Everclear - Return To Santa Monica

Everclear – Return ToSanta Monica
2011, Cleopatra Records

Through it all, Art Alexakis just keeps going. His band, Everclear is on its third lineup, with the only originalremaining member being Alexakis himself. The Portland, Oregon band, formed in 1992, were darlings of the alternativerock scene throughout the 1990’s, leaders of the pop-based rock response to thegrunge sound coming out of Seattle. There has been a trend in the last few years of bands re-recording theirhits, as aging acts separate from the major label apparatus have found a way toregain control of their catalog for licensing. Everclear jumps on the bandwagon today with Return To Santa Monica.

The up side to such a move is it improves a band’s ability to generate income;for fans it can be an opportunity to hear a fresher version of a favorite hitor three.  Everclear does right by thefans with Return To Santa Monica,offering up a nearly live sounding collection of reborn hits from theircatalog.  “Santa Monica”, “I Will Buy YouA New Life”, “Father Of Mine” and “AM Radio” are particularly vibrant.  “Unemployed Boyfriend” seems even better thanit did the first time around, though whether this is due to a change in therendition or a change in the times it uncertain.  Everclear rounds out the remakes with “Wonderful”and “Everything To Everyone”.

Perhaps the biggest treats for fans, however, are the cover songs spreadthroughout the album.  The remake of TomPetty’s “I Won’t Back Down” is classic, and Steve Miller’s “The Joker” gets anew look.  Death Cab For Cuties “I WillFollow You Out Of The Dark” is among the highlights on the disc, as is theclosing number, Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl”.  The only misfire on the entire album is asomewhat messy cover of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take”, which Alexakismuddles his way through on, showing neither the vocal range nor (here, atleast) the sense of personality to pull this tune off.

These sorts of collections are as much for financial gain of the artist (asopposed to a label) as they are for fans. Sometimes such collections can be ill-gotten nightmares, but Everclearmanages to pull the whole thing off with a bit of panache.  The album plays like an intimate live show,with even the production values bending in that direction.  So instead of a boring retread of hits andcovers you know, listeners get a quality, live-in-studio set of songs that willhave you tapping your toes and remembering the 1990’s fondly.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)
Learn more about Everclear at www.everclearonline.comor on Facebook. 
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The Latebirds - Last Of The Good Ol' Days

The Latebirds - Last Of The Good Ol' Days
2011, Second Motion Records

Helsinki, Finland might not be your first thought as a hotbed of Americana music, but it's got to get some consideration once you hear of The Latebirds.  Formed in 2000, The Latebirds are hard to classify.  Rock, folk, punk, country, gospel and R&B are all in the mix, with the band refining and smoothing the edges with each successive album.  Their latest, and first released in the U.S., is Last Of The Good Ol' Days.  The album is a socio-political treatise on the state of the world in 2011, sounding many of the same themes prevalent in the American counter-culture movement of the late 1960's. 

The Latebirds open with "Last Of The Good Ol' Days", a gentle Americana/rock number that looks to the future with blighted hope and yearns for the opportunities that once existed.  The melancholy mood of the music fits the lyrics perfectly, and vocalist Markus Nordenstreng's easy-going style implies a sort of hopeless passivity.  "Among The Survivors" is a mildly catchy acoustic/electric rocker with a subtle urgency built in.  It's a solid tune; a steady album track.  "Time To Live" relies on a simple arrangement and chunky guitar work to create an infectious garage-pop gem.  The message is simple and clear: don't sit on the sidelines, get out there and live your life.  This will be a tough tune to get out of your head.

"Summer Becomes Fall" decries consumer culture, and the human tendency to chase silly things rather than be happy with what we have.  The Latebirds stick with a simplistic arrangement that allows the melody to reign, but fill it in with layered instrumentation to fill out the sound in the chorus.  "Time Revisited" is a slower, more pensive take on the ideas in "Time To Live".  The sound here is more stark, continuing to advocate the need to live, but also yearning for a simpler time.  Hope hasn't faded here, but it's certainly struggling for purchase.  The Latebirds take on the press and big government in "Fearless" decrying the attempt by politicians and corporations to control the information we receive as a populace.  The song advocates using your brain to parse out what you hear and decide for yourself what is true.  The chorus is brilliant: "Don't believe what gets reported.  The truth has been distorted."; repeated in a hooky chorus that will get trapped in your noggin and bounce around for hours.

"Like Father Like Son" is a conciliatory number that looks back on the good memories of youth and put to rest the struggles of growing up and separating that rock the foundations of father-son relationships.  Inherent in the message is the realization that the son walks in the father's footsteps, and an acknowledgement that both have grown.  The quietly lush arrangement wraps around this tune like a blanket, making the subtle message all the more powerful in the process.  The Latebirds take a whimsical turn on "Kickin' Me", a light-hearted and repetitive garage rocker that's as catchy as it is inane.  You may find yourself decrying the song as vaguely annoying while tapping your toes to the beat.    The Latebirds slowly fade over the final four songs, culminating in the bland "Light At The End Of The Tunnel".

Even taking into account the rather ignominious final third of Last Of The Good Ol' Days, The Latebirds make a distinctive impression with their U.S. debut.  Producer Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Johnny Cash, Wilco, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dixie Chicks) helps The Latebirds make the most of their sound with a mostly live, in-studio recording that keeps the band's delicious rough edges firmly in the forefront.  Appearances by Nels Cline (Wilco), Minnie Driver and Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers) are add intrigue to the mix, and Last Of The Good Ol' Days should find The Latebirds receiving a very warm reception in the Western Hemisphere.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Latebirds at www.latebirds.com or www.myspace.com/thelatebirds.  Last Of The Good Ol' Days is available from Amazon.com as a CD or a Download. 

Emory Quinn – See You At The Next Light
2010, Emory Quinn

Back in the Fall of 2002, Clint Quinn Bracher and Nathan Emory Rigney started playing together while students at Texas A&M University.  An Open Mic appearance that year turned into a full-time job, with the band playing 120 gigs per year by 2007.  The then-duo began recording in their dorm room.  Along the way they picked up bassist/keyboardist Case Bell, and in 2008 added drummer Tony Rios.  Emory Quinn bases themselves out of San Antonio, Texas these days and continues to build a solid fan base.  Emory Quinn recently released their third studio album, See You At The Next Light.

See You At The Next Light opens with “Hand In Hand”, a solid blend of country, folk and rock tune about love, devotion and sticking together no matter what.  Vocalist Clint Bracher sounds like a cross between Glen Phillips (Toad The Wet Sprocket) and Tom Petty, and delivers a catchy, motivated melody line that takes on a life of its own.  “Moving On” is mildly catchy with a nice hook and solid vocal harmonies.  This is a summertime tune; a solid album track.  “Heart In Mind” sounds like something that might happen if John Mellencamp and Rob Thomas were to collaborate; having an understated pop sensibility that catches up on you and grows on you with successive listens.

“Finds Danger” is part love song and part outlaw tune.  The arrangement is solid if a little bland, reflecting the melancholy feel of the story-teller’s retrospective tale of love.  Nathan Rigney’s guitar work particularly stands out on this tune.  “Holes Through The Windows” is about as disturbing as songs get; the tale of a drunk, a song of murder and obsession that shifts focus just enough to leave right and wrong seriously in question.  “Tear Down The Walls” is a solid, straight-forward number that leaves vocal charisma at the coat check.  The Blue Rodeo-style arrangement and weeping pedal-steel guitar both add nicely to the sound however, and the overall effect is aurally pleasing.  “Be Here Now” recounts the cost of telling the truth and ponders what might have happened if he’d told a lie.  This rumination is accomplished in a comfortable Americana arrangement that owes a bit of its ancestry to Wilco. 

“When I Dream” finds Bracher sounding a bit disaffected on the vocal line, choosing an almost talk/sing style at times that seems very much at odds with the upbeat folk/rock/country arrangement yet somehow works nonetheless.  The keyboard work on this tune is a nice touch, cementing the band’s sound quite nicely in a crossover-ready style that could easily light up switchboards at both rock and country outlets.  “Calling Your Name” finds Bracher in a similar juxtaposition with the arrangement, although this time the result isn’t quite so enjoyable.  “Calling Your Name” drags in a monotonous style that will have some reaching for the skip button.  Emory Quinn closes with “Falling Down Again”, a catchy number with an almost Celtic/bluegrass feel that’s quietly infectious.  This is the best piece of songwriting on the album even if it is not the most commercial sound offered here.

Emory Quinn sure seems to be cooking up something good in San Antonio.  See You At The Next Light blends rock, country and folk with a subtle pop sensibility and casual story-telling style that works its way quietly into your brain.  Don’t be surprised if See You At The Next Light grows on you.  Emory Quinn has written the sort of album that opens to you slowly, but lasts a long time in your memory.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Emory Quinn at www.emoryquinn.com or www.myspace.com/emoryquinn.   See You At The Next Light is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available via iTunes.

The High Dials - Anthems For Doomed Youth

The High Dials - Anthems For Doomed Youth

2010, Rainbow Quartz Records

Montreal rockers The High Dials return on November 2, 2010 with their fifth album for Rainbow Quartz records, Anthems For Doomed Youth.  They’ll be showing off their music tonight at the Rainbow Quartz CMJ showcase along with Broadfield Marchers, Capstan Shafts, The Volebeats, The Parties and The Grip Weeds.  Anthems For Doomed Youth contains the sort of swirling guitar sound and distinctive melodies you’d expect to hear if R.E.M. had come together in the early 1960’s. 

Anthems For Doomed Youth opens with “Teenage Love Made Me Insane”, a catchy, vibrant piece of hippy psych/pop that you won’t be able to get out of your head.  The pop energy in this time is likely to consume you.  “I’m Over You (I Hope It’s True)” is catchy, jangly pop in the style of REM but with a 1960’s feel.  “Chinese Boxes” uses doubled vocals, a strong melody and excellent pacing to deliver a pop/Americana feel, 1960’s style, sounding like something that might have come from a jam session between REM and Tom Petty. 

The High Dials, unfortunately, seem to run out of gas halfway through Anthems For Doomed Youth.  The sound remains the same, but the songwriting on the second half of the album is uninspired; an instance where an okay album might have made a really good EP.  Nevertheless, there is a distinctive sound on Anthems For Doomed Youth that will draw a lot of people in, and that gives distinctive hope for The High Dials’ musical future.

Rating: 2.5 Stars (Out of 5)

 Learn more about The High Dials at www.thehighdials.net or www.myspace.com/thehighdials.  Anthems For Doomed Youth drops November 2, 2010.  Pre-orders are available from Amazon.com on CD and Vinyl.  Expect wider availability in both traditional and digital formats.