...cover records!

It's a bold gambit to take a well-known song and cover it. In order to assure respect for taking someone else's work, it's best to make it your own somehow. Sweeten up the harmonies. Make it harder/softer/louder/quieter. Interpret it in a different genre. Resurrect a rare chestnut from obscurity--either from a local band, or some obscure band you happen to like. In other words, show us what you've got and prove to us what you can do.

That's why I'm impressed by Arizona duo Nowhere Man & A Whiskey Girl's's newest record, Just Like the Others. It's been a long time since I heard that name; they released a wonderful record four or so years ago, and I never heard from them since--not uncommon when you write about music; bands come and bands go like the passing of the wind, and you learn to let devotion go. As such, it's always a treat when an obscure group like this makes an impressive return.

That was then and this is now and Just Like the Others, with Edward Gorey-like artwork, is a stripped-down collection of songs by artists familiar and unknown, all performed in the duo of Amy and Derrick Ross's stripped-down acoustic style. I've heard of about half of the dozen artists covered here, and probably heard half of the songs they've covered, so, really, to me, only 9 of these songs are "new." Of the 'names,' most of the choices aren't particularly surprising; Jolie Holland, Edie Brickell, Tori Amos, Gillian Welch, and Fruit Bats don't shock as much as the Jimmy Eat World cover. Of the lesser-known numbers, I like the song "Girls Who Wear Glasses," even though I've never heard of World Class Thugs.

Just Like the Others is a pleasant, impressive record, even if there's not an original song on it. This is the sort of record Gorilla vs Bear should cover; this is a record that you should hear. Amy Ross's singing will impress, and you won't care if you've heard these songs by others before. The duo makes these songs their own, and I can only hope their inspired choices inspire them when they decide to make their next record. I'm not too worried about that, though.

Listen To: "Old-Fashion Morphine"

Just Like The Others is available now on 727 Records

Labels: 727 Records, Nowhere Man and a Whiskey Girl, reviews n

posted by joseph kyle @ 6:30 PM 0 comments

Northern Portrait The Fallen Aristocracy

Monday, April 21, 2008

Ah, Denmark. A lovingly gray country well known for its stance on sex and drugs, not so well-known for its rock and roll. A look at the sleeve for Northern Portrait's debut The Fallen Aristocracy makes me think of a beautiful Smiths sleeve. "Which one?" Any of them. "I think that's what they're going for, Joseph." I quite agree. Once again, Matinee Recordings releases a corker, once again the band is lazily compared to the Smiths, and once again I yell "No! More like The Ocean Blue!" I will concede the lazy's point on "Waiting for a Chance," although I stand undaunted and unconvinced. I do like this band's way with an arrangement; they have, without fail, layered their songs with a lovely little jingle-jangle. I think I love the final song, aka the title track, the best. Saying I think one song is "best" would be like dating an identical quadruple and saying she was the prettiest of the lot. An auspicious and frustratingly brief debut--here's to more!

Listen To: "Crazy"

Labels: matinee recordings, northern portrait, reviews n

posted by joseph kyle @ 4:18 PM 0 comments

Review: Matt Nathanson Some Mad Hope

Thursday, October 25, 2007

As you may or may not know, I occasionally have a sweet tooth for a singer-songwriter type. Such is true of Matt Nathanson, a young man who in the past few years has quietly released a number of records and toured the land. I've never heard of him, of course, until about a month ago, when I somehow stumbled upon him via a method I can't really recall. It was his song "Car Crash" that won me over; it has an upbeat tempo, a rich melody, and an overall vibe that reminds me of vintage Buffalo Tom. So, being won over by that song, I sought out his latest album, Some Mad Hope. The rest of the record doesn't quite have the instantly addictive quality of "Car Crash," but the songs, well, they're good. Especially "Bulletproof Weeks." The songs found on Some Mad Hope vary between breathy singer-songwriter fare a la Semisonic, Coldplay, and Ryan Adams, and, well, I can't think of anything better than that. And "Sooner Surrender" is a wonderful little love song, too.

When I dream of the city and I envision myself wanting to be able to go places here and there, or to go a place and not feel obligated to go anywhere, if I so desire, I would like to think Matt Nathanson's music is playing. In the bookstore, in the bar, in the boutiques, in my mind--his is the friendly, enjoyable sound I would like to relate to shopping, of socializing, of being in a functioning culture. His is the music for an audience with social skills, who don't necessarily care so much about music as a thing to be examined and analyzed by itself, but as something to be enjoyed as a part of something broader--a night out, a party, a phase of life. Nathanson's music is friendly, affable, universal. It's not pandering to an audience, nor is it underachieving as a mask for a lack of talent. It, simply, is.

Listen To: "Car Crash"

Some Mad Hope is available now on Vanguard Records

Labels: Matt Nathanson, reviews n, Vanguard Records

posted by joseph kyle @ 12:15 PM 2 comments

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