SHORT SCALE: CD reviews in 200 words or less

By Rachel Heisler

CD review: The Sadies, New Seasons (Yep Roc Records, October 2, 2007)

Rating: 5 out of 5 geetars

If you’re into twangy Americana, bluegrass country rock, you’re a fan of the Sadies, whether you know it yet or not. New Seasons is the Toronto, Ontario-based band’s fifth album, and on it brothers Dallas and Travis Good, Mike Belitsky (drums) and Sean Dean (upright bass) go from acting like reckless teenagers to sensitive balladeers in a matter of minutes.

The Sadies are crafty. Anyone who writes a song like “The First Inquisition (pt. IV)” with its fuzzy, psychedelic guitar, its love-song counterpoint “Anna Leigh” and “Yours To Discover,” which is soft and detached but still has a ramblin’-down-the-line feel to it, and puts them all on the same album has some mad-capped creativity running through his veins. Fans of Neko Case, Wilco, Jayhawks, Old 97’s and Jon Spencer will stumble upon familiarities that will wrap around them comfortably like the warm hand of a Jack Daniels’ shot.

Every song on New Seasons has its own persona and there’s not a song included here that shouldn’t be put upon a tall, white pedestal. If every band in the world had this awesome sense of connectedness and clarity, every band in the world would be worth listening to.

Upcoming shows:
10/05/07-Cafe du Nord, San Francisco, CA
10/07/07-Harldy Strictly Bluegrass Fest, San Francisco, CA, 12:30 pm
10/09/07-Aladdin’s, Portland, OR, with the Mekons
10/10/-07-WA Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA

CD review: Stars, In Our Bedroom After The War (Arts & Crafts, September 25, 2007)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 geetars

” … our responsibility in writing pop songs is that no matter how grim it is, it’s your life, and we have to try to make it beautiful in three-and-a-half minutes,” said Stars frontman, Torquil Campbell. “That was sort of my mission with this record. If you could make horror movies that were like love stories, that would be my ultimate genre.”

Well, Stars’ music (if not lyrics) gives the impression that life is a party – not a wild one where people are doing beer bongs and screwing in the corner of the room – but a subdued one where attendees sip at Chardonnay and talk into the wee hours of the night. The piano, keys (Chris Seligman, Campbell), strings and guitars (Evan Cranley) are used in their most delicate forms; Amy Millan’s emotionally driven vocals go a long way in breaking up the male vox and Pat McGee’s real drums (not chinsy pre-recorded loops) bring life and spirit to the songs.

The CD is paired with a fun 55-minute DVD that includes interviews with band members, live concert footage and other random weirdnesses that Stars came across while on the road.

Upcoming shows:
10/17/07-Higher Ground, Burlington, VT
10/18/07-Town Hall, NY, NY
10/19/07-Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA
10/20/07-9:30 Club, Washington, DC
10/24/07-Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA

CD review: Michael Hensley, Fire Behind Me (self released, October 1, 2007)

Rating: 2 out of 5 geetars

Hensley, a graphic designer who graduated from Emerson College in Boston, got his “music epiphany” during a college Poetry and Song course. It was then that he began to combine personal words with his run-of-the-mill synth-driven, dance music. He comes across as a sensitive man who could very well cry himself to sleep many a night but his softness is in his expression only; his music has backbone and beat and it’s suitable for all club environments, especially those in West Hollywood.

“I really loved electronic music and songs driven by a strong beat; my belief was that the genre doesn’t often focus on lyrics and melodies as well. I wanted to bridge that gap,” Hensley said.

The bridge is gapped to a certain extent – the song content is good … the inspirational and metaphorical way in which he writes could use some tweaking – but it’s a good start. Hensley is all over the DIY premise, and wrote, performed and produced Fire Behind Me (mixed and mastered by Yasuhiko Fukuoka). While he needs practice in originality and versatility, he definitely has potential – it’s up to him whether he takes advantage of it or not.

Photo by Dana Mueller