The key difference between Jacobsen and most pop singers is that she makes virtually no effort to sound sexy. This works in Christian rock, but what about in mainstream pop music? I guess we'll find out. The real question is whether the twenty-first century wants its own Petula Clark. I don't see why not. But then, do I look like a century? Don't listen to me, listen to Karen Jacobsen. Hear songs and samples at her website and at CD Baby.
Chase Pagan, Oh, Musica!
Chase Pagan makes driving piano-powered rock, but it would be wrong to pigeonhole him with the likes of Keane, for his musical vision is considerably more original than any rock the major labels are putting out. Reaching for comparisons, one might say that if Radiohead, Kurt Weill, and The Mars Volta got together and made a CD of carnival music, you'd have Chase Pagan.
He doesn't so much sing as wail and keen, gasping for breath, drifting up and down his tenor and falsetto range like Jeff Buckley with a pin stuck in him, supporting his heavy piano parts with grouchy guitars and punk-inpired bass and drums. "Push My Buttons," a titanic groan of avant-garde pain, is the centerpiece of the CD. The songs draw on elements of arty grunge ("Time to Myself"), folk ("Paperboat"), twisted country ("Sailors March"), children's music ("Spanish Tongue"), other styles, and things not known as they assault the ear like rusty bolts from the blue.
There's quite a bit of dense, interesting chamber rock coming out these days. I think it's the result of an information overload. Rock has gone through so many movements and iterations that new artists with unusual talent are forced first to drown in an excess of input, then to flee to the upper atmosphere with no skin on. With this CD Chase Pagan leaps to the forefront of this movement, chasing the shards of his own heretical rainbow.
You can download the accompanying EP, which contains some of the same tracks as the full-length CD, for free at his website, or hear some full tracks at his Myspace page. The EP also contains a cover of "Play the Game" by Queen, clearly another of Pagan's inspirations.
Eli Cook, Miss Blues'es Child
Eli Cook is a twenty-year-old blues guitar wizard with genuine soul. His first acoustic recording consists of old and new songs played in raw, live-sounding arrangements with little more than Cook's acoustic guitar and voice, plus banjo accompaniment by the stalwart Patrick McCrowell. Cook's playing is a joy, and his original songs fit smoothly with his thoughtful covers of Robert Johnson, Son House, traditional songs and the like. Highlights include "Terraplane Blues," "Goin' Down South" (also recorded recently by one of my favorite new roots bands, Hillstomp), and the original title track.
Article comments