Word: albums
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...intensity remains stagnant. “Never Gonna Break Up,” however, is polished, and showcasing Leslie’s skills as a producer. The phrases are expertly timed and coordinated; everything seems diligently planned. But this adds less then it subtracts, since it makes the album seem a little too deliberate, a little too produced, a little too disingenuous...
...lyrics, and country values as worn as the grooves on any Southern man’s first Lynyrd Skynyrd vinyl. Whereas other traditional genres are revamped and stylized in the indie world, alt-country has remained unwaveringly loyal to its roots. Molina & Johnson’s self-titled debut album squarely fits the mold of this genre, providing candid, authentically American songs. However, what the album gains in its masterful portrayal of classic Americana, it loses in musical originality and complexity...
This spare, minimalist approach to the music creates a bare, autumnal album that’s at once soothing, depressing and—unfortunately—less than gripping. Johnson’s husky growl reverberates around Molina’s baleful, tremulous cry and the two voices combine to nice effect, presenting two different sides to the classic American man: bruised and tough, soulful and exposed. The duo exhibits an effortless mastery of many classic tropes, employed without pretense to keep the album engaging and honest. Unfortunately the album’s traditional song structures and generally unremarkable music...
Eschewing the simplistic, traditional structure of their other songs, the more uptempo “Almost Let You In” resists the stagnation with which the rest of the album flirts, and is one of the record’s better tracks. “Almost Let You In” features a comparatively complex and propulsive guitar melody. However, the addition of a distorted single-note piano line that glides like a phantom and the far-off stomp of the drums is what truly makes the song. The number also highlights the strength of the vocalists both...
...fretboard squeaks, chair cricks, and the sound of a thumb dully thumping against the guitar’s body. Here, the sounds feel like natural parts of the recording. You can almost hear the whiskey being poured in between takes, and this honest and authentic quality makes the album...