Album of the Month

Vary Lumar - Waiting Room

Produced by Vary Lumar and Sean McLaughlin Engineered and Mixed by Sean McLaughlin at 37’ Productions, Rockland, MA

Mastered by Jeff Lipton at Peerless Mastering, Boston, MA

Paul De Pasquale, Rob Laff, Rob Fusco and Ben Case of Vary Lumar create music that straddles genres comfortably, maintaining a roughness to their sound, leaving it open to exciting posasibility. Though the lyrics sometimes take a backseat to the vocals and instrumentation, the music has enough variety to hold the listener’s interest with everything from punk rock to post-rock and hints of pop.

Waiting Room begins with a strong track, “Next Step.” Layered with an

interesting beat, the track highlights De Pasquale’s voice and relatively soft instrumentation while building towards a climax. Driving beats, distorted guitars and fuzzed out vocals feature in most of the songs,adapting to fit the band’s diverse sound. Some of the stand out tracks include “Terminal,” the guitar heavy “Inside Greenwich Palace,” the instrumental “Ataraxia” and the epic “Lost Parade.”

From De Pasquale’s Thom Yorke-esque crooning on the fifth song, “Cosmopolitic,” to the “Paranoid Android” inspired changes in tempo in several tracks, it’s apparent that Radiohead has left a very big impression on Vary Lumar, though there is still an enormous gapbetween the two bands.

Vary Lumar seem to draw from a wider range of influences. The instrumentation in “Ataraxia” sounds like the Doves’ Lost Souls while “Great Change” has definite similarities to Explosions in the Sky’s post-rock sound. Some of the other tracks have echoes of British bands Travis (“Nothing Left”), Coldplay (“Thoroughfare Vexation”) and Muse (“Waiting Room”).

The tracks “Suckerpunch” and “Bookcover” are unremarkable, but the album holds together pretty well as a whole. Though there are echoes of greater bands, Vary Lumar seem on their way to developing their own unique, versatile sound led by De Pasquale’s dependable voice. (Swoom Records)

www.varylumar.com

-Priyanka Boghani

The Amity Front - Border Towns

Produced by David “Goody” Goodrich

Recorded by Mark Thayer

Mixed by Danny Bernini and Max Adam

Hardworking and oft-touring, The Amity Front is a quintet that returns periodically to Northampton, MA to do laundry, when not playing its infectious brand of rootsy Americana all over New England and beyond. The band’s exceptional new release, its second, the aptly titled Border Towns, starts off with “Wrap Me in the Dawn,” which begins with a jazzy, plaintive melodic line before giving way to a joyful burst of clarinet and snare drum.

Recorded in-studio with the band playing live, the leadoff track captures the musical (if not always lyrical) optimism of The Amity Front’s songs. Other standouts include the swampy, thumping “Pickin’ Hours,” the pop-inspired vocal melody and harmonies of “Leave it All Behind,” and the propulsive country shuffler “Out the Door.”The band, comprised of four New Englanders and one Michigander, is joined on Border Towns by guest musicians who join in the fun by lending complimentary Hammond and Wurlitzer organs as well as fiddle.

One of the three bandmates who share lead vocal duties, Levin Schwartz comments that the record truly documents the band’s live sound and happily calls Border Towns, “another debut album.” So even if you think you’ve heard them before, catch The Amity Front before they are off to the next town. (self-released)

www.theamityfront.com

-Chris Gorham

Horay For Earth - Cellphone

Mixed by Chris Zembower

Mastered by Brian Brown

Were the birth of a star to have a soundtrack, Hooray For Earth’s Cellphone EP might be appropriate. The ambient drone of a battle horn marks the album’s opening, lightly sprinkled with the arhythmic bleeps of a distorted keyboard. The guitars crash as a whirlwind, swirling around the staccato drums, while Noel Heroux’s voice enters somewhere above the percussion, but below the distortion. His casual vocal delivery is alarming, as if somehow undaunted by the towering walls of sound about to envelope him. After briefly lamenting an inability to “reset” himself, the title track fades into the surrounding ether. It’s then that the six song grunge epic begins, as “Ellie Mae” heeds the horn’s call, guitars charging in as if spurred to battle.

Bass and guitar trade leads on “Warm Out,” the album’s stand out single, while Heroux traipses through the verses, apparently unaware of the sharp guitar attack mirroring his melody. Again, he sounds disinterested, almost disconnected from the song, delivering his lines with a lagging ease before finding his resolve near the end. Heroux indulges in a rare solo, choking the piercing squeals from his guitar in irregular burst before an impassioned chant ends the song.

Deep, churning guitar grooves flow through haunted keyboards on “Videostore,” Cellphone’s official closing track, and propel a desperate Heroux toward an uncertain destination, playing to the edgy, paranoiac theme of the previous songs. The guitars move with the vague resolve of a My Bloody Valentine track - chords are amorphous, resolving into definite progressions with no discernible chord changes. Toward the end, the song is stripped to a pulsing synth and driving drums - it’s the anticipation of a rebirth, or the calm before a flash flood. And with the hiss of a sealing vacuum, the song devolves and expands in a brilliant flash, all bouncing synths and exultant vocals.

“Videostore” demands to be listened to at maximum volume while laying down in the middle of your room, eyes closed and mind free. I don’t know what Hooray for Earth beat, or how they did it, but Videostore is as triumphant as it gets. (Dopamine)

www.myspace.com/hooray4earth

-Nick Curran

Greetings from Area Code 207

Volume 7

(Various Artists)

Mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering,

Portland, ME

Maine is a large state, but the entire stat shares one area code: 207. From Camden to Portland to the wildery bits that touch Canada, everyone has the same phone number for at least three digits. This is kind of an alien concept to the citizens of Massachusetts, some of whom have had two-three different area codes even if they’ve never moved. Despite any generalizations one may have about Maine, one thing that is inarguable is the width and depth of musical talent. Now in its seventh iteration, Greetings From Area Code 207 is chock full of gems. It had better be - it is sort of the entire state’s “greatest hits” collection; and the 21-track compilation has plenty of standout points, most of them very, very enjoyable.

Almost every other song on Greetings... will grab and keep the attention of the listener. The vocal tensions in the climbing chorus of “Bigger Than Both Of Us” from As Fast As, create a barbed hook that sets in the ear and doesn’t come loose until the entire brain has been reeled in. While the band has an awkward name, As Fast As grinds out an honest performance that stands out as one of the catchiest tracks on the compilation. Fulfilling the “something completely different” obligation is the next track, “Lovesick” from singer Lauren Sullivan and who must be her “sideman” Adam Gardner. “Lovesick” seems like it should be some empty pop song, but Sullivan brings it home with a strong performance that must come from experience, if not directly within.

The artists of Maine are capable of great range as well; for a scant few songs later, we’re in full-on attack mode, distorted guitars blazing and open hi-hats crashing in Varsity Drag’s “Billy Ruane.” Other high points include local semi-precious stones like Jon Nolan and the odd contrast of Rustic Overtones’ “Light At The End” which combines square-wave Moog synthesizer sound with a full-sounding horn section. The state may have one area code, but the variety of music is unmistakable and seemingly bottomless. (Cornmeal Records)

www.cornmealrecords.com

-C. D. Di Guardia

Beat Circus - Dreamland

Produced by Martin Bisi and Brian Carpenter

With a dark but childish joy, Brian Carpenter’s Beat Circus takes us through the aisles of Coney Island’s Dreamland carnival, which burned down in a mysterious fire in 1911. Full of menacing strings, marching percussion and eerie voices, this album draws listeners along, past rides and freak shows and carnie criers through a twisted Americana landscape. And like the New York of the time, this music becomes a melting pot of styles.

Eastern European and Gypsy melodies, waltzes, and the sounds of the old West all get their turns, alongside homemade American folk music. Beautiful instrumental tracks dominate, such as the traditional “Dark Eyes” and Carpenter’s cinematic “The Rough Riders.” Todd Robbins’s piano on “Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland,” accompanied only by the\ sound of waves and laughing children, serves as an eerie but moving ending before “March of the Freaks” bursts in as a rowdy epilogue.

Brandon Seabrook on banjo and Alec Redfearn on accordion and jawharp certainly stand out for the unique colors that they add, but this is above all a group effort. The players add exclamations to the songs, but rarely solo. The writing highlights the ensemble by bringing out the uniqueness of each voice. Theremin, electric zither and toy piano, for instance, each add distinct touches to the music.

The voices are more like the dialogue of actors than singers. Their appearance takes the listener from scene to scene, from the freak show ringleader to the saloon-side prostitute. Always there is the sense of a story being told, though the players and the lessons are unclear.

With each cinematic piece melting into the next, Beat Circus has managed the rare trick of making a real album that defies genre and expectation. With the backdrop of Dreamland, Carpenter pulls together all the styles that interest him into a cohesive whole. The result is sinister yet affectionate, comic yet morbid. It’s an album for certain weird kinds of listener, but those listeners will find considerable rewards silhouetted within the carnival lights. (Cuneiform Records)

www.myspace.com/beatcircus

-Warren Allen

Rob Saffi and the

Odd Breed - (self-titled)

Written and Produced by Rob Saffi

Rob Saffi and the Odd Breed successfully make a dent in the modern blues-rock genre with their impressive self-titled debut album. The group consists of Saffi on vocals and guitar, Stu Weinberg on bass and Darrell Long on drums, and they create a sound that comfortably blends among other artists of the sort.

Saffi’s nine-track record tells of the tribulations of love, life, and coming of age as a musician, with soulful lyrics that reflect the life of the artist. The blues take form primarily through Saffi’s lyrics, while hardhitting rock comes from the simple yet infectious instrumentation. It is a completely approachable sound that offers a shoulder to lean on, and life lessons that practically anyone can relate to.

Beginning his musical career in 2003 in Providence, RI, Saffi decided to switch things up to move to New York City, where street corners and subway stations became his stage.There is evidence of Saffi’s current New York City life found within his style, and a certain level of grit and disenchantment residing through his vocals. It is on one of the album’s most likable tracks, “Geraldine,” on which this style comes through. He bares his soul and we believe him, as he laments “...she’s an angel on her knees, praying Let It Bleed, my Geraldine”.

Rob Saffi and the Odd Breed offer a unique style of playing, with an enjoyable blend of both somber and groove-worthy tracks. Overall, the album is a likable, hard-hitting debut for the trio. Catch Rob Saffi and the Odd Breed on tour this summer with few select gigs in New York City. (self-released)

www.robsaffi.com

-Jillian Horn

The Blue Pages - The 4 Songs EP

Recorded at The Milkhouse in Allston, MA

Mixed by Shane O’Connor and Kevin Ennis

For “It’s a shame,” the second song on the Blue Pages 4 Songs EP picture a highschool slow-dance at arms length set to a palm-muted arpeggiate and the gentle rotation of a disco ball. Or maybe an epic confession of love on a moonlit balcony, backed by cymbal rushes and a soft croon. Or maybe just John Cusack standing in the rain with a boombox over his head like in “Say Anything.” To varying degrees, the 4 Songs EP encapsulates a self-indulgent melodrama that’s too hooky to ignore and too catchy to deny. I want to hate Zac Barnett when he sings “I think she likes my style and my Diesel jeans” in a falsetto on “A love like this.” But it’s sort of like wanting to hate John Travolta in Grease for being so damn cool.

Each song carries a definite campy teen movie feel and a blatant mix of Blink 182’s teen angst and Anthony Keidis’s casual vocal tone. The songs travel pretty well-worn territory, from the predictable start/stops of “Ten Years Behind” to the “Come on! Alright!”s of “Speed of Light’s” solo, but do so in that guilty pleasure sort of way that is undeniable, despite my best efforts.

For all their talent at writing pop hooks and accessible melodies though, the Blue Pages are lacking in production chops. The EP sounds like it was done in Garage Band with a synthetic, toneless guitar sound and a notable lack of a sonic middle-ground. Even when the bass is audible, it’s too trebly, sounding almost like an afterthought than the necessary bridge between guitar and drums.

Live, the Blue Pages are engaging and charismatic. The EP hints at their on stage charisma, even referencing it on “Ten Years Behind,” but the digital recordings muffle their abundant (and requisite) power-pop bravado. (self-released)

www.myspace.com/thebluepagesmusic

-Nick Curran

Vivian Darkbloom - Let’s Become Machines (EP)

Produced by Vivian Darkbloom

Engineered by Vivian Darkbloom

Mixed by Darron Burke

Clever Cantabridgians Vivian Darkbloom named their band after a character in the novel “Lolita,” but the name is also an anagram of Vladimir Nabakov. Fronted by MIT graduate student Rob Morris, the trio’s self-recorded debut EP “Let’s Become Machines” contains five brainy alt-rock tunes.

“Jamie,” the EP’s leadoff track, calls to mind Interpol, with its steady, mechanical drums and patterns of guitars. The post-punk influences are deployed elsewhere as well, such as the Sisters of Mercy-like guitars in “It Is What It Is.” In the middle of the disc, Vivian Darkbloom changes gears with the pretty “Axis Two,” making use of acoustic guitars, humming and mellow snare taps.

The alt-rock and literary references (Stephen Crane, in this instance) resurface in the EP’s last track, “Try Not to Swim,” in which the post-punk angularity is traded in for a more melody-rich 1970s power-pop roundness, albeit played with the precision of a march. Interestingly, Mr. Morris plays live shows through an instrument of his own devising, a Nintendo Wii-controlled guitar. Let’s Become Machines indeed. (self-released)

www.myspace.com/viviandarkbloomband

-Chris Gorham

Wes Charlton - World On Fire

Produced by Wes Charlton, Cliff Gray, and Will

Odel

Engineered by Wes Charlton and Will

Odel

Mixed by Roy Henderson and Will Odel

Mastered by Fred Kevorkian

All music wasrecorded on a 16 Track Fostex & Connor’s 8 Track Tascam at Wes Charlton’s house

Singer/song-writer Wes Charlton has written songs featured on MTV’s The Real World and has done well in numerous independent songwriting competitions, but has also confessed to living in total squalor, working low paying jobs and living in crowded apartments, all in order to make his music. It’s this juxtaposition that informs World On Fire, hi sophomore album follow-up to 2005’s American Bittersweet, an album that adheres to the darker conventions of the alt-country genre while carrying streamlined, mainstream ambitions.

Sonically, World On Fire doesn’t go much farther than the typical Whiskeytown-inspired album. Nearly all the songs are based on the usual acoustic guitar chord progressions and supplanted by piano, banjo and mournful harmonicas. Also put to occasional use are female backing vocals, pedal steel and string sections. Charlton has a deep, strained voice along the lines of fellow underground singer/song-writer sensations such as Will Johnson and Rocky Votolato. The lyrics deal with the typical subject matter for the genre: alcohol, troubled and/ or unattainable women, small town inertia, having the blues, trying to maintain hope despite bleak situations. The majority of the songs move at a deliberate, dirge-like pace until they build to their radio rock choruses. Some of them bolstered by loud post-grunge guitars, while others like “Red Eyes, Blue Lights” maintain more of a power ballad composition. Most notable is the opening “Daytime Blues”, which name checks Paul Westerberg all the while politely cribbing the melody of “Here Comes A Regular”.

When World On Fire deviates from the bruised cowboy formula, the results are mixed. “Still Here” turns up the volume and delivers rollicking country rock in the tradition of later day Uncle Tupelo, but still remains tamed by the album’s polished sheen. On “Jenny X-17”, Charlton tries for a harder edge to his cooing voice that he doesn’t have and the results are forced at best. Meanwhile, electronic drums obtrusively crop up occasionally. World On Fire proves that Charlton knows the alt-country basics, but shows little to differentiate him from the rest of the pack.(Wildflower Records)

www.myspace.com/wescharlton

-Anthony Saggese

Roy Davis and the Dregs - Dead Weight

Recorded and Mixed by Jon Nolan at

Milltown Recording Co., Newmarket, NH

Mastered by Jay Frigoletto at Mastersuite

in Brookline, NH

Hailing from Portland, Maine, Roy Davis and the Dregs are made up of a Phoenix Best-Music nominated frontman and the self-misnamed Dregs. Davis and friends seem to live in some weird alternate world, where the sounds of several musical eras find their home in one artist. This world is represented on the group’s newest recording, Dead Weight, a disc which definitely does not live up to its downhearted name.

Davis can boast callbacks to Americana, while still sporting the newest alternative style and, somehow, make it work. If Modest Mouse mellowed down a bit and blued-out their sound, the result would be similar to the sound of Dead Weight - a little downhearted, a little uptempo and at its heart, almost painfully human. Davis seems more than capable of expressing himself not just through his vocals, but also through the entire arranged sound of each song. While they tread lightly on the current alt-country sound being popularized by groups Three Day Threshold and Girls, Guns & Glory, there seems to be less emphasis on vocal character and more on overall tone for this group. Davis’s voice isn’t entirely without character; it simply doesn’t have the larger-than life appearance of some of the more over-the-top alt-country singers of the area. Rather, his voice gains personality through its understated air. While he never sounds downright mopey, Davis’s voice takes on a fairly downtrodden tone, even when railing out fast-moving lines as he does in the verses to “Please Go Home,” one of the stronger tracks on the album. Davis sounds more in his element in the lower-keyed and stripped down tracks, such as the sparsely arranged “Come Around.”

Dead Weight is a refreshing record, stripping away the hullabaloo and yee-haw that can sometimes occur in the genre, all the while, steering clear of the mopey shoe-gaze aesthetic. (Mill Town Records)

www.roydavismusic.com

-C .D. Di Guardia

Zach Hillyard Band - Self-titled EP

Recorded and Engineered by Michael Woodrum

at SoundMoves Audio in Burbank, CA, except

for tracks 3 and 7 Recorded and Engineered by Wesley Cole Switzer at Firefly Recording in Cambridge, MA

Mastered by Nathan James at “The Vault Mastering Studios” in NY

Complete with lush, soulful melodies, head-bobbing grooves and funked out breakdowns that tastefully merge rock with soul, the Zach Hillyard Band possesses a clear sense of self despite this being their first official release. This innate confidence is a result of the well-conceived creations of songwriter/keyboardist Zach Hillyard. Pervasive lyrical themes revolve around the archetypal search to find one’s way through life and love, and are consistent with that of a young man (Hillyard) who recently concluded his apprenticeship at Berklee College of Music and is now prowling out into the world. The songs often evoke feelings of melancholy and uncertainty, but impressively, never of lament.

“Dharma Bum” and “Back For More” stand out with their infectious grooves that merge into unforgettable choruses, elevating both the sonic and thematic/lyrical import of the verses. And while “Dharma Bum” is an inherently cliché song title given the notoriety of Jack Kerouac’s seminal work of the same name, the vocal performance of Hillyard and the fleshed-out orchestration from his band wins over a skeptical listener almost immediately.

Adding a refreshing deviation to the rock/soul formula that drives the album is the samba-inspired tune “All The Same.” While this is a carefully chosen track designed to offer listeners an expanded sonic context, it delivers in showcasing the exceptional talents of the musicians and offers a more exploratory sound that should be exploited by the band in the future.

Rounding out the EP are two piano ballads (“Rain Like This” and “Gone”) that prove a fitting conclusion to the album. Rich orchestration and astounding vocal performances from guest Isabella Canana combine with Hillyard’s wistful baritone to offer a highly personal and evocative

glimpse into the mind and heart of one of New England’s most talented songwriters. (self-released)

www.zachhillyardband.com

- Michael Oliveri

Daniel Ouellette - Monsterland: The Revenge of Daniel

Mastered by Tim Anderson at Found Effect Recording, Newport, RI

The Phantom of the Opera was a character who lived in an old opera house, creating

and playing bizarre music that was sometimes beautiful and sometimes grotesque. One has to believe that if the Phantom were around today, he’d be making music that sounds a lot like that of Daniel Ouellette on his new record Monsterland: The Revenge of Daniel. It is unclear upon whom Daniel is taking his revenge: is it the monsters? Is it himself? Is it us? The vocals, which sound as if they were delivered on an underwater 486-class computer, are no help. Random words flutter through Ouellette’s bizarre signal chain of reverb, envelope filters and more reverb.

Ouellette’s bizarre operatic delivery makes the experience all the more bizarre, he beats his chest and crows “Helicopter, stop ruining my life!” and we have to wonder exactly how and why this is happening. The vocal styling lies somewhere between Arthur Brown and Mike Oldfield, all grunting and growling and the occasional rising note that comes from the depths of ... somewhere. It would be easy to dismiss this record as simply a heathen with a drum machine and free recording software, but

Daniel Ouellette is an especially bizarre case of one man’s vision turning into sound with almost no filter in between. For all his weird artistry, Ouellette’s music is oddly catchy. You won’t be humming gems like “Go Cry Upstairs,” or the possible holiday favorite of “No One Makes You Happy at Christmas” in the line at Starbucks tomorrow morning, but you will find yourself thinking about it at the strangest times, oddly compelled by Ouelette’s “is-he-crazy?” record and his impending Revenge. Monsterland should be advised: Ouellette is coming, and he doesn’t sound happy. He doesn’t sound sad either. Just ... different. (self-released)

www.Danielouellette.net

-C .D. Di Guardia

Ben Pilgrim - The Further Adventures of...

Produced by Ben Pilgrim

Mastered by Myles Baer and Todd Belcher

Ben Pilgrim’s soulful voice is made to be paired with an acoustic guitar and not much else. For most of The Further Adventures of... Pilgrim employs exactly that combination. The album is heavily thematic, full of character sketches and stories about displaced people looking for direction. The singer/songwriter is at his best when he relies on his voice and guitar to tell simple stories, using guest spots from a rhythm section, tambourine, banjo and cello to fill out the empty corners of his sound. While the instrumentation choices make Pilgrim’s voice the center piece, the rest of the album comes up short.

The majority of the songs on Further Adventures of... are spent meditating and emoting on how lost love can nearly ruin someone’s life and the feeling of loss and emptiness that creates. “God Should’ve Made You Ugly” provides some catharsis for Pilgrim who lashes out at a beautiful woman whose personality doesn’t fit her God-given good looks.

“The Ones Who Have To Die,” is a marked departure from love, instead focusing on the displacement caused by the current war. For a song about death, corruption and anger, Pilgrim uses a surprisingly bright and sprightly chord progression. Pilgrim’s stays true to the theme of the album by singing about the displaced kids fighting and dying for politicians who aren’t on the front lines. Ben Pilgrim showcases his strengths in creating character sketches and stories about very explicit emotions. It’s a nice effort, but not much more than that. (75orLessRecords)

www.myspace.com/benpilgrim

-Brian Kraemer

Wit - Even In Death I Hate You

Produced and Engineered by Dave Novak

Recorded at ToastWorks Studio, CT

Mixed at ToastWorks Studio, TX

Wit’s brand of power-pop might be the definition of a guilty pleasure. Their debut album Even In Death I Hate You, gets shamefully cheesy at times yet remains inexplicably catchy. It has the feel of a songwriter’s first inspiration, of being locked in a room with only Dinosaur Jr.’s You’re Living All Over Me, a vague sense of melody, and the desire to write an album. The vocals aren’t quite pitch-perfect, and the super-fuzzed guitar hardly changes, but with every other song, Wit manages to nail one cool pop-hook that, although still falling a bit short of palatable, hints at a talent greater than demonstrated.

The first few songs are an assortment of standard pop constructions driven through decaying tube amps and backed by drums so over-mic’d that they are more feeling than sound. Consequently, making it through the first four tracks in succession (like the previous sentence) is a bit of a challenge. But with “Song For Megan,” Wit’s true potential clearly surfaces, with Tara LaDore’s pitch-perfect pop-princess voice replacing the male vocals.

Backed by an infectious guitar progression, LaDore gives the lyrics a more acceptable context and hints at what Wit could be. Unfortunately, Wit does not capitalize on their victory with “Song of Megan,” never featuring

LaDore’s voice again, and falling right back into their seemingly paint-by numbers approach to songwriting. (self-released)

www.myspace.com/wit

-Nick Curran

Eileen Rose - Come the Storm

Produced by Ian Hatton and Eileen Rose

Engineered by Ian Hatton | Mastered at Hilton Grove, London

Eileen Rose’s third release begins with a bang: the high-energy, country-tinged

rocker, “Last New Year’s Eve,” which showcases her strong, unadorned voice and cliché-free writing. With typical lyrical levity, she asks if her former paramour is “still straight” and if he was thinking about her last New Year’s Eve.

Musically, she and her band are equally impressive, and their playing, like the words of the songs, is also consistently clever. The clean country-rock style guitar lines are witty rather than worn out. Other welcome touches appear throughout, such as the subtle accordion that provides a mellow backdrop to “Never Be the Same,” or the pedal steel that enhances the ballads that make up the middle part of “Come the

Storm.” Ms. Rose’s songs often begin with an unanticipated electronic introduction that give way to the rootsy rock, creating a unique context that emphasizes the human emotion of the music.

The freshness of the songs marries nicely to a few classic rock touchstones in Ms. Rose’s music. “Staying In” has the lazy, loose quality of a 1970s Stones ballad, while

“White Wave” recalls an early Pretenders rave-up. In sum, “Come the Storm” should make Boston feel proud of Ms. Rose, wherever her career takes her. (Wildflower)

www.eileenrose.com

-Chris Gorham

Tim McCoy - Late Nights on Washington

Produced by Tim McCoy and Jon Nolan

Mixed by Jon Nolan

Mastered by Duncan Watt at Kanuba Digital

Exeter, New Hampshire native Tim McCoy’s latest solo album Late Nights on Washington begins with an out-take of bassist/lead singer McCoy talking to pianist Billy Butler, who is noodling on his keyboard: “Make something up,” McCoy says. “Don’t even think about it.” The fly-on-the-wall sound byte sets up the listener to feel like he’s at the band’s practice space, drinking a beer in the corner.

The record begins with “Hey Johnny,” a rocking number crammed with catchy guitar leads that propels the album into the often-visited themes of drinking, women and boredom with the status quo. Amazingly, McCoy avoids the pop cliches that usually accompany these themes, implementing poetic lyrics and melodic bass lines. His songwriting runs in the dirty pop-oriented vein of Tom Petty and the Clash, but is far from formulaic. “Fix,” the album’s driving third track, captures the rough-and-tumble world of drug use that mirrors lusted-after love. Even the slower songs like “Are You Lonely? (Song For Nathan)” keep the up-tempo vibe.

In keeping with his DIY ethic culled from years of working in the sometimes-fledgling and sometimes-flourishing seacoast music scene, McCoy released “Late Nights on Washington” himself.A founding member of the legendary New Hampshire band Heavens to Murgatroid, McCoy calls upon Murgatroid guitartist Rick Twombly to accentuate his inspired bass playing and rich tenor. An inside photo of McCoy lacing up a pair of Converse All-Stars before a show, a leather fedora perched on his head is a perfect homage to the album’s three piece suit-meets-punk rock aesthetic. The mixes are even throughout and the recording is sound but not too slick, a testament to Portsmouth-bred Jon Nolan’s producing skills. (self-released)

www.myspace.com/timmccoyandthepapercuts

-Courtney Denison

Cirkestra - Swing

Recorded by Scott C. Martin

Mixed by Fred Mueller

Mastered by Scott C. Martin

It is difficult to determine what sort of universe one has wandered into upon setting Peter Bufano’s latest release into the disc tray and pressing “PLAY.” It is hard to remember when an action this simple has immersed the listener into such a ready-made world. Bufano’s Cirkestra works in very much the same way author J.R. Tolkien did - one second you are here, the next second you are Somewhere Else. In the case of Swing, this place is a colorful, sawdust floored tent somewhere in the early part of the previous decade. The entertainment is plentiful, as the multiple rings feature feats of artistry, daring and maybe a touch of foreign, tempestuous mystique.

The Cirkestra spotlights aim this way and that, directing the attention to topsy-turvy numbers like “Bubamara/Human Cannonball,” which is half balancing act and half flurried, hurried action. While there is no cliché drum-roll or other form of musical explosion on the track, there is no mistake in the feel of the track or where the “/” occurs in the track title. In a fit of “chicken or the egg” reasoning, it is hard to tell if Bufano is very good at naming things or is very good at creating things to fit the names. He is also skilled at co-opting familiar ideas, such as Chopin’s “Waltz in C# Minor, Op.64, No. 2,” and twisting them up into all kinds of crazy balloon shapes as he does in “Waltz,” which starts with a lone violin that quickly powers up into a mad-cap rush of a waltz that would burn holes into the floor.

This is not your feel-good record of the summer to blast at your barbeque whilst batting the volleyball around. This is the kind of music that will make you stand on one foot and try to cock the opposite eyebrow, just to see how it feels. Cirkestra makes good on the promise inherent in its title - this is a circus that Bufano somehow translates into pure audio. The feelings materialize like the opening titles in some weird Luc Besson film; all accordions and violas and tubas working in concert with each other while Bufano conducts with a flaming baton, doing back flips through hoops and landing on his feet every time. The circus on disc - bring your own cotton candy. (self-released)

www.peterbufano.com

-C .D. Di Guardia

We’re All Gonna Die - Kiss The Ground, Curse the Sky

Produced by Ethan Dussault and We’re All

Gonna Die

Recorded and mixed by Ethan Dussault

Mastered by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East, Cambridge, MA

Riffs don’t simply emanate from Boston metal trio We’re All Gonna Die; they explode. When the Healey’s (Jim and Scott) decide to kick the groove up to ten on Kiss The Ground, Curse The Sky, the payoff is thrashingly good. The group exudes musical talent but needs to learn to reconcile that with the songwriting choices they make. An open admiration for Chris Cornell and good metal generally don’t mix.

The tracks “Brown Rabbit,” “Bled Out” and “The Guns of August” all have a heavy beat constantly being rushed forward by Jim Healey’s ability to write the crushing riffs. These three songs make promises that the rest of the album can’t keep. By pushing toward a total sonic payoff that never quite materializes, We’re All Gonna Die never fulfills its potential. The rest of the album alternates between atmospheric soft rock and stoner ambiance. That maddening choice to get away from what We’re

All Gonna Die is best at - writing sick riffs - coupled with Jim Healey’s voice are the bands biggest weaknesses. The guitars, bass and drums create an undeniably big sound and Healey’s vocals just don’t have the charisma or pipes to keep up. That’s probably why the band decides to write songs like “Dusk and Done,” a duet with Bridget Nault that sucks the momentum out of everything the album has accomplished to that point. Having a melodic counter point to slow things down, settle the crowd and let everyone catch their breath isn’t a terrible thing for a metal album. But We’re All Gonna Die does it like Metallica did on Load and Re-Load instead of Ride the Lighting.

Ultimately, We’re All Gonna Die exudes talent but can’t decide their identity. It alternates between chunky, Mack Truck guitar riffs, singersongwriter material and the Cornell-fronted Temple of the Dog. (Underdogma Records)

www.wereallgonnadie.com

-Brian Kraemer

Vanessa Torres - Witness

Recorded and Mixed by Mark Thayer at Signature Sounds Studios, Whatley, MA

Mastered by Ian Kennedy at New Alliance, Cambridge, MA

Vanessa Torres finds herself in the unenviable position of striking out on her own with no safety net. Witness puts her on stand from the first track, which sets the tone of the record: the sounds of gentle picked nylon strings, thoughtfully played piano, and at the center and in the forefront, Torres’ breathy and unforced vocal delivery. If a record can be considered a “room,” or maybe a house, then Witness is familiar and comfortable territory for the female singersongwriter. Torres sounds at ease in each track; never straining to hit a note or make a point, and in this approach she hits every note and strikes several emotional chords as well. Torres’ unassuming manner

makes for a soothing yet enervating listening experience, from the dusty highways of “Drive Me Home” to the quiet resolve of “Ain’t No Grave.”

The strength in Torres’ performance comes not just from what she is doing, but what she’s not doing. Each song if given adequate space. The idea of “space” is very important in music; usually it simply means, “don’t play/do anything.” There is nothing “empty” about the thirteen tracks on Witness; while they are sparsely arranged, the sound leaves the listener wanting for nothing. The record is enjoyable on speakers,

but a downright sonic massage on headphones. Witness has enough sonic depth to be enjoyed at any degree of listening, be it superficial or intense.

Torres ends on an extremely high note with “Live Again,” the literal and figurative ultimate track of the record. Torres begins the song by accepting her own mortality, offering, “If I could live again, I’d be a tree.” The song follows the lyrical “If I Was a Carpenter” road that one might expect, but Torres works it to perfection so that the listener strains in his or her seat, waiting to hear more from the soft-voiced songstress. This is the general feel of this record, a group of songs that represented themselves so well at the beginning follow suit at the end: leaving everyone wanting more from the unassuming Vanessa Torres. (self-released)

www.vanessatorresmusic.com

-C .D. Di Guardia