Best of the Week
The White Stripes - Elephant
2003 14 tracks (50:54)
I never paid much attention to The White Stripes when they were a thing, which is sad because it looks like I missed out. The simple well-crafted tunes with equally simple direct recording is a lesson of less is more. I’m sad about Meg White and her battle with stage anxiety that made her retire from music after only ten brilliant years. This is at the peak of their powers and thankfully they kept it in the raw form they started as a band and didn’t gussy it up with the excesses of success. A-
Jadudah - Strangers
2015 9 tracks (38:48)
The first song I heard was “One Last Song”, a soaring tune by this Norwegian band. I wish I could find out the name of the female vocalist because she deserves a mention for her beautiful powerful vocals. The songs have a post-rock feel with guitars that jangle more than growl and more pop than doom. Not a stinker on the album at all. If they wanted to take it to the next level, it would just require a little more meat on the bone. Even so, it’s damn good. A-
Interesting Finds
Ugress - Boulevard of Broken Dystopias
2023 12 tracks (44:10)
Another Bergen Norway project with kick ass rock using an assortment of keyboards, brass, guitars and whatnot. Every song is a compelling, insistent, magical ride without vocals most of the time. Titles like “This track is no longer available” shows a mischievous side. It’s a bouncy funky tune that is kind of fun. The head maestro is Gisle Martens Mayer, a musician specializing in electronic music who has an infectious way of melding music. Lot’s to like about it. B+
Lost in Kiev - Rupture
2022 9 tracks (51:39)
This band aligns well with Russian Circles in tone with strong material and good production. If there is such a thing as soft death metal, this might qualify with its use of power guitar chords to sustain a melody. In “Dichotomy”, the altered vocals are effective with the somber driving beat. The moody rock is good to listen to on a cold damp gray day. B
Major Parkinson - Valesa Chapter 1 Velvet Prison
2022 17 tracks (1:00:16)
Is this a show tune set? It could be. There is a story here if you want to piece it together. But MP has shown to be one of the inventive stylists of the prog world. They continue to put out intricate well-produced soundscapes with the six or seven members and don’t have much for boundaries. They are good and can get away with it. That said, I would have liked it a lot more if they had done a standard album set rather than a concept piece centered around whatever story they are trying to project. Plus, Jon Ivar Kollbotn’s rasping tuneless vocals is wearing thin, which is frustrating because everyone else can carry a tune. B-
The Fjords - Ladders
2018 9 tracks (34:38)
My first impression was the band being a post-rock version of Sting and The Police. Then a couple of short songs erased that evaluation and replaced it with simplistic pop sung by a male vocalist with a pretty voice. With the easy relaxed keyboards, gentle guitar, and basic rhythms, this is wine-sipping music. C
The Butterfly Effect - IV
2022 10 tracks (41:17)
Somewhat typical heavy metal alt rock band similar in vein with Tool, just not as good. That doesn’t mean it is without merit as there are some good moments. “Visiting Hours” has a nice line and strong vocals. Pretty much a standard heavy metal band album. All the songs are capable filler for the really good songs in your playlist, but it isn’t going to send chills down your spine. C
Velvet Acid Christ - Lust For Blood
2006 14 tracks (1:09:28)
With this band name, the album title, and the first cut you listen to is “Ghost In The Circuit”, what would you expect? Probably not the dreamy enjoyable music that it is. Some of the vocals like the ones in the cut “Wound” sounds like the snake language parsel-tougue in Harry Potter. With an emphasis on electronic keyboards and dance rhythm, it does have an EDM taste that is done reasonably well (listen to “Disconnected Nightmare” as an example). B
Forgettable
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