Indie and Lo-Fi music reviews

It's completely possible Jack Logan meant this album as a throw-away album. It's a testament to two things--1) Logan wears his ability to write great music with an amazing degree of humility, and 2) Major labels are staffed by fools.

This album, put out by Logan himself on his own label, while small by his standards (Bulk, his debut, had 42 tracks) is still an incredible piece of work. He again crosses all sorts of genre pigeon-holing with an ease that would make Ray Charles proud and make Alanis Morissette give up trying to write (or sing) songs altogether.

"Tinker" is the unassuming follow-up to Logan's well-received, publicly ignored middle label debut "Buzz Me In" (another fine album, which plenty of other customers would tell you).

Here, it is just Logan and his back-up band (the Liquor Cabinet) and assorted friends. It recalls "Bulk"'s simplicity and that album's cross-section of genres. There's the planitive, small town ballad (Allison Hilliard); the moody and somewhat disturbing take on unrequited love (my favorite, "Trinket"); the road-weary hitch-hiking tune ("Walking Time") and even the pure rocking pleasure, complete with background vocals of "do do do" over heavy guitar, of "Kissing the Wall"

My one word of warning--when you buy this album, and play it for friends, do not let them borrow it. I made that mistake, and haven't seen my copy since.

Another funny, touching, leftfield songcycle from a backroads troubadour/tinkerer. Great recording.

In the loosest sense, Half-Handed Cloud is Christian music.

No, not generic pop-rock that tells you to love Jesus or else. Instead, "We Haven't Just Been Told, We've Been Loved" lives up to its title -- it's charming, joyous, energetic music that is equal parts psychedelica and circus folk. And yes, those twee little songs are centered on the Bible.

The songs are also very short -- the longest is less than three minutes long, and the shortest is only twenty-six seconds long. But from the start, it's a charming experience: John Ringhofer sings cheerily over a clashing piano-pop melody and the odd burst of kazoo. "Not because you were exhausted/but because of the perfected/finished work of your creation..."

But if you listen carefully, you'll hear a bit of a spiritual odyssey woven into the album -- Ringhofer describes his own past problems and arrogance, and adds quizzically, "I am humiliated/and I am ashamed/disgrace, dishonor/it makes me wonder why you keep on waiting."

Not all the songs are so personal -- some of them are just cheery, optimistic little pop songs about the Biblical Samuel, absentmindedly sowing seeds, kings and princes, and needing new pairs of glasses. The final song has the weirdest lyrics -- "I was balding like a berry/but my knees were always hairy..." Hello, oddball songwriting! It's not Ringhofer's most charming, nor his most imaginative, but it's weird and cheery enough to be enchanting.

As the labelmate to Sufjan Stevens, Ringhofer has actually done something difficult -- he's created religious pop that isn't going to make the non-religious run for the hills. Instead, it's just warm, cuddly music that happens to have religious lyrics, with no preaching and more reflections on being loved and loving.

Vocally, Ringhofer is a dead ringer for Wayne Coyne -- he's got that off-key thing down. And it works very well with his music, which tends to be either acoustic guitar or some very fast piano; he also adds a carnival sound with xylophones, kazoos, and the odd cash register sound. And, of course, bursts of horns and the odd bit of echo effect.

Half-Handed Cloud is in their second-best shape here, with an unusual concept album wrapped up in weird pop melodies. Why can't there be more music like this album?

On the second listen of this album, I fell in love with it. Overflowing with a wide variety of vocal and instumental melodies, it's like someone took the best minutiae from a thousand pop, folk, and Christian songs and compressed them into one record. If you're someone who dislikes musical repetition, then you certainly shouldn't miss this: feel-good music that's bursting at the seams with creativity and imagination. I also find it to be subtly humorous in spots; how else can you describe an artist imporing you at the start of a song to "Please listen", immediately following this with some playful kazoo-ing. Very highly recommended.

Actually, this is very adult music-- think Brian Wilson meets Daniel Johnson-- made by one John Ringhofer, a man with a particular vision and a singular (read: childlike) voice. But he approaches his music like a child, and like a child his imagination and energy abound in both music and lyrics. Half-Handed Cloud's approach to songwriting-- whimsical and weighty at the same time, and above all brief-- is jarring at first, and his eclectic instrumentation amplifies the apparent eccentricity. But a close listen to this album reveals it to be a towering accomplishment, inventive and layered. And for Christians: know that this is a re-introduction to the Lord by a musician who knows how to communicate his childlike faith-- that is, his music will make you wide-eyed and innocent again.

Why is that last guy describing a Sugar Ray album instead of this one?

What can you say bad about 25 Suaves? I mean, they have it all. Cool beats, a good vocalist, and deep meanings in all of their songs. This album combines awesome guitar riffs, hip island beats, and a little touch of classic rock n' roll on "Disasterpiece". Any band that can combine all of these elements of music has to have outstanding talent. who else out their can mix reggae and rock together and make it sound good? I am betting a lot of fans out their didn't expect 25 Suaves to pull of another hit album like "14:59" and "Floored". Boy, did they ever prove them wrong! I bet anyone out there all the money in the world that "When it's Over" will be one of the big summer hits of 2001.

On a final note, 25 Suaves is not dead by far...and the same goes to ROCK in general. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND BUY THIS ALBUM!

There is no "was". Five Eight still tours religiously. They have been playing all over the south since the 90's and just recently toured with REM. This truly is the best rock band you've never heard of, and the albumns barely do them justice. You must see them live!

Okay, "Mystery James" probably couldn't be the Brokeback Mountain theme song, although it is a song of sexual mystery. But if you have been listening to contemporary music thinking "where the hell is the rock?" and "why can't anybody write original rock songs anymore?" and "why am I listening to "Have a Nice Day"for the fortieth mediocre time?" then perhaps you would be well served to step back a few years and pick up this gem of an album.

In fact, now is a wonderful time to go back a few years and pick up a lot of "alternative" albums you never got around to buying. Then, you can surround yourself with some wonderful music until Kelly Clarkson gets a job at the Taco Belle or Burger King. You can revel in the genius of Five-Eight while watching the music industry ruin as many good bands as they support bad ones. You can feel "indy" again. Couldn't hurt.

Five-Eight's Weirdo is a great CD but if you were fortunate enough to see them live, as I was many times, you know that they were an onstage powerhouse of music and wit and amazing lyrics- a driving force of beat and passion and glorious noise. You can get this CD right now for pocket change. Jeez. You realize there are people on this website right now buying Coldplay CDs? And not for baby ching. There are cats right now listening to Nickelback who will never know the joys of really great bands like Five-Eight. And I'll bet they won't give you a penny back for that album, let alone a nickel. Fight the power, baby. Listen to something wonderful. Like Weirdo.

I girl in Athens got me into this band in 1996. Glad she did. Though this album, and the debut LP "I learned Shut Up" are hard to find, it is definitely worth the effort. Mike Mantione practically kills himself working his way through each song. Rock and Roll.

This is unlike any other album you may have. Much of it is performed a capella, or with spare, ominous instrumentation (most notably on "Spirit World Rising", as Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley and Lee Renaldo accompany Daniel). The entire set sounds like it was performed live, in an echoey church, and fittingly the last track is a hymn with an entire congregation joining in. This is an album about devils, vampires, spirits, tears (stupid tears), death, love, "SATAN!" and the Beatles. Welcome to the world of Daniel Johnston. My favorite of his albums, for its simplicity and power and beauty.

This is an album that will keep you company throughout your life, always by your side, reminding you that you are not alone. The feelings laid down by Daniel Johnston are so simple, universal, so frightening, and so beautiful. This is the music you feel inside yourself, quietly singing, but is seldom heard. It is living and breathing like so few works of art. Hopefully you come across it one day and hold on to it till the end.

now carpet people are the real deal. same with blithe...they have(had, now, sadly) an eerie ability to catch all your feelings and condense them into one song. I have NEVER NEVER met anyone who did not instantly weep on "Ive been trying to find a way." I know my review won't do them justice, and they're gone and I have to let it go. This is a very special record to me and I wanted to share its meaning with all of you. Go get yourself a copy...its the healthiest thing for you.

"Beercan" is the 2nd single off of Beck's breakthrough album "Mellow Gold", 5 tracks (24 min.) of which 4 are not on the album. "Beercan" is a great song, not as "essential" as "Loser" obviously, but a great dance tune.

The 4 extra tracks are what make this a necessary addition to any Beck fan's collection. "Got No Mind" is a lazy accoustic song, just great. "Asskizz Powergrudge" is Beck at his experimental best. "Totally Konfused" is another accoustic song, just great. "Spanking Room" is a 9 min. blowout of alterna rock, totally in line with 1994 (when this EP was issued).

Beck has done many different things, but he was never better than in the "Mellow Gold" era. By all means, buy this!

Okay so it's brit pop, it's catchy, fun, jingle janglely, been compaired to the Wedding Present but I really don't think they're all that alike. but then again I have a TON of Weddoes stuff so I might just be picky. This CD is great!!! you can sit around to it, dance to it, drive to it. What more could you want????? It's WAY better than oasis the closest thing i can think of compairing it to would be 14 iced bears This CD is just great Indierock fun.

A stunner, and after I've heard thousands of records few new finds retain the power for me to make this claim. While I've known of Knox for years, his discs on small indie labels remain elusive abroad. More reminiscent of Lennon, perhaps once-removed as in the style of Knox's near-contemporary Robyn Hitchcock, for both of these followers and expanders of both the semi-psychedelic later 60s and the singer-songwriter folk-inspired introspection of Dylan crossed with Richard Thompson, this collection carries more of a hazy vibe than his more clearly-recorded "Songs of You & Me" (also reviewed by me). I lower it from five stars because almost no album is perfect, Amazonians tend to over-praise music they like, and the lack of musical variation at times may lull the listener unintentionally.

This is not an album for background ambiance, or dinner parties, make-out sessions, slow dances, or casual listening. I could not listen often to the harrowing narrative of his father's death, the existentialist longing in a godless world, the litany of love and what we do for it, the experimental nature of track 13 that fades out and then adds after eight minutes three more uncredited songs, the somber lyrics juxtaposed with music that sounds composed on toy instruments: these are serious, well-crafted, and thoughtfully written songs. "Beat" demands attention. The music itself lacks the depth of a studio recording by a full-on band, but do not be fooled by this necessarily DIY approach--which has influenced more famous 90s U.S. alt-rock faves, by the way.

"Beat" flows smoother than "Songs," judged his best work. While it lacks the highs of that album, its consistency makes for a satisfyingly bold encounter with Knox. The stripped-down nature of his music, given his finances, forces you to confront him directly, without a fancy producer or background chorales.

I like all of the artists (save Jimbo) in the following list. But Knox, laboring in relative obscurity even among rock geeks, retains a loyalty to his craft that better-paid musical talents may have expressed less regularly, at least by those surviving and still recording in the mid-90s when Knox made this record.

This is not half-crocked Robert Pollard aping a Brit accent with tossed-off lines; this surpasses Robyn Hitchcock's too-often overly clever and analogically strained verbal riffs; this lacks the diffidence of Richard Thompson's cynical jibes; this adds a warmth and humility I find too often lacking in John Lennon. This rejects the willfully gnomic Dylan or the immaturely ranting Jim Morrison. Yet, it shares from all of these influences a committment that these other singer/songwriters sought to also express to truth, however awkwardly expressed, but recognizably human. Hunt this album down, listen to "Songs" and then this, write your own review, and tell your friends about him.

...who still has both ears. And his heart, obviously. This solo effort from Chris Knox of New Zealand's Tall Dwarfs is easily as good as any from his catalog, which means that it's a must buy for those who enjoy innovative music that is still deeply rooted in the folk/rock/pop gardens.
While his song structures remain fairly simple and his instrumentation sparse, Knox has branched out to include a horn section on several tracks (listen carefully for the horn section playing the melody from the Ramone's "Commando" at one point).

Musically, it ranges from elegaic,plaintative folk "When I Have Left this Mortal Coil" to frenetic pop "The Hell of It" with some fuzzy guitar work tossed in for good measure, whipped into a musical salad. Lyrically, Knox treats us to some of his best images ever, even if some are vaguely disturbing ('the afterbirth of love').

Not for everyone, but a must for those who enjoy challenging music.

If you are still waffling after reading this, just imagine what John Lennon might have sounded like if he had spent 5 or 6 years holed up in his kitchen dropping acid alone instead of baking bread for Yoko, recording alone straight to 4-track, creating a musical collage that's hooky enough to slide into your conciousness and spooky enough to engulf your dreams....

Chris Knox is THE man.

Of Montreal gets a bit philosophical in "The Bird Who Continues To Eat the Rabbit's Flower," an EP of pensive little dream-acid-folk songs. It's not their best material, but it's a fun diversion of strange little songs about men kissing men, crashing airplanes and spiritual "inner light."

It starts off with "You Are An Airplane," a laid-back little pop tune that announces, "When you crash I want to go down with you/We'll make such a horrible mess." It's followed up by the upbeat "Inner Light," and the bouncy gay anthem "When A Man Is In Love With A Man."

Things become more dramatic in the opener of the repentent "If I Faltered Slightly Twice," which seems to be a final plea for forgiveness. It's followed by by the messy, distorted "Disguises," which ends up being all the more fun because it's so chaotic. Following a couple of ordinary folk-pop tunes is "I Felt Like Smashing My Head Through A Clear Glass Window," a gloriously grumpy little song about smashing things.

Yes, Of Montreal is one of those crazy bands from the Elephant 6 Collective, who range from the mediocre to the insanely genius. This band creeps closer to genius -- they have their dud moments, but the general feel of "The Bird Who Continues To Eat the Rabbit's Flower" is of a playful, pensive little tapestry of sound.

Driving guitar melodies are in the middle of most of these songs, but Of Montreal was obviously spreading its wings at this time, given the warbling distortion of "Disguises." The distortion just drowns out the pop song, but it's mesmerizing. A gentle piano melody starts off "If I Faltered Slightly Twice," and electric organ in the finale is nothing short of glorious.

Kevin Barnes sounds right at home in the middle of all the weirdness, with his offbeat voice sometimes getting buried in the sound ("You Are an Airplane") and sometimes getting to take center stage ("On the Drive Home"). And his songs are nuggets of indiepop brilliance. Sometimes they get too sappy, such as "The Inner Light," but elsewhere he compares a self-destructive pal to a crashing airplane, and says to a lover, "You looked like heaven in bloom."

"The Bird Who Continues To Eat the Rabbit's Flower" was only the second release by Of Montreal, but it's still a great collection of psychedelic indiepop. Definitely worth getting.

This album is very raw and organic. I love Kevin Barnes' songwriting. He's able to stay optimistic without sounding stupid. The lyrics are fantastically charming. The chord changes are thoughtful and the harmonies are fantastically rich and really add depth to the album. But this and every other OM album.