Drawn From Bees - Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted

Drawn From Bees - Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted

2011, Bonefinger Records

Drawn From Bees have already taken Australia by storm, releasing four albums in the last two years and gaining significant airplay in Australia and even extending their reach into the US and European markets. Scheduled to perform at SXSW in March of 2011, Drawn From Bees have put together an exclusive US EP drawn from their releases to date entitled Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted.

Cautionary Tales opens with "Long Tooth Setting Sun", a mildly catchy number with the sort of vocal harmony triads that recall the sounds of the Arena Rock era. The sound here is smoother, a refined alt-rock style with hints of melancholy in the seams. "Stand Against The Storm" is simplistic, bordering on bland. The vocal harmonies are nice, but lead vocalist Dan James is whiney in a Michael Stipe manner that's cloying. "The East Wood Fox" suffers the same malady. Things look brighter on "Picture Show", an emotive and melodic number that borders on emotionally overwrought but never quite tumbles down that hill. Drawn From Bees closes with "Waiting For The End", mired in a Smiths-style darkness that is desolately bland.

Drawn From Bees will find fans amongst the disaffected and lost souls who cling to acts such as The Smiths, The Cure and Morrissey; a not inconsiderable demographic. But while Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted comes from the same emotionally listless state that inspired those artists, Drawn From Bees never quite displays the musicality or magic to overcome their pathos.

Rating: 1.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Drawn From Bees at http://www.drawnfrombees.com/ or www.myspace.com/drawnfrombees.  Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available digitally from iTunes.

Adam Sullivan - The Room Is Spinning Faster

Adam Sullivan - The Room Is Spinning Faster

2010, Dweeb Records

Adam Sullivan gets compared to Billy Joel and Ben Folds a lot, but his musical roots are in the darker melancholy of Randy Newman and REM.  With eleven albums/EPs under his belt and ambitious international touring schedule, Sullivan has paid his dues and developed a solid fan base the world over.  His latest album, The Room Is Spinning Faster, shows the polished artistry of a songwriter who knows his craft combined with the restless rambling urge of someone who needs the road even if he's started to question his place on it.  The Room Is Spinning Faster is due out in October 2010 on Dweeb Records, but is already available in digital formats.

Adam Sullivan starts out strong with "Nothing Like Being Alone", rumination on his place in the world, sanity, perspective and understanding.  It's a Ben Folds-style ballad that's highly introspective, a soaring melancholy ode to self-contemplation.  "But The Dinosaurs Were Dead" is edgy, smooth pop, once again reminiscent of Folds.  The instrumentation here is unique, making use of piano and string to create an off-balance sound that somehow stands on its own.  "Please Don't Fall In Love With Me" is great songwriting, a melancholy and thoughtful love song written from the depths of fear and confusion. 

Up to this point Adam Sullivan is setting the stage.  With "Rainy Morning In Amsterdam" he sets the tone for the rest of the album.  It's a song of morning and regret, a pool Sullivan wallows in the rest of the way utilizing a Hemmingway-styled symbolism for tragedy and defeat while singing in measured tones.  Sullivan is searching for he knows not what.  "Something To Lose" is rambling and melancholic but lacks real energy.  The melody and harmonic construction here are gorgeous, but the song teeters on the brink of an emotional vacuum that is disconcerting.  "These Are The Thoughts" is a long-winded, emotionally grinding experience built in this same dearth of emotional energy.  It's the thoughts that keep him awake at night, told from the perspective of one so numb it's more of a recitative than an experience.  "Let Go" shows a flash of life; pretty and dark with a modality reminiscent of Alan Parsons, "Let Go" reflects a sort of determined, reticent hope about what is to come.  The rest of the way is back to the flat, emotionally bereft energy that haunts the middle of the album, as Sullivan walks the listener back to the sleep from which he first emerged.

Adam Sullivan constructs some beautiful musical landscapes on The Room Is Spinning Faster, but against those landscapes he casts a character so lost in his own melancholy and emotional distance that the songs take on a sort of fractured personality.  Artistically challenging, but the combination can make The Room Is Spinning Faster a challenge to get through.  If the navel-gazing melancholy and passive anger of The Cure or The Smiths or even REM you find appealing, then Adam Sullivan will fit nicely in your music collection.  Sullivan may be a bit too distant for the mass market, but the talent here is unmistakable. 

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Adam Sullivan at www.adamsullivan.com or www.myspace.com/adamsullivan.  The Room Is Spinning Faster is due out in October 2010 on CD, but can be purchased now in digital formats through Amazon.com and iTunes.

J Minus - Devil Music

J Minus - Devil Music
2010, J Minus

Seattle quartet J Minus walks the wild edge of alternative music. Not Alternative understand, but an alternative to what we call Alternative. Formed in 2002, Dylan Fant, Trevor Wheetman, Chris Mongillo and Meyer Harrell work within the bounds of solid songwriting, dynamic harmonies and a refusal to tie themselves to one specific sound. You may hear flashes of bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, The Samples or Toad The Wet Sprocket in their sound, but J Minus takes these influences, mixes them with their own inherent talents and creates something new and unique. J Minus dropped their third album, Devil Music over the summer. It may be their best work to date.

Devil Music opens with "Congratulations, You Suck; a catchy tune that asks a troubling paramour to set him free rather than string him along. Buried in the emotional angst of the tune is a great pop arrangement that slowly unfurls as the song progresses. "When The Lights Go Out" is a song of reassurance written for a child who is afraid of the dark. Parents in particular will appreciate J Minus' effort here, a sweet and good-natured tune with an enjoyable melody. "Can I Count On You?" seeks assurance in a meandering pop arrangement. The song is very well written, featuring an off-center, needy protagonist in a needful quest.

J Minus explores dashed expectations on "Who We Were", looking at the hopes and dreams of children and the reality of their adulthood. It's a stark take on how negative thoughts and experiences impact or characters and personalities. Things get maudlin in the middle of Devil Music, with J Minus losing the energy that drove even the darker moments over the album's first few songs. "Swing Low" is the exception, a catchy rock tune with big harmonies in the chorus. This is a tune that sticks with you or recurs in your mind at odd times, and is a bright light in the middle of Devil Music. "While It Lasts" is a melancholic rumination on impermanence that features a solid melody but is a bit of a drag in emotion and energy. "Into The Dark" is tortured pop music that delves into a sense of failure and loss without clear boundaries; a singular effort that is both difficult and rewarding as a songwriter and as a listener. J Minus closes with "Episode 2", which opens in bland musical terms but turns into a vibrant pop song that counters J Minus' almost morose vocal style. It's a request to leap forward into the unknown of tomorrow, a fitting, yet bold end to the album.

J Minus intrigues with Devil Music, a collection that's unbalanced but which contains a few gems along the way. Fans of The Cure and The Smiths will find a lot to like here, but J Minus has enough pop sensibility to appeal to a wider constituency.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about J Minus at http://www.jminus.com/ or www.myspace.com/jminus.  Devil Music is available on CD through J Minus' webstore.  Digital copies are available via iTunes.

Avi Wisnia - Something New

Avi Wisnia - Something New
2010, Avi Wisnia/Mo Sho Publishing

Avi Wisnia invites attempts to classify him even as his music defies clear description: Elements of pop, jazz, Latin and cabaret gallivant through his songs with seeming abandon. The award-winning singer/songwriter splits his time between New York City and Philadelphia while creating music that seems to jump out and grab you. Wisnia's influences include Ben Folds, Norah Jones, Billy Joel, Jamie Cullum, John Legend and Chet Baker, and that deep musical heritage makes its presence known on Wisnia's latest album, Something New.

Wisnia opens with "New Year", a catchy, piano-driven pop song about hope. "More Than Me" shows Wisnia is a sort of post-modern Barry Manilow. "More Than Me" is catchy light pop with a nice melody that would be right at home in a Manilow set. "I Wish That I Could Stop Writing Songs About You" is melancholy and lovelorn; a song Wisnia wrote about an ex-boyfriend. Catchy and contemplative, the song has a melody that nearly sings itself. Latin rhythms find their way into "Sink", punctuating the catchy, light acoustic-pop number with a mildly danceable feel.

Wisnia's cover of The Cure's "Love Song" has a vaguely soulful feel, undercut by a melancholy sense of longing that is detached yet very much alive. "Rabbit Hole" is the most relaxed track on the album. Wisnia gets a bit sloppy on the vocal line, trying to do too much with flourish in what should be a purely entertaining track but gets smothered when Wisnia hams it up a bit too much. "Something New" is a somewhat cheesy series of vignettes in one song that borrows lines from popular songs; it's fast-paced and entertaining but seems a bit trite. "It's Only Me" could become a signature song for Wisnia; a piano ballad about the loneliness of creation when trying to reach out across a gulf to those who will listen. Wisnia closes with a cover of TLC's "No Scrubs" in pure Las Vegas fashion, hamming it up Rat Pack style. It's campy but entertaining.

Avi Wisnia has a definable pop sensibility that he weaves in and out of his pop/jazz/Latin creations. Something New seems likely to make Wisnia a host of new fans. How marketable the sound turns out to be can turn on the social whims (or winds) of the moment, but Wisnia definitely has slick pop touch that he glazes over each song. From a songwriting perspective, Something New is up and down, but when Wisnia is on his game he can be very entertaining. Vocally Wisnia is competent; his isn't a voice that will make a huge impression, but he uses it well within the context of his songs.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Avi Wisnia at http://www.aviwisnia.com/ or www.myspace.com/aviwisniapresents.  Something New is available from Amazon.com as either a CD or Download.  Digital copies are also available from iTunes.

Review: The Corner Laughers - Ultraviolet Garden

The Corner Laughers - Ultraviolet Garden
2009, Popover Corps

San Francisco's The Corner Laughers could be called the unintended complication of a Catholic School education. They also happen to be Wildy's World's Artist Of The Month for March, 2010. Karla Kane (singer/ukulele) and Angela Stilletto (guitar) met as kindred spirit while still in Catholic prep school, joking that they would start a band called The Corner Laughers in spite of neither playing an instrument. Born more of social cohesion than anything else, the duo developed into something more over time, blending a unique and eclectic pop sensibility with intelligent, offbeat lyrics and a wicked sense of humor. The Corner Laughers released Ultraviolet Garden in the Fall of 2009 on John Wesley Harding's Popover Corps, and have received a wealth of critical acclaim as well as being included on several year-end "best of" lists. If the Bangles co-mingled with The Cure and then went out for Drinks with They Might Be Giants and Barenaked Ladies, the resulting band would sound a lot like The Corner Laughers.

Ultraviolet Garden opens with "Shrine Of The Martyred Saint", the story of someone pining his life away rather than living what's left of his life. This sad story is delivered in a compact and peppy Pop/Rock arrangement that will have you tapping your toes and looking for a dance floor. "For The Sake Of My Cat" has a 1960's girl group sound updated for the 21st century. R&B underpinnings and great vocal harmonies help the song soar in a tale about a relationship that lingers over two people's favorite feline. The delicious pop confections continue on "The Commonest Manifesto"; The Corner Laughers explore the aftermath of a relationship and the emotional barriers it creates.

"Inner Archaeologist" is brilliant; a song questioning the intentions of a suitor out of the composer's own insecurity. The arrangement is a brilliant mix of vaudevillian camp and Folkgrass. You'll chuckle at the juxtaposition of meaning and tone, but the song is amazingly human in its insecurities and self-protection. On "Half A Mile", The Corner Laughers explore the ups and downs of a long distance relationship in ambivalent terms (I guess I'll make it through). There's a distinct sense here that even though her heart is in it, she's tiring of the waiting and traveling for stolen moments. "Silver Medal" returns to the upbeat, New Wave style that The Corner Laughers opened with in an incessantly enjoyable tune.

"Dark Horse" takes on a failing relationship in the same peppy style that seems to serve The Corner Laughers so well; there being something thoroughly infectious about their sound. Contagion continues on "Thunderbird", perhaps the best pure Pop/Rock song on the album. You won't be able to help yourself from dancing. "Yellow Jacket" takes that urgent energy and folds into a slightly more pointed song about making things happen. This song ends in a happy honeymoon tinctured in a sugary sweet chorus with whistles, and is another amazing bit of songwriting. "A Country Song" deftly explores the twists and turns that might bring two people together or in this case keep them apart. The Corner Laughers are at their most brilliant here, offering crisp acoustic Pop with a country flavor and Punk energy in a song that deserves to be trumpeted from rooftops. The Corner Laughers close with "Space Echo", getting right to the destruction of the Earth in the opening lines of the song. It's a bizarre song with the baroque Pop feel of a lighter Tori Amos tune and an absurdist bent ala a love story cooked up by a partnership between Syfy and Lifetime Movie Network.

The Corner Laughers write brilliant Pop songs delivered primarily on acoustic instruments on Ultraviolet Garden. This sort of sense for melody and arrangement tends to result in long career arcs that wind up with on-going shows in places like Las Vegas. The Corner Laughers have enough Pop sensibility to stay on the Pop culture radar, but walk off the beaten path enough to garner counter-culture support as well. In short, The Corner Laughers succeed so well by being adamantly themselves. The music is irresistible; the lyrics intelligent and sometimes funny. Vocalist Karla Kane has the sort of voice that speaks of a late-blooming flower, sultry and sensual but hidden behind a shy intellect that's as prone to misdirection and humor as it is to blunt observation. The vocal harmonies are to die for; and the album, Ultraviolet Garden, is the sort of debut that a band could spend the rest of their career trying to match (much less top).

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Corner Laughers at http://www.cornerlaughers.com/ or www.myspace.com/cornerlaughers. Ultraviolet Garden can be purchased directly from the band on CD. Downloads are available through Amazon.com .

Review: Destrosound - Elements Of A Broken Rhythm

Destrosound - Elements Of A Broken Rhythm
2009, Destrosound

Destrosound, AKA Josh McPherson, hails from the suburbs of New York City and haunts that vaunted city’s music scene with a an electro-rock sound and a misfits sensibility. Destrosound’s debut EP, Elements Of A Broken Rhythm has garnered him solid attention in the New York City Indie world, as have his live performances. As we break into 2010, Destrosound is looking to spread his electrorock gospel to the wider world.

Elements Of A Broken Rhythm opens with Self Control, an Electronc/Garage Rock hybrid with maudlin energy. The melody is somewhat nondescript and the vocals are average. The instrumentation sounds like it consists of looped/electronic beats and a single electric guitar. Colliders sees something of a deterioration of sound. The vocal line has intense pitch issues, and the vocalist shows little inclination toward diction or annunciation, making the song's lyrics difficult to discern. Things don't really improve much with Eliza, although Destrosound does recover a tad on Sleeping Uneasy.

Elements Of A Broken Rhythm is a tough listen. There's a Cure-like pathos that runs through the four songs presented by Destrosound, but little sense of melody of composition is apparent on the EP. Destrosound is a decidedly acquired taste.

Rating: 1.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Destrosound at www.myspace.com/destrosound. Elements Of A Broken Rhythm is available exclusively on 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: Kate Miller-Heidke - EP

Kate Miller-Heidke - EP
2009, Sony Music

Kate Miller-Heidke is nothing less than a superstar in Australia. The Brisbane native's album Curiouser has lit up the ARIA and iTunes charts in Australia, going Gold and spawning at least two top-40 singles. Heidke and her guitarist/songwriter/partner Keir Nuttall also won the International Songwriting Competition grand prize, impressing a judging panel that included Tom Waits, Robert Smith (The Cure), Neil Finn and Ray Davies (The Kinks). Categorizing Miller-Heidke is in itself a process. If you took the in your-face musicality and quirkiness of Nellie McKay, the range of Kristin Chenoweth, the charm of Betty Boop and the beauty-to-bombast capability of Kate Bush you'd have someone who maybe sounded a bit like Kate Miller-Heidke. After the initial comparison all bets are off, however. Miller-Heidke strives to make music that makes the listener feel something; Catchy is great but empty doesn't fly. Sony Music will release Kate Miller-Heidke's Curiouser to North American audiences in 2010, but for now they've released the digital only EP through iTunes. It's time to get your feet and get to know Kate Miller-Heidke.

Kate Miller-Heidke is part post-modern Punk/Folk poet and part Flapper showgirl on EP. Her distinctive voice reaches notes not often found in pop music (and she actually hits them head on rather than glazing by them in histrionic runs as with coloratura divas such as Mariah Carey). Her fast, tight vibrato is also a bit unusual in pop, recalling, at times, Glinda The Good Witch from The Wizard Of Oz. These things aside, Miller-Heidke can flat out sing like an angel when she wants to, but she can also get in your face and growl, rap, yelp or roar. The first song on EP is Caught In The Crowd, the song that won the International Songwriting Contest Grand Prize. It's a charming song about what we miss out on by following the crowd in high school. Miller-Heidke gives pictures of some of the folks who were marginalized in high school; and tells her own tale of betrayal in name of being in the in crowd. The song is an apology and a coming-of-age, and is extremely well written with a distinctive melody and strong vocal harmonies.

Miller-Heidke takes on the narcissistic tendencies of the Baby Boom generation on Politics In Space. Her voice is inspiring here, and the message is firmly delivered with flashes of wit as sharp as any stiletto. On The Last Day On Earth, Miller-Heidke offers up a fantastical day dream that illuminates the power and fragility of love against the backdrop of the destruction of the world. The song itself is very pretty and moving in spite of the fantastical setting. Words is a tough affirmation of self. Miller-Heidke goes large here with a touch of glam in a wonderfully entertaining turn. The song is different enough to catch on in the popular realm and inspire a host of copy-cats without giving itself away to popular mores. EP closes out with Are You F#cking Kidding Me, one of the funniest post-modern relationship songs of the digital age. Miller-Heidke is enchanting and rip-roaringly funny in a song that essentially everyone under 30 (and most over-30) can identify with.

Kate Miller-Heidke has a magical touch that can't be ignored. She writes close enough to the popular realm to be accepted by it, but is too much her own to ever be a Pop artist. Miller-Heidke's songs show intelligence, wit and a fiercely imaginative and creative nature that isn't going to go away. EP should inspire a lot of interest in the forthcoming North American release of Curiouser. In the mean time, it is an inspired introduction to an artist who might just turn out to be one of those once-in-a-generation talents. EP a Wildy's World Certified Desert Island Download. Don't miss it.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kate Miller-Heidke at http://www.katemiller-heidke.com/ or www.myspace.com/katemillerheidke. You can download EP from iTunes.

Review: Soundtrack - Whip It

Soundtrack - Whip It
2009, Rhino Records

Whip It is a new comedy directed by Drew Barrymore about a small town Texas girl who escapes by becoming a star roller derby player. Yes, it’s as bad as it sounds. Drew Barrymore directs the movie based on the Shauna Cross novel (and screenplay). While the movie has a fairly narrow demographic in mind, the soundtrack is bit more broadminded. Whip It features a plethora of new Indie and Alternative Rock bands, as well as few soundtrack classics.

Tilly & The Wall get things started with Pot Kettle Black, sounding like The Runaways meets the Bratz in a sparse Rock N Roll setting. The first family of New York Punk, The Ramones are up next with Sheena Is A Punk Rocker. Surf and Punk mix here in a hybrid that would inspire an entire generation of musicians. The Raveonettes make mellow waves on Dead Sound, one of the surprise highlights of the album. The dynamic here is repressed, gothic Pop. The song is pretty and yet there's something slight off all at the same time. Jens Lekman does the Cure/Smiths thing on Your Arms Around Me. It's a decent, mildly catchy and sonically melancholy tune that could be a sleeper hit.

Gotye's Learnalilgivinanlovin is catchy, 60's-flavored Dance Rock with strong harmonies and an infectious nature. It might not make the biggest impression on the first listen but will stick with you more than most anything else offered on the album. Dolly Parton's Jolene and .38 Special's Caught Up In You are classics of their respective genres and get recycled for soundtracks every few years After this point things head downhill. Adam Green and Har Mar's cover of the Addrisi Brothers' Never My Love is decent, but there's not much past that's likely to perk the interest of listeners. The Squeak E. Clean & Desert Eagles Remix of The Chordette's classic Lollipop is the low point of the album. While I'm all for interpreting and make a song your own, this remix simply makes a mess of the song.

Whip It is uneven and at times messy, but there are some strong moments along the way. The songs seem to have been chosen more according to someone's personal coolness scale rather than an attempt to craft a particular sound or mood for the movie. The end result is a sometimes enjoyable and sometimes unavoidable mess.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Whip It at http://www.foxsearchlight.com/whipit. You can purchase a copy of Whip It at Amazon.com as either a CD or download.

Review: MFMB - MFMB

MFMB - MFMB
2009, La Bulle Sonore Records

Hailing from Bollnas, Sweden, MFMB mixes acoustic and electronic elements to create a sound that runs somewhere between Daft Punk, Spiritualized, My Bloody Valentine and The Cure. Their debut EP, MFMB culls elements of each and crafts them into a dynamic if somewhat wandering musical experience.

MFMB opens with Anthill Man; a lyrically confuddling but ultimately danceable bit of electro-rock that sounds a bit like something that Dieter might dance to on the old Saturday Night Live sketch Sprockets. It's a pleasant tune; just don't expect a lot of sense on the lyrical side. Control gets a bit more electric guitar involved in the mix, blending hard rock and house styles quite well, actually. The song does get repetitive in both structure and lyrics, but is very listenable and highly danceable. The Fine Detail I had a hard time getting into, but MFMB stormed right back with Tune On, a jaunty bit of EuroPop dance music that will likely have some real legs on the club scene. I Would Give It To Anyone is a languorous pop tune that is certain to inspire somnolence in listeners, but MFMB rebounds once again on the closing track, Heat Like This, with a Pop/Dance tune that seems inspired by the work of The Cure.

MFMB strikes me as a band whose output is generally aimed at the Club scene. The sound is probably more generally marketable in Europe than in Middle America, but MFMB should be able to make big inroads in places like New York and L.A. There's a distinct melancholia that hangs over MFMB, creating a bit of cognitive dissonance with the trend of moderate tempo dance tunes, but MFMB generally makes it work. Not a bad start.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about MFMB at http://www.thisismfmb.com/ or www.myspace.com/thisismfmb, where you can purchase a copy of MFMB directly from the band.

Review: The Primary - People Going Places

The Primary - People Going Places
2008, The Primary

The Primary is a Dallas, Texas based quartet that’s been together since 2007. Active on the local club circuit, The Primary has experimented with numerous style and sounds (Pop/Rock/Jazz/Electronica/Classical) in their time together, mixing and matching sounds over time. That process of experimentation continues on their debut album, People Going Places.

People Going Places kicks off with Getting Strange, an oddly disjoined song that sounds like a mix of styles. There's a Police-inspired rhythm section including guitar, a vocalist who sounds like he's from the school of depressed New Wave Brit-Pop singers and a guitar player playing a counter-intuitive parallel to the vocal line. It honestly sounds like lines from two or three songs thrown together in a mix that doesn't entirely run afoul of the individual parts but never really gels. Exit follows a similar path, suggesting an Avant-Garde leaning in the band. Call Off Your Dogs I frankly didn't enjoy, although the song is built around a blistering guitar line that offers hope. The Primary mellows out a bit on For You, a dreamy pop tune that works well with Joshua Vasquez's voice.

You'll have to wade through A Life and Dear Old Friend to get to Heart Of Darkness, featuring a slightly heavier sound played in metronomic fashion. This is the best composition on the disc even as it ranges through experimental and psychedelic temperaments. The Primary closes out with The Last Breath, which returns more toward the morbid, droning side of the spectrum.

The Primary has an interesting sound that's quite unrefined and a bit too shoe-gaze without having any real driving force behind the songs. There's also a tendency toward over-filling the musical space that results in periods of sonic mess or sonic discomfort on People Going Places. It will be interesting to see how The Primary's sound develops over time. There's potential here, but they're still searching for their sound.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Primary at http://www.theprimarymusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/theprimarymusic. People Going Places appears to be at the demo stage, with final mastering still to come, but watch for availability on The Primary’s website and/or MySpace page.

Review: I M Munroe - I Am Here

I M Munroe - I Am Here
2009, I M Munroe

Ian and Mark Munroe share familial and musical bloodlines, an element of the chemistry displayed on their debut album, I Am Here, released August 25, 2009. The Toronto-based brothers have followed their own paths professionally but have been playing music together since they were teenagers. Ian is a Mechanical Engineer who spent six years working in the auto industry, while Mark is a professional model and actor who has appeared in Cosmopolitan, UMM and other publications as well as appearing in national commercials and music videos. Ian plays guitar and sings lead while Mark provides harmony vocals and writes lyrics for the band. Matt Lloyd sits in on the drum kit for I Am Here, which is produced by Wayne Routledge.

I Am Here opens with I Used To Love You, a relatively bland pop tune with a mildly catchy chorus. I M Munroe stays relatively bland for Fool, although Ian Munroe has a voice vaguely reminiscent of Jim Morrison. That's My Life steps out and shines with a catchy arrangement and a real sense of energy. The songs thus far are decent, but there's a stoic sense about the Munroe brothers that makes it hard to know for certain whether they're enjoying themselves. I Am Here retains that stoic sensibility, but the energy improves and I M Munroe seems to be loosening up a tad as the album progresses. Should Have Known Better marks a real coming out for the band, emerging at least partially from their serious composure in a song about a relationship headed south wrapped in a peppy arrangement (ala The Cure). Lyrically, the song is fairly representative of the material on I Am Here, that is to say that the lyrics are a bit young in presentation and not terribly refined. This actually works with the sober vocal style of Ian Munroe and the general trend in arrangements, but perhaps doesn't serve the material as best it might. One More Day breaks from the imperturbable with a heart felt but self-serving ballad where the protagonist refuses to let go of something that's already gone. I M Munroe leaves us with Here In Bed; either a bittersweet reminiscence or quasi-delusional time slip in song.

I Am Here is too burdened down in its own emotional weight to ever really fly except for the best tune on the disc; Should Have Known Better. Here Ian and Mark Munroe create a viable pop tune with melancholy lyrics that folks will want to listen to. The rest of the album reflects a young, musically undeveloped band with some talent but a lot of work to do. Perhaps the biggest benefit would come from broadening the instrumental make up of the band and involving a new voice/perspective in the songwriting process (not necessarily as a primary songwriter but as a source of creative tension). I Am Here is a decent listen, but not one that calls you back.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about I M Munroe at ww.myspace.com/immunroe or http://www.immunroe.com/, where you can purchase a copy of I Am Here in I M Munroe’s store. You can purchase a download of the album through iTunes.

Review: The Postmarks - Memoirs At The End Of The World

The Postmarks - Memoirs At The End Of The World
2009, Unfiltered

The Postmarks are the band with a female lead singer with a boy’s name. Tim Yehezkely, born in Tel Aviv, has one of the more intriguing voices in popular music. Gorgeous in tone and detached in affect, Yehezkely stops listeners short as interest grows through awe to utter enthrallment. The Postmarks, rounded out by Jonathan Wilkins and Christopher Moll, delve into deeper, darker currents on their sophomore release, Memoirs At The End Of The World. This was a conscious choice by the band with a reputation for Cinematic Pop/Rock with a rough-hewn flavor, aiming for more realistic reflection of the world around them in their sound.

Memoirs At The End Of The World opens with a Moody Blues moment; the rock symphonic opening of No One Said This Would Be Easy is highly reminiscent of Justin Hayward & crew and the overall feel carries through the song. The satiny yet quirky vocals of Yehezkely fit perfectly in this dynamic. Thorn In Your Side is hauntingly understated and full of a fragile beauty. The vocal harmonies here are dressed in delicious minor keys, giving the song a mixture of bleak acceptance and hope that dance around each other like uncertain partners. The Postmarks get into a more New Wave/Electronica sound on Don't Know Till You Try, working in horns and spacey synth. The song is upbeat and catchy but still has a dark tenor to it that makes for a vague discomfort in the listener.

All You Ever Wanted brings an eastern influence to the album, with vaguely Japanese sounding instrumentation and a plaintive folk/Electronica bed accented by horns and faux strings. The song is catchy yet smooth; a mild Pop radio threat. Run Away Love continues with the minor key beauty in a slightly off-kilter waltz that's part proposal and part confrontation. There is more tension beneath this one-minute interlude than meets the eye, as implied in the rough industrial dulcimer styling of For Better... Or Worse? There's a dark rebellious heart to this song that comes with holding on to forbidden love, but the undertones suggest the narrator knows that perhaps not all is as wonderful as she might wish to believe. Musically this is a challenging tune, mixing the orchestral elements of a Moody Blues with a darker, urgent nature. Yehezkely's vocals are great, as they have been throughout the album, but there is a desperation implied in the music that just doesn't come through in her theatrically blunted affect.

I'm In Deep is a love song at first blush, full of the dreamy attitudes of one enraptured with another, but given the two previous songs its hard not to hear an ulterior meaning to the song (with I'm In Deep having a negative rather than a positive connotation). In fact, I'm In Deep is one of the most positive songs on Memoirs At The End Of The World, a true bit of mix-tape magic in the ethereal pop tradition of Mazzy Starr. Theme From "Memoirs" has a dark, "film noir" feel about it, like a Mike Hammer-like character might come ambling into view at any moment. The theme itself isn't as dark as some of the more introspective tracks on Memoirs At The End Of The World, but carries with it a weary sense of a world gone wrong. The Postmarks closes out the album with Gone, a slow and melancholic admonition to let go of what's already moved on. The elements of beauty are still here, but there's a suggestion of madness in the aural dissonance that grows as the song wanes.

The Postmarks have a gothic, post-chamber Pop feel about them, creating as much aural and cognitive dissonance as anyone this side of Robert Smith himself. There is a fluid beauty to the Postmarks at their most genteel, and the band is never out of control, but you can sense reality slip away throughout the course of Memoirs At The End Of The World. The listener is left with a distinct ambivalence; loving the album for what it is sonically and yet becoming more and more disturbed by its tenor as time goes on. The mix, and the success of the mix, suggests nothing short of brilliance in the writing and construction. Vocalist Tim Yehezkely has a gorgeous voice, although it would be good to hear a bit more dynamic variation in the vocal line. On the whole, however, there really isn't much to complain about. This is one of those albums that even if you don't like it you have to respect it.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Postmarks at http://www.thepostmarks.com/ or www.myspace.com/thepostmarks. You can purchase a copy of Memoirs At The End Of The World at Amazon.com. You can download a standard edition or deluxe edition through iTunes.

Review: Patrik Tanner – Quills

Patrik Tanner – Quills
2009, Dark One Entertainment

St. Louis Park, Minnesota's Patrik Tanner is relatively young for a man with eight albums under his belt. The native of Sweden who moved to the US at a young age transcends genre on his latest effort, Quills, released on September 12, 2009. Highly personal and introspective, Quills recalls memories of the music of Tanner's youth as well as drawing a life full of influences and sounds. Written, played and produced by Tanner, Quills will wend its way into your consciousness with songs firmly rooted in memory and reverie but always looking forward.

Quills opens with The Next Available Agent, a sauntering instrumental that sets the tone for the album. There is a theatric feel here, like Tanner envisioned you finding a seat and getting comfortable while he prepares you to listen to all he has to say. Eleven is a powerful piano-based tune about being on the verge of something but taking the time to enjoy where you are, like the conflict between pushing to be an adult yet enjoying being a child. A Moment In Time is a sweet singer/songwriter moment about memory and how it can both overpower and engender regret. Like Platform Shoes is a highly personal song of remembrance looking back on loved ones and times gone by. The song is highly sentimental and full of meaning, although it may evade some listeners. Our Vacation Starts Now serves as a brief and quirky instrumental intermezzo, leading into phase two of Quills.

My Boy is a touching song from a father to his unborn son; it's a beautiful tribute to a love that often gets under-represented in song and art. Beautiful Then looks forward into a future more aesthetic and full of goodness than the perceived moment; Tanner imagines himself dead and creating beauty below in the grass he feeds. It is a stark and depressive outlook set to a bright and sunny piano part that simultaneously makes it easier to hear and yet somehow more disturbing. Staying Up Late underlines the effects of depression and confusion on thoughts and actions; this seems to be the underlying element of the disc: the death of Tanner's mother and the grieving/healing process. Rebuild The Titanic is all about going back in time so you can end the suffering sooner, likely a fitting end to the album, although Tanner gives an instrumental outro called Still Holding that harkens back to the old days of radio dramas.

Sorrow. Anger. Fear. Frustration. These are the emotions wrapped up in Patrik Tanner's Quills. It is a bleak album with occasionally uplifting sounds. I didn't enjoy it. I respect it. It's a serious work with strong songwriting, excellent musicianship and vocals that are more than pleasant to listen to; but the subject matter is too dark and twisted for my tastes. Some of you may like it. Imagine Robert Smith on pep pills.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

To learn more about Patrik Tanner and Quills check out http://www.patriktanner.com/ or http://www.ptquills.com/. You can purchase Quills as either a CD or download through CDBaby.com.

Review: Kind Monitor - Somebody Saves My Life Every Single Day

Kind Monitor - Somebody Saves My Life Every Single Day
2008, Kind Monitor

Joshua Aaron Guthals is the songwriting soul of Kind Monitor, a Brooklyn band that inspires thoughts of early REM and even Morrissey. Mixing melancholy with melancholy and a swirl of depression over soft, breeze melodies, Kind Monitor seems to be developing a following in the over-crowded New York City music scene. Kind Monitor's latest offering, Somebody Saves My Life Every Single Day, underscores this quirky sense of pop melancholy.

The EP opens with Sharks, an electronic New Wave offering with a Lo-Fi bent and a distinct diction deficit. I had an impossible time the lyrics on this song. The music itself is relatively non-descript; having little dynamic variability and lyrics that might as well be a voiceless vocal. Cairo is a somewhat non-descript tune that features some interesting violin work. Absorb gives the EP its name, rising to the level of insistent middle of road rocker for a repetition of the album title and then receding back into a state of placid quietude. Kind Monitor plods through I Love The Ending on the way to Somebody Saves, a somnolent and mildly depressed tune about merely existing. The EP closes out with End Of The Game, ending with the same dark and listless tenor Kind Monitor has maintained throughout.

Somebody Saves My Life Every Single Day plays more like a musical journal driven by severe depression. It is, frankly, a tough listen. Kind Monitor doesn't even save listeners with the snappy arrangements of a band like The Cure; proceeding in dirge-like fashion toward an ignominious end. There will be folks out there who like Somebody Saves My Life Every Day, but for me it was a tough listen.

Rating: 1.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kind Monitor at http://www.kindmonitor.com/ or www.myspace.com/kindmonitor. You can purchase Somebody Saves My Life Every Single Day as either a CD or download through CDBaby.com.

Review: John O'Mara - Five Year Mission

John O'Mara - Five Year Mission
2009, John O'Mara

John O'Mara walked away from a tech job to start a five year mission to bring his mix of Alternative Rock and Eletro-New Wave to the world. Long a popular solo performer in Portland, Oregon, O'Mara got his first taste of electronic music as member of the duo Fuzzmonkey. O'Mara's debut album, Five Year Mission, brings an eclectic mix of sounds from the 1980's and today that have been compared to bands such as Joy Division, The Cure and The Talking Heads. Produced by Sean Flora (The Shins, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand), Five Year Mission is likely to turn some heads.

O'Mara opens with Your Sister, an Electro-Folk musical decoupage that is difficult to follow. The track is not representative of the album as a whole and is probably not the best foot forward O'Mara could have selected, but it’s a decent listen. Amiss has a great mix of New Wave sound and Pop sensibility that made bands like The Cure and Talking Heads such behemoths in the 1980s. This is Pop songwriting that also has a future as a dance club hit. Happy Hour explores the dark side of that weekly celebration, in which happiness is a goal that's never achieved, and perhaps moves even further out of reach as the bridge of drinks grows longer. Happy Hour is perhaps the most traditional Pop/Rock/Alternative songwriting on the disc, reminding me a bit of Elvis Costello in the process.

Made Of Stone mixes upbeat dance sounds with the deep melancholy and pathos that characterized the 1980's new wave music that paved the way for Goth's birth, whereas The Broken Part reminded me a bit of some of Steven Page's darker work with Barenaked Ladies (i.e. Call And Answer). I Saw You is a breath of fresh air, an acoustic guitar based piece featuring the mesmerizing Morgan Grace in a duet with Latin roots. O'Mara has found his way back to the root of his muse here and the results are stunning. Satellite Radio has a David Bowie feel to it, right down to the vocal style, but isn't quite up to Bowie standards. Five Year Mission closes out with It Is Done, a mix of eclectic electric sounds, organic music and effects.

Five Year Mission proves one thing, John O'Mara was right to quit his day job. The album is very much based in the New Wave style of the 1980's but has enough current Alt-Rock buzz to make it an appealing hybrid of styles. This isn't necessarily an album that's going to do well on traditional radio, but college and internet stations will have a field day with John O'Mara, and the licensing deals can't be far behind. From a listener's standpoint, the album is an excellent find with a few bumps. O'Mara may still be figuring out where he's head musically, but he's definitely headed in a direction you'll want to follow.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about John O’Mara at www.myspace.com/fuzzzmonkey, where you can purchase a copy of Five Year Mission.

Review: Estrella Christina - This Is Life

Estrella Cristina - This Is Life
2009, Estrella Cristina

Estrella Cristina is one of those performers who seem born to make music. With classical training in violin, operatic training in voice, and a host of backers with serious music industry credentials, Cristina's ascent in the pop world seems assured. Of course, unless a parent or close relative is an industry mogul, you don't make those sorts of connections without some talent, and Cristina shows no shortage of it on her debut EP, This Is Life. Writing with bassist (and her first guitar teacher) Frank Coglitore (Taylor Dayne, Beth Hart, Marie Digby) and Lane Lenhart, Cristina presents material with distinctive Pop viability while bearing a bit more weight than your usual radio fodder. Cristina's band includes Coglitore; drummer Craig McIntyre (Digby, Josh Groban) and guitarist Kenneth Konnerth (Hilary Duff, Enrique Iglesias).

After graduating from Cornell University with a degree in Textile and Apparel Design, Estrella returned home to Nebraska to pursue music; winning out in an audition process for a spot in J Records quartet VIP (think Destiny's Child). For one reason or another the group never panned out, and Cristina set out to learn guitar with Coglitore. Fast forward to 2009 and Cristina's first recorded work is ready for the marketplace. This Is Life opens with Brighter Than Sunshine, a pop nugget about being alone in a new place and finding someone or something gives your existence meaning in purpose (in this case, music). Non Stop is a pop confection all about finding the perfect guy that should fill out a lot of teenage mix tapes this summer and fall. The lyric content here is a bit light, but the song is sweet in its own right. (Non Stop was featured on Fuse TV's Rad Girls in May). Cristina takes on The Cure's In Between Days in a Pop/Dance version that will likely make hard core Cure fans cringe but is perfect for pop radio recidivism. This Is Life is a bit more mature; a realization that working toward a goal isn't so much about plateaus or moments but successive steps. It's a highly optimistic pop tune that probably wouldn't make it as a single but is definitely not just filler as an album track.

For all of the operatic training, Cristina doesn't present a particular strong or durable voice on This Is Life; she has a pleasant voice, but there are definite holes that show through on the EP and the presence of voice altering software is evident. As a Pop radio artist, Estrella Cristina's This Is Life is a strong start. There is some real talent here and over time I should think she's mature into a decent songwriter on her own. Cristina seems destined to ascend in the Pop world, but whether she has the personality and creative talent to ascend into the realm of artistry will take some time to divine.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Estrella Cristina at http://www.estrellacristina.com/ or www.myspace.com/estrellacristina. You can purchase a download of This Is Life from iTunes

Review: The City Skyscape - The City Skyscape

The City Skyscape - The City Skyscape
2009, The City Skyscape

Europop rules the day on The City Skyscape. Hartford, Connecticut’s Christopher Mongillo is a one-man band, combing elements of Indie Rock and Electronica in his home studio to create the music of The City Skyscape. The album opens with The Notorious Kelly Monroe, which carries that upbeat dance feel and accents it with a bit of the depressed affect that pervades the music of The Smiths. This is a very memorable track that might just have some commercial legs to it. Baby's Been A Bad Girl is piano-driven Europop with a catchy beat. With the right remix this could end up being a big deal in the dance clubs. Prince Charming is part of a two-part story; this one is from the perspective of the prince himself. The perfect relationship goes awry, and he is obsessively trying to fix the situation by making the wrongs right. It initially sounds like a song of ideal devotion (hence the title) but slowly becomes something more insidious. Part 2 of the story is Our American Girlfriend, told as in third person about the princess. The disturbing nature of Prince Charming is born out in this musical narrative.

There's a bit of a lull in the middle of the album, as The City Skyscape turns to fungible dance pop for a few songs. The originality heard thus far (and more again later) seems to escape Mongillo for a few tracks, but they get it back in time for The Elements. This is a tremendous bit of pop songwriting; very catchy with a lot of potential commercial impact. Pop radio would likely consume this song and turn it into pervasive pop theme if it had the opportunity. Dear Friend is also a great bit of songwriting; Mongillo is at his best and more dynamic here.

The City Skyscape sounds like Mongillo listened to a lot of the Europop bands of the 1980's, from The Cure and The Smiths to bands like Information Society and New Order. It's not unreasonable to say that The City Skyscape has picked up the banner carried by such bands and is carrying it forth into the 21st century. Euro-Electropop with strong songwriting, great melodies and a definitive pop sensibility will always find a home somewhere, and The City Skyscape is no exception. Make sure you give these guys a listen.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The City Skyscape at http://www.thecityskyscape.com/ or www.myspace.com/thecityskyscape. You can purchase a copy of The City Skyscape at www.cdbaby.com/cd/cityskyscape.

Review: Kat Edmonson - Take To The Sky

Kat Edmonson - Take To The Sky
2009, Convivium Records

Austin, Texas-based Jazz siren Kat Edmonson makes an exciting debut with Take To The Sky, an album of 9 reinterpretations of jazz standards and pop hits. Released digitally earlier this year, the album is available on CD for the first time on June 2, 2009. Mixed by super Engineer Al Schmitt (19 Grammy’s), Edmonson has an extremely talented band to back her up. Drummer J.J. Johnson (John Mayer, Charlie Sexton); bassist Eric Revis (Branford Marsalis Quartet) and pianist Kevin Lovejoy (Spoon, John Mayer) are joined by guests John Ellis (Charlie Hunter) and Ron Westray (Wynton Marsalis) in providing a tight and original tapestry in support of Edmonson's stunning vocals. Engineer Schmitt, who's worked with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Sam Cooke, describes Edmonson as "the best new jazz singer I have heard in years".

Kat Edmonson is a once-in-a-generation voice. With a sound reminiscent of the great female jazz vocalists of the 1920’s and 1930’s, Edmonson is a treat for traditionalists, yet has just enough quirky pop sensibility to traverse the generations in between. Take To The Sky opens with Gershwin’s Summertime. The arrangement here is unusually dark, allowing Edmonson to be the only light you hear for the first two minutes of the song; she shines in a gritty and nuanced performance. The Cure’s Just Like Heaven gets a jazz/samba treatment here. I have to admit it took a few listens for me to really get this song, but it’s probably one of the finest covers I’ve heard. Edmonson is seraphic on Cole Porter’s Night And Day and turns in an incredible performance on Henry Mancini’s Charade.

Edmonson plays chameleon on the Cardigans’ Love Fool, sounding so much like Nina Persson that even fans of the band may be fooled. Edmonson projects a steely vulnerability on this song that is engaging. Angel Eyes (Brent/Dennis) is a popular selection that’s been covered by the likes of Sinatra, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Willie Nelson and Ray Charles and even Sting. Edmonson gives it all she’s got and comes up with a terrific reading of the song. My personal favorite song on the disc is Cole Porter’s Just One Of Those Things. If Porter were able, he would give Edmonson a standing ovation for a modern reading that never loses sight of the spirit of the original. Carole King’s One Fine Day becomes a slinky, taunting song much more fitting to the song’s intent than the bouncy Chiffons version. The album closes out with John Lennon’s (Just Like) Starting Over. Edmonson has recreated the song as a contemplative love song; a true jazz standard. It’s so good you’ll wonder how you ever heard it differently.

Kat Edmonson has a passion for Jazz, and the sort of vocal talent that would rise to the top of most any set of contemporaries of any era since Jazz music was born. The ironically quirky nature of her sound also practically guarantees that if Edmonson ever crosses over to the Rock and Pop worlds she’ll have success as well. The pure creativity and vision on Take To The Sky is stunning; its one thing to be able to cover songs well without sounding like a karaoke performer, but it’s something else again to be able to recreate well known songs in a way that makes them your own without losing connection to the spirit of the original. Kat Edmonson is a vital talent, and Take To The Sky is a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Kat Edmonson at http://www.katedmonson.com/ or www.myspace.com/katedmonson. You can purchase a copy of Take To The Sky at Waterloo Records or as a download on iTunes.

Review: Mark Northfield - Ascendant

Mark Northfield - Ascendant
2007, Substantive Recordings

Mark Northfield is a London based composer who writes alternative classical or Chamber Rock songs (as you prefer) with other vocalists in mind. Northfield had the revelation a few years back that he loved performing but perhaps didn’t have the front line voice required, and so resolved to write and record his songs with other vocalists out front. His most recent offering, Ascendant, takes full advantage of the vocal talents of no less than 9 vocalists (including himself) and one vocal ensemble.

Northfield takes art-pop Chamber music to a new level. Opening with Waiting For Green, Northfield paints a bleak and beautiful landscape in orchestration to counter an almost droningly depressed vocal line. This sounds like an off-off-Broadway piece. Resistance is another highly dramatic, melancholic piece that turns hopeful and back throughout. Highly melodic in dark and minor tones, the orchestration colors the vocal line. Northfield next offers an inspired Chamber Choral piece called The Calm, featuring Bryony Lang an The Pearsall Consort. It's a neo-classical exploration of melancholy bursting into expressions of beauty and stillness with an Anglican Church choir bent. This is the highlight of the CD and one of the most hauntingly beautiful choral pieces I've heard in some time.

Weight sounds like it could have been an alternate song or outtake from the Off-Broadway production The Last Five Years. You can almost hear shades of Sherrie Renee Scott in vocalist Bryony Laing (also featured on The Calm) who gives a gorgeous vocal performance. Zero lost me a bit lyrically but offers perhaps the most intricate and delicate arrangement on the disc. You'll also want to check out the faux-peppiness of Decidedly Dumb and the melancholy waltz, Luco.

Ascendant is a prickly CD. It's not easy to get to know; not an easy listen. You have to work for this one and that will turn a lot of the more casual listeners off. The effort becomes its own reward, however, as Mark Northfield has offered up several moment-stopping compositions mixed in on Ascendant. There are a couple of pieces here that get mired down in themselves, but on the whole Ascendant is a very strong listening experience. This one's for fans of Chamber music, The Cure, The Smiths and any other melancholic pop band of the last twenty years.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Mark Northfield at http://www.marknorthfield.com/ or www.myspace.com/marknorthfieldmusic. You can purchase a copy of Ascendant at www.cdbaby.com/cd/marknorthfield.