Holopaw - Academy Songs, Vol. 1 (Misra, 2013)

Holopaw
Academy Songs, Vol. 1
Misra
2013

Rating: 7 peppermint candies out of 10

At one point I was really into Holopaw, back in the early 2000s, due in equal parts to my love of Ugly Casanova (a side project of Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, featuring Holopaw singer John Orth), and getting free review copies of those first couple records they released on Sub Pop. Then I kinda spaced on the band's new material, though I often revisited that first self-titled record as well as Ugly Casanova over the years. But somehow I got back on task with this most recent record "Academy Songs, Vol. 1" and I'm very much glad I did. 

I'm not even sure what the fuck you'd call this band - space country?  Nobody has a voice like Orth, it's breathy and deep and there is vibrato all over the place that matches up well with the band's shimmery guitars.  The overall sound of the band seems more important than individual songs...at times while listening to the record I don't even notice they're play a new song, they sort of just meld together.  That's not the same as saying all the songs sound alike mind you, just that they work well together and there are no grand stylistic jumps between tracks.  

It's a good record from a band most people have either forgotten or never knew existed.  Make an effort to search this out. 

Southeast Engine Coming to Terms with Gravity (Misra, 2005)

Southeast Engine
Coming to Terms with Gravity
Misra
2005

Rating: 6.5 made choices out of 10 
 
There’s a hint of twang to this Ohio pop band known as SoutheastEngine, and I like it. My first reaction was the same as seemingly most everyone else – a little reminiscent of Wilco, in their blending of Americana roots-rock and pop…especially the Wilco from the "Being There" and "Summerteeth" years. Wilco is one of my very favorite bands, and I don’t mean to insinuate that Southeast Engine are even in their category really, but this is a very good start by these Mid-westerners. You could also probably drag some of the more recent material by the Drive-By Truckers into the comparison, especially on the mellower numbers. The bottom line is this is just some straight-forward rock music for regular folk – no pretensions, just good songs.