The Martlet

Amos Lee

Last Days at the Lodge (2008)

Blue Note Records

Need to take some time to relax? Amos Lee is here to help. His newest release, Last Days at the Lodge takes all of the smooth vocals and sultry melodies Lee is known for and adds a new earthiness to the mix.

Lee’s voice, while full of his typical bluesy passion, has a rougher edge this time.  It’s backed by folk guitars that carry a rooted element that fits with Lee’s other musical progressions along the subject matter he tackles in his songs.

The record starts with “Listen,” a song about a mosaic of people coexisting in the world together. It is a perfect way to begin, setting the tone for the record. Lee’s music has always been very conscious of people and their relationships to each other even if in different social situations — and this album is no different.

Full of religious imagery, Last Days at the Lodge has the darkness of a giant cathedral at midnight.  Lee’s clear spiritual language is at home among the deeply mournful melodies.

Many of his tracks have kept the blues inspired sound, throwing listeners back to the days of Marvin Gaye. They have an improvised quality, but enough of an organized path to appeal to both blues fans and those who just can’t seem to understand the genre.

Songs like “Truth” have a Southern gospel feel, making listeners’ lungs feel dusty just listening to it, while “What’s Been Going On” is reminiscent of his softer albums, like Supply and Demand.

With love songs galore, it takes a true professional to dodge clichés and boredom for a blues listener. Lee manages to do both. And no one can do a good break-up song like he can.

With all of its variety and the polished nature of every instrument and voice, Last Days at the Lodge is arguably Lee’s best work to date.

          -Trisha Gieni

No No Zero

Rough Stuff

Signed by Force

Ex-members of Toronto punk group The Exploders blended anew to form No No Zero, a mind-boggling group hell bent on stripping the scandal from sex with frank, grin-provoking lyrics and driven melodies as effective as caffeine after a late night.

With song titles like “Ass Commando,” “Why Won’t You Let Me Fuck You” and “Brown Shower,” their album Rough Stuff is unapologetically carnal, and the lyrics are as rough as the album title gests. Hilariously, iTunes has been tricked into registering the disc in the ‘Gospel & Religious’ genre, a tweak of coding that seems like it wasn’t accidental.

No No Zero brings garage punk-rock to bear on the topics we all love: sex, sex and sex. The album doesn’t take itself or its material too seriously, while still delivering a steady sound; it makes for a head-popping, teeth-bearing listen. The lyrics are explicit, but somehow lighthearted and definitely accessible. And there’s something touching about a balladic tribute to soft-core porn star Uschi Digard. There are no pretensions here, just hands on strings, mic stands, sticks and other phallic objects.

Like a blog about the process of colon cleansing, each tune is a mirthful exploration of the facts of life, and our occasionally twisted participation in them. Take “Brown Shower,” for example; the lyrics “brown shower, bend and devour, taste the power” are a haunting refrain delivered in a monk-like drone backed up by an organ.

Lead singer Pius Priapus injects a warbling, unfettered abandon into every line, with a carefree delivery that grows on the brain along with the fuzzy guitars and unrelenting, upbeat drums on most tracks. With an average track-time of under two minutes, the songs are short and to the point, like infectious jingles advertising shamelessness.

The album’s cover art presents the disc nicely.

“Wow,” “what the fuck?” and unbridled laughter are all appropriate reactions to this unique album. Pop it in to ease tension after a study session or just to surprise some roommates.

        -Marri Knadle

Kings of Leon

Only By The Night

RCA

Just a year and a half after the release of their album Because of the Times, Kings of Leon are back to feed our appetites with a new set of songs on Only By The Night.

If you’re a long-time Kings of Leon fan, you’ve already found yourself drawn to the gritty vocals of Caleb Followill and the unabashedly southern-flavored tunes the band crafts. The family Followill (Kings of Leon is made up of three brothers and a cousin) have been riding on a wave of sudden, well-deserved popularity lately, creating an atmosphere of anticipation for their latest venture.

Only By The Night isn’t as raucous and boisterous as their earlier music, which was always one of their biggest selling points. It’s apparent that the band has been influenced by the larger venues that they’re now filling, and the record has a much more polished sound then they have previously carried. Maybe it was a cleverly executed move for the band to create sounds that would appeal to a larger demographic. But several of the songs, such as “Be Somebody” and “Use Somebody” are so predictable that they feel almost disposable.

To their credit, there are some great songs included on the album that make buying Only by the Night completely worthwhile. A few of the tracks are infectious, even.

But for those who really want to capture the raw essence of Kings of Leon, it’s their earlier music that’s worth revisiting.

          -Paula Shyba