Music Review #1

I've been debating about whether or not to do this for awhile; actually the reason I haven't is because I have an innate fear of sounding too presumptuous. I certainly don't know everything about music, but I do know what I like, and what is good music versus what is popular. Plus, I'm always looking for good music, and I know there are some people out there who are also doing just that. So here it goes.... My first couple of CD reviews......


Lenka is one of my new favorite artists. Unlike most new artists, who think that their music must be dark to be meaningful Lenka breaks that mold by showing us the exact opposite. The Show was the first single released off of the CD, and while it isn't the best song of the CD (that title belongs to Bring Me Down, a surprisingly upbeat breakup song) it provides a great overview of what you're going to get by listening to this CD.
For a first album, this one is surprisingly polished, and while Lenka's vocals aren't exactly one of a kind (to someone who's never heard her before, you may mistake her for Regina Spektor) what her voice lacks she more than makes up for in song originality, especially in the folk-inspired Force of Nature, a tune that could have easily sounded far too overdone is instead refreshingly original.
A solid start to what is sure to be a great career, this album is a must for anyone who enjoys alternative pop.
Download: The Show, Bring Me Down, Live Like You're Dying, Force of Nature
Skip: Nothing. Every song on this album is worth a listen.


Erin McCarley (also a new face in the music scene), brings a lot to the table with her first album. While listening to it, one can imagine that her childhood was very sheltered and once reality set in, she recieved a couple of royal smack downs. With lyrics like ...O wise one, if you're such a someone, why do you give nothing to anyone? one has to wonder what kind of disfunctional relationship she was in that inspired such hate.
But don't judge a CD by it's lyrics, because while one might think that her lyrics might best go to a hard rock tune Erin McCarley manages to shake things up by keeping all of her tunes surprisingly light.
It's a good CD, and it provides a promising start to her career; but her songs tend to sort of blend together, and while her lyrics are memorable I had trouble remembering what lyrics belonged to which songs. Her melodies also tend to blend, which makes it hard to remember any songs in general, and the title track Love, Save The Empty is probably the best song/most memorable of the CD.
Her jazzy, breathy voice stands out because her CD doesn't sound engineered like so many pop singers do today (Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan anyone?), and I would love to go to her concert to see what she sounds like outside the studio.
Download: Love, Save The Empty; Blue Suitcase; Pony (It's OK); Hello/Goodbye; Pitter-Pat
Skip: Sticky-Sweet; Gotta Figure This Out