The Pica Beats

Beating Back the Claws of the Cold

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Ryan Barrett Produced by Ryan Barrett

Mastered by Barry Corliss at Master Works

Music and storytelling are two elements of folklore that classically go hand in hand — the result is a tale that can pass through generations, the original significance preserved in song. The Pica Beats have made this timeless practice their artistic mission. What began four years ago as the solo basement project of frontman Ryan Barrett has flourished into a full five-piece band (though the lineup seems to constantly evolve). In fact, The Pica Beats were still very much a one-man vehicle until last year when Barrett met drummer Colin English. This fall’s release of Beating Back the Claws of the Cold should be considered a small victory. In just one year, a band formed, recorded a musically ambitious album and was signed to Hardly Art, an offshoot of Sub Pop.

Listening to the album, one wouldn’t assume that The Pica Beats are a young project. Their music pulls together basic elements of indie pop (guitar, drums, catchy lyrics) infused with unlikely instruments (sitar, oboe, keyboards), resulting in a very rich, deep and seasoned sound. The most appealing component of this sound is hands-down Barrett’s mastery of the sitar, which lends itself beautifully to the instrumental “Martine, as Heavy Lifter,” a track that truly earns The Pica Beats highly-regarded comparisons to Neutral Milk Hotel.

But the heart of the band’s appeal is hyper-literate lyrics. The album totals out at 11 carefully crafted narratives, each distinctly different and enjoyable. Barrett sings tales of Egyptian sun gods, dysfunctional families, cultural oddities and present-day heroes and villains. “And philodendron bloom, your picture’s in my room, balanced on an old pine shell / And someday I will need every flower seed to complete my collective growth,” Barrett sings on “Shallow Dive.” It’s refreshing to hear pop music directed toward an intelligent audience.

The Pica Beats have an ability to blend and shape musical elements of different genres into pretty much whatever they want, creating timeless music both of and apart from our time. (Hardly Art)

www.thepicabeats.com

-Nicole Sheikh

Emily Wells

The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties

Written, composed, recorded and produced by Emily Wells | Mixed by Emily Wells, Sam Halterman and Joey Reina | Mastered by Brian “Big Bass” Gardener at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Hollywood, CA

In New York, a teenage Emily Wells eschewed offers from major labels in order to retain creative control over her work. After embarking on a winding cross-country tour, the urban gypsy set up her own studio in Los Angeles and recorded her latest release, The Symphonies: Dreams Memories & Parties, with some help from bassist Joey Reina and drummer Sam Halterman of her live ensemble. The album is a unique amalgamation of classical, folk and electronic music, crafted by layering violin on 21 separate tracks and adding a wide range of instruments such as analog synthesizers, glockenspiels and toy piano.

The first of 10, “Symphony 1: In the Barrel of a Gun,” introduces listeners to the violin that ties the album together. An unexpected downbeat comes in, followed by rattlesnake tambourine and Wells’ ghostlike atonal wanderings, reminiscent of Nelly Furtado with the quirkiness of Bjork or The Knife. “Symphony 2: And the Click Boom Boom” switches between hypnotic melodies and rhythmic chants. Strings pluck in against woodpecker percussion, sounding like the furtive midnight escape scene of a children’s movie. “Symphony 5: Was a Surprise” begins with pulsing, frenetic violin and shifts to twinkling nursery xylophone and a hollowed-out electronic beat. The chorus to the downtempo “Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well and the Requiem Mix” features Wells singing bluesy reggae and sharing a duet with herself at the chorus. In “Symphony 7: Dreams Memories and Heaven,” classical music forms the backbone of an instrumental space age with some of the same childlike undertones of earlier tracks.

Moving between moods, Wells beautifully demonstrates the versatility of her favorite classical instrument while imaginatively defying genres. (Creative Control Records)

www.emilywellsmusic.com

-Lulu McAllister

Tussle

Cream Cuts

Produced by Thom Monahan and Andy Cabic | Recorded by Thom Monahan at Melva in Los Angeles | Mixed by Thom Monahan and Tussle at The Hangar in Sacramento | Mastered by Eric Broyhill

Cream Cuts is the third full length from the sharp bunch of instrumentalists in Tussle, and it would have been an instant number-one seller had it been released on Brain Records – the Hamburg-based imprint responsible for calling attention to the German experimental music scene during the better part of the 1970s. Over the course of its seven year run, this San Francisco group has paraded a tremendous reverence for its German forefathers, yielding a progressive torch in daring and unpredictable, shape-shifting mood compositions, yet continually evolving into its own special entity.

With Cream Cuts, Tussle ushers in more of a rhythmic bounce to its mechanized tenacity and brings the dance floor clearly into focus. The pervasive ambiance of the album is that of an all-night party atmosphere – tracks such as “Transparent C” and “Night of the Hunter” pack enough electronic squirm, throbbing bass lines and disco percussion from two drum kits to jumpstart a sea of warehouse goers. During “Meh-teh” and “Rainbow Claw,” the foursome succeeds in bridging the gap of dance-oriented connotations, welcoming a slew of world music genres into the mix and cleverly melding them together into its own brand of smart, mind-altering pop. This ultimately places the listener in the passenger seat, left at bay to guess what guise the piece will take on next or in what direction the artists will head, as exemplified on “Titan,” which blends pinging African percussion and a dub bass squawk with a heap of delayed, trance-infused electronics. The number chugs along at a roof-raising pace until it cascades into a field recording of buzzing insects. Then a barrage of tribal tom beats, crashing cymbals and sleigh bells kick the fiesta back into high gear and everything is once again super. (Smalltown Supersound)

www.tussle.org

-Chris Sabbath

Rumspringa

Rumspringa EP

Produced, engineered and mixed by Owen Vallis | Recorded at T.V. Tray Studios | Mastered by Universal

Not since the Farrelly brothers’ Kingpin has an Amish rite of passage been so filled with sexed-up beats and multi-instrumental debauchery.

Rumspringa – long known as slang for “running around” to the Pennsylvania Dutch – is the period of time in adolescence during which youths rebel against family. Outlets are of the usual variety: sex, drugs and, in the case of Los Angeles-based Rumspringa, a healthy dose of funk and soul.

Counterbalancing equal parts lounge act warbling with Om-eliciting séance reverb, album openers “I Run Amiss” and “Shake ‘em Loose Tonight” ease listeners in, recanting dialogue between children and parents before the inevitable Rumspringa.

Frontman Joey Stevens’ whinnied delivery drops into deeper registers with “Goldmine,” a faster-paced musing on the finer points of enjoying cannabis sativa in a semi-feverish state. As the EP centerpiece, “Goldmine” not only becomes the obvious record highlight, but also embodies the height of frivolity that a so-called Rumspringa is said to have.

After reaching such a height, there isn’t much room to go anywhere but down – in tempo and pitch, that is. Stevens’ brassy voice goes guttural on “In the Jungle,” wavering back and forth between percussionist Itaru de la Vega’s steady hi-hats and the thick-frosted layers of raw bass.

A Rumspringa can end in one of two ways: an Amish youth chooses to be baptized and remain in the good graces of the church, or leave the community and tradition behind. It’s only with “Skulls ‘n Phones,” an organ-heavy chug-a-long through Stevens’ version of a Nick Cave ballad, does the pace on the EP truly slow down. This is followed by a final goodbye to hustle and bustle in “Minds Alive,” a tom-driven caravan chant if there ever was one.

With this more subdued ending, it could be assumed that Stevens and de la Vega opt in favor of the traditional – but from the looks of it, it’s still fairly obvious these two ain’t altar boys. (Cantora Records)

www.myspace.com/rumspringa

-Mike Isaac

Perhapst

Perhapst

Recorded and produced by John Moen and Eric Lovre at Sound In Motion | Mastered by Jeff Stuart Saltzman

Before the dawn of time, artists have been branching off from their counterpart bands to release solo albums like apples leaving the limbs of a tree. Without the one-off album we wouldn’t have Wings, Elliott Smith or Stephen Malkmus. Typically, these solo albums spur from the prominent guitarists or singers, seldom from behind the drum kit. Perhaps that’s why this release strikes such an intrepid chord.

As a debut, the release sets the bar pretty high by exploring a gamut of slightly experimental and conventional pop. The list of indie elite to which its creator, Portland-based singer/multi-instrumentalist John Moen, is tied further contributes to its posture – from Elliott Smith to his current associates, The Decemberists. Moen has also been a Jick of the requisite Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, who incidentally makes an appearance here on bass and guitar for a couple tracks. Top that off with production (and some bass contributions) from Eric Lovre of Dharma Bums, and it’s difficult to get much more ambitious.

While debut solo outings often waver in a seemingly outtake quality, Perhapst dodges that fate by distancing itself from obvious Decemberist continuity. Through his Elvis Costello-like affectation and infectious ingenuity, Moen blends Americana lo-fi with straightforward foundations in the jangly British-invasion sense.

Perhapst is only hampered by vocal tone, one that’s eccentric and thin, wobbling with light naiveté (think young Costello). This occasionally ties down the catchier moments of the songs within Moen’s shrill, nasally cadence, most heard in the stripped-down, acoustic romancer “Cruel Whisk,” where he repeats the line “Cook yourself and smell the burn.”

Songs are three-minute decorations, pinned up by organs, synths, fuzzy and acoustic guitars and surprisingly restrained drums (except for the closing drum solo on the rambling “Bornless One”). “Blue Year” leads the pack with clear leanings on Malkmus’ fitful indie rock: grit-buried lyrics, guitars bent around synths and rolling keyboard melodies. In all, the album turns out to be an overall strong, slow-to-love debut, showcasing a burgeoning musician coming into his own while accepting nods and influence from righteous peers. (In Music We Trust Records)

www.inmusicwetrust.com

-Christopher Petro

The Moondoggies

Don’t Be a Stranger

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Erik Blood at Mysterious Red X | Produced by Erik Blood | Mastered by Rick Fisher at RFI

Raised in the city of Everett, Seattle’s uncouth little sister, The Moondoggies emerge from the swamps of the Northwest, dripping with organ chords and wanderlust. The songs on their debut album, Don’t Be a Stranger, swing from woozy goodtime rockers to tentative stabs at morality.

Their vocal harmonies and sweet lowdown organ create a rolling Grateful Dead rhythm. Whether it’s warm, drifting songs like “Ain’t No Lord” or hip-shakers like “Ol’ Blackbird,” the band keeps a tight focus and clean sound. “Blackbird” dives right in with a sweaty Southern-rock boogie and closes with an old-time burst of tambourine. For people who are a little too drunk but wanting to dance, “Bogachiel Rain Blues” has the perfect nodding, mid-tempo beat. The shambling guitar, piano and handclaps will get the shyest flannel-clad guy out on the floor, shaking his skinny butt and tossing in some kicks and karate chops.

Things get a little darker when The Moondoggies get introspective. Creating a nearly seamless pair of songs, “Save My Soul” flows instantly into “Changing,” so effortlessly that they don’t work separately. The harder second song’s big, distorted Nirvana chorus is tempered by layers of raucous “ah-ahs” that add up to something choral in the heartfelt ending. The choir sound fits, considering the lyrics start with skepticism and end up full of the repeated line “It’s time I start changin’.”

“Make it Easy” would make a good companion song to Gillian Welch’s “Miss Ohio”—they share a nearly universal message of wanting to run off, take the easy way out and drift instead of sticking it out on the straight and narrow path. The beat is laidback, almost helplessly so. One repeated line, “Don’t make it right / Make it easy,” may be a simple weapon, but it hits its mark. It’s hard to do Americana without Jesus, so “Jesus on the Mainline” fits in pretty well, with only a Sunday-school piano and handclaps behind the multi-part vocals. The song doesn’t feel thin, though, thanks again to all the excellent vocals. With their polished yet threadbare style, honest about fooling themselves, The Moondoggies are ready to convert imperfect souls far beyond Seattle. (Hardly Art)

www.myspace.com/themoondoggies

-Kjersti Egerdahl

Blind Pilot

3 Rounds and a Sound

Recorded and mixed by Skyler Norwood at Miracle Lake Studios | Mastered by John Cohrs at Spleenless Mastering

On its debut album, 3 Rounds and a Sound, Portland duo Blind Pilot sets the mood and tempo with the first and best song, “Oviedo.” Set to an unhurried beat and laced with Southwestern horns, Israel Nebeker softly sings, “I recall your breath was courage laced with alcohol and you leaned in and said, ‘Make music with the chatter in here and whisper all the notes in my ears.’” This line can stand as a kind of M.O. for the band, as it creates a small, intimate space within the chatter and clutter of contemporary music.

The rest of the album’s 10 songs don’t diverge much from this pattern of soft, melodic music and earnest lyrics. Nebeker’s detailed, story-like tunes have a wistful, nostalgic quality, complemented by the well-crafted music based around his gently strummed guitar and Ryan Dobrowski’s steady, lightly-played drums. They are occasionally fleshed out by additional musicians and the horns in particular add nice texture and variation to songs like “Things I Cannot Recall.”

Blind Pilot can be grouped with the thriving acoustic/folk-centric branch of indie rock that includes Iron & Wine, M. Ward and Norfolk & Western. Like those artists, they return to simpler sounds and eschew trends, but Blind Pilot doesn’t quite stand out. The album falls into a common trap of acoustic-based, singer/songwriter music; it’s pleasant and personal, but overly familiar and lacking individuality. They do create a hushed, relaxed, summer-evening mood, but it becomes faintly monotonous.

Before recording, the duo did a West Coast bike tour, and wrote and rehearsed in a warehouse by the ocean. Though their debut is assured, it would be refreshing to see some of this adventurous, restless spirit find its way into their subsequent work. (Expunged Records)

www.blindpilotmusic.com

-Lukas Sherman

Bravo Johnson

The Crooked and the Straight

Recorded, mixed and mastered by Hendrik Roever at Guitar Town and New Iberia Studios

While it often feels like a companion album for a documentary on American roots rock, it’s the small surprises of Bravo Johnson’s second release, The Crooked and the Straight, that earn the listener’s attention and respect. The album’s two discs and 27 tracks may appear daunting, but it’s unlikely that this effort was intended to be listened to straight through. The project seems to be an opportunity for singer/songwriter Rick Amurrio and his cohorts to show off everything they can do, and the results are often impressive.

The best tracks are hook-driven rockers like “Sacrifice Myself,” whose hum-along riff will easily stick in listeners’ internal playlists. What seems like a simple, if tongue-in-cheek, homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd ends with a surprise, mandolin-centered outro.

There are also tracks that fit into the Americana catalogue without a trace of irony, such as the because-we-can 12-bar blues of “Cahoots,” the riff from which could easily show up on a Warren Haynes album. While it adds nothing novel to an already oversaturated genre, the track is capably handled, especially in the searing slide licks during the breaks.

The Crooked and the Straight becomes just plain weird with “Clouds + With the Band,” which features vertigo-inducing merry-go-round figures that could have appeared on a Sgt. Pepper’s B-side. However, the band regains focus with “Waltz of More and More” (not that it lacks experimentation – it even has the audacity to feature both a clavichord and a banjo playing similar lines simultaneously).

Much time is allotted for Hendrik Roever’s often-inspired guitar/dobro jamming, such as the legato licks on “King of the World.” As often, though, the solos seem obligatory. The band has serious talent and its musicianship is more than equal to its ambitions, even if its blues-rock/Americana aspirations hardly justify a double LP.

Bravo Johnson’s website brags of “ironic lyrics,” but given that Amurrio mumbles like a post-Botox Tom Petty, it’s hard to imagine that lyricism is of central importance. What is important is the band’s musicality, and although an attempt at listening to the whole album may produce a recurring sense of déjà vu, Bravo Johnson presents loads of enjoyable material. (Stone Junction)

www.bravojohnson.com

-Ryan Faughnder

Steve Taylor

Has the Size of the Road Got the Better of You?

Engineered by Aaron Prellwitz, Jay Pellicci, Mike Wali, Steven Vasiliou, Chema Salinas, Cochrane McMillan, James Allan, Charlie Barr, Ben Yonas and Oscar Yonas | Mixed by Jay Pellicci, Aaron Prellwitz and Ben Yonas | Mastered by Ben Yonas at Yonas Media West | Tracks recorded and mixed at Tiny Telephone, Soundwave Studios, Yonas Media West, J St Recorders and The Hangar

One look at the front cover of Steve Taylor’s Has the Size of the Road Got the Better of You? can conjure images of colorfully dressed hippies tripping out to lush, pastoral sounds inspired by The Zombies and pre-disco Bee Gees records of the late 1960s. In fact, Taylor’s music is decidedly more in line with the aesthetics of ‘70s pop and soul.

Without a hint of irony in his sweet falsetto vocal delivery, the album was obviously a labor of love, with a list of engineers longer than its tracklist. It’s a finely executed exercise in sonic nostalgia that only falters in the first two songs: “Reality” lopes along without a clearly arranged chorus, giving the impression that it’s either unfinished or just too repetitive to warrant repeated listens. “Felicity” goes a little overboard with its synth string bed and an awkward opening line (“Felicity, why must you treat me with duplicity?”) coming off just short of early Hall & Oates blue-eyed soul.

“Nothing Left,” however, gets the soul vibe right – the organ in the song is mixed just high enough so as not to overpower the proceedings, and it plays like a lost classic waiting to be discovered.

“Mystery” goes the Nick Drake route. Its hushed vocals and gentle finger-picked guitar set the tone for a sorrowful, lonely lyric with a touch of hope and a tinge of Mellotron for a prog-like effect. There’s no faulting the just-distorted-enough-to-remain-sweet guitar solo that concludes the puzzlingly titled “Aquafish,” or the slow-building prog-ish title track, with its layers of acoustic guitars, volume pedal-sweetened electric guitars, vintage electric piano and synths. Perhaps the most impressive part of this album is that Taylor played most of the instruments himself, receiving help from others on only two songs. (Self-released)

www.stevetaylormusic.com

-Michael Fortes

Big Phony

Straight to Bootleg, Volume 01

Mixed and mastered by Christmas Jahng | Produced by Robert Chung and Koo Chung

It’s been three years since the release of Big Phony’s Smoking Kills EP, a heartily ambitious, cozy bedroom-pop debut full of loveable ballads, Simon and Garfunkel innocence and softness. The closing song on the EP, a stripped-down number with lo-fi vocals and four-tracked guitar, offers the best tie to the new full length, Straight to Bootleg, Volume 01.

The new release begins with an affectionate, echoey, lo-fi harmony and Robert Choy’s strikingly Elliott Smith-like tone (including the falsetto moments). The opening lyrics contrast brooding sweetness with threatening bitterness – which also punctuates the influencing Smith – as Choy sings, “Watch out / There’s a mean motherfucker coming after you.”

Languid, journey-like song structures and seamless, unhurried tempos add a refinement that lifts this release with the affecting depth and introspection one hopes to find on such a DIY session. Straight to Bootleg is quintessential singer/songwriter frontier: words and guitar, spelled out together infinitely like a sweet marriage.

Choy’s guitarwork is top-notch, like the warm hands of Nick Drake, and he maintains complexity in the album by invoking strong musicianship and harmony (most often with himself). To ignore the strong religious undertones as the fleshy pulse beneath the album would bypass a defining, interlacing thread. Choy comes forward with his doctrine early on the second track, “Words that Define,” singing, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ / and I believe His name.”

Saying Straight to Bootleg is a Christian album sounds pejorative to some; it should be noted here that the religious footing is not preachy. The undertones are certainly there, but they’re stark and underscored in endless beauty, which does no more faith proclamation than electric guitars take away from the blues. Choy’s songs explore love, loss and inner strength. On those laurels, the album’s stripped-down ingenuity is nothing but mesmerizing and awe-inspiring. (Self-released)

www.bigphonymusic.com

-Christopher Petro

Ted the Block

Thinkinging...

Produced by Winston Goertz-Giffen

Straight from the hands, feet and mouth of Oakland-based genius Winston Goertz-Giffen comes Thinkinging... It’s obvious that a lot of time, effort and passion went into the making of this album; from the hand-carved wooden case in which the CD arrives to the layers of complex instrumentation that decorate the music, all signs indicate an undeniable talent.

The album makes use of acoustic and electric guitars, bells, keys, horns, whirring devices, strings and, most importantly, percussion. Easily the most noteworthy element of Thinkinging... is its incredible juggernaut of a beat. Ranging from the pop and snap of a junkyard ensemble to the booming crash of tribal warfare, Ted the Block’s backbone lies in the brilliant composition of the drums (not totally surprising, considering his role as drummer for Bay Area band The Aimless Never Miss). This in combination with the occasionally delicate melodies and full-blown ensemble parts create an album that provides consistent excitement. Goertz-Giffen’s vocals (which he also showcases as singer of another Bay Area act, Saything) follow the trend as well – sometimes scary, often sweet, rarely vulnerable, raspy and just enough straight-up pop to never get boring. His sonic signature sparks comparisons to Ben Kweller in its sweetness, Okay in its love-rasp and even moments of Built to Spill in its airy hauntingness.

An album adorned with such clever complexity is difficult to find; it is clear within moments of any given song that this was constructed by a refreshingly creative, vastly talented musician, with big ideas that don’t fall short of complete and total satisfaction. (Self-released)

www.myspace.com/tedtheblock

-Evan “The Bug” Williamson

Tea for Julie

The Sense in Tying Knots

Produced by Ken Erlick | Engineered by Rob Bartleson | Recorded and mixed at Supernatural Sound and Haywire Recording

Portland’s Tea for Julie follows its 2005 debut, Division, with The Sense in Tying Knots. The band’s new release reflects an eclectic blend of influences, from alternative rock to dance pop, and features nicely distorted guitar twang over acoustic guitars, bass and, as termed by the band, “other noises.” It glows with warmth best described as a long series of sweet spots – the timbre of its individual parts pop and shine with a vibrant richness. Combined with introspective lyrics and clever production, The Sense in Tying Knots plays like an experience rather than simply a collection of songs.

“Tying Knots,” the first song on the record, showcases lead singer Michael Deresh’s multifaceted vocals. Nimble but smooth, they quickly jump from a warm verse to a more energetic chorus. There’s a shimmer to the track that’s evident throughout the album. “Get Home,” a more poignant song, utilizes this shimmer in a darker way. The brightness of the verse contrasts noticeably with a melodic descent at the end of the chorus where the music moves into more somber territory. The album closes with “Day & Age,” a piano and vocals number that falls slightly under a minute. Although short, the lyrics still surprisingly feature all the meaningful heft so prominent on the album: “People loved for their faces instead of their glories / Special effects instead of a story / As for time, we’ve been cheated by our day / We’d turn it back if there’s a way.”

Tea for Julie’s strength is in developing a profound musical adventure in the guise of upbeat rock songs. They’ll make you think without bringing you down, and you may even end up dancing along in the process. With The Sense in Tying Knots, the band successfully reveals a world where it’s just the songs and you, a sweet spot that makes Tea for Julie a tea for two. (Self-released)

www.teaforjulie.net

-Keane Li

The Sweet Hurt

In the Shade of Dreams EP

Produced by Wendy Wang, Dan Long, Raymond Richards and Evan Slamka | Mixed by Dan Long and Will Sandalls | Mastered by John Golden at Golden Mastering

The Sweet Hurt couldn’t be a more suitable name for Wendy Wang’s chamber pop music. Her pretty (and yes, “sweet”) voice and lyrics are easy on the ears and have the power to comfort listeners through the heavy, sadder topics that emerge in her lyrical storytelling (the “hurt”). Rocking since she was a wee tyke, playing piano at five and writing her first song at 13, Wang has become a well-known figure in the L.A. music community. Working as a producer and engineer at Red Rockets Glare recording studio and also playing in Correatown and HoneyHoney, this is Wang’s first Sweet Hurt release in two years.

For its short duration, the five songs on In the Shade of Dreams are just as strong collectively as a tight full-length album. Their lifespan lasts way beyond the disc’s 15 minutes, and like Wang on “Bright Ideas,” listeners will find themselves humming the melodies long after the EP has finished playing.

On the first track, “Where Would You Go?” Wang cuts through with her dreamy, vintage sound and heartbreaking lyrics: “Where would you go if you found a new day here all alone? ... Shoot it down from here / Nobody wants to drag it out.” In line with its title, dreams are a reappearing theme on the EP, and “Dream for a While” is the strongest song of the bunch with Wang’s beautiful vocals placed center stage, backed by haunting string instrumentals and a catchy chorus complete with glockenspiel and harmonium. “Losing Our Escape,” another song of lost love and a relationship’s self-sabotage, has more of a twangy, upbeat feel with a guitar solo at the end adding texture and depth. The EP closes with its title track, reminiscent of a lullaby with violin and Wang’s soothing vocals assuring listeners that all will be well in the end, both in dreams and in real life. (Red Rockets Glare)

www.thesweethurt.com

-Jackie Miehls

Stella Royale

Dog

Recorded and engineered at Dave’s Apartment Studios in San Francisco, CA

Tension is one of the defining characteristics of Dog, the second LP from San Francisco-based garage rockers Stella Royale. Bands like The Pixies used musical tension – dissonant chords, crooked rhythmic patterns and dynamic variation – to enhance their songs, and Stella Royale attempts similar effects here with varying degrees of success.

John Spaw’s guitar work, for example, ranges from a tranquilized James Blunt to a coked-out Jack White. However, his vocals are invariably mellow. (We’re talking Chris Martin mellow.) The band even breaks out into an Eagles-esque refrain of “oooooh oooooh” on “What Matters,” a choice that reflects the song’s decidedly power-pop sound.

They save one of their strongest tracks for last with “Plays with Dolls,” on which the tension manifests in Spaw’s crooning as he treads the line between his natural and falsetto voice. The technique’s straining effect draws the listener in. Dynamic and stylistic incongruities also come into play halfway through this otherwise calm number when the electric guitar unleashes an out of control, blues-rock solo like a repressed memory bursting forth from a traumatized mental patient. This is the kind of quirk that keeps Stella Royale exciting.

Some of the tunes don’t work, and it’s because the band overextends its lyrical abilities. One particularly distracting line from “Cracking Up” reads, “Unfold my eyes / Trade in my guts / I wish you weren’t cracking up.” A worthy sentiment is no doubt expressed here, but there’s an unfortunate Nip/Tuck overtone that makes the chorus especially awkward.

Though Stella Royale doesn’t always manage to merge its obviously diverse artistic influence into a cohesive whole, it often does and thus shows potential for greatness. Also impressive is the sheer variety of sounds that this quartet produces, a feature that clearly owes much to the contributions of keyboardist/bassist David Craig and wind-player Kat Cornelius. One hopes that the occasionally schizophrenic feel of this album is evidence of artistic originality rather than a lack of focus. (Self-released)

www.stellaroyalemusic.com

-Ryan Faughnder

Russ Pettit

The Endless Journey

Recorded, mixed and produced by Russ Pettit and Haroun Serang | Mastered by Haroun Serang

After years of teaching and claiming critical reviews, Bay Area guitarist Russ Pettit finally shares his experiences on his debut album, The Endless Journey. Many listeners will find familiarity in the album’s overall sound, as it fits nicely in the guitar instrumental genre, and especially since Pettit once studied under the legendary Satriani. However, what Pettit adds to the scene is his unique vision of things — a wisdom clearly evident in his work.

Pettit quickly bounds over that which plagues guitar instrumentals most: repetition. Each of his tracks varies not only in emotive qualities, but also in genre. After opening with the multi-textured “Wayward Bound,” he quickly leads into an instrumental rendition of Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.” Pettit adds his own frenetic flair atop Page’s signature riff with extraordinary fluency. He then quickly flips things around on the following track, “Aidan,” where he swaps his electric for a genteel acoustic. His use of arpeggios gives the piece a classical feel that’s a hypnotic blend of light and dark sounds. The track works well without supporting instruments as Pettit actively engages the listener with a moving bass line. On “Family,” he opens with a warm blues introduction before leading into a series of sweeps, rakes and pinch harmonics over an epic selection of chord changes. Much like an actual family, the piece runs the gamut of human emotion from lowly quiet moments to exhilarating highs, and exhibits Pettit’s remarkable capabilities as a musician.

Russ Pettit will no doubt grow as a recurring name in the guitar instrumental universe; endorsed by Hamer Guitars and Freda Cabs, his credibility is already set. But unlike many guitarists, Pettit brings a certain maturity with this release, a grand perspective that only his endless journey can offer. (Self-released)

www.russpettit.com

-Keane Li