The Glossy Rock Mag Review, #2

The Good:

Alison Brown – Stolen Moments
The CD instructs one to “file under: BLUEGRASS (more or less)” and that’s just about right. Brown plays banjo. She’s really good. There’s a great cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Homeward Bound,” and when the songs get jazzy and go off on tangents, they’re great. This verges dangerously into easy-listening, though.

Missy Higgins – The Sound Of White
Ok, I guess this is pretty bland, and not nearly as good as my other Australian female singer-songwriter acquisition, but she’s got a nice voice and this doesn’t play into American pop radio cliches. At least, not to the point of irritation. If you like Natalie Imbruglia, Sarah McLachlan, early Jewel…yeah. Me too.

The Bad:
Secret Machines – The Road Leads where It’s Led EP
This won’t play on my computer. Word on the street is that it’s awesome.

OK Go – Do What You Want single
Art Brut – “Good Weekend” > Weezer > OK Go. Not bad. Just bland.

The Ugly:

The Evil Queens – First It Boils, Then It Spills
More like the Evil Queens Of The Stone Age. Yuck.

The Peppermints – Jesus Chryst
We all love Animal Collective. This band is on their label. They play incoherent, poorly recorded ’60s freak-out music. And suck, a lot.

more updates when i finish off this stack of records.

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The Glossy Rock Mag Review was a short-lived column where I posted brief first impressions of albums, in the style of a glossy rock magazine.