4Play

April 12, 2009

Razorlight - Slipway Fires - Mercury
Singer Johnny Borrell snuck away to the Scottish Inner Hebrides islands to write the band’s latest album, removing the new songs from any possible social or music biz influence. The results are a musically experimental and melody-filled set. After Borrell’s return, the band went into the studio with Kooks/Arctic Monkeys producer Mike Crossey to crank out such songs as the understated “Hostage of Love,” the fragile-sounding “Wire to Wire” and “The House,” and more typical Razorlight-style rockers in “North London Trash” and the ‘70s-inflected “Burberry Blue Eyes.” It’s an impressive mix of well-produced styles that still retains the band’s indie-rock determination.


M. Ward - Hold Time - Merge
Fresh from touring with Norah Jones, M. Ward is back with his genre-mixing blend of folk/pop/blues/rock, although this set doesn’t showcase a whole lot of change in the otherwise talented musician. The guitar work is as good as always, if Ward’s own vocals aren’t always appealing - at times they even become a little distracting in their over-grizzled delivery - but luckily his songs serve as the center of interest here, sounding as if they were written by someone with far more folk miles on them than Ward has. Although the tracklisting is also uneven, there are still several standouts, among them, Ward’s cover of Buddy Holly’s “Rave On” and the peppy “To Save Me.”


Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/
Light Years - 101
They’re back with their ninth studio set - and never fear, SFA fans, the band has neither lost their zany sense of humor nor their danceable beats. The vocals are traded throughout these songs between bandmates, and the most notable of those songs include “Helium Hearts,” “Where Do You Wanna Go,” “Moped Eyes,” and the silly but attention-getting “Very Best of Neil Diamond.” Indie-pop pal Nick McCarthy (Franz Ferdinand) also makes a guest appearance on the electro-fied “Inaugural Trams,” but he’s not playing his guitar; nope, instead he makes a vocal contribution as a German rapper, only further solidifying SFA’s rep as a band that continues to surprise.


Ben Lee - The Rebirth of Venus - New West
Dedicating his seventh set to Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, Lee focuses his writing attention on his latest album to the “feminine qualities such as compassion, nurturing, tenderness, etc. etc....” that he believes everyone, man and woman alike, need to cultivate. Producer Brad Wood must agree, as he’s helped Lee craft these songs with an eye toward positivity and caring for everything from his best girl (“Bad Poetry”) to the world at large (“I Love Pop Music,” “Wake Up to America.”) Right alongside these more thoughtful, thought-provoking vocals are Lee’s signature strummy guitars and catchy choruses, making this another great addition to your Lee collection.