Posts in review

More reviews. Hope you're keeping up.

Think Jim Reid and Hope Sandoval on The Jesus And Mary Chain’s ‘Sometimes Always’ – sugar-sweet voices destined to be together. As Minor Alps, Hatfield and Caws have made a gorgeous debut that sounds as if they’ve recorded it in each other’s pockets, their tones exquisitely matched, the songs intimate. 7/10

Matthew Horton, NME

For the most part, Get There tries to find center ground between the worlds of Bon Iver and Death Cab For Cutie. Every so often, as on “Mixed Feelings,” the pair let loose and indulge themselves in the fuzzy, energetic punk-pop of the early 2000’s.

Angel J Melendez, fuzzyheadphones

Ultimately, there is a bulging gap left via a distinct lack of, well, songs, and there are moments that are uncomfortably dull and so ordinary it just becomes tiresome. 5/10

Daniel Dylan Wray, Loud and Quiet

Although it has been available on iTunes and in limited numbers elsewhere since the US release date, Get There by Minor Alps is being officially released this week in the UK and other places in Europe via Juliana's Ye Olde Records.

The album is now showing on all of the main UK download sites (iTunes, 7 Digital and Amazon mp3). The issue of European streaming services (Spotify, Rdio etc) having the curiosity of tracks being limited to 30 seconds now seems to be resolved too.

It was awarded 'Album of the Week' in today's Sunday Times (UK). There's no link as it's behind a paywall but it's fair to assume that republishing the text will not destroy Murdoch's revenue from the issue. So, and with thanks to liveontomorrow reader John who sent the info, here's Mark Edwards' review:

Many years ago, Juliana Hatfield – maybe for a bet, maybe because she was bored, or may because she hated me on sight – opted to go through an entire interview answering only “yes”, then “no”, then “yes” again, then “no” again, and so on. Even questions that couldn’t possibly be answered with a yes/no answer were dispatched with a “yes” or – if it was no’s turn – “no”. I swore to use all my power to sabotage her career and bury her talent. There were only three problems. One, I don’t have any power. Two, she has done an effective job of sabotaging her own career, due to a lengthy battle with depression. Three, I suppose I could bury her talent a little bit by not bringing this wonderful album to your attention – but, really, who wins from that? So .... Hatfield has teamed up with Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws as Minor Alps, and they’ve made an album that thrills and delights, whether exploring the classic 1990s scuzzy alt-rock guitar sound (I Just Don’t Know What to Do with My Hands), reinventing it (If I Wanted Trouble) or ignoring it (Away Again). So go on, buy it, knock yourself out, make her all rich and successful. See if I care.

A rather bizarre review, which says more about the 'chief music critic' than the artist he's reviewing, and the line about depression in that context is just scummy. It's also bullshit. Anyway, yay for album of the week!

Some more reviews to mark the occasion:

Adventurous it’s not but there’s no denying the fizzy, thrash-about appeal of Mixed Feelings, the compellingly simple pull exerted by Waiting For You or the finger-picked charms of Maxon, which joins the dots between Crosby, Stills & Nash and Bon Iver., 3/5

Metro

In contrast to the cover of the album, which is rather bleak and foreboding, ‘Get There’ is a collection of eleven lushly produced songs from the duo.

Philip Soanes, Folk Radio UK

The voices blend magically, while the guitars of "I Don't Know What to Do with My Hands" and "Far from the Roses" employ a pleasing mix of Neil Young grunge and REM arpeggios. 4/5

Andy Gill, The Independent

It is very rare that we see a musician(s) fashion an album like Get There with such an echelon of calm reassurance. This record is not for the faint hearted, harshly depicted themes and cynical imagery of segregation, pining, and restiveness direct the flow. Not surprisingly, somewhat reinforcing this point, the record kicks with the utterance: “such a loner”. One can’t help but suspect that the band may have purposely decided to kick off proceedings with “Buried Plans”. 6.9/10

John Glynn, When The Gramophone Rings

Another set of reviews:

Basically, they did everything right here. Get There is an intelligent, authentic alternative rock album that sounds as enjoyable to live in as it probably was to make. 4/5

Michael Roffman, Consequence Of Sound

Usually when experienced music veterans join forces, the result is a mixed bag wherein it’s blatantly obvious where one party took the songwriting into his or her own hands. But on their first project as a duo, Juliana Hatfield and Nada Surf’s Matthew Caws have a synergy that makes you wonder why they didn’t collaborate sooner., 74%

Daniel Kahn, Filter

The overall mood of Minor Alps’ first outing is somewhat downbeat and yet wistful. Two rockers who really hit their stride during the Clinton years are now in middle age and I think the subject matter here (relationships won and lost, self-reflection, “mixed feelings) is mirroring that.

Andrew W Griffin Red Dirt Report

There is so much to love in all of the songs here, and hearing Hatfield and Caws together makes you wonder why it couldn't have happened sooner, but then again; there is a season for all things, and this is so obviously theirs.

Girl About Town

Some links for reviews of the Minor Alps album:

However, despite this largely being an album about isolation and the internal struggles that come with it, Hatfield and Caws sing nearly every line on Get There together, as in simultaneously. Naturally, I expected the two to trade off lead vocal duties on the album, but instead they share almost every lyric, never fighting for the spotlight and often using this dynamic to create really beautiful, moving harmonies, such as at the end of “Buried Plans.” 8.8/10

Michael Garrity, Paste

This combo creates a very intimate and satisfying listen as you might already guess. Caws typical hush vocal delivery shines in this setting and when Hatfield chimes in on a harmony, it is the perfect complement. 3.5/5

The Fire Note

Rather than simply trading lead vocal duties, they take the effortless harmonies route instead, making it hard to discern where one voice ends and the other begins. While the acoustic songs are satisfyingly pretty, particularly "Maxon," it's when they make the switch to electric that it comes alive. 7/10

Michael Edwards, exclaim.ca

The duo co-write, sing and play nearly every instrument on a predominantly lush, lovely rendered debut that is never less than pleasant. Unfortunately, it’s seldom more than that either as these amiable tunes drift on a dreamy haze that threatens to slide into a memorable chorus or melody, but seldom does. 2.5/5

Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter

As was the case with last year's covers album it doesn't appear that Juliana has sent any review copies out or employed any kind of publicist for 'Wild Animals'.

Reviews are therefore in short supply.

Snob's Music gave a 7/10 score in a write up posted within days of the Pledge release in August.

Other than a few comments there hasn't been much else.

Today Andrew Griffin has posted a 4/5 rated review at Red Dirt Report. Thanks to Andrew for sharing the link.

From 1p Album Club - Friends buying and reviewing albums bought from Amazon Marketplace for 1p.:

This is an album millions of people would love but hardly anyone owns.

True dat.

Andrew Youssef:

Her shimmering, early acoustic set featured a gorgeous cover of “Fruit Fly” from Nada Surf, a crystalline take on Foo Fighters’ “Learn To Fly,” as well as the some classics from her catalog like “My Sister,” “Nirvana,” and new songs like “Candy Wrappers.”

There's more on the Q Division studio shows last night, together with a gallery of 25 photos at Stereogum.

A couple of album reviews that emerged towards the end of last year that you may have missed:

Katie Caroll, mxdwn.com:

There’s Always Another Girl is hit and miss; it tries to bring together the many incarnations of Juliana Hatfield’s impressive career.

Steve Smart, Rabbit Hole Urban Music:

She's the kind of artist you can get very attached to over the years. I know I have - 5/5

Three more:

Adrienne Urbanski, Short and Sweet NYC:

There’s Always Another Girl doesn’t pack the same emotional punch that How to Walk Away did but it’s a gem nonetheless.

Ania Roginska, MVRemix:

I left wanting at least one crack at a track where the instrumentals were the rusted gears, pushed through by Hatfields well oiled smooth sound.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic:

a continuation of the excellent, mature work she’s done in the new millennium.

4/5

Juliana's 1993 album Become What You Are is the subject of this week's episode of Dig Me Out - a "weekly podcast dedicated to reviewing the lost and forgotten rock of the 90's".

You can listen or download at Dig Me Out or via iTunes.

The album is critiqued from the points of view of a listener revisiting after many years and of someone hearing much of it for the first time.

The first 15 minutes is little more than a Juliana biography so you can safely skip to the remaining half hour unless man reads wikipedia is your thing.

Another batch of There's Always Another Girl reviews:

First up Daniel Tebo, loving it big time at PopMatters:

While her fellow graduates from the class of ’93 have been content relive past glories, Hatfield has matured into a distinguished, risk-taking songwriter who continues to surprise and occasionally confound listeners.

8/10

Then Jason Keller, not so much at Now Magazine:

Many of the other 13 songs on her 11th studio album (financed by pledgemusic, with a percentage going to animal shelters) show flashes of the melodic brilliance of her early 90s output, like the sweetly sung Failure, the easy groove of Thousands Of Guitars and the bluesy boogie of Don’t Wanna Dance.

3/5

And finally, Chris Kein, most definitely not impressed at Tiny Mix Tapes:

In a time where it is possible for acts who made their careers in that early-90s cauldron of independent creativity to reform and remake themselves, it seems a cop-out to make such a risk-free album, especially since Hatfield had full creative control.

2/5

thanks to liveontomorrow reader Carlos for submitting some recent links

Three more reviews for you:

Mark Jenkins, Blurt Online:

The pretty-girl trap and bad-boy misbehavior are longtime Hatfield themes, but she's rarely delivered them with such directness and authority.

6/10

Tyler Kane, Paste Magazine:

...It’s moments like these that show Hatfield’s ability to take advantage of her own intentional, focused ideas and meld them with spontaneous moments of creative opportunity.

7.2/10

Some guy in the UK, Some Website:

The honor system had worked well since 2004, the $1,000 songs had sold, she'd successfully auctioned her guitars. PledgeMusic was always going to work.

Ok the last one is from your humble webmaster, which doubles as the prestigious liveontomorrow review™ on this site's dedicated page for There's Always Another Girl, where all the reviews, links and other relevant info from these here news pages will be collated. More information than you could possibly ever need or want. That's how I roll.

You can read this review by Jonathan Perry at the Boston Globe (archived).

A couple of other reviews are also online. A gushing blog review at A Momentary Lapse, With Joel:

Juliana has written a song full of truth. 'There's Always Another Girl' will leave an impression on you and you'll want to go back and re-listen to make sure you heard every word she uttered. "Don't you love it when a beautiful woman self destructs?"

And a not quite so gushing review from Austin Trunick at Consequence Of Sound:

Nothing says open mic night more than singing lyrics such as “The batteries are dead/Totally, completely dead [...] Completely fucking dead.” It’s bad enough to recall another buried mid-’90s memory: Phoebe Buffay’s agitating coffeehouse performances on Friends.

2/5

The liveontomorrow review is now imminent. That's the one you're all waiting for of course.