CD reviews

Eppology

Thursday, 03 July 2008 08:45 |

Written by Matt Kanner

{moszoomthumb imgid=797 itemid=74 style_m=2}by Murkádee

Epping often gets a bad rap. With its mega Wal-Mart blotting out the skyline and its resident killer Sheila LaBarre stealing the headlines, it’s easy to overlook the town’s more positive qualities. Among the positives Epping has produced are the indie pop rockers of Murkádee. This quirky quintet has serious Epping pride, and they’ve anthologized their hometown with their third full-length release, “Eppology.”

Guitarist and keyboardist Joseph K Murphy and clarinetist DeLaine Bennett combine their distinctive and earnest vocals to mold the Murkádee sound. The pair began recording together in 2003, releasing “Chain Jing Mines” and later following up with “A Spectral View.” The new disc perpetuates the band’s totally unique, candy-coated sound with jubilant songwriting and bouncy, rhyming lyrics.

Joining the core duo is Murkádee’s live entourage, consisting of The Attic Bat on drums, Jon Briggs on bass and Steve Dunleavy on saxophone. The album starts off with an engaging bang on “14 Steps,” which begins with a soft piano melody that quickly explodes into a guitar and keyboard driven burst of euphoria.

Late Nights on Washington; The Year of the Dog

Thursday, 24 January 2008 09:28 |

Written by Matt Kanner

‘Late Nights on Washington’
by Tim McCoy

The interior album art on Tim McCoy’s new CD shows the musician seated in front of a graffiti-covered wall, tying the laces of his Converse sneakers while sporting a black pork pie hat and leather jacket. After spending years as a worthy figurehead in the Seacoast music scene—playing bass and guitar with a plethora of bands that includes Heavens to Murgatroid, Lemon Fresh Kids and Tim McCoy and the Papercuts—the photo seems to reassure everyone that McCoy is still rocking local, just like he’s always done.

The album, “Late Nights on Washington,” includes 10 original rock songs with a good-natured punk edge. With fast-paced tunes that somehow manage to simultaneously sound fierce and celebratory, “Late Nights” is a fun listen, perfect for a drive around the Seacoast.

Quadraphonic

Thursday, 27 December 2007 09:03 |

Written by Matt Kanner

{moszoomthumb imgid=638 itemid=74 style_m=2}by One Hand Free

It has been almost four years since Portsmouth rock ’n’ rollers One Hand Free released a new album. The group’s self-titled 2004 release established the band as an assemblage of classic rock purists, determined to deliver the type of 1960s and ’70s style rock that inspired them to take up their instruments. The latest disc, released on the record label ThunderTrauzer, cranks up the volume of the band’s musical mission.

Officially due out in January, “Quadraphonic” features eight original tunes that amount to “a hot slab of unrepentant Rock and Roll right between the ears,” according to the band’s promotional material. Apparently dissatisfied with the state of modern music, but holding dear to the bygone spirit of rock’s past pioneers, One Hand Free set out to restore the heart and soul of rock ’n’ roll.

The album begins with the blues-based “King By Now,” which quickly introduces gritty instrumental attitude, as well as the bluesy and soulful vocal attack of singer and keyboardist Andrew Blowen. A couple of minutes later, Geoff Taylor’s bass line shifts gears and guitarist Josh DiJoseph asserts his authority with a gripping electric solo. Meanwhile, drummer Kelly Bower anchors everything with tight, punctuating drumbeats. The next song, “Majesty,” begins with a guitar melody that sounds like something out of Steely Dan’s playbook. At six minutes and 14 seconds, it is the longest track on the disc.

Sound Helmet

Thursday, 20 December 2007 08:26 |

Written by Alan Chase

{moszoomthumb imgid=626 itemid=74 style_m=2}by Organism

Over the past several years, the organ combo has made a remarkable resurgence, as young musicians find the pared down format of keyboards, drums, sax and/or guitar conducive to exploring a variety of sonic grooves and textures. Groups such as Soulive; Medeski, Martin & Wood; Joshua Redman’s Elastic Band; and Chris Potter’s Underground all offer a contemporary spin on an approach originally popularized by such notables as Big John Patton, Brother Jack McDuff, Babyface Willette, Larry Young and the legendary Jimmy Smith.

Organism, a Boston-based quartet comprised of Steve Giannaros on tenor sax, Brian Leccese on guitar, Pete McLean on drums and John Corda on keyboards and left-hand bass, offers its take on this group sound with “Sound Helmet,” a remarkable self-produced and self-released debut recording that exudes a variety of pulsating grooves. Rendered by a group that is comfortably tight as an ensemble, the disc highlights some fine individual playing by each instrumentalist. The music, mostly originals written by Corda and Leccese, is in a jazz-funk-Latin vein that both offers a variety of tonal colors without sacrificing the core grooves and serves as a starting point for exceptional solos from all the group members.

Unavailable

Wednesday, 24 October 2007 14:58 |

Written by Matt Kanner

{moszoomthumb imgid=278 itemid=74 style_m=2}by Elsa Cross

Only a handful of rockabilly acts have reared their pomade-smothered heads on the Seacoast in recent years. Satan’s Teardrops quickly pops to mind, as well as surf-oriented thrashers Hotrod Fury. One-man rockabilly band Bloodshot Bill played a memorable show at the Loaf and Ladle in Exeter a few years back, but Southern New Hampshire has failed to maintain a strong rockabilly presence.

So much the better for Elsa Cross, whose debut album, “Unavailable,” digs deep into the rockabilly core to invoke the music’s pioneering ancestors. Having played numerous live performances in the Portsmouth area, Cross is set to unveil her first studio effort with a CD release show at The Stone Church on Saturday, Oct. 27.

Cross’s influences include many obvious names—Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Sr., Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Wayne Hancock. Indeed, she has not roamed too far from the rootsy stylings of her country/rockabilly forefathers. Her twangy guitar style and edgy lyrics invoke all the gritty emotion of a true rockabilly soul, complete with robust vocals and a western guitar twist that together amount to a doggedly lonesome but resolutely independent style.

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CD reviews

Eppology

Late Nights on Washington; The Year of the Dog

Quadraphonic

Sound Helmet

Unavailable

Late Nights on Washington; The Year of the Dog

Quadraphonic

Sound Helmet

Unavailable