Album Reviews
ORQUESTA DEL DESIERTO
Dos
(MeteorCity)
On Dos, Steve Dandy Brown's other "and friends" project (the original being Hermano) evolves so far away from the stoner rock genes from which it grew, it might as well not have any connection at all. The record has the same acoustic rock base as the debut, but with a Latin feel in the percussion and horns and a strong injection of soaring pop melodies that take advantage of Pete Stahl's soulful larynx. "Summer," "Reaching Out" and the overtly psychedelic "Someday" are simply irresistible songs, origins be damned. Michael Toland [buy it]
NED OTTER
Powder Keg
(Two and Four)
I've never heard of tenor saxist Ned Otter, but obviously folks more in the loop than I have, since he corralled heavyweights Billy Higgins and Harold Mabern to slap the traps and tickle the ivories on his latest album. He's more than worthy of the illustrious company, as the lush ballad work and energized melodics found on Powder Keg amply demonstrate. Michael Toland [buy it]
OWSLEY
The Hard Way
(Lakeview)
The first half of The Hard Way, power pop genius Owsley's first album in five years, is meticulously crafted Dawson's Creek rock; it'll no doubt sound great on alternative radio, but it had me checking to make sure I was playing the right disk. Fortunately, the second half returns Owsley to the more classicist pop for which he's best known. Tunes like "Matriarch" and "Undone" may not get him on the airwaves, but they'll hold up long past the time teenagers get sick of "Be With You" and "Rise." Michael Toland [buy it]
U. UTAH PHILLIPS
I've Got to Know
(AK Press/Daemon)
Protest folk is a subgenre that's scarcely in evidence these days, despite there being a greater need for it than ever. The unabashedly liberal Phillips has trod this path for a gazillion years, and while I've Got to Know was originally recorded in 1991 during the original version of the Gulf War, the righteous anger of the songs and poems here is no less relevant now than it was then, whether you agree with it or not. Take that, Laura Ingraham. Michael Toland [buy it]
THE DAVE RAVE GROUP
Everyday Magic
(Bullseye)
David DesRoches, AKA Dave Rave, is something of a legend in power pop circles, being a longtime fixture of various scenes and once enjoying a run of hits in Russia, of all places. Everyday Magic is only his third album in 15 years, and while it doesn't exactly live up to his inflated rep, it's still a very solid and totally enjoyable collection of straight-up power pop tunes. Michael Toland [buy it]
THE RITE FLYERS
The Rite Flyers
(Paisley Pop)
Steve Collier and John Clayton have been knocking around the Austin music scene for a billion years, it seems, Collier with Doctor's Mob, Clayton with Balloonatic and both with the Sidehackers. With the Rite Flyers, the duo ties together all the power pop threads running through their previous work into a vibrant tapestry of jangle and crunch. Picks to click: "Jill Stood Still," "Elephant Parade," "The Trouble With Angels." Michael Toland [buy it]
STONE BREATH
The Silver Skein Unwound
(Camera Obscura)
Pennsylvania's Stone Breath plays folk music—albeit folk music from the heart of some dark, underground netherworld that resembles our own only in basic design. Acoustic dirges like "A Bottle of Breath" and the deeply unsettling "Secrets Bound in Skin" ("I have read that Jesus Christ carried certain secrets through Egypt in a wound on his body," say the liner notes, as if that's supposed to be comforting) revolve around Timothy's banjo and sitar and Prydwyn's harmonium; Sarada often joins in the singing drones. Fans of Unto Ashes and Dock Boggs will find much to admire in Stone Breath's creepy vision of traditional folk; everyone else approach wielding crosses and holy water. Michael Toland [buy it]
RANDY THOMPSON
That's Not Me
(Jackpot/Leap)
Singer/guitarist Randy Thompson could probably be a Nashville songwriting hack if he wanted to, but, as the title implies, that's not him. Plainspoken songs and bullpuckey-free country rock like "Sound of the Rain" and "The Lovin' Shown" draw favorable comparisons to Joe Ely's 70s work, which cognoscenti know is high praise indeed. "If Love is What You Want" will probably be snatched up by some cute hat act, though. Michael Toland [buy it]
WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY
That's Not Me
(Kimchee)
WGC leader Robert Fisher's songs dig deep into traditional soil, pulling out the roots of folks and blues and growing into their own distinctive forms. Lush acoustic arrangements and wistfully appealing melodies bolster Fisher's increasingly confident baritone on a record that balances darkness and light like a flashlight beam playing across a sidewalk at night. The magnificent "The Suffering Song" alone is worth the shekels. Michael Toland Michael Toland [buy it]
