_CD Reviews 2010 (Page 6)

Pernice Brothers – “Goodbye, Killer”Ashmont Records-out June 153 / 5 We want to like the Pernice Brothers, from Dorchester, MA, and there is something to like here. The sixth studio album is enjoyable, standard fare indie-rock not unlike Jim O’Rourke’s solo work (“Insignificance” in particular), with drums, electric guitar and vocals. In this setup, everything’s based on the quality of songwriting and lyrics, and at least the lyrics are pretty good. Listening to this album again, though, it’s hard to say what reactions Joe and Bob Pernice are trying to evoke from their audience; while good, the lyrics don’t strike any special chords, and severalRead More →

Galactic Cowboy Orchestra – “Lookin’ for a Little Strange”New Folk Records-out now2.5 / 5 Twin Cities based Galactic Cowboy Orchestra take bluegrass to different dimensions on their first full-length release, “Lookin’ for a Little Strange.” Yet, for a bunch of cowboys, this instrumental release seems to lack the energy needed to rustle up galactic cattle and really hoe-down. Part of it is in the track mixing; this album opens with what feels like a cool-down piece, and the next track, “Minor Scrape,” could fit well as a closing track. But the mixing is only a minor issue, as many of these tracks seem to workRead More →

What Laura Says – “Bloom Cheek”Terpsikore-out June 223.5 / 5 Phoenix, AZ must be humming constantly with harmonies and spacey keyboard according to the second and latest offering by What Laura Says. There are several upbeat influences here, and the latest of them seems to come from Grizzly Bear; Bloom Cheek shares some of their structure, their sense of harmony and quirky, lush instrumentation. Right from the opening, the single-note guitar-build and rhythmic vocals of “Training” shows that this is not a precise, calculated band, but one that is meant to be enjoyed. Many of these tracks are enjoyable, including the intimate keyboards and ConorRead More →