Matt Wertz

MATT WERTZ
"WEIGHTS & WINGS"
(Nettwerk, 2011)


I consider it a favorite album of mine, but the fact that half of Matt Wertz's 2006 Nettwerk release "Everything In Between" was replicated on his major-label effort "Under Summer Sun" less than two years later, plus the relative lack of appeal of any of the latter album's new tracks, gave me very little reason to buy it. So it's mostly understandable that his name wasn't high on my new release watch list another two years on. But, curiosity (and a couple of catchy song clips) got the better of me, and I decided to give his new album a try. Two listens in, however, I'm still only lukewarm to this album.

The overriding theme is love and relationships (although, when you think about it, that can probably be said of the majority of albums out there), and the songs tend to sound similar more often than not -- though I don't know if one of those characteristics necessarily has to do with the other. "Nobody's You" is the first track off this set that I came to love, possibly because it's reminiscent of "Over You", my favorite cut from his '06 album. I've also started warming to "Running Back To You", with its broad, almost power-ballad feel, and the lilting bounce of "Someone Like You", but none of the other tracks have made an impression on me yet.

Still, even though the ingredients seem the same, the snap, crackle and pop they created on "Everything In Between" is absent on this disc, or at the very least not as evident. If you were looking for a continuation -- a "disc 2" of sorts, with b-sides and outtakes -- of that album, or just another excuse to hear Matt Wertz's charming and likeable vocals, this album will satisfy you nicely; it'd be great for something to play in the background and not necessarily call attention to itself. But if you're looking to have your ear truly grabbed, you may need to look elsewhere.

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The Posies

THE POSIES
"BLOOD/CANDY"
(Rykodisc, 2010)


A couple of years ago, I stopped actively seeking out new music -- hey, it's not like I don't have enough CDs already, plus I've always got a shopping list I'm trying to catch up on anyway -- and decided that, if I'm meant to discover an artist that I'll grow to love, their music will find me. Here's a perfect example: my brother was having trouble with his computer's speakers one day and asked for my help. After re-starting the machine and launching iTunes to test the speakers (he's not a digital music person, so I didn't expect to find anything at all in his iTunes library) I saw a couple of tracks by a group called The Posies. I double-clicked on one ... and not only did the speakers work, they showered me with a sound so delightful that I wasted little time in buying their two most recent albums, "Every Kind of Light" and "Blood/Candy".

The majority of The Posies' longtime fans consider their earlier work to be superior, but this is my first exposure to the group, and I for one am loving their Rykodisc years. Most of the tracks on this set, particularly "The Glitter Prize" (featuring Letters To Cleo vocalist Kay Hanley) and "So Caroline", remind me of the glory days of so-called "jangle-pop" like the early-'90s work of bands such as the Gin Blossoms, R.E.M., and a particular favorite of mine, The Connells. "Accidental Architecture" smacks (in the best possible way) of '60s psychedelia, and "Notion 99" seems to borrow a bit from British Invasion pop. Other standout tracks include the engaging "Take Care Of Yourself" and the vaguely Flaming Lips-ish "Holiday Hours". There's very little filler here, if any at all.

My discovery of The Posies can only be described as fate: I found out soon after that Microsoft pre-loaded Windows Vista machines with two tracks off the band's 2005 album, "Every Kind of Light" (which is a pretty decent album too, by the way). With music seemingly coming at us from all directions -- numerous other blogs, radio, TV, and in the case of most of us bloggers, emails from artists or their promotional teams -- it can very easily feel like we're drowning in a sea of sounds. Plus, if you're anything like me, the more music you hear, the more difficult it is to hear something that truly sets itself apart. So, with sincere apologies to the bands whose promotional emails I ignore, I'm perfectly content with just stumbling upon music all by myself ... especially if the results continue to be artists as appealing as The Posies.

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