The Laughing Wolf

Album Review: Plumb, Chaotic Resolve

I admit that I had some questions when I was approached to see if I wanted to review the new album by Plumb, Chaotic Resolve. While I know and like many genres of music, I am not that familiar with Christian Rock and long-term readers know that I do not call myself a Christian. Yet, I was intrigued enough to say yes.

I am very glad I did so. I had heard some hype about the voice, and that voice being an inspiration to Garbage and other groups. To be honest, I figured it was just that -- hype. I was wrong.

While I still have mixed emotions over the lyrics, which I would describe almost saccharine in written form, the presentation given is anything but. I have not yet done my usual 8-10 times listening, yet the songs in totality transcend what I expected from the printed words, and move to something more.

When doing my first listens, I was struck by how the songs worked on several levels. They could be of mortal love, mortal lust, and something more. One of my chief disappointments in most religious rock is how strident and focused it can be. Chaotic Resolve tries to more well beyond that and the result is music that moves beyond the obvious and expected.

For me, I plan to keep listening while I try to make up my mind on some issues and thoughts. You may enjoy listening as well.

LW

In The Mail...

The new Plumb CD came yesterday, and I am looking forward to hearing it. My only suggestion so far to the record and marketing companies is that they really should be sure that all the URLs related to the album are in the promo package for linking...

LW

Music Review: The Cruxshadows, Ethernaut

John Ringo has the interesting habit of setting his books to music, or at least to make music an integral part of the book. In his latest book, this has led me to buy The Cruxshadows, Ethernaut and I am glad I did so.

The music is interesting and it was a very pleasant surprise to find what I consider three good songs on the album -- usually just finding one good song is a major plus. In this case, I liked the first song for reasons I can't fully explain. It appears to use some techniques from classical Chinese music, including the use of discordant and atonal vocals (which I have heard referred to as that @$#@#% caterwauling), giving it a very oriental feel.

The song "Winter Born" is the one from the book, and is well worth a listen. The lyrics are good, the tune quite good, and the overall effect wonderful. I can see why he likes it.

There are others on there that I think are good, along with several "there" songs. The overall result is that I am considering buying other CDs by the group to check them out.

LW

Concert Review: Natalie MacMaster

This weekend has seen me be a culture vulture, starting with the dance recital and ending on a vibrant note with a concert by Natalie MacMaster. For those not familiar, she is a "fiddler" who is a whole lot more. She got her start at age nine on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, and that should give you a clue about the origins of the traditional music there. It is heavily Scottish/Celtic and shares a number of common elements with bluegrass, which also arose from the Celtic tradition. Her work ranges from the traditional to a recent fusion effort with other genres.

If you have the chance to see her in concert, I highly recommend it. She is full of energy and shares a wide range of music with the audience. Her band expands this, and pretty much everyone is given a chance to shine with solos. Adding to it is the fact that she does tap, and will do some serious tap and/or dancing whilst she is playing the fiddle. Roughly two full hours of music and dance was presented, and my only complaint has to do with my seat and an inability to see the entire stage.

She also took the time afterwards to meet the audience and sign autographs, and some of the band members did as well. More may have come out later, but I, alas, had to leave. For now, I will leave you with a strong recommendation to check out her music and to go see her live if you have the chance.

LW