Erik Norlander - The Galactic Collective

Erik Norlander - The Galactic Collective
2010, Chian Productions
You may know Erik Norlander as the keyboardist/spouse of Lana Lane or from his work with Rocket Scientist or even Asia With John Payne. The list of artists Norlander has recorded with or produced/engineered is too long to list here. With influences ranging from Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson to Jeff Lynne and Alan Parsons, Norlander draws from a rich musical history to create compositions with a classic feel and fresh energy. Norlander recently released The Galactic Collective, his 8th solo album and 33rd overall, Norlander builds on an impressive body of work.

The Galactic Collective opens with “Arrival”, a brief musical prologue that’s more atmosphere dark, plaintive atmosphere than anything else. “Nurosaur” dances on the edges of gothic and baroque progressive rock; a big, heavy sound with a chorus at the opening becomes a rambunctious Prog gem. “Fanfare For Absent Friends” is an over-the-top announcement with a martial feel. Driving guitar and heavy rhythms grow into a more space-age rock sound. The most intriguing composition on the album is “Astrology Prelude”, a musically violent and complex world of musical ideas and action beneath the surface that occasionally resolves into a relatively peaceful and melodic passage before falling back into its own driven nature.

Norlander gets a bit repetitive with “Trantor Station”; The highly rhythmic nature of this synth-driven song becoming as much of a liability as a benefit. “After The Revolution” is laden with arpeggios, alternating with passages marrying synth fills and rhythmic guitar ambience. The song seems to depict struggle amidst a tide of change, and begs for a vocal line. At twelve minutes, “After The Revolution” simply runs too long, becoming nothing more than a Prog rock jam that recycles itself to fill out the space. “Garden Of The Moon” starts out with an intriguing theme, but ends up sounding like incidental score music. Norlander gets to show off his raw piano skill on "Dreamcurrents", a master class in speed and precision on a solid, classical-style composition. Norlander closes with “The Dark Water”, a twenty minute collection of variations that’s probably 10-12 minutes too long.

Progressive rock is a double-edged sword. Some of the most talented and musically complex artists gravitate there because of the stylistic mix of jazz form, classical composition and rock energy and glamour; but like jam-based music, progressive rock lends itself to the conceit of doing too much and going too far. Norlander crosses this line a few times on The Galactic Collective. That being said, it is an ambitious and expansive album. Where Norlander loses himself it’s not for being mundane, but simply trying to push the envelope too far. It’s much preferable to hear an artist push too far than become mundane through not pushing enough. There’s enough really great material here to make The Galactic Collective worthwhile, and even where Norlander over-steps there is much you’ll care to hear.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Erik Norlander at http://www.eriknorlander.com/ or www.myspace.com/eriknorlanderandlanalane. The Galactic Collective is available on CD from Norlander's web store. Digital versions are available from Amazon and iTunes.

Mammoth Life - An American Movement

Mammoth Life - An American Movement
2010, Mammoth Life

Lawrence, Kansas chamber-pop ensemble Mammoth Life returns with their second full length album, An American Movement, on June 22, 2010. The follow-up to 2009’s Kaleidoscopic Art Pop finds Mammoth Life in a more ambitious mode, writing a concept album about the breakdown of civilization and the power of individuals to stem the tide of disintegration. Much like in life, Mammoth Life find both great success and tremendous growing pains in An American Movement.

An American Movement opens with “Be My Own Anthem, One’s Self I Sing”, sounding like the opening music to a show or movie, playing off Ennio Morricone’s classic theme from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. Mammoth Life uses voices here to add different dimensions to the orchestration. “Discoveries” is a somewhat frantic rock/orchestral venture that flows on the energy of new things, showing how the energy of disconnected events can lead to great moments. “Disrupting The Extinction Of Distinction” continues in the same vein, but lacks the punch of “Discoveries”. With “Upon The Shoulders Of Giants”, Mammoth Life treads on the edges of a puzzle. The vocal harmonies are strong and match well to the undulating orchestration, but the lead vocal is very pitchy and a bit difficult to take.

“With Sanctity, Our Declaration” is the most accomplished composition on the album. There’s an upbeat, wagon-train feel to the song, which again uses vocalizations as instrumentation. Mammoth Life imbues the song with a surreal, lonely feel that hides within the jaunty nature of the tune; masking a song of memoriam as a declaration of freedom (or perhaps it’s the other way around). So having reached the pinnacle of the album, it’s a question of whether Mammoth Life would descend gracefully or precipitously. Unlike on past albums it is the latter on Kaleidoscopic Art Pop, it is the latter on An American Movement. “Dreaming Is Destiny” feels incomplete, almost incidental to itself. “Boy Blue, An American Lion” and “We Are Within A Holy War” give the impression that Mammoth Life is a bit lost in the middle of their concept, fighting to tell a story that just hasn’t developed enough yet to be elucidated in song. By the time Mammoth Life gets to “The Differences”, they’ve descended into an amateurish cliché of cultural study text that is artistically and intellectually beneath the band. Mammoth Life recovers their composure for the closing number, “Marvelous To View”, but it’s almost an afterthought.

If you’ve listened to Mammoth Life before, your expectations will be high for An American Movement. Over the course of the first five tracks your expectations will be met. Unfortunately it appears that Mammoth Life ran out of creative gas thereafter, filling out the album with tracks that, by the standards they’ve set with their past work, are mundane. The first half of the album released as an EP would be a solid 4-star effort. Unfortunately, the second half of the album struggles to make even 2 stars. Mammoth Life is good enough and unique enough that you’ll want to at least acquaint yourself with An American Movement. The elements that make Mammoth Life a great listen are present on the album, but it’s not the consistently great effort you might expect.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Mammoth Life at http://www.mammothlife.net/ or www.myspace.com/officialmammothlife. An American Movement drops on June 22, 2010. Expect availability through Mammoth Life's website, Amazon, iTunes and other web outlets. Photo credit: Val Skubal

Sonia Montez - Of Tears And Honey

Sonia Montez - Of Tears And Honey
2009, Radian Records

Sonia Montez is Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter who marches to the beat of her own drummer; both a captive and the queen of her own musically madness. When it comes to music, however, Montez is a subtle and delicate songwriter, dealing in real life and real emotions in soft, subtle guitar-based arrangements that let you see the beauty inside of the everyday pain of existence. Montez shows these qualities in full on her debut EP, Of Tears And Honey.

Of Tears And Honey opens with "Little Jealousy", exhorting someone to stop pining away for a love lost who was no good for them in the first place. It's a lively tune even with its careful approach. Montez has a quirky, soulful pop voice that's full of texture and thoroughly enjoyable. "Red Moon" finds Montez singing as smoothly as Sade with a more emotive and alive feel in a song about taking chances. "Secret" is a profession of love after the fact; after things have fallen apart. The song is full of a mix of hope and heartbreak, and Montez' soprano is put to good use here in a moving and emotive performance. "No Regrets" is a jazzy number ala Norah Jones, with Montez taking on a soulful sound that suits her well. "I Miss You" builds in both emotional and sonic intensity, playing on the archetypal theme of loneliness that pervades Of Tears And Honey. Montez closes with "Heart Symphony", a universal and ethereal lullaby that encourages listeners to get in touch with the world around them.

Sonia Montez is likeable, with a voice that goes down easy and solid songwriting. Of Tears And Honey is mellow and insightful even when it plays with more arcane lyrical fare. Montez continues to grow into a sound that is both distinctive and mature. Of Tears And Honey documents the process, and in doing so shows some of the huge potential within Sonia Montez.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Sonia Montez at www.myspace.com/soniamontez or http://www.soniamontez.com/, where you can purchase Of Tears And Honey on CD. Digital versions are available from Amazon and iTunes.

Melina Gerges - Salam (Demo)

Melina Gerges - Salam Demo
2010, Melina Gerges

Melina Gerges is a classically trained opera singer who’s done time on the Italian scene. These days she's back home in Houston and singing a different tune; adult pop music. On Gerges' forthcoming album, Salam, Gerges balances mature pop balladry with the sort of electro-vocal mix propagated by Delirium a few years back with vocalists such as Sarah McLachlan. Gerges was nice enough to send us a four song demo to check out. The tracks here may not all appear on Salam when it’s released, but are an indication of where she's heading musically.

Gerges opens with "With You Gone", a well-meant but awkward song of memoriam. Musically sound, "With You Gone" features a very immature authorial voice that distracts from the quality of the music. Gerges' voice is rich in tone and timbre, as you might expect, but message certainly overcame form here, and it shows. "Salam" is a single Gerges wrote two years ago and is a tight, positively themed pop gem that would seem to have some pop legs and also be very well set up for a jump to the club scene. "More" is a declaration of independence, of sorts; a resolution to not allow time to pass you by anymore. "More" features a solid chorus and a decent sound, but does get a bit too weighed down in itself. Gerges closes with "Wasted Time", a bland pop ballad that fails to soar.

For a singer as accomplished as Gerges, the biggest surprise about the working songs for Salam is the lack of dynamics. Gerges sings at essentially the same level throughout, showing a decidedly pretty voice but no real sense of personality in the songs presented. The songs are decent and Gerges has a voice you'll cherish, and while Gerges sounds believable in the more positively messaged material presented here, the overall performance is too two-dimensional to stand out.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Melina Gerges at http://www.melinagerges.com/ or www.myspace.com/melinagerges. Melina Gerge's debut album, Salam, is due in the Fall of 2010. You can get the single "Salam" via Amazon or iTunes.

The White Ravens - Gargoyles And Weather Vanes

The White Ravens - Gargoyles And Weather Vanes
2010, White Raven Music

Amy and Will Bennett have an interesting chemistry; as The White Ravens the sonic love children of They Might Be Giants and Gwen Stefani craft incredibly catchy and quirky tunes that add a new pastiche to geek rock. Add in the stabilizing influence of Billy Joel drummer Liberty DeVitto and you have a sound that is downright virulent. The band's bio is full of snarky humor, but don't mistakes The White Ravens for a novelty act. Will Bennett plays keyboards with a tenacity that Ben Folds would be proud of and Amy Bennett (who sounds a lot like Monica Attell) attacks each vocal line like she means business. The White Ravens will release their sophomore album, Gargoyles And Weather Vanes on July 6, 2010.

Just using piano, bass and drums, The White Ravens fill up more sonic space than most bands would dream of, showing the same sort of not-quite-reckless abandon we heard from Ben Folds in his early days. There's more pop sensibility here, and Amy Bennett's voice is tuneful with an acerbic edge that will hold your attention, but it’s the instrumental interplay that makes Gargoyles And Weather Vanes such a trip. There are definite stylistic nods to groups such as Billy Joel and Ben Folds as well as acts such as Belly and The Breeders, but the mix here is so distinctive and fresh you'll forget that rock n roll is supposed to be dead.

Opening with "Sparks", The White Ravens create a dense musical tapestry. Amy Bennett's sassy vocals light up the album and Folds fans will recognize the piano style Will Bennett affects here. Meaning may prove elusive at times on the album, but when listening to songs such as "Tick Tock" you simply won't care. If all rock records sounded this good no one would buy anything else. "Rubber Band" is so cliché it's ironic; a quirky, angular tune about resilience that is simply irresistible. The White Ravens throw a pleasant curve ball on "Atomic Panda", going for an electro-rock sound that is highly catchy and has an edge that could slice timber. Its pure 1990's alternative here, but the Bennetts make it all their own.

"Broken Halves" is about the realization that things aren't as good as they seem in a relationship. There are a series of musical resets here that seem to parallel the sort of two steps-forward, one-step back process that such relationship realizations come by. It's a solid tune, a bit more reserved than some of the other material here, and shows a slightly softer side to Amy Bennett as a vocalist. The White Ravens get a bit too comfortable past the mid-point of Gargoyles And Weather Vanes, but pick things back up by the time they reach "Rainstorm", the peppy rock n roll story of a huckster exploiting the lost and lonely. The arrangement here could have come out of a 1970's Billy Joel recording session with the distinctive mix of piano, sax and percussion sounding more than a bit familiar. "Draco" opens like a Ben Folds tune, but quickly turns into a strong mid-tempo pop tune. The White Ravens will continually surprise you with tempo breaks and changes throughout the album, taking the musical wherever they want even if it flies in the face of convention. Gargoyles And Weather Vanes closes with "Eulogy", a dark, minor-key composition that pays tribute to cities hit by urban decay while posing the inevitability of change. It's an apropos closing for a band that seems to rebuilding rock n roll on the ashes and memories of those who came before.

The White Ravens will confound and astound you. It's been awhile since rock n roll sounded this fresh or this good. Amy Bennett eschews the snarl of past female rockers and instead hits you with a lopsided smirk you might find familiar if you're a fan of Tina Fey. Will Bennett plays piano like nobody's business, and as the primary songwriter shows a distinct amount of promise. Liberty DeVitto is... Liberty DeVitto. Gargoyles And Weather Vanes reflects both the best and darkest intents of humanity as seen from above, and as a title it is a near-perfect reflection of The White Ravens. You won't be able to get The White Ravens out of your head.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The White Ravens at http://www.whiteravenmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/whiteravensmusic. Gargoyles And Weather Vanes drops on July 6, 2010, but you can purchase the album now directly from The White Ravens. Expect availability through Amazon, iTunes and other national outlets.

Ellery - This Isn't Over Yet

Ellery - This Isn't Over Yet
2010, Set Adrift Music/Ellery Music

Cincinnati duo Ellery hits the streets this week with their sophomore album, This Isn’t Over Yet. Tasha and Justin Golden sought out Grammy winning producer Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Blue Rodeo, Midnight Oil, Patti Smith) for This Isn’t Over Yet. Burn brought Ellery back to the roots of their sound, forcing the Goldens to re-imagine themselves in the process.

This Isn't Over Yet is a breakup album, pure and simple. Tasha Golden has a voice that's pleasant to listen to; with just a bit of an edge worked into a sweet sound that's easy to digest. As a songwriter, The Goldens shows an ability to construct affable melodies with sharp hooks, but the material on “This Isn't Over Yet” becomes a difficult slog through a morass of passive emotion Ellery starts out on good footing with "Where It's Going", a radio-friendly alt-rock single in the vein of Lisa Loeb, but as things fall apart Tasha Golden gets caught up in the same trite refrains that have been sung about love lost for time immemorial. Dwelling in self-pity and regret, there isn't a note of indignation or anger to be found anywhere on This Isn't Over Yet.

Ellery recovers at times, like the enjoyable "Someone To Say It To" and the coming-out-of-the-darkness hope of "Ways To Go", but much of the album plays like the incessant keening of a lovelorn teenager. Ellery brightens it up along the way with decent melodies, but you're likely to find your endurance waning long before the album is through. This is unfortunate, as Tasha Golden's voice is quite a pleasure, and it's obvious there is some writing talent here. This Isn't Over Yet marks a less-than exciting starting point, but there is hope for the future.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Ellery at http://www.ellerymusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/ellerymusic. This Isn't Over Yet is available as a CD or Download from Amazon. Digital copies are also available from iTunes.

Molly Knight - The Art Of The Dance

Molly Knight - The Art Of The Dance
2009, KnightMusic

Molly Knight is a world-renowned pianist with piano performance degrees from the Cincinnati Conservatory Of Music and the University Of Washington. She has studied with such renowned teachers as Gaby Casadesus, Bela Siki, Elizabeth Pridonoff and Jacques Rouvier. Along the way, Knight won the Diplome de Virtuosite at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, where she also taught piano. Knight has been cited for her nuance by no less august a publication than Paris’ Le Monde, and has thrilled audiences on two continents both as an accompanist and as a solo concert pianist. In 2009, Knight released her solo album, The Art Of The Dance, crossing three centuries to display her musical depth and ingenuity.

Knight opens The Art Of The Dance with Johan Sebastian Bach's French Suite No. 5 In G Major (BWV 816; 1722-1723), in which her fingers dance with all the joy at the universe that seems to inflect Bach's finest works. Knight has a light touch at the keyboard and uses powerfully dynamic phrasing to highlight every nook and cranny of the opening movement, "Allemande". Courante is much more mechanical in sound, although this appears to be more of an artistic choice than a deficit. In the meantime the finger work here is amazing, particularly in Knight's left hand. By the time Knight crests the third movement, "Sarabande", her play has become much more legato and interpretive, while allowing her more emotive tendencies to shine through.

"Gavotte" (Movement 4) is more transitional in nature, sounding like the sort of music you might hear in a movie scene featuring a baroque parlor party. Knight does sound a bit rushed at times both here and in "Bouree" (Movement 5), but it's an inspired rush that seems essential to the mood of the piece. It helps to remember that Bach was writing the rock n roll of his day, and therefore the rules, in many ways, were all his own. "Louree" (Movement 6) finds Knight stepping back just a bit and interpreting a bit more, adding a refined touch to a sometimes halting and pensive composition. Knight returns to Bach's headlong style of play on "Gigue" (Movement 7), performing the sort of finger acrobatics that cause lesser pianists to retire in shame.

Knight next tackles Edvard Grieg's "Holberg Suite, Op. 40" (1884), performed as originally written for solo piano. The "Holberg Suite" was written by Grieg for the bicentennial of playwright Ludvig Holberg's birth, and makes use of 18th century dance forms. Knight imbues the first movement, "Prelude", with power and majesty that are perhaps surprising. "Sarabande" is much the opposite, a quiet, thoughtful piece with a hymn-like mien. The thing that stands out most here and elsewhere on the album is Molly Knight's phrasing, which it is difficult to find sufficient superlatives to describe. "Gavotte" (Movement 3) has a jaunty air, playing like the first blush of spring, while "Air" (Movement 4) has a funereal feel that is palpable. Knight ties it all together with "Rigaudon" (Movement 5), an inspired dance that takes on a life of its own.

Knight's interpretation of 3 movements of Enrique Granados' "Spanish Dances" is technically superb and full of life, but pales in comparison to her reading of Maurice Ravel's "Valses Nobles Et Sentimentales", where Knight emotes with both poetic and emotive license both the dark and light in one of Ravel's finest works. Written in 1911, "Valses Nobles Et Sentimentales" combines both modernist and impressionist styles in a series of waltzes that may have been Ravel's greatest creative passions. It's apparent that Knight gets this, as her performance of the eight waltzes Ravel wrote under this title is inspired and magical. When this piece first premiered in 1911 it was met with a chorus of catcalls and boos because of the then ahead of its time use of dissonance as a harmonic construct. Knight makes the most of these moments, playing out each moment of tension for all its worth, thus giving the moments of resolution much greater power when they come.

Pianist Molly Knight takes listeners on quite a tour on The Art Of The Dance, traveling from the Baroque Period up through the nascent days of the twentieth century. The versatility of style and demeanor that Knight displays on The Art Of The Dance is manifest; with Knight seemingly bringing her Boesendorfer to life. Throughout, it's Knight's phrasing that wins the day, with moments both pensive and passionate ringing so clearly it's as if Knight taught her piano to talk. The Art Of The Dance is an album any serious classical music aficionado will relish, but it's accessible to the novice as well. Prepare to be enthralled by the depth of Knight.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Molly Knight at http://www.knightmusik.com/. The Art Of The Dance is available in multiple formats from CDBaby and Amazon.