Norman Famous |
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a mysterious and very opinionated producer/writer/musician |
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Norman Famous Reviews Opinionated. Emaciated. Infatuated. Archivated. |
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If you would like to have your CD reviewed by Norman Famous, send your press kit to: Norman Famous Norman does not review tapes, mp3's, CD-R/CD-RW/DVD-R/DVD-RW's, or vinyl. Norman does not review demos. Due to the volume of material he receives it may take a while for your review to be posted. Please be patient. Norman does not return material. Norman only reviews music that he finds compelling for one reason or another. You can E-mail Norman at norman@normanfamous.com If you would like a personal reply from Norman, please send a SASE (self addressed stamped envelope) or a stamped return postcard. |
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The Reviews are ordered in this fashion: ...the dotted line… (short reviews) Norman’s Favorites (the best of the best) The Reviews (alphabetical) |
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Because I'm a famous (get it?) producer, I get a lot of material from bands looking for...I don't know...advice? A recording contract? I'm not really sure. What I do know is that a lot of people have been sending me Demos. Which I don't review. Demos that are sent in are demolished (in the worst way possible). Anyway, I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some of this music with you or at least what I think of it. So, welcome to the Norman Famous record review column. I'll do this occasionally. Remember, this is only what I think and may not reflect on the actual musical viability of the material. |
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THE REVIEWS Alphabetized, though not quite bite-sized
The Atlantic Manor “The Trouble That You Left” (Doo Too Records)
The Atlantic Manor teeter on the edge of greatness. So what if this sounds like eight slightly different versions of the same song? It's that slight difference that makes all the difference. Apparently written on the spot and recorded in one or two takes (R. Sell, the moving force behind T.A.M., calls it "gorilla recording") this is masterfully moody D.I.Y. underground rock. Anyone who has any respect for independent music should own at least one Atlantic Manor cd. This one's my favorite so far. Support the underground. www.theatlanticmanor.com
Heart Full Of Dirt “American Road” (private label)
The songs are about drinkin', ridin', goin' down to the roadhouse and kickin' some guy named Jose's ass for siphonin' gas. The music is four on the floor basic mean 'n' potatoes (in fact, there's a song about meat 'n' potatoes) good ol' American ROCK - and I'm not talkin rockabilly and I'm not talkin' rock'n roll - I'm talking Skynrd and Allmans (when they ROCKED)! Heart Full Of Dirt play it hard and mean and they play it good. In fact, this is probably the band that was playin' down at the roadhouse when you were having a drink, eatin' your meat 'n' potatoes and gettin' ready to go out and kick Jose's ass. www.heartfullofdirt.com
J. Poverty “Poverty Kept…” (Trunk Rattlin')
I was driving through east Oakland one sunny afternoon and I noticed a young man selling cds to passers-by in front of a local market. When I pulled over to investigate, I discovered that the music was his own - it was J. Poverty himself! Without identifying myself, I purchased a copy and listened to it in the car for the next several days.
It's the usual stuff about guns, bitches and hos, but what sets J. Poverty apart from the gazillions of other self-produced basement hip-hop mogul wannabes is his ability to create interesting, ear-catching musical backdrops to bolster his serviceable lyrical abilities. On the other hand, the puerile chest-thumping, penis waving exhortations of collaborators 2sic and Dirty Rice are an unwelcome distraction. They're not bad - just ordinary and clumsy-sounding when juxtaposed with J. Poverty's finesse and artistic attention to detail. www.j.poverty.com
Jack Scarangelia “The Hero In Us All” (Peasant Boy)
Jack Scarengelia is one heck of a drummer. He's surrounded himself with a bunch of hot musicians and singers (among them Francis "Rocco" Prestia of Tower of Power, Richie Havens, and ex-Rascal Felix Cavaliere - not guys you'd expect to see on the same record) to make this collection of high-energy, swingin' original r&b tunes interspersed, for some reason, with spoken-word life-affirming platitudes. It's mostly spiffy and enjoyable although a couple of songs (like the clumping Something to Believe In) slip into lead-footed Bad Company territory. According to the booklet, Jack knows a lot of famous people. Good for him. Oddly, no web site. Peasant Boy Productions P.O. Box 337 Rye, N.Y. 10580
Marvalinn “No Greater Love” (private label)
Truly exciting, passionate and heartfelt gospel music - sounds like it was recorded mostly live (that's a good thing). I'm not really into this "oh Jesus you are so great" stuff, but I enjoyed listening to this collection. Not overly slick, it sounds like real music made by real people - and that's saying a lot in these overly slick times. Marvalinn (did I mention that she's quite a singer?) deserves credit for making a gospel album that even a jaded cynic like me can enjoy. www.marvalinn.com
Munkey Juice “Moscow (movie soundtrack)” (Choose To Lose Records)
I don't know if the movie Moscow is any good, but the two-cd soundtrack by Munkey Juice (now, there's a name that brings some pretty unpleasant images) is pretty terrible - just a bunch of badly-written noisy alt-rock. Maybe that's the point - maybe it works in the context of the movie. As a stand-alone recording, though, it pretty much sucks. www.munkeyjuice.com
Scott Turchin “River Can Cry” (private label)
Mr. Turchin is equally adept at writing and performing convincing CCR/Bob Seger-ish rockers and authentic-sounding reggae. He intersperses the two styles on his River Can Cry, making for pleasant, if slightly schizophrenic, listening. Perhaps two separate cds would have been better. Perhaps not. In any case, this is a fun, upbeat collection that I actually listened to more than once - and that's sayin' something. Good one, Scott. www.scottturchin.com
Suzy Callahan “Happier Than Everybody Else” (Scared Guy Music)
The skeletal arrangements and rough-and-ready feel of Suzy Callahan's Happier Than Everybody Else come directly from the Exile In Guyville school of indiegirl rock, but she's way too talented to be written off as an imitator. The best stuff here, like the opener Ghosts of Spite the incisive You Don't Scare Me and the witty Shakespeare and Me give Ms. Phair a run for the money in the bitterly ironic sweepstakes. Well on her way to finding her own voice, Suzy Callahan is one to watch. www.suzycallahan.com
Treasure 13 Vol. I, Vol. II & Vol. III (private label)
3 cds worth of ambient/funky/noisy music and mumbly vocals that sound like a semi-conscious Leanard Cohen singing at the bottom of a well (for what it's worth, as the series progresses the vocals become more audible). This stuff might sound good at full volume in a strobe-lit warehouse full of ecstasy-addled knuckleheads, but it's pretty useless otherwise. No website. No contact info. No nuthin'.
Versailles “Believe” (Evileye Records)
With it's self-consciously "arty" cover drawing - a stark winter landscape with bare trees and a couple of strategically placed flowers - and an inside photo of the black-clad band members looking way to serious for their own good - I expected the music on this 4-song ep to be self-conciously arty, way too serious and impossible to listen to. Imagine my surprise when the first track, Believe, turned out to be an entirely accessible - almost commercial - synth-pop tune with a hummable melody and a great hook. Alas, the next two numbers, the encouragingly-titled Lamentations and You're My Disaster, were, in fact, artily self-conscious and pretentious (besides being bereft of melody and decent lyrics). The final song turned out to be a pointless remix of the title song. A promising start, though. Their web site is versailles.ro |
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NORMAN’S FAVORITES Among the hundreds upon hundreds of independent albums that Norman Famous receives, only a select few have ever been so revolutionary, so excellent in execution, and so awesome in sound to have truly curried his favor. These are their reviews.
The Dont's “Misc Radio Leakage” (private label)
I have seen the future of rock'n'roll and it is the Dont's.
What do you get when you take equal parts Beefheart, Residents, Can, Johnnys Burnette and Rotten, add a little Beatley melodic flair and Stones-y thump and top it of with some Sun Ra craziness, new millennium cynicism and post-punk skronk? Well, if you happen to be Jonny, Joey, J.J. and Ken Don't it all adds up to the sublime, exciting and completely original sounds that make up Misc. Radio Leakage, their newest release and easily one of the best records of the year. One great song leads into another - the spooky, sexy It All Falls Apart....the intricate murkiness of Endorphina.. Sissy Resist's gentle cynicism...the groovy, off-kilter swing of The Kids Are Coming (Beefheart lives!)...I could go on, but you get the idea. And this is only their second release. 2003's Model was darn good - this is better.
Far more than just the sum of their influences, The Dont's manage to be funny and outrageous but deadly serious at the same time. Misc. Radio Leakage (great packaging, by the way) is the latest communication from musical pioneers who are continuing to stake out their stylistic territory. The rest of us can only follow.
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Arms of Kismet “Cutting Room Rug” (Wampus Multimedia)
The latest installment of wittily intelligent, wryly humorous and unabashedly romantic pop music from Mark Doyen's Arms of Kismet. The high standard set with last year's "Eponymous" is maintained with sharp song writing, ear-catching arrangements and deft production touches. Although producer Doyen has given the record a Beatle-y sheen, there's enough real emotion in songs like "Life Imitates" and "Pinnacle of Some" ( my two favorites - they're all pretty darn good) to keep the listener from forgetting that there's a man behind the curtain. And speaking of things Beatle-y, the aural and lyrical thematic links strewn like musical clues throughout the record make this more than just a collection of songs. At 34 minutes it certainly doesn't wear out it's welcome and bears - nay, invites - repeat listens. Good one, Mark - now let's have more!
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