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The Low Anthem – Smart FleshNonesuch Records-out Feb. 223 / 5 Since RI’s wunder-quartet released 2008’s “Oh My God, Charlie Darwin,” they’ve toured with Iron and Wine, played several festivals, and, in short, became a national act. But on their new album, Smart Flesh, we’re going to argue they’ve hit their sophomore slump (and this is their third album). While it gets off to a good start with the bluesy “Apothecary Love,” most of the album falls somewhere between a foggy London day and an out-and-out funeral dirge. “Matter of Time” has the pulse of a doomed hospital patient, and “Burn” has a similar diagnosisRead More →

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Jake Shimabukuro – “Peace Love Ukelele”Hitchhike Records-out now4 / 5 So then, you think you know everything about the ukelele. Not until you’ve heard Jake Shimabukuro’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” the infectious cover from 2006’s album of the same name (YouTube it!). How does “Peace Love Ukelele” measure up to that high water mark? It’s still good, it’s still an impressive talent on display, and it still gives solid originals and covers (one of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” strangely enough). And while Mr. Shimabukuro is in excellent form, we’re going to suggest that “Gently Weeps” is still our favorite; nonetheless, “Peace Love Ukelele” delivers allRead More →

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Fergus and Geronimo – “Unlearn”Hardly Art-out Jan. 182.5 / 5 There’s nothing wrong with lacking polish. Some acts benefit from it: it often shows frustration, or grit, or is just a style in and of itself. The blues band Jimi Hendrix started with complained he was out of tune; Coltrane, too, received harsh criticism early on for a lack of a full sound: yet there’s no denying either musician’s pure technical talent. But on the Denton, TX duo’s premiere, a lack of polish is an obstacle to understanding “Unlearn.” One thing that we don’t get is a clear sense of Fergus and Geronimo’s ability toRead More →

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Tapes ‘n Tapes – “Outside”Ibid Records-out Jan. 114 / 5 There’s no “magic bullet” to what works in music, no specific tempo or chord changes or guitar hooks, but if there were one element we’d have to pin on the success of Minnesota, MN’s Tapes ‘n Tapes latest album it would have to be Josh Grier’s pushing his vocal boundaries. The punkish color to his vocals is in part what makes “Outside” more successful than “Walk it Off;” it charges these rock songs with an energy lacking in their previous release. The other part of it may well be the whimsical attitude of the instrumentalsRead More →