Sunday CD Project 27/02/11

My, my! It's that time of the week again! I didn't actually buy a CD this week, due to a lot of expensive outgoings (house deposits etc), but fear not, keen reader! Due to that wonderful backlog a few weeks ago, I still have one last CD to review! Here we go:

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Advance Base Battery Life

Two things about this record:

Firstly, it's not actually and album; it's actually a compilation of various demos and b-sides from the last few years. It still flows amazingly well as an album, which is why I was surprised when I discovered this by reading the liner notes.

Secondly, as the name of the band might suggest, it is not recommended listening for Valentine's Day. Ahem.

There are some more poppy tunes (Lesley Gore On The T.A.M.I. Show), some faux-anthems (The Only Way To Cry - the unexpected highlight of the record for me), and even a tongue-in-cheek hip-hop track (Hot Boyz).

It's nothing ground-breaking, but if you like your slightly moody, lo-fi stuff, definitely worth a listen. On the whole, a very sound record.

In non-Sunday CD Project, but still music-related news, if you ever get the chance to see Ben Folds live in concert, take it! I took a trip up to London last weekend, and honestly, it was one of the best shows I've been to in a long while*. His support act, Kate Miller Heidke is worth checking out as well. Her live album is better than her studio one (she actually has several studio albums, but only one is available in the UK), and it's on Spotify, so go check it out.

j.r.

*That statement is somewhat difficult to categorise, as 65daysofstatic and Ben Folds concerts have a very different vibe, but I hope you get the idea.