Marnie Stern - This Is It And I Am ...

With the horrendous title "This Is It and I Am It and You Are It and So Is That and He Is It and She Is It and It Is It and That Is That" (supposedly a quote from the English philosopher Alan Watts) and a cover deceptively innocent, the amazing guitar player and songwriter Marnie Stern, considered by many a true shredder, presents her second album, a frantic and noisy record in which the New Yorker does not beat around the bush and from the first moment shoot an attack of riffs, power chords and an endless series of guitar pirouettes. Stern gives no rest or truce and with no company but runaway drums, a shy bass guitar and some occasional keyboards, she creates 12 songs with a swishing and visceral sound, with complex and volatile structures that change from moment to moment. With the same sense of chaos of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (a much focused sense of chaos, paradoxically) and a tapping technique that will have proud even to Eddie Van Halen, Stern does not hide her impeccable technical level but unlike many of their male counterparts, she does not falls into the typical "look-i-can play thousand-notes-per second", and avoids the excess (the John 5 kind of excess, for example) going well beyond guitar pyrotechnics to make songs, chaotic and intricate yes, but well-defined songs that without losing the sense of melody goes from punk and hard rock to RIO and noise even touching experimental. "This Is it. .." is a vertiginous and exciting album in which this girl shows that there are many female guitar players. Female guitar players such as Marnie Stern, not so many. -CORANNIEIT-

Marnie Stern, This Is It and I Am ...
Kill Rock Stars Records, 2008

Links:
Official Website (at Kill Rock Stars)
My Space Website

Gustavo Cerati - Fuerza Natural

After refill his bank account with the Soda Stereo 2007 reunion tour, Gustavo Cerati returns with "Fuerza Natural" his fifth solo album in which seems like we finally recover Cerati as a guitar player, maker of organic and warm music . Yeah, is true, since "Ahí Vamos", his previous album, Cerati moved away from electronic sound and pick up guitar as base for his music again but, unlike the pompous and distant sound of "Ahí Vamos", in "Fuerza Natural" he put aside his avant-garde pursuits and focuses on simplicity and melody. The result could not be better: without fall into easy tunes and maintaining the refinement that characterizes his music, the argentinian deliver 13 songs with which we connect since the first chord of "Fuerza Natural" is played, song that along with "Déjà Vu" and "Magia" starts the album in a energetic way, with an enthusiastic and optimistic spirit to continue in a soft and rhythmic mood with songs like "Tracción A Sangre", "Desastre" and "Cactus", a sort of melancholic stylized chacarera, giving it a slightly bucolic and andean folky breeze to the middle part of the album. At the end comes the dreamy stillness of "Sal" and "Convoy" to close with "Hoy He Visto A Lucy" a 9 minutes trip with obvious reminiscences to The Beatles. Cerati arrives to his 50 anniversary with a great album. A flawless record which in some way, and without even suggesting the "Soda Stereo sound", he shows once again that ability to make engaging and perfect rock/pop songs. "Fuerza Natural" could be the album that we have been waiting from Gustavo Cerati for 12 years. -CORANNIEIT-

Gustavo Cerati, Fuerza Natural
Sony Music, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space Website

Stellastarr* - Civilized

After 3 years of silence since "Harmonies For The Haunted" (for some a "misunderstood" album, for others simply a bad record) the American quartet Stellastarr* is back with "Civilized", third album in their not too prolific discography and which seems to confirm that they are one of those bands that suffer the curse of having debuted with an extraordinary album which, 6 years later, is still a obligatory reference to their work and somekind of "shadow". "Civilized" is composed for 10 tracks which include pieces such as "Tokyo Sky" or "Graffiti Eyes" which sounds like the band tries to return to their "roots" combining power and spontaneity with Michael Junin's guitar generating all kinds of melodies, taps and riffs that are mounted over the distorted strings Shaw Christensen rounded with Amanda Tannen choruses (whose bass, indeed, has improved notably). On the other hand there are songs like "Robot" or "Numbers" in which New Yorkers show they have not broken up with that eighties new wave darkie sound that characterized his second album (perhaps they aren't trying to do so anyway). "Civilized" is a regular record so close to be good: it have power, it have punch, from the middle part of the album, with "Graffiti Eyes", the funny "Zombie Prom" and the powerful "Warchild," the album reaches really good moments but at the end something happen that there is nothing that definitely catch us. Unlike "Stellastarr*", their debut album, there is not any memorable song like "My Coco" or "Jenny", there is not the urgency and freshness of "Pulp Song". Certainly better landed that "Harmonies For The Haunted", but even without reaching the level of "Stellastarr *", "Civilized" shows a good band with the potential (already shown by the way) to make brilliant songs but which maybe this time lacks a bit of ambition, a last effort to get a good record without any objection. -CORANNIEIT-

Stellastarr*, Civilized
Bloated Wife Records, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space Website

The Sounds - Crossing The Rubicon

"Crossing The Rubicon" is the third album by Swedish band The Sounds in which the band maintain the sound of their previous albums and preserves the Nordic tradition of good pop bands with rock ambitions. 12 songs light, extremely melodic, with catchy choruses and Maja Ivarsson's voice reminding us frequently to Karen O. Pop in all its forms: epic, synth, dance, power, dream, almost always bright and strong but sometimes near to be insipid just saved by the Felix Rodriguez's guitar which is responsible for giving substance to the sound when it begins to get so sweetie and danceable. Pop pure and delicious, with great punch and a sleek simplicity. Without pretensions, "Crossing The Rubicon" is a light and perhaps slightly superficial record but absolutely enjoyable. -CORANNIEIT-

The Sounds, Crossing The Rubicon
Original Signal Records, 2009

Links:
Official Website
My Space Website