Paul Simon "The Paul Simon Songbook" Columbia/Legacy
***
"The Paul Simon Songbook" is a beautiful collection of the earliest recordings of the poignant folk songs that would later make their way into Simon and Garfunkel's classic repertoire. With only his voice, an acoustic guitar, and occasional foot-tapping for percussion, Simon's songwriting genius shines throughout the album, which includes hits "I Am a Rock" and "The Sound of Silence." Although some fans might prefer more familiar versions performed by a full band, the sparse instrumentation of these songs highlights the timelessness of Simon's lyrics. Whether protest song, ballad, or a simple tune about ordinary life, Simon's work still resonates within modern listeners.
- JENNIFER ZUREK
The Cooper Temple Clause "Kick Up the Fire, and Let the Flames Break Loose" (RCA)
***
The Cooper Temple Clause is a brilliant sextet of English musicians that salvage the beautifully textured sounds of Radiohead from the current onslaught of garage rock. "Kick Up the Fire, and Let the Flames Break Loose," the band's stateside debut, is at times sensual and soothing on tracks like "The Same Mistakes" and "Blind Pilots," and at others a hard-edged rock record, like the straightforward single "Promises Promises."
Ben Gautrey, TCTC's vocalist, has one of the most appetizing voices that the Brits have exported in years, and creates songs as salient as Chris Martin and Thom Yorke. Topping this off is the band's ability to mesh electronics and keyboards into the standard soundscape of rock. Essentially, TCTC has succeeded where Bush failed, melding British rock with the aesthetics of electro-clash and dream-pop. "Kick Up the Fire..." is mainstream rock at its most avant-garde, just catchy enough for the mainstream and artsy enough for the aficionados.
- ALEX KARGHER
Between the Buried and Me "The Silent Circus" (Victory)
***
Between the Buried and Me have created a complex and difficult record with "The Silent Circus." Very similar in nature to The Red Chord's "Fused Together in Revolving Doors," the majority of BTBAM's Victory Records debut is guttural grunts and growls sandwiched between bombastic double bass and brutal fret work. There is heart here. however broken it may be.
These guys have obviously suffered at the hands of evil women. Tommy Rogers rivals Shai Hulud on this record, with "I learned to be selfish today...I learned to be alive" from "Mordecai," summing up the general theme for the record.
Other than the anti-love sentiment, which seems recanted by "(Shevanel Part 2)," "The Silent Circus" has successfully created a brutal record to bring the mosh, with songs like "Coulrophobia" and "Destructo Spin" prominently portraying this. However, sometimes the metal becomes too muddled and "The Silent Circus" is just frustrating and not an enjoyable challenge. In the end though, BTBAM lives up to the hype.
- A.K.
Hellogoodbye - Free Online EP (Drive-Thru Records)
***
Hellogoodbye's free five-song online EP is a fun listen that is composed of re-mastered demos from this Orange County, Calif., band. The band rerecorded these demos after being signed to Drive Thru Records, and have released them for free (and legal) download at http://www.drivethrurecords.com/hellogoodbyeep/.
The EP is definitely worth the time to download and great fun to listen to. With quirky beats, creative lyrics, silly samples and enjoyable keyboards, the band has a sound that is similar to Reggie and the Full Effect. The band also shares Reggie's sense of wackiness on the track, "Jesse Buy Nothing...Go to Prom Anyways," in which the singer seems to ask a girl out by screaming the request over a silly beat.
The best track is the ballad "Dear Jamie, Sincerely Me." The song is an epic six-minute song that is about deciding how the author wants to write a love letter to a girl. The lyrics are creative and the song is less overwhelming than the rest of the songs. The EP is a good sample of what we can expect from this band in the future.
- JORGE DEL PINAL
Carina Round "The Disconnection" (Interscope Records)
***
There's a temptation to compare every new songstress with semi-sharp teeth to that now-missing mistress of the eloquent temper tantrum, Fiona Apple. At certain points on her album, "The Disconnect," Carina Round's vocal style sounds like Apple at her best. But Round is out to do more than conquer Fiona's old territory.
Round's songs have Apple's agility without her anger, and the bite without the bitterness. Round is worldly enough to be interesting, but not disillusioned enough to be depressing. "The Disconnection" echoes that attitude, featuring songs energetically driven by electric guitar and bass, and enriched with Round's own acoustic guitar, piano and mandolin additions.
Carina Round's lyrical design has no tightly woven intricacy, but this doesn't mean her songs are not sophisticated. Round's simple lyrics are set cleanly against her relatively dense and sharp-edged musical style. This juxtaposition makes Round's album overflow with a certain candid grace that, refreshingly, has no comparison.
-COLLEEN MCCARTHY
Nellie McKay "Get Away from Me" (Columbia Records)
**
Nellie McKay is a one-woman musical, making her debut with "Get Away from Me." In a mature, jazzy voice with piano accompaniment, McKay spouts out comedic lyrics that bash President Bush and talk about walking her dog.
In the first track, "David," McKay croons, "Mister Bushie says/I'm your president/I have lots to say/ hey hey hey hey/and click goes the remote/there you have my vote." War protests and women's rights issues flow through her lyrical raps and blues ballads. She has a true appreciation and understanding of her own music. The redundancy of the rhymes has the potential to bore the listener, but McKay's quirky confessions and vocal quality outshine any pitfalls of the album.
Today's popular trend toward jazz that began with Norah Jones never anticipated the quality and fun like Nellie McKay has succeeded in creating. McKay is a 19-year-old from Harlem, N.Y., who found her voice doing stand-up routines. She has worked closely with Geoff Emerick, producer of four Beatles albums, to fuse comedy and melody into an instant classic album.
- LISA LEONE
Eyes of Fire "Ashes to Embers" (Century Media)
*** 1/2
Not only girls in bikinis and rich jocks come from Orange County, Calif. In this soap opera, metal meets emo. Eyes of Fire's "Ashes to Embers" is an ominous cross-section of hardcore rock through an emo kid's teary gaze. Eyes of Fire experiments with a variety of sounds, from brooding melodies to sensitive screaming.
"You were the one that was there all along/so how can these feelings I get be so wrong?" plead the expressively grating vocals in "Hopeless." The audience is brought to hell and back in "Down," the album's classic hardcore track, while "The End Result of Failing" could be Chris Carrabba's side project. The eight-minute gloom of "Last Goodbye," leaves the audience emotionally exhausted and confused.
The vocals are consistently dark, but the guitar changes from mellow to thrashing to punk. The diversity among the tracks holds the listener's attention, but creates a disjointed feel.
Screaming pathetic confessions in the vocal style of Hatebreed may be just what the hardcore scene needs. After all, death fans need an outlet for their emotional anguish too.
- L.L.
