Anya Parker-Lentz - The Giving

Anya Parker-Lentz - The Giving
2012, Anya Parker-Lentz

The first time you see Anya Parker-Lentz you might think she’s a typical American teenage girl.  You would be wrong.  Parker-Lentz has an understanding of link between art and life that extends far beyond her sixteen years.  Her debut EP, The Giving, shows the growing pains of youth, but also the powerful talent that causes people who have never heard her before to stop and listen.

The Giving opens with "Staredown", a modern teen pop love song with a quietly memorable chorus. Parker-Lentz' voice is a wonderfully enigmatic alto that calls to mind a mix of Stevie Nicks and Alexa Ray Joel. "Not Trying To Hurt You" is a maudlin ballad with solid pop sensibility. Derived from a simple piano riff into a minimalist arrangement, this number feels heavy and never manages to soar in spite of an appealing chorus. "Stuck In Limbo" is an emotionally drawn ballad of longing and pain. The song is well constructed but feels forced lyrically.

"The Giving" explores a martyrdom concept of love in stilted, awkward turns of language. Parker-Lentz manages to achieve an AAA radio sound here; if she can smooth out the lyrical struggles she just might have a hit on her hands. "Wake Up Alice" begins as a dark and chaotic waltz but quickly resolves into a sing-song take on teenage angst seen through the eyes of Lewis Carroll's most famous protagonist. Parker-Lentz calls out a dysfunctional love in "Walking Out". She's fully on the mark this time out, with a strident melody and catchy hook. The Giving comes to a quiet close with "Lullaby", which is too dark and full of shadows to be restful. This is the best track on the EP, showing a growing maturity in Parker-Lentz as a songwriter.

Anya Parker-Lentz is still quite young at the tender age of 16. Her enigmatic voice can make that easy to forget at times, even as her awkward lyrical stumbles serve as a reminder. The Giving is a mix of blessings and blemishes, but clearly shows a burgeoning talent struggling to break free from the chains of adolescence.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.anyaparkerlentz.com. 

Meghan Cary - Building This House

Meghan Cary - Building This House
2012, Meghan Cary

Meghan Cary was Indie before Indie was cool.  The former theater actress fell into songwriting through personal tragedy in the late 1990’s.  What began as catharsis and tribute to her then-recently deceased fiancé turned into a win of Billboard Magazine’s Critics’ Choice for Best Newcomer in 1998.  Cary was quickly drawn into the folk scene, touring extensively and recording/releasing three critically acclaimed albums.  Cary met her husband, Peter Farrell (The BlackTails) at a Meghan Cary show at CBGB’s Gallery, at a time when touring was becoming old hat.  She settled down and built a home and a family, but music was never really gone from her life.  Cary returns on January 31, 2012 with her first album in eight years, Building This House.  A story of recovery, rebuilding and ultimately, happiness, Building This House is a personal tale full of the resilience of the human spirit.  And while Meghan Cary has been rightly compared to the likes of Shawn Colvin, the Indigo Girls, Natalie Merchant and Stevie Nicks over the years, on Building This House she offers a voice that’s influenced by those above, but distinctly her own.

Cary gets started with the title track, a refreshingly smooth and mature piece of pop songwriting that’s an ode to family to be.  Cary’s voice is mildly soulful, and the almost harpsichord style sound from the synth gives this something of a baroque-pop ballad feel.  “Lost You In The Light” is a brilliant marriage of poetry and music.  Cary’s mildly soulful pop arrangement wraps itself around lyrics about the human tendency to lose sight of what’s important from time to time.  This organic blend of thought and muse reflects an artist who spends a lot of time inside her own thoughts, yet still manages to convey the output in an artful manner.  “Responsibility” is a morality tale told from a personal perspective, reflecting on those we see around us in hardship every day.  The message is solid and poignant in difficult economic times, but the subject has been covered many times over with more power.  Nevertheless, the wonderfully jazzy piano work underscores an arrangement that will get this song some attention.

“I Might Miss You” shows off Cary’s ear for melody in no uncertain terms.  A song about discovering what you really want after you’ve already cast it aside, the song’s theme unrolls in your brain like it was always written there and therefore refuses to leave.  This sort of honest, sweet love song is always appealing, but Cary delivers it with a sincerity and simple power that is compelling.  Cary digs into a delicious blues/rock arrangement with lots of soul for “Through Walking”.  This catchy number builds slowly, and will likely become a live favorite.  It would be nice to hear Cary open this one up a bit more vocally, but the song sits well as delivered.

“Invitation” is a powerful love song that might be about opening your heart to love, or perhaps something a bit more carnal.  Either way, Cary plays it straight and manages to create one of the most intriguing listens of the newborn 2012.  The compact pop/rock arrangement delivers the song with an economy of style that allows the raw desire of the song to be the star.  “Darker Song” is all about the unstable emotional ground that leads to a breakup. This woeful, haunting tune finds Cary coming to terms with what her heart has known for some time.  The universal appeal of this song will come from the fact that almost anyone who hears it will have been there once in their life, and Cary captures the moment in a near-perfect blend of poetry and musical scenery. 

“Moon Song” explores the complicated emotions that arise from learning a former love has moved on. In this case he is getting married.  This is all about the emotional turmoil that turns up at such a time, particularly when unsettled feelings still in play, and about the phone call or letters that happen at such times that rarely turn out of the better.  Cary plays this as if she’s lived it, and her representation in song is compellingly human, mixing desire, need, desperation and pain with that one little drop of hope that drives humanity to seek the impossible.  This is a brilliant, if raw, piece of songwriting that will haunt you.  Cary closes with “Live!”, a Sunday go to meeting song with a single message: seize the moment.  The energy here is tremendous, and punctuates the collection of songs about chances lost and gained with a simple directive: never give up on yourself.

Meghan Cary has lived both dreams and nightmares, and reflects upon them all in artful and symbolic songs on Building This House.  This album is a study in remembering that not only are good experiences build us, but that the ones we’d rather forget are often even strong shapers of the people we are to become.  Cary shares her story in honest and uncontrived language throughout the album, and blends these stories with arrangements that often perfectly shadow the mood of each moment.  The only possible complaint about the album is that it took Meghan Cary eight years to put it all together.  Listeners will find themselves fervently hoping that it won’t be eight years until the next one.

Rating:                  5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Meghan Cary at www.meghancary.com, where you can pre-order Building This House, as well as as purchase copies of her albums New Shoes, Onion Dream and Live At Your House.  You can also get a free song download from the new album for signing up for Cary's mailing list.

Haikaa - Work Of Art

Haikaa - Work Of Art
2011, Haikaa

Haikaa Yamamoto is a pan-cultural pop-star in the making.  Born in Brazil, Haikaa was raised in Japan and has studied both there and in the United States.  Her music shows influences from all three cultures and beyond, and her message is classically eastern: peace, love and respect.  Haikaa’s album Work Of Art is undeniably warm and sweet, and the songs are delivered with a voice that gets inside of your head.  Haikaa breaks down barriers through her understanding of the world, but she also projects the sort of personality as a performer that will draw listeners in and help them feel more open to ideas they might not have considered otherwise.

At the outset of Work Of Art, before you even really take notice of her songwriting, you’ll be enthralled with Haikaa’s voice.  It’s charming and out of the ordinary, with a warm sound and unusual tone that’s inherent both in herself and in her multi-cultural exposure.  In this day and age it’s not always possible to know whether a voice is doctored on a recording, but the end result is quite wonderfully unique.  Haikaa wastes no time impressing with her songwriting ability either, launching into “Everything I Know About Love”, a solid, low-key pop ballad that’s wonderfully constructed.  There is awkwardness in the lyrical constructs at times, but this fits well with the young and uncertain voice the song is written in.  The harmony vocals here feel out of synch with both Haikaa and the arrangement, and therefore become more of a distraction than an organic part of the whole.  “Work Of Art” finds Haikaa demanding to be seen for who she is.  It’s a positive message that parents will like their daughters to hear from pop music, and it manages to avoid cliché to become truly meaningful.  The message itself is wrapped in a pretty pop arrangement with Alan Parsons’s style vocal harmonies.  It’s simply gorgeous.

“Call Me By Name” continues in a similar thematic vein, and continues the wonderfully-constructed pop path that Haikaa has embarked on.  It would be easy to see this song serving as a soundtrack component for a teen television drama or even for a movie.  “Happy” has a positive, feel-good vibe.  It’s a piece of fluffy pop music that isn’t ashamed to be what it is, and is ultimately enjoyable.  “I’ll Wait” finds Haikaa digging into a sweet love song that could have serious commercial potential if it gets airplay or other exposure.  From the sweetly honest affirmation of love to the wonderfully constructed pop arrangement and memorable melody, all the elements of a great pop ballad are here.

“Vision” shows off a slightly more mature sound from Haikaa.  She captures a Stevie Nicks vibe here, although you can understand everything she sings.  There’s something of an edge to this number that shows avenues Haikaa may follow on future albums, but the vaguely sensual sweetness that runs through the album survives even in this maturing sound.  Work Of Art winds down with “You And Me”, a solid love song with good energy and approach.  It’s a good effort, but not as strong as much of what’s come before, and perhaps not the best way to say ‘until next time’.

Haikaa shows talent, maturity and youth on Work Of Art.  She is a compelling young songwriter with a real gift for melody and pop construction.  That’s not to say everything works perfectly on Work Of Art, but Haikaa is on-target most of the time, and occasionally delivers moments of brilliance.  The most compelling aspect of the album is Haikaa’s voice, which is mainstream enough to fit in on pop radio dials, but unique enough to stand out.  Don’t be surprised if Work Of Art is just the start for Haikaa.

Rating:                  4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Haikaa at www.haikaa.com or www.myspace.com/haikaa. 

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Babe Gurr - SideDish

Babe Gurr – SideDish
2011, Elan Records Canada
Babe Gurr continues her slow, relentless rise through the world of folk and Americana.  Her last album, Chocolate Lilly, earned rave reviews in both the U.S. and Canada, and led to a series of high profile concerts in both countries.  Gurr’s songs have also been featured on a number of shows on U.S. television, including the FOX series Higher Ground.  Gurr’s songwriting has also been lauded in venues such as the Billboard World Song Contest, the 12^th Great American Song Contest, and the Sonic Bids Nashville Song Contest, the latter of which she won.  Gurr recently released her latest effort, SideDish, a collection of eight originals and two covers with an international flair.

SideDish opens with “I’m Just Here To Dance”, a gritty tango, and Gurr’s voice is as sultry as the dance itself.  Gurr is a master storyteller, and proves it once again here.  “Solo Mia” is an absolutely gorgeous performance, with Gurr’s earthy alto the perfect complement to a great arrangement.  “The World Is Calling” is a wonderfully dark world/rock number that blends Middle Eastern and Western sounds in a vibrant and driven arrangement.  “I Will Be” is a pure love song; a promise of devotion with surprisingly melancholic undertones.  The song is dark and urgent; moving in an almost needful way. 

“Voodoo Love” is bluesy, elemental folk/rock ala Bonnie Raitt; a catchy number with an unforgettable chorus.  This is Gurr at her finest.  “My Love” and “Let’s Find A Way” are both solid entries, and lead to the closer, “Rio’s Lullaby”.  The song is an apt closer, a gentle goodnight that highlights Gurr’s voice as the supreme instrument it is.

Babe Gurr’s SideDish definitely walks a different musical line than we have heard from her in the past, but it is a worthwhile one to follow.  Gurr shows a versatility of language and style that is unique in modern music; not just an ability to cover different ground but a depth of perception and musical understanding that is startling.  Gurr’s voice, as always, is a pleasure, and the journey she takes on SideDish is one that listeners will prize.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Babe Gurr at www.babegurr.com.  SideDish is available on CD from Amazon.com.  The album is also available in multiple formats from CDBaby.com. 

Gwyneth & Monko – Gwyneth & Monko

Gwyneth & Monko – Gwyneth & Monko
2011, Gwyneth & Monko

Gwyneth Moreland and Michael Monko return this week with their first full-length album, Gwyneth & Monko.  The follow-up to last summer’s Good Ol’ Horse EP reflects a somewhat darker aspect to the duo’s music, a blend of the sharp Americana style they’ve displayed in the past and a slightly more serious approach as songwriters that has developed over the past year on the road together. 

Gwyneth & Monko opens with “Found In Benson”, a simultaneously joyful and melancholy piece that manages to be repetitive and mundane.  The juxtaposition of moods is the most intriguing part in what is arguably a weak opening track.  “Consumption” is a prairie ballad about tuberculosis and the lives it stole or left broken in one family.  Mournful and dark, this is an example of Moreland’s finesse as a lyricist and is among the best song craft on the album.  “Hand In The Fire” is fairly average for songwriting, but shows off the distinctive nature and beauty of Moreland’s voice in perfect relief.

Gwyneth & Monko go for a vaguely bluesy blend of Appalachian folk and gospel on “Blood Of The Lamb”, capturing a musical moment that is memorable both for the song for the haunting beauty of Moreland’s vocal.  “Summer Bliss” and “Get In The Sun” are bland and forgettable, although the latter finds Moreland sounding a bit like a young Stevie Nicks (although with better enunciation).  “The Raven” takes off on the Edgar Allan Poe tale in a Cowboy Junkies-style arrangement.  The sound is nice, but doesn’t necessarily work here.  Margo Timmons has an amazing voice, but Moreland is a different kind of vocalist, and this low energy approach just doesn’t work here.

“Eloise” is a song of heartbreak; written from the perspective of a man who has been forsaken by the only one he ever loved.  The lyrics and arrangement are solid, but the vocal makes the song stand up and walk.  “Can’t Stay Long” is in the same class as “Blood Of The Lamb”, blending great energy with a plus arrangement and a standout vocal line.  “Song Of The Robin Redbreast” is aesthetic and sweet, and leads into a wax cylinder recording of “Pine Box Sailor”.  This last seems more an exercise than anything else, experimentation in sound.  While the recording is messy, it’s inarguable that Moreland, in particular, sounds right at home.  The wax recording brings out some of the qualities in her voice you might hear in a live setting, and gives you an idea of how good she really is.

Gwyneth & Monko show flashes of the energy and panache that made their debut EP, Good ‘Ol Horse, such a pleasure to find, but Gwyneth & Monko fails to live up to the resultant expectations.  There are a couple of examples of what the duo is capable of as songwriters, but as a whole the songwriting is somewhat lackluster.  The effort is saved again and again by the voice of Gwyneth Moreland.  She is one of those vocalists who can make a bad song listenable and a good song great.  Moreland gives life to several songs on Gwyneth & Monko that are otherwise mundane.  Michael Monko is steady at helm on the instrumental side, providing solid arrangements for Moreland to play against, but the sense of inspiration the duo have showed previously just never quite establishes itself here.  Gwyneth & Monk have grown as songwriters, and that’s always a positive.  If they can keep that growth and re-infuse some of the energy they’ve shown previously they’re going to do great things.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Gwyneth And Monko at www.gwynethandmonko.com or www.myspace.com/gwynethmoreland.  Gwyneth & Monko is available digitally from Amazon.com and iTunes.

The Jezabels - Dark Storm

The Jezabels - Dark Storm
2010, The Jezabels

Sydney, Australia quartet The Jezabels have had a whirlwind year, landing opening gigs for artists such as Tegan & Sara, Katie Noonan and Josh Pyke while promoting their 2009 EP She's So Hard.  In the process The Jezabels grew into headliners themselves, selling some pretty impressive rooms along the way.  Led by vocalist Hayley Mary, The Jezabels bring an eclectic sound on their latest EP, Dark Storm, the last of an EP trilogy.

The EP opens with “Dark Storm”, a stark and lovely tune with a disturbing edge.  The song has a hidden pop sensibility; it won’t necessarily be your favorite the first listen through but it is the song that will keep you coming back.  Vocalist Hayley Mary intrigues while sounding like a cross between Kate Bush and Stevie Nicks.  “Mace Spray” is crunchy-but-ambient pop.  Hayley Mary’s vocal is distinctive and disturbing, full of an asymmetric beauty and a hard edge that’s sort of like chewing on tin foil.  “Sahara Mahala” is an edgy pop love song with a serious hook and a deep sense of mystery.  “A Little Piece goes a bit too far vocally, with Mary stretching for some soprano notes that were perhaps ill thought.  The Jezabels close with “She’s So Hard”, a vocally intriguing but lyrically obtuse song that shows elements of Sarah McLachlan and Bjork.

The Jezabels show an intriguing mix of rock, pop and Lilith Fair pastiche on “Dark Storm”, one of the more intriguing musical introductions we’ve made this year at Wildy’s World.  The EP itself has its ups and downs, but Hayley Mary has a voice that could become iconic.  Voice aside, there’s enough here to keep you in the loop enough to want to find out what The Jezabels do next.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Jezabels at http://www.thejezabels.com/ or www.myspace.com/jezabelsband.  Dark Storm is available on CD from Amazon.com.  Digital copies are available via iTunes.

Review: Nite Nite - How To Touch The Moon

Nite Nite - How To Touch The Moon
2010, Nite Nite/BMI

Nashville’s Nite Nite looks to smear the edges of music city with their original blend of Goth, Post-Punk British New Wave and Americana. Nite Nite have slowly been building a buzz right under the nose of the Country world for a few years now, out-playing themselves in small clubs and occasional even showing up headliners as a wayward opening act. On January 12, 2010, Nite Nite will release their full length debut album, How To Touch The Moon. If Siouxsie & The Banshees or The Cure is your bag, then you’ll definitely get a kick out of Nite Nite.

Nite Nite opens with Touch The Moon, a Cranberries-esque rocker that plods along to a faux-martial beat. Vocalist Davis Chatfield sounds like a bizarre cross between Dolores O'Riordan and Edie Brickell, and stands amid a somewhat reserved yet vibrantly open alt-rock sound. Nite Nite eschews comfort for the vaguely disturbing and occasionally dissonant Black Noise. Bury Me finds Chatfield particularly hard to understand, especially in the chorus. Diction heads south quickly here, and while Chatfield is a fairly decent singer, she's not quite good enough to get away with Stevie Nicks style enunciation. In A Dream takes on a distinctly more Pop feel (think Phil Spectre ;) without a few of the frills) and you'll get the idea.

Nite Nite starts hitting on all eight cylinders during Hello, I'm Melancholy. The song itself is quirky enough and with a distinctive Pop feel that will turn heads. What They Do Not Know goes for heavy synth and an almost Baltic sound in an alt-rock arrangement vaguely reminiscent of The Breeders. Nite Nite gives a flat performance on These Days, a song that wants to get off the ground, but the mix here is terrible. Chatfield's vocals are too relaxed and in the instrumental mix, and the sound is just too busy. Chatfield is actually trying to break out here somewhat, but the producer ensures that can't happen. She tries again on I'm Always Right!, succeeding to a small degree but still handcuffed by the heavy-handed production. Lost To Say The Least closes things out and is by far the best recording on the album. The band is crisp and clear, and Chatfield is at her vocal best.

Nite Nite has an interesting sound that may have real potential, but a different ear and touch at the production board may be required to bring out their best. Chatfield has a solid voice that's a pleasure to listen to, but it spends much of the album mired too deep in the instrumental mix to really shine the way it should. Chatfield does have some diction issues, but this may be more stylistic than anything else. How To Touch The Moon is an intriguing start. I'll be curious to see what comes next for Nite Nite.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Nite Nite at www.myspace.com/niteniteband. How To Touch The Moon drops on January 12, 2010. Keep checking Nite Nite’s MySpace page for availability.

Review: Gretel - The Dregs

Gretel - The Dregs
2009, Eyeteeth Records

New England anti-folk trio Gretel is led by the enigmatic and engaging Reva Williams. The band recently released their sophomore CD on Eyeteeth Records. The disc, entitled The Dregs, mixes it up with the lowest of the low and finds beauty even amongst the lost, the forgotten and the hopeless. The Dregs illuminates beauty with dark light infused with the hope that even the hopeless hold onto.

The Dregs opens with Turn The Lights Back On, Pt. 1, a plodding coffee house piece with some interesting vocal harmonies. The song covers the bases of hatred, indifference and self-disgust and is a tough intro (more for the arrangement than anything else). Car Bomb Times laments the times we live in, like the fact that people can afford to self-medicate but can't afford to see a doctor (although this could be a double-edged argument). The minimalist arrangement uses vocal harmonies to build balance and contrasts and is very much off the beaten track; a great tune. Jesus! (Where Did You Go?) continues the general theme of Car Bomb Times, questioning where God has gone in a society that seems to be winding down. That Great History is a wonderful and frustrating musical venture. At 1:20 in length, it's just too short for how good it is. The selfish listener in me wants Gretel to realize this is a full-length tune, although the musician in me recognizes it might not be what it is if forced to be more than it's meant to be. Sheesh.

Renegade is a decent country tune about falling for bad boys, but is a bit different than the typical song in that realm. The narrator here is a tough woman, a plains woman perhaps, and can very much hold her own. Do Over is a song for the morning after, the day after or any of the countless missteps we make in life. The subject matter could get moral but Gretel stays away from such issues except perhaps by subtle implication. O Put Me Under is a wonderfully confounding listen. How can a song be lush and sound primitive all at once? You'll ask yourself this time and time again as you keep hitting replay. O Put Me Under is heartfelt and powerful; a pure expression of sadness that isn't so much sorrow as resignation. Turn The Lights Back On, Pt. 2 is amazingly, wonderfully schizophonic, drawing on sounds as diverse as Rock, Folk and Dixieland Jazz in a musical experience you won't soon forget. Don't bother with traditional music structure; Gretel certainly didn't here, but they did manage to create a significant song that deserves some serious attention. The Dregs closes out with Your Flame, a decent tune in its own right that is unfortunately anti-climactic after Turn The Lights Back On, Pt. 2.

I badly wanted to pull this disc out during the first song the first time I listened to it. I had so much ill will toward the disc and the band from the first song that it wasn't until about the fourth or fifth song that I realized The Dregs is something special. I still don't particularly like the opening track, but the rest of the disc is absolutely unforgettable. It's perhaps an acquired taste, but Gretel has an amazing vocalist in Reva Williams, and writes atypical, memorable songs that should help them build a rabid (if moderate) fan base. Make sure you check out The Dregs; you won't be sorry.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Gretel at http://www.gretelmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/gretelmusic. You can purchase The Dregs either on CD or as a download at www.cdbaby.com/cd/gretel2.

Review: Speck Mountain - Some Sweet Relief

Speck Mountain – Some Sweet Relief
2009, Carrot Top Records

Mellow spunk is the word I would choose for Marie-Claire Balabanian, lead vocalist of Chicago-based ethereal rockers Speck Mountain. Traversing the mellow vocal styles of Margo Timmons and Hope Sandoval, Balabanian paints each song with a sweet and sincere vocal brush burgeoning with anima and attitude. Add in the spacey jangle of Karl Briedrick’s guitar and the mournful wash of Kate Walsh’s keyboards and you have the recipe for a glorious work of downtrodden pop magic. Speck Mountain’s latest release, due March 17, 2009 is Some Sweet Relief; it brings new life and vibrancy to the world of moody, introspective pop music.

Shame On The Soul opens the album on the spindly legs of Briedrick’s plaintive guitar while Balabanian comes in over the top sounding like a cross between Timmons and Stevie Nicks. Balabanian and Briedrick are co-story tellers here, with Briedrick handling the unspoken or unspeakable on his guitar. You’ll understand once you hear it. The song is stunning in its simplicity and stark beauty. I Feel Eternal is one of the more optimistic sounding songs on the CD; the hopeful guitar lead soaring through a gentle reverb that suggests a dreamlike quality. Balabanian meets this with a pragmatic and sonically gorgeous vocal performance that may be the best on the CD. Some Sweet Relief has a very repressed blues feel to it that is buried deep in an Americana/Folk arrangement.

Dreamlike qualities abound on Backslider, built on the laconic keyboard of Walsh and ethereal, wordless vocals. This serves as an introduction to Backsliding, a striking piece of sad beauty. Balabanian is the queen of all she surveys here, and rings every bit of pernicious melancholy from the song she can manage; Other highlights include Twinlines and Sister Water.

Speck Mountain is an immensely talented group of musicians pursuing a sound that has to be done near perfectly in order to succeed. The sort of melancholy, ethereal pop music created by Balabanian, Briedrick, Walsh, et. al. can die a slow death for many reasons, but Speck Mountain make you want to travel the back roads of sullen, downtrodden pop with them. Some Sweet Relief is pop alchemy at its finest, creating golden moments for your listening pleasure. Expect Speck Mountain to be with us for some time to come.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Speck Mountain at www.myspace.com/speckmountain. Some Sweet Relief is due out March 17, 2009. Keep checking Speck Mountain’s MySpace page for availability information. Also note that keyboardist Kate Walsh has departed the band since the recording of Some Sweet Relief, and so there is a new keyboardist, Claire “Cub” Haley, as well as a new drummer, Christopher Dye.