Celtic Woman, “A New Journey”
MODERN IRISH POP|Manhattan, released today
Celtic Woman sounds as if Disney tried to make a stage musical based on the life of Mary Kate Danaher, Maureen O’Hara’s character in the John Wayne flick “The Quiet Man.”
It sounds silly, but note: People love silly, which is why PBS-launched Celtic Woman has become a juggernaut. The group’s music may use traditional Irish instruments, but they ditch Celtic subtlety in favor of the kind of bombast usually reserved for marching bands and Linda Perry songs.
“A New Journey” really does come off like a stage musical, which makes sense given the group’s history with pairing the audio with the video. The covers – “Over the Rainbow” and “Beyond the Sea” – are given fluttery, Christmasy arrangements. The “traditional” pretense throughout the rest of the record is obnoxious and cloying, but when put into the context of a Disney musical – say, a follow-up to “The Little Mermaid” – it’s less an annoying facade and more of a realistic stage endeavour. |Ricardo Baca
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, “Some Loud Thunder”
INDIE ROCK|Self-released, out today
The most anticipated self-released album of the decade, “Some Loud Thunder” comes on the heels of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s eponymous debut. That blogosphere-aided disc sold more than 30,000 copies from the act’s Brooklyn apartment and turned them into indie rock elite. Major labels swarmed but the band decided to go it alone again. More work for them, but more money, too.
Employing Flaming Lips producer Dave Fridmann, the disc opens with an abrasively lo-fi, good-natured title track. “Mama, Won’t You Keep Them Castles in the Air and Burning?” breaks through the fuzz with a dull, folky sound and airy synths. “Love Song No. 7” is similarly flat and slow. Things don’t pick up until “Satan Said Dance,” a tricked-out disco-punk number that nonetheless wears thin by the five-minute mark.
As on the first disc, the songs glide on textured walls of guitar and Alec Ounsworth’s blatantly David Byrne-worshipping vocals. But this time the band never really finds an engaging sound. “Some Loud Thunder” could use the manic energy and melodies of a track like “In this Home on Ice.” Otherwise it’s hard to get excited about these been-there, heard-that songs. |John Wenzel
Various Artists, “PS3”
INDIE ROCK/HIP-HOP|Public Service, released Jan. 9
Because you love music – or because you know somebody who loves music – here’s what you should do tomorrow:
Go to the new Twist & Shout record store on East Colfax Avenue and spend $15 – the price of one new CD, right? Try three new CDs – three compilations of local music compiled by the people who know local music. “PS3” is the most recent of these compilations from Public Service Records, and it serves as an updated Colorado music primer, even for those of us who frequent these shows at clubs.
Some of the bands featured on “PS3” have been playing bigger shows – Machine Gun Blues, A Shoreline Dream and Laylights included – but many are still building their crowds. Just a few of the great songs here come from Gregory Alan Isakov & The Freight, Cat-a-Tac, Pee Pee and A Dog, Paloma. An exceptional newcomer is Bluebook, whose smart production is fronted by Julie Davis’ snazzy trip-hop vocals. |Ricardo Baca
Other releases today:
Norah Jones, “Not Too Late” (Blue Note) This Grammy-winning artist returns with more soulful piano pop after a stint in side project the Little Willies.
Dave Koz, “At the Movies” (Capitol) “Moon River,” “Over the Rainbow” and “The Pink Panther” are familiar film themes tackled by this smooth jazz saxophonist on his latest disc.
