Album Reviews

ALL TOMORROW'S PARTY
Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide
(Alive)
Japanese trio All Tomorrow's Party revels in psychedelic rock. Singer/songwriter/guitarist Tetsuo Kitame and buds proffer scorching garage rock ("Fever," "Light of Love"), rocking dream pop ("As Tears Go By," "Love Can Bring You Down"), sweet jangle pop ("In Shade of Blue," "Sure Love"), spacey jamming ("Sympathy For the Junkie," "The Night Porter")—the woiks. That the band is almost frighteningly good at everything makes Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide not only an orgasmic treat for psych-heads, but also an ideal intro for novices to psych's mind-expanding delights. Michael Toland [buy it]

SHAWN AMOS
Thank You Shirl-ee May (A Love Story)
(Shout! Factory)
Shawn Amos is one of the greatest songwriters working in the so-called Americana world, in part because his African-American heritage gives him a wider range of experience from which to draw. Thank You Shirl-ee May (A Love Story) blends together the personal with the historical, as Amos tells the tale of his 1960s nightclub singer mother; her story is arguably that of all black artists in those difficult days. The album moves through various permutations of American music, from country ("The Bottle Always Brings Me Down") to jazz ("Bubble Hill") to funky soul ("Make It," a singalong indictment of sleazy nightclub managers)—as did his mom during her career. Heartfelt tunes like "Getting Over," "(What's) Good Inside" and the title track owe no specific stylistic allegiance, cutting even closer to the emotional bone. Amos brings his fierce intelligence, melodic gifts and loving heart to Thank You Shirl-ee May (A Love Story), a perfect balance between thoughtful craft and deeply felt soul Michael Toland [buy it]

ANTONY AND THE JOHNSONS
I am a bird Now
(Secretly Canadian)
It's so easy to get jaded when you're a music critic that it's a good thing for me to hear a record I can't quite get a handle on. I am a bird Now, the Mercury Prize-winning second album from Antony and the Johnsons, is such a record. Drawing as much from cabaret performance art as from confessional songwriting, the Great Britain-born, New York City-based Antony croons his tunes in a voice that's sort of a vibrato-laden approximation of what panpipes might sound like if they had larynxes. Antony keeps mostly to just piano and voice, often multitracked so he haunts himself like his own ghost. The songs are deeply personal statements about moving through a world that seems not to have a place for someone as gender-bending and painfully vulnerable as Antony. "Hope There's Someone," "For Today I am a Boy" ("One day I'll grow up to be a beautiful girl") and the rousing "Fistfull of Love" pulse with doubt, need and hope. Guest appearances from Boy George, Rufus Wainwright, Lou Reed and Devendra Banhart add credibility, but they're almost superfluous to Antony's highly individual vision. I'm not entirely sure what I am a bird Now is all about, and that odd voice takes some getting used to, but this music is definitely growing on me. Michael Toland [buy it]

JAMES APOLLO
Good Grief
(Aquarium)
Songwriter James Apollo keeps the tradition of good Minneapolis music alive on Good Grief. Playing the wizened troubadour, he dispenses lessons like "Dead Men Weigh More" ("than broken hearts"), "Slow Burn" and the title tune in a calm, coolly soulful croon. Apollo's mostly (but not exclusively) acoustic arrangements encompass pop, blues, country, lounge music and good ol' rock & roll, none of which escape his firm grasp. Michael Toland [buy it]

ASTER
Suitcase Sessions EP
(Aster)
Proof you don't need a professional studio and a gaggle of session guys to make good pop music. The Austin-based duo Aster recorded these four songs at home, giving tunes like "Lift Provider" and "Stop the Parade" an organic sound to go with the warm vocals, synthesizers, guitars and melodies. Instant appeal is obviously Aster's stock-in-trade. Michael Toland [buy it]

U.V. AVNUR
Border Songs
(U.V. Avnur)
You know the sound you make when you stick your toungue out and blow? That was my first reaction to this disc. And my second. A talented guitarist, Avnur really seems to be a few elements shy of some decent music. For one, he could use better songs to sing. Or better yet, some nice instrumentals that don't require vocals. The songs on this record are the same ones you wrote in your dorm room freshmen year with your smelly roommate with the cheap grass. His voice isn't bad, and with the masterful playing I can't help but think there is a pretty decent record here. Unfortunately it's buried much deeper than I care to dig. Lance Looper

BIG BLUE HEARTS
Here Come Those Dreams Again
(Eagle Eye)
Here Come Those Dreams Again is a haunting rockabilly-flooded disc from Big Blue Hearts. Their sophomore effort blends Chris Isaak and Roy Orbison with a healthy dose of Marty Stuart. Not that these tunes sound particularly like anything from those artists, but frontman David Fisher's voice is a dead ringer for Orbison. On "Dreamin' of a Woman," the resemblance is striking. The rest of the songs are catchy and polished, but not overproduced. Here Come Those Dreams Again is a fun and technically sound record. Plus, the band has the endorsement of Rodney Crowell. Shouldn't that be enough for anyone? Lance Looper [buy it]

BLACK WATER GOSPEL
Black Water Gospel
(Fat Caddy)
First of all, this is not a gospel band. Austin's own Black Water Gospel prays to the altar of the Old 97's and the Fleshtones. This is its debut record and the band gets off on solid footing. The album, produced by Michael Ramos, is thrown together with kind of a bootleg vibe with a sort of a rushed quality that makes it sound live. The band is pretty good, particularly lead singer Juan Gutierrez. His raspy delivery sounds cool and the band backs him up well, especially on "Screen Door," which actually has a mellow gospel feel. Strong work for a new band. Lance Looper

JOHNNY CASINO'S EASY ACTION
We've Forgotten More Than You'll Ever Know
(Steel Cage)
What these boys know about is, of course, rock & roll. Mixing the Faces and the Dictators with R&B and C&W, Casino and his rowdy friends rip through "Back at School" and "She's Got My Lovin'," ramble through the honky-tonker "Somedays" and ride the tiger through "Treatin' Me Kind," stopping to cover Junior Parker, Gamble & Huff and the Pretty Things along the way. Multiple vocalists (including Rancid Vat's Cosmic Commander) give the band a dimension most punk & rollers don't have, but it's the take-no-shit energy that matters most. Michael Toland [buy it]

STACE ENGLAND
Greetings From Cairo, Illinois
(Gnashville Sounds)
Stace England's Greetings from Cairo, Illinois is a historical tribute to his home state. The actual town of Cairo sits between the banks of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, two pillars for establishing the west. England spent five years in Cairo hanging out and researching the town's history, and this disc narrates the town through 150 years of lynchings and social development. The songs sound like drunken singalongs, and maybe they were. There is some cool bass playing on the album, but the main takeaway is the barroom feel and wry observations of history. England bounces a biting sense of humor off of songs like "Equal Opportunity Lynch Mob" and "Jesse's Comin' to Town." This is an entertaining record, as much for its History Channel vibe as the music itself. Lance Looper [buy it]

FOR AGAINST
December
(Words On Music)
Quite possibly the greatest group to ever be saddled with the genre designation "dream pop," Nebraska's fearless For Against molds echoed, jangly guitars, choirboy vocals, propulsive rhythms and yearning melodies into the most beautiful shapes imaginable. Originally released in 1988, December makes fair claim to being the band's best album, as singer/songwriter Jeffrey Runnings and crew get the balance between the songs' luscious melodies and the lyrics' acidic sentiments just right. The title track, "Svengali" and "Stranded in Greenland" are the very definition of bittersweet. Brilliant. Michael Toland

FRONTIER INDEX
Frontier Index
(Rainbow Quartz)
Toronto's Frontier Index is so at home with countrified rock/pop you'd think the band was American; warm, melodic tunes like "My Secret," "I Ain't Hurtin'" and "San Antone" suit the quartet's personable vocal style well. Attempts to rock out seem oddly restrained; guitars distorted that heavily don't usually sound so polite. Craft wins out over abandon here, but at least it's craft of a high order. Michael Toland [buy it]

GAS HUFFER
Lemonade For Vampires
(Estrus)
Seattle's Gas Huffer comes rattling back with Lemonade For Vampires. As befits a maturing bunch of gentlemen, the tracks don't have the same barely-in-control mania as past recordings (though "All Natural" is pretty wacked out). But the band has sharpened its songwriting ax, and cuts like "Termite Thermometer" and the bluesy "Taco and a Bottle" crackle nicely, regardless of a lack of chaos. Michael Toland [buy it]

HALFWAY
Farewell to the Fainthearted
(Reverberation/Laughing Outlaw)
Farewell to the Fainthearted is the full-length debut from Australia's Halfway. The seven piece band, pulled together from remnants of other bands, has crafted a steel guitar-driven record loaded with retro style country and western tunes. As with all good country records, the emphasis is on misery and heartache. The disc is good but not great. The music is rich and colorful but at times the band weighs itself down with the crowded arrangements. A small flaw I know, but the only negative of an otherwise solid debut. Lance Looper [buy it]