{"id":10335,"date":"2016-02-25T05:00:55","date_gmt":"2016-02-25T05:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=10335"},"modified":"2016-02-20T16:22:08","modified_gmt":"2016-02-20T16:22:08","slug":"hundred-word-reviews-for-february-2016-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2016\/02\/25\/hundred-word-reviews-for-february-2016-part-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundred-word Reviews for February 2016, Part 4"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Tuneful rock, pop, and rock\/pop is the theme of today&#8217;s set of hundred-word reviews. All are recent releases of new music.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10340\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/hurricane1.jpg\" alt=\"hurricane1\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/hurricane1.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/hurricane1-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/hurricane1-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B0152D3MKY&amp;asins=B0152D3MKY&amp;linkId=HZZSFJCWYBGZ5SPC&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Hurricane#1 \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Find What You Love and Let it Kill You<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nOn his 2014 album credited to <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2014\/02\/06\/hundred-word-reviews-february-2014-part-two\/\"><b>Gun Club Cemetery<\/b><\/a>, <b>Alex Lowe<\/b> served up some study, meat-and-potatoes rock. Since then he&#8217;s endured (and won) a battle with cancer, and one might not be surprised to find a mellower, more introspective Lowe on his latest album. He still rocks hard when he cares to (check \u201cCrash\u201d), but there&#8217;s a wistful yet hopeful vibe to the lyrics, borne out by titles like \u201cBest is Yet to Come.\u201d And it&#8217;s all delivered with a sardonic edge that shows Lowe hasn&#8217;t lost his edge. Surprise: there&#8217;s a vaguely <b>Oasis<\/b> feel to many of the tracks.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10339\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/swooshed.jpg\" alt=\"swooshed\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/swooshed.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/swooshed-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/swooshed-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<b>Various Artists \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Swooshed<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nQuick: name a Welsh rock act. Half-credit for <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2012\/03\/23\/album-reviews-badfinger-badfinger-and-wish-you-were-here\/\"><b>Badfinger<\/b><\/a>. Full credit for <b>Man<\/b>. <b>Gorky&#8217;s Zygotic Mynci<\/b> and <b>Super Furry Animals<\/b> earn you extra credit. Here&#8217;s good news: <i>Swooshed<\/i> features ten acts from Wales, none of whom with you&#8217;re likely to be acquainted. All are signed to Welsh label Cae Gwyn (\u201cwhite field\u201d in English). The sonic thread among all seems to be a gauzy, vaguely modern-psych bedsit aura, or a shimmering pop sensibility. Though all are good, the standout track \u2013 exhibiting the latter quality in spades \u2013 is the delightful \u201cMothers in Day-Glo\u201d from <b>Dan Amor &amp; Huw Owen<\/b>.<br \/>\n[<a href=\"https:\/\/swooshed.bandcamp.com\/\">order <i>Swooshed<\/i><\/a>]<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10338\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/fragile_tomorrow_make.jpg\" alt=\"fragile_tomorrow_make\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/fragile_tomorrow_make.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/fragile_tomorrow_make-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/fragile_tomorrow_make-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B014167E34&amp;asins=B014167E34&amp;linkId=ML2PKVGNSGZF26FM&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>A Fragile Tomorrow \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Make Me Over<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nWhen I first heard this young Charleston, South Carolina band on their <span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">debut<\/span> (actually fourth!) disc <i><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/09\/albumreview-a-fragile-tomorrow-be-nice-be-careful\/\">Be Nice be Careful<\/a><\/i>, I had them pegged \u2013 more or less accurately \u2013 as a power pop group. But on <i>Make Me Over<\/i>, they&#8217;ve altered their musical trajectory a bit (as the title indicates none too subtly), now headed in a more glam-rock direction. The results are just a notch less satisfying to these ears: if I want <b>Marc Bolan<\/b>&#8216;s <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2010\/11\/30\/cd-review-t-rex-the-slider\/\">T. Rex<\/a><\/b>, I&#8217;ll play T. Rex. But it&#8217;s still a worthy outing, suggesting that <b>A Fragile Tomorrow<\/b> has a very bright tomorrow indeed.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10337\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sunshine_collectove.jpg\" alt=\"sunshine_collectove\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sunshine_collectove.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sunshine_collectove-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/sunshine_collectove-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B015JIQ3EO&amp;asins=B015JIQ3EO&amp;linkId=AWEIQZ54HPXNRDXZ&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>Sunshine Collective \u2013 <\/b><i><b>Up to Something Good<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nIt wasn&#8217;t until I read the accompanying one-sheet press release that I realized that <b>The Sunshine Collective<\/b> is \u2013 at least to some extent \u2013 a kid&#8217;s music act. What I heard were infectious, uptempo melodies that suggested \u2013 as does their name \u2013 1960s \u201csunshine pop\u201d a la <b>The Mamas and the Papas<\/b>, some songs by <b><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2014\/10\/06\/a-chat-with-the-turtles-mark-volman-part-1\/\">The Turtles<\/a><\/b>, <b>Spanky and our Gang<\/b>, and so forth. Vocalist <b>Stephanie Richards<\/b> and multi-instrumentalist\/producer (and, I think, husband) <b>Brian Arbuckle<\/b> craft the cheery tunes. The one-sheet suggests some tunes in a Bond\/007 vibe, but I don&#8217;t hear it. That aside, a lovely album.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10336\" src=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/john_howard.jpg\" alt=\"john_howard\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/john_howard.jpg 300w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/john_howard-150x150.jpg 150w, http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/john_howard-65x65.jpg 65w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00W6FCM80&amp;asins=B00W6FCM80&amp;linkId=3PU7YX3IUKND7DAB&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><br \/>\n<i><b>John Howard &amp; the Night Mail<\/b><\/i><br \/>\nSpeaking of one-sheets, the press accompanying this disc lays out an intriguing back story that suggests why <b>John Howard<\/b> didn&#8217;t enjoy success back in the 1970s when he debuted. The reason? He&#8217;s an \u201cout\u201d gay man. Happly in 2016 such things matter little, if at all. Now, instead to the music. Delightfully rendered piano pop songs with a inerrant melodic sensibility \u2013 think of <b>Paul McCartney<\/b>&#8216;s piano-based melodies, or maybe <b>Ben Folds<\/b> or <b>Elton John<\/b>. This is decidedly adult pop, but not at all soft or lacking in energy. The focus is on Howard&#8217;s vocals\/lyrics; the arrangements are great, too.<\/p>\n<p>One more day&#8217;s worth to go. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tuneful rock, pop, and rock\/pop is the theme of today&#8217;s set of hundred-word reviews. All are recent releases of new music. Hurricane#1 \u2013 Find What You Love and Let it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,51,62,65],"tags":[117,2636,2637,2633,2634,2635],"class_list":["post-10335","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-release","category-pop","category-rawk","category-review","tag-a-fragile-tomorrow","tag-cae-gwyn","tag-hurricane1","tag-john-howard","tag-sunshine-collective","tag-swooshed","cat-49-id","cat-51-id","cat-62-id","cat-65-id","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10335","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10335"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10335\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10354,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10335\/revisions\/10354"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10335"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10335"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10335"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}