The Easy Outs - Come On Come On

The Easy Outs - Come On Come On
2010, Bongo Boy Records
Jersey Shore rockers The Easy Outs score big with "Come On Come On", a 1960's rock flavored pop tune complete with Back Beat and sing-along chorus. The simple but compelling guitar riff that brackets the chorus is right out of the rock n roll guitar handbook, and its hard to imagine The Easy Outs not gaining some serious attention for "Come On Come On"; if not on the charts then at least in the licensing realm. A collaboration between the Easy Outs and Kurt Reil (The Doughboys, the Grip Weeds) "Come On Come On" will make you want to dance and sing-along and party like they did before Disco was born.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Easy Outs at www.myspace.com/theeasyouts. "Come On Come On" can be purchased as an MP3 from Amazon or iTunes.

Facing The Light: A Wildy's World interview with Halie Loren

Halie Loren is one of the most promising young voices in vocal jazz these days. Her Just Plain Folks Best Vocal Jazz Album win for They Oughta Write A Song catapulted her into the international spotlight. The album was recently released in Japan on the JVC label and spent some time in Amazon Japan’s top-20 album list. With a new live album, Stages out, and a new studio album in the works, the future looks bright for Loren. We recently had a chance to chat via email with Halie Loren, who was Wildy’s World’s Artist Of The Month for June. While we couldn’t quite get this interview in during the month of June, we thought it interesting enough to run now.

First off, thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Ms. Loren.

Thank you as well! It's my pleasure.

You’ve come a long way, both physically and vocationally. What impact do you think growing up in Alaska had on your early development as an artist?

I think that my living in Alaska during the majority of my young life had a profound influence on who I was and who I am today as an artist. I wasn't living in an environment that was super-saturated with current pop-culture, for one--the majority of what I would listen to music-wise was whatever my parents had in their music collections. In my family's case, that meant a lot of jazz, blues, classic country, classical, and AAA artists that most kids wouldn't really get a lot of exposure to typically. It wasn't as if I didn't have any clue about current music--I had a TV, after all--but I definitely didn't experience the kind of bombardment of top-40 radio that I later experienced when I moved to the "lower 48" when I was a young teen.

Growing up in that kind of relative isolation and surrounding myself with lots of classic music and then-current music by artists that generally appeal mainly to adult listeners gave me an entirely different musical education, and made me develop my ear differently as a singer/musical stylist than I think I would have if I hadn't lived in that environment. It helped that Sitka, my hometown, was a very artsy community that had some cool opportunities for kids interested in the arts to get involved with activities and gain some skills and experience with their artistic crafts... for example, the Sitka Fine Arts Camp, which I attended at ages 10 and 11, gave me my first opportunity to take a class on jazz vocals, and culminated in my first solo performance of jazz live on stage with a band for the camp's finale concert. It lit a fire under me, for sure. If I hadn't had experiences like that at that age, I'm not sure whether I would have pursued music as a career so confidently as such a young person.

What brought you to the lower 48?

There were multiple reasons, as there are with any move. My siblings both lived in the lower 48, and my parents wanted to be closer to them again. I was only 13 at the time, but another reason my family decided to move was for me--so that I could have more opportunities to pursue my musical passions. Though where we'd lived in Alaska was a wonderful place to grow up, it definitely had limited options for gaining performance experience -- after all, Sitka is an island and travel to other communities was by ferry or plane. . Moving to Oregon gave me seemingly endless opportunities to perform, and an immense number of talented people to sing with and learn from musically. The very first week we moved to Oregon, I signed up for a talent show at the county fair, and through that performance, I ended up meeting a family of musicians/entertainers that later (besides becoming dear friends of mine) had me perform at a series of sizable concerts all over Oregon, which exponentially expanded the circle of musicians I knew and then went on to play other shows with... and I still see evidence of that ripple effect to this day as far as who I meet in music circles and who I consider part of my musical "family".

….and then Nashville?

I moved to Nashville when I was 17, after graduating from high school a semester early. The main reason was to get involved with the Nashville songwriting scene, and to co-write with the writers in that community, which I ended up doing a lot of... most of the material that I co-wrote there was more in line with the music market of Nashville, namely contemporary country, but with a bit of a twist. And I was delighted to find kindred songwriting spirits who also had a love of jazz, which, of course, is what I have come back around to as my primary music style (if I had to label myself as primarily one thing, that is). Though writing jazz material wasn't what I moved to Nashville to write, or so I thought at the time, the jazz songs that I wrote while living there have really been the main songs that have stuck with me and become highlights in my albums, shows, and known to fans of my music. Who would have thought?

So essentially, you’ve always known you wanted to be a performer?

I have wanted to be a singer for as long as I can remember... so, in short, yes. Although there was a period of time when I was 7 or 8 that I was quite sure I wanted to be a singer AND a whale trainer. That would indeed be the ideal combination... :).


What’s more gratifying to you? Writing a great song or giving a great performance?

That is a difficult question to answer--the two are very different. Giving a great performance (one that the audience deems as a great performance that is) is a very immediate kind of satisfaction. Instant positive feedback, riding on the adrenaline high of live performance, feelings of confidence in the moment and in the short-period following the show... it's a short-term but intense feeling of accomplishment. The gratification that comes from writing a great song, however, develops much more slowly. For one, I am usually unsure as to whether it's truly a great song--to listeners--or whether it's just my personal bias because I have an attachment to the song. I'm my own worst critic, and I sometimes question the "great"-ness of even my best ideas once the song is ready to be shared... it's always a little bit daunting to unveil these products of my creative mind, even now. It's only once one of my songs gets out there--in the "public ear", so to speak--and is well-received over a number of shows, or elicits good comments from listeners who own the album the song is on, that I start to allow myself to feel the warm glow of satisfaction from a job well-done. And it's the kind of satisfaction that wells up again each time people tell me how much they love the song.

The past year has been quite a whirlwind for you, from becoming an award-winning artist to inking a major label deal (in Japan). What was it like winning the Just Plain Folks Award?

Being nominated for Best Vocal Jazz Album at the JPF Awards was in itself a thrill. Attending the awards show last August, and then hearing my name and the album announced as the winner of the category was almost an out-of-body experience... I remember thinking "did they just say my name, or did I just imagine that they announced me? There's no way they just said my name...", but then looked around and realized that all of my friends sitting at my table with me heard the same thing, and before I could even think, I jumped up out of my chair with excitement. I'm pretty sure I shrieked a little bit, too. There's really never been anything quite like that moment for me. I imagine it's sort of the same feeling that lottery winners get when they hear the winning ticket numbers announced, and have to check their tickets again to make sure they aren't being duped by their own eyes, and then the elation sets in... I can't lie--it was an awesome day for me! The ripple effect that has happened from winning the award has definitely helped to make this past year a great one for me with regard to my career. I am so glad it happened the way that it did, and I am very thankful to Just Plain Folks for all the great support they have given to me and to all the other artists from around the world.

Your last two albums have been more Jazz oriented, but your previous album, Full Circle, was more of a singer-songwriter affair. Do you have a preference between the two styles?

I have to say, I really can't choose easily. I like to do it all, and I hope that I'll continue to be able to do so... though jazz is definitely where I'm at most of the time these days, writing and performing my singer-songwriter material fulfills me in its own unique way, and gives me an outlet for musical and lyrical/thematic ideas that don't really work well in a jazz format. I also often find that immersing myself in one of the styles gives me inspiration for ways to approach the other style. Keeping a balance between the two seems to be really healthy for me, creatively.
You’re gaining a reputation as one of the top young female vocalists in Jazz today, but you’re also rather talented as a songwriter. Can you tell our readers a bit about the songwriting process for Halie Loren?

Songs work themselves out in very different ways for me. Sometimes, songs just seem to pour out of me as I sit in front of the piano... I wish that it happened this way more often! It certainly does make less "work" for me as a writer. More often, however, I will come up with some kind of inspired idea that only spans part of, or even just a single line or melodic riff from a song, and then I will either start working on it then and there and finish a section, or finish the whole thing if I'm really on a roll, or I will let it sit until I feel inspired to pick it up again or my creative subconscious dredges it up again and plants it in my brain and won't let me ignore it. I have songs that I've been chiseling away at for years and years, just coming back to them every once and a while when I start thinking about them again--hundreds of unfinished songs, some of which I still have plans to someday return to and form into actual songs rather than isolated ideas or a single promising verse. I can be very patient with the process. I am usually of the mind that a song will find its way out of my brain when its time has come.

Everyone has a back story of course. Your album, Full Circle, and in particular the song “Empty” detail your personal struggles with an eating disorder. Would you be willing to share a bit of your story with us?

Well, the story behind that song is one that many girls can relate to... it's, I think, a pretty self-explanatory tale of self-loathing and self-abuse through denial of basic needs in order to achieve impossible goals for one's self--namely, starving in order to be something I wasn't and which I thought I wanted to be. I realized how negatively I was impacting my life with my actions and my attitude as I grew out of my teen years, and did a major self-overhaul in many ways. I put a lot of effort into re-claiming myself from my perceived expectations from society and my unreasonable expectations of myself, and trying to correct the skewed vision of who I thought I should be. I think that many women are so hard on themselves in many ways, and I was certainly no exception, and I didn't want to live like that--I didn't want to be an enemy of myself forever. I wanted to be able to love and respect myself just as I was. The entire album Full Circle, really, was a kind of process that was inspired by and even instigated reclamation of self... it wasn't autobiographical in every song, certainly, but each song had pieces of me and my experiences during a very transformational time in my life. It's dark, in many ways, but I can now see it like someone in shadow but turning around to face the light. It's angst laced with hope.
Ironic question, this: Do you find, as a performer, that it's difficult to have a private life? Is it worth the trade?

The main thing that affects my life outside of my career is that I don't have much of a life outside my career these days... particularly over this past year I just don't have time--at least, most of the time. There are a few lulls here and there, but even those are lulls I kind of have to plan for. Otherwise, I find so much to do that I could work every day for 16 hour days (which I sometimes do, anyway) and never get to all of the things on my list. Being an indie artist and doing pretty much everything DIY is a seemingly endless number of jobs combined into one: musician, composer, band leader, producer, sound engineer, publicist, manager, booking agent, graphic designer, webmaster... the list goes on. Luckily, I have wonderful family and friends that support me and understand, and who I can spend time with when I'm able to find some time. Because of their willingness to adapt to my schedule from time to time these days, I have enough of a private life to sustain me, at least at this point in my life.

Okay, let’s lighten the tone for a moment. Of all the songs you’ve performed over the years, your own or someone else’s, what’s your favorite?

That is an impossible question for me. My favorite song changes from day to day, from mood to mood... for me, it's like choosing a favorite food--there are so many wonderful flavors to experience and enjoy, and I couldn't possibly choose just one.

If you could share a stage with any performer for one night, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Oh, that's another tough one... but I think I might have to go with Nat King Cole. He has been such a huge influence on me as a singer, and he had the kind of voice and way of phrasing that approached total perfection to my ears... it would be a dream to duet with him. Though I might not be able to get through the song, because I would be so enamored with his voice. :)


What’s the worst song you’ve ever written, even if no one else has ever heard it?

I don't generally take the time to finish a song that I feel is really not up to par, but there was a time when I was learning the ropes of songwriting that I penned a few things that will never EVER see the light of day. I do remember one of my first songs being exceptionally awful--awful enough that I sometimes think of parodies of the song in my head, and even the ridiculous parody versions are a hundred times better than the original. It was a country-pop-ish ditty about wanting to rush through being a teenager and into adulthood, and the title was "Hurry Up and Live"... I couldn't have been more than 14 when I wrote it. It was the second song I'd ever written. Interestingly enough, my very first song and my third song are both good enough, even to my current standards, that I sometimes perform them live at my shows. That one was...um... well, I just think of it as an experiment now--a failed experiment. :) And Matt Treder, my steady collaborator in both live performances and in the studio, and I often come up with parody versions of some of my songs that are pretty terrible (in an entertaining way, of course). Who knows? Maybe I'll put out an album of these self-mockeries one of these days. :)

Who are your musical heroes?

Well, I already named off one in an above question... Nat King Cole. Others include Cassandra Wilson, who is so distinctive and creative with her stylistic interpretations of songs, and weaves some great rhythms and soundscapes, Sarah McLachlan, who was a huge influence on me, particularly as a teenage singer/songwriter, and an inspiration in my pursuing the piano as my performance and songwriting instrument when I was 20). Diana Krall, whose music I discovered just as I was finding my own vocal jazz style -- her artistry influenced me a lot in my early days, especially the way she took the standards and made them her own, and I appreciated that ability even as a young performer. Though I didn't discover Joni Mitchell--who I think is one of the most amazing songwriters of all times--until I was in my mid-teens, I realized how much influence she had on my music indirectly, by way of others that I listened to who had been hugely influenced by her. I have to also add my pianist/collaborator, Matt Treder, to the list-- he's not only one of the most talented pianist I know, but our musical collaboration has inspired me to grow musically in so many ways.

Name one thing that your fans would be surprised to know about you.

Let's see...not sure if I can name just one, because different groups of fans know different things. Some may not know that I'm also a painter...I sometimes sell my paintings at my live shows, right alongside my CDs. Not much time to paint these days, but it's still a passion of mine. Another random factoid is that I was a competitive swimmer from age 7 until age 15 (when I sustained irreparable shoulder injuries and had to quit). I lived my first year of life on a boat in Alaska, and would love to do that again someday! I catch spiders and bugs (and snakes, mice, etc. that the cats happen to catch) that show up in the house and let them go free outside. Hey, we're all sharing this beautiful world together.

So what’s next for Halie Loren?

Signing with JVC/Victor in March has certainly created an interesting new twist in my musical journey. After re-releasing They Oughta Write a Song in Japan, it appears my music has picked up a nice following there. As I already stated, I'm working on my next album, which will again be jazz influenced, including classic jazz songs, some original material, and jazzified songs from other genres, along with a couple of surprises and more musical layers than the past two releases have had. In the upcoming months, I'll be traveling, along with my pianist/collaborator Matt Treder, to Canada in August to do some promo work there in conjunction with Burnside Distribution, my US distributor. Then I'll be traveling to Japan in September to work with JVC/Victor in promoting the new album, and will be stopping over in Hawaii on the way back to perform several shows there...yes, I know, it's going to be a tough job, but I think I can do it! I will then travel back to Japan again at the end of October to prepare for the launch of the new CD in November and to perform in the Ginza Jazz Festival. And, of course, I'll be performing in the Northwest at summer festivals and many other shows as well. There's a lot in store.

Okay, last chance. Anything else you want to say to our readers?

A huge part of what drives me, besides my love of music, is knowing that there are people out there who honestly like and appreciate my music. That makes it worth all the work it takes to make it happen. I am thankful for each and every one of them for their support, in all ways, whether it's coming out to live shows, buying a CD, writing a nice review (you know who you are), emailing me or coming up and sharing kind words of encouragement.

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us.

And thank you, Wildy, for all you do for musicians at all levels. Thank you for taking the time to really listen to the music we send you, and for giving your honest feedback... and for giving us Wildy's World, a place to come and read about musicians and their new music. It is, indeed, a gift to us all.

Halie Loren is a name you're likely to become much more familiar with over the next few years. Hers is a voice with the potential to stand the test of time; the kind of vocalist you could drop into almost any era of popular and/or jazz music and expect that she'd find success. Do yourself a favor and check out some of Loren's music. It won't be long before up-and-coming vocalists are being compared to Halie Loren. (Photo credits: Sally Yaich, Adrian James and Halie Loren).

Kavi - The Spectacle

Kavi - The Spectacle
2008, Ayesse Media

Kavi is an Australian-born; Los Angeles based singer-songwriter. Kavi, which means poet in the Tamil language of India, sings in a heavily R&B influenced pop style, and writes mild pop songs aimed at top-40 radio. This might not be what you would expect from someone who cut her musical teeth on Sangeetham (Sri Lankan Opera), but pop music wasn’t far behind. Kavi’s EP, The Spectacle shows off her love of pop music with six self-penned tunes. Kavi continues to perform and collaborate with other songwriters on the Hollywood scene.

The Spectacle opens with "Kiss Me", a generic pop ballad with a decent melody. The vocal line here is sufficient, although Kavi does seem to struggle at times with pitch on the vocal trills, sliding around notes rather than hitting them cleanly. "I Lie To Me" attempts to capture the flavor of R&B in a pop setting; once again it's a sufficient performance but there's no real creative spark apparent here. In many ways the song sounds like a composite of Top-40 radio/R&B from the early oughts. Kavi raises her game a notch with "U Got Me", a well-constructed pop ballad with mild commercial feel. The vocal performance here is better, but one gets the sense that Kavi is trying to fit a sound rather than singing in her natural voice.

"Wish" is a decent effort, but once again Kavi struggles with pitch on the runs/trills. This detracts from what is, at base, a pleasant performance. "Tic Toc" is aimed more at the dance crowd; a well-constructed dance tune that could be easily sliced and diced for the club circuit. From a commercial perspective, "Tic Toc" is the most viable track on the EP, and shows off Kavi's best vocal performance on the album as the nature of the song keeps her away from the fancy vocal tricks that seem to cause her the most trouble. The Spectacle closes with an untitled bonus track, delivered in an acoustic arrangement. Once again, Kavi eschews the vocal trickery and sings in what I suspect is more of her natural voice.

Kavi's The Spectacle is a passionate attempt to rise above vocal limitations. Kavi obviously has a penchant for a Pop/R&B sound that requires significant breath control and vocal training, but her best performances on The Spectacle come when sings in a straight-forward pop style that minimizes the trills and runs that dominate the R&B vocal style prevalent on Top-40 and Urban radio. One song here, "Tic Toc" has real commercial potential and would easily transfer to the dance club scene, but otherwise The Spectacle is more mundane than spectacular.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Kavi at http://www.kavimusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/kavimusic. The Spectacle is available in multiple formats from Amazon as well as from iTunes.

The Fractals - Heavy Rotation

The Fractals - Heavy Rotation
2009, Kelvinsky Music

The Fractals have toiled in the background for years as members of other bands or well-worn session players. Vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Kevin Hanson has recorded with The Roots, Jay-Z and Usher, but his songwriting style has garnered him significant attention both with The Fractals and his previous band, Huffamoose. Bass-man Jim Stager plays everything, recording with everyone from Rosemary Clooney to punkers X. One of Philadelphia's top session players, Stager can play anything. Drummer Erik Johnson has recordings with Susan Werner, Mutlu, Lelia Broussard and Ben Schachter on his resume, and provides inspired drumming and soaring backing vocals. Guitarist Mike Frank spent two decades with Jim Boggia, and has also logged studio and stage time with The Disco Biscuits. When they come together as The Fractals, these four gentlemen are as unpredictable and virtuosic as their background might suggest, changing musical styles like a chameleon. This tendency is shown in fine form on The Fractals' latest album, Heavy Rotation.

Heavy Rotation opens with "Take Your Clothes Off Please", an old-fashioned song of pie-eyed rock n roll lust. The arrangement is very basic, and the treatment mild given the subject matter, but it's a solid start. "Priscilla The Killa" sounds more like a lead track, featuring a big, catchy guitar riff, high energy and a crunchy sound. "Dark And Stormy" features a 1970's smooth-jazz sound that seems very much at odds with the sounds on the first two tracks. The Fractals offer up some serious vocal harmonies in the process, staking out a wide berth for musical creativity. That easy-going vibe continues on "Isn't It Remarkable", a celebration in muted but lively tones. The vocal line here is a highlight, and the vocal harmonies exceed beauty.

The Fractals go back to a straight-ahead rock n roll sound on "Buried Alive", with an urgent feel and some serious guitar solos. "That Girl Tonight" is a song of encouragement with something of a country feel. It's an invitation, or perhaps an exhortation, to give up conformity and be yourself. Irony rains on "The End Of The End Of Days", the anthem of a disillusioned Christian rocker who has made a career writing songs about the coming end of the world but who is now questioning whether it's all true. The Fractals close with "She Gets Me", a post-modern love song of sorts. The arrangement here is a bit rough; making it seem like the band lost steam with the song at one point and just engaged in repetition to fill out the space. It's the least melodic track on the album and may have been more appropriate as a non-album track.
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The Fractals dress up their music to impress on Heavy Rotation, expanding musical horizons wide enough to lose direction at times. Heavy Rotation is a solid effort with strong and weak moments. Kevin Hanson is in his usual good form, and Mike Frank helps to fill out the band's sound admirably. Heavy Rotation isn't perfect, but it's good enough to stick on your personal play list for the summer.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Fractals at http://www.thefractals.com/ or www.myspace.com/thefractalstunes. Heavy Rotation is availbable electronically from Amazon and iTunes.

Ryan Powers Boyle - Ryan Powers Boyle

Ryan Powers Boyle - Ryan Powers Boyle
2010, Far And Away Records

Ryan Powers Boyle got addicted to music at a young age, discovering the piano at the age of four. Other instruments followed, but the virtuous musical nature of the 88 keys has stayed with Boyle over the years. The St. Petersburg, Florida native dedicated himself to music, even giving up college to go out and learn about the world so he could be more well-rounded in his musical pursuits. A 2006 EP, Now Or Never, and infrequent live shows helped build a solid following, and in 2007 Ryan Powers Boyle set out to self-record a full-length album. Three years later, Boyle prepares to unleash the results, Ryan Powers Boyle on the world on July 27, 2010.

There are pluses and minuses to recording an album entirely on your own. On the positive side, it ends up sounding exactly how you wanted it with no outside influences; unfortunately it also ends up sounding exactly how you wanted it with no outside influences. Ryan Powers Boyle offers examples of both the positive negative on Ryan Powers Boyle. The opening triumvirate of songs, "Yesterday", "The Cell" and "A Girl In The World" fall into a highly cyclic and musically repetitive style that wears quickly. The result is a monochromatic feel across the first three songs that may scare away listeners before they get to the meat of the album. Add to this Boyle's tendency toward diary-style songwriting and only the true shoe gaze fans are likely to be around when Boyle changes things up with "Going To The Chapel", a reinterpretation of "Chapel Of Love", the Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich/Phil Spector classic made famous by The Dixie Cups. It takes real chutzpah to take such a classic pop hit and turn it on its ear, but Boyle's dark, melancholic version shows shades of brilliance. Here the union is one of obligation rather than happiness, "don't know if I love you but we're gonna get married...", and the result is both surprising and enjoyable in its darkness.

Boyle revisits the cyclic style with "It's All So Beautiful, It's All So Strange", though with more dynamics and a strong melody this time around. Boyle suffers from a flat musical affect on songs such as "I Can See and "Uncertain" before moving into the nine-and-a-half minute "Through This Life", a meandering and bromidic exploration of the mind's minutia that is simply difficult to sit through. "A Matter Of Miles" exceeds "Through This Life" only in length, clocking in at an interminable ten-and-a-half minutes. Boyle closes on a slightly redeeming note with "Far And Away", which at least clocks in under four minutes.

Ryan Powers Boyle is the victim of his own musical isolation on his self-titled album. Shoe gaze fans may rejoice at the release of Ryan Powers Boyle on July 27, 2010, but it seems unlikely that Boyle will find much commercial footing with the album. Don't be surprised if "Going To The Chapel" gets licensed for some movie or television show; it's the perfect post-modern application of cynicism to a standard of the pop music cannon, and brilliantly done. Unfortunately it's the lone bright apple in the bushel. Hopefully that singular effort is a portent for the future.

Rating: 1.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Ryan Powers Boyle at http://www.ryanpowersboyle.com/ or www.myspace.com/ryanpowersboyle. Ryan Powers Boyle drops July 27, 2010. Keep checkin the artist's webpage for availability.

The Public Good - A Varied Program Of Stereo Dynamics For Your Wild Nights Alone

The Public Good - A Varied Program Of Stereo Dynamics For Your Wild Nights Alone
2010, Lost Lyrics

The Public Good are led by John Elderkin and Steve Ruppenthal, singer/songwriters and former partners in North Carolina rockers The Popes. While The Popes have gone the way of the Do Do and the purple-spotted Snorklewhacker, the distinctive dirty pop sensibility of that band lives on in The Public Good. The Washington, D.C. based band spices up their live shows with solid songs, costume dramas and even the occasional brain teaser, while musing musically on the trials and tribulations of adulthood. The Public Good follows up last year’s No. 1 with A Varied Program Of Stereo Dynamics For Your Wild Nights Alone, an unapologetic and lively mix of wit, wisdom and wild bouts of fancy.

The Public Good opens with "You Looked Good", a solid rock n roll tune with a crunchy Americana feel. Lyrically repetitive, The Public Good keeps the song interesting with a low-fi sound that feeds your head. "This Is What We Want" continues the catchy, crunchy rock-n roll. The sound here isn't exactly garage, but the distant cousin concocted by an electrical engineer with a lot of spare time. "Black Ice" is an interesting change of pace, looking in wonder at the ability of illness to tie us to loved ones in ways good health and happiness never quite accomplish. It's a lively but thoughtful take on life, love and death.

"Cooking For Two" is a lighter number, having some self-deprecating fun with Elderkin's reliance on his microwave as a mark of manhood. The merriment continues on "Hey, Solomon Grundy!", a rowdy take on the classic children's rhyme. This tune is a lot of fun, and great fodder for live shows. The Public Good goes instrumental with "Slow Day At Work", a solid but unexciting turn that acts as an intermission of sorts. "Your Product Name Right Here" details the virtues of selling out as a band with a sung chorus and adolescent banter about all the good stuff they'd buy. It's an entertaining diversion that most every band daydreams about at one point or another. "My Pre-Existing Conditions" is the best songwriting on the album, with Elderkin laying out all of his shortcomings early in a courtship to avoid rejection later on. It's a brilliant tune that's funny but too well crafted to be considered novelty. The Public Good closes out on a comically incomplete note with "And Then We Ran Out Of Things To Talk About". You'll see the ending coming and it will still make you chuckle.

The Public Good seriously don't take themselves too seriously. Similar to the process of a highly intelligent actor playing a "dumb" role, The Public Good find their comedy in juxtaposing reality with the adolescent proclivities of society at large. Musically low-fi, The Public Good allows themselves the room to get messy with life's foibles and explore them at ground level. Consequently, A Varied Program Of Stereo Dynamics For Your Wild Nights Alone avoids brilliance by rising above it while sinking into the depths of everyday life with observations and conjecture that fall outside the collective box of groupthink. Make some time for The Public Good and A Varied Program Of Stereo Dynamics For Your Wild Nights Alone, and don't be too hard on the paper dolls.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Public Good at http://www.thepublicgoodonline.com/ or www.myspace.com/thepublicgood. A Varied Program Of Stereo Dynamics For Your Wild Nights Alone is available from http://www.thepublicgoodonline.com/ on CD. Digital copies are available from iTunes.

Blip Blip Bleep - Like Track Stars

Blip Blip Bleep - Like Track Stars
2010, Blip Blip Bleep

Blip Blip Bleep is Brooklyn producer Sean Han, with the artful assistance of Jojo Schwartz (drums) and Alexa Danner (vox/keyboards). Dancing on the delicate line between 1980's British New Wave and electro-dance styles, Blip Blip Bleep keeps growing their legend with each release. Out this week, Like Track Stars is Blip Blip Bleep's debut full-length album after two prior EPs. Like Track Stars starts out as a catchy affair, mining the undulations of electronic sound with a distinct pop sensibility and urgency before fading into a bland musical facade.

Like Track Stars opens with "Rock (Intro)", a musically intriguing but lyrically banal entr'acte that makes up for its repetitive nature with variegated rhythms and a musical wall-of-sound construction that engages listeners beyond the vocal line. "Freak You Out" is highly danceable electro-rock. While lyrically simplistic, this seems the most likely pop/dance hit on the album. "Already Pretty" raises the level of complexity of Han's songwriting a notch. The song has a driven feel and moves more to an alt-rock style/feel. The vocal harmonies here are very enjoyable, and the chorus is a solid attention grabber.

Blip Blip Bleep shows off its upbeat, high-energy dance music style on "Don't Forget" with a sound that fills your ears, making it easy to overlook the unsophisticated lyrical style of the band. Of course, they then turn around and serve up "Like Track Stars", a song about the urgency and freedom of youth or young adulthood, seen with the perspective and understanding of time. It's a poignant tune, perhaps a bit too busy with the electronics but well-wrought nevertheless. "Broken String" gets down to the 1980's Brit-pop style that seems to drive Blip Blip Bleep in a decent but too-busy tune. At this point it appears as if the band had run out of its best material but needed more material to fill out the album. "A Letter To Elise", "Rewrite The Scenes" and "Rock (Reprise)" simply don't live up to the energy or intensity of the rest of the album. Blip Blip Bleep then fills out the space with remixes of "Freak You Out" and "Rock", but both seem more like gimmicks to break into the club scene than artistic interpretations of the original versions.

Like Track Stars starts out fairly well but stumbles on the back stretch and limps home. This is one of those occasions when an album would better serve a band as an EP. That doesn't take anything away from Blip Blip Bleep. When they are on, Blip Blip Bleep is a very entertaining band with a sound that adeptly blends the sonic tempura of electronic music with the energy and urgency of rock music; they just reach a bit too far on Like Track Stars, filling in space with material that seems unworthy of its brethren. It's a solid 4 stars over the first six songs, but a bare 2 stars over the final five.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Blip Blip Bleep at http://www.blipblipbleep.com/ or www.myspace.com/blipblipbleep. Like Track Stars is available digitally from Amazon and iTunes.