Thursday, December 30, 2010

Year End Shout Outs Part II

Photo from Warpaint's Facebook page.


More CD releases from 2010 that struck my fancy.


Warpaint - The Fool L.A.-based four woman band wove shimmering guitars and Stella Mozgawa’s dramatic percussion within bare-bones arrangements. Vocalist-guitarist Emily Kokal’s irresistible siren call mingled with harmonies/incantations from guitarist-vocalist Theresa Wayman and bassist-vocalist Jenny Lee Linberg.


Puerto Muerto - Drumming For Pistols Vocalist-percussionist Christa Meyer and vocalist-guitarist Tim Kelley played emotionally raw indie rock with a theatrical flair on what turned out be their final CD.


The Bradburys - Don’t Pump The Swingset Clever lyrics brought these tales of unrequited love to life, and having all four band members sing resulted in some sophisticated harmonies.


Vulture Whale - Bamboo You The Alabama natives decided to mimic 1980s era U.K. punk bands, working class accents and all, and came across as thoroughly authentic and fun.


The Greenwoods Solid State Dag and Gregg Juhlin, founders of The Slugs, provided plenty of guitar firepower on these melodic tracks while Jim Bashaw’s drum playing evoked Keith Moon.


You Say Party We Say Die - XXXX Brought us back to the original punk and new wave era with another CD filled with impossibly catchy guitar and keyboard driven arrangements.


Roxie Swain The Spell Of Youth Roxie Swain is the name of a band as well as its lead vocalist, who belted out Bangles style power pop tunes crafted by guitarists Tom Valenzano and Matt Walters.


Various Artists Be Yourself - A Tribute To Graham Nash Current indie artists brought together by Nash’s daughter Nile held their own identity without straying too far from the original material.


Archie Powell & The Exports - Skip Work Singer-guitarist Archie Powell used the Fountains Of Wayne recipe for mixing power pop with social satire, and added a heavy dose of slacker angst.


Sgt. Wesman’s Logan Square Friends Band - Sticky Whiskers Collective of local musicians led by Wesley Torres created tripped-out psychedelic rock on songs like “Going Nowhere,” and opted for a coed new wave approach on the catchy fun of “In The Kitchen.”


The Morning Benders - Big Echo Ornate arrangements with an inventive mix of guitars, percussion, and keyboards; augmented by singer-guitarist Christopher Chu’s evocative vocals.


The Salteens - Grey Eyes Elaborately orchestrated pop songs, mostly composed by vocalist-piano player Scott Walker, exuded the anticipation of a musical theater troupe preparing for opening night.


Secret Colors - Self-titled Staked out their territory somewhere in the stratosphere on this self-titled debut, with ethereal arrangements led by singer-guitarist Tommy Evans’s echoed vocals.


Welcome To Ashley - Beyond the Pale The catchy melodies on their full-length debut were infused with a raw energy fueled by some inventive guitar playing.

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