Missy Higgins "On a Clear Night" Reprise Records Sounds like: Two Sara(h)s - Sarah MacLachlan and Sara Bareilles Grade: B
"On A Clear Night," Missy Higgins' sophomore U.S. release, differs greatly from her debut album, "The Sound of White." At first listen, one might write the new record off as having a more mellow, possibly uninspired, sound. But the album becomes more enjoyable with each listen.
Fans of Higgins will be startled by the first two tracks. Though they have a different energy from her previous work, Higgins still maintains her musical integrity. The angst of "100 Round the Bends" shows Higgins' attitude and doesn't show-and-tell lyrically. Her irresistible voice paired with her delightful Australian accent makes almost anything she sings a pleasure to listen to, even when she bites at her listener, "I'm half me and half you / But I hate us both, don't you?" in the delectable track "Peachy."
Other songs of note include "Sugarcane" and "Warm Whispers," both more classic Higgins piano ballads featuring sweet lyrics and honey-warm vocals. But the most memorable track of the album is "Forgive Me," which is the least produced of all. In the closing track, the album undoes all of its musical progression in the arenas of blues and country, stripping the song down to vocals and an acoustic guitar recorded without a studio environment. Higgins' honesty and power reveals itself, unhindered by technology or over-production.
Her introspective song writing and skilled vocals still shine on this album, but it lacks cohesiveness and the signature sound that gained her attention. Making a clear attempt to move into the more mature, less pop-y side of music, Higgins, for the most part, succeeds.
-TRACI J. BROOKS
Monade "Monstre Cosmic" Too Pure/Duophonic Records Sounds like: Experimental French indie pop Grade: B
If spacey indie-pop teamed up with breathy French lyrics sounds like a promising combination, Monade's latest release, "Monstre Cosmic," is the perfect album for you. This is not to say, however, that you can only enjoy this LP if you are a proponent of experimental, ethereal French music. While it may be nearly painful, initially, to treat this album as more than just elevator music, keep listening. If not understanding French feels like a disappointment, listen more closely. Only then can you truly start to appreciate the fanciful arrangement of trombones and tambourines guiding Laetitia Sadier's soothing vocals.
Monade was originally created as a side project for Sadier, one-half of Stereolab. Monade sounds quite similar to Stereolab, but it's nearly impossible for Sadier to completely differentiate her sound in such like-minded musical ventures. For a confused mainstream American fan, she somewhat serves as a French counterpart to Aqualung. Both Aqualung and Monade incorporate a delicate sound that often transports the listener to a dreamlike state with beautiful, hushed tones, luring them into a quasi-trance. This is quite fitting, considering that "the lyrics deal with aspects of light and shade, connecting darkness and light like a starry night," according to Sadier. Giving it a second listen - or even a third - proves that Monade is anything but background music.
-FAHIMA HAQUE
The Black Keys "Attack & Release" Nonesuch Records Sounds like: A more mature, wilder version of Johnny Lang's voice with Jimi Hendrix's band Grade: B+
The Black Keys' sixth album, "Attack & Release," hits stores April 1. Let's be honest: You should be excited. These two Ohio-born musicians keep up their impressive, powerful sound. But this time, they've spent a little more time producing, making things a lot more interesting.
"Strange Times," their punky, percussive and purposely spooky cut is their designated iTunes single. But "Lies" is much more impressive, incorporating the spiritual sounds of backup singers and the banjo, providing some electronic work that competes handily with Beck for its ability to make classically American sounds appeal to the contemporary ear. "So He Won't Break" and "Same Old Thing" bring in a wider range of instruments than we're used to with the Keys, mixing their fuzzy shreds with the trendy flutes and voices of gypsies - one is reminded of the seductive sounds of Santana and St. Germain. The dual track set of "Remember When" A and B contrast nostalgic twangs and trippy reverberations much like Beck's "Sea Change" and the Ramones. Similar lyrics tell two sides of the same story, but each exhibits the wide range of sounds they've shown they are capable of on this album. "I've Got Mine" brings together their hauntingly memorable guitar, pumping drums and Dan Auerbach's sultry voice. It's the type of "electric Mississippi blues," as their Web site says, that you'd hear in a dive bar, but you'd like it. "Oceans and Streams" and their last ballad can get a bit Bruce Springsteen-cheesy, but you can skip over those two. Overall, "Attack & Release" is a worthy Black Keys album.
-MARLEY GIBBONS
Cordero "En Este Momento" Bloodshot Records Sounds like: A southwestern ghost town that should be cool, but isn't very interesting Grade: C-
Ani Cordero's latest release, "En Este Momento," evokes a well-known scene from any Western film's climactic duel.
The wind blows a tumbleweed across the screen, and the local saloon's double doors swing shut as our hero grabs his revolver. But where an exciting crescendo should accompany the final gunshot, there is bland, cliché rock.
Even saying this would be assigning the record a genre that it does not have. The album can't decide whether it wants to be Latin and Southwestern rock or hipster indie rock, and the indecision makes it difficult to generate any long-term interest.
"Heart in Me," for instance, sounds like a strung out Yeah Yeah Yeahs song, while "Matadora" sounds like it could have come straight out of Selena's mouth.
This album does tend to capture an authentic Latin feel with the inclusion of a trumpet player, whose Ennio Morricone-esque melodies are apparent throughout much of the recording. But even this can't save Cordero's effort.
Cordero has quite a plain voice, which is much like the rest of the music. Technically speaking, each song is built entirely around two lone parts that are played to death, while everything else - which isn't a whole lot - is filler material with no real substance.
In fact, "Close Your House Down" and "Maria Elisa," the album's sixth and seventh tracks, have almost identical parts musically. If you're going to do that, at least spread the culprits out on the track list.
In all, this album lacks surprise. Each song is dreadfully predictable. Cordero would have been better off using this album as the score to some cheesy Western.
-ROB NATALE
