{"id":4880,"date":"2013-12-06T05:29:36","date_gmt":"2013-12-06T10:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=4880"},"modified":"2023-07-12T09:32:44","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T13:32:44","slug":"clearing-the-backlog-ten-micro-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2013\/12\/06\/clearing-the-backlog-ten-micro-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"Clearing the Backlog: Ten Micro-reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"

As the end of 2013 closes in, I look at my inbox and see a massive stack of CDs. Best as I try, I don’t always follow a first-in\/first-out policy with regard to covering releases I find worthy. And while my occasional capsule reviews<\/a> do help reduce the pile of CD on my desk, today I realize that more drastic measures are necessary. Each of the following albums deserves more space than I’m about to give, but waiting until I have time and space would likely mean that some never get covered at all. So instead, I give you some exceedingly brief (50-word) reviews, with the additional comment applicable to all: these are worth hearing. All feature new music for 2013.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/center>Pete Anderson \u2013 <\/strong>Birds Above Guitarland<\/strong><\/em>
\nLoping electrified blues with feeling. Tasty electric guitar licks (hints of c&w among the blooze) with soulful, greasy backing by a crack team, compete with horn section and Wurlitzer electric piano (almost always a good thing). Anderson can sing, too. Delaney and Bonnie<\/strong>‘s daughter Bekka Bramlett<\/strong> guests on one track.<\/p>\n

Chris Biesterfeldt \u2013 <\/strong>Urban Mandolin<\/strong><\/em>
\nI’m all in favor of outside-the-box musical approaches. And I believe this one certainly qualifies: a jazz trio led by a mandolin player. He charges his way through reinventions from among the best \u2013 Charlie Parker<\/strong><\/a> bebop, the soul-jazz of Jimmy Smith<\/strong>, the fusion of Chick Corea<\/strong><\/a>, even Frank Zappa<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Bottle Kids \u2013 <\/strong>Such a Thrill<\/strong><\/em>
\nThis isn’t a \u201cthey,\u201d it’s \u201chim.\u201d Eric Blakely<\/strong> is the latest in a long line of powerpop do-it-all auteurs, and he knows his way around a Beatles<\/strong>que hook. Harmonies meet guitar crunch and the result is as good as the genre gets. He sounds like a \u201cthem.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hickoids \u2013 <\/strong>Hairy Chafin’ Ape Suit<\/strong><\/em>
\nThe title has nothing to do with Harry Chapin<\/strong> (the king of maudlin), thank goodness. Instead, this is a comedy-leaning meat’n’potatoes rock album. Jeff Smith<\/strong> roars while the band spits out licks behind him. The production is on the homespun side, but that fits the loose vibe of the music.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/center>The Nomads \u2013 <\/strong>Solna (Loaded Deluxe Edition)<\/strong><\/em>
\nWho would have ever predicted that in the 21st<\/sup> century, uncompromising punk rock would be made by middle aged guys? Guys from Sweden, no less, the land of ABBA<\/strong>. Anyone who digs no-bullshit rock (see: Smithereens<\/strong>, Sex Pistols<\/strong>) will get a charge out of this. It’s also available on vinyl.<\/p>\n

Pat Todd & the Rankoutsiders \u2013 <\/strong>14<\/strong><\/em>th<\/strong><\/em><\/sup> & Nowhere<\/strong><\/em>
\nFamiliar chord progressions delivered in a spirited, barroom-brawl country-rock style. Fifteen songs, zero bullshit. Sample\/representative song title: \u201cSmall Town Rock Ain’t Dead.\u201d Guitars, guitars and more guitars (and hardly any keyboards). Earle Mankey<\/strong> pops up on banjo(!) Infectious and fun, this will delight fans of Jason & the Scorchers<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Vegas With Randolph \u2013 <\/strong>Rings Around the Sun<\/strong><\/em>
\nIn reviewing <\/a>their last album (Above the Blue<\/em>) I made comparisons to Fountains of Wayne<\/strong><\/a>; this time out VWR have asserted a bit more of their own identity. It’s still catchy, intelligent and slightly adventurous powerpop, with a slightly harder edge. Maybe the Seattle recording studio helped conjure that vibe.<\/p>\n

Steve Weinstein \u2013 <\/strong>Last Free Man<\/strong><\/em>
\nReading the press kit I learned that Weinstein is both a philosopher and physicist, and that the album includes protests against our modern surveillance society. None of which I found especially appetizing propositions, so I was surprised to find a tuneful, friendly album in an earnest, heartland Tom Petty<\/strong> mode.<\/p>\n

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As the end of 2013 closes in, I look at my inbox and see a massive stack of CDs. Best as I try, I don’t always follow a first-in\/first-out policy […]<\/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":[9,42,49,51,55,59,60,62,65,69],"tags":[389,520,995,1561,1602,1653,1683,1785,2057,2200,2315],"class_list":["post-4880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blues","category-jazz","category-new-release","category-pop","category-powerpop","category-punk","category-rb","category-rawk","category-review","category-soul","tag-bottle-kids","tag-chris-biesterfeldt","tag-hickoids","tag-nathan-angelo","tag-nomads","tag-pat-todd","tag-pete-anderson","tag-rankoutsiders","tag-steve-weinstein","tag-third-of-never","tag-vegas-with-randolph","cat-9-id","cat-42-id","cat-49-id","cat-51-id","cat-55-id","cat-59-id","cat-60-id","cat-62-id","cat-65-id","cat-69-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4880"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25635,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4880\/revisions\/25635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Third of Never \u2013 <\/strong>Downrising<\/strong><\/em>
\nArena-sized riff rockage with soaring harmonies and fret buzz, but without all the trappings of strutting rock-star poseurs. Kurt Reil<\/strong> (The Grip Weeds<\/strong>) does this outfit as a side project. Kindred spirits Dennis Diken<\/strong><\/a> (Smithereens<\/strong>) and John \u201cRabbit\u201d Bundrick<\/strong> (The ‘Oo<\/strong>) guest, but it’s great at its core anyway.<\/p>\n

Nathan Angelo \u2013 <\/strong>Out of the Blue<\/strong><\/em>
\nNeo-soul, Motown revival…whatever you care to label it, the funky sounds of Angelo’s debut are fetching indeed. Album opener \u201cGet Back\u201d (not<\/em> the Beatles<\/strong> classic) is perhaps little more than a rewrite of The Jackson 5ive<\/strong>‘s \u201cI Want You Back,\u201d but it’s still fun. For fans of Mayer Hawthorne<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n