L’Avventura, Your Star Was Shining. San
Francisco-via-London trio Niagara, plus a complete cast of backing
musicians, reemerges as L’Avventura on this polite, highly refined
collection of pop tunes. Classic rock songcraft, with the studio
employed to full effect and every note in its right place, informs the
approach. Your Star Was Shining may be mature, but it’s not
boring. (Elliptical Recordings)
Papercuts, You Can Have What You Want. If I told you
there was a Bay Area band that evoked the Velvet Underground singing
like the Zombies on far too many downers, you’d probably respond, “Wow,
rad!” Not so fast. Jason Quever’s Papercuts are heavy on the stylish,
chic, mellow California drug haze, but light on just about everything
else. They certainly have their place, but empty psych-pop is still
empty. (Gnomonsong)
Don’t Die, Juicy. This pastiche of ambient and found
sound, electronics, and avant-garde instrumentals may initially feel a
bit too patchwork. But over repeated listens, its crafty
experimentalism becomes beguiling. Juicy would work well as
soundtrack music or in an abstract sound installation, yet much of it
stands on its own as high-grade album material. (self-released)
Rob Reich, The Balancing Act. Beyond being composed
entirely of solo accordion pieces, Rob Reich’s debut release has
another rare quality: It features music composed in four different
centuries. From Bach’s 1723 piece “Invention No. 6” to Reich’s 2008
originals, from traditional and classical to klezmer and folk, The
Balancing Act delivers a salient vision of the accordion’s
incredible adaptability. (self-released)
