2006 Music Reviews

Out and About Magazine printed a few blurbs from me about albums I liked in 2006. They had to edit for space (removing a few sentences and a few bands), as I'm the verbose type. Below are my original reviews. The upper right photo here (taken by the lovely Joe Del Tufo) is the original that is cropped in their article. What's with me and the weird faces when I'm photographed? I'll never know. I was pleased to finally figure out that Joe was using a wide-angle lens in these pics. That explained my enormous rump in two of the photos. I kept trying to figure out when I'd become, literally, pear-shaped. Oh, Joe. You tricked the lady!

Reviews:

Band: Grand National
Album and (Year): Kicking the National Habit (2006)
Songs: Drink to Moving On
What better way to end the year than with a song called, “Drink to Moving On”? Grand National are mature and sometimes stern-sounding lyrically, but their music is infectious. They are an intelligent fusion of Brit-pop and electronica. The album “Kicking the National Habit” was released in England in 2004, but finally made it to our shores in early 2006.

Band: Slow Runner
Album and (Year): No Disassemble (2006)
Songs: Everything is Exactly What it Seems, Break Your Mama's Back, Redneck Bar
According to their website, Slow Runner sounds “like if r2-d2 had an aching heart and a love for the noisiest Beatles songs.” Who am I to disagree? They have a tightly-produced sound, but the personality of the band makes it through the mix. I like that they have such crestfallen lyrics layered on top of tight, beat-driven pop.

Band: Ambulance, LTD
Album and (Year): New English EP (2006)
Songs: New English, Sugar Pill, Straight A's
With a bit of blues and jazz in their background and a love of 70s pop and rock, Ambulance LTD, from New York, is a band with a wonderful mix of wry lyrics and solid pop. In keeping with my apparent love of downbeat lyrics set to upbeat music, I particularly like the song “Straight A's.” It's a sarcastic, yet strangely supportive, look at a young girl's choice to go to trade school, specifically, DeVry Institute. Enjoy their wit-pop sound.

Band: The Magic Numbers
Album and (Year): The Magic Numbers (2005)
Songs: Forever Lost, Love Me Like You
Comprised of two brother/sister teams, The Magic Numbers are sweet-as-pie pop rockers who will, simply, make you feel better. In “Love Me Like You,” there's something incredibly hopeful about the way Romeo Stodart sings “oh, but baby you could turn it round” after lamenting his bad luck and worse reputation. Feel better about love: listen to a love song sung by a young man named Romeo.

Band: The Format
Album and (Year): Dog Problems (2006)
Songs: I'm Actual, Time Bomb
Over-the-top vocals reminiscent of 70s bands like Queen and Rainbow add fantastic power to these poppy, sweet tunes. The Format manage to be funny, acerbic, and somehow poignant. For example, in “I'm Actual,” the plaintive first lyrics are, “Can we please take an hour and talk about me?” The song “Time Bomb” is a straight-ahead, hip-wiggling good time that will leave you wishing you could sing as powerfully as lead vocalist Nate Ruess.

Band: Mosquitos
Album and (Year): III (2006)
Songs: Mama's Belly
A New York band with a whisper-voiced Brazilian chanteuse, Mosquitos have made buoyant, lively Bossa-Nova-Pop their specialty since their first album in 2002. Their third album delivers the same soothing, cheerful charm as the first two, with a cache of songs that will make you feel like you've just woken up to discover that the world is kind of awesome.

Band: The Long Winters
Album and (Year): Putting the Days to Bed (2006)
Songs: Fire Island AK, Honest
The Long Winters provide straightforward, driving indie rock that always tells a story. Singer/songwriter John Roderick delivers pensive lyrics in a powerful and no-nonsense vocal style that demands attention from the listener. I love that this album appeals so strongly to both men and women, with vulnerable songs like “Honest” and “Ultimatum” along side quirky rockers like “Fire Island, Alaska.” My listeners have had to deal with me playing a LOT of Long Winters songs lately. I can't get enough.

Band: Bikini Test Failure
Album and (Year): Another Day, Another Fat Pile of Cash (2006)
Songs: God Only Knows (What's Going On)
Bikini Test Failure isn't just another pretty reference to atomic energy. It's the brainchild of a fellow named James in Manchester, England, who writes, performs and produces everything on the new album, "Another Day, Another Fat Pile of Cash." If you like strong, solid Brit-rock with a side of sensitive sarcasm, he's your man.

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P.S. Here's another pic from Joe Del Tufo. I have laser-like focus when I'm on the air.

And here's what my buddy Ryan thought of the photo of me in the article: "Nice tattoo, tough guy." He then attached his version of my photo...

I still have last week's playlist to publish, so I'll get to that in the next day or two. I'm missing this week's show. A very nice man named Mark is filling in for me, so be sure to tip him as you would your regular DJ. I'll be back on the air next week!