Reviews roundup – Adam Sweet vs. The Stray Birds vs. Reiz Trigger

Reviews roundup – Adam Sweet vs. The Stray Birds vs. Reiz Trigger
ADAM SWEET
Small Town Thinking
NEO Music

Hello! This is a bit good. Yet another in a fine crop of new bluesish singer / songwriters, Adam Sweet hails from the swamps of the South West. Well, Exeter. Inspired musically and hirsutedly by the classic rock and blues music of the 60s and 70s, he’s been performing since the age of 15, and “Small Town Thinking|”, his debut album showcases a young fella me lad who could go places.

Still in his mid twenties, the years spent performing live have stood him in good stead for this record, which was recorded in producer Alan West at NEO Music in Devon and Thomm Jutz at his studio in Nashville. He spent a year co-writing material with singer / songwriter Steve Black, and it’s been well worth the effort.

Mr Sweet has a really great voice which lifts some songs from the B-side to the A-side, and when the voice and the song are both out of the top flight, it’s really rather splendid. Tunes like ‘The Best Thing She Ever Had’, ‘The Next Man After Me’ and ‘You Think You’re Lonely’ are the sound of someone who could end up being very special indeed.

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THE STRAY BIRDS
Echo Sessions
Stray Birds

Folk and bluegrass trio The Stray Birds (Maya de Vitry, Oliver Craven and Charles Muench) have released “Echo Sessions”, a five song EP recorded on October 8th, 2013 at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, hence the title. Recorded in one session, on one microphone, it sees the trio filling in the time since their debut with an EP, which in their own words “is dedicated to the people who inspire us to sing our way through life. These songs came into our lives as echoes. Whether through another artist’s recording or someone’s rendition in a kitchen, they made the long journey from their writers’ hearts to ours. May our voices be another echo in the lives of these beloved songs.”

And it’s an absolute treat. With some fantastic harmonies and a set of songs by Jimmie Rodgers, Townes Van Zandt, Ira & Charlie Louvin, Susanna Clark, and Nanci Griffith, you can’t go wrong. If you like bluegrass, this is an essential listen, and has rarely been off my stereo, especially what should have been my least favourite songs, ‘Loretta’ by Townes Van Zandt and ‘I Wish It Would Rain’ by Nanci Griffith. But they’re transformed into gems by the magic of the performance.

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REIZ TRIGGER
Concrete Error
Purple Tree

Finally for today, something at the opposite end of the spectrum, with the latest solo album by Swiss musician, Daniel Stoessel. If you know his name, it’s probably because he is the keyboard player for Swiss tech thrashers, Coroner. But in his down time he likes to go in for some “industrial noise pop”.

And it’s certainly an interesting one. It’s his third release following on from “Fragment Research” and “Oxidation Noise”, and sees him bringing in influences from film soundtracks, traditional industrial music, electronica and the avant-garde. It’s certainly not easy listening, but unlike some he does have more than a passing acquaintance with the notion of a melody, and you do find your feet tapping in the oddest places, even if not necessarily in standard time.

He also has an odd sense of humour which lifts the material in places, and numbers like ‘Bad Bad Devil’, ‘Roadside Lobotomy’ and ‘Everybody Is Naked in Hell’ are certainly worthy of repeat plays. Apparently, the deluxe edition comes housed in an actual concrete plate, so good luck getting the postie to deliver it.

http://reiztrigger.com/
http://www.purpletreerecords.com/artists/reiz-trigger.html