Alternative Rock music reviews

"Lost In The Rain," and "Bend The Light" you can actually picture the motion of the music in each song. "Lost In The Rain" and "Bend The Light" are two classics revisited on this album and are definitely the best versions to date. By far, the songs with the best and most vocal influence are the "Wait For You" and "Turn To Me." These two songs alone will either cause you to move gracefully or fall deep into a musical trance. Fighting Gravity's grooving, jamming sounds are highly hypnotic and will leave you seeking more. They have 5 albums before this one that you must check out if this disc amazes you, and it will. These guys are exactly what the modern rock music scene needs to revive itself.

well, i put off buying the cd, just because i figured i had enough cds. well, about two months ago, and decided, eh, what the heck, i'll buy it. i did. and i'm just as impressed as i was when i went to the concert, if not more. i haven't gotten tired of listening to them. they're almost as good as the pat mcgee band, who i'm absolutely crazy about (i recommend 'shine' too).

buy this cd. NOW. i may sound demanding, but its good advice. trust me.

"Anatomy" is another incredible soundtrack for the underbelly of America. Stan is the most under rated songwriter on this side of the Atlantic, with 12 new examples that labor the point.

The "Anatomy" CD art is a nod to film scoring, with a nice take/update of the jacket for Duke Ellington's "Anatomy Of A Murder" soundtrack, by way of the graphics used in the TV show "The Wild Wild West."

The two tracks pulled from the "Film Songs" EP sound a bit better here. "Susie Before Sunrise" sounds a little more crisp, while "Deep Blue Polka Dot" (aka "Deep Inside We're Blue") gets a bit of a remix.

The use of instrumental interludes are perfected on this record. You can almost see the betrayal (A desparate kiss? Or maybe a tired sunrise) during "Murray's Steakhouse Story," while "Mickey The Priest" is an absolutely creepy interlude, bringing "Valerie Is Sleeping" and "Mama Had A Stove" together brilliantly. The triptych works well as a companion to Richard Thompson's "Killing Jar," while "Sixteen Tons" is going to stand as the definitive read for a long, long time.

This record doesn't have the viciousness of "Drywall" and isn't as dark as "Black Diamond." It reads like "Mosquitos" without the humor.

The liquid audio software included sets up easy, and the downloads were hassle free. The software has been working error free on a laptop w/NT Workstation 4.0 & SP3.

A five star rating for a six star record.

"Maybe someday you'll finally reveal / something you stole, or something you'll steal."

But I digress. Obviously all the reviewers of this record highly recommend it, and I'm no exception. The music is absolutely awesome, and the information (including translations) inside the jacket is priceless. You can also find more stuff on Luakabop.com

Like many countries that have had to put up with hard-line political regimes, music has always been an outlet to vent social & political frustrations, document life and present hope even in the darkest hours. The lightness of much Brazilian pop is often confused for music without guts. It is hard to imagine the music presented here as being in any way dangerous, but the military regime that controlled Brazil during the late '60s and early '70s found it very subversive. So much so that the artists Caetano Veloso & Gilberto Gil were exiled and lived in London for several years. The sleeve notes document all of this extremely well and present the lyrics to each track in the original Portuguese as well as the English translation. There is also a list of the original albums this compilation was derived from, many of which are well worth seeking out (Milton Nascimento's "Clube Da Esquina" being a prime example).

Most of the music on this CD is from the 70's. It's funk, acoustic, guitar, harmonic, vocal, melodic brilliance. Many of 'thee' Brazilian musical exponents are represented here (Jorge Ben, Maria Bethany, Milton Nascimento, Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Caetano Veloso etc.). There's even a track about football: Jorge Ben's "Umbabarauma" (which has been sampled by Fila Brazillia on the track "Pots and Pans"). It's obvious that this is just the tip of the Brazilian iceberg and it would be hard for a single CD to cover all the aspects & diversity present in Brazilian music. So if you want get started I'd buy this CD, I guarantee that after hearing it you will crave for MORE! (The good news is that Luaka Bop's releases are already in double figures.)...

Of course all this atmosphere would just meander aimlessly were it not for sharp, solid songwriting, as well as the conviction that emotive singer/songwriters Forster and McClennan bring to their insightful, adult tales of love and loss. "Steets of Your Town" is one of the most beautiful, infectious tunes they've ever done, while its line "watch the butcher shine his knives/and this town is full of battered wives" makes for some brilliant, stinging irony. Likewise, Forster's hook-filled, moving "You Can't Say No Forever" features another thorn beneath the rose with "Yes my world's tumbling down/stone by stone to the ground/please take out the garbage". Brilliant.

What also makes this album different from its predecessors is the ease with which it all seems to come together. On the surface, the songs all seem to have a simple, even effortless quality, though repeated listens expose the complexity and sophistication lurking not far behind the soothing sounds. That they can take simple elements like acoustic guitars and major chords, and weave them into something so refined, demonstrates the brilliance and resourcefulness of this criminally under-appreciated band. This may not be their best album ("Liberty Belle" holds that proud title, in my humble opinion), but it's none the less a fine example of their now legendary, timeless approach to pop.