Trax
By Bliss 04/23/2009
GREAT NORTHERN, Remind Me Where the Light Is (Eenie Meenie):
(3 stars out of 5)
Now slimmed down to a duo, Great Northern, a.k.a. Solon Bixler and Rachel Stolte, have discarded the dreamy piano pop of 2007’s “Trading Twilight for Daylight” in favor of a darker, harder-driving sound. The piano returns (along with the intriguing sound of a cat mewing) on the Bixler-sung dirge “Stop,” but the album’s overall sound is defined by guitars churning angrily behind edgy synths, Stolte’s sultry vocals, catchy riffs and melodic hooks. But their dramatic spell is undercut by persistently opaque lyrics. greatnorthernmusic.com.
COW BOP, Route 66 (BluJazz):
(2.5 stars out of 5)
The Sierra Madre-based Western swing ensemble delivers a polished, handsomely produced platter of tried-and-true standards (“Back in the Saddle Again,” “Mood Indigo,” the title track) distinguished by Bruce Forman’s jazzy fretwork. More tracks like the bluesy “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” would spice up their set list, but the band’s impeccably retro style and material should satisfy their target audience. At Coffee Gallery Backstage Thursday, April 30. cowbop.com.
WILLEM MAKER, New Moon Hand (Big Legal Mess/Fat Possum):
(3 stars out of 5)
Maker, a.k.a. Wes Doggett, has been making music far off the interstate on an Alabama mountain for a decade (reportedly recovering from lead and mercury poisoning), which may feed his poetically twisted perspective and raw sound: buzzing, sometimes droning guitars, cracking drums, greasy bass. Co-produced with LA’s Scott Bomar, the disc boasts heavy Southern blues cred with guests Jim Dickinson, Cedric Burnside and Alvin Youngblood Hart. But this isn’t standard 12-bar slide, riff ’n’ roll fare; the gruff-voiced Doggett’s taste for the weird and swampy places him closer to Memphis’. With Bob Log III at Spaceland Tuesday. makerworks.com.
SLAID CLEAVES, Everything You Love Will Be Taken Away (Music Road):
(3.5 stars out of 5)
Texas singer-songwriter Cleaves deftly captures a working man’s worldview with quietly crafted character studies “Tumbleweed Stew,” “Green Mountains and Me” and “Hard to Believe” (“Here comes another blown-up kid from over there/ Making the whole world safe for the millionaires”). Nothing’s flashy — his music’s more like a worn denim shirt — but songs like “Cry” and “Dreams” (“What is all your wishing for/ When you just don’t believe/ Anymore”) forge immediate connections and keep on resonating. Playing LA Acoustic Music Festival June 6-7.
slaid.com.
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