Review: Like Trains & Taxis - Songs From A Revolving Door

Like Trains & Taxis - Songs From A Revolving Door
2010, Devil May Care Entertainment

New Brunswick, New Jersey’s Like Trains & Taxis have an unusual sound that plays like a modern dinner cabaret act; blending Jazz, Pop, R&B and show tunes in a fashion plays like a familiar record even when you haven't heard it before. It's both the charm and curse of Like Trains & Taxis' debut album, Songs From A Revolving Door, due out in January of 2010.

Like Trains & Taxis opens with the nouveau cabaret and soul of Their Eyes Were Watching God. It's an intriguing opener that sounds like it might segue into an off-Broadway musical. Chris Harris forms the core, with sparse instrumentation wrapped around for good measure on one of the more sonically interesting songs I've heard of late. Bullet In The Brain maintains the same mojo with a quirky melody and a streaming lyric style. Separate Lives is a lively tune, sticking with the rapid-fire lyrical style of a Jason Mraz in a gentle but energetic soul/pop arrangement. My favorite track on the CD is Charlie; it sounds a bit like something Ben Folds might come up with and takes on a life of its own as a song.

Emily opens with an Elton John feel before taking on the Alt-Cabaret feel of a Fiona Apple tune. The tell of Songs From A Revolving Door is in the listening; the more you hear the more you realize how derivative Like Trains & Taxis truly are. This is modern cabaret music, flattering styles and artists with twice-removed imitation in arrangements created out of the musical poetry of Chris Harris. Owen Susman and Mike Del Priore do a masterful job of filling in the musical blanks around Harris' poetry, but in the end the styles are drawn out of the thin air of popular music, bending and shaping styles to fit to Harris' muse like modeling clay. Cold Shoulder and Mirrors show similar tendencies, and Day Wrecker the patient of but the most dedicated of listeners. The song runs seven-and-a-half minutes with little change in tempo, sound or architecture.

Songs From A Revolving Door plays, in the end, like an extremely rich sweet. It's new and interesting at first and goes down like candy, but it isn't long before you've had more than enough. Once the rich sheen wears off the flaws become all too apparent. While Susman and Del Priore create all the magic they can around the base melodies, Harris' songwriting is unimaginative. He fills up a lot of space with lyrical content, but often more can be said with less. Like Trains & Taxis have a certain charm to them, and with some work on economy of songwriting they might have something powerful to share. As it is Songs From A Revolving Door is destined to play a lot of one night stands with listeners. What sounds great at 2:00 AM won't pmarches to the drummer of a Coldplay salad with Maroon 5 dressing. Like Trains & Taxis says goodnight with Epilogue, a jazzy piano-driven ballad likely to outlast lay so well in the light of day.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Like Trains & Taxis at http://www.liketrainsandtaxis.com/ or www.myspace.com/liketrainsandtaxis. We don’t have a definitive release date for Songs From A Revolving Door, but it is expected to drop sometime in January, 2010. Expect availability through CDBaby.com.

Wildy's World Artist Of The Month, January 2010: Jeneen Terrana

We are proud to present Jeneen Terrana as Wildy's World's Artist of the Month for January of 2010! Ms. Terrana's album with The Howl Brothers, My Creation, was ranked #1 on Wildy's World's Top 40 Albums of 2009! The Buffalo, New York native relocated to New York City a number of years ago, but may be one of the Nickel City's finest musical exports since Chuck Mangione. She is currently one of the brightest lights on the nascent Long Island City music scene, and in 2009 made her first foray to Europe for a four week tour with Silbin Sandovar (also known as Gustavo Rodriguez). 2009 also saw Terrana begin to gain radio exposure in places such as Michigan, California, New York, Connecticut, Dublin, London, Virginia, New Jersey and Massachussets.

No word on specifics for 2010, but hopefully we'll catch up with Terrana over the course of the month and find out what's in store. Take some time to check out Terrana's My Creation, as well as her fine 2002 solo album, Just Me. You can learn more about Jeneen Terrana at http://www.jeneenterrana.com/, on MySpace or on Twitter. Both My Creation and Just Me can be purchase as CDs from CDBaby.com (which also offers My Creation as a download). Downloads of both albums are available from iTunes.

What's new for 2010

Always ones to be dragged kicking and screaming into the previous decade, we here at Wildy's World have heard from many of you over the past year about our policy of accepting only hard copy submissions for review. I realize it's a digital age, but I also know a lot about how much sound and nuance is lost in the compression to MP3 format. Be that as it may, more and more artists are, sadly, going digital only. I have decided to open up Wildy's World to digital submissions, but there has to be a trade off somewhere. We are a small operation, and computer equipment/storage costs real money. So effective immediately, we will begin accepting digital submissions, but there will be a nominal $5.00 fee per title for processing and storing the files.

Old school, hard copy submissions will still be free. Digital submissions will be paid for through PayPal, to wildysworld@gmail.com, and sent through YouSendIt, or I can download them off a webpage or via old-school FTP. If you have questions, don't hesitate to post them here as comments or email me directly at wildysworld@gmail.com! Happy New Year!

How do I submit recordings to Wildy's World?

So here's the skinny, revised July 22, 2011...

It's a digital world, but we're a bit old-fashioned here at Wildy's World. 

We know it's a digital world, but the sound quality of a CD is much superior to that of MP3 files.  If you're going to have your music reviewed, it makes a certain amount of sense to put your best recording before reviewers.  We want to hear your best sound and share it with my readers.  Digital submissions are accepted, but preference for reviews is given to submissions on hard copy.  We did previously charge a $5.00 submission fee for digital submissions, to help cover the cost of storage and devices.  This policy is no longer in effect, although donations are always welcome.

We do also review books and movies related to music, or written by/starring music artists.

Reviews generally take 6-8 weeks to appear on Wildy's World.  The time frame varies a bit depending on the time of year and volume of submissions.  We do follow-up with an email when a review goes live.  Due to the volume of submissions, we cannot promise an email confirming each receipt.  We prefer to write about things we like, rather than spending a lot of energy talking down someone's art.  That's not to say that we don't write reviews that are critical. but we try to live by the old adage, "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything."  That being said, if we are really not into the music, but we love your voice, your guitar style, etc., then we are going to write a critical review that praises what we like.

Ultimately, if we don't review an album, we're probably just not into it.  Feel free to follow up by email, however, as there are times of year when the submission volume is so high that there are worthy albums we just can't fit in.

If you wish to submit to Wildy's World, contact Wildy at wildysworld@gmail.com. We'll provide you with the snail mail address for CD/DVD submissions.  Digital submissions can be sent to the email address above, again with the understanding that preference is given to hard copy.

If your submission does result in a review, and you find the review helpful, please feel free to make a small donation to help support what we do here.  The donation button is in the right hand column of the blog.  You can't miss it.  :)

Best of luck with your muse and music.  Be well.

Wildy

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You provide the ad, but we do ask that if you have links in the ad that you set the "on click" for the ad to "open in new page" or "open in new tab". This way you get the traffic and we don't lose ours!

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Review: Conil - Strange Part Of The Country

Conil - Strange Part Of The Country
2009, Great Hare Records

If you can't get a famous producer to listen to your demo, submit under a false name that sounds like somebody famous. Dishonest, yes, but it worked for London's Conil, who got Tchad Blake (Tom Waits, Pearl Jam) to listen to his demo by submitting it under the name Phil Coltrane. With the help of double bass player Danny Thompson (Tim Buckley, John Martyn), Conil has created a stirring album in Strange Part Of The Country, due out in February 2010. Already notes as one of the finest voices in England, Conil brings the presence of a lonely troubadour and a voice that is compelling in its singularity on Strange Part Of The Country.

Strange Part Of The Country opens with the title track, a rootsy bit of musical melancholy that pulls the listener in like a subtly insistent rip tide. Conil continues down the solitary track on Years Between, sounding like a cross between Bob Dylan and Hawksley Workman with a dash of Nick Cave thrown in. Conil creates an interesting dichotomy, blending his gentle melancholia with melodies that soar even when weighted with the world. Bonediggers has a serene air about it that evaporates in the middle but reasserts itself in the end. There is a distinct Zen feel to the song, with a possible moral of accepting yourself for whom and not what you are. Time Settles follows a similar formula and sounds a bit in a rut.

Conil climbs out of the crevice with Dog Meat Stew. Repetition still holds sway, particularly in the choruses, but on the whole Dog Meat Stew is an eclectic and interesting listen. Conil gets his edge on with Grapevine, the most vibrant and quietly angry rock song on the album. Things turn decidedly more serene thereafter, however. Distances From Here is somnolent and dreamy, and History Of The Best Of Us is a mildly morose paean to love or something like it. Conil rounds the bend and heads home with After The Hole; a six minute monstrosity that wears monotony and low affect like lucky charms. Conil does break out with some of his trademark soaring melody components, but much of the song is mired in a recursive reflection that's more desolate than anything else. It's interesting at first, but becomes difficult in its relentless pursuit of negative dynamics.

Strange Part Of The Country both engages and pushes away listeners at times, creating an internal tug of war that will be fun for some listeners and a turn off for others. The album itself is a bit uneven, and I am not sure that the folks who tagged Conil with the honor of having one of Britain's finest voices were listening to the same material I was; nevertheless, Conil is engaging with a sound that draws you in even if it isn't necessarily the prettiest one in sphere. His songwriting is a plus, although his plumbing of the emotional depths is a bit too weighty for my taste at times. Regardless, Conil is a talented performer who will connect with audiences on one level of another, as per their tastes. I don't imagine this is the last we'll hear from Conil.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Conil at http://www.conilmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/conilmusic. You can purchase Strange Part Of The Country as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com. Downloads may also be obtained via iTunes.

Review: Peter Douskalis - The Dance Of The Sea

Peter Douskalis - The Dance Of The Sea
2009, Shenandoah Records

Peter Douskalis is a New York City-based Jazz guitarist with roots in the Virginia/DC area. At 22 years old he's already been part of one acclaimed duo (Peter & Alex) and performed on Disney's The Making Of A High School Musical (he was the guitarist in their production of The Wiz). Douskalis makes his first foray into the solo world with The Dance Of The Sea. Released in late 2009, The Dance Of The Sea is truly a solo effort; just Douskalis and his guitar on covers and original compositions. Aside from making music, Douskalis is continuing his education in music as a Masters candidate in Music Education at NYU. Douskalis has performed with Jazz greats Chuck Redd, Bob Cranshaw, Houston Person, Mickey Roker and Tamir Hendelman.

Lady Bird is a frenetic study in runs and stops, augmented by Douskalis' supple fretwork. This Tad Dameron creation is given vibrant new life, although Douskalis does go a bit over-the-top with the runs in the middle of the song. Up next is Benny Golson & Leonard Feather's Whisper Not, interpreted here in rhythmic fashion with Douskalis recreating the walking bass line as well the riffs and runs with his guitar. Douskalis takes on Richard Rodger's My Favorite Things next in a stirring cover that allows him to stretch his wings. Whereas the riff work seemed a bit contrived on Lady Bird, here it seems more like Douskalis is playing variations that are still in the spirit of the work. What is perhaps most impressive is Douskalis' touch and ability to emote a melody line. The fireworks are nice, but it's refreshing to hear a soloist in touch with his instrument and the sounds that come out of it.

Douskalis' The Dance Of The Sea has a pleasing melody line and solid pacing; Douskalis avoids any sort of guitar histrionics in a subtle and mature bit of songwriting. His cover of Jimmy Van Heusen's Darn That Dream sticks with the dreamy quality the song has most often been interpreted with, sounding a bit like incidental music from a Peanuts episode (picture Snoopy walking through the leaves). Perhaps the best choice on the album is Antonio Carlos Jobim's The Girl From Ipanema. Douskalis has his way with the song but sticks with the spirit imbued in Jobim's original. The song, and much of the album, excel not only on where Douskalis chooses to take songs but often where he chooses not to. Douskalis offers two takes on Miles Davis' Blue In Green, the first (Take 2) a dreamy, melancholy read that focuses on a more legato feel. The second recording (Take 1) keeps things dreamy but is a bit more pointed in feel and derivative in scope. It's these free form moments where an artist takes risks and either strikes a new path or goes too far. It's unclear whether Douskalis quite takes either fork, traversing instead a center line between the two that's interesting but fails to be provocative. The Dance Of The Sea closes with a lively take on The Beatles' Come Together. In true variations form, Douskalis gives it to us straight the first time before heading off into altered guitar player states for several minutes. The variation becomes so removed from the original not even the remaining Beatles would recognize it.

Douskalis is highly capable with a guitar, but at times he tries to do too much on The Dance Of The Sea, venturing into territories likely only to be of interest to the one playing and perhaps other guitar players of a similar vent. The creative freedom of being entirely solo is a double-edged axe, if you will. You get to do whatever you want, but unfortunately that means you get to do whatever you want. The addition of other musicians, even in a supporting role, might change some of the choices Douskalis makes here, creating a more vibrant and powerful collection. As it stands, The Dance Of The Sea is a strong effort with some identifiable flaws. It should be interesting to see what Douskalis takes on next.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Peter Douskalis at http://www.peterdouskalis.com/ or www.myspace.com/peterdouskalis. You can purchase The Dance Of The Sea as either a CD or download via CDBaby.com.