Indie and Lo-Fi music reviews

This review will not offer any off-beat wit or blabbering like some other cd reviews i've happened to read. I will say that the songs on this cd are very good, especially the first 4. If you like "slow note" and tha Chunk, then pick it up.

Roy Montgomery's reputation for beautifully far-out dreamscapes and sonic wanderings goes without saying. Founded on the endlessly important principles of repetition and drone (maybe not to the same extent as Spacemen 3), this album offers an honest, exploratory aural dream. Ranging from sopophoric waves to driving electronic intensity (ala Suicide), Silver Wheel of Prayer exposes a stream of conscience mind at work, void of glossy studio gimmickry. Montgomery's instrumental, at-home-with-his-4-track recording is sure to please those who value natural, minimalist compostion with a real quality and a first-take edge. Truly inspirational for any bedroom 4-tracker.

...and if you don't have it, this single provides just a taste with the first track (easily my favorite song off the album) as well as two unreleased gems. "A Living Will" is wonderful--slightly echoing XO's "Bled White." Lastly, the song that gave Figure 8 its title--yep, it's Elliott Smith doing Schoolhouse Rock, and it's gorgeous.

If it were possible to give 4.5 stars, I'd do it, but I've gotta detract because "Figure 8" is only half the song. Still, lovely, masterful work from one of the decade's finest singer/songwriters.

A smart and fun follow up to Statatory Grape, it is easy to visualize the smirk on lead singers face as she sings these songs. Fun pop that covers topics a diverse as a disgruntled superhero (Superguy)to theories of and alien/feline conspiracy (Alien Eyes.) Songs for Peeps is sure to bring a smile to your face.

"McNulty has a very good voice." - Janis Tate I.M.E. Productions

This album smacks of breakups and divorce. Don't know if it's autobiographical actually, but it sure rings true to me, as it would any listener who's been left in the lurch. Difference between me and New Zealander Knox is that he has a home recorder (don't know again about his home studio, as this is rather primitively recorded, although with greater clarity and sonic fidelity than his other solo efforts, belying his "pioneer of lo-fi DIY" status in the alt-rock pantheon). It's divided into two sections, and the first eleven songs end with a lacerating "Young Caucasian Female" that's one of the most naked admissions of loneliness and abandonment I've yet to hear. So painful that I would not want to play it again--and this is meant as high praise. The song reminds me of David Thewlis' performance in Mike Leigh's film "Naked" in its rawness.

The remaining ten tracks seem to nudge after the breakup into a more whimsical approach; this does fit the adjusted emotion as the album continues, but the inclusion of three straight songs (#14-16) that sound too overtly slight (always a problem on any Knox-related recording, sorry to say) do bring this album down a half-star from what would have been a rare five-star rating to 4 1/2 stars, which I would give if Amazon had allowed me to calibrate. Not many albums reach such heights, even among the greats that Knox has been inspired by, if truth be told.

Echoes haunt these grooves of many illustrious influences; not only Lennon's psychic torture but Dylan's versifying and phrasing, Eno's "Needles in the Camel's Eye"--borrowed magnificently on the closing song, Leonard Cohen (name dropped appropriately in a lyric that speaks of Knox trying like the poet to turn speech into song), and the new-wave stripped down efforts of early XTC or the direct style of Pete Shelley of the Buzzcocks (the latter two felt also in Knox's early band Toy Love as well as his work with ex-Toy Lover Alec Bathgate as the duo Tall Dwarfs).

I recommend this album as one of the best NZ efforts of its alt-rock peak over the 80s and 90s; it's well worth seeking out for whatever price it may fetch. It's too honest, perhaps, for repeated listenings, but it does justice to not only the endlessly plumbed topic of loss and betrayal, but to music that can somehow make this topic fresh, poignant, and cathartically experienced on behalf of the listener looking for insight as well as melodies, unpretentious yet intelligent and heartfelt.

Chris Knox, often accompanied only by his electric guitar, sings wound-up, hyper pop songs. He also uses the ol' pre-programmed Casio keyboard on a few songs, and it actually works. The sound quality isn't the greatest, but Knox's pop sense and energy more than make up for it. The best of the fast songs(such as "Half Man/Half Mole") are insanely catchy, but Knox is equally adept at brooding, slower songs like "Nothing Comes Clear" and the almost doo-wopish "One Fell Sweep". You probably won't have an easy time finding this one, but it's definitely worth buying if you happen to come across it. A rare instance where being a total spaz works in someone's favor. Four stars.

I got this cd from a trade over the internet. It simply sucks big time. The melodies are uninspired. The writers obviously could not come up with one single catchy tune. When I listened to this, I was brisk walking in our neighborhood using a portable cd player. I couldn't finish my walk as the music was simply unbearable. Do they really think the melodies warrant a second spin for the listeners' ears? Give me Lilac Time any time. That folk pop band at least manage to write engaging songs every now and then. But The Children's Hour? Good grief. Save your money instead. This is an absolute bore!

I saw these guys live when they opened for zwan. I don't think there still around which is unfortunate. This is an album that makes you smile and think happy thoughts.

I loved this album. Like the other reviewer, I saw them open for Billy Corgan's band Zwan. They were a treat for the ears. I liked Going Home, Mary and The Kindness of Strangers. Hopefully, they will be able to continue somehow. PICK UP THIS ALBUM! :O

The Apples in Stereo, once known simply as the Apples, have compiled quite an interesting catalog for fans of this particular style of indie pop. Drawing heavily on the Beatles, Beach Boys, and Kinks for inspiration, the Apples are the flagship band of the Elephant 6 recording consortium, with resident genius Robert Schneider appearing on albums by friends and labelmates Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel, among others. Schneider's songs are occasionally a bit twee, and the production on older tunes leave a bit to be desired, but fans of the aforementioned bands as well as power pop titans like Shoes will find these Apples quite enjoyable. One complaint, I found this CD in a local store for like $10 new - keep an eye out for cheap used copies online here.

Best Tracks:
"Tidal Wave" - Beatles meet Sonic Youth in a noisy, yet hooky pop song. Indie pop defined in 3 minutes of fuzzy melodies.
"Seems So" - Another gorgeous pop song with a fantastic chorus, great snide lyrics, and a shimmering outro. A definate keeper.
"Tin Pan Alley" - A simple and unassuming gem about wanting to be a Tin Pan Alley songwriter. A nice catcy tune.
"Ruby" - Kinks inspired, but doesn't forget the Beatles. Rollicking and almost pub-like in its singalong style.
"Strawberryfire" - A deviation from the past few tunes of simple sunny pop, this is a descent into psychedelic territory that keeps you enticed. Great change of pace and one of the best here by far.

I was lucky enough to find this for under $10 bones many years ago at my favorite used record store, Car City Records, in St. Clair Shores, MI. Stand out tracks include "Awakening", "Yard Trip #7" and "Poledo". "Poledo" appears on Dinosaur Jr.'s "You're Living All Over Me" which I highly suggest.

If bands like the Old 97's and Wilco are "alt-country," then Adult Rodeo might be called "psychedel-country," or maybe "crazed-country." At times they sound like Ween, Bongwater and the Butthole Surfers crossed with the Old 97's and Jimmie Rodgers. Twisted pop-rock with a southern accent. It's nothing earth-shaking, but it's fun to listen to. If you like Ween or Kramer, you might well appreciate this.