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SHARK SANDWICH – Fast Album Reviews for Those on the Go
August 12, 2016 – Vol. 18
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Music reviews come in all sizes, but you’re busy and do not have time for flowery language… or sentences, really.
Spinal Tap gave the world the greatest album review of all time:
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Welcome to our “Shark Sandwich” — razor-sharp reviews that sum up an album in five sentences or less.
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Atmosphere – Fishing Blues
Minneapolis is lucky to have Atmosphere. The rest of the world is, too. Slug (raps/lyrics) and Ant (beats/production) have been at it for, like, a hundred years, and no one does it better. Introspective lyrics, tough but vulnerable attitude, spare, jittery, minimal yet busy soundscapes all abound on Fishing Blues. Take Atmosphere on a jog, a drive to your momma’s house, hell, take ‘em fishing; just give this hard-working duo their due.
Rating: 4 out of 5 whistles
Best Song: “Ringo”
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Brendan Canning – Home Wrecking Years
Brendan Canning comes from Broken Social Scene, among other notable indie rock bands, and the professionalism and attention to detail learned by 20 some odd years in music come through on Home Wrecking Years. Is it “chamber pop”, “power pop”, “singer-songwriter,” what? Does it really matter, when someone tells the kind of stories Mr. Canning is telling, set to exquisitely-constructed summertime rock and roll? It shouldn’t, and it doesn’t.
Rating: 3 out of 5 whistles
Best Song: “Hey Marika, Get Born”
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Ruby the RabbitFoot – Divorce Party
Great album title, or The Greatest Album Title? Ruby takes an emotional H bomb, and wraps it in herky jerky, joyous beats that worm their way into your grey matter. She takes you on her personal journey whether you want to go or not, and you are dancing the whole way. By the time you get to “Second Wind” you aren’t sure whether or not it is appropriate to feel good for the singer, but deep down you think it probably is.
Rating: 3 out of 5 whistles
Best Song: “Ancil”
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Zachary Kibbee – Songs from the Mud
Zachary Kibbee is a DIY kind of guy. Keeping it simple and self-releasing his music, this Los Angeles native knows how to get your feet moving. If you like the Black Keys, but need a little more intimacy in your 12 bar blues, you owe it to yourself to give Songs from the Mud a listen. From a 6 string to your ears to your feet, this is a familiar journey worth taking. It always is.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 whistles
Best Song: “Your Own Way”
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All artists are available on iTunes, Amazon, GooglePlay, and wherever else better music is sold, streamed, downloaded, or performed on tour.
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NewsWhistle music contributor Chad Werner is “ahead of the curve, behind the times.” You can contact this rock n’ roll sphinx at chad@newswhistle.com (e-mail) or @scooternotmoped (Twitter).
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Lead-In Art Courtesy of Sergey Nivens / Shutterstock.com
