Girls
Broken Dreams Club EP
(True Panther Sounds)
Though lasting only a sliver over half an hour, this end-of-the year release by songwriter Christopher Owens and company managed to make many critics’ Best Of lists for 2010. It’s easy to see why. Whether by lifting vocal melodies straight from the Beach Boys or by drenching the title track in shimmering guitar chords and pedal steel, Owens creates a bittersweet disc he labels a “letter of intent” to fans who have supported him during his career. Despite that good intention, the album features lyrics that never stray far from melancholy. For example, standout number “Substance” includes lines like “Why not just give up?” and “If I had love I’d throw it all away.” The music never equals the depression of the words. And when the horns kick in on opening cut “Oh So Protective One,” many might sense that better times are just around the corner. —Michael Cimaomo
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Lake Street Dive
Lake Street Dive
(Signature Sounds)
For a week or so, it seemed everywhere I went someone was playing Lake Street Dive’s new, infectious single, “Hello? Goodbye!” Between Rachael Price’s voice that hints of a Billie Holliday influence and Mike Olson’s snazzy trumpet, the hook-laden pop tune is damn hard to stop listening to. The acoustic bass played by Bridget Kearney gives the band a laid-back, funky feel, but Michael Calabrese’s drumming keeps the tempo driving most of the time—at its heart, Lake Street Dive is a serious pop band. For the most part, the rest of the album is as strong as the song I’d heard on the radio, though at times the lyrics seem less well thought out than the music. The meaning behind “Don’t Make Me Hold Your Hand” was lost on me. “Miss Disregard” and “Elijah” are tight, witty, and imminently danceable songs. —Mark Roessler
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Shunda K
The Most Wanted
(Fanatic)
Shunda K. (of the ill-fated Yo Majesty) is a phenomenon that could only have occurred in Florida, amalgamating various musical and cultural marsh grasses and pond scum and pulling itself together into a sentient, original life form, Swamp Thing-style. Her electro-rap assault is mostly delivered at 2 a.m. dance club hyper-speed, and her lyrics variously touch on Jesus, drugs, poverty, “the biz” and explicit lesbian sex. Though she may have more in common with Peaches (and has collaborated with her), there’s also a faint stench of Disney on her, at least in that you can tell she’s also had her ear to the speaker during a few of Britney Spears’ mega-dance-hits; she delivers melodic gold (“Chasing Dat Sound”) and maybe even a little of that Latin, Miami Sound Machine influence. For once, the title track may actually be the best. —Tom Sturm
