KWCW

On her fifth solo album, New York singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia gives full billing to longtime drummer Jim White, a contributor since 2003’s “Run to Ruin.” However, for the first time, White, also a member of Nick Cave’ Bad Seeds and the Dirty Three, among others, feels like a major collaborator, making himself a part of both the songwriting process and the performance of these songs.
Compared to her earlier full band arrangements, “You Follow Me” is nearly skeletal, reduced to guitar, vocals, and White’s drum kit. They are further accented by Steve Albini’s production, which makes the album’s minimal instrumentation strikingly rich. Though Nastasia has two of the three instruments in use, neither she nor White allow each other total control over any track. When White could fall into the background, he unpredictably erupts into flurries of percussion, almost always when Nastasia is at her loudest and her most commanding, like on “In the Evening” or “I Come After You.”
While singer-songwriters playing guitar are often annoyingly dull, this collaboration elevates an already compelling songwriter into new territory, turning songs about conversations into hauntingly spare, full-on musical conversations as well. The results are both difficult and rewarding.
Grade: B
Andrew Hall

“I like all music… But country.”

You’ve heard it. Meeting that new girl, maybe.

“What kind of music do you like?” you ask.
“All music but country,” she replies, and giggles. Maybe your friends say it. Maybe you say it. All music but country. Pop. Opera. Throat singing. Noise rock. Avant-garde radio warbles. But not country. Well, none of you can say it any more. Deer Tick has dropped 14 tracks of whoop-ass on country-haters everywhere, an incredible hammer of reclamation smashing downward on a genre now known for NASCAR, trucks and cowboy hats. Singer/songwriter John McCauley must have smoked Marlboro a new corporate headquarters to get his voice to the perfect level of grit that gives such life to his songs of betrayed love, stymied love, unrequited love, love, man, love, and plenty of it. Underneath, the music is powered by guitar, drums, and whatever else, a living, kicking muscle.
Grade: B+
-Graham Trail

The Two Gallants newest effort − a 5 song EP/mini-album − represents the quieter, softer side of the group and centers on scenes from a break-up. For some 2Gs fans, the softer side of the band might fall short. On “All Your Faithless Loyalties,” originally released in 2005 on a Hurricane Katrina benefit CD and re-written for this EP, the changes − most noteworthy is the use of a simple verse-chorus structure − don’t work. That being said, the rest of the record is good. The 2Gs’ lyrical prowess, combined with the band’s staple of melodic drums and rolling guitar, never really disappoints. “Seems Like Home To Me” is a perfect example of the best side of the band, only slightly softer. “Linger On,” another good track, proves that the band can play well with a pianist. All in all, 2Gs fans will accept this record, newcomers will have an easy introduction into the band, and everyone will hope their upcoming full-length is more like previous albums than “The Scenery of Farewell.”
Grade: B
-Grant Margeson

Joanna Newsom - Ys
(Drag City, 2006)

Joanna Newsom’s first album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, was quite good. Her stories were compelling, her instrumentation unconventional and pleasant, and her voice, if nothing more, unique. Her follow-up, Ys, despite having only five songs, is something far grander, improving upon all of her qualities as a musician while changing the focus of both her music and her songwriting in general.

Seconds into the album’s first track, “Emily,” Ys’s dramatic change of sound becomes apparent as soon as the orchestra makes its presence known. While Newsom’s voice remains the focus of the music, the strings, arranged by Brian Wilson collaborator and musician Van Dyke Parks, take her once-minimal harp-and-vocals approach and instead place it in the aural equivalent of Cinemascope and Technicolor. The strings move around her harp and her voice, animating the music wonderfully.

Additionally, her singing voice - a source of controversy since the beginning of her career as a singer-songwriter - has clearly improved. Her singing is no longer anywhere near as raw as it was on either her first two EPs or her first album, yet her voice still feels more than adequate as a method of delivering these songs. It’s an improvement likely to help win her many new fans with this album.

As a whole, Ys is a stunning record and easily among the best of the year. The songs are epic, as proven by the seventeen-minute “Only Skin,” yet still intimate and fascinating. It’s a remarkable second album and proof that there is much ground yet to be explored in the world of experimental folk.

5/5
-Andrew Hall

The members of New York based Akron/Family have been working relentlessly since signing to Young God Records in 2003. The four gents have released two full length albums and a split LP with label mates Angels of Light while touring the country. The most recent of which is the exciting and challenging “Meek Warrior.” Akron/Family make it clear from the opening song that they are not attempting to simply rehash the successful formula used in their lauded debut. The frenetic guitar riff and ominous, insistent drums are a far cry from the melodic, understated finger-picking one finds on their previous record. The intensity slowly evolves into an amalgamation of hand claps, dissonant murmurs, and finally an impassioned chant. One could easily see a song like “Blessing Force” being separated into four songs due to Akron/Family’s tendency towards progressive and constant variation. At times, Akron/Family sounds like a relative of Animal Collective due to their unbridled, exuberant sing-a-long style and eccentric campfire folksy sensibilities. “Meek Warrior” is organic, cosmic, and unrestrained all at once; it’s the kind of album that can grow on you.

RIYL: Animal Collective, The Microphones, Devendra Banhart

3.5 old-style radio microphones out of 5
- Kyle Gilkeson

“Lush” is not an adjective usually associated with Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s music—his body of work is characteristically bleak and sincerely emotional. On his last studio album, “Master and Everyone”, his sparse musical arrangements served to highlight his weary, passionate voice and poetic lyrics, but on his latest effort, “The Letting Go”, he takes a different approach. The album was recorded in Iceland, with the help of former Bjork collaborator Nico Muhly and Drag City label mate Dawn McCarthy. The influence of both is immense—Muhly’s rich, sweeping string arrangements and McCarthy’s vocal harmonies permeate the album, revealing lavishness not usually present in Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s music. Despite its beauty, the musical arrangement on “The Letting Go” is not necessarily an improvement on previous albums, namely “I See a Darkness” and his work under the moniker of “Palace Music”. The strings and harmonies distract the listener from what has always been the best part of Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s music—the raw humanity of his voice and lyrics. The substance is still present on the new album, but it is certainly not as immediately evident as it has been. Despite this shortcoming, “The Letting Go” is a fine addition to an already phenomenal body of work and it certainly warrants repeated listenings.

4/5

For Fans of: Cat Power, The Silver Jews, Neil Young, Lambchop

- Bryan Sonderman

What is it that makes Nickel Creek so adorable? Is it their beautiful harmonies and chord progressions, or the vigor of youth? Certainly the prospect of a group not much older than the median age of a college campus lends itself to some interest. A family of child prodigies Chris Thile, Sean Watkins, and Sara Watkins have been performing together since they were 13. Winning numerous musical awards, their technical mastery of the instruments is apparent through their sound. All that governs them is the tenacity of youth and their own creative exploration.

The first thing you’ll notice on Why Should The Fire Die? is that the trio has moved drastically far from their first two albums. Indeed, the lack of Alison Krauss to guide them this time out is more than likely a major contributing factor. The efforts of this third album can be said to be an experimental voyage across genres, the seeds of which were sown in their second album with their bluegrass cover of Spit on a Stranger by Pavement.

Why Should The Fire Die? starts off with one of their stand out tracks of the album, When In Rome. Catchy and energetic, this track runs along the vein of their older work. Somebody More Like You is easily my favorite, with beautiful melodies that make your heart jump just a little. The middle of the album is punctuated with a Bob Dylan cover of Tomorrow Is a Long Time, obviously reaching out to their fan base with an ode to a legend. Missing from the track list are the long flowing instrumentals that used to comprise equal parts of their work. Stumptown is painfully short at just a minute and forty-four seconds and leaves you wanting more. The title track closes the album, an artistic closure that is on par with the song itself that just seems to cut out at the end. I’m not sure if this was by design or due to poor production. One of the most shocking tracks on the album, is Best of Luck which has a defined rock and roll sound. Perhaps they were trying to be edgy and innovative, but it really just leaves the listener to ponder “what the fuck?”

All said, Why Should The Fire Die? is a bold new direction for Nickel Creek which might leave devout fans of their first two albums scratching their heads or cursing under their breath. But the important thing to remember is that Sara Watkins is just a cutie straight up, especially when she’s playing the fiddle. A wry smile will take you places in this world.