Unsolicited CD Review: Sunfold, "Toy Tugboats"

so here's another CD I got randomly in the mail. It's kind of noodley/singer-songwritery. I think if you like G. Love and Special Sauce and that kind of semi-hippie jazzy funky loungey rock stuff, you might like them. At times it kind of sounds like Top 40 Alternative type stuff. "Shapeshiftin'" is a countryish stomper, and probably the song I like best. The singer seems like he's trying to sound like a jazz singer, Michael Buble or something. Otherwise, steer clear.

The Duke Spirit - Neptune

so this is one of the many free CDs that have been stacking up lately, and I picked it because I've heard of them somewhere and they have a good band name and album cover. It's not exactly a science.

Neptune starts out with solid, straight-ahead guitar rock - the band's singer, Leila Moss, has a big voice and an accent, immediately making me think of The Sounds. However, The Duke Spirit's music isn't dancey and angular like The Sounds, it's got a bigger, more fleshed out sound, and is a little bluesy. The band is English, but Moss's accent is hard to place, sounding almost Scandinavian at times - maybe that's just her gravelly (and appealing) cords and the production, which gives her voice a bit of a warm, 60s feel.

The songs are unique enough to not remind of anything in particular, and they're solid and interesting, with a bit of sinister atmosphere - "Dog Roses" sounds like it could be the soundtrack for a firing squad scene in some black and white movie. The songs whip by at about 3 minutes each, with guitar fuzz and additions like horns and the occasional glockenspiel. "The Ship Was Built to Last" has a bit of a noisy, angry Giant Drag thing going on and later songs like "Lassoo" and "Neptune's Call" remind me a bit of late 90s groups like Lush.

There really isn't a weak track, and while none stick out as singles (maybe "My Sunken Treasure"), it's a very good record. Each time I hear it I pick out a new favorite song, and I have a feeling I'll be listening to it a lot from now on - there's a lot of variety here.

The band's on tour now, but there's no DC show, although they'll be on Leno tomorrow (7/22). Neptune is out now on Shangri-La/Alternative Distribution. Here's their Myspace.

Unsolicited CD Review: El Perro Del Mar

so this was one of the acts I've heard of before getting the CD, though I didn't know much. Despite the name ("the dog of the sea"), El Perro Del Mar is a solo Swedish woman named Sarah Assbring. Pretty funny name.

Anyway, on her album "From the Valley to the Stars," she sings breezy, summery, sometimes silly songs. To keep up the sibiliance, they're sometimes sixties and sometimes slight as well. "You Can't Steal a Gift" sounds a bit like a 50's R&B number and has smiley little keyboard "bwow bwows", while "How Did We Forget" features soft 60's style horns, and "Glory to the World" (check out the mp3) is a nice and slow little ditty.

The songs are quick, most under three minutes, and they're gentle but not quite twee, like "To Give Love." There's a little bit of keyboard, some soft drums, and generally that's about it, plus some atmospherics. I wish there were more songs like "Somebody's Baby," which is almost Sloan-like, quicker and punchier, with insistent but soft drums and nice multilayered vocals. Assbring has a great voice, and they seem better utilized on songs like "Somebody's Baby."

In all, the album is a fun little summer cupcake. I think it'd make a nice soundtrack for lounging in bed on a Sunday morning, or maybe floating in the pool on a nice day. El Perro Del Mar is currently on tour with Lykke Li, another Swede, who I also plan to review.

Here's her Myspace and her Wikipedia.

Unsolicited CD Review #2 : Hello Tokyo - Sell the Stars

so I get a lot of free CDs in the mail. Today's is Hello Tokyo's album "Sell the Stars."

One of my main determinants in whether I listen to a CD is A. is it metal, and B. how's the album cover. I tend to get a lot of metal CDs - if you want them, let me know. As for the album cover, if it looks cheesy or has a lame font, odds are the album will be similarly cheesy or lame. If it looks professional and/or cool, then maybe the band is also professional and/or cool - the odds increase, at least. Maybe that's a dumb way to do things, but I usually get a CD a week or so, and I haven't heard of most of the bands.

As for this CD, Hello Tokyo has a nice album cover, and they play in DC a fair amount,so I assumed they were a DC band. They're actually from Brooklyn, a three-piece power pop group with a female singer. The album is well-produced and all, but it's basically mid-90s style power pop - think Material Issue, the Smithereens, Catatonia, Magnapop, or Matthew Sweet's non-good tracks. The music doesn't really stand out and the singer is a little too over-the-top for me. If you're into that genre of music, check them out. Otherwise, steer clear. But hey, just my opinion.

so I decided to do brief CD reviews of discs I get in the mail, I'm going to call them "Unsolicited CD Reviews."

The very first Unsolicited CD Review is "Beautiful Targets" by Hopewell. I'll listen to any band whose name I think is referring to archaeology, so hey.

The songs are big-sounding, high energy, choppy, and keyboard-driven. The latter makes sense as band leader Jason Russo used to play keyboards for Mercury Rev. A lot of the songs start of quiet but get loud and insistent - the instrumentation almost becomes too much at times, like on "Windy Day (Giant Dancers)," where it sounds like Trans-Siberian Orchestra/prog. At other times it sounds like the score from a musical, but done in rock.

Album opener "In Full Bloom", "Monolith," and "Over and Over" are the most interesting to me because they're catchy and busy but don't go as overboard as the rest. The vocals on "All Angels Road" are kind of annoying, and "Bethlehem" sounds a little Teenage Fanclubby, but with somewhat unpleasant vocals. Those vocals are a theme of the album - high but not quite falsetto and a little annoying at times.

I think if you like big, insistent, over-the-top semi-indie rock (later Smashing Pumpkins, for example), Hopewell is for you. Although with this photo, I can't help but like them.

I give "Beautiful Targets" three unsolicited CDs out of five.