CHOICE CUTS JULY 2002
Music Reviews For The Attention Deficient
Artist: The Timbre Project
Album: Ruining Perfectly Good Songs
The Scoop: The bull's eye on the back of modern music keeps getting bigger and redder. As we soliloquize about the evils of the giant corporate labels, it's tempting to blindly run to the greener pastures of independent music. And, indeed, waving the indie pennant is easy when you're a fan buying a White Stripes album here and a Sleater-Kinney album there. Receiving box after box of said indie music, then, must be like Christmas every day. Well, yes. I confess I still get giddy sifting through all the mail. But any music writer learns very quickly that there are lots of huge, stinking piles of manure scattered across the green, green pastures of indie music. It's always a treat, then, to receive something like The Timbre Project's Ruining Perfectly Good Songs, an album built around smart, straightforward pop songs from a band completely lacking in gimmickry (no surgical masks here). The Timbre Project basically serves as a solo project for Bostonian Jaime D'Almeida, although the new album feels less of a DIY one-man show than its predecessor, the sensational (and slightly superior) debut Free Souvenirs. D'Almeida throws a wicked one-two punch of sugary pop melodies and unflinchingly insightful lyrics. The album travels through gentle ballads and rootsy rockers, hitting its apex right around the halfway point.Highlight Track: "Jack"
For More Info: Visit http://www.timbreproject.com or head to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/timbre2 to buy the album or listen to selected tracks. Also, check out http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/curr... for Adam's review of The Timbre Project's last album, Free Souvenirs or http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/curr... for an interview with Jaime.
Artist: Ken Stringfellow
Album: Touched
The Scoop: At this point in his career, it would be a much bigger surprise to receive a flop of an album from Ken Stringfellow than to receive a perfectly lovely collection of well-crafted pop songs. No surprises here, folks. Touched carries and builds on Stringfellow's work with The Posies and Big Star. Like so many wildly talented duos before them, the verdict is still out on whether on-again, off-again bandmates Stringfellow and Jon Auer can individually create the level of music they created together. Stringfellow mostly shies away from the grungier undertones of The Posies, although certain songs, like "Sparrow," wouldn't have sounded out of place on one of the band's releases. Stringfellow is still at his best when he's pining over lost love or contemplating the difficulty of various relationships, and the years apparently haven't taken much of a toll on his voice. Stringfellow continues to keep good company: in particular, old-time pedal steel guitarist Ron Preston and ever-busy studio sage Mitch Easter.
