Ithaca Review

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(More customer reviews)I wrote a full review on the CD page but here's the bottom line: she's sexy and angry and has joy and is returned. Every cut is solid and, as a whole builds and wraps in pain and salvation. Also, for now Amazon is selling two versions - one is an exclusive edition with a bonus song, "Second Chance" , a post-script that moves the album to the next emotional stage.

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GRAMMY Award-winning singer/songwriter's deeply personaland touching new album to be released on Decca Records September 21stNew York, NY (Aug 4, 2010) - GRAMMY Award-winner Paula Cole, one of the preeminent female singer/songwriters of our generation, journeys to ITHACA on her deeply personal new album to be released on Decca Records September 21st.On her fifth album ITHACA, Cole takes listeners on an intensely emotional, yet uplifting journey through divorce ("The Hard Way," "P.R.E.N.U.P") and the struggle to recover one's identity ("Elegy," "Waiting on a Miracle") before allowing herself to revel in the healing, redemptive power of new love ("Sex," "Come on Inside"). Along the way, she acknowledges being torn between work and her daughter ("Somethin' I've Gotta Say"), and ultimately celebrates having music to get her through it all ("Music In Me")."My albums are like Polaroid snapshots of my life," says Cole, whose last album, Courage, was released in 2007. "The writing is the hard part because my process is highly personal and autobiographical. This new album reflects me processing the things in life we all face on a daily basis."ITHACA, a touching tour-de-force of emotions, showcases Cole's sharp and poignant songwriting, along with her moving voice - which The New York Times referred to as, "rich and tremulous" The album represents the difficult, yet healing journey we all go through to try to find the beautiful things in life. Cole wrote every song on the album and co-produced it with Kevin Killen (Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, U2) and Decca Records chairman, Chris Roberts. Referred to as, "a singer of substance and range" by The Los Angeles Times, Cole's searching lyrics played out against a backdrop of acoustic and electric instruments is musically reminiscent of its pop-rock genre defining predecessors."The overall theme of ITHACA is making peace with life," Cole says. "I hope to show people through my music that these lessons in life can truly be a healing process.About Paula ColePaula Cole first got her big professional break when she was invited to perform on Peter Gabriel's "Secret World Live" tour. Shortly after, she was signed to Warner Bros. Records, where she released her debut album Harbinger followed by This Fire. From that album, Cole released the widely popular singles "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone," which reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, and "I Don't Want to Wait," the theme to the hit TV show "Dawson's Creek." The following year she toured with Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair and won a GRAMMY Award for "Best New Artist" while also becoming only the second woman ever to be nominated in the "Producer of the Year" category. Following this success, she released two other albums Amen and the critically acclaimed Courage. Cole currently lives in Rockport, Massachusetts with her daughter Sky.

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Lisbon Review

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(More customer reviews)Unlike many of their contemporaries who decided to burn out in a temporary burst of creativity or fade away in repetitive ignominy, the Walkmen have only continued to get better. It's a bit of a surprise when you consider the band predicated their success on a piss-and-vinegar brand of youthful fire and youthful anger, that New York City vigor and rage exemplified in "The Rat," the band's best known song off their 2004 breakthrough Bows + Arrows. It's the kind of spirit that's all too easy to dissipate as the years pass, and the Walkmen, truth be told, have been no exception. But as 2008's excellent You & Me proved, the Walkmen know how to age gracefully, transforming their earlier ragged edge into a stately procession of horns, spindly guitars and powerful drum work, all anchored by Hamilton Leithauser's cracked croon. It was still the same Walkmen, as the innovative instrumentation and Leithauser's gloomy lyrics made clear, but they had found a way to take their best qualities and shift them into a more expansive sound, the kind of sound that spoke of possibilities for the future. With Lisbon, the Walkmen have realized those possibilities, but in a decidedly strange way: for the first time in years, the Walkmen seem content.
Is that really Leithauser singing "I am a good man / by any count / and I see better things to come" as a jaunty guitar line rolls along and the drums bounce in a way that can only be described as triumphant? And when he follows that up with "could she be right / when she repeats / I am the lucky one," it's a shock to the system of any long-time Walkmen fan - Leithauser seemingly at ease with himself and his girl, and the music, so often ominous and threatening, now a pleasant, upbeat mix that calls to mind rolling country sides and mountain air, not the cramped and dirty alleyways of New York City. If it wasn't already obvious, first single "Stranded" makes it quite clear the new Walkmen of You & Me are here to stay. It's a classic rock ballad, one that boasts a sort of jazz processional feel to it and revels in the lush horn textures that the band has already mastered. Add Leithauser's distinctive, soulful wail, and you have what most of Lisbon ends up sounding like: a bona fide timeless classic, the sort of song that would sound just at home in 1970 as it does in the new millennium.
There's not much rocking out on this record, although when the band does put the foot to the gas, it's vibrant - check out the surf-rock thunder of "Angela Surf City," where drummer Matt Barrick's hard-hitting style shows the Walkmen aren't all that old quite yet. For the most part, Lisbon is a game of give and take: the muscular restraint in the tense "Blue As Your Blood;" the `50s slow-dance mimic "Torch Song;" how "Woe Is Me," besides being in the running for happiest Walkmen song ever, places its sunny pop exuberance perfectly between the more down-tempo "All My Great Designs" and the lovesick "Torch Song." If You & Me showed the Walkmen becoming more comfortable in the studio, Lisbon has them becoming veritable masters of it, from Paul Maroon's shimmery, layered guitar work to Barrick's propulsive style to those Walkmen trademarks, the upright piano and Leithauser himself, whose scratchy howl sounds just as confident and assured singing straightforward love songs as it does spewing venom. When the band wants to be quiet and ethereal, they do it better than most, as on the skeletal, back room intimacy of "While I Shovel The Snow," and when they want to celebrate, they do it righteously, from "Juveniles"' joyous tones to the colorful, cathartic chorus of "Victory."
There's nothing here that will jump out at you like "The Rat" did, and upon first listen Lisbon is a surprisingly tame journey, one that doesn't latch on to you with jagged teeth that refuse to let go like their more black-and-white records. No, it's the sound of a band that knows they don't have to draw blood to get a listener's attention. Instead they can offer up a song like the title track, which builds itself up and up only to slowly disassemble itself into a haze of crisp drum clatters and a nostalgic guitar line until the song ceases with no mess or fuss or, even better, no sense of unfinished business. It's the perfect way to end the record, displaying as it does all the best aspects of the Walkmen's new persona: the vintage production techniques (this is a band that desperately, desperately cares how every little thing comes out sounding); the disciplined yet organic way the band plays off each other; Leithauser's effortless creation of a unique vibe, a specific sound that the Walkmen can now definitely claim as their own and whose distinctiveness may be matched only by the National in the realm of contemporary indie rock. Lisbon is an album from a band finally using the full palette of their talents to adapt and come out the better for it, and that's a pretty picture to behold indeed.

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Lisbon was recorded over the course of eight months beginning in the fall of 2009 with You &Me producer Chris Zane (Passion Pit, Les Savy Fav, Tokyo Police Club). The band then traveled to Dallas to finish the album with producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Explosions in the Sky'). Featuring the band'ssignature vintage instrument-sound, Lisbon will showcase 'A lot of stuff that's Elvis-sounding, like early Elvis and Sun Records kind of sounds,' says frontman Hamilton Leithauser.

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Waterworks Review

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(More customer reviews)I was not the biggest fan of this band, but I do have a few of their records. Seeing that this was only an EP I picked it up on a lark, but was then surprised at my disappointed when it ended so abruptly.
While I had thought that The Ocean Blue were somewhat of a one trick pony (reverb, dated production, etc.) this release proves that the band has grown both as songwriters and as musicians. Like their past releases, each track here offers tangible atmosphere -But for Waterworks, add to that an updated sense of song structure and melody.
This could easily be a five star record had it been just 4 or 5 tracks longer. Still, if this is just a taste of what is to come, I'm back on board.

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The Ocean Blue cemented their place as one of the most influential bands of the New Wave with a sound rooted in the same vein as The Smiths and New Order. On this album, the group has soaked up the sounds of Stereolab and The Sea And The Cake to further develop their new wave sound.--This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Contra Review

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(More customer reviews)After releasing their debut album, Vampire Weekend seemed to face a dilemma. They could either make another album with more of the same or completely change their sound. Either way, they were bound to receive scorn from critics. But somehow, they managed to evolve while still maintaining their signature sound. Anyway, let's get down to business...
Track by track:
"Horchata" - A great opener that sets the tone for yet another summery, poppy indie release from Vampire Weekend. The use of marimba and kalimba is new yet sounds very fitting. (9/10)
"White Sky" - This song has been played by the band for at least a year before they recorded it. I'm glad to see it was finally recorded. (7/10)
"Holiday" - A straightforward pop song with obvious ska influence. Instantly catchy. (8/10)
"California English" - Interesting use of auto-tune. I never thought someone would use auto-tune in a way that wasn't blatant and annoying. (8/10)
"Taxi Cab" - This is new territory for the band. Ezra sings in a low voice, buried under strings and programmed piano pieces. Very calming track with some of their best lyrics yet. (9/10)
"Run" - Things pick back up with this track which was instantly one of my favorites. The arrangements are very engaging on this one. The choruses are instrumental but quite effective. (9/10)
"Cousins" - When I first heard this song I didn't really care for it because I had only heard it live. Once I heard the recording, I was converted. It seems to capture the spirit of A-Punk but I feel like it lacks a hook. The ending makes up for it though. (8/10)
"Giving Up The Gun" - I was so excited to hear that this song would be on Contra. Ezra's old hip-hop band, L'homme Run, recorded an old version of this song years ago called "Giving Up Da Gun," and I used to listen to it nonstop. Very glad to see that they went back to the well. (10/10)
"Diplomat's Son" - This track is the band's longest song yet and features some vocals done by Rostam during the bridge. I really dig the white-guy-reggae vibe. I found it especially funny when Ezra mentions that he "smoked a joint." (10/10)
"I Think Ur A Contra" - Hands down my favorite song on the album. The band truly ended the album with their masterpiece. Not only are the lyrics in this song their most sincere, but the arrangement they used is among their strongest. The subtle atmosphere paired with their first ever use of acoustic guitar makes the song sound genuinely heartfelt and sets it apart from their repertoire. (10/10)
Overall, I think this album is on par with their debut and I will be spinning it nonstop for months to come.

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Like the first album, Contra was produced by keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij and is the realization of a whole and unique musical vision that sees the band stretching out and adding new textures, instrumentation, and rhythms into their sound.Primarily recorded in New York with a springtime sojourn to Mexico, Contra feels altogether fresh, joyous, and like nothing else but is immediately recognizable as the sound of Vampire Weekend.

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Conditions Review

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(More customer reviews)Conditions is something that the indie music lover dreams to discover- A creative record handmade by a humble band from Australia with incredibly talented members and unbelievable songwriting abilities. Great singles like "Sweet Disposition," "Fader," and "Love Lost" are obvious places to start; but even beyond these, The Temper Trap packs a punch. The haunting "Soldier On" could easily be one of the best alternative tracks this decade, and the energetic "Science of Fear" is an instantly catchy and contagiously original anthem for the ages.
This fantastic band lives up to every expectation that can be drawn from "Sweet Disposition." Don't even begin to hesitate purchasing this record- Your money will be unquestionably well-spent.

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The debut album from highly-acclaimed Australian rockers Temper Trap features very polished production, which gives thealbum a very big sound that compliments the band's pop sensibilities. Recorded on opposite sides of the world in Melbourne and London, Conditions was received very well by Australian critics upon its original release, and songs from the record have featured in numerous television programs. Precededby the single 'Science Of Fear'.

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