Viki Nova "Catch Me If You Can" (TFY Records) Sounds like: Pink mixed with Gwen Stefani
*
In case you lose your No Doubt CD and you have a craving for some Gwen Stefani-type alternative rock, don't let Viki Nova's debut album land in your shopping cart. Hungarian-born Nova has shown the D.C. area that she has ability to write her own songs, design her Web site and create a record label, but apparently not the talent to actually sing. Her modern, female pop-rock lyrics all sound the same, as she complains about love, breakups and, of course, teenage inner conflict. Too often is Nova compared to singer-songwriters Michelle Branch and Sheryl Crow. Her non-distinctive album insults the creative abilities of those artists.
Her songs "I'm Yours (Catch Me If You Can)" and "Die Another Day" seem juvenile and clich?d; she repeats verse after verse of the same thing. Even after borrowing producer Rich Issac, who worked with Marvelous 3 and SR-17, Nova's songs still seem rather boring. So whether you are looking for that feminist pop album, or just something that resembles alternative rock, go to the next aisle, folks. There is nothing to see here.
- JENNIFER VARADI
The Latin Project "Nueva Musica" (Electric Monkey Records) Sounds like: Gypsy Kings meet Fatboy Slim
***
Who knew that two English guys could do electronica Latin so well? The Latin Project's "Nueva Musica" really is "new music," and brings Latin dance beats into the realm of pop culture with its contemporary vocals. The classical keyboards add a refined flavor and the incorporation of bongo drums and jazzy trumpets blur the style of the album. Varied guest vocalists make each song's sound unique. The Latin Project is Jez Collins and Matt Cooper, but the music would be nothing without vocal guests like Marc Antione and Katia Moraes to bring the album to life. Only two of the songs are in English, but the fun dance beat is universal. Soft rock, smooth jazz and Latin dance beats can all be found on this explosive album. It has a fun, flirty sound that is smooth and upbeat at the same time. The album caters to so many different musical tastes that all your friends will enjoy breakin' it down in the dorm room to "Nueva Musica."
- LISA LEONE
The Hurt Process "Driven by Monologue" (Victory Records) Sounds like: the lovechild of Story of the Year and Thrice
***
With a name ripped right off a Boxer CD, the Hurt Process offers pop-punk with less pop and more punk. Sounding undeniably similar to almost every other band on its label, Victory Records, the Hurt Process melds hardcore-infused guitar riffs with rough vocals and pounding drums. Yet unlike most of the other bands on the label, and most of the other bands making this type of music today, vocalists Daniel Laurence and Mark Andrews' voices are neither overly grating or overly pop.
"Driven by Monologue" is a solid collection of admittedly generic songs that include emo-influenced lyrics like "My life lay around me/ shattered and broken/ your eyes lay on me/ silent and frozen." While the Hurt Process may not be the most original of bands, at least its music is enjoyable and of a much higher quality than some of the other bands Victory has released (ahem, Count the Stars).
- EMILY ZEMLER
Iron & Wine "Our Endless Numbered Days" (Sub Pop) Sounds like: The beauty of Sigur Ros meets bare-bones Americana
****
Listeners are attracted to artistic vulnerability. The late Elliott Smith's fans were drawn in by his brutal honesty on drug abuse, insecurities and heartbreak. Oh, and the songs were amazing. The same can be said for Sam Beam, who records under the moniker Iron & Wine (similarly how Chan Marshall is Cat Power or Conor Oberst is Bright Eyes). Beam's delicate, muted vocals contrast with his acoustic guitar (and sometimes banjo) and make for solemn, faultless anthems that permeate with themes everyone can relate to. "Our Endless Numbered Days" differs from Beam's earlier works. "The Creek Drank the Cradle" was a lo-fi tour de force, with sparse instrumentation and meager production. Much like Smith's stepping up from the coarseness of "Either/Or" to the refinement of "XO," Beam's latest venture finds a bigger budget: more instrumentation, more harmonies and the addition of background vocals. But the question remains: What makes Sam Beam sad? A happily married and new father singing songs of such poignant, gloomy magnitude is an inherent contradiction, much like the album's title.
- COSTA CALOUDAS
David Cross "Let America Laugh" DVD (Sub Pop) Sounds like: sarcastic comedian + stupid fans = hilarity ensues
***
Those familiar with the work of David Cross have an intense opinion of him, be that sheer disdain or manic praise. The sarcastic half of HBO's "Mr. Show" has a ridiculously successful stand-up act, and "Let America Laugh" is a documentary-style look at David Cross on the road. Music video director Lance Bangs (Pavement, the Shins) follows Cross around the country, and we see Cross pissing off club owners, making fun of his audience and being interviewed. Of particular interest is when Cross belittles a club promoter (who compares Nashville to New York) onstage. The owner tries to kick Cross out as soon as his set finishes, but Cross refuses to leave and spends the next 45 minutes provoking the owner. The awkard tension makes for great viewing, which is essentially what David Cross is about - pissing people off and using it in his stand-up act.
- COSTA CALOUDAS
Amps for Christ "The People at Large" (5 Rue Christine) Sounds like: Ravi Shankar meets Elephant 6
***
Amps for Christ is an Appalachian-British Isles folk "band," with a twist. Reviewing an album such as "The People at Large" forces a great temptation to use the words "hippies," "groove," "vibe" and, well, "zen." At first listen, select tracks sound like background music for a documentary about the '60s. Led by the elusive-sounding "Barnes" and featuring "Connell" and "Tara Tavi," this mix of unconventional instruments and vague, fuzzy reverb melds together to create a sound unlike anything heard elsewhere. "The People at Large" opens with "Tsaress," a downtempo sitar-guitar fusion with Barnes' slight voice hovering above. Then the album shifts back and forth between the relaxed beat of "Tsaress" to the gritty, lo-fi frustration of "Use Use Use," the second track. One of the strongest moments of "The People at Large" is the transition between "Bug," the whimsical spoken-word short about, well, bugs, and "Midianite Prelude," the graceful, looping guitar instrumental that can do little short of capturing your attention. "The People at Large" is music to read or study by, if you are the sort of person who doesn't mind lifting your head up every so often to take note of the inventive sound of Amps for Christ.
- JEN TURNER
Metric "Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?" (Last Gang/Enjoy) Sounds like: the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and your brother's garage band
****
Toronto-based band Metric keeps good company. Metric has had its collective finger on the pulse of the Canadian music scene for some time now. For example, singer Emily Haines can be heard adding a breathy, glistening touch to Broken Social Scene's "Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl." Keen on what works, Metric showcases Haines' voice throughout the album. She sounds like a hybrid of Pacific Northwest songstress Mirah and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Karen O. (Interesting fact: Metric actually lived with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for a short while in Canada.) Haines' voice is the secret weapon to the aforementioned Broken Social Scene track, and this album is like another dose. The first single, "Combat Baby," is a radio-friendly ditty that relies heavily on Haines' coy vocal stylings. Another standout track is "Succexy," a word that led to some struggle with pronunciation before hearing it, Metric's seemingly "political" song. "Let's drink to the military/the glass is empty/faces to fill and cars to feed/nothing could beat complete denial," as the song goes. Not only have the members of Metric proved themselves to be apt songwriters, especially on the notable "IOU" and "Love is a Place," but also surprisingly in tune with the social consciousness.
- JEN TURNER
