NYS Music 20​18

Category: Album Reviews

  • Hearing Aide: Greg Jacquin, ‘Hudson River EP’

    In case the album title didn’t give it away, Greg Jacquin is a native of the Hudson Valley region, and his music and persona possess very apparent undertones of a small town songwriter. Jacquin will release his newest EP, Hudson River on February 9th, but we were able to get a sneak preview of the album first.

    Greg JacquinAlthough acoustic guitar certainly drives each song on the album, Jacquin dices in some interesting instrumentation, including a string and brass section woven in between songs. His album features six songs with two additional bonus song versions. His single for the album “The Station” is featured in two versions on this album, bringing two separate ideas to the table. He has simultaneously released a video for the single, which is slowly rising in views. The video paints his melancholy demeanor, and features shots the daily commuter would consider second nature. But this video is about Jacquin in his nature, with shots of nature in his surrounding area. His album has downs like these, with several ups as well, including the cheerful tune “On the Moorings.” Greg Jacquin is in good company on this album, and each recording is well balanced and intentioned.

    Jacquin will release his album on February 9th, but pre-orders are available now on his website.

    Key Tracks: The Station, On the Moorings

  • Hearing Aide: The Wood Brothers ‘One Drop of Truth’

    After nearly 13 years of touring the globe, writing their version of Americana music and picking up fans along the way, The Wood Brothers are set to release One Drop of Truth on Friday, February 2.  Their newest studio album purposefully took a full year of studio hoping and concept swapping to complete and the finished product is the most realest, authentic, and Woodsiest release to date.

    The sobering and topical “River Takes the Town” opens The Wood Brothers’ sixth studio album as Chris Wood’s bass and Oliver Wood’s acoustic guitar naturally flow into the track.  Written prior to the devastation that swept the nation this past summer, the tune accurately describes the pain and terror that comes with overwhelming disasters whether widespread or personal. Artful lyrics with a smooth and crisp tone flood the song with emotion as Jano Rix adds the perfect amount of percussion and backup vocals.  I would argue the most powerful opening track on any Wood Brother’s album.

    The second piece in the collection introduces Americana funk as the exclusive genre in “Happiness Jones.”  Chris introduces a silky bass line that invites the listener to kick their shoes off and dance on the grass.  The muffled vocal effect along with the well-placed guitar solo is sure to start a sing-along during live performances.  Rix offers a swirling organ that adds that extra funkified soul fans have come to expect from the Wood Brothers and the turn of phrase lyrics recognize the cross-contamination of happiness and lesson-learning.  Similar to “Sing About It” on 2013’s The Muse, Oliver describes the power that singing can have on the mind and spirit during hard times.  A fresh tune rooted in Oliver’s talented and unique writing ability awards “Happiness Jones” a big smile and two thumbs way up.

    After the haunting and supernatural qualities of “Strange As It Seems,” the trio enters the realm of country twang with “Sky High.”  Not to be confused with the “sky high with chicken skin” lyrics from Smoke Ring Halo’s “Stumble In,” or the 2012 live release with the same name, this “Sky High” is a sexy and seductive ditty just begging for an AMC television drama series to use it as the credit track.  Oliver’s chilling slide guitar sings along with the band and would echo nicely off the walls of any Nashville dive-bar where the track was appropriately written.  More than halfway through the album, Oliver hands over lead vocal duties to his little brother Chris for “Seasick Emotion.”  Soaked in the sentiment of 2016’s election, Chris uses the giant body of water to describe his inner fears and confusions while Oliver and Jano blow a slow wind into the sonic sails.  Oliver’s one and only voice has defined The Wood Brothers’ sound for so long that hearing Chris sing displays a band freer and more supportive of each other than ever.

    What is a Wood Brothers album without alcohol slipping its way into the lyrics? “Sparkling Wine” serves as the playful and boozy party track in One Drop of Truth before the ultra-bluesy title song hints at a dissatisfaction with the lies and deceptions of our current political climate.  In a world of “fake news” and leaders that have billions and billions of the “best words,” Chris sings, “Give me one drop of truth I cannot deny.”  A strong and forceful message is only outshined by Oliver’s powerful and sophisticated chops. “Can’t Look Away” is perfectly segued out of “One Drop of Truth” and the listener can once again image the title being somehow politically fueled.  Oliver returns to lead and hovers on the spoken word side of the fence as he is narrating different scenes that appear to be acted out on a stage.  A rich and powerful backing bass by Chris gives this inventive new track legs to shift gears throughout.  They pour the final drops of creativity into the closing number before the 42-minute eclectic collection of originals comes to an end.

    With half a dozen studio albums under their belt, The Wood Brothers have once again proved themselves as outlaws of the mainstream corporate music industry while being fully capable of its praise.  The trio’s first five albums seem to tell a story based around the album title, while One Drop of Truth feels more like a portfolio of themes, sounds and spaces.  The eagerness to grow, the commitment to change and confidence to experiment with truth in this album is exactly what this country needs.  God Bless America and God bless the Wood Brothers!

    The Wood Brothers are currently on tour in support of One Drop of Truth, catch them at a theater near you!

    Key Tracks: River Takes the Town, Happiness Jones, Can’t Look Away

  • Kendrick Lamar Releases Album Art, Track List for “Black Panther” Soundtrack

    To kick off Black History Month, Kendrick Lamar yesterday shared the artwork and tracklisting for the soundtrack to Marvel Studios’ Black Panther movie.

    kendrick lamar black panther

    With three consecutive Album of the Year Grammy nominations, Lamar keeps churning out hit after hit, and the highly anticipated film gets an equally anticipated soundtrack to accompany it.  Rappers include SZA, Future, Jay Rock, 2 Chainz, Vince Staples and Anderson .Paak highlighting the album along with The Weeknd, Mozzy and SOB x RBE, R&B stars Jorja Smith and Khalid on the 14-track album.

    The soundtrack from Kendrick Lamar, for Black Panther will be released on Friday, Feb. 9 via Interscope Records and Marvel’s Black Panther will be released nationwide on Feb. 16. Listen to the first single from the album “All the Stars,” featuring Kendrick Lamar and SZA.

  • Hearing Aide: Luke Cornwell ‘Wallop Dollop’

    Luke Cornwell’s Wallop Dollop catches your attention from the get-go. When you’re honing your songs in café’s like Cornwell has been doing, you have to find a way to be noticed above the din of cappuccino machines and the drone of conversation. This debut EP showcases Cornwell’s flair for theatrics, pairing playful storytelling with inventive acoustic arrangements.

    Wallop Dollop begins with the spunky ditty “Good Morning Sunshine.” It’s an invitation to spend the day on a rollicking romp: taking a spin on the mall carousel, hanging at the park, and eating breakfast foods all day long. It’s a little earworm that I catch myself humming when I’m making coffee. I could almost imagine it in a film or television show, like when Bowling for Soup did the theme song for Disney’s Phineas and Ferb. It would even hold up next to a Moldy Peaches song on the soundtrack to the movie Juno.

    Cornwell combines upbeat guitar melodies with punchy percussion from Noah Boss to create a sound that is a cross between art rock and punk folk. The lyrics are refreshingly whimsical, but also contain subtle tongue-in-cheek commentaries. Cornwell could have used almost any object to finish the line “Where is my…” A Google search I conducted suggested finishing the sentence with the words tax refund, mind, phone, or super suit. Instead, Cornwell chose the words oxygen mask, making the song a story about anxiety and a frantic, panicked search for his breathing apparatus. The anti-love ballad “Paint Thinner” recounts a laundry list of things Cornwell would rather do than be with the subject of the song.

    Overall, Wallop Dollop is a study in contrasts. It’s punk and it’s folk. It’s sincere and it’s ironic. But one thing is for sure, it’s never boring!

    Wallop Dollop was recorded in Rochester by Alexander Eschbach at Light 40 Studios. It features Cornwell on vocals and guitar, Noah Boss on drums and background vocals, and Amanda Kuzar on kazoo. Kuzar is also the one throwing blue goo at Cornwell on the album cover, which was photographed by Jason Ackerman. It’s available to stream on Spotify and purchase on Bandcamp. True to the DIY art aesthetic, a limited run of hand painted CD’s are also on sale via Bandcamp. Visit Luke Cornwell’s website for more information and updates.

    Key Tracks: Good Morning Sunshine, Oxygen Mask, Paint Thinner

  • Hearing Aide: Dan Zlotnick ‘Bumpers’

    Sometimes in life you need to stop stressing about everything, take a deep breath, and focus on what’s truly important; love, joy, adventure. That is exactly what the Somers, NY local Americana musician Dan Zlotnick did when he sat down and wrote his second album Bumpers. Driven by his soothing yet powerful voice, Zlotnick’s Zen-like stories of love and life inspire listeners to seek out the nearest mountain range and get lost in a world of childlike wonder.

    dan zlotnickWhether you are having your Sunday morning coffee, embarking on the road trip of the decade, or just need to smile, Bumpers is a versatile album worth revisiting again and again. The album begins on a genuine positive note with “Ballad of Dreamers,” a song that makes your body sway without realizing it and immediately establishes trust with the narrator, which bonds stronger as the album progresses. Throughout each track, Zlotnick speaks to the human element of who we are as a species and how, in many ways, we are all the same. Although we may seem different and lead individual lives, all everyone truly wants in life is to be happy. His thoughtful lyrics in the title track “Bumpers” reflect this as he urges listeners to enjoy every moment for what they are, good or bad, and reminds them that they owe it to themselves to be happy.

    What separates DAn Zlotnick from other Americana musicians these days is the fact that he does not take anything too seriously. His songs are bright and full of joy, and it is clear without knowing him that he is a playful person. Songs like “Hide and Seek” and “Creatures” attest to this, for although they delve into a deeper romantic world at times there is always a juvenile sense of play at hand. If you are in the Hudson Valley you can catch Zlotnick perform live at the Towne Crier Cafe in Beacon (opening for Patty Larkin) Jan 20, or at the Paramount Theater in Peekskill (opening for Marc Cohn) Feb 16, and for a full list of shows visit DanZlotnick.com.

    Key Tracks: Ballad of Dreamers, Bumpers, Creatures

  • Hearing Aide: Ignis “The Face of Mars”

    Albany two-piece Ignis released their first full-length album The Face of Mars on January 9, premiering their blend of folk, rock, and Americana. The album evokes a feeling of timelessness, seeming to borrow from many iterations and generations of rock music, from a Bowie-esque 70’s quality to a post-punk 90’s Seattle sound. The singing is memorable, somewhat reminiscent of Mark Sandman of Morphine and Ian Curtis of Joy Division, with an impressive vocal range and a very moody quality. Ignis manages to shift deftly between slow build-ups and high-energy releases.

    The album opens with a slow ballad titled “AS,” that showcases the emotional side of their songwriting, and then follows it with the faster paced, grungy “Not Yet.” The third song out, “Don’t Go” starts with atmospheric guitar and then allows the drums to slowly build up to a satisfying crescendo.

    “Chloe Dancer” features singing that reminds the listener of singers like Morrissey, while allowing the pianist to show his talents. “Paper” presents a change of pace, with the guitarist adopting a different, sultry style as the song takes on a jazzy feel. Each song of this album is short and to the point, with a definitive style and tone that encompasses much of the record.

    “273” is a huge departure from the general tone of the album, beginning with a danceable funk riff then dropping back into a Smiths-inspired vocal melody and some sludgy guitar work. The following song, “Sink,” takes a mellower approach, while still boasting their signature guitar tone.

    “Tunnel Vision” features a memorable riff set to sad lyrics, while “Could it Be” ventures into power ballad territory. The album then closes out with “Follower,” which hearkens back to the 80’s. Ignis presents a promising first effort, successfully melding a variety of styles into an atmospheric, original record. Available on Bandcamp, Itunes and Spotify.

    Key Tracks: Tunnel Vision, Could It Be

  • Hearing Aide: The Creptter Children ‘Asleep With Your Devil’

    The Creptter Children’s EP Asleep With Your Devil is without a doubt packed with tons of variety while keeping a common gothic sound throughout the EP but that’s either its greatest strength or greatest weakness.

    The first two tracks “Watching You” and “Crazy” have a unique mix of industrial and symphonic metal that play in the background of the gothic vocals, which is rather unfortunate since the blending of industrial and symphonic is the highlight of the tracks.

    “Asleep With Your Devil” opens with loud rapid drumming that are in your face but then the vocals are introduced and the song felt like it was confused as to what kind of attitude the song should have. There’s just too much variety in the vocals, at first there’s regular vocals but quickly move to clean then seconds later there’s choir like vocals. Light gutturals follow, which were in the song for what felt like the equivalent of a pointless celebrity cameo in a generic big budget movie, all the while there’s random injections of what sounds like some kind of ancient prayer or spell in an indistinguishable language. The song is at its best when the guitars are given focus while the drum machines fill in the back and there’s no vocals.

    “It’s A Game” starts with the beating of a drum accompanied with quiet cheerful onomatopoeias of the drums that gives the feeling of marching and slides into gothic vocals full of eerie lyrics that compliment the constant beat of the drums while having clean symphonic vocals thrown into sections that give a nice variety.

    “Killer” is the fastest paced song in the EP and the best track to head bang to the simpler lyrics that are chanted. This is a song that is probably best experienced live rather than through a recording due to how much energy the band clearly put into it.

    Over all Asleep With Your Devil is an EP that feels like a cross between a variety pack and a set of experiments but either way fans of heavy music that has a melodic or symphonic twist won’t have trouble finding at least one song that they can enjoy.

    Asleep With Your Devil was released January 12, 2018. Head on over to the official website to order now.

    Key Tracks: It’s A Game, Killer

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=4l62_1BEP8s

  • Hearing Aide: Bobby Paltauf “Why”

    Connecticut based Bobby Paltauf featuring The Package released their debut studio album Why, on Jan. 10 on Spotify and iTunes. The albums holds, “songs that will challenge the status quo, posing questions about how we live life, how we engage and communicate with each other, society, religion and politics.” The majority of the album is lyrically driven and on the lighter, easy listening side of the spectrum, which is a bit of a change from Paltauf’s prior work which was heavily influenced by rock and blues.

    What’s most impressive is that no one in this group cracks the age of 30. Lee Falco (drums) Will Bryant (keys) Bobby Paltauf (guitar/vocals) and Brandon Morrison (bass) work effortlessly together to create unique, expertly produced tracks filled with bluesy, smooth and sometimes funky sounds.

    Their opening track, “Put It Down” speaks about society’s addiction to technology, mainly our phones. Instrumentally, the track is smooth and light, a theme which transcends the majority of the album. Other songs like “Why,” “Now” and “It’s Own Way” are laid back but could use some more energy in spots. The songs are full of emotion and climaxes, but could use more power. 

    Paltauf hasn’t lost sight of what made his first studio tracks so attractive, though.  Songs like “A Day Late” and “Wasted Grooves” are undoubtedly the key tracks off the album. They’re lyrically impactful and their catchy funk tones separate them from the rest of the tracks.  They’re beaming with energy and are exactly what we’d like to hear from a young and talented group of musicians.

    Find the album on iTunes and Spotify and keep an eye out for any upcoming shows on Bobby’s Facebook page.

    Key Tracks: Day Late, Wasted Grooves, Searchin

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3tHb0rpDwQ

  • Hearing Aide: Umphrey’s McGee ‘it’s not us’

    Jam band is a term thrown around, generally referring to the length and frequency of improvisatory segments a band employs in their live shows. But in the higher rungs of the quasi-genre, it could also be used to describe the amount of styles and influences that are ‘jammed’ into a single concert, album, song, or even lick.

    it's not usPut on it’s not us, the latest studio output from rockers Umphrey’s McGee, and your friends will be impressed with the playlist you put together, showcasing your eclectic taste. Would you take credit, or own up to the fact that it was indeed just one band? And one album?

    The album exhibits McGee at their most dynamic and most intriguing. Celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2018, they’re still a band on the rise, tackling new ground, finding ways to innovate and improve along the way. If an album is a band’s current singular statement, this one screams, “This is us!” That certainly defies the chosen title, which they chose as a reference to their beloved fanbase. This collection of songs isn’t a new direction for the band, rather a culmination of everything that has come before, and it is most certainly “them.”

    Their previous release, Zonkey, was a virtual jukebox, with wild mashups of different popular songs. This one plays like a jukebox also, but more impressively, and more successfully encompassing entirely original material. Barroom rock (“The Silent Type”), electric dance pop (“Forks”), 80’s hair band heaviness (“Looks”) or jazzed-up funk (“Speak Up”) all find a home in this player. The infectious blues groove of the not-so-cleverly named “Whistle Kids” would sound right at home billowing up from the smoke at any Dinosaur BBQ. “Remind Me” opens in a slinky groove but switches into a blistering metal rocker, with some signature slash and burn guitar that rears its head throughout the album. It stands in immediate contrast to the ensuing “You & You Alone,” a stripped down folksy track. Though it’s not us is not an album with a finite order, It will hold up well when listening on shuffle, which is how the kids do it these days anyway. Each song stands strongly alone, and like an Umphrey’s McGee setlist, could be reordered on each listen for a unique experience every time.

    it’s not us introduces 11 new songs to the ever-expanding Umphrey’s McGee catalog in a tight 50 minute package with impeccable production value. The sound is rich, from the highest high hat to the lowest bass hit. It won’t sound this good live, even if you spring for the high-end earphone experience. And that’s how it should be, a detail that often gets overlooked by bands that value the live performance as much as this band. Nevertheless, these songs will adapt well to the live shows and find a welcome home on many setlists to come.

    Key tracks: Looks, Whistle Kids, Forks, Dark Brush

  • Hearing Aide: Dave DiPrimo Band ‘Reflections’

    One day photographer Michael Slattery found himself chasing elusive clouds with his camera, only to find the perfect shot in his passenger side mirror. Like the artwork memorialized on its cover, Reflections by Dave DiPrimo Band grasps for things in the past, just beyond reach. It’s an album rife with ruminations and dwellings.

    At a time when many of their college-age peers are churning out angsty pop punk, Dave DiPrimo and his bandmates are composing alternative folk songs featuring soulful saxophone riffs. DiPrimo makes references to his maturity in the song “Fall Down,” with the lines “You can call me old fashioned/I prefer to be called an old soul.” Weaving in threads from influences as wide and varied as Otis Redding and The Front Bottoms, Reflections is a contemporary yet traditional tapestry of Americana.

    The title track “Know You Best” sets the nostalgic tone for the poetic, introspective collection. It’s a song about unrequited love and longing for connection. It alternates between pleading verses and a bellowing chorus. “Now” is another contemplative track, rueful oozing with melancholy. “Every day it gets a little bit colder/ every day I get a little bit older,” sings DiPrimo. The slight distortion on guitar lends a distant, dreamy effect. The melody is set to the a rat-tat-tat drum beat laid down by Reid Hoffmeier and deep rhythms from Ian Benz on bass. The saxophone played by Karis Gregory is featured prominently on the bittersweet ballad “Caroline.” The indie rock anthem “Glory Days,” wraps up the album, ending on a slightly higher note with remembrances of happy times.

    Dave DiPrimo Band recorded Reflections in a single day at The Green Room. The 9-song collection was mixed and produced by studio owner Matt Ramerman. CD’s are available at their live shows. The album can be found digitally on multiple music platforms, including Spotify and iTunes.

    Key Tracks: Know You Best, Fall Down, Now, Caroline, Glory Days