Drawn From Bees - Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted

Drawn From Bees - Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted

2011, Bonefinger Records

Drawn From Bees have already taken Australia by storm, releasing four albums in the last two years and gaining significant airplay in Australia and even extending their reach into the US and European markets. Scheduled to perform at SXSW in March of 2011, Drawn From Bees have put together an exclusive US EP drawn from their releases to date entitled Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted.

Cautionary Tales opens with "Long Tooth Setting Sun", a mildly catchy number with the sort of vocal harmony triads that recall the sounds of the Arena Rock era. The sound here is smoother, a refined alt-rock style with hints of melancholy in the seams. "Stand Against The Storm" is simplistic, bordering on bland. The vocal harmonies are nice, but lead vocalist Dan James is whiney in a Michael Stipe manner that's cloying. "The East Wood Fox" suffers the same malady. Things look brighter on "Picture Show", an emotive and melodic number that borders on emotionally overwrought but never quite tumbles down that hill. Drawn From Bees closes with "Waiting For The End", mired in a Smiths-style darkness that is desolately bland.

Drawn From Bees will find fans amongst the disaffected and lost souls who cling to acts such as The Smiths, The Cure and Morrissey; a not inconsiderable demographic. But while Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted comes from the same emotionally listless state that inspired those artists, Drawn From Bees never quite displays the musicality or magic to overcome their pathos.

Rating: 1.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Drawn From Bees at http://www.drawnfrombees.com/ or www.myspace.com/drawnfrombees.  Cautionary Tales For The Lionhearted is available from Amazon.com as a CD or Download.  The album is also available digitally from iTunes.

Ethan Gold – Songs From A Toxic Apartment

Ethan Gold – Songs From A Toxic Apartment
2011, Gold Records

Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Ethan Gold releases his latest work, Songs From A Toxic Apartment on January 11, 2011.  Full of a Morrissey-esque melancholic nonchalance, Songs From A Toxic Apartment trundles down the emotional back roads of Ethan Gold’s mind, in a tired and seemingly endless musical shuffle.  The songs on Toxic Apartment all seem built around relationship dysfunction, and Gold’s vocal style is whiney and self-absorbed.  God starts solidly with “Why Don’t You Sleep?” but quickly falls off the cliff of perseveration.   Gold shows some real potential on Songs From A Toxic Apartment, particularly with crafting of melodies, but Ethan Gold gets trapped by his own demons and never quite escapes.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Ethan Gold at www.ethangold.com or www.myspace.com/ethangold.  Songs From A Toxic Apartment drops on January 11, 2011.  Pre-orders are available from Amazon.com on CD and Download.

Adam Sullivan - The Room Is Spinning Faster

Adam Sullivan - The Room Is Spinning Faster

2010, Dweeb Records

Adam Sullivan gets compared to Billy Joel and Ben Folds a lot, but his musical roots are in the darker melancholy of Randy Newman and REM.  With eleven albums/EPs under his belt and ambitious international touring schedule, Sullivan has paid his dues and developed a solid fan base the world over.  His latest album, The Room Is Spinning Faster, shows the polished artistry of a songwriter who knows his craft combined with the restless rambling urge of someone who needs the road even if he's started to question his place on it.  The Room Is Spinning Faster is due out in October 2010 on Dweeb Records, but is already available in digital formats.

Adam Sullivan starts out strong with "Nothing Like Being Alone", rumination on his place in the world, sanity, perspective and understanding.  It's a Ben Folds-style ballad that's highly introspective, a soaring melancholy ode to self-contemplation.  "But The Dinosaurs Were Dead" is edgy, smooth pop, once again reminiscent of Folds.  The instrumentation here is unique, making use of piano and string to create an off-balance sound that somehow stands on its own.  "Please Don't Fall In Love With Me" is great songwriting, a melancholy and thoughtful love song written from the depths of fear and confusion. 

Up to this point Adam Sullivan is setting the stage.  With "Rainy Morning In Amsterdam" he sets the tone for the rest of the album.  It's a song of morning and regret, a pool Sullivan wallows in the rest of the way utilizing a Hemmingway-styled symbolism for tragedy and defeat while singing in measured tones.  Sullivan is searching for he knows not what.  "Something To Lose" is rambling and melancholic but lacks real energy.  The melody and harmonic construction here are gorgeous, but the song teeters on the brink of an emotional vacuum that is disconcerting.  "These Are The Thoughts" is a long-winded, emotionally grinding experience built in this same dearth of emotional energy.  It's the thoughts that keep him awake at night, told from the perspective of one so numb it's more of a recitative than an experience.  "Let Go" shows a flash of life; pretty and dark with a modality reminiscent of Alan Parsons, "Let Go" reflects a sort of determined, reticent hope about what is to come.  The rest of the way is back to the flat, emotionally bereft energy that haunts the middle of the album, as Sullivan walks the listener back to the sleep from which he first emerged.

Adam Sullivan constructs some beautiful musical landscapes on The Room Is Spinning Faster, but against those landscapes he casts a character so lost in his own melancholy and emotional distance that the songs take on a sort of fractured personality.  Artistically challenging, but the combination can make The Room Is Spinning Faster a challenge to get through.  If the navel-gazing melancholy and passive anger of The Cure or The Smiths or even REM you find appealing, then Adam Sullivan will fit nicely in your music collection.  Sullivan may be a bit too distant for the mass market, but the talent here is unmistakable. 

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Adam Sullivan at www.adamsullivan.com or www.myspace.com/adamsullivan.  The Room Is Spinning Faster is due out in October 2010 on CD, but can be purchased now in digital formats through Amazon.com and iTunes.

J Minus - Devil Music

J Minus - Devil Music
2010, J Minus

Seattle quartet J Minus walks the wild edge of alternative music. Not Alternative understand, but an alternative to what we call Alternative. Formed in 2002, Dylan Fant, Trevor Wheetman, Chris Mongillo and Meyer Harrell work within the bounds of solid songwriting, dynamic harmonies and a refusal to tie themselves to one specific sound. You may hear flashes of bands such as Death Cab For Cutie, The Samples or Toad The Wet Sprocket in their sound, but J Minus takes these influences, mixes them with their own inherent talents and creates something new and unique. J Minus dropped their third album, Devil Music over the summer. It may be their best work to date.

Devil Music opens with "Congratulations, You Suck; a catchy tune that asks a troubling paramour to set him free rather than string him along. Buried in the emotional angst of the tune is a great pop arrangement that slowly unfurls as the song progresses. "When The Lights Go Out" is a song of reassurance written for a child who is afraid of the dark. Parents in particular will appreciate J Minus' effort here, a sweet and good-natured tune with an enjoyable melody. "Can I Count On You?" seeks assurance in a meandering pop arrangement. The song is very well written, featuring an off-center, needy protagonist in a needful quest.

J Minus explores dashed expectations on "Who We Were", looking at the hopes and dreams of children and the reality of their adulthood. It's a stark take on how negative thoughts and experiences impact or characters and personalities. Things get maudlin in the middle of Devil Music, with J Minus losing the energy that drove even the darker moments over the album's first few songs. "Swing Low" is the exception, a catchy rock tune with big harmonies in the chorus. This is a tune that sticks with you or recurs in your mind at odd times, and is a bright light in the middle of Devil Music. "While It Lasts" is a melancholic rumination on impermanence that features a solid melody but is a bit of a drag in emotion and energy. "Into The Dark" is tortured pop music that delves into a sense of failure and loss without clear boundaries; a singular effort that is both difficult and rewarding as a songwriter and as a listener. J Minus closes with "Episode 2", which opens in bland musical terms but turns into a vibrant pop song that counters J Minus' almost morose vocal style. It's a request to leap forward into the unknown of tomorrow, a fitting, yet bold end to the album.

J Minus intrigues with Devil Music, a collection that's unbalanced but which contains a few gems along the way. Fans of The Cure and The Smiths will find a lot to like here, but J Minus has enough pop sensibility to appeal to a wider constituency.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about J Minus at http://www.jminus.com/ or www.myspace.com/jminus.  Devil Music is available on CD through J Minus' webstore.  Digital copies are available via iTunes.

David Gergen - The Nearer It Was... The Farther It Became

David Gergen - The Nearer It Was... The Farther It Became
2010, David Gergen

Singer/songwriter David Gergen's latest effort, The Nearer It Was... The Farther It Became can be likened to a rugged outing for a pitcher. He fights his way through without great stuff, gutting out a performance that shows some promise but is never quite enough to win the game. Solid Americana arrangements dot the landscape; and it should be noted that Gergen seems to have a talent for writing and arranging music that is pleasant but non-threatening. Vocally, Gergen struggles with both pitch and tone, sliding around notes at times like a toddler walking on ice. "Seven Miles To Sunset" shows a distinct melodic sense, but Gergen takes melancholia to the point of disaffection. "The Streets I'm Walkin'" is gentle Americana impressionism; observational songwriting with a melancholy flair. This is one of the more successful tracks on the album, and Gergen tightens up his breath control for a workable performance.

"Ore De Electro" is messy and eclectic, featuring an uneasy marriage between guitar and ambient synth. "Love Blues #11" mixes blues with space-age Electronica and slipshod vocals. The result is a sonic mess that's interesting but doesn't have the compositional clarity to hold your attention for long. Things pick up a bit on "Thru A Fairy's White Cloud". Gergen sounds a bit like Johnny Cash on downers here; a unique approach that is well framed here. "The Other Side Of The Sea" is a lost, mournful monologue. Gergen starts out with good intent, but the lack of affect here is more distracting than informative. Gergen closes with the incomplete "Your Letter", a response/monologue that is cut as short as the relationship it memorializes.

David Gergen shows some interesting signs of life on The Nearer It Was... The Farther It Became. This is certainly not a happy-go-lucky album, featuring the sort of emotional downward spiral that sometimes coalesces in the wake of a relationship. Gergen's vocal style works at times, but his tendency to sing around notes rather than hit them head on can become a distraction. The recording in general suffers from the lack of collaboration. A close listen shows an artist with much to say, but may need the creative tension of co-writers to bring the dark magnitude of Gergen's night more fully out into the open.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about David Gergen at www.myspace.com/davidgergen.  The Nearer It Was... The Farther It Became is available from Amazon.com as both a CD and Download.  The album is also available from iTunes.