Continued from page 42
States than they did on two previous EPs.
There’s still a definite indie rock vibe to
the Australian quintet’s material but it's
augmented by strings, offbeat percussion,
and ethereal keyboards. The 13 tracks are
most notable for the way singer-guitarist
Sam Bentley, singer-keyboardist Christina
Lacy, and guitarist-singer David Powys
envelop the listener with their lush vocals.
Chief songwriter Bentley creates minimalist lyrics that sometimes describe romantic
relationships but elsewhere hint at more
complex subject matter. "You I long to
keep" he writes on "In Reverie," a catchy,
new wave style number that finds him
sharing lead vocals with Lacy. The somber
"Gates" seems to depict a soul awaiting
judgment with lines like, "When I take no
more and feed the ground/Mercy for my
flaws, don't send me down." The exotic
"Living Colour," one of The Paper Kites'
more ambitious efforts, features Bentley
and Lacy's interwoven vocals floating
above a blend of classical strings and hard
rock guitar.
- Terrence Flamm
7
BOZ SCAGGS
The Essential Boz Scaggs
(Legacy)
This two-disc compilation isn't the
"essential" Boz Scaggs – not with the effervescent, single "Hollywood" in absentia.
But it supersedes 1997's two-disc compilation My Time (which also omitted
"Hollywood") by getting to cherry pick
highlights from the albums that Scaggs
has recorded during the years since My
Time appeared. The half-dozen cuts from
Silk Degrees still shimmer like the pop-soul
gems they revealed themselves to be upon
impact in 1976, and "Heart Of Mine,"
Scaggs' 1988 Top-40 swan song, has lost
none of its luster. But what's most impressively undiminished, from the 40-plusyear-old "Loan Me A Dime" to the eightmonth-old "Gone Baby Gone," is Scaggs'
knack for choosing and writing material
perfectly suited to his impressively undiminished velvet-blues voice.
--Arsenio Orteza
7
STONE TEMPLE PILOTS
WITH CHESTER BENNINGTON
High Rise
(Play Pen)
Despite all the much-publicized drama
of Stone Temple Pilots over the past few
decades (including frontman Scott
Weiland’s antics, various side projects for
everyone, and their 2010 reunion), at the
end of the day, it’s still a band who just
wants to record relevant and impactful
rock. So with Weiland o ]Y?Z[? \? [YB?H ?[XZ[?[???[?Y[X?\?? ?\?Y?[YH[??[?[??H ?\X?[Y[?8?$?[??[??\?????X[??\?\??[??[???????? \? \??\??\\? ? ?[XZ[?? ??B??Y[??] H?]?H ?X????] ?X?]T?Y??\?H ??\? \???[?HH???]\???XZ?[???[??[??????] Y ?]?[??\??[?]H ???[ ? [HX? X[ HY\?\?\??X? H ?]? ???????? ]\?H\??]? H\? HX\? H^\??[?\???]??[YH?\?\?X]?H[?[??X?[?\?\? B??[?\?]?\??Y[?[????\????[??????[?? \Y?Z[?? Z\????\??[Y ?[?H^K?????
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