Starting Fresh

Hi there, friends! You may have noticed that my attempts at the 30-day song challenge are gone, and now my most recent post is from February. Well, there's a reason for that.

I want to be more serious about this blog, which means updating regularly and with something worthwhile to say. I originally thought the 30-day song challenge would motivate me to post consistently but...that didn't work out so well. It felt too restricting, which made it difficult to write.

Now I'm starting fresh! My goal is to post at least once a week, go back to posting songs of the week, and include my own reviews and music-related thoughts, along with music videos, links to music-related articles, and whatever I think you fine folks might enjoy.

So, I invite you to join me on this musical adventure, and hopefully I can help any fellow music junkies to get their fix. After all, music IS the best addiction!

Koi: In Tomorrow Hid Yesterday

In Tomorrow Hid Yesterday is the debut album from Swedish quintet Koi, and shows the band as having definite potential for future albums.

 

The album is a meshing of sounds that comes together in a way refreshing from much of what is on the market today.

 

Where some bands make heavy use of synthesizers and lose some of the “real” instrumentation, Koi uses minimal synth. Synthesizers are used sparingly throughout the album and, when they are, they’re kept light so the focus remains on the other instruments.

 

And those other instruments are played in a beautiful fusion. For some of the tracks on In Tomorrow Hid Yesterday, the guitar has almost an acoustic quality that gets paired with delicate piano and simple drumming. On other tracks, Koi goes in the opposite direction, mixing things up with wailing electric guitar and heavy drums and keys....MORE

Aaron Alexander & Julian Priester: Conversational Music

nversational Music is a collaborative effort between established jazz artists Aaron Alexander and Julian Priester, both highly regarded for their talent with their respective instruments (drums and trombone).

 

The title of the album, Conversational Music, is aptly titled, since the structure of the music tends to be that of a back-and-forth dynamic between the drums and the trombone; the songs are like a conversation taking place between the instruments.

 

Conversational Music is a fitting title on another level, too. Alexander and Priester met over two decades ago when Alexander was a student at Seattle’s Cornish College for the Arts, where Priester was an instructor. Conversational Music is the first time the two have worked together in more than 15 years and, as such, can be taken as a musical conversation between the artists themselves...MORE

Eugene Marlow's Heritage Ensemble: Celebrations

Eugene Marlow’s Heritage Ensemble has made its name with its jazz renditions of pieces from the Hebraic songbook, as well as Israeli folksongs.

 

Now, being unfamiliar with both those categories of song, I can’t really give input as to how well the songs on Celebrations are covered, or what (if any) changes to pacing or tempo were made to the songs by the Heritage Ensemble.

 

Being an instrumental album, though, familiarity with the music of Celebrations as it is traditionally done isn’t a necessity. Even without having a basis for comparison, Celebrations can be appreciated as a top-notch jazz album.

 

Celebrations presents a variety of jazz styles, ranging from the hip, almost Latin-flavored take on “Chanukah, O Chanukah,” whose instrumental focus is the saxophone, to the soft, piano-dominant “Halleluyah.” Regardless of the style, the Heritage Ensemble delivers flawlessly.

 

Not only is the instrument-playing itself superb, but the Heritage Ensemble presents the songs in such a way that they feel like they are meant to be jazz songs, rather than jazz covers of religious songs or folksongs....MORE

Koldasee: Messiah/I See a Land/I Believe

Christian group Koldasee is back with their second remastering of their album Messiah: Cradle That Rocked the World.

 

Koldasee originally released Messiah in 2008 as 9-track album. In 2009, they released a remastered version of the record, with five new tracks added to it. This time around, Messiah features 12 songs.

 

Messiah is, as a concept, a Christmas album. However, don’t expect it to be like other Christmas albums you’ve heard. You aren’t going to be getting a record full of your favorite Christmas classics.

 

Instead, being a Christian group, Koldasee steered away from the traditional Christmas songs that are covered and re-covered on a yearly basis to put the focus on their own, original songs.

 

These tracks take Christmas music in a very different direction from the holiday music we’re all familiar with, that laud Christmas as a time of snow and presents. The emphasis is entirely on Jesus being the reason for the holiday, and how that fact should be remembered.

 

Musically, the vocals on Messiah are really what make the album. The backing instrumentals are fine, and the variation between songs is just ok. But the vocals add something else....MORE

Coupled with Koldasee’s remastered album Messiah comes the DVD I See a Land. Now, calling it a DVD is a little misleading.

 

Yes, I See a Land is in DVD format, but it’s not a DVD like you would think, with a menu and options and several things to watch on it. Instead, I See a Land contains only the music video for the song “I See a Land.”

 

And it’s a little bit of a silly video at that.

 

“I See a Land” is a very patriotic, heralding America as being the land of angels and a place that God has smiled upon.

 

There’s nothing wrong with that.

 

There’s also nothing wrong with the fact that, to accompany that sentiment, the music video is rife with images of American landmarks, men and women in military uniforms, and farmers working the land, connecting us back to America’s roots.

 

The silly part of the video comes from the backstory that is apparently supposed to go with the song....MORE

 

Along with Koldasee’s remastered album Messiah comes the DVD I Believe.

 

The DVD contains nothing more than the music video for the track “I Believe” (found on Messiah), but is delightful in its 3 minutes and 47 seconds.

 

The song is all about the joy of Christmas and recognizing Jesus as the reason for the season.

 

As such, the music video is full of Christmasy footage, such as snow falling, kids playing in the snow, and families opening presents.

 

It’s not the highest-quality made video, but that just adds to its appeal...MORE

Healing Sixes: Blue Jay

Blue Jay, the fourth album from Indianapolis band Healing Sixes, is a bit of a hit and miss album. From the first track to the last, Blue Jay, just isn’t the most consistent thing you’ll ever hear.

 

When I bring up consistency in this case, I’m not talking about sticking to one style throughout the album. As far as that goes, Healing Sixes know what sound they’re going for, and they stay true to a bluesy rock feel for the entire album.

 

The problem of consistency comes up in the technical aspects of Blue Jay. On some tracks, everything is spot-on. Singer Doug Henthorn’s vocals flow out smoothly, the instruments all balance each other out perfectly, and you get a solid, well-done piece of music.

 

On other tracks, though, Henthorn’s voice lacks fluidity and sounds strained, while either drums or guitar overpower the rest of what’s going on with the song...MORE

Galia Arad: Ooh La Baby

If you like such female artists as Colbie Caillat, Ingrid Michaelson and Sarah Bareilles, I guarantee you will enjoy listening to Galia Arad.

 

Galia Arad’s sophomore album, Ooh La Baby, is a delightful blend of pop and folk (she describes herself as “Bob Dylan meets Britney Spears”), and Arad packs a three-fold punch as being singer, songwriter and guitar player for the album.

 

Ooh La Baby has a strong acoustic leaning, and the simple melodies and instrumental backings are there simply to give a little support to Arad’s voice. Her vocals are beautiful, and the fact that there is minimal backing to them allows Arad’s voice to really shine.

 

The album is a concept album with all the songs revolving feelings toward a specific guy, and Arad’s voice captures this perfectly...MORE