Mandolin Orange
Such Jubilee
Yep Roc
2015
Rating: 7.5 torpedo skies out of 10
Even though Mandolin Orange are a local band for me, I feel like I never hear anything about them. I suppose that's more a sign of the tastes of my friends more than anything, but this is a duo, much like Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings, that should be able to cross multiple boundaries and appeal to nearly everyone - country fans. bluegrass fans, folk fans, country rock fans, etc. The music is fantastically performed, and the vocals are excellent. They also don't seem to play out very often, at least around here, which also probably plays into the feeling that they aren't part of the local scene. Anyways, "Such Jubilee" is a great follow-up to 2013's fantastic "This Side of Jordan," a record I really got into about a year ago and played nearly constantly for a few weeks. I wouldn't put this one on that level yet, but these past few listens are very promising.
Fujiya & Miyagi
Artificial Sweeteners
Yep Roc
2014
Rating: 7.5 blind snares out of 10
Fujiya & Miyagi is a band stuck between two worlds - the electronic party anthems of Daft Punk and the vintage krautrock of Kraftwerk. Well, stuck isn't the right word, because that makes it sound like they're in a position they don't wanna be in, when I'm guessing they're exactly where they hoped to be. You have an opener like "Flaws" that sound like it is destined for the dance floor, and then two songs later the instrumental "Rayleigh Scattering" sounds like a partner song for Kraftwerk's "Tour de France," and the next track "Artificial Sweeteners" employs the same type of lyrical repetitiveness as "Autobahn" or "Pocket Calculator." It's a nice mix that really works well for me, and I'm glad to have randomly stumbled upon this.
As a side note, it's totally weird this is out on Yep Roc, home to lots of aging (gracefully) rockers, adult pop, and alt-country, but it was totally smart on their part to infuse a little fresh (and hip) blood in with the vets.
Mandolin Orange
This Side of Jordan
Yep Roc
2013
Rating: 7 old bags out of 10
Despite Mandolin Orange being a well-known and well-regarded music act here in the Triangle of North Carolina where I live, I'm just finally getting around to listening to them now. The verdict - why was I such an idiot for waiting this long? I don't even have a good reason, just pure laziness I guess. The group is a duo - Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz - and between that group dynamic and their chosen style of music, pretty much every other review I've seen mention Gillian Welch and David Rawlings as comparison. They all probably say it because it works pretty well. I hear some John Prine in there too when Andrew sings on his own, but you get the gist - folky, well-crafted music, the best part being the couple's terrific harmonies. Yes, there is an actual mandolin played on some of the songs. No, I can't verify if it's orange or not.
