Scissor Sisters by Scissor Sisters (Universal)
Disco is alive and well if the Scissor Sisters are any indication. The New York based Sisters are already huge in Europe, which is no surprise since comparisons to Elton John, David Bowie, and Roxy Music are impossible to resist. The Sisters pay homage to these pop music greats well. This is not a group that's easily categorized – their self-titled debut has everything from honkey-tonk tinged disco ("Take Your Mama") to piano-driven ballads ("Mary") to songs echoing rock opera ("Return to Oz"). Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" has never sounded so sassy and "Take Your Mama" is about coming out to your mom on the dance floor (front man Jake Shears wrote it for his own mother). The album is, quite frankly, infectious, sexy, and a hell of a lot of fun. It's everything that was right with disco and everything that is right with pop. Whether you're "a classy honey kissy huggy lovey dovey ghetto princess" or "an acid junkie college flunky dirty puppy daddy bastard" the Scissor Sisters will make you cut a rug.
Hymns of the 49th Parallel by k.d. lang (Nonesuch)
With her first release on Nonesuch records, k.d. lang has quite possibly made the most breathtaking record of her career. "Hymns of the 49th Parallel" is lang's Canadian Songbook, a beautiful tribute to six of lang's favorite Canadian songwriters: Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jane Siberry, Leonard Cohen, Bruce Cockburn, and Ron Sexsmith. Her reverence for these songs is evident in her treatment of them. lang's voice has never sounded better. Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" and "Helpless" (the first single) get new life in lang's hands. The underrated and eccentric Jane Siberry may finally get some of the attention she deserves, with lang stripping down and laying bare Siberry's song writing gifts on "Love Is Everything" and "The Valley." The record is truly a collection of hymns – to love, nature, and the nature of love – with deliberately understated orchestration. It's mellow and reserved – more of a long marriage than a first love, but in these troubled times, lang's "Hymns" will soothe you.
Remember Who I Am by Girlyman (Daemon Records)
Call it "Indigo Girls with a boy" if you will. Girlyman themselves prefer "delicious acoustic harmony-driven gender pop." Whatever you call it, if you like what is loosely called "women's music" (even though there's a man in the mix here), you'll like Girlyman. They're a solid group, singing songs in perfect harmony of love ("David"), woe ("Montpelier"), and often the woe of love ("Say Goodbye"). This is fine, but I thought they'd be a lot more, well, fun. I know, I know, don't judge a book (or in this case a CD) by its cover and all that. But with a name like Girlyman and funky album cover art, I was expecting something more upbeat. This album decidedly isn't. A couple more up-tempo tracks wouldn't have hurt here. Girlyman seem to take themselves a little too seriously and their lyrics can be a bit overwrought at times: "I spent twenty lifetimes at your door but your heart was busy within building bomb shelters under your skin," ("The Shape I Found You"). But it is nice to see girls and boys who play well together.
Driving North by Chris Pureka (www.chrispureka.com)
Great guitar playing and a brooding, soulful voice mark Chris Pureka's sophomore release "Driving North." Pureka's songs are intimate portraits of human connections and the distance between love and loss. "You say you know nothing can happen and then she leans over and lifts off your glasses and the next thing you know you're just tangled and guilty," she sings on "Burning Bridges." The album's artwork features stark, snowy landscapes with Pureka in a flannel shirt and black snow hat. Her songs are an embodiment of trying to get warm in a world that's stone cold. "Driving North" is familiar yet refreshing, offering the best of what folk music has to offer (the instrumental "Reprieve" is a gorgeous showcase of Pureka's guitar playing talents). However, track after track of desolation causes the individual songs, which are by themselves strong, to run together in a kind of slow-moving grey streak. "This is all that's left, just these sad, sad songs," she sings on the title track. I've got nothing against sad songs, but to paraphrase Mary Poppins, a spoonful of sugar makes the heartbreak go down.
Also released:
Abbalicious Various (Figjam)
NYC's top drag performers take on ABBA songs (as if ABBA songs weren't already campy enough) in various styles with mixed results. This probably would have made a more entertaining DVD; the audio alone doesn't carry this project far. Get it online at www.FigJamEnt.com.
Queer Trax Mixed by King D (Trax Records)
Transport yourself to the late 80s gay club scene with "Queer Trax," a non-stop mix of classic and underground Chicago house music mixed live by King D, out on Trax Records, the original home of house music. Frankie Knuckles's "Bad Boy" is an album highlight. Dare you not to dance.
Upstairs At Larry's: Lawrence Welk Uncorked Various (Vanguard)
Legendary band leader Lawrence Welk gets the remix treatment by a bunch of today's DJs. Welk's grandson Kevin produced this CD, and it's sure to bring younger and more hip ears to Lawrence Welk standards like "Baby Elephant Walk."
Disarming by Ember Swift (Few'll Ignite Sound)
Although musically less edgy, it's impossible not to compare Ember Swift to Ani Difranco with her smart, politically astute lyrics and DIY career. "Disarming" is the Canadian "folk-jazz-funk" mistress's 8th album. Listen to clips from the record at www.emberswift.com.
The Concretes by The Concretes (Astralwerks)
Swedish popsters with cool lyrics and even cooler album artwork, The Concretes sound like a 60's girl group on downers with the Velvet Underground's Nico on vocals. Interesting arrangements and literal homages to Diana Ross abound. Album highlights: "You Can't Hurry Love" and "New Friend."
