4Play

May 10, 2006

Cavalier King - The Sun Revolutions - Rubric Records
The alter ego of singer-songwriter Chris Taylor, Cavalier King is a melding of life experiences and music from garage rock to the long, pretty tones as influenced by the likes of Jeff Buckley. Recording mostly on his own in his apartment in NYC, Taylor has crafted a rich sound here, whether the tempo charges ahead or settles down comfortably into a quieter listening experience. ...Revolutions glides up and down like a long car ride through the hilly countryside - with an excitable but friendly dog sitting in the back seat, occasionally resting but otherwise demanding your attention; and you’ll want to give it, with songs like “The Finest Hour,” “Victory,” “The War is On,” “The Unprotected,” and half a dozen more greeting your ears with Taylor’s thoughtful lyrics, concise song structures, and heartfelt vocals.

The Secret Machines - Ten Silver Drops - Reprise/WEA
Meandering their way through this entire set, The Secret Machines have only included 8 songs on this disc, but we’re not talking 3 minute pop specialities here - no, several of these songs are actually mini-epics all on their own, with flowing guitars, jungle drums, and thick, quirky effects mining a whole tunnel of emotions and sounds. “Lightning Blue Eyes” and “Faded Lines” are a couple of the more aggressive moments, while “All At Once (It’s Not Important)” is aggressive, as well, but in a more emotionally charged way as the band feeds right into the melody line; another standout is “I Hate Pretending,” which you’ll want to listen to again and again. You’d think that some of the longer tracks would alleviate the pop feel, but it simply isn’t so - the hooks here are a little more sneaky, perhaps, but you’ll find yourself humming them just the same.

Richard Butler - Richard Butler - Koch Records
Richard Butler has gone through many incarnations as a lead singer - first with ’80s band the Psychedelic Furs, then through his next band, Love Spit Love, and now on his own as a solo artist. He’s blunted the growl in his voice for this latest effort, and it’s an interesting effect - not quite the Richard Butler sound you might be used to, but it’s good to see him reaching out towards something new and challenging instead of riding on his own coattails. With some electronica touches, acoustic guitars, and Butler’s typical poetic, somewhat downtrodden lyrics, it’s an often startling set that’s sung “with feeling,” as they say - highlights include the opener, “Good Days, Bad Days,” as well as “Broken Aeroplanes,” “California,” and “Maybe Someday” - and it’s interestingly a little more philosophical than his previous work, with careful instrumentation and production to match.

The Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics - Warner Bros/WEA
Moving from the concept album (Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots) to more of a straight ahead pop set, The Flaming Lips are pushing their psychedelic folk-pop through the mill with this one, cutting their compositions into ribbons and twisting them back around in a mix that’s new even for these generally-experimental musicians. They’ve kept the harmonies and the symphonic chunks (good), and have also added a few more personal thoughts as far as the lyrics go, and the delivery indicates that there’s a lot of pondering behind these songs, too (even better). “Sound of Failure/It’s Dark... Is It Always This Dark?” is their sendup of pop stars, “The W.A.N.D.” will delight the Pink Floyd fans, “Free Radicals” throws a little soul in for good measure, and the very weird yet surprisingly accessible “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” reminds you of just how much fun this band can be.