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Recent Album Reviews
Doug Burr
The Shawl
©2009 Velvet Blue Music
www.dougburr.com
www.myspace.com/dougburr
www.velvetbluemusic.com
If modern worship formulas did not so dominate the radio
airwaves or saturate the heart of today’s mega-churches and the wannabe’s, we
might smell the sweeter aromas of humbler offerings to God. In other words, the
pretentious flavor of the month cannot hold a candle to “The Shawl”. Velvet
Blue being one of the last places I would look to find a gem like this.
Having stated the aforementioned, Doug Burr
uses the Psalms
with authority and grace, yet delicately meanders along through the poetry
without it sounding pushy. Sparse, open nuances fill in the background
gorgeously with his acoustic presence front and center. Think Denison Witmer
backed by a restrained Six Parts Seven or Saxon Shore.
This fluid moment in time passes all too quickly, therefore
making favorite tracks nearly indistinguishable. If there are any tracks that
rise above the others, “Surely God Is Good To Israel”, “And We Will Be Saved”,
and “Which We Have Heard And Known” are my picks. Though, after my dad’s recent
passing, the last track, “In The Lord I Take Refuge” was the first song I
numbly played on my iPod, taking solace in a larger Creator. Maybe, this is why
the disc has meant more to me.
10 of 10 clicks
thecannyshark
March 2009
Gary Murray & LN
Downstream Angels
©2009 Velvet Blue Music
www.myspace.com/gemurray
www.velvetbluemusic.com
If Starflyer 59 were turned down a notch to acoustic
fluttering with soft ambiance covering the landscape, it would reside somewhere
in Gary Murray’s backyard. Lush dreamscapes shoulder the almost eerie motifs,
rhythms, and synthetic textures on “Downstream Angels”. At face value, a
mid-western shoegazer mentality exists on this “solo” effort, joining with his
former low-core band mates from LN.
Favorite tracks on this eight song disc include a truly
great number, “The Lost Art Of Mending Wings”, which plays like an extended
romantic/gothic lullaby, the breathy, hushed “Moya”, and the spaciously simple
“Minotaur”. “Downstream Angels” goes down smooth, like a sweet elixir by the
fireplace on a cold day. I just wish this were a longer listen, so I could milk
the drink deeper.
9.5 of 10 clicks
thecannyshark
March 2009
Jack London
White Suit Getting Brown
©2009 North Pole Media
www.myspace.com/thejacklondon
From start to finish, this is awesome! Every ember of my
musical senses spun in rapture each time I played this. From Iceland, the Jack
London plays a style ahead of the curve with much of today’s rock offerings,
incorporating everything from Brit-rock flavorings to grunge-like leanings to
soul to slightly psychedelic. Their
lyrical and musical perspective is broader, calling themselves indie blues. At
times, it sounds like Freddie Mercury on a lot of caffeine.
The absolute killer cut on this is “Why Can’t We All”,
conjuring a blues jam that still brings goose bumps. Other strong cuts on this
fluid disc include “Lordy Lord”, “Perfect Ceiling”, “Shameless”, “Clown Town”,
and “Life Spin”. “White Suit Getting Brown” moves me deeply. From the
blues-inspired writing to the thoughtfully placed orchestrations, this never
lets up.
10 of 10 clicks
thecannyshark
March 2009
Blackstrap
Steal My Horses And Run
©2008 Tee Pee Records
www.blackstrap.net
www.myspace.com/blackstrap001
Vinyl has made a comeback, and I could not be happier! Plus,
the album came with a digital download of the whole thing. Sweet! I first
discovered Blackstrap reading a review in the Phantom Tollbooth archives. I
fell in love with that release. I thought it was a sure thing that this release
would be just as solid. To put it bluntly, this surpassed my expectations by a
long shot.
Think Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, except they are from
Norway. Even that comparison does not fit entirely. From the opener, “Winning
Speech”, Blackstrap is off and running like a thoroughbred being chased for
dear life. On a spiritual plane, “Law Down Low” hits like sweet honey to the
soul. Other strong tracks on this fluid release include “The Open Road”,
“Repulsion”, “Still Sore”, and “I Burned Your Town”. For fans of BRMC, this is
highly recommended and should get major notice.
10+ of 10 clicks
thecannyshark
January 2009
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Old Album Reviews
Bloomsday
The Day The Colours Died
©1996 Brainstorm Artists International
www.velvetbluemusic.com
A short lived band from Seattle, Bloomsday brought a slight
jam quality to the 90’s modern rock landscape that stills occupies space in my
cranium to this day. If much of the current screamo fodder is any indication of
where music is heading, then I will search long and hard for gems of this
magnitude to take on a deserted island.
The spacious guitar licks remind me at times of the 80’s
progression in Pink Floyd’s music, stuff that brings out the inner air
guitarist. Stand out tracks include the title song, “Just The Same”, “Song Of
Five”, and “Pablo’s Diary”. The vocalist/guitarist, Blake Wescott, went on to
do a number of things, including touring as drummer for Pedro The Lion. Backed
by a solid rhythm section, Bloomsday may have been a blip on the modern rock
radar, but I cannot seem to get the collective stain out of my shirt. This is
good stuff that will endure. Too bad they didn’t live to see another number of
years.
9.5 of 10 clicks
thecannyshark
November 2008
L.S.U.
Grace Shaker
©1994 Alarma
www.michaelknott.com
www.myspace.com/lsunderground
Of all the Mike Knott/L.S.U. discography, only a few stand
above the others. “This Is The Healing”, “Shaded Pain”, “The Grape Prophet”,
“Grace Shaker”, and “Rocket And A Bomb” are arguably his most prolific and
powerfully twisted works. Every disc beyond those has its place in the
sometimes manic and peppered archive that the dedicated fan will search for
high and low. I may need to find another copy of this for significant wear and
tear over time. Blame that car stereo.
“Grace Shaker” is one of those
heart-on-veritable-broken-sleeve projects that came a couple of years after the
demise of Blonde Vinyl Records. All of the different incarnations over the
years (Lifesavers, L.S. Underground, L.S.U., Michael Knott, Mike Knott, Michael
Gerard Knott, and most recently Three Rovers and Struck Last May) are just
outlets for brilliance, bordering at times on insanity, of this artist. “Grace
Shaker” was released during the peak of production for these personalities.
Knott has always had a thing for stringed instruments.
Evident in the slower numbers “Blame”, “Grace” and “Christ Saves”, it is
usually a sparse violin or cello. The album moves from a subtle and somber
penitent spirit to chaotic, frenzied rockers (”Bad Disease”, the instrumental
“Shaker”, “Kill Will”, and “Freedom”). Seeing Mike Knott in concert a number of
times, he has regularly performed a few songs from this project. Because of the
faith issues tackled here, “Grace Shaker” will stand the test of time as one of
his best efforts.
10 of 10 clicks
thecannyshark
November 2008
Quickflight
Decent Beat
©1983 StarSong
This Vancouver, B.C. band gave the 1980’s CCM scene a
honest-to-goodness new wave band to dance to. Did I say dance? Oh yeah! This
was my undergraduate Christian college that told me I couldn’t dance. Anyway,
Quickflight was one of those bands lost in the shuffle with the poorly managed
Tunesmith Records. The label had a shoestring budget for production and
promotion. I was lucky to even get my hands on any of their catalog of albums.
“Decent Beat” was a somewhat stylistic departure from their
debut, “Breakaway”. This second album had much more of a Euro-pop, dream-synth
approach. Favorite cuts are “Water Of Life”, “Metro Alien”, “Fantasy”, and
“Safety In Numbers”. If you had a fascination with new wave music during its
peak, you owe it to yourself to find a copy used on eBay or elsewhere. In the words of Terry Taylor, in
reacquainting myself with this, I took “…another trip down memory lane”.
8 of 10 clicks
thecannyshark
November 2008
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