Summer is calling

OK, so here we are, in possibly the nicest week of the year, not too cold, not too hot, and what am I doing, sitting at work all day. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like working most of the time, but when it’s so nice out, it makes it that more miserable. So, instead I try to forget it’s nice out, and just get through it. But, hope arrives this weekend with a three day weekend, what are your plans for the holiday? I’m gonna try to get some sleep and fun in the sun. Oh, and I might have some familial visitors! Cool beans! Reviews, then?

Ben Folds Presents: University A Capella – *** – A really cool record. All the groups do a great job of arranging the songs, and it brings a freshness to the songs as well. It’s great to just get a refresher of some of Ben Folds best songs.

Chester French – Love The Future – *** – I had heard the leaked version of this last year, but this had some new songs and a new order. I think this holds together more as an album, and the nice orchestral arrangements throughout give it a nice feel. You get the feeling that maybe they are a bit overambitious, but it has an interesting charm.

Spongetones – Scrambled Eggs – *** – This album carries on what the Spongetones have been up to the past few records. Just solid pop with a good feel. Keep it up!

John Mulaney – The Top Part – *** – Great comedy CD from this guy. While very similar to Mike Birbiglia, he offers his own charm and perspective. His strength is building scenes that quickly expose the holes evident in our culture (things like Law & Order, The Bible, and Bar Culture are ripe for the funning).

I Was A King – I Was A King – *** – Good album, if a bit uneven. Great jangly indie pop sound. I suppose it’s more about the mood of the songs rather than super catchy refrains, etc. It is a lovely album to listen to.

Cinco De Mayo!

OK, all I know about Cinco De Mayo I immediately forgot after Spanish class in 10th grade. So I don’t really have anything to say about it. But, it does mean that Spring has sprung, and I am loving the warmer weather. And with warm weather comes the search for the perfect summer record. I’m not sure if we have one yet this year, so we might just have to pull Kelly Jones’ SheBANG! back out for now. And while you’re at it, check out these sweet new releases from some old favorites and some brand new bands featuring other old favorites.

Jellybricks – Goodnight to Everyone – *** – Another winner from the Jellybricks. This album definitely seems more polished than previous Jellybricks stuff, and that is great, it makes it clear what good pop songs this band can pop out.

Honeydogs – Sunshine Committee – *** – Love the Honeydogs, and this is another example of why. A great unique sound, that is engaging and fun. Great insightful lyrics, and good messages. Would love to have a full-length, but this is still great.

Outrageous Cherry – Universal Malcontents – ***1/2 – I think a step up for this band, who I’ve never been to sure of. I feel like this album definitely shows the best they can be. Great psychedlic style music, with a great sound, and interesting perspective on the world.

Tinted Windows – Tinted Windows – ***1/2 – A good energetic record from this supergroup featuring Taylor Hanson, Adam Schlesinger, James Iha and Bun E. Carlos. Some really catchy songs like “Kind of A Girl” and “Cha Cha” make it worth the price, but mostly the record doesn’t grab you on first listen, I’m not sure how lasting the impact of the record will be. Time will tell.

Ben Harper & Relentless7 – White Lies For Dark Times – *** – I’ve never been a huge Ben Harper fan. His stuff has been a bit hit or miss. I really liked Diamonds on the Inside, though. So when I heard this new song Shimmer & Shine, I was both shocked and intrigued. It was rockin’ and so I was hoping the rest of the album would be the same, but the song is kind of an anomaly, and the rest of the album doesn’t quite hit the mark. I see he is trying to be harder rocking, but he fails to pull it off most of the time.