Monday, March 26, 2007

This week in music vol. 3

Denison Witmer – Are You a Dreamer?
If you can’t tell by my past two album review entries, I am really into quaint, simple production that allows the songwriting and musicianship shine through. This album really fulfills that spot for me. Witmer’s vocals are extremely simple and he uses little to no vibrato. Most of the songs are driven by the acoustic guitar, but there is quite the vast array of instrumentation used on this album. Indie rock legends Sufjan Stevens and Rosie Thomas contribute heavily to this album. The collaboration is a perfect addition to Witmer’s lovely song writing. I can’t help but feel hopeful as I listen to this album. I recommend this if you like:
Nick Drake
Lakes
Nickel Creek
Sufjan Stevens


Broken Social Scene – s/t
I first got this album about a year and a half ago. At first, I kind of just passed it off, but I think I just wasn’t in a position to appreciate the songmanship involved in this album. This band hails from Canada and has contributors such as Amy Millan (Stars), Brendan Canning, and ton of others. This record is very reverb-soaked, spacey yet driving. A lot of pop writing with dark undertones are prevalent in this album. This is an extremely fun record and I recommend it if you like:
Built to Spill
The Flaming Lips
Stereolab


Zozobra – Harmonic Tremors
It’s kind of ironic that 99% of my music reviews are about softer indie rock bands. I figured I would break that trend with this one. Harmonic Tremors is the continuation of the Old Man Gloom project started back in 1999. This album has been met with some pretty harsh criticism, mainly because of what it had to live up to. I personally feel that this record holds it’s own weight. EH is extremely heavy and driving while leaving room for spaciness and a post-rock feel. If you are looking for Old Man Gloom v.2.0, you will be sorely disappointed. This album cut off a lot of the noise and 15 minute long feedback that was apparent in the last works. Overall, this album is polished and more accessible, while maintaining that brutal sound. Check this out if you are looking for some bad ass music. Sounds like:
Old Man Gloom
Cave-In
Isis
Tool





1 comment:

The Hosh said...

thanks again Guru