In Brief
A few quick reviews of records that have been hanging around for some time now. Thanks to those people who continue to have faith in my reviewing by sending CDs etc for my consideration. I am doing my best to cover as many as I am able to get my head around!
[In case you don’t already know, the past year has been a nightmare for me. My brother killed himself in Spain leaving my aged and demented mother homeless over there . I have tried with only limited success to come to terms with the situation and while my mother is now comfortably housed in a very nice care home, there are outstanding financial questions to be resolved. And I have not yet properly dealt with the loss of my brother.]
Colbie Caillat: Coco
Island Records 1740518
If this record had been released in the 1970s, when the whole singer/songwriter student garret thing was at its peak, I’m convinced it would have been a monster hit album across the world.
Colbie’s voice is dreamy, seductive and beguiling, her tunes being, mostly, gently muted soul inspiring love songs. The visual image is of a beautiful young woman making her way in life through the perpetual California beach-based summer.
Delightful, in fact, for anyone who hasn’t lived through the disenchantment of the last 30 years of Thatcherism, Globalisation and Climate Change.
This record is for people who want to ignore real life so completely that the most you can worry about what colour handbag to carry today.[Which could just turn out to be a significant part of the population!]
It lacks any sort of innovation or bite which makes one sit up and exclaim, ‘Hey, this woman really has something to say!’ All this is a great shame, but to make an impact on the music business, you really need to have more to offer than this.
Mighty Girl: Long Gone
www.myspace.com/mightygirlmusic
This record is far more to my liking.
The whole thing seems to belong to the present century. It’s earthy and realistic and the music pays attention to the historical development of rock since those heady days of hippiedom when everything was so potentially ‘NICE’ [I know it never really was – but Colbie Caillat still seems to labour under that illusion!].
I’m trying my best to pigeonhole this record but I can’t – that has to be a positive thing. I notice Mighty Girl are in a similar quandary – they use those meaningless standbys ‘Indie/Pop/Rock’ on their MySpace page.
It’s just good old fashioned (in the nicest possible way) MUSIC!
I am Not Lefthanded: Yes Means No
www.myspace.com/iamnotlefthandedeither
A delightful little album of melancholic songs by this band originating from Dublin, complete with the sweetly lilting voice of Kathryn.
This music brings the singer/songwriter style into the twenty-first century and seems far more appropriate to me than poor old Colbie’s fluffy stuff {see above}.
Not much more to be said really. A little gem!
Misery Guts: Trying to be the Sun
Electric Sheep Records
www.myspace.com/miserygutsmusic
With a name like Misery Guts, you can't really fail, can you?
Great modern folk music this, complete with plinky-plonky mandolin sounds.
It’s got all the elements you require in the genre – drama, singability, funkiness, originality, humour, etc, etc, etc. One of the best records I’ve heard in ages.
The Myspace page is brilliant too – lots of cartoons illustrating the songs. Go take a look now!
Audio Justice: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank
www.audiojustice.com www.myspace.com/audiojustice
This is one of those truly remarkable very high quality records entirely the work of one person. In this case the responsible party is one Dan Furr working out of Cambridge [UK].
This guy plays all sorts of instruments, selecting them well to suit each individual song. And each song is the biz.
The overall sound displays manifold influences – I’d slot it into a sort of fusion category I guess – prog meets postpunk – not that it matters..... It’s WAY KOOL.
Required listening!
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