Arrica Rose & The ...'s - Let Alone Sea

Arrica Rose & The ...'s - Let Alone Sea
2011, pOprOck Records

You might say that performing is in Arrica Rose's bloodline.  Her great uncle, Lou Monte, was responsible for such novelty hits as "Pepino The Italian Mouse", "Dominick The Donkey" and "Lazy Mary".  Her father was a character actor in a series of mob films, including Mario Puzo's The Godfather.  Arrica Rose first picked up a guitar at the age of fifteen, cutting her musical teeth in L.A. area punk rock band Uxby and sharing the stage with acts such as Commander Venus, Still Life and Jimmy Eat World.  A detour through film school found her delving more into sound production and scoring, but Arrica Rose was destined for the stage.  Upon graduation, she formed her new band (the Dot, Dot, Dots).  Rose has continued to develop her sound.  The latest step in that development on August 22, 2011, when Rose's own pOprOck Records releases her third full-length album, Let Alone Sea.

Let Alone Sea blends ethereality and melancholy in pulsing doses of sound, with Arrica Rose's unique voice undulating across the soundscape like a wayward shooting star.  Sonically she's an intriguing blend of Tori Amos and Kate Bush, but stylistically she has a great deal in common with Hope Sandoval.  Rose shows a definite pop sensibility on the opening track, "Everybody", while offering up a pouty, sometimes sexy vocal line.  Her alto voice is both formless and distinct, undulating like a wave form coming in and out of phase.  This effect within the song's lush arrangement is intriguing.  "Sail Away" is a pretty ballad, set in the tones of an oil painting with ethereal brush strokes of sound set as highlights.  "If The World Won't Bend" is either a distinct show of faith or a disturbing subservience, dashed off in a pretty, languorous melody over yet another lush landscape of sound.

Rose changes pace with "Summer's Gonna Burn Me (So Are You)", blending elements of jazz, folk and ethereal pop.  This is the most intriguing work on the album, with Rose's blend of smooth sound and rough textures keeping the careful listener on edge throughout.  "Riverbed" flows like its title implies, while "Nothing Nada Nothing" and "Pot Of Gold" give solid structure to the back end of the album without standing out on their own.  Arrica Rose wraps up with a contemplative and halting medley entitled "Video Killed The Radio Star (Wonderful World)", which intermixes passages from The Buggles 1980's hit with Louis Armstrong's signature song.  It's an odd marriage that works almost in spite of itself.  Rose's voice is at its most enchanting here, and the gorgeous arrangement makes the whole affair seem like a dream you'll try to recapture once you wake.

Arrica Rose isn't going to appeal to everyone, but those who listen deeply and appreciate her almost other-worldly sound will be absolutely enchanted.  Let Alone Sea shows a musical vision that is far from highways and byways of pop radio, yet retains a deep pop sensibility that's inescapable.  Let Alone Sea is an album you can listen to a hundred times, each time picking out new layers and textures to discover.  You don't want to miss this one.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Arrica Rose & The ...'s at www.arricarose.com or www.myspace.com/arricarose. Let Alone Sea drops on August 22, 2011.  Keep checking Rose's website for availability.

Review: The Velmas - Station

The Velmas - Station
2006, City Canyon Records

Albany, NY power trio The Velmas know how to Rock N Roll. Todd “Figaro” Minnick (bass), Mike “Harvey” Grosshandler (guitar) and Michael “Bruce” Bruce (drums) share songwriting duties, blend Rock, Punk, Classic/Southern Rock, Country, Reggae and Grunge into a dynamic sound that’s won rave reviews from critics and fans alike. The Velmas have been the alt-rock darlings of the Albany scene for a few years now and have played all over the Northeast US. Their most recent album, Station, achieved national distribution and the band has slowly been building a presence outside of their home market. Let’s check out Station.

The album opens with the smooth Modern Rock sounds of One More Day, gaining some pop sensibility as The Velmas transition into This Time. Regardless of the pop orientation, the first few songs on Station sound a bit too calculated to hit the Modern Rock market. The Velmas have everything gel on Tell Her I Love Her, a Weezer-esque pop/rock tune about unrequited love. Tell Her I Love Her has strong commercial potential and is the sort of song that can vault an unknown band into national prominence on short notice; it's just a question of getting it heard in the right venue. Midnight sounds like something that could have come right off the Rent soundtrack, and is probably a favorite at club shows where midnight is half time. Where'd She Go might be the best tune on the disc; it's just flat out, great Rock N Roll. Be sure also to check out Silenced, Forever With Me (Emily's Song) and Past Tense on the way to The Velmas' cover of Lionel Richie's Hello. Say what you want, but it's a good, Daughtry style cover of the song.

The Velmas play in a small pond right now (Albany, NY) but show the sort of talent and panache it takes to make it in a bigger market. Station is a strong effort that's worth checking out. It finds The Velmas playing with mixes of Pop, Rock and Post-Punk that work more often than not. My suspicion is that if they keep playing in that realm sooner or later they might just strike gold.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Velmas at http://www.thevelmas.com/ or www.myspace.com/thevelmas. You can purchase a copy of Station at www.cdbaby.com/cd/thevelmasccr, or you can download the album from iTunes.

Review: Friday Nights - Friday Nights

Friday Nights - Friday Nights
2009, Friday Nights

Los Angeles-based duo Friday Nights is comprised of singer/songwriter Mike Castillo and musician/songwriter/producer Shon Kornfield. Castillo previously led L.A. rockers If You See Kate, while Kornfeld’s credits include Helen 55, Fontaine, Stanford Prison Experiment and Bulletboys. Their debut album, Friday Nights, was produced by Ken Andrews (Nine Inch Nails, Beck, Jimmy Eat World, Blink 182), and features songwriting from both.

Friday Nights opens with the catchy and highly infectious anthem Self Inflicted. The rhythmic feel of the song combined with distinctive vocals and killer harmonies make Self Inflicted one of the more memorable pop/rock songs of the year, to date. Whose Side Are You On reminds me a bit of the writing style of Colin Hay and Men At Work in another very catchy offering. Hey Jeremy is a song about following your dreams and inviting folks you know along for the ride. Takeover begins with big driving rhythms and evolves into another highly catchy pop/rock gem. You'll also want to check out Personal Holiday, Grow For You and Anchors Away.

Friday Nights have a very catchy sound that holds a great deal of commercial potential. Some of the slower material here drags a bit, particularly because Friday Nights seems to vacillate between wanting to be an ethereal rock band or a Pop/Rock dynamo. The songs along the fault line of the two styles are well-written, but Self Inflicted is likely the class of the album. Be sure to check out Friday Nights!

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Friday Nights at www.myspace.com/fridaynightsmusic.com. You can purchase a copy of Friday Nights on either CD or via download at http://www.fridaynightsmusic.com/.

Review: Telling On Trixie - Ugly, Broke & Sober

Telling On Trixie - Ugly, Broke & Sober
2009, Nicoletto Small Music

New York City rockers Telling On Trixie bring the anthemic power-pop on their sophomore album, Ugly, Broke & Sober. After being voted Logo's #1 band of 2007 for their self-tited debut album, it would be easy to understand a bit of a sophomore slump. Telling On Trixie never heard of such a thing. Rather than standing pat with the formula that worked the first time, the band stretches their boundaries on Ugly, Broke & Sober without abandoning the melodic spirit that got them where they are.

Ugly, Broke & Sober opens with Shooting in 60, an anthem for today's celebrity-obsessed culture. Crash Me Up is an interesting experiment. Telling On Trixie asked their fans to submit words or phrases to be turned into song lyrics. Crash Me Up is the resulting word jumble. The exercise, and song, works, sounding like a cryptic but mostly cogent lyrical construct. The strong pop/rock arrangement and harmonic dressing doesn't hurt either. The most pleasant surprise of the album is the very dark interpretation of Belinda Carlisle's Mad About You. The tenor and tone of this version implies perhaps a different aspect of madness than the original, but the song is none the worse for this treatment. Lead vocalist Derek Nicoletto sounds a bit like Adam Pascal, or a poor man's Steve Perry, with much of the same vocal quality but not quite the same range.

The Deepest Dive is a prolific song of love for and faith in another person. This is a potential hit, with Nicoletto going for a more pure vocal sound. Ugly, Broke & Sober sounds like it could have been alternate song from the show Rent, both in style and content. Telling On Trixie breaks out their heavy boots on Your Silence, the heaviest rocker on the album (but still quite pop in sensibility). The album closes out with the spooky Steps To The Throne, which almost works but has some rough edges to it yet.

Telling On Trixie continues to take chances on Ugly, Broke & Sober. Most of them work, and even the instances where they fell short are intriguing. I'd much rather see a band take chances and miss once in a while than stand pat and calcify stylistically. Ugly, Broke & Sober is a strong sophomore effort that exceeds their debut in some ways. You can hear the artistic development that has occurred from album to album, and it makes one wonder if they'll keep on this path. If so, the future promises big things from Telling On Trixie. For now, Ugly, Broke & Sober is more than enough.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Telling On Trixie at www.myspace.com/tellingontrixie or http://www.tellingontrixie.com/. You can purchase a copy of Ugly, Broke & Sober at www.cdbaby.com/cd/tellingontrixie3.