Hiding in Public- The
Spy in the Mes- The Dollyrots- The Fijis- Teri Falini- Me (secrets) You-
J. Forte
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Hiding in Public - What Lies Ahead
3.5 stars
What Lies Ahead is a smooth pop/rock
record that alternates between bluesy riffs and quiet piano melodies. Jamie
Moses has a warm, soulful voice that suits these songs perfectly.
Hiding in Public treads the line of adult
contemporary, but Moses voice and the guitar interplay between Moses and
songwriter David Holland really make this an album to notice.
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The Spy in the Mes
3 stars
Mildly accessible indie-rock that ranges
from oddly irritating to genuinely pretty. That is a surprisingly good
combination, making The Spy in the Mes a band to be interested in. Songs
like "Coffee Mornings" and "Dark Dancing Machine" make up for the rest.
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The Dollyrots - Because I'm Awesome
3 stars
Did I time warp back to 1995? The Dollyrots
are a few years late for the alternative explosion that would have welcomed
them with open arms just a decade ago.
A couple tracks from Because I'm Awesome
would have fit perfectly on the "Angus" or "10 Things I Hate About You"
soundtracks. Shiny punk riffs and a slightly snotty female vocalist. Punk
girls will love it.
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The Fijis - Illusion
2.5 stars
The Fijis are very young. Most kids this
age haven't looked back farther than Cobain; the Fijis take from music
that was created decades before they were even born. That wouldn't be so
bad if they had the same enthusiasm as their heroes.
Illusion plods along uneventfully
before offering a cover of Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic" that sounds like
the guitar lead was played with a kazoo. That is actually the emotional
highlight, a Jimi Hendrix kazoo.
Another cover, "Hoochie Koochie Man" is
actually pretty good if not for vocalist Michael Bucciarelli's forced vocals.
The Fijis obviously take music very seriously.
Maybe when they add a little joy and a little natural soul they can get
in the hunt.
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Teri Falini - The Room
2 stars
The Room by Teri Falini is a slow
and boring album. The mood is supposed to feel a little dark, brooding
and menacing. Instead Falini's vocals sound like the generic female singer/songwriter
has a crush on The Count from Sesame Street, and shared some Quaaludes
with him.
At 12 tracks, The Room is really
just one long and indistinguishable song.
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The New Loud - Me (secrets) You
2.5 stars
The guy/girl vocals of The New Loud make
sense of the balance between sweet and sour on Me (secrets) You .
At their best, like on "Secrets", the band has a fun harmony and a good
riff. The mini album is an enjoyable ,if unremarkable, mix of nerdy indie-rock
and new wave.
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J. Forte - Secret Pop
2.5 stars
The one-man-band that is J. Forte calls
on all of the keyboards and percussion of video games from the 1980s to
make an album of linear riffs and electronic blips. The album is slightly
deeper than level one of Super Mario Bros., but has the same kind of get-out-of
my head quality.
At his best, Forte can spin a wheel of
whimsy. But mostly the noise just gets irritating.
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