The Ettes - Wicked Will

The Ettes (great name, by the way) are a garage rock three piece from LA with five albums under their belt. It's 2/3 women, which explains why I haven't heard of them before. And while no-chick-music is a general good rule of thumb; I'd say I've missed out here.

The album opener is a Nancy-Sinatra-like acoustic strut, showing an influence perhaps to their move to Nashville. But that's where they pick the acoustic up for the last time. The songs all are formed with a basic structure. A bass riff followed by that late '60s garage rock reverb filled guitar. Simple thumping drums and plenty of tambourine. As a vocalist, Lindsay Hames can sound like a snottier Ronnie Spector and other times a snottier Wanda Jackson.

To that end, "My Heart" is a highlight where the Ettes get out of the strictest of garages and make a little twang rock. It's got the spunk of Wanda Jackson, and I'm sure they're hoping that Jack White is listening.

It's all mostly good, if it keeps itself from being a necessary listen. Sure, the album barely breaks 30 minutes, but at 13 songs, I could still suggest to throw out two to keep them free from the repetition feel. (3 of 5 stars)

The Horrors - Skying

I had a cousin who would always describe my favorite band Van Halen as having "an FM verse and an AM chorus". His point being that they were heavy but got poppy with the choruses. I was reminded of that with the start (at least) of this Horrors disc.

They come off as a cross between Bends-era Radiohead and the Strokes. It's got experimental electro-waves of sound. Even Doves-like. But then a chorus comes in an its built up big and with a rainbow, even if it's through a sloopy Ramones-loving singer. Now personally, as a rocker, I could have traded the Depeche-Mode synths for some fuzz tones, but that's not a problem.

"Endless Blue" is a great example of the whole record. It builds on its new wave overtones and the picks up the pace with a great riff and a danceable backbeat. The lyrics will tell you that you're never certain of anything unless you go in. A great metaphor for a perfectly titled record.

Now after I sell you on all of that modern hipsterosity, the album actually ends on a pair of truly uncharacteristically psychedelic tracks. The zombie freak out "Monica Gems" and the drowsy Pink Floydian "Burning Oceans". The former in completely excelling the listener to a scary riverboat in Wonka's midget slave dungeon. The other a mess that the band can use to stretch out if they need to fill festival times slots. A good collection. (3.5 of 5 stars)

Portugal. The Man - In The Mountain In The Cloud

I remember listening to "Censored Colors" years ago and I remember not liking it. Which is odd, because I saved a good three tracks from it. Maybe it was 15-song length that made it seem worse. Because "Mountain..." is delightful.

It kicks off with the best track, "So American". A song that, for some reason, has me convinced that this is what the Beatles would have done if they had another 10 years of life. If they shaved their beards and got glammy.



That feeling is echoed through some other tracks on the album. Vocal harmonies, lush orchestration, John's (may I call you "Portugal"?) falsetto. Songs about light/sun/mothers/children. It's hippie, but the psychedelics are toned down and we're left with a mellow indie rock with a scoop of Ziggy/E.L.O. thrown in.

I may altogether keep the same number of songs from "Mountain" as I did from the album of old; but this record feels more cohesive and fully realized. (3 of 5 stars)

Incubus - If Not Now, When?

For a band I first saw tripping over the singer's ankle-long dreads while playing a didgeridoo during an opening slot for Pantera, it's odd that the first song of their comeback album sounds like U2 needed a sit down song. It's fuckin' mellow. And it conitinues its dreamtime state with one of the first singles; which sounds a helluva lot like an adult-contemporary song from Brad years ago, "The Day Brings".

On and on. So once you get over the style-shift; you'll either grow into the songs or you won't. I didn't. You've all known Brandan Boyd before. He sings of existential questions of finding one's place in the shirtless world and the idea that somehow; with you here with me baby, it's a little easier. He sings that thought in different ways, but with this new laid back style, it seems a little insincere. Like there's no fire to inspire such questions or resolves.

The single "Adolescents" fits most into the Incubus of old. And to fans hearing that on the radio, they may expect more of what they love. "Switchblade" provides some up-beatitude, but that's it. But what they'll find is ambien-induced dreamscapes of California sun-soakers. In a way, the heaviest track on the album is the most acoustic one, "Defiance".



I guess when a man says, "I was lost, but now I'm found" and "Face the fire, come into your name" I, as a listener, should feel like a revelation has occurred. But instead, I feel like Incubus are telling someone else's story that they're bored of telling. (2 of 5 stars)

My Epic - Broken Voice

This holiday being a slow one for record sales; no one really releases anything this week historically. So finding something of interest to me is difficult. My Epic has no history to speak of, so I can't even tell you anything about them.

But simply, this record is acoustic pop music. It doesn't even really fit in the indie folk scene where you might find a Fleet Fox or a Bon Iver. It's like Counting Crows without the instrumentation of a talented band. Leader Stephen Price fingerpicks a nylon string guitar instead of strumming anything. And musically, I find it hard distinguishing one song from the other; except that here and there the producer adds some percussion and cello.

Vocally, Price is again completely non-descript. He sing/speaks with a boyish one-octave range and makes sure not to wake the neighbors. As if Jack Johnson stopped smoking weed. What are the songs about? I don't know. The one below is decidedly Christian. But I'm sure that every song had the words "darkness" and "rise" in them. (1 of 5 stars)

Jolie Holland & the Grand Chandeliers - Pint Of Blood

I first heard Jolie years ago on a petite jazzy vocal kind of thing called "Springtime Will Kill You". And as close I was to listening to the new Limp Bizkit album released today (no... really)- I decided to go an alternate route.

The draw here is really Jolie's voice. Her singing style is unique and runs the gamut. Like there's seven different accents at once. It's jazzy and bluesy, but also folky and country. Imagine a throat like a big tree saw you shake for that wobble sound. Not vibrato. Wobble. She's doesn't have the dynamic range of a Björk, but you can tell it's an influence.

The songwriting- I'm seeing as less of an asset. I remember that playful breezy rhythm of that first song I heard and in comparison, this is just simpler folk-rock. I've got Neko Case on the brain because I heard her not too long ago; but it fits. Lyrics like "It brings a smile to my lips when I think of your fist" are great, but few and far between. The rest of the album is just general mellow frustration. "If disappointment is like a drug, I've overdosed again" Could be more imaginative. But it is pretty. (2.5 of 5 stars)

Bodies Of Water - Twist Again

This is supposed to be the pared-down minimalist record from a duo that generally prides itself on large, grand arrangements. Having not heard the past catalog of the two; I would not say that this was too pared-down. As we get started, it seems that on the songs where Meredith takes the most lead, it's actually still real full-bodied sounding. Horn arrangements over upbeat riffs.

But there is another half or so which focuses on a mellow walking chord progression harkening back to beach ballads or even some slow Leonard Cohen jams. But I may be confusing myself as the dude side of this duo coin has one of those deep Johnny Cashy vocals.

I appreciate the mellower tones on the album. It's not indie-rock. These lean more toward wall of sound than basement tapes. Production is is lush and clear. Favorites include the galloping bass track "Like A Stranger" and the wistful rememberance of the final track, "You Knew Me So Well". But the best track is a Meredith-led ballad, "Lights Out Forever". An acoustic murder-ballad (almost) with a taps like trumpet solo and a great lyric:

"I am forgotten already by someone
My image is fading from their mind."

"Tonight our loves will cancel each other out."

(3 of 5 stars)