The Corner Laughers “Temescal Telegraph”
California’s tightest pop combo The Corner Laughers are like fresh lemonade on a summer day; cool and refreshing. The band is made up of veteran talent; Karla Kane (vocals/ukulele), Khoi Huynh (guitar/bass/vocals), Charlie Crabtree (drums), and KC Bowman (guitar/bass/piano.)
The music is a meticulously crafted mix of sunshine folk and power pop, “The Calculating Boy” starts as a character study, similar to XTC in its layered catchy structure and jangling rhythm. Karla’s vocals lead the melody, but the remaining instrumentation holds it all together. The sing-along gem “Changeling” has a swaying beat and boasts a great guitar solo (it’s my favorite here). “The Accepted Time” is more serious, with hooks in verses about accepting life in the present. A few tracks are from Karla’s last solo album, but now given the full band treatment; best exemplified by “Sisters Of The Pollen” with those harmonic hums and buzzes. We don’t get some serious guitar buzz until the floral “Lord Richard” which plays like a rock madrigal. No filler here, as each song is accessible and deserves many listens. Highly Recommended.
Willie Nile “New York At Night”
There are so many musicians that define themselves as New York City bred, but Willie Nile owns that definition. He’s written and recorded many albums about NYC and its denizens, and his love for the place always comes through in each song. The theme “New York Is Rockin'” opens the album like a passionate response to Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” It mentions all the boroughs, sports teams, and local heroes (The Ramones). It will get even jaded city dwellers singing along.
The blues-rock guitar and Nile’s raspy vocal work to great effect on “The Backstreet Slide” as he channels both Bo Diddley and Lou Reed. “Doors of Paradise” slow synth rhythm is both calming and catchy as Nile mentions that those doors “swing both ways.” The title track is another effective rocker and “Surrender The Moon” keeps the monologue of nighttime life in NYC going strong. Nile’s ballads are stylistically comparable to Bruce Springsteen, “Under This Roof” being a standout. A solid effort and highly recommended.