BRANDED WOMEN
Cities And Seas (Ranch; CD)
Finland's Branded Women have a sultry, original and languorous sound
that defies simple categorisation. On their second album the four-girl,
one- guy band mix highly contemporary influences with elements of 60's styles, often in the same song.
A case in point, the excellent 'Every Bruise' has a vocal style and rhythmic feel of 'Fever' type jazz,
combined with 'Spaghetti Western' guitars. There are eclectic jazzy undertones in several other tunes,
such as 'Goodbyes' and 'All My Life'.
Keyboardist Salla Kiehala and guitarist Joanna Ovaska complement each other
very well. On 'Stronger Than All' a jangly guitar figure is to the fore and the keyboards offer
subtle support. On 'Easy To Hide' a 60's Farfisa sound sets a garage pop mood. When the keyboards
dominate the guitars offer similar background support.
Over the course of the album the band create a brooding, intriguing sound
that is definitely worth further investigation. Although a far cry from simple pop, the tunes could
be highly commercial.
www.spinefarm.fi
www.brandedwomen.com
Phil Suggitt
GEORGE BYRNE
Foreign Water (Laughing Outlaw; CD)
This is a good debut. Like many contemporary singer/songwriter efforts,
it could slip out almost unnoticed, at least in Europe, because it doesn't follow any particular trend
or tradition. It would be easy to overlook George Byrne's gentle soft pop songs, and just write them
off as 'pleasant'. A careful listen reveals them to be subtle and sophisticated pop, ideal for late
nights or early mornings. The fine 'Tongue Tied' is the only upbeat rock/pop song on the album,
but this is not a criticism of the other tunes. The other eleven songs are strong modern soft pop.
On the likes of 'Paralysed' George sings in a rich, warm voice that perfectly suits his material.
The backing is consistently sympathetic and not overcomplicated. Strings are used tastefully and sparingly.
Harmonica is used really well on several songs, although the booklet type size is so small I can't
work out who plays it! A trip to the (magic?) optician is in order.
www.laughingoutlawcom.au
Phil Suggitt
ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN
Me, I'm All Smiles (Secret; CD)
I have never quite known what to make of Ian McCulloch's on-stage pronouncements
that "you have just heard the best band in the world". In the early 1980's he may have had a point.
As Nigel Cross wrote in his introduction to the Children of Nuggets box set, "..in the early
80's you were part of the problem or part of the solution". With their epic guitar anthems
The Bunnymen were definitely part of the solution. Even the sound of the band tuning up was impressive
in 1980. This 19 song live set was recorded at The Shepherd's Bush Empire
in 2005, and covers the band's whole back catalogue. Included are some classics from their hit albums,
such as 'The Killing Moon' and 'Villiers Terrace'. There are also cuts from their most recent
CD and a fine version of the comeback single 'Nothing Lasts Forever'.
McCulloch tells the audience that 'Ocean Rain' is possibly "..the finest song ever written".
It is without doubt a haunting and epic tune.
The line-up is augmented by keyboards to good effect. There are some fine
songs with great singing and guitar playing. Live, all the vocals are handled
by McCulloch. Although he has a really powerful, 'big' voice, my only reservation is that I miss
the pristine layered backing vocals I remember from the original records.
www.snapperrecords.com
Phil Suggitt
THE FAST CAMELS
The Magic Optician (Neon Tetra; CD)
Glasgow four piece The Fast Camels have a sound that is strongly influenced
by the point in time when Freakbeat was morphing into full-fledged psychedelia; an intriguing mix
of Barrett-era Pink Floyd, The Pretty Things psych-pop period, lots of Rubbles bands and small dollops
of Forever Changes period Love.
"Collector" types will probably delight in spotting the influences;
"The rhythm guitar on track 14 sounds like the second Tomorrow single", etc. This would be to miss
the point that the band are writing good original songs in a style that hardly anyone else is playing in.
As far as I can recall the last UK band to successfully play in this style was The Chemistry Set.
Recorded live with vintage equipment, the sound is highly assured for a debut.
The harmonies and catchy hooks of 'The Magic Optician' sound authentic without being a pastiche.
The Camels present an eclectic mix, including the short, sweet pop of 'Two Day Week', the Arthur Lee
influenced 'Privately Insane', and the driving, memorable 'Big Daddy Smythe'. Not all the tunes
work quite as well, however. Sometimes the band work up a good, authentic
psychedelic feel but the actual tune lacks substance, as on the opener, '50 Things On Your Mind'.
On balance, however, this is a fine debut – catch the band when they tour to support the album
in the New Year.
www.neontetrarecords.co.uk
Phil Suggitt
HALFWAY
Remember The River (Laughing Outlaw; CD)
Halfway's songs are often brooding and slow-burning rather than immediate
and punchy. On record it takes a few plays to really appreciate them, but it is worth the trouble.
Although Halfway are seen as a key part of the Australian alt-country scene, many of their songs
are a combination of rootsy modern folk, pop and rock. I get the impression that if the pedal steel
and banjo of brothers Noel and Liam Fitzpatrick weren't there, a country feel would be absent from
several of the tunes.
The band have three good songwriters in Chris Dale, John Busby and
Ben Johnson, who sing lead vocals on their own tunes and do back-ups on the others.
I particularly like a trio of 'girl songs', the catchy 'Cherri Ann', the traditional-sounding
'Billy Jo & The Bullyman' and 'The Ballad Of Liza Browne'. The bitter sweet 'Edge Of the Peer'
closes the record in fine fashion. The band are lucky to have three solid singers, but in my opinion
their strengths are in playing and song writing – no one stands out as a really distinctive lead singer.
Producers Wayne Connolly and Rob Younger have added some punch to songs like 'River Roads', but a few
of the other tunes are well crafted, but simmer when you are expecting them to boil and bubble.
www.laughingoutlawcom.au
Phil Suggitt
THE HEISE BROTHERS
The Continuing Saga of... (CTL; CD)
The second album from The Heise Brothers continues many of the strong
features of their previous release. There is a distinct Replacements feel, particularly in
the vocals. A tight and consistent band play on every track.
A typical tune involves Nelson Heise's lead vocals and vigorously strummed acoustic, brother Robert
on bass, Akuorkor Ablorh's backing vocals, plus keyboards, lead guitar,
and drums. The lyrics of such tunes as 'Throw Them Kisses, Woody Allen'
are witty and intelligent without being clever-clever. The best songs, co-written by brothers Nelson
and Robert, are a very American blend of folk, pop and rock.
The song quality is more erratic than on their first album, however. The more
pop and folk orientated numbers are the most successful. 'Seven Long Years' has a neat percussion part
just before the chorus. The keyboards on 'Shallow' are atmospheric, and 'Billy' has a relaxed feel.
On the other hand, 'the Revenge Of The Self-Imposed Hero' has a lot of noisy shouting, but not a lot
of tune. Some songs come and go without leaving a strong impression. Sometimes Josh Stuckey's lead
guitar breaks and solos seem at odds with the songs. You get the impression that he wants to rock out
when a more concise and melodic approach might be more appropriate to the song. This is just a matter
of taste – it may well be that the Brothers wanted to give the songs a harder, rockier edge.
www.theheisebros.com
Phil Suggitt
ALAN MERRILL
At The Candy Shop (Geltoob; CD)
Although the 16 songs on this album were recorded over several decades
with a wide variety of musicians, the sound is remarkably consistent; a soulful white R&B.
The four Arthur Alexander covers give a good indication of Alan Merrill's tastes and approach.
The versions of classics like 'Go On Home Girl', 'Lonely Just Like Me' and Otis Blackwell's 'return
to Sender' are respectful and well done. Alan's feel for the genre is reflected in equally
strong original tunes like '24-7 Man' and 'Brand New Man', co-written with guitarist Jon Tiven.
Another co-composition, the fine 'Second Hand Paradise' sounds similar to Southside Johhny's soulful
but romantic ballads. In the same style and class is 'Bridge To The Moon', which appears twice,
as a studio and live recording.
Fans of 60's style soul and R&B will enjoy this album. Alan Merrill
has the right kind of 'white guy who sounds black' voice to carry it off.
Prospective purchasers might be put off by the first track, the title tune. Although co-written
with Bill Wyman and Terry Taylor, the cod-funk rhythms make it the least convincing tune on the album.
Worse still, the dreadful lyrics extol the virtues of a night in a whore house, working your way through
the hookers. It may have sounded cool in 1977, but it sure won't impress the ladies these days.
To be fair, 'At The Candy Shop' is the only misogynistic song. Beginning with track 2 is strongly advised.
www.alanmerrill.com
Phil Suggitt
MISSISSIPPI WITCH
Just For Roosevelt (Colony2; CD single)
Mississippi Witch are an American duo living in London. 'Just For Roosevelt'
has garnered a lot of plays on radio and on MySpace. Fans of loud, dirty,
raucous modern garage will probably enjoy this, but I just can't relate to it. It sounds like old
fashioned heavy rock; I don't hear the blues and psych influences cited by other reviewers.
The vocals are strained and hoarse, and the guitars just noisy. Hopefully the forthcoming album
will show more diversity and less of a White Stripes influence.
www.mississippiwitch.com
Phil Suggitt
PETE MOLINARI
Walking Off The Map (Damaged Goods; CD)
As a Chatham based folk singer and songwriter, Pete recorded this album
in Billy Childish's kitchen. Presumably Billy's wife agreed to contribute vocals to several songs
as long as Pete washed all the dishes.
At first the two-track sound is so basic that the sound is like an authentic
Woody Guthrie field recording. When Pete hits a certain note the sound is tinny, but in general it
is a testament to the strength of the song writing that the tunes hold the attention despite the crude
recording quality and the lack of production. Pete accompanies himself on acoustic guitar with a bare
minimum of harp and percussion backing.
The tunes have a strong folk-blues influence that reminds me of a very young Dylan.
Tunes like 'The Ballad Of Bob Montgomery', 'The Ghost Of Greenwich Village', 'Indescribably Blue'
and the title track are outwardly rather mournful, but have a humanity that gives them warmth and
an engaging charm.
www.damagedgoods.co.uk
Phil Suggitt
THE REVERSE
Some Sense Of Wonder (Demo)
The Reverse is actually a solo album by Gustavo Pasarios,
who writes the tunes and plays virtually everything except the drums. Recorded in Barcelona in 2005,
the songs are highly professional folk-pop that displays a love of The Beatles and British pop from
the first half of the sixties.
Attractive tunes like 'Some Sense Of Wonder', 'Tonight I Just Wanna Love You'
and the gentle 'Baby Eyes' are full of guitars; strummed acoustics, chiming and jangly electrics.
In addition to the six listed songs are five extras, displaying Gustavo's strong early Beatles and
Merseybeat influences. Although there is no information about the extra songs, some covers are included,
such as 'You're No Good' and a well done tune in a Beach Boys/Jan and Dean vocal style.
The Reverse have a lot in common with many of the artists on the
Rainbow Quartz roster. In fact, Rainbow Quartz or some other like-minded label could do worse than
sign up Gustavo for a full-length album.
www.thereverse.galeon.com
Phil Suggitt
LINDA RONSTADT AND ANN SAVOY
Adieu False Heart (Vanguard; CD)
The ever resourceful and genre hopping Ms Ronstadt teams up with
Ann Savoy on a near perfect selection of songs old and new by Julie Miller, Bill Monroe, John Jacob Niles
and two by Richard Thompson accompanied by violas, dulcimers, fiddles, cellos,
mandolins and accordions to give an Appalachian sound on some tracks and a baroque sound on others.
The harmonies are never less than wonderful and the whole album has
a continuity of sound and care that listening to it is an aural pleasure. The quality is so high
that it seems churlish to pick out individual tracks but mention must go to the French language
'Parlez-Moi D'Amour' and the almost ethereal reading given to The Left Banke's 'Walk Away Renee'.
This is Highly recommended.
www.vanguardrecords.com
Pat Curran
