Lissie - Why You Runnin'?

Lissie has packed more pretty into the 20 minutes of Why You Runnin' than a lot of artists do in twice the time. This has a lot to do with the intimate handle she has on a range of classic styles, whether it's Stephen Foster Americana ("Oh Mississippi"), Loretta Lynn country ("Wedding Bells"), or even a bit of the soulful balladry of Roberta Flack ("Everywhere I Go"). This isn't to say Lissie doesn't imbue her songs with any sense of individuality--certainly she does, and that's clear right from the first guitar chord of the opening track with its ear-catching minor second. In the end though, it's her obvious love of the tried and true, and her ability to transcend mere admiring pastiche, as well as her powerful, longing and absolutely gorgeous voice that are this little gem's best attributes. 4/5

Why You Runnin' - Lissie

Port O'Brien - Threadbare

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Tonight's review is of an album that is the perfect complement to the post-feast torpor I'm experiencing.

"High Without The Hope 3", the first track on Port O'Brien's Threadbare, sounds like it came drifting in on a mist over the barren heath pictured on the album's cover, and into the dreams of Port O'Brien. It's a great way of setting the mood for an album which is all about mood. The prevailing mood is one of gloom, but it's a lived in gloom that doesn't evoke so much sorrow as empathy. The songs that follow don't stray too far from the soporific tones of the album's opener, and even when the brisk, R.E.M.ish "Sour Milk/Salt Water" comes along (and later "Leap Year"), it remains tempered by the overall low-pass equalization and murky reverb that define much of Threadbare's sound. The music is, for the most part, minimal in scope, which serves the spirit of the album, but does occasionally venture into broader musical territory, as in "Calm Me Down", which sounds a bit like Band of Horses, and also pays tribute to that band's penchant for anthemic ballads. This is a very nice album, and if it doesn't necessarily beg repeat listenings, it will at least continue to treat you well, like a warm friend, if you decide to make some return visits. 3.5/5

Threadbare - Port O'Brien

Fruit Bats - The Ruminant Band

When I read that Fruit Bats were from rainy Seattle I was a little surprised, because when I had been listening to The Ruminant Band, the music's bright, blonde tones put me in mind of California's sun-soaked wine region. The album is a joyous affair, a party, a carnival rich with attractions. There is a fair amount of diversity among these tracks, yet the party stays together, never fracturing into separate rooms; a kind of Hippie-ish jam band foundation acts as the glue for Fruit Bats' myriad influences (the droll fancies of Robyn Hitchcock, even a bit of the near-prog leanings of Supertramp to name just a couple). Whether these were specific influences on Fruit Bats or not, it's clear they drew from an interesting musical palate to craft this lovely piece of sunshine. 4/5

The Ruminant Band - Fruit Bats

Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Though I'm not usually a fan of painstakingly tight production, for some reason I've always really liked Phoenix's brand of rhythmic perfection and their clean, clean tracks. I think it's something about the juxtaposition of their strict, dance-friendly production with classic pop chord sophistication. These are fun, locomotive songs with a nice balance of synthesized and organic instrumentation that also reward the musical ear. 4/5

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix - Pho...

Bowerbirds - Upper Air

This is a really lovely record. Where to begin? Great production with a really big room sound; broad, fully realized melodies; great male/female vocal chemistry; philosophically melancholic lyrics. Upper Air is also a marvelous example of how spare instrumentation can be made to sound opulently large and compelling through clear and immaculate sound engineering. One of 2009's best. 4.5/5

Upper Air - Bowerbirds

Blue Roses - Blue Roses

This album makes me think of what the Charlotte Churches and Hayley Westenras of the world could do with their (formerly) sweet, young voices besides peddling lowbrow kitsch in the cultural wasteland that is modern day public television music broadcasting. Honestly I don't know much about Blue Roses, or how old their lead singer is, but this is a very pretty record with much to admire--delicate acoustic instrumentation, intimate and homesick lyrics and melodies with understated arrangements and breezy vocal harmonies. This is a very pleasant listening experience. 4/5

Blue Roses - Blue Roses

Lightning Dust - Infinite Light

About a third of the way through Infinite Light, you realize that you aren't going to be able to pin down Lightning Dust to any one prevailing style or influence. The composer(s) are resourceful and seem to draw from a number of popular influences, including (but by no means limited to) electro-pop, musical theatre, lovelorn pop auteurs like (albeit less cynical than) Stephin Merritt, even Saucerful of Secrets era Pink Floyd, as on the last track "Take It Home." The lean orchestrations of chamber pop collide noticeably with a dramatic ambition worthy of thicker instrumentation--but this isn't a let down at all, it actually works wonderfully. The singer's voice is ghostlike with it's tense and rapidfire vibrato, which contributes to the sense of emotional urgency prevalent throughout the album. Infinite Light is a grandly modest work, and well worth checking out. 3.5/5

Infinite Light - Lightning Dus...

Kurt Vile - Childish Prodigy

Kurt Vile's Childish Prodigy is one of the best albums I've heard all year. It's really straightforward, sonically pretty dirty (yet big & brilliant!), and acerbic. The mood is somewhat down, but a comforting sort of down, an "oh well, let's make the best of it" kind of down. The music itself is unobtrusively interesting and engaging, somehow modest and assertive at the same time. What a great find! 4.5/5

Childish Prodigy - Kurt Vile