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A look
at some notable local CD releases from the past few
months
BY MIKE
BREEN
Periodically, we miss getting reviews in of local CDs when
they're initially released, either because of space
constraints, scheduling conflicts or timeliness. But we still
want to let the listening public know about worthy
locally-produced albums. We'll be using this space to catch up
on the best local CDs from time to time. Here's the latest
batch, submitted for your approval.
· In the Rough is the debut album from Cincinnati's
Diamond Blue. The veteran musicians of Diamond Blue are
all singers and songwriters, which lends In the Rough a
distinct diversity that skips from Rock to Country to Folk,
with occasional elements of Celtic and Blues thrown in for
good measure. At their core, the songs on In the Rough
are polite, enunciated and well-crafted, with the acoustic
accoutrements (fiddles, mandolins, guitars) lending an earthy,
endearing quality. One of the band's strongest suits is their
proficient harmony skills, which are especially sharp on "Coat
Pocket," one of the album's more creative tracks from a
songwriting standpoint, meshing Doo Wop harmonies, Beatles-y
structures (a sitar!) and an innocent Folk/Pop charm. Other
highlights include the sweeping, urgent Celtic Folk of
"Everything and Nothing," and the plaintive, lush "In My
Heart." You can catch Diamond Blue this Friday at 7 p.m. at
the Starbucks in Fort Thomas, KY.
· Local Jazz duo Paul Hawthorne (vocals, vibes) and
Don Steins (piano, sax, flute) enlisted local musicians
Danny Cecil (bass), Philip Paul (drums), Jeff Dobbins
(percussion) and Bill Gemmer (trombone) for their slick, new
self-titled CD. The album mostly consists of standards ("Over
the Rainbow," "Night and Day"), delivered with precision and a
lounge-y cool. Because of its velvety demeanor, one could call
this Smooth Jazz (as Oscar Treadwell does in the liner notes).
But the duo refreshingly doesn't rely on that synthesized,
cold sound that seems to exemplify Contemporary Jazz these
days. Instead, the band goes for an organic, traditional feel,
with the production so intimate you can occasionally hear the
pop of Cecil's fingers pulling the strings of his upright. The
Pop standards are done lovingly and with soul, but they also
masterfully glide across elegant arrangements of Jazz classics
like "Scrabble From the Apple" (featuring a deft workout on
the vibraphone from Hawthorne) and the Calypso-infused "St.
Thomas" by Sonny Rollins. Hawthrone and Steins perform
Thursdays at the Celestial, and they will be at Margo's
Restaurant this Saturday.
· You won't be able to catch local Indie Rock group The
Minor Leagues this weekend because, well, they don't play
live shows just yet. The group was started last year as a
songwriting outlet for Ben Walpole. Since Walpole wasn't a
musician -- writing songs and arrangements by putting them on
a pocket tape recorder -- he enlisted friend Patrick Helmes to
be his musical eyes and ears (they are currently looking for
other musicians to form a live version of the band). It sounds
like an inevitable disaster, but the duo's debut release,
Be Kind To Beginners, is actually pretty
amazing. The record is charmingly playful, especially on the
punk-ish "Bohemian by the Numbers," with its spoken
break-down, and "Plate Tectonics," a buoyant little Pop ditty
with a dissertation on the title subject as an outro. But
while the group can be frisky and you sometimes feel like
you've stepped into an inside joke, Walpole's songwriting and
Helmes' arranging abilities save the album from novelty
status. This is solid stuff from start to finish. Highlights
are plentiful, including "Cigarette Baby," a winking
anti-smoking anthem with a candy-store Stooges vibe, and the
album closer "End," an ultra lo-fi bouncer that has a little
of that Strokes-ian magic. As far as homemade Indie Pop goes,
The Minor Leagues do it as well as anybody. Here's hoping they
get that live band going and it's as ridiculously irresistible
as Be Kind To Beginners. If you want more info on the
band (and you should), check out http://www.minorleaguesmusic.com/.
· Another Do-It-Yourself gem comes from local sonic
manipulator Klarc Qent. The disc, Erroneous Data
(plus), is largely an aural collage of found sounds, drawn
from clips of old recordings, radio programs (including
Cincy's own Chris and Rob) and television broadcasts, and
blended together in the vein of like-minded artists like
Negativland. Those samples are strewn in an almost musical
fashion across the course of the CD, which is split between
the title piece (over 14 tracks), the devilish "Satan," and
"Angry Red Planet." The last piece on the CD, "Stockhausen
3thausen," is an interpretation/conglomeration of four
compositions by experimental music icon, Karlheinz
Stockhausen. Qent also layers in the occasional live
instrument, including guitars and "percussion" (washtubs and
toys, mostly). The avant-garde album is a sonic assailment of
the senses, alternately amusing, annoying and frightening. The
samples come at lightning speed, so if you're listening with
headphones, be aware that the listening experience can be a
bit dizzying and disorienting. But in a good way -- it's aural
art that makes you feel. If you'd like a copy of the disc,
contact Qent at klarcqent@37.com or write Klarc Quent, P.O.
Box 58674, Cincinnati, OH 45258.
E-mail Mike
Breen
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