Misselenaeous Records 12/12/09
Genre: Goth Surf Shoegaze

The End of Midnight. A proclamation or a surrender?  Or both?

When midnight ends will it break a spell?  Reveal ancient secrets?  Or set your soul alight?  So asks Elena Gonzales on her self produced debut EP.

What is midnight?  An hour cast between days, bestride the what was and what will be.  We find solace and enchantment there, terror and courage.  On these 5 songs, Ms. Gonzales holds you captive there.  Her haunting vocals, shimmery and evocative, seem to beckon you to forgotten, or as yet undiscovered places.  Places at once luminous and foreboding.  Hidden in shadow and, like a veil, all the more mesmerizing for it.  Resonant, atmospheric guitars usher you into this hither-to-forbidden world, sounding seductive, sinister and slightly forlorn; like they are echoing off the walls of Dracula’s bed chamber.   The hypnotic drum beats and sibilant, creepy cymbals keep things hovering just above ground, careful not to fracture the nether world looking-glass Ms. Gonzales has fashioned for her own amusement. And perhaps ours.  This wall of sound, more specter than Phil Spector, creates a lush, almost cinematic atmosphere…A perfect backdrop for a beyond the grave circa 1970s horror soundtrack, if you will.  In an almost tongue in cheek manner these songs ask, if love is thwarted in this world, why not try the next?  They invite you to lightheartedly consider, what it might be like to be cosseted away in such a chimera, where one’s spirit prevails over the banal distractions and limitations encountered here on Earth.  Ms. Gonzales creates a world where suspending disbelief is not only possible, but preferable.  If only for a moment.

theendofmidnight.bandcamp.com

S Curve Records 8-07315-9-0012-0, 2009
Genre: Power Pop

SHE SAID (Athena Butterfield)

Litany:

A recording such as this could illicit unbridled delight or scrimy cynicism.  Who could have imagined these individuals appearing on a supergroup short list?  Taylor Hanson of Hanson, James Iha of The Smashing Pumpkins, Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne and, to make it even more delectable and viable, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick.  Theoretically this should be a much more interesting, if not an absolutely genius recording.  Not to suggest that the luminaries involved are anything but talented, with years of writing, recording and touring to their credit.  This recording is brilliantly performed by all, even though they sound like they were hired for a summertime movie soundtrack.

This is a rare and ultimately disappointing case where the sum is less than it’s parts. They lack chemistry, the magic and glue that makes a band better than it’s individual parts.  This feels a bit clinical, like a power pop experiment, but sadly, without the experimental element.  Though, these are seemingly perfect, by-the-book pop songs, they seem rote and formulaic, lacking anything like sincere urgency, tension, euphoria, or longing to make them truly perfect.  The lyrics are beyond cliche, if they were intended to be light and tongue in cheek, then that should be more apparent both in content and vocal delivery.  Many a fantastic power pop band have written songs about just such cliches, but infused them with wit or a perspective that makes them seem original, or at least compelling.  To get everyone involved to make time to record this had to have been a huge feat and to sell it short in such a way is a shame, all the more so given the merits of those involved.  Mr.  Hanson has a very pleasant voice, a perfect pop voice, actually.  And the discipline to sing like he means it, even when he can’t possibly.

This does seem like a bit of a vehicle providing Mr.  Hanson a chance to grow and shine as a singer/songwriter, which to his credit he does.  And add a little street cred to his reputation, but not too much, mind you.  It gives Mr. Iha and Mr. Schlesinger a rather nice paycheck, I should hope, as well as showcasing their song writing skills to create something of a concept album.  It gives Mr. Carlos an excuse to take his slippers off, put his pipe down and show the kids how it’s really done.   All good things.

This should be a fantastic power pop recording and oh, how I truly wish it was.  These songs are catchy beyond belief and well crafted and polished, with all manner of little artful asides and surprises to show that everyone had done their time or done their homework.  But, it’s not enough, as Mr.  Thunders once said.  Perhaps we are projecting our deepest desire for a world dominating power pop band we can finally rejoice over in this myspace 15 minutes of fame world, but we are projecting that desire on something transparent and thin.  Something like a Tinted Window.

Summary:

Kind Of A Girl – Redd Kross meets Rick Springfield high energy pop.  Did I mention Cheap Trick?

Messing With My Head – Yawn inspiring repetitive riffs.

Dead Serious – Superchunk opening, made me want to listen to Seed Toss and It’s So Hard to Fall in Love instead.

Can’t Get A Read On You – High energy, very catchy pop.  Did I mention Cheap Trick yet?

Back With You – Lovely guitar opening.  Good track.

Without Love – Did I mention Cheap Trick?

Cha Cha – Sham Glam Thank You Ma’am.  Back in The New Jersey Groove.  Kill me now lyrics.

We Got Something – More power pop.  Great chorus.

Nothing To Me – Will Badfinger and Big Star get royalties for this?   One of the better tracks.

Doncha Wanna – Half the opening guitar from Mazzy Star’s Blue Flower, Stone Roses thereafter.  Good track.

Take Me Back – Hold on Loosely by 38 Special.  Not pretty.  Sorry.

Grade: B-

HE SAID (DJ Father Time)

S Curve Records 8-07315-9-0012-0, 2009
Genre: Power Pop

Unabashedly power pop! There are no apologies here for the amount of sugar poured on these tracks. Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne has been a purveyor of power pop, but when listening to Fountains, you often wonder how deep the tongue goes into the cheek. Here, there is no joke, this is pure sucrose.

Along with bassist Schlesinger, Tinted Windows is guitarist James Iha, late of Smashing Pumpkins, drummer Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick and vocalist Taylor Hanson on “MMM Bop” fame. And I’ll admit, I may the only forty-something man in America that has the balls (or lack there of) to say I liked “MMM Bop.” To me, it was no different than singles by the 1910 Fruitgum Co. or the Ohio Express. Plus it was better than anything Ashley Simpson or the likes could muster. And it showed its roots. I applaud them for that.

I never looked beyond the single though and now here is Hanson huddled in a reputable group. In the crafty hands of Schlesinger, Hanson’s voice is well-suited to spill the sweetest pop. I can only imagine that Bun E. Carlos’ presence bolstered the band’s edge a bit. The Cheap Trick influence rings true.

Big guitar hooks, stuttered lyrics, pet names, hand claps and a contrived innocence add up to great bubble gum album. Don’t look for depth, studio trickery or raw emotion in this offering, just slide around in the silvery syrup.

Iha’s “Cha Cha” should have been a AM pop hit, but sadly, AM radio no longer exists. Schlesinger’s “Dead Serious” is a power ballad that could fail in any body else’s hands, riding so close to the 80’s hair metal bands that it is a guilty pleasure, but it works better than the other slower-tempo cut, “Back With You.” “Messing With My Head” displays some pop vocal gymnastics with Taylor Hanson hitting some high notes with a vibrato shrill that wiggles like cherry Jell-O.

The band saves the best for last with a trio of killers, starting with the Hanson written “Nothing To Me”, to “Doncha Wanna” and finishing with “Take Me Back.” Hanson co-wrote “Take Me Back” with Schlesinger, and I find the Hanson contributions to be the best tracks on the CD. “Nothing To Me” rings with a Beatlesque riff circa Yesterday and Today. “Doncha Wanna” sounds like an unreleased Cheap Trick single and “Take Me Back” is the most polished song on the record. Really, the record is all super glossy, but that’s what power pop should be. Music diabetics beware, this shit is super sweet and I like it that way.

Whether the quartet makes another record or not, Tinted Windows has shown me enough to be interested in a future Taylor Hanson project. One thing the project did succeed with was showcasing Hanson as a pop singer and gave us a glimpse into his song writing abilities. The rest of the band members have enough credibility to carry on with or without Tinted Windows as a vehicle.

Grade: B+

Cheeky Records 8-07315-9-0012-0, 2009
Genre: Power Pop

Hooked or hoodwinked?

Litany:

Hells Bloody Bells! The production on this recording is so mannered and contrived. The band and material seem lost in its wake. Too lavish in its adornment, layering instrument upon instrument, harmony upon harmony, effect upon effect. Too slavish in its adoration of the almighty power pop aesthetic of the 60’s (at times filtered through 80’s), an irresistible touchstone in pop music, but here, it feels hijacked and hollow. The merit of a brilliant producer can’t be denied, but their hand (or sleight of hand) shouldn’t overshadow, but underscore. Many amazing recordings are even more polished and produced, but it comes down to whether a band can carry it off and whether decisions about placement and proportion of such enhancements actually work. Incredibly dodgy decisions were made on this recording, though everyone involved clearly thought: “Awesome, dude, pass the bong.” Phil Spector notwithstanding, few producers hold a gun to a bands collective head to assert their will and that’s a good thing, right? I get the feeling this band emerged in the mid to late 90s and that their previous recordings, were probably better. Sometimes a band reaches the point where they feel a need to prove they have “evolved” (usually around their 3rd recording). This urge to show that they can really play and write serious songs can result in terrible recordings. Not every band has a Rubber Soul in them, and that’s ok.

Musical instruments abound here: bongos, guitar, mandolin, keys, horns, strings, maracas, tambo, banjo, what I can only hope is Andrei Rublev’s Bell and, believe it or not, more. Self consciously clever, nudge nudge wink wink flourishes seem disingenuous, one dimensional and detract much. It’s all here: The musicianship is certainly competent. The songs are well crafted with happy hooks, nice transitions and melodic counterpoints. The lyrics aspire to a certain world weary ennui and resignation; with arch observations contrasted with reluctant romantic idealism. All things that if done with more sincerity and passion and less embellishment would make this a great recording.

Summary:

Track 1: Is this Paul Williams? Paul Westerberg? The strings, ostensibly meant to reinforce the sincerity of the over-earnest lyrics, seem maudlin. Here’s a nudge nudge wink wink part (of which there are many), they finish the song on a melodically unresolved note, as if the string section were so overwhelmed with angst they couldn’t play that last note, as if it symbolized hope, now long lost.

Track 2: Upbeat and catchy, opens with foreboding bells a’ tolling. Ironic contrast? The breakdown ending seems completely out of context. Restraint would have made this track (and others) classic.

Tracks 3 & 4: Though laden with infectious hooks, suffers from an array of self indulgent, over-the-top interludes.

Track 5: It’s wistfulness benefits from less excess.

Track 6: Borrows heavily from Starting Over by John Lennon, but he borrowed too.

Track 7: Show World era Redd Kross?

Track 8: Opens with sinister Raw Power-esque keys, echoing the haunted, self recriminatory tone of our singer. But does he mean it?

Track 9: Thankfully, more bittersweet, jangly power pop.

Track 10: This ostentatious 7 minute song begins with Bauhaus creepiness and settles into U2 cant and then slithers to hitherto unknown depths of remarkable self indulgence. Fade out song after harpsichord solo (yes, harpsichord solo) at 2.38 if you hope to retain any regard for this band and not leap forthwith out the nearest open window. The most ridiculous, utterly unsuccessful 3 minute ending (isn’t that an oxymoron?) I’ve ever heard!! Ultimately, a terrible pastiche of Tomorrow Never Knows. Though, Soylent Green doesn’t get mentioned in songs much these days. There was a time when it was all anyone sang about…

Track 11: Globe of Frogs era Robyn Hitchcock?

Track 12: Perspex Island era Robyn Hitchcock?

Track 13: Better, more heartfelt for the veneer stripping, even with psychedelic cicada outro