NT Baby!
NEW: Fefe Dobson, Fefe Dobson; Red House Painters, Old Ramon
AGAIN: Me'Shell NdegéOcello, Comfort Woman; Luna, Romantica
Fefe Dobson's debut album is quite impressive for its smart hooks, crunchy guitars, and the huge voice of the titular heroine who's here to save pop music from its own excesses. Despite having a flawless production and a glossy sheen that covers everything, the record plays less like a marketing ploy and more like a genuine artistic statement by the young Fefe. Many of the flourishes found on the record are doubtless the product of the young artist collaborating with people who want her music to pop(!); thankfully, those flourishes and quirky production touches are just enough to make the record distinct instead of making it sound gimmicky and stuck in a moment it can't get out of. Highlights include: "Stupid Little Love Song" and "Bye Bye Boyfriend".
The Red House Painters have been one of my favorite guitar-based bands ever since I heard the plaintive, melancholy words of "24" from Down Colourful Hill. I'm not sure I'd ever want to meet the man behind the music, but his words and his slow, beautiful music are more than enough to sustain the picture of tortured youth and boundless inner beauty that I think the Red House Painters' music represents. Old Ramon is the Red House Painters' sixth studio album and sounds slightly happier than most of the other stuff I've heard from the band. That doesn't mean the group has jettisoned its trademarked slow-burn lyrical delivery or its langorous chords and its watershed vocals. These distinguishing traits have been augmented by songs that are less world-weary and have a sense of the powerful emotions lying behind seemingly everyday things. Like many albums I haven't had the opportunity to fully savor in all its complexity, I will have to leave off here in hopes that a fuller analysis of the album will come at a later time. In the mean time, listen to these songs and see if you don't like them: "Wop-A-Din-Din", "Between Days", "Micigan", and "Kavita".
Comfort Woman is a fantastically sexy and moving contemporary soul album from one of popular music's most distinctive artists, Me'Shell NdegéOcello. There's not much variation in the tempo of these ten tracks, but then again there doesn't have to be with songs as strong and beautiful as "Come Smoke My Herb". "Love Song #3" may be the best song on the album -- a song to make love to, a song that wants you to get lost in its sensual grooves and cosmic bliss. Listen as Me'Shell sings about love and feeling beautiful and you're bound to be swept away by the gorgeous, evocative production -- "Take me to paradise" indeed. Make no mistake, Comfort Woman is one of the best releases of 2003. Its greatness shows in every note. Other highlights include: "Love Song #1", "Andromeda and the Milky Way", "Liliquoi Moon", and "Thankful".
Romantica -- I've reviewed it before and I'll review it again! This is the best album by Luna that I've heard thus far. The genius of Romantica is that it marries the songwriting capabilities of Dean Wareham with the production smarts of Dave Fridmann. What you end up with is a sparkling neo-psychedelic album that shimmers with indie pop pretensions without being overwhelmed by them musically or lyrically. I am eagerly awaiting the next Luna release to see if they can live up to this mini-masterpiece in both spirit and execution. We'll see, we'll see. Hightlights from Romantica: "Lovedust", "Black Champagne", "Renee Is Crying" and "Mermaid Eyes".
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Ka-BOOM!
2:07:05 PM 
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