Choice Cuts: June 2004

ALBUM OF THE MONTH

Artist: ANDREA MAXAND

Album: Where the Words Go

The Scoop: I get some horrible albums in the mail-ghastly, embarrassing, creatively bankrupt albums. But those aren't so bad; they don't take up much time and they're fun to send to friends. The toughest albums to handle are the competent, likeable, lukewarm ones. In dating, the equivalent is "I want to like her...I mean, she's a great person!" You want to sing their praises but they don't really do anything to you. Andrea Maxand's latest album-coming on the heels of her debut full-length Angel Hat and the EP Paper Cut-succeeds on the higher level, the one beyond mere appreciation. Maxand displays tremendous vocal and musical range, shifting from measured to towering, from abstraction to confession, from sheets of guitar fuzz to fragile ballad. The arc is compelling throughout. Joining Maxand in the studio were Death Cab for Cutie's Nick Harmer (bass) and Jason McGerr (drums), along with co-producer and multi-instrumentalist Charles R. Keller. Maxand and Keller wisely refrain from glossy production, allowing the open nerves in songs like "Everyone Can See You" to remain exposed. The key factors, though, are the most obvious ones: Maxand is an affecting singer and an outstanding writer. Where the Words Go packs an emotional wallop.

Highlight Tracks: "Everyone Can See You" and "Half a Joke"

For More Info: Visit http://www.andreamaxand.com

Artist: MATT MARQUE

Album: Nothing Personal

The Scoop: The first song Matt Marque mastered, as a young boy in Chicago, was the inimitable "Super Bowl Shuffle," in which he felt a connection to the "elegant" flow of Walter Payton ("Runnin' the ball is like makin' romance"). About 20 years later, Marque hasn't forgotten the importance of a good beat. While the acoustic, sleepy melodies and heartfelt narratives of Nothing Personal put him more in the league of major influence Nick Drake and labelmates Central Falls than Grandmaster Flash, the spines of the songs often are percussive and electronic. Marque was motivated by the idea of a hybrid between Drake's Pink Moon and Portishead's Dummy. While Nothing Personal probably isn't the literal result of that mix-and-match, one of its primary strengths is the natural-sounding fusion between organic and synthetic. Although after repeat listens a few of the tracks sound "same-y" in the context of the album, the unique arrangements keep them from sounding "same-y" to Marque's many peers. With that said, Marque would probably still be better than most of his peers just sitting alone on a stool with a mic and a guitar.

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