Review: King Washington - Grenadine

King Washington - Grenadine
2010, King Washington Music

Los Angeles quartet King Washington come ready to rock, but they're in it for the aesthetics as well. All four members are seasoned vocalists, and the harmonies flow freely throughout the band's album Grenadine. You'll hear influences ranging from The Talking Heads to the Beach Boys, with health dollops of Bowie and Radiohead thrown in for good measure. A heavy emphasis is placed on the construction of songs, treating them not just as vehicles with a message but as works of art.

Grenadine opens with "I Get By", featuring a strong 1960's vibe with strong nod to The Beatles. It's a great opening tune that will get stuck in your head, and you may even find yourself wondering if someone finally unearthed a new Beatles track that lay hidden for four-and-a-half decades. "Angela" keeps the same feel in a highly danceable number with strong vocal harmonies and an iconic lead vocal from Tyson Kelly. King Washington slows things down a bit with "Live On", a sweetly arranged tune about stopping to smell the roses. The song features great lyric guitar work inside a layered arrangement. Things take a darker turn with "Why", a melancholy, pensive song that has a nice melody but is a bit too drawn out for its own good. "The Cobbler" is likely to be a concert favorite; an upbeat tune that's out of the box and full of joy. Grenadine winds down with an Oasis-like melancholy wine on "The World". The repetitive nature and passive nature of the song don't tag it as a natural closer, and the song feels out of place on the EP.

King Washington clearly have a sound that is going to draw serious music fans; they also have a sound that may drive some away. Grenadine features a band that is of two minds and trying to figure things out. At their best, King Washington creates magical fuzzy pop songs the likes of which haven't been heard in some time. At their worst, the band becomes mired in their own melancholy and misses the connections they are so capable of making. Grenadine is a mixed experience with more pluses than minuses; it's worth checking out for King Washington's finer moments.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about King Washington at www.myspace.com/kingwashington. Grenadine may be purchased digitally from iTunes.

Review: 100 Monkeys – Grape!

100 Monkeys – Grape!
2009, 100 Monkeys

In a world where Twilight is the biggest thing since Harry Potter on sliced bread, a band featuring a character from the film is bound to draw some attention. L.A. concoction 100 Monkeys has the distinction of calling Jackson Rathbone a member, which if nothing else doesn’t hurt their press opportunities. In 2009, 100 Monkeys released their third digital album, Grape! It’s an odd collection of tunes ranging from wonderfully crafted anti-pop folk rock to maudlin dirge-like compositions

Grape! opens with the wonderfully hap-hazard and Lo-Fi “Clippity Clop”. Tight musicianship reigns despite the messy appearance of the song, and the catchy nature will suck you in from the opening notes. “The Monkey Song” is a deranged folk rocker incorporating elements of hip-hop. The song is a tongue-in-cheek fun romp, but don’t be entirely surprised if some sensitive soul raises issues about the social responsibility of the content of the song, as the images used have classically held racial undertones. “Arizona” is a derivate rocker that makes open use of parts of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising”. It’s a funky folk-rocker that’s highly listenable.

100 Monkeys goes from accessible to re-dressable on “Sweet Face”, a forgettable bout of melancholy in song about a potential suicide. “Orson Brawl” is a quirky 1980’s rock tale ala The Talking Heads; intriguing for the sound the first few times you hear it but fading from notice soon thereafter. “Looker” is most memorable for the vocal caricature of Elvis Presley done throughout the song. It’s an entertaining song full of sophomoric humor that will appeal to some and turn others off. 100 Monkeys sleep-walk through “Junkie” and “Sleeping Giant” before stumbling into the gritty rocker “Reaper”, whose blues influences and oddly accented arrangement will make it stand out in your mind once the album is done.

“.38 Special” explores the perceptions of a disturbed mind on the path of a breakdown. This dark path is documented in the context of a jaunty tune mixed with moments of blurring dissonance that reflect the deterioration between what’s real and what is not. The song is almost Beatles-esque in its clearer moments, with a melody that lights up a room. “Poison Oak” is a classic “you reap what you sow” parable in song laced with dark musical undertones. An intriguing listen, “Poison Oak” is relentless in both meaning and timbre and is among the finest work 100 Monkeys offers on Grape! Dark humor reins on “Wings On Fire”, an energetic funk-rocker that takes on the subject of dying on a plane that you’ll consider highly entertaining unless you happen to be listening to it on a flight. For all of this great work, 100 Monkeys made the puzzling decision to close with "Grocery Store No More", among the least accessible and least enjoyable songs on the disc.

So in spite of having a young Hollywood actor involved (often the musical kiss of death for a band); 100 Monkeys actually has something going for them in the music department. With dark and insanely interesting musical arrangements, and a resolutely non-PC and vaguely adolescent but still funny lyrical style, 100 Monkeys might be on to something that could catch on in a big way. The bulk of the band’s material is a little too left of center for commercial radio, but there are one or two songs on Grape! that are catchy enough and quirky enough to make some real noise. The album a whole is a solid effort with a few weak spots that most listeners will overlook on balance.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about 100 Monkeys from http://www.100monkeysmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/these100monkeys. Grape! is available for download on both Amazon.com and iTunes (iTunes also has a Seedless, or non-explicit version of the album for download for all of you parents monitoring what your children are listening to).

Review: The Lovely Feathers - Fantasy Of The Lot

The Lovely Feathers - Fantasy Of The Lot
2009, Sparks Music/Tommy Boy

Just a few years ago The Lovely Feathers were being hailed as the next big act out of Canada by outlets such as Spin Magazine and Rolling Stone. Life intervened; one member fell in love, another went to school, and so on and so forth. Indefinite hiatus became the band buzzword, yet life is a circle. The time off refocused the band's personal and musical priorities, and The Lovely Feathers are on the verge of re-claiming their position as the Next Big Act out of Canada. On August 18, 2009, The Lovely Feathers will release their sophomore album, Fantasy Of The Lot.

Fantasy Of The Lot opens with Lowiza, lamenting the loss of a sex drive in marriage. The song has an urgent quality to it, with the Lovely Feathers sounding a bit like The Talking Heads. Long Walks is a quirky Brit-Pop wonder that you won't be able to get out of your head. Finder's Fee is all about dysfunctional relationships and why people stay in them. It's jangly Brit-pop at its most austere and quite a decent listen. Fantasy Of The Lot seems to juxtapose the reality of life with the escapist fantasy of the silver screen. The song it artful and well written but feels incomplete, almost like a daydream you're roused from too early (which may well be the point). Ossified Homes is a great listen, lamenting the fact that the flexibility of youth is replaced by the hardening of choices and paths as we progress through life. The songwriting here is superb. Vaulted Precedents is built on the best pop hook on the album and harmonies that would make Crosby, Stills & Nash proud. You could wear out the repeat button on this one. It's not a complicated tune, but gets in your head and won't let you go.

Fantasy Of The Lot took some work to review. This is not a disc you get on the first listen, or even on the first few. Dedicated listening over a period of time pays its rewards, but casual listeners won't get into this unless they're naturally oriented in the same musical direction as The Lovely Feathers. The songwriting is quirky and enough off the beaten path to seem strange and unusual, and wonderful once you figure out what's going on. I highly recommend Fantasy Of The Lot, but suggest you save it for a time when you can really concentrate on the album.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Lovely Feathers at http://www.thelovelyfeathers.com/ or www.myspace.com/thelovelyfeathers. You can purchase copies of Fantasy Of The Lot at The Lovely Feathers’ webstore.

Review: New York Dolls - 'Cause I Sez So

New York Dolls – ‘Cause I Sez So
2009, ATCO

If the New York City punk scene of the 1970’s could be traced back to one forefather it might just be the New York Dolls. Mixing influences as rich as the Rolling Stones, classic R&B, rock and Philly Funk with an attitude that’s all New York, New York Dolls practically created the scene that spawned such bands as The Ramones, Blondie, The Talking Heads and Television. The New York Dolls reunited in 2004 after a long hiatus with original members David Johansen (known to some as Buster Poindexter) and Sylvain Sylvain. The New York Dolls rock their way into 2009 with a new album of original tunes, ‘Cause I Sez So.

The New York Dolls don’t mess around with the sort of edgy, maudlin alt-pop you hear on the radio nowadays. This is good old fashioned Rock N Roll with elements of Rhythm N Blues and the occasional dose of funk. ‘Cause I Sez So opens with the title track, a raucous, bar room song that you’ll want to shake your fanny to. Lonely So Long sees the Dolls embracing an Americana sound that is a bit surprising and yet fits them so very well. This is the sort of song you sing along to at a concert along with everyone else in attendance. My World is a blue collar, Rock N Roll love song that’s something of a throwback.

Making Rain is one of the stronger songs on the disc; an Alt-Country/Americana tune featuring outstanding guitar work. Drowning is a tasty bit of Southern/Classic Rock that opens with a guitar intro that isn’t in itself iconic but established a tenor and sound that is unforgettable (think Queensryche’s Silent Lucidity). My favorite song on the disc is Nobody Got No Bizness, a mix of Rock, Rhythm N Blues and a bit of Philly style funk. This is a great party tune that you won’t be able to get out of your head. ‘Cause I Sez So closes with Exorcism Of Despair, mixing elements of Rock and Punk with the frenetic drive of early Rush. This sounds like a 1970’s AOR staple.

The New York Dolls were a special band in a special time. Their successes in the early 1970’s paved the way for many artists who would come afterward. ‘Cause I Sez So is a very strong effort from the New York Dolls, and a sure sign that they have a lot of kick in them yet. If you’re looking for the roots of the Punk movement, look no further than the New York Dolls.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The New York Dolls at http://www.nydolls.org/ or www.myspace.com/newyorkdolls. You can purchase a copy of ‘Cause I Sez So at Amazon.com .