Ryan Adams. The Nashville native recently relocated to Berlin, Germany and released a 4-song EP entitled Used Records. Coman sings with a certain amount of soul and an imperfect voice (ala Neil Young), but hits all the right notes when it comes to touching the listener.

Coman opens with Streets Of Berlin, an ode to his new home that is both dark and hopeful in a wonderful acoustic guitar arrangement. Up next is Amsterdam, a heart-on-the-sleeve folk rocker featuring some excellent guitar work. Used Records is a song about the powerful connections we form with the music we love and the parallel between those connections and those we feel to people and places in our pasts. It’s an incredibly poignant song that’s a little off the beaten track philosophically but nonetheless based in truth. Maria is a stark commentary on the apathy of The Lost Generation (Well I’m walking down this low and lonesome street again / with the echoes of my parents’ revolution / between the bottles and the pills now there’s no need to get your thrills / from tearing down those old folks institutions).

Patrick Coman continues to build a following in Germany, where the hunger for protest music inspired by its 1960’s forebears is much stronger than here in the United States. Coman has a lot to say, and does so cogently in lovingly crafted arrangements that serve as perfect musical vehicles. Used Records is a strong release that deserves to be heard by many but probably doesn’t have a lot of commercial bite in the current music market. One might guess, however, that Coman is a pleasure to see live. I recommend Used Records highly as a disc worth checking out, but also recommend that if you happen to be near one of Coman’s gigs that you make the effort to get there.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Patrick Coman at www.myspace.com/patrickcoman or www.nimbitmusic.com/patrickcoman. You can purchase Used Records in digital format from Coman’s MySpace page as well as through iTunes and Rhapsody.