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Guy Capecelatro III, Corin Ashley, Chris Greiner |
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Written by Jon Nolan
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Wednesday, 30 August 2006 |
Guy Capecelatro III’s new CD, “February,” has a whopping 28 songs on it—one for each day of the album’s namesake month. Capecelatro plucks or strums his acoustic guitar throughout most of the record as he weaves his way through a maze of stories full of eclectic characters. The recordings have a pleasing, relaxed feel to them, like on some of Neil Young’s best records. Chiming or churning electric guitars (“Barely Losing” and “Boulder”), banjo (“Changes” and “Faker”) and a some pals who help out with singing (Laurel Brauns and Greg Porter) make for as impressive a display of indie folk as we’ve seen in our parts for some time. There are plenty of comfortable places to curl up in and get lost on “February.”
Corin Ashley played bass and sang in Boston’s pop wizards The Pills for many a year, but as he kids on his MySpace page, “I mostly have that under control these days.” He’s also got good songwriting under control on his solo release, “Songs From The Brill Bedroom.” If you’re not a fan of Costello, The Kinks or Beatle-esque pop, then steer clear of “Brill Bedroom.” Otherwise, feel free to enjoy the heck out of this CD. “File Me Under Regret” is a mid tempo rock song that would make Sir Paul happy. Maybe George, too. The acoustic ballad “Foolproof” and string-laden “The Royal Standard” offset the full-band songs, like the double time “Ladybug,” nicely. The entire CD features Ashley’s huge voice and skillful wordplay. Good times.
Chris Greiner (aka Northern) plays dreamy indie music. His latest EP, “Breakwater,” is a five-song collection of lush textures, with synths provided by Tim Fife, swelling ebow’ed electric guitars (and a host of other instruments) from Guy Capecelatro III and background vocals from Mara Flynn and Elizabeth Antalek. Greiner sketches rich lyrical pictures of his surroundings, and sings in a near whisper. “Across the river, the houses appear through the trees,” he sings on “Leaves Get Wet.” “All the straight lines and color clean against the tangled sea / beneath the gray sky, among the falling leaves.” The lovely pop treatment of “Engine On” is a highlight, as is the EP’s closer, “Lines and Gravel,” which features a melancholic refrain of “Dusk descends on all” bidding adieu to this pretty collection of songs.
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