ximer "ximer" (Kaploof Entertainment) Sounds like: Something you might hear on '80s or '90s soft-rock radio. Grade: D
Al Nakari, the songwriter behind the electronic dance pop of ximer, thinks he's a pretty clever guy. If he didn't, he wouldn't have named his act by reversing the word "remix."
This gesture implies something special's going on with ximer, something so totally innovative that it's turning electronic and dance music on its head. Sorry, Nakari, but this album doesn't sound like anything new.
There's no edge to his use of electronic elements and no daring in his song construction. The majority of songs here would sound more appropriate if played quietly on a '80s or '90s pop station or on soft-rock radio, not blasted through a trendy dance club.
The track "Running," for instance, uses all the standard electronic music tricks: Heavy synths ride a rather uninteresting drum machine, while siren effects periodically pulsate. The tension builds until all sounds are suddenly cut out and replaced with surreal electronic plucking noises. Nakari then reintroduces the song's original tempo, each sound shuffling in one after the other.
Other tracks vary from piano-laden pop ballads to standard dance club fodder. If one were simply listening to "ximer" as background music at the office, it might suffice. But someone will more than likely be listening to this in the car or at a dance club. And in that case, it will surely disappoint.
-STEPHEN TRINGALI
Paulson "All at Once" (Doghouse) Sounds Like: Music that makes you imagine your early-morning Metro ride breaks out into an impromptu dance party. Grade: C+
If you are looking for soul-searching and infinitely insightful lyrics, Paulson is not the group for you. This group from New Jersey admits that it only recently began taking music seriously. Citing musical influences ranging from Madonna and Mariah Carey to Sufjan Stevens and Daft Punk, the band sounds very much like a Jersey-style version of Panic! at the Disco, with some of The Killers thrown in.
Paulson's album is best described as fun. The band describes itself as "regular music except faster." So even though the lyrics may not always be great ("Look what you did to me and my wisdom teeth/Your lips were too sweet and they left me with cavities"), you can't help but want to dance around your kitchen to Paulson's techno-infused beats.
Paulson is so entertaining because the band sports a punk/emo sound laced with techno and driving drumbeats, giving its music a more upbeat, pop feel. "Blow Down" soars as lead singer Logan and synthesized notes climb the scale. Meanwhile, "Window Frames" offers some more somber harmonies but is surprisingly catchy. And while Paulson does occasionally nudge toward the precipice of the overly whiny drudgery so often offered by emo, the band quickly about-faces into more pop-infused sounds - shallow, yet enjoyable.
Originally released under One Day Savior, "All at Once" from Paulson has been remixed and remastered to better suit the vision the band originally had but couldn't afford. So the updated album ditches the original title track, retains the same name, and sports four new songs - all of which were created (amazingly) without recording anything new; Paulson apparently used song fragments from its previous recording.
Paulson has upcoming tour dates scheduled with Thursday, The Starting Line and The Number 12 Looks Like You. While not thrillingly original or utterly amazing, Paulson offered a solid album, and hopefully some good albums to come.
-MICHELE WHITE
The Colour "Between Earth & Sky" (EMI/Rethink) Sounds like: Pierces one's ears with melodramatic rock while simultaneously piercing Jesus to the crucifix. Grade: C-
If the Rolling Stones had been straight edge, avidly Christian and untalented, the band would sound like The Colour. Its members met in 2002 at Biola University, a small Christian college in the center of Los Angeles in Orange County. The very existence of such a sacred educational institution in a predominantly secular section of the country begs the question: How well does rock music mix with theology?
The answer is not well in the least, as revealed in The Colour's new album "Between Earth & Sky." The Colour's main vocals are reminiscent of The Killers' lead singer Brandon Flowers, yet despite the obvious attempt at a hard rock sound, there is an oddly religious zeal about the album. Luckily, the rock factor mostly overshadows the biblical lyrics, so that listeners can feel rocked, rather than indoctrinated.
Opening track "Can't You Hear It Call" provides an easy beat to bob a head to. It sounds like a cross between the classic Rolling Stones introduction to "Brown Sugar" and the Jet hit "Rollover D.J." In "Devil's Got a Holda Me," the band screeches about the errors of the human condition, and fears reaching the land of fire below with redemptive lyrics: "It's a lonely road, the ground is cold, so damn cold." The sixth track, "Black Summer," would make a good background song for a raw, rage-driven argument between a couple in the early stages of divorce. A song that aims to imitate Bob Dylan but falls tragically short is the ending song, "Dirge To Earth & Sky."
On the third track, "Save Yourself," The Colour asks, "How are you gonna save me, when you can't save yourself?" Saving $15 and 44 minutes could be a good start.
-ILIANA IMBERMAN BERKOWITZ
