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A Fine FrenzyOne Cell in the Sea

A Fine Frenzy is basically the piano pop project of Los Angeles resident Alison Sudol. While the songs are not exactly groundbreaking in arrangement or execution, they are pleasant and well produced. This is a major label album after all. You’ll find plenty of grand piano, synths, acoustic and electric guitars, drum sets and layers of Alison’s engaging vocals. It sounds like a rainbow-laden mix of Keane and Sarah McLachlan. Plus she’s a fan of the “fantastic literary worlds” of authors like C.S. Lewis, E.B. White and Lewis Carroll, so expect some fairy-dancing whimsy in the mix as well. Album highlights include the hypnotic chorus of “Rangers,” and the key-changing waltz of “You Picked Me.” My only complaint about this album is that there are too many songs, and after a while, they get a bit dull and repetitive. That said One Cell in the Sea is good, solid pop, with finely layered sonic elements that reveal more upon repeated listens.

Check out A Fine Frenzy opening for Rufus Wainwright at the Crystal Ballroom on July 31.

The MabusesMabused

Apparently, The Mabuses had some albums in the early 1990s and this is their triumphant return into the public ear. They pride themselves on having an international cast of players, however none of that international influence comes across. What we get is pretty straight-ahead folky pop rock in the vein of XTC, Elephant Six and The High Llamas. We find lots of doubled vocals, strumming acoustic guitars, soft drumming, orchestras providing some drama plus tambourines way up in the mix. The songs here are decent enough, but the recording is unfortunate and seems uneven. Random sonic elements seem to be given dominance in the mix from time to time. Plus, it seems that there are too many players in the band for the songs’ strengths to really be made clear. Much like the cluttered album art, there’s too much going on, and too often the songs aren’t given room to breath, because there’s just too much crap taking up sonic real estate. Overall, this sounds like an amateur recording from a group with a lot of great ideas.

SilverchairYoung Modern

You remember Silverchair. Admit it. You liked their Pearl Jam rip-off song “Tomorrow” back in 1995. Well, the band was in their teens when they made that song a hit during the Clinton administration and times have changed. On Young Modern, they sound like grown-ups. But the band never really went away: they’ve continued as superstars in their homeland of Australia as one of the best-selling artists in the country. Contributors to Young Modern include Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks and electronic artist Paul Mac, who seems to be the newest addition to the band, on keyboards. Taken as a whole, Young Modern sounds like 1970s David Bowie with a sprinkling of Elton John. It won’t remind anybody of the grungey debut from Silverchair. The songs are a bit weird and not terribly catchy, but it’s worth at least one listen.

-Above reviews by Peter Swenson

Smashing Pumpkins Zeitgeist

It’s been seven years since the Pumpkins have released a studio album, and the wait has left the longtime faithful feeling hurt and ignored. Zeitgeist is rather impressive, showing the old brilliance of Billy Corgan’s crunching guitars, searing vocals and the pure ability to make you bang your head. Jimmy Chamberlain is back on the drum kit, off the heroin and thundering out the superb rhythm section we’ve all come to love. However, this album in no way compares to the old Pumpkin days. The majority of the album focuses on creating musical energy and the soft tracks–of which there are just two–create a nice blend. It’s worth picking up, but unless you like it, you won’t want to buy tickets for the current tour, as the set list doesn’t feature much of the old glory.

-Robert Seitzinger