The EP’s sound is best described as young, experimental, indie-folk rock. There is an upbeat sense of fun as the EP progresses. Marcel Ardans’ voice is a bright tenor, both emotive and melodic at times. His guitar playing is solid, especially on acoustic based songs.

Thayne Yazzie on lead guitar plays some fast runs and holds back until the time is right. Trent Eason on piano and organ has a great sense of melody and flow. Bassist and backup vocalist Jenna Freeman has a very sweet voice, and her bass playing is in the pocket. Drummer Tim Elliot does a good job of keeping the music flowing.

Unfortunately the recording quality is more on the level of a demo, rather than an EP. The mix is unevenly distributed to the vocals and lead guitar, leaving the rhythm section muddy and in the dark. Highlighting the band’s best songs, omitting the weaker tracks would have given the EP more strength. The lead guitar work is fast, but lacks a sense of solid timing. But above said guitar waited “till timing was right.”

The first track, “The New Year,” has almost a “Peanuts” type feel to it, largely due to the Piano timbre. “The Ballad of Johnny and a Girl” was the highlight of the EP. A tragic tale beautifully played on acoustic guitar and ukulele with emotive vocals and great song structure.

The CD packaging is awesome, like a folded recycled paper cup. The lyrics were printed on a sheet inside, but were a bit hard to read.

Overall the group seems to be having a fun time, and that’s always a good thing. There’s some artistic talent being developed within this band, and it will be interesting to see how their focus moves forward.

Self-Released

myspace.com/vintagerhymesandvalentines

The album’s male-female harmonies are raw and somewhat rugged, much like the vocal stylings of The Moldy Peaches. There’s pretty sparse instrumentation; mostly acoustic guitar, some programmed and real drums, strings, and the occasional electric guitar and bass. There are gorgeous trumpet parts on the songs “Still Beating” and “Golden Egg,” as well as clarinet on the song “When Our Day Comes.”

Something that makes this album stand out is the lyrical content, emphasized by beautiful vocal melodies on the part of Sahatjian and Gonif. Such as the song, “Hot Dry Ground,” which includes “I drew you a picture in history class, I folded it like a note and passed it/It was us as crude cartoons, just soaring high above the burning school.” Like folk music should, the lyrics create imagery that gets the songs’ message across while still being captivating.

There’s a bonus track at the end of A Mingling of Freak Phenomena about Rumors nightclub that’s very different than the rest of the album (to say the least). It’s basically a rap song, more than likely inspired by The Trucks. Weird end to the album, but jarring enough to be funny.

The CD is available at Everyday Music, filed in local under “Mark Gunnery.”

Released on Riot Folk Collective

riotfolk.org

The vocals are of the hushed, slightly smoky vibe. The problem is they don’t vary at all except for the salesman vocals on track 2 which I know are intentional but nonetheless are annoying to me. The third track stands out in that its more upbeat. Track 7 is more of a chill vibe and breaks up the monotony by being a bit more sparse which I liked. Overall this album is heavy on the hushed vocals, “pshhh” snare hits and single note piano melodies. A bland offering in my personal opinion.

Jeremiah Austin wrangled a bunch of artists together and made a mix CD that reinforces Bellingham’s reputation as a roost for musical talent. There’s some country/folk/bluegrass (The Mighty Puget Sound), rousing celtic music from Giants Causeway, a couple folksy jams on behalf of Neal Burton, and even some trumpet playing on the part of Austin himself.

McKay’s has established itself as a legitimate venue with this CD, utilizing it as a makeshift invitation to come out and play there. Hopefully local artists will follow suit.

The record is available at McKay’s Taphouse (1118 E. Maple Street, the Pizza Pipeline bar), and all proceeds go to Relay For Life (www.relayforlife.org).

Kevin’s voice is diverse and is very similar to Brandon Boyd of Incubus; I really enjoy the spin that he puts on each of the songs. The first song, “Compromise,” starts familiar but picks up at the chorus, and honestly I like the song more outside of the chorus, because it’s catchy and well-produced. I like the lead into the chorus and the guitar solo, but the chorus itself seems to take away from Kevin’s talented voice. “Satellite” sounds just like Incubus… next song… “Lay it Down” seemed to have two different moods, the music was harder than the vocals. There could have been a little more of a parallel, but the guitar was fantastic.

The chorus in “Lay it Down” was great; it was hard and matched the mood. The beginning of the next song, “Ride Away,” goes on a little longer than expected, but ended up being one of my preferred songs on the EP. The tempo is faster and it sounds as if it was produced more professionally, as if it could be a song on the radio. “Going Nowhere” has a beautiful bass line, I love it, otherwise it sounds like Incubus again. I hate being repetitive, but it’s true.

The last song, “Velvet,” has a long somber, musical introduction and fills out with a different sound that is not like Incubus at all. In fact, they sound kind of like a soft Buckcherry in this song.

Overall, if this EP is in fact a shape of things to come plus what I have seen in their live performance, these boys have a lot going for them and should be kept on radar. The EP is enjoyable for a first album and their live show is great, hopefully they can get their foot in the local door and build up a fan base.

Self-Released

The vocal performance shines with Hogue’s fabulous voice grabbing the listener and inviting them into the Appalachia feelings of nature and nostalgia. Coty brings it home early in the record with the haunting “Dear Mother.” The song evokes the feelings and hardships of family, farms, and money. I also loved the a Capella “Shiloh’s Hill/Battle of Shiloh Hill.” The song made me feel as if I were involved in a Civil War era march with my unit after a bloody battle. Part gospel, part country, the number really hits hard. Coty shows the ability to write words that are reflective of a time in the past, but they also have a fresh, current feel that keeps interest. This is evident in the awesome, “Undone in Sorrow,” a country tear jerker that pretty much does what the title says it will.

My favorite track on the record though is the Patsy Cline like “Sugar Moon.” Hogue just sounds downright hot when she sings this song. The group behind Coty really does a fine job of setting the mood for this one. Overall, the band does it right through the whole record. I like Coty Hogue a lot. She has a great amount of talent.

Cello Room Productions

myspace.com/cotyhoguemusic

Maple Nightingale was next with five songs and again there was a Woodstock-like throwback. I like the lead singer’s voice better from Maple Nightingale, it was sweet and kind of reminded me of Juno (of Juno or of Kimya Dawson?).

Daschel Schueler had a poor vocal tracking for the first song; it sounded very far away, but sounded like it would be great live, so keep a look out for them. The rest of their songs were catchy and I bounced along a little, but nothing mind blowing, just soft and heard before. However, their cover of “Solitary Man” by Neil Diamond was enjoyable and is now on my ipod, the CD was worth it just for that!

1985 seemed like a continuum of the acoustic folk music that the CD covered. If you would like a 60s acoustic local sound, the CD did well. Nothing was amazing; nothing was bad. The entire CD is great for movie background music of a group of friends road-tripping through desert scenery. You will understand and agree if you can get a hold of any of their music. Look for these bands at coffee shops, not bars.

Released on Masa Records

myspace.com/masarecords

I love that the vocals are all shouted as opposed to screamed. The passion in the delivery is palpable and full of confidence. The lead vocals are frequently doubled and add to the overall aesthetic for the listener. The lyrics stick to the theme wonderfully. The theme of robots and artificial life is unfortunately all too real in these detached and bleak times, the lyrics reflect that throughout the album. Familiar refrains and phrases get repeated often, much like you would expect a robot would do, but without ever becoming monotonous (which I feel was intentional). The lyrics are usually kept short and to the point. The band also seems very mindful of letting the music have its own space, allowing the listener to absorb everything that is offered.

The recording must be commended for its crisp and full sound. It’s fantastic. The guitars are gritty but succinct; the bass is rolling and the drums snap but w/ lots of body to their sound. The vocals are placed perfectly in the mix. This is thankfully anything but lo-fi.

While listening to this I wondered who this album reminded me of and eventually I came to a conclusion. This album sounds like Braille Tapes. They didn’t reinvent any wheel, they just made the wheel sound like it was theirs.

I’d recommend this record to anyone who enjoys intelligent, melodic and original rock. I’ve heard A LOT of records coming out of B’ham in the last 25 years and this is surely in the top 5 or 10 that I’ve heard. My biggest beef is they just played their last show ever a couple of weeks ago and I didn’t get to see it. At the very least, I have an amazing record to immerse myself in.

Self Released

myspace.com/thebrailletapes

Having heard Boris’s previous material, I had a pretty good idea of what I was in for a musically sound CD with anger-infused lyrics about the government and, of course, pro pot references. What I got did indeed include angry lyrics about the government the new administration hasn’t dampened Boris’s anger, just changed his focus and there are indeed references to pot. However, this disc was stronger, tighter and more engaging than any of his previous material.

Simply put, it’s a damn cool CD.

The fact that Boris is blind often gets more attention than his music, but as time passes and he focuses on music as an outlet, his songwriting becomes stronger and hooks more engaging. The sound can best be described as hard rock good loud guitars, an insanely tight rhythm section yet Boris’s vocals are surprisingly subtle, leaving the lyrics to carry the message more than his voice.

The key though to the disc, the band’s ace in the hole, is the addition of Shawnee Kilgore on backing vocals. Her voice is melodic and sweet, yet crisp, adding a unique dimension to the sound. Instead of sounding like an angry rock band, Boris Budd and the Waterboarders sound like a good rock band.

Of course, every album has its rough spots and this one is no exception but to focus on the negative would take away from what a cool album Capitalism – Capitalize really is.

Self-Released

myspace.com/borisbudd

The record is a significant departure from Schaad’s previous work which was more of a showcase for Schaad’s inspirational performance as a string virtuoso within the confines of a more traditional Celtic musical style. Schaad says her music is inspired by movement, tides, and seasons. Whatever it was that led her to the original sounds that she has craftily presented on this record is cool with me. The CD case is also great, with neat little liner notes in regard to every song. That feature definitely contributes to the already heavy experience. People love that kind of thing.

Schaad also is in the process of taking Dream Within a Dream out in what will be a series of multi-media extravaganzas that certainly should not be missed.

Raven Fiddle Productions

www.annaschaad.com