Better Opinions, Sound Advice

Big Star is Haley Bonar's third label-released full-length, her second on Afternoon Records. It maps a very nice progression for her. She hit it fairly big in the Twin Cities with her last album, Lure the Fox. Haley also performed on the last Andrew Bird record, Armchair Apocrypha, and I believe opened for part of that tour as well... But what are the fur hood and the smirk about? Is that what you look like on your way to stardom?

So, now she has recorded this latest piece, and it is good. Her sound has stayed more or less the same, but has gotten more produced. Everything has been recorded perfectly, everything sounds intentional and well placed. Big Star has managed to blend the normal melancholy with some more pop-influences, and it makes the album more accessible without leaving behind any former fans. This album also has more of a country-rock sound in it, particularly on tracks 8 and 9. The blend of styles and sounds (though the organ use from previous albums is not as prevalent here) keeps the 11 songs moving, and keeps a listener interested. The short overall length helps here too, 11 songs, 31 minutes, not bad. Each song ends while you are still interested, and want to hear more, particularly the poppier ones, probably a good sign of a pop-song.

Personal favorites are tracks 2 and 7, Arms of Harm and Something Great respectively. They best combine the new "poppier" sound with the old Melancholic Haley. While not necessarily happy sounding, they have something that draws one in. Something about the way the guitars start on their own and then each drum part comes in to build the progression really turns me on. I also find the lyric "You bring the guitar baby, I'll bring the beer/ sing and dance til its half past two, then we'll fall asleep" from Arms of Harm to be particularly amusing. These two songs manage this melancholic-pop sound by having up-beat, catchy rythms, while mixing in slightly sadder sounding vocals, instruments, and sarcastic, smart lyrics.

The short version is that this album is at least worth a listen. Perhaps best genre-fied as alt-pop-indie-melancholy-country, if you need that sort of thing. If you have any like for artists like Kathleen Edwards, Gillian Welch, Mark Kozelek, M. Ward, and Andrew Bird for that matter, you may enjoy Big Star. Also, be sure to check out Lure the Fox if you find this album intriguing.

That's the big question with Albert Hammond, Jr's sophomore release Cómo Te Llama, is he finding his sound? In his first release, Yours To Keep he played with the blending of folk sounds with pop and rock noises. Now it appears that he's cleaned up his sounds a little. The whole business seems a little tighter in the tracks. Although his tunes are still haunted with the precise instrument sounds that help define The Strokes, Albert seems to be experimenting more with what kind of sound defines himself.



I think the joy of listening to his music, is that nothing ever quite feels finished. The songs still have that demo-esque quality about them, like the slightly MIDI sounding beats on the third track, Lisa, as if he just needed to get the songs down on tape, and then iron out kinks when they play them live. As a result each song still feels fresh when you listen to it, and you almost expect that there will be something different then next time you listen.



Still I have to say that my favourite track is number seven, Spooky Couch. The title fits the piece perfectly, and this lengthy instrumental makes me feel like I'm floating in space.

This is probably the best record I have heard this year.

As the story goes, This album just fell out of Justin Vernon as he spent the winter in a cabin in northern Wisconsin. Recorded on minimal equipment with only a drum, guitar, and layers of his voice, he creates a sound that pulls you in, and lets you drift.

Released at the tail end of winter, this album captures that quiet elegance that comes with the comfort of snow. The songs paint a picture of the soft stillness of the cold, but the sound provides so much warmth.

He's playing a handful of dates, some of which he's opening for wilco this summer. It should be interesting to see if his sound can be translated from the record to stage. But in the mean time... this album sounds great in your ears, and on your speakers.