A few new albums

[WretchAwry <vickie@pilot.njin.net>]

I don't generally talk about new albums in gaffa anymore, but I went
record shopping the other night and I got *so* many good albums that
I thought I'd edit this Ecto post and send it along to gaffa. Here's a
run-down of a few of the albums:

 
Texas "Mother's Heaven,"
   I've had on cassette since it was released. Who posted about Texas
   not too long ago? I meant to jump into the thread but never did.
   I love this album! It's The Cowboy Junkies meets Ry Cooder via
   Stevie Ray Vaughn. And the band is from Scotland! Sharleen Spiteri's
   vocals are strong and ethereal and soulful. This is music, guitar
   blues rock, that I wouldn't think I'd like, but I do. A lot!

Lisa Germano "Happiness"
   A bit more involved, and definitely more polished than her first album.
   I like this album quite a bit, and I'm not at all sorry I bought it,
   but I still think I like her first one better. I don't know yet, since
   I'm still getting to know this one. All the songs are good, though I
   wish Lisa had included the lyrics. Anyone who already likes Lisa's
   music will be happy with this one, and if you don't know Lisa, this
   is a great album to start with. Her vocals are still tentative and
   breathy. Many would say the vocals are quirky, as is the music and 
   lyrics, but it's quite natural is is very much a part of Lisa's
   charm. The only artist to compare her to, even marginally, is Mary
   Margaret O'Hara, Queen of Quirk! I highly recommend this album.

Susan Voelz  "13 Ribs"
   Move over Lisa Germano and Mary Margaret O'Hara, you have company,
   excellent company! This is one wonderful album! Susan is the former(?)
   violin player for Poi Dog Pondering. I don't know if Susan and Lisa and
   Mary have heard of each other, but they'd make a killer trio (especially
   with Susan's and Lisa's dueling violins). Susan stands on her own, and
   it may be wrong to associate her so closely with Lisa, but the two
   albums really do go together so well. 3 times I played "Happiness" and
   "13 Ribs" back to back and it was almost like listening to one super
   long album. A bonus is that the lyrics are included and one major
   difference between Lisa and Susan is that Lisa tends to dwell on
   unhappiness, especially wrt relationships, and Susan is more of a
   storyteller and observer of life's little weirdnesses. She even
   includes a short "explanation" before each song's lyrics. Susan
   plays violins, piano and guitars and other musicians throw in bass,
   guitars, congas, other percussion and, in one song, viola, cello,
   banjo and accordion! Highly recommended, especially if you're
   already a Lisa Germano fan.

The Story  "the Angel in the House"
   I agree with all the raves that have already appeared in Ecto! Except
   for one or two songs, I really like this album. I have to admit to
   being suprised, because I disliked nearly every song on their first
   album. I never said much because I know that there are quite a few
   Story fans on Ecto, plus I was told that I'd feel differently if I
   saw them in concert. I haven't had that pleasure, so I only listened
   to the first album a couple of times, played one song on my show, then
   put it up on the shelf. It was an album that I wasn't willing to give
   a lot of listens to in order to let it grow on me. I have over 500
   female-vocal CDs and there are too many that I *already* like and
   want to listen to. My reaction to this album is the total opposite,
   in that I liked it right away. The Story will be performing live in
   Tower Records August 11 (I think. I'll have to double-check the date)
   and though there wasn't a notice about a concert that night, I assume
   they'll be playing somewhere in Chicago.

Heidi Berry  "Heidi Berry"
   Ooooh, this album is a wonder to behold! It's beautiful, moody and
   atmospheric, in a traditional English garden at night sort-of-way.
   Fans of June Tabor and All About Eve should run, not walk, to their
   nearest store and buy this album! Highly, highly, highly recommended!
   
The Cranberries   "Everybody hates long album titles, so why do it?"
   Yes! I was told I'd like this and I sure do. It's been well-described
   in Ecto so I won't do it too. Highly recommended, espescially to fans
   of The Sundays.
   
Sandy Denny   "Like An Old Fashioned Waltz"
   This was cheap too, only $5.00. I like Sandy Denny, but her material
   and arrangements tend to be so uneven I think of her as a song
   artist instead of an album artist. I wonder what kind of music she'd
   be doing now if she were still alive. So many of her songs are pure
   smaltz, especially on this very uneven album, that I cringingly picture
   her as a lounge singer. Whatever, her good songs are very, very good,
   and her bad songs (and bad arrangements that ruin good songs) are
   to wince for. Her voice, always truly wonderful, makes her a (to me)
   a frustrating artist to listen to, because I want her material to 
   always be as good as her voice always is. 

Deux Filles  "Silence and Wisdom"

   Yow! YOW!, I say! I've had a really bad, scratchy, lo-fi recording
   of this album for years and assumed that it was the best I was ever
   destined to get, since their albums are *so* obscure. Finding this
   mere seconds after it was announced that the store was now closed
   was an act of pure, wonderful destiny. It was one of those moments
   where I'm standing there somewhat bored and hurried and hoping to
   find at least one more thing to make the stop at Reckless worthwhile,
   and I saw this and I stared at it, not believing what I was seeing...
   I let out a yelp and a "yow!" and a couple of oh my gods and hugged
   it, literally hugged it, and rubbed my eyes and stared some more,
   certain that I was hallucinating. I've had moments before like that
   at Reckless (Anne Pigalle's "Everything Could Be So Beautiful," and
   Iva Bittova's "River of Milk" are the ones that come closest) but
   this is something that I literally never, *ever* thought I'd find.
   It was an import from England (though Deux Filles are from France)
   but to me, the import price was mere spare change in exchange for
   a CD full of magic. 

And, as an extra added bounus, I was able to buy

Love Spirals Downward   "Idylls"
   I'd had a dub of this album since my friend Scott brought it over
   and I'd been looking for the CD ever since. I finally found it at
   Reckless. Since the store was closing I asked for it specifically
   and the clerk checked the CDs in back. They had it and now I'm the
   proud owner of one of the most beautiful, shimmering, ethereal albums
   I've ever heard. So highly recommended to ethereal fans that the
   recommendation scale breaks into tiny pieces.


I definitely surpassed my own record for the most *good* albums bought
in one evening, and I am very, very happy! (I am sorry I missed the
movies though)

To recap my own recommendations:
101%...Deux Filles, Love Spirals Downward, Heidi Berry
90%.....Lisa Germano, Susan Voelz, The Cranberries, The Story
80%.....Texas
40%.....Phranc, Sandy Denny

Vickie

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Vickie                "Fight for your right     "My ears are lucky to hear
vickie@pilot.njin.net   to have a monster" TA     these glorious songs" HR
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