Articles tagged with singer-songwriter

Caught In The Trees

Angela Power — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:47:04 +0000

Whenever I make an important compilation CD for a friend, or someone I'm trying to impress and show that I'm deep and sensitive and have a depressive nature, I always put on Damien Jurado's Ohio, from 1999's Rehearsals for Departure. Damien Jurado is one of those singer songwriters who make it all look and sound very easy, acoustically plucking nostalgic tales of desolate, abandoned cities, inciting feelings of desperation and angst. Lyrically beautiful, I'd defy anyone not to cry when hearing it. The harmonica alone makes my chin wobble.

Not For Nobody

Alejandro Martinez — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 10:22:07 +0000

An androgynous, child-like and almost uncomfortably bizarre falsetto emerges in the early moments of Scott Tuma’s latest effort, Not For Nobody. The voice is disconcerting and brutally vulnerable and will likely turn away many listeners expecting the melodic folk-ambient instrumentals of his previous solo work. Although most of this record is in fact instrumental, the opening effectively triggers the reflective moroseness that permeates all twelve of the tracks.

Un Dia

Ben Bollig — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:44:53 +0000

It’s the tempo, stupid!

Alongside Portishead’s Third, this is the second album by a well-established artist that I’ve heard this year that’s left me disconcerted and pensive. Even after ten years of absence, I had a pretty clear concept of what any eventual return by the Bristol trio would sound like. And having reviewed the last three of Juana Molina’s previous four albums (all her output on Domino), I was also fairly sure I knew what to expect.

The Stand Ins

Brett Oronzio — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 10:25:16 +0000

The Stand Ins is Okkervil River’s continuation of the concept they brilliantly mined on last year’s majestic The Stage Names. The same super-literate storytelling methods and themes of fandom, stardom and everything in between are still intact here as are the bands bright textures and production style.

Takes

Alan Garner — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:03:20 +0000

“They say you were something in those formative years”, sang Tori Amos in 1994. Fridge honcho Adem Ilhan’s latest collection, twelve beautiful cover versions of songs written during his own formative years of 1991-2001, reveal not the something he was, but the something he has become.

Waiting for the Sunrise

Brett Oronzio — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 14:43:47 +0000

David Vandervelde seems like time has passed him by a bit. He feeds off nostalgia for a pleasant early 70’s Southern California singer-songwriter archetype. But don’t worry, this guy is harmless enough. Even the album title, Waiting for the Sunrise, and the sun-bleached cover photo indicate the mellow trip that’s contained inside. Vandervelde’s style has turned from the glam-rock chic of his debut, The Moonstation House Band to a wide and rootsy approach. While the shift sounds effortless and genuine, it also grows routine.

Harps and Angels

Alan Shulman — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:51:11 +0000

I’ve waited a long time to review something by Randy Newman, who I believe to be just a notch below Bob Dylan in the pantheon of great American songwriters of the past 50 years. In fact I find his music, the harmonies he uses below his melodies, to be so compelling that it’s almost impossible for me to skip over him when his songs come up on my iPod, even if I’ve heard them a thousand times. I love his wit, his irony and his intelligence, but there’s something in the music for me that defies rational analysis. And when he marries a great lyric with a p

Modern Guilt

Brett Oronzio — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:41:27 +0000

Attempts at comparing Beck albums are futile since each one is an exercise of its own stylistic merit. Still we insist on measuring the impact of the man’s work on his previous accomplishments and/or pitfalls. It’s inevitable.

Sooner Late Than Never

David Coleman — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:46:10 +0000

What is it with Wisconsin this year? Not content with producing the most acclaimed record of the year in Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago, the state seems to be developing quite the fertile independent music scene. And it’s Madison rather than the much larger Milwaukee that has captured my attention.

From The Valley To The Stars

David Coleman — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:19:17 +0000

Swedish songstress Sarah Assbring aka El Perro Del Mar has never seemed like the most cheerful of souls. 2006’s El Perro Del Mar was filled with downbeat lyrics and sad tunes, but it also featured a few flickers of light to offset the dark in the shape of girl-group harmonies, vintage pop stylings and songs about going to buy candy. It was an engaging listen, one that slowly coaxed you in to its miserable world and even made you feel like staying.