Si*Se: More Shine

'More Shine,' a 2005 release by New York based Si*Se is a chilled out Latin-Jazz-electronica record that does just enough to keep the listener interested. On the band's website, www.sisenyc.com, the group emphasizes the fact that they are a part of the underground NYC scene, which is fine, as that is certainly a pedigree to be proud of. Coming from the NYC underground, however, does not excuse releasing a record that could clearly be much better.

Do not get me wrong, this is a decent album, and some of the songs are off-the-charts good, but this listener believes that Si*Se failed to grasp that the underground NYC sound is difficult to transfer out of the lounge and onto a disc. It can be done, and from the good parts of this record I think this band may have the potential to do it, but this album falls short of that goal.

What I mean is that while there is a certain depth to the compositions, and Carol C's voice is strong and seductive, the album fails to retain the mood that I think the band was aiming for. During a live performance, this consistency is easier because a group can play off the audience and the synergetic result makes the show. I have not seen Si*Se live, but I would daresay that this something they are very good at. But this is difficult to do in a studio and like so many other bands Si*Se cannot quite reach that highest level of recording.

Independent of one another, all the songs are pretty strong, but playing the record all the way through, the hooks, and vocals, and tracks generally started to sound like one big, redundant song. For me, this overpowered the many good segments that I discovered along the way.

Now, this is not to say that the record is not salvageable. Despite the negative tone of this review thus far I think this is an album worth buying. In fact, the track "Mariposa en Havana" makes the record worth the money hands down, and is a good example of what Si*Se can produce. In the end, I hope that this band stays around for a long time, as they are doing some interesting things in a genre of music that has a lot of potential.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

I recently discovered Clap Your Hands Say Yeah ("CYHSY") and cannot believe that this record has been out since the Fall of 2005. Also, apparently they have just released a new record that I am looking forward to hearing once I can take their first self-titled album off repeat.

This record is filled with interesting arrangements, strong melodies, and a voice that is often compared to David Byrne, which is right on, but I would add a dash of Thom Yorke because the vocals have that hypnotically-erie quality to them. This is especially evident in the track "Is This Love?" which might be my favorite on what is a very strong album.

Naysayers will smugly point out that they have heard this sound before, and they are probably right. That takes nothing away from the album, however, as CYHSY mixes the familiar ingredients with such skill that the songs are unquestionably their own.

What Made Milwaukee Famous: Trying to Never Catch Up

What Made Milwaukee Famous ('WMMF'), a band from Austin, Texas has made a record that sounds like rock should. 'Trying to Never Catch Up' is full of catchy melodies, interesting arrangements and good studio performances, all topped off by solid vocals with great range. The band even makes an effort by penning interesting, albeit often dark, lyrics. WMMF has achieved something that few bands can do these days: composed an album of consistently good songs. In my opinion, there is not a run away single on this record, which is nice because that helps the album work as a whole. It is very difficult to listen to just one random song on the album--I think I have listened to it all the way through almost everytime I have played it.

WMMF mixes pop, rock, and punk effortlessly and the result is what I think is one of the best rock albums to come out last year. "Sweet Lady," and "Hellodrama" are probably my favorite tracks, but as I have said, there really is not a sour note on the album. In fact, my only concern is that this is a rerelease of a 2004 album by their new label, by which I mean that either 1) the group may already be heading a different direction artistically, or 2) they may have tapped themselves out of good / original ideas. When bands emerge with such a strong debut album I wonder if they can ever live up to the high expectations they have created for their next release . . . and WMMF has set the bar high.

But hey, let's not worry about the band's future and just enjoy the music while it's fresh.