The O-town Scene

Contributed Kathleen Edwards New Music Notes |by Mark Boshnack Contributed The Men Rockin' and Consolin' : Two Emotive Finds This month's musical search for new tunes has found two very different treasures. It's sad that so much great music is a result of heartache, but the product can be stun- ning. Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" and Joni Mitchell's "Blue" easily come to mind. This is also the case with the recent album by Canadian-born musician Kathleen Ed- wards, who has been getting a lot of attention with "Voyageur." It chronicles the breakup of her marriage in 10 songs that vary in mood and tempo, while speaking to any listener who has struggled with the pain of losing in Kathleen Edwards, 'Voyageur' love, or just wants to hear great music. Co-produced by her new boyfriend, Justin Vernon, better known as Bon Iver, the songs are rich stories sung in a strong, smoky voice, with solid musical accompaniment. I always appreciate an album that grabs the listener with the first song, which "Empty Threat" does with its infectious strumming and catchy hook _ "I'm moving to America _ it's an empty threat." The production work on "Chameleon/ Comedian" helps turn beautiful lyrics into a haunting story about how things are not what they appear to be. its dreamlike feeling, which is a trademark of a Bon Iver production. "Change the Sheets" has been released as a video and is a great place to get acquainted with Edwards' talents as a singer-songwriter. My favorite tracks on the album are "Side- car," a catchy tale about finding someone to start a new life with, and "Going to Hell" with Some loud, raucous fun was found when I did my homework for last month's South By Southwest music festival. Several websites featured tracks by the performers, and my favorite was offered by NPR. The "Austin 100 Mix" suggested some great songs by standouts like Grimes and Milagres, but my favorite was The Men. A Brooklyn band that has the raw intensity of the MC5, an influential band from the '60s that peaked with its first album, "Kick Out the Jams." The Men, 'Open Your Heart' group, but play loud and with a well-prac- ticed abandon that makes for some great rock and roll. This includes my favorite, "Animal," and the title track, which was on the NPR list. The words are rarely important in their songs, but serve as a reason to unleash some nasty riffs. There are several instrumentals on the album, showing just how much this band likes to jam. These includes "Please Don't Go Away" and the slower "Country Song." One of my favorite tracks is "Cube," a full- throttle musical explosion. Although I haven't seen this band in person ... yet, "Ex-Dreams," like several other tracks on the album, sizzles with the raw intensity of a live show. On their new album, "Open Your Heart," The Men show more diversity than that earlier Mark Boshnack is a reporter for The Daily Star and a music fiend. He can be reached at mboshnack@thedailystar.com. April 12, 2012 O-Town Scene 5

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