American Mars - Late - 1997

A mix between the gothic inner city Americana of Lions & Ghosts and the sharp songwriting of the Pixies, American Mars came roaring out of the gates with a moody debut that most weren't sure how to react to. Creating a soundtrack to the bombed-out and boarded up buildings of downtown Detroit, American Mars perfectly captured the chilly indifference of their hometown in quite an unexpected way. Singers Thomas Trimble and Karla Richardson balance their male/female dynamic wonderfully, leaving the former to take the role of the gloomy pessimist while the latter is the delicate heart behind the music. Country guitar and an earnest lyrical approach form the foundation of these songs, but the key to this sound is the way American Mars record everything with a hollow production that allows their instruments to echo and reverberate. Deceivingly gentle with an urgent edge bubbling underneath, the songs here warmly embrace their big city origins with irascible odes like the driving "Cuban Heel" and the lazy and psychedelic "Muscle Car." Likewise, their personal lives are dissected with the same clever honesty, providing tracks like the up-tempo "Queen Bee" and the gorgeous "Hourglass." Fat-free, engaging, and well-crafted, Late is an atmospheric and romantic portrait of life in late-'90s Detroit. Capturing the mood and vibe of the city far more appropriately than most bands from that era, their impending breakup (which essentially turned the band into Trimble's pet project) only makes this record that much more vital. At a time when their contemporaries were crafting a brash garage rock revival, American Mars' Late is a triumph of mood. -AMG




American Mars - Late - 1997/rs
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American Mars - Late - 1997/sb

The Greenhornes - Dual Mono - 2002

The Greenhornes' third album for Hoboken indie Telstar changes very little (if any) of the group's standard formula. With the addition of new guitarist Eric Stein however, the Cincinnati garage rockers' dead on British Invasion-meets-Midwest is more powerful and crisp sounding than ever. "Satisfy My Mind" may only have three basic chords, but Stein lets them ring out as if he invented them himself. In fact, the Greenhornes so perfectly nail the careening, rough side of 1960s pre-psychedelic rock & roll that they leave almost no room to consider the music in any other context. They even add gimmicky harpsichord to more than one tune, a trend that was dated as soon as the Yardbirds did it. None of this takes away from the enjoyment of the group's utterly basic, aggressive sound, but it's hard not to envision the Greenhornes becoming the soundtrack band if someone ever decides to film the Jeff Beck story.-AMG




The Greenhornes - Dual Mono - 2002/rs
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The Greenhornes - Dual Mono - 2002/sb

The Sea And Cake - Oui - 2000

In the three-plus years following the release of 1997's The Fawn, the Sea and Cake's ever-busy membership dabbled in solo albums, touring with side projects, and various other responsibilities that come with the territory in the Chicago indie rock scene. But as effortlessly as an April breeze, the quartet reconvened to turn in Oui, quite possibly the finest of the group's five albums to date. Oui brightens up the electroacoustic hybrids first heard on The Fawn with guidance from frontman Sam Prekop's Brazilian-influenced 1999 solo debut and drummer John McEntire's production work on two Stereolab albums. While the looping synths often bogged down the mediocre material on The Fawn, the electronics serve as much better complements here. Prekop turns in some of his catchiest melodies to date, while the band follows suit on the sparkling, funky pop of "All the Photos" and the wobbly, mallet-laden "The Leaf," which makes good on the soothing ballad style introduced on "Window Lights," TSAC's contribution to the 1999 McEntire-scored Reach the Rock soundtrack. A sophisticated pop pleasure from start to finish, Oui is the aural equivalent of a perpetual Indian summer.

The Sea And Cake - Oui - 2000/rs

Evan Hillhouse - Evan Hillhouse - 2006

Evan Hillhouse is an 18-year old songwriter who has recently made his debut in the world of pop music. The solo album started when he and his brother, Erich, wrote the foundation of the ten songs (the two were recovering from their previous ill-fated band, The Objectives, in which Evan was the drummer). By the summer of 2005 the songs were ready to be recorded and for reasons known only to him (lunacy, the challenge, or the need to save time and money), Evan wanted to play all the instruments on the album himself. Thankfully, by this time, he was proficient in almost all the instruments he wanted to use in the songs, and some, like the theremin and accordion, were picked up along the way.
The end result is an interesting blend of power pop and melodic rock, with influences including Jellyfish, Harry Nilsson, The Beatles (duh!), and Radiohead. Evan produced it himself as well, adding to its distinctive sound. -CD Baby

Evan Hillhouse - Evan Hillhouse - 2006/rs
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Evan Hillhouse - Evan Hillhouse - 2006/sb

Myracle Brah - Plate Spinner - 1999

Plate Spinner continues Myracle Brah's talent for straight up power pop; still heavily influenced by Big Star and the Beatles, Myracle Brah honors the bands well with plenty of bouncy, endearing songs and jangly riffs that sound familiar enough to be comfortable but different enough to stand out. The aptly-named album effortlessly achieves a delicate balance of heartfelt melodicism and simmering frustration combined with candid vulnerability and somber lamentation. The aching "Drowning," the pleading "Treat Her Right," and the rollicking "The Seeds Keep Growing Faster" are highlights on an album that's easy to like and hard to dismiss. -AMG



Myracle Brah - Plate Spinner - 1999/rs
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Myracle Brah - Plate Spinner - 1999/sb

Jonathan Richman - I, Jonathan - 1992

A lo-fi effort cut in a California basement, I, Jonathan returns Richman to the full band setting and manic diversity that recent conceptual efforts have forsaken. Sloppy and wild, the album is a blast from start to finish; among its many concerns are skydiving ("Tandem Jump"), sea life (the surf instrumental "Grunion Run"), nightclubbing ("I Was Dancing in a Lesbian Bar"), and hero worship ("Velvet Underground"). -AMG



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Hellogoodbye - Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! - 2006

With impish attitude and effervescent tunes, Hellogoodbye's 2004 EP was quite well-received among the Warped Tour crowd. Two years later and still riding the success of those few songs, a full-length from the band feels rather overdue. Finally, that album — Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! — has arrived, but was it really worth the wait? Right away, ardent fans may be slightly disappointed at the lack of totally new songs, since versions of old demos (circulating the Internet for a while) dominate; everyone else, however, will presumably be none the wiser. On Z! A! V! D!, Hellogoodbye haven't deviated too far from the fizzy emo-pop quirks that initially drew people in. The spaz-dance blips and kitschy keyboard and programming tricks are still present; frontman Forrest Kline alternates his delivery between straight-up singing and hiding behind a vocoder. But his voice holds up well enough alone, so let's ease up on the vocoder use already, shall we? The band further asserts acoustic sensibilities, whimsical singalongs, and sparkling harmonies. The techno-ish club beats of the opening tracks lead things off mildly enough, but it's not until "All Time Lows" that the guys finally venture into the exuberant feeling of their prior EP. The jangly "Stuck to You" and "Homewrecker" creep around in late-night shadows, while the stripped-down "Oh, It Is Love" brings to mind a mandolin-playing John Mayer wearing tight jeans and a youth-sized T-shirt. Final bursts of energy kick in near the album's end before "Two Weeks in Hawaii," a song that resembles a dark, more angsty Weezer, ends things on a gloomier note. Now, while nothing on this album is bad, everything adds up to be a somewhat uneven listen when taken as a whole. The music fluctuates with a feeling that Hellogoodbye are trying to grow within the confines of their niche — but all without a firm grasp of what direction they really want to head. Despite this, Z! A! V! D! is a charming album that indeed entertains. There are hints that there is more to Hellogoodbye than just quirky antics and ProTools expertise, but until the band exactly figures out what that is, this album should do fans just fine. -AMG



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