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Neil Halstead Sleeping on Roads 4AD
Is British music coming back? These past few years have shown a
prominent increase in British bands and performers playing in the
United States. Following suit is Neil Halstead, main singer and
songwriter from the group Mojave 3, on his first solo album,
“Sleeping on Roads.” “Sleeping on Roads” is
a collection of folkish, self-reflective songs. Instrumentation
involves mostly acoustic guitars and light percussion, though
Halstead often uses unique instruments like banjos or
glockenspiels. Halstead’s music is similar to that of a
mellow Bob Dylan. Instead of the occasional upbeat lively songs for
which Dylan is known, Halstead maintains an unwound feeling,
encouraging contemplation and ease. Halstead’s voice is
soothing and melodic, carrying a straightforward tune filled with
heartfelt messages and images. The track “Martha’s
Mantra (For the Pain)” features a nice acoustic
guitar-picking pattern and is rather representative of the album.
Halstead sings tragically but beautifully, delving into self-pity
and hopelessness, but emerging with hope. “The only thing I
asked her was, did she have a plaster for my pain,” sings
Halstead. This line reflects the overall tone of the album; much of
it deals with searching and hoping. Halstead’s solo voice
against the quiet background of his acoustic instruments enhances
this theme. The only problem with the album is that there are so
many other performers who make this sort of music. For every Neil
Halstead, there are several mellow, self-reflective artists, like
Elliot Smith, Ben Harper and Coldplay. “Sleeping on
Roads” is a very dreamy collection of songs. These are songs
to listen to during long drives through the countryside, or lazy
Sunday afternoons. It’s a great album for the college student
looking for peaceful sounds and a time-out from living.
Kenny Chang Â
Ruff Ryders “Ruff Ryders, Ryde or Die Vol. III
““ “˜In the R We Trust'” Ruff
Ryders/Interscope Records
Out of the 14 tracks on this album, the titles of only three are
spelled correctly and don’t contain obscenities. This kind of
pointless posturing and meaningless attitude is the trademark of
this collection of uncreative hip-hop tracks. There’s nothing
on this CD that hasn’t been done many times before. Each
track is simply another exercise in monotony. Just looking at the
guest appearances on this album tells the listeners for what
they’re in. DMX, Eve and Ludacris are among the collaborators
on this unfortunate release. These are pop stars masquerading as
hip-hop artists, and their material has about as much depth as that
of a boy band. A DMX-Ricky Martin duet anyone? It’s apparent
that the image is the driving force behind the album, rather than
creative expression. This being the case, it lacks any musical
relevance and isn’t worth the time it takes to sit through
it.
Mary Williams Â
The Sunshine Fix “Age of the Sun” Emperor
Norton Records
The Sunshine Fix revisits the 1960s in this mellow, pleasant
indie-rock album. The harmony-driven vocals deliver the upbeat
sound the band promises in its name and the names of its songs.
Tracks titled “Mr. Summer Day” and “An
Illuminated Array” reinforce the imagery of light that seems
so central to the band and its music. The songs are a relief to
hear after all the negative, thrashing hard rock that dominates the
airwaves. The use of instruments like the tambourine, and the
picture of hippie-looking frontman Bill Doss, give the album the
retro feel that is part of its charm. Songs like “Age of the
Sun,” which starts off the CD, are based in a 1960s sound
without being unoriginal. The influences and roots of the music,
such as The Beatles, are clear, but do not detract from the quality
of the songwriting. Even though the sound isn’t a step
forward, it is nonetheless refreshing. Listening to The Sunshine
Fix is fun .
Mary Williams Â
Walking Wounded “Artificial Hearts”
Stonegarden Records
There are few bands with the originality of Pink Floyd, A-ha or
Question Mark and the Mysterians. Walking Wounded is not one of
them. The band’s latest album “Artificial Hearts”
could be worse ““ think rap-rock or Travis ““ but it
could be better. The sound of the album is a little muddy and is
characterized by straight-ahead rock “˜n’ roll with
moderate drum beats, passive guitar, and slightly nasally, throaty
vocals. “Artificial Hearts” is bent on capturing the
spirit of mid-90s Gin Blossoms or such memorable acts as Deep Blue
Something. None of the tunes, however, strike up those memorable,
catchy, semi-angst chords that will get them radio play. For their
part, the Walking Wounded do aim to give the listener something to
keep them occupied. They try on different songs to move from reggae
rhythms to a country western sound, and even use echo effects. The
vocal duties are shared, with run-of-the-mill harmonies pervading
the choruses of most songs. It’s a generally mopey album
weighed down by lyrics that try for transcendent depth, but end up
sounding trite. They even start off the album with an odd tribute
song to the Beach Boys called “Thousand Mile Stare.”
Turns like this enhances the feeling that Walking Wounded’s
music should say something heavy, but the band never connects.
Hopefully, next time they can ditch the wounds and write trite,
happy stuff, because at least Elvis wasn’t depressing.
Anthony Bromberg