The Kyle Sowashes - What's Important (and What's Not) Review

Remember my Fine Dining Review? If you want, you can read that right now by clicking on 'Fine Dining Review". Did you read it? Great.

Kyle Sowash, aka Tom Foolery of Tom Foolery and the Mistakes, has ditched the pseudonym and is going out on his own in this big, scary world. It's ok though, because he's bringing some stalwart musical influences to keep him company: Pavement, Guided by Voices, Yo La Tengo, Superchunk, etc. Expect all the 'woo-woos', little guitar hooks, some not-really harmonies, catchy melodies, analog tape, 'quirky' humor, et cetera, that comes with the territory.

Let it be known: this record is a testament to what happens to college-rock musicians that hold on too long. Fine Dining, take note. Sowash has written “Being an Underemployed, Underappreciated Musician for Dummies”.

But c'est la vie, these gripes come with the territory. What's Important and What's Not is a no-holds-barred, barbed-wire old indie-rock nostalgia cagematch, and Kyle Sowash unashamedly has the chair.

The lyrics are built on a foundation of self-effacement and dry humor. In "Shadow of my Stephens" Sowash promises that "if I could put into a song the way I feel about you, (baby, yo) that would be so awesome" but "I just can't write the hits". In "In the Mail", a member of the Kyle Sowash's fan club wins "the remnants of [his] life's destruction" on Ebay.

Sure, writing songs about being an unknown loser drinking beers in parking lots isn't really glamorous, but it rings true. Between taking swipes at himself, Sowash targets white-belted hipster music critics, the scene, and life in general. More than once he comes across as being more than a little bitter, but he presents his empty plate with a smile.

The ‘he hate me’ aesthetic is artfully presented. This record, 28 minutes of enjoyable pop songs, is itself a tribute to enjoyable little pop songs of yesteryear. I can't imagine Kyle Sowash was trying to write the album of the year, nor would he think himself capable of doing so.

From upon his pedestal of obscurity, Kyle Sowash is directing his nihilistic/nostalgic message to the American people, whether they care or not.

The Kyle Sowashes - In the Mail.mp3
The Kyle Sowashes - Pitchforks.mp3

Maritime - We the Vehicles Review

First Impression:
Final Rating:

At the risk of exposing myself as a fanboy, I must say that I was immensely disappointed with Maritime’s first full-length release, Glass Floor. The prospect of a marriage of The Promise Ring’s melody-machine Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Dider with Dismemberment Plan mad-bassist Eric Axelson was enough to make various indie nerds drool with anticipation. The result was unremarkable, and the tepid Glass Floor fizzled.

Enough, it seems, to warrant We the Vehicles being released in America a full six months after being made available in Japan and Europe. Maybe Flameshovel is hoping the Glass Floor backlash will be forgotten during this six months through smart publicity and buzz, and our international friends won’t be sophisticated enough to care. Supposedly it has something to do with difficulty finding a label stateside.

From the beginning of the record, it’s clear efforts have been made to amend the saccharine and hallow production of Glass Floor. Read, this mostly means von Bohlen’s wispy voice is carefully tucked behind instruments with electrical currents flowing through them, which is for the best. Stepping out of the acoustic-limelight, his voice takes its rightful place as a secondary instrument. This allows von Bohlen’s intelligent songwriting to shine, just as it did in [my fantasies] when this band was first conceived.

Axleson’s leash has been loosened and a spry 1980’s feel has been liberally applied to the bass n’ drums here -- complete with synths, a backbeat on “Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts” and varied moving bass lines. It comes across as generally likeable and keeps things from bogging down without being classified as one of those “dance rock” records that we don’t talk about.

“Tearing Up the Oxygen” is a good example of all that. This great track is being groomed as the remedy for some of the remaining sour grapes. The combination of rhythmic precision and melodic talent drives this album, just as it should have in the first place.

That’s not to say this record is perfect. It didn’t blow me away. I kind of went back and forth on it (my initial reaction being an immense sense of relief, followed by a period of doubt and then recovery). Von Bohlen can’t sing, but that’s no secret and I feel unoriginal and a bit dirty for having mentioned it. Some of the melodies sound a lot like TPR’s swan songs with new sheep clothing, which is also to be expected.

However, the spit and polish applied to the pop deluge one can expect from von Bohlen is a welcome change of pace. Mr. Emergency is still chugging away, and We the Vehicles is a sign that the road is being righted.

“We are powerful despite our injuries,” declares “Calm”.

Past wrongs have been addressed and many patched up. I still love you, Davey.

Thank you for holding Davey accountable, Eric.

Keep the time, Dan. Keep the time.

The Appleseed Cast - Peregrine Review

First Impression:
Final Rating:

The Appleseed Cast went off the deep end in 2001 released the two-volume experimental work Low Level Owl. Following a couple more digressions, including a folksy side project (Old Canes -- which I like), they’ve returned to the studio again. Peregrine is an appropriate title for their latest, considering all the musical meandering they’ve done.

From the onset, it’s clear what kind of beast this record is trying to be: a spectacularly overwrought one. Drum effects and triggering, lots of compression, synths, instrumental tracks – it’s all there. The liberal production is ambitious to the point of being masturbatory. The thing is, if you take away the clamor and clatter, the record doesn’t always have a lot of pop substance, while the more layered stuff doesn’t have the guns to compete with say, Mogwai or Sigur Ros. In fact, some of the aforementioned drum production is eye-roll worthy, particularly on “Woodland Hunter Part 2” and “Mountain Halo”. Whoever decided reversing the drum track is cool should contemplate taking a good look at the inside of a gas stove.

While a few tracks are effective, specifically “Here We Are”, and “Sunlit Ascending”, the dog-and-pony production diverts attention from the underlying atmospheric simplicity that made Owl so successful. Considering how heavily involved that production is on this album, it seems Appleseed Cast should consider having another identity crisis.

Neil Diamond - 12 Songs Review

Whenever someone says the phrase "Sweet Caroline," the immediate gut reaction of almost every person present is to say "doo doo doo." Try it. In a crowded room, just shout out that famous first line: "Sweeeeeeet Caroliiine..." and enjoy the results. It really is a pleasure.

Some hear the classic “Sweet Caroline” and think, "Neil Diamond is a tired hack that doesn’t make real music. He just wears sequined shirts." Most assume he is perpetually destined to be of the set of aging musicians who only record new albums to have more material for their overly-theatrical stage shows (Paul McCartney’s recent “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard” is the only thing that saved him from being one of these types of musicians).

Though part of the above description does fit Neil Diamond (sequins were a big part of Neil Diamond's early career, and I can only assume they still might be), he is anything but one of these tired hacks.

Case in point: the newly released album called "12 Songs." It came out last year and, by my accounting, is nearly perfect. From the unassuming first track, "Oh Mary," to the huge crescendo of "Create Me," finishing off with the poppy, fun "We," this album shows Diamond in a light I had not seen him in before: talented and often introspective songwriter.

Sure, simple masterpieces like "Sweet Caroline" and "Solitary Man" have confirmed his status as a mastermind of the pop genre, but "12 Songs" finds Diamond in new territory somewhere closer to singer-songwriter. The production is so simple, so pure, that the songs are essentially forced to stand on their own. That is what lets some of the real gems of this album shine.

One of my personal favorites is the almost haunting beauty of "Face Me." The song is an impassioned cry for a lover to just look you in the eye and be honest. No fancy gestures, no frilly words, just "face me." The plea, like much of the rest of the album, is supported by simple guitar frameworks and a small backing band. Percussion is barely evident throughout most of these tracks, only another detail that makes the songs work as songs, not as full blown theatrical numbers.

As I mentioned earlier, Paul McCartney was also moving ever increasingly into “hack” territory over the years, but his entirely out-of-left-field effort, “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard,” reaffirmed his role as songwriting mastermind. I believe “12 Songs” does the same for Neil Diamond.

This album is all about the songs. Neil Diamond hasn't released a collection of songs like this in what is probably a very long time. I won’t pretend to have been following his career this entire time, but I will say that some of the deeper, more brooding songs on this album still maintain the charm of the light poppy numbers he is famous for, but they are anchored in deeper emotion.

These songs have real emotional impact. And that is what makes this album feel nearly flawless.

Low Skies : All The Love I Could Find Review

First Impression:
Final Rating:

I'm not sure who holds the copyright here. I haven't signed any contract saying that my writing becomes the property of the Dispatch Media Group as far as I know. This is my review, published in the Columbus Alive newspaper.

Chicago four-piece Low Skies has the sort of downtrodden mystique that few artists can claim. There's a quiet rage to All the Love I Could Find that seems ready to combust, if only it could muster the strength. Morose and blues-tinged, if the characters described in the songs are going to hell, they're getting there on their own time.


"Stone Mountain," the opening track, describes how a person falls in love with a "boy from nowhere," only to cut his throat and leave him for dead. On "Sweet Young Girls," songwriter and lead singer Chris Salveter tells a former girlfriend, "I was hoping one day you would call my name in a car crash." The lyrics evoke minimalist authors like Raymond Carver, with characters that are usually morose and altered by substances. On "The Cause of It," Salveter's rich croon is complimented by organ and a three-part harmony.


Playing what critics are already gleefully dubbing "post-country," Low Skies explore familiar images of the Midwest, and all the dark, expansive places in between. While it has little variation in tempo and volume, this album boasts an almost otherworldly intensity. All the Love I Could Find provides a perspective on life for the off-the-wagon addict in all of us.

End Review -- This is already a serious contender for record of the year. I'm hard pressed to think of another album that aims for an aesthetic and nails it as dead-on as this one. This is a real winner.

Low Skies - Levelling.mp3
Low Skies - You Can't Help Those People.mp3
Low Skies - To Fail You.mp3

All The Love I Could Find on Amazon
Link to the review (until it's broken -- I don't think the Alive archives anymore)