{"id":7120,"date":"2015-01-29T05:30:17","date_gmt":"2015-01-29T10:30:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=7120"},"modified":"2015-01-29T05:30:17","modified_gmt":"2015-01-29T10:30:17","slug":"hundred-word-reviews-january-2015-part-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2015\/01\/29\/hundred-word-reviews-january-2015-part-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundred-word Reviews: January 2015, Part 4"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s a never-ending stream of new music, so it&#8217;s time once again for some hundred-worders to work off some of my backlog. As always, these all deserve full reviews, but with limited time and resources, 100 words will have to do. I&#8217;ll cut to the chase. Today I look at five new releases form indie (i.e. not on a big label) artists.<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/jason_sadites.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" vspace=\"20\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"float: right; padding: 10px;width:120px;height:240px;\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&#038;OneJS=1&#038;Operation=GetAdHtml&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;source=ss&#038;ref=ss_til&#038;ad_type=product_link&#038;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&#038;marketplace=amazon&#038;region=US&#038;placement=B00KB4CCX8&#038;asins=B00KB4CCX8&#038;linkId=RCEPXPFWX7DVFE24&#038;show_border=true&#038;link_opens_in_new_window=true\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Jason Sadites<\/strong><em><strong> \u2013 Tales<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nThe prog community is rife with all sorts of cross-fertilization, collaboration and creativity. Guitarist <strong>Jason Sadites<\/strong> is well plugged into this scene; his list of collaborators on his previous four releases reads like a who&#8217;s who of progressive rock. On <em>Tales<\/em>, he&#8217;s joined by the ubiquitous <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?s=minnemann\"><strong>Marco Minnemann<\/strong><\/a> (drums) and bassist <strong>Ric Fierabracci<\/strong>. The eight accessible instrumental tracks on <em>Tales<\/em> have enough melodicism to hold the interest of a general audience, while the players execute enough musical twist and turns to keep prog fans&#8217; attention. The album&#8217;s excellent mix makes the listener feel as if s\/he is in the studio.<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/arrica_rose.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" vspace=\"20\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width:120px;height:240px;\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&#038;OneJS=1&#038;Operation=GetAdHtml&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;source=ss&#038;ref=ss_til&#038;ad_type=product_link&#038;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&#038;marketplace=amazon&#038;region=US&#038;placement=B00P1TXOWG&#038;asins=B00P1TXOWG&#038;linkId=HGP7KILD35XON3MX&#038;show_border=true&#038;link_opens_in_new_window=true\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Arrica Rose &amp; the &#8230;&#8217;s \u2013 <\/strong><em><strong>Wavefunction<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nGently rocking, catchy indie rock is the order of the day here. Rose&#8217;s smoky, alluring and slightly breathy voice is mixed out front, with the band sometimes sounding as if they&#8217;re in the next room. Rose and producer <strong>Daniel Garcia<\/strong> are confident enough of her pipes to keep the production free form effects on her vocals. Rose is up-front about the importance of song sequencing; the tracks on <em>Wavefunction<\/em> are arranged around two different moods. The later tracks are more subdued and contemplative, but Rose&#8217;s voice is the glue holding everything together. \u201cLove You Like That\u201d is the standout track.<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/abbie_barrett2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" vspace=\"20\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width:120px;height:240px;\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&#038;OneJS=1&#038;Operation=GetAdHtml&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;source=ss&#038;ref=ss_til&#038;ad_type=product_link&#038;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&#038;marketplace=amazon&#038;region=US&#038;placement=B00NFXUQD0&#038;asins=B00NFXUQD0&#038;linkId=3GA637TI6GHLEGOQ&#038;show_border=true&#038;link_opens_in_new_window=true\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Abbie Barrett &amp; the Last Date \u2013 <\/strong><em><strong>The Triples<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nIn 2011, I made an exception and reviewed a <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=617\">three-song EP<\/a> by Barrett; the tunes were strong enough \u2013 and showed enough promise \u2013 to warrant the coverage. Her preferred format continued after that, but this disc offers nine tracks, half of which are new. The promise suggested on the earlier EPs is delivered upon here. Fans of <strong>New Pornographers<\/strong> \u2013 at least ones who enjoy the more rocking end of their oeuvre \u2013 should check this one out. And those who missed the earlier discs will find their highlights collected here. You can expect more good things from Barrett.<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/david_bierman.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" vspace=\"20\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p><strong>David Bierman Overdrive \u2013 <\/strong><em><strong>Standard Skies<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nOn <em>Standard Skies<\/em>, the former <strong>Junk Monkey<\/strong> guitarist presents an indie-rock perspective on classic melodic midwestern rock. Catchy, near-singalong melodies are placed into straightforward arrangements that feel warm and intimate. When Bierman plays it up close and personal (\u201cClock\u201d), he&#8217;s effective, but when he rocks out (\u201cSuperhuman\u201d), that feels every bit as authentic. Subtle shades of <strong>Gin Blossoms<\/strong> are given added weight by the <strong>Cheap Trick<\/strong>-like energy of Bierman&#8217;s band; the word \u201cOverdrive\u201d is part of their name for good reason. Every tune has a strong hook, and that&#8217;s no small feat. Apparently live gigs by the group are rare.<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/anton_vezuv.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" vspace=\"20\" \/><\/center><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width:120px;height:240px;\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&#038;OneJS=1&#038;Operation=GetAdHtml&#038;MarketPlace=US&#038;source=ss&#038;ref=ss_til&#038;ad_type=product_link&#038;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&#038;marketplace=amazon&#038;region=US&#038;placement=B00NO9HLP6&#038;asins=B00NO9HLP6&#038;linkId=KP3RWWWRLYG6SH6M&#038;show_border=true&#038;link_opens_in_new_window=true\"><br \/>\n<\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Anton Vezuv \u2013 <\/strong><em><strong>Into the Sea<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nIn 2012, I was turned onto the wonderful guitar pop of Budapest-based <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=3075\"><strong>The Poster Boy<\/strong><\/a>. I had always assumed that there would be good music coming out of the former Eastern bloc, but most of it would never reach the ears of most westerners. So I was pleased when one of The Poster Boy&#8217;s members referred me to <strong>Anton Vezuv<\/strong>. (That&#8217;s a band name, not a person.) Leader <strong>Istvan Gyulai<\/strong> sings in English, and is pointedly credited for the band&#8217;s \u201csad songs.\u201d I&#8217;d suggest the words wistful and melancholy instead: wonderfully textured songs in classic tradition with a rainy-day vibe.<\/p>\n<p>Still more capsule reviews to come.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/the_musoscribe\">Follow \u201cthe_musoscribe\u201d on <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/icon_twitter_small.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"1\" vspace=\"0\" \/> Twitter<\/a> and get notified<br \/>\nwhen new features, reviews and essays are published.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There&#8217;s a never-ending stream of new music, so it&#8217;s time once again for some hundred-worders to work off some of my backlog. As always, these all deserve full reviews, but [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,40,49,51,62,65],"tags":[124,214,230,632,1109],"class_list":["post-7120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-indie","category-instrumental","category-new-release","category-pop","category-rawk","category-review","tag-abbie-barrett","tag-anton-vezuv","tag-arrica-rose","tag-david-bierman","tag-jason-sadites","cat-39-id","cat-40-id","cat-49-id","cat-51-id","cat-62-id","cat-65-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7120","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=7120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7120\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}