Around Hear: May 2012

With equal influence from The Allman Brothers and Jeff Beck as Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, The Flyin’ Ryan Brothers offer a plethora of dueling guitars throughout Under The Influence. While the guys certainly have chops, the shred-heavy, jammy tendencies get redundant after awhile, but at least they interject variety between fierce licks and more laid-back grooves. (ryanetics.com)
— Andy Argyrakis

The worlds of melodic and progressive rock converge on Arion‘s debut, A New Dawn Rising, though the trio’s been music making together in various incarnations for more than three decades. As a result, the project sounds tight and polished, recalling the likes of The Alan Parsons Project, Kansas, and Toto, wrapped crisply in the band’s co-production with Kevin Chalfant (707, The Storm, Two Fires) and mixing from Beau Hill (Alice Cooper, Winger). (ariontheband.com)
— Andy Argyrakis

Death Ships is an odd choice to name a band whose collection of 10 shimmering/jangly alt/pop/Americana songs on Circumstantial Chemistry are much more Midwest amber waves of grain than the dark, storm-tossed ocean variety. Being firmly produced, with assured songcraft and playing gives rise to infectious hooks throughout; and when all the guitars start cooking, the music soars like a Foo Fighters-infused-Wilco worthy of wider recognition. (facebook.com/Deathships)
— David C. Eldredge

Armed with a Midwestern roots rock ethos (think Cracker meets Wilco), Jeff Elbel + Ping turn in a batch of provocative songwriting and instrumental prowess throughout the Peanut Gallery EP. The project includes lyric-laden and instrumental versions of the same songs, but no matter what the format, these organic barnburners are sure to usher in both reflective and jubilant vibes. (marathonrecords.com/ping)
— Andy Argyrakis

The band name might come from a Caribou song, but the title of Hello Hammerheads‘ Greatest Hits LP and the presence of a revisionary, new-wave cover of “Can’t Fight This Feeling” suggest nefarious intentions. That these things all coalesce around Matt Ammerman’s Postal Service/Notwist-referencing bedroom-electro project will give his analyst plenty of starting points. Interviewing the girl who broke his heart might be a good idea, too. (mattammerman.com)
— Steve Forstneger

Spliced guitar parts, machine-gun drum blasts, chanted psychedelic metal, all spun on the backdrop of a warped White Zombie LP: oh, to be inside Kizer Von Lycan‘s head. It’s difficult to decide whether the unrefined nature of the recordings enhance or betray the intent: brutal acts, by definition, lack rhyme and reason. But in music, perhaps there should be a higher standard. (reverbnation.com/KizerVonLycan)
— Kevin Keegan

Left Turn At Albuquerque‘s full-length debut, In Broad Daylight, is noteworthy for the way guitarist Jeff Churchwell and keyboardist Sarah Scanlon weave their voices throughout melodic arrangements. At times, the folk-rock trio (bassist Joe Nemec is the third member) drifts into pretentious material like”Kaliedoscope,” but succeeds with clever C&W toe-tapper “Respectable” and the rapid-fire vocals of the band’s namesake track. (leftturnatalbuquerque.com)
— Terrence Flamm

There’s nothing wrong with A Feminist Manifesto, the most recent EP from Heather O’Neill. Unfortunately, there’s also nothing special about it. The Irish-born artist does a creditable job on all six tunes, but other than some unexpected brass on “Ballerina In A Bullfight” and a few nice turns of phrase on “Monique,” her efforts are neither moving nor memorable. (heather-oneill.com)
— Jeff Berkwits

When Quesne kicks off The Chicago Code with clips from the canceled police procedural, you kind of expect the 17-track outing to be an indictment of local political culture. But the first track’s about smokin’ ‘n’ drankin’. Then we get the first of four, unfortunate local sports anthems. Throw in Swizz Beatz-aping production, and by the time you crawl past the finish line, you can’t quite remember what happened — other than it was a mess. (reverbnation.com/quesne)
— Kevin Keegan

Artists will often do anything to get their music heard, but few have their pictures plastered on cans of chili. That’s just one of the many things differentiating Jessica Rae from the typical country music singer/songwriter. Another is her exquisite voice, exhibited most notably on the stirring “24 Hour Church (In Memphis).” Based on the 12 tunes on her self-titled debut, chili cans are the first of numerous places folks will soon be seeing her. (jessicaraemusic.com)
— Jeff Berkwits

Stone Black‘s eight-song Villains Of Infamy would make a great soundtrack to playing Dungeons & Dragons. Lyrically, the themes (think golems, genies, and mummies) are covered in a storytelling (and at times clunky) vocal style, and since the band likes to jam power metal, a good portion of every song is instrumental. But the band’s chops carry it only so far, leading to repetitious riffage and, consequently, bloated song lengths. “Gorgons,” for example, riffs on for far too long. (stoneblackrocks.com)
— Jason Scales

Sunny Shadows, a duo comprising Pierogi and Circadian Bliss, offers eight epics brimming with ethereal vocals and lush keyboards on its debut, Coupled Lux Influx. A few tracks leave listeners drifting in space and the finale, “So So Mt. Fuji,” is dull and repetitive. The CD works best on songs like “Outlaw,” “On All Our Clouds,” and “Break In, Break Out,” where the synth beats are darker and more inventive. (sunnyshadowsmusic.com)
— Terrence Flamm

The eight-song (seven if one discounts 30-second one-off “Bill The Entertainer”) sampler Go Fun Yourself from sextet The Super Happy Fun Club is, quite simply, one of the most scintillating “unknown” debuts ever to grace this pair of ears. Obvious (but by no means negative) Green Day reference/comparison aside, the more nuanced production (excellent key flourishes, guys!) and vocal timbre also could be likened to, say, a more punked up Gin Blossoms graced with the mood of a less self-absorbed Strokes. The competency and quality of this entirely self-contained CD belies the band’s year-and-change existence. And if they can deliver the goods on stage, then Watch Out World (or WOW folks). (thesuperhappyfunclub.com)
— David C. Eldredge

A classic hard-rock ethos with a flair for the dramatic is the core of Thallium‘s music. “I Will,” the opening track on the band’s six-song demo CD, uses slinky guitar grooves and the occasional cowbell highlight to accentuate powerful female vocals belting out a ballad-worthy chorus of “I will always love you.” The production of the bass on “No Idea” gives a nod to Tool, while “Threadbare” features a male vocalist. While the midtempo rock might not be polished enough for arenas, it would play just fine in a barroom. (sonicbids.com/thallium)
— Jason Scales

Damien Thorne worships at the throne of (post-Ozzy) Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. The band’s 14-track End Of The Game is vintage high-octane hard rock whose holy tenet is the more power-chord progressions there are, the better. The relentless riffage and gruff vocals to match largely stay on the appropriate linear track, as on “Fistful Of Regret,” but at times get bloated and bogged-down, especially on the verse parts of “Face Reality.” (damienthorne.com)
— Jason Scales

As its name suggests, Top Shelf Lickers is a color-outside-the-lines sort of band. These guys take a stab at numerous genres on their debut, Head First, like shifting tempos and points of view on the coed indie rocker, “Fall For You,” and mixing the 1950s with reggae on “No One Knows.” Sometimes the results are sloppy, but it’s hard to resist the DIY fun of the harmonica-driven garage rock of “Off My Mind” and the revved-up punk of “Mr. McShakes.” (reverbnation.com/thetopshelflickers)
–Terrence Flamm

No one can accuse Bil Vermette of rushing to complete an album. It’s been seven years since his last CD, but Galaxies IV, his new release, finds him exploring similarly spellbinding space-music soundscapes. Divided across two discs, the 16 lengthy songs, each with an evocative title like “Bodes Nebula” or “Hidden Cave,” radiantly recall vintage electronic bands like Tangerine Dream and Cluster. (facebook.com/bilvermette)
— Jeff Berkwits

The experience of a decade-and-a-half as a band has taught Vultures Are Lovebirds to stick with what they know. A cinematic romanticism floods Falling Out, instantly recalling Afghan Whigs minus the sporting misogyny — nodded to with their own composition called “Mr. Superlove,” which is not the Whigs’ esteemed cover of an Ass Ponys track. A lighter side rubs elbows with Gin Blossoms on “Just One More,” while opener “Never Say Never” provides an unexpected route to edgier Death Cab For Cutie. (facebook.com/vulturesarelovebirds)
— Steve Forstneger

Chuck Maurer’s What Rebel began as a cover band in a west-suburban basement and eventually felt confident to move into originals. Tracks like “Rise Up” and “Time Is Running Out” force commonplace riffs and chord changes through a cardboard amplifier, only to compete in the clasutrophobic mix with click-track vocal performances and A/B (sometimes just A/A) rhyme schemes. Clearly this is an act in its infancy — or maybe it’s several weeks premature. (reverbnation.com/WhatRebel)
— Steve Forstneger

With so many aged pop stars performing the Great American Songbook, it’s easy to dismiss Sometimes I’m Happy as yet another effort to rejuvenate hoary harmonies. Yet newcomer Amy Yassinger does something few old hands have accomplished: delivering genuinely fresh interpretations of classic tunes. “Slow Boat To China” and “Bei Mir Bist Du Schon” are standouts, but almost all of the 11 melodies are delightful. This is one artist who proves that what’s old truly can be new again. (amydoesjazz)
— Jeff Berkwits

Category: Around Hear, Columns, Monthly