Musical musings

Some new music worth a listen:

1. Jolie Holland, Springtime Can Kill You (Anti-): This is the album that Norah Jones would have recorded if she had soul and grit and a willingness to do more than create a nice AOR curio. Holland’s voice has an elusive quality, something I can’t quite explain, a catch or a slight warble that both sweetens and darkens the music. This disc won’t make you dance, but it will make you smile and cry and pause to take a look around you.

2. Gomez, How We Operate (ATO): Gomez bends genres effortlessly, though subtly, pushing through softer roots-rock and folk into Beatle-esque pop and some jangly, early-REM-ish sounds. It is a lush, confident set. Allmusic.com describes is this way: “This is the sound of a band sitting around facing one another and concentrating on writing and executing songs that stand the test of time, using multiple songwriters of equal gift and merit.” Hard to argue.

By the way, the title track to the Gomez disc was featured prominently on Grey’s Anatomy on Sunday, which is where I first heard it. Even if the show was not so good (yes, it is probably my favorite TV drama these days), the soundtrack makes it worth watching.

Channel Surfing, The South Brunswick Post, The Cranbury Press

Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie. View all posts by hankkalet