Luther Russell “The Invisible Audience”
Luther Russell (previously with Freewheelers) has always been a very eclectic folk rocker, with equal parts of McCartney, Dylan and Joe Cocker as guidelines. Adept at several genres, Russell’s latest is a double LP (25 tracks) with something for everyone. The lush instrumental opener “Still Life Radio” lulls the listener, and then “Sidekick Reverb” kicks in with it’s shambling guitar rhythm and handclap beats. “A World Unknown” is a hypnotic blues beat machine similar to Beck’s early hits.
After several folk oriented tracks, the pop emerges in “Everything You Do” with its organic melody and crisp 70’s NYC vibe. This is followed by “1st & Main,” an Elliot Smith styled tune with nice vocal overdubs. Also recommended are “Ain’t Frightening Me” and the rockin’ “Tomorrow’s Papers.” Also the best theme about homelessness ever in “Long Lost Friend.” Needless to say, there are plenty of great cuts here to sift through, so I’d get this album and start exploring. Fans of Wilco, Tom Petty, Paul Simon and Paul Westerberg will really dig this.
Late Cambrian “The Last Concert”
Late Cambrian is the duo of John Wlaysewski (The Attorneys, Flying Machines) and Colin Schiller (Colin Schiller and the Reactions). With a shared love of melodic songwriting and loud buzzing guitar chords, they sound similar to Weezer, Green Day and Splitsville. Opening with “Those Middle Years” it’s a nostalgic look back at your twenties. “Shut In” could be a sequel to Weezers’ “In The Garage” with references to Facebook within a paranoid narrative. Schillers’ drumming is masterful on the instrumental “Trilobytes” and then the gentle harmonies contrast the buzzing riffs in “Random Hearts.”
The remaining tracks are consistently good. Featuring solid composition and good musicianship, it has standouts like “Never For A Minute” and the impressive finale of the title track. No filler here also helps make this a worthy addition to your music collection.
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