Adam Salsman [dot] com

I don’t think a day goes by where I’m not amazed at all the musical connections I’ve made since late in 2005.

Case in point: Ms. Mieka Pauley.

Late in the Summer of 2005, I went with a number of friends to a Jim Boggia concert at the Paradise Lounge. While we snacked and waited for Jim to start, I noticed little yellow cards littered around the joint announcing some gal’s upcoming show. I pocketed one, out of curiosity, and assured myself I would go look on the internets when I got home. I didn’t.

Fast forward some amount of time. I find the yellow card in my bag and decide to take an hour investigating. Found a couple of free (Free and LEGAL!) MP3s and gave them a listen.

“Wow,” is all I had.

I was unable to, at the point, afford or find any albums of hers, and left it at “Hey, at least I got a couple of free tunes.”

Fastforward, AGAIN. Myspace alerts me that Ms. Pauley is attempting to self-fund her album, and is looking for donations. Needless to say, I had my credit card out faster than my gal pal at a shoe sale.

A few months later, the benefits of that donation returned to me many-fold: Elijah Drop Your Gun is a piece of art by someone who has worked long and hard, crafting a cohesive, wonderful collection of songs.

I’m going to start with what I consider the bad of the album, which there is only one point:
It’s too damn short. 11 tracks at just under 41 minutes barely gives me time to fall in love and have an entire relationship with the album. Thankfully, though, front to back, the album’s lack of quantity is made up in quality.

Listening through Elijah you, the listener, pick up two things about Ms. Pauley:

1. She would be (and sound) equally comfortable and amazing in a small venue with an acoustic guitar as she would be in a large rock venue, with full band.
2. There’s an undercurrent of religiosity that doesn’t slap you in the face, but is quietly and proudly embraced.

While I feel the whole album is a gem, tracks to jump on include the lead off track, All the Same Mistakes, Be Like the Man, the quieter, beautiful Devil’s Got My Secret, and the tune caring the lyrics which are the album’s title, Run.

In the end: Elijah’s solid flow, consistency in quality, and excellent production all make it a must listen to for Boston music fans. Mieka’s talent is just

On the web: You can find a number of her concert bootlegs at the Live Music Archive. Might I suggest the 2005 Paradise Lounge concert?

Have I mentioned I love BSG?

I don’t think there’s a whole lot that I can say about season 3’s score that I haven’t said about season 2’s. It’s good music, solid orchestration, blah, blah, blah.

Oh. Wait. This was Season 3. This had the greatest cover song/musical reveal I’ve seen in years.

All Along the Watchtower.

That’s right. In the alternate universe that contains the Battlestar Galactica and all the survivors of the 12 Colonies, someone managed to write the same song Bob Dylan did.

Of course, in our world, Jimi Hendrix took and it made it even better.

In theirs, it just turned on four of the final five Cylons. Not a big difference, sure, but still.

My excitement over the release of the score was almost exclusively wrapped around getting Watchtower in a listenable format. But after listening to the album, as a whole, I found I was ever so slightly disappointed.

When Bear McCreary did things right in the season 3 score, he did them very right. Of course, the converse feels very true, too.

The first 5 tracks, Violence and Variations, The Dance, Battlestar Sonatica, Dirty Hands, and Heeding the Call all do it very right. They convey, better than most, the tone, the energy (or lack there of), and a bit of the scene.

Under the Wing, Kat’s Sacrifice, Someone to Trust, and Deathbed And Maelstrom all feel like they fall flat. Maybe it’s just that they can’t manage the visual as well, and this makes them weaker in my mind. In any event, these are often missed when listening to the score because they get mentally passed by. Mean, I know, but it’s what happens.

In the end: Bear’s score did exactly what Season 3 did, when it got it right, it got it very right. The rest of the time, it felt lacking. This may just as well be the fault of the story writers. In any event, all the things done wrong on this score are strongly obscured by the many, many things done quite right.

Album of the year? So far, it is my book.

While I cannot lie, and will say that I rallied against Aloud in last year’s WBCN Rock N’ Roll Rumble (mostly because my favouritest local band, Baker, was also in the competition), I cannot deny their talent, skill, and rockitude.

For those who don’t know, Aloud is a four-piece Rock N’ Roll band straight outta Boston, with a little more emphasis on the “rock.” The group consists of Jen (vocals/guitar), Henry (vocals/guitar/being henry), Roy (bass/making stoic poses/silently owning the world), and the other guy (aka Ross, the Drummer. No one ever remembers the drummer. Ok, Except Phil Collins. But he was in Genesis. Or famous for being in Genesis. Either way).

Now. The album. It’s good.

No, that’s not right. It’s great.

No. Still not right. What was it I said? Oh, yeah:

On a final note, I wish to buy dinner for and then make sweet sweet love to Aloud’s new album, Fan the Fury. It’s that good. And better. (from my LJ)

But then I updated that statement to read:

I’d like to update that statement to make sure it reads I’d even be willing to wake up next to said album in the morning and make it breakfast. (from my LJ)

Overzealous Livejournal statements aside, the album is rock solid rock goodness, and thanks to some editing genius, the album maintains a wonderful, cyclical nature.

If I were to pick my favourites, and I’m wont to do, you’d have Sometimes I Feel Like a Vampire, leading off the album, like a bat outta hell (no relation to Meatloaf), the title track, Fan the Fury, the (as I hear it) politically-charged Nero, and then the much softer, but beautiful Hard Up In the 2000s.

Of course, none of those are the song, that for some godsdamned reason, I’ve woken up with stuck in the back of my head for 4 days straight. No, that honor goes to Julie, a track leaning on the weaker side for tunes on the album, but with a painfully catchy hook and wonderful harmonies by Jen & Hen (I’m assuming).

In the end: Boston Rock, I love you. If Aloud isn’t consider local rock pantheon, I don’t know what would be. They’ve got a solid sound, amazing skill, and enough staying power to keep us enthralled for years to come (if they’d like to, that is).

Technorati Tagged: Aloud | 2008 | Boston Music | Best Of

Post Script: I knew the drummer’s name. It was just an opportunity for me to make a big long joke at Phil Collins’s expense. I mean, who wouldn’t want to mock the guy who gave us Sussudio?

I’ll just start off by making a bold statement:

While not being the best of 2007, Kate Nash’s Made of Bricks is most assuredly my favourite and will be so for years to come.

There, I said it.

Take Lily Allen. Please. (Couldn’t resist). Seriously, take Lily Allen, take out some of the attitude and fill it with cute. Take Lily Allen, and add some hotness. Take Lily Allen and make her more awesome. Yes, *more* awesome. And that is Kate Nash.

The album is 12 tracks (well, 13, really, but it’s a SECRET) coming in at 56 minutes. So far so good.

Bricks, sadly starts off on an odd, and perhaps jarring, foot with Play, which is just lots of distorted drum machines and Nash “singing” “I like to play.” It’s not so much bad as, arguably, setting the tone of the album wrong. After that “tune,” however, the album just keeps climbing.

To be honest, with the exception of “Play,” I love the whole damned album. Foundations, Dickhead, Mariella, and Skeleton Song are super favourites in an album of favourites.

In the end: Did you like Lily Allen? You’ll love Kate Nash. Were you iffy on Lily Allen? You’ll love Kate Nash? Did you hate Lily Allen? You might like Kate Nash.

Technorati Tagged: Kate Nash | 2007 | Brit-Pop | Best Of

I’ve been listening to the last 3 albums of Joe Strummer & the Mescalaros, and I can say, with a level of certainty, that they were working toward perfection. The first of the 3 albums, Rock Art & the X-Ray Style I found difficult to get through, and even boring at points, while Streetcore may be close to musical perfection. Sandwiched in between those two albums is Global A Go-Go.

To be honest, I may not have even taken notice of this fairly average album if it weren’t for HBO’s John From Cincinnati and it’s opening theme, which is the first track off this disc, Johnny Appleseed. Which, to be honest, I adore equally for it being a great song and being associated with a great show.

The rest of the album proceeds along with more hits than misses, but those hits are mediocre at best.

Of the 11 tracks (coming in at 73 minutes), Johnny Appleseed, Cool ‘n’ Out, Bhindi Bhagee, and Mega Bottle Ride are the ones that really seem to reach a little higher; seem to want to aspire to more. And, they mostly do.

The last track, Minstrel Boy, is what pushes this album WELL over the hour mark, by being a mostly instrumental composed of drums (of the marching variety) and stringed instruments (sounding mostly in the violin/fiddle area). It’s a beautiful song, but I feel like it doesn’t do much to end cap the record.

In the end: Fans of the Clash will want to continue to follow Strummer’s career, to his penultimate album; fans of Streetcore may be a little let down, but may still get some enjoyment; fans of John from Cincinnati will check in to see what the rest of the album is about.

Technorati Tagged: Joe Strummer | 2001 | Rock | The Clash

People bash on the internet. They really do. But if it weren’t for the intertubes, I would never have found my latest musical crush, Ms. Sara Bareilles.

I don’t really know much about her, to be honest. I’ve been busy, I’ve been lazy, and I just haven’t done my research, shame on me.

All that being said, she’s amazing. A sweet voice, piano-driven music, with jazz, blues, and folk influences. She’s not reinventing the wheel, she’s not blowing us away with some amazing new thing. Sara Bareilles is just enjoyable, delicious pop/rock music.

Did I mention she’s cute? Yeah, there’s that too.

Before the accolades-o’-plenty, there’s one thing that disappoints: The album, all 12 tracks, come in under 50 minutes. Selfishly, at 12 tracks, I have expectations of 55 - 60 minutes.

Anywho, on to the good stuff: The album, all 12 tracks, are fun, playful, easy on the ears, and make you pray you could have one evening with Ms. Bareilles (Dinner only! Not even all that other stuff).

Of the dozen offerings, Love Song, Love on the Rocks, Bottle It Up, and Many the Miles are my favorites. That jazzy/pop style that Norah Jones brought back to mainstream, but in a sleepy way, Sara brings with a pop kick.

In the end: It’s a solid, if short, offering in the “best of 2007″ list of my heart. Not too sweet, not too serious, just good music. And, hell, I even pick up distinct flavourings of Bonnie Raitt. So, you know, that can’t be bad.

Technorati Tagged: Sara Bareilles | 2007 | Pop Rock | Best Of

In recent history, two albums have found their way onto my truly elitist “Desert Island Records” list. Joe Strummer’s Streetcore, and this album, Griffin House’s Lost & Found.

And, yes, it *is* that good.

Remember, “Along time ago in a blog entry far, far away,” I was praising Glen Phillips work while noticeably ignoring Kim Richey and Griffin House? Yeah, I’m still sorry for that. And that’s not an offense against Glen.

Griffin House masterfully crafts beautiful, realistic, emotional songs, all wrapped in his acoustic guitar and bundled up in his wonderful voice.

Does it sound like I’m tripping over myself to give this guy praise? Well, it should. I honestly feel he’s that good, and after having seen him solo and live recently, my feelings were completely confirmed.

Any way, the album. 11 tracks, just shy of an hour. 100% wonderful. Sorry, there I go again.

Outside of saying “the whole album,” some excellent tracks include “Ah Me” (even if it deals with a crumbling relationship, it’s musically brilliant), “Waterfall” (which has found some commercial success, no pun intended, for oral-b), “The Way I Was Made” (a pride-inducing tune which traces his origins back to his grandparents), and “New Day” (which just slowly builds to this beautiful, optimistic ending).

In the end: I could trip over myself for another hour and a half singing this guy’s praise, but I’ll just leave it at “I think most anyone would, could, and should enjoy this album. On repeat.”

On the web: There are a few shows of the Weekly Review Traveling Roadshow (House, Richey, Phillips) on archive.org. This one is the best of them.

Also available are photos from his concert at Harpers Ferry, in Allston, Ma. on my website: Griffin House photos @ AdamSalsman[dot]com.

Technorati Tagged: Griffin House | Acoustic | Desert Island Album | 2004

And then there is the other side of an album of covers. Patti Smith’s “Twelve.” Yes, the “Twelve” refers to the number of tracks.

From Jimi Hendrix to Tears for Fears, Nirvana to the Allman Brothers, Smith manages to at least break even, if not come up a little bit ahead by the time of the album.

When doing a cover (just one or a whole album), you have to take in to account how the fans will respond. If you end up just doing an uninspired, flat out cover (see: Bryan Ferry’s “Dylaneseque”) you could alienate the fan-base. If you do too much experimentation and alteration, you may be heralded for creative, but again shunned for destroying a “classic.”

Smith plays it safe. There’s not a lot of stretching the musical boundaries (except for the banjo in “Smells Like Teen Spirit;” It works!), but she does some faithful work to bring her back to the front of pop culture.

Where I feel “Are You Experienced?” failed a bit in Smith’s hands, she manages an even-keeled “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” “Gimme Shelter” is belted out with some serious force to give Mick a run for his money, but Paul Simon’s “Boy in the Bubble” feels a bit awkward.

Where she does things so very right is the Beatles’ “Within you without you,” Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and the Allman’s “Midnight Rider.”

In the end: Again, this is the good side of a cover album. It feels like Patti Smith took special care in picking these songs and worked them up to play nicely with her voice. Like I said, it’s no world-shattering re-imagination, but it’s 12 songs from the pop-vernacular performed for us with Smith’s unique vocal strains. Worth at least a once-through.

Technorati Tagged: Patti Smith | Cover Album | Rock | 2007

Bryan Ferry covers Bob Dylan. It’d at least be an interesting match up, right? One would think.

Yeah, not so much.

The entire process seemed uninspired, unimpressive, and downright insulting to Bobby Dylan’s work.

The problem may stem from having absolutely no attachment to Bryan Ferry or any of his work, my complete dislike of his voice, or just that these all seem to be bland interpretations of some major and minor Dylan tunes.

And, to be honest, I didn’t think anyone could screw up “Watchtower.” The song has been covered, altered, re-imagined, had the re-imagining become the definitive version, covered, altered, and replayed so many times. I don’t think you can be a band without covering “All Along the Watchtower.” Hell, even Battlestar Galactica did.

Yet, here is Bryan Ferry, shoving this pitifully lame, soulless version of a Dylan uber-classic.

In the end: The whole thing feels awkward and clumsy like a 15 year old unhooking his girlfriend’s bra for the first time. There are good cover albums out there, there are bad cover albums out there, and then there’s this one. Please, do us all a favour and pick up Patti Smith’s “Twelve.” At least she tried to mix things up a little bit.

Technorati Tagged: Bryan Ferry | Cover Album | Rock | 2007

If this were the late 90s/early 00s (all over again), I feel like people should be clamoring harder about Amanda Marshall. Sadly, she snuck by my radar a few years back, and I only recently discovered due to a blog post on one of the music blogs I frequent.

Marshall’s “Everybody’s Got A Story” is completely planted in the pop/rock field of the aforementioned time period. A few years later, it clearly sounds as though it were a period piece, but that makes it no less enjoyable. On the contrary, if you can suspend your current musical sensibilities, this is one hell of a fun album.

The title track is reminiscent of any number of tracks off of Natasha Beddingfield’s last album, just clean fun pop. Colleen (I Saw Him First) is a cute, mellow tune about two life long friends arguing over a boy. Sunday Morning After is a great tune for anyone who’s partied, perhaps, a little too hard on Saturday night; I think we can all relate to at least part of this tune.

In the end: The album feels like a throwback to an earlier time, because, really, it is. It definitely illustrates how the face and sound of pop music has changed, but it’s still an enjoyable piece, one that has a few tunes to keep your foot tapping. And, hey, if nothing else, she’s cute.

Technorati Tagged: Amanda Marshall | Pop Rock | 2002