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| Review of Radiocraft's ''IN STEREO'' |
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 Editor, reviewer, and now bona fide Radiocraft fan, Mitch Phillips reviews their extraordinary debut, [IN STEREO].
'Discovering a CD like this in your own backyard (Michigan) is like finding out you've built your house over some lost treasure . . . Lucky for me, this treasure was dropped right into my P.O. Box.'
Click "Read More" for the entire review of this five-star, "retail-worthy" release. |
Band - Radiocraft
CD - [IN STEREO]
Produced by: David Feeny and Radiocraft
Recorded at: The Tempermill
Label: Cathastrophy Records
The Praise
In the years I've spent reviewing home-grown independent music, I've heard CD's that have stretched the boundaries of production quality and musical craftsmanship. I've heard CD's that cost nearly nothing to produce (and sound like it) to full-blown productions that, despite their glittery exteriors, fail to produce one exceptional song.
So rarely do the elements of songwriting ability, performance, arrangement, lyrical depth and production quality come together on the highest level in the independent world (I can think of three in as many years) that, what is taken for granted in the corporate music biz where productions can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, becomes a triumph worthy of special attention at a fraction of the cost.
Such is the triumph of Radiocraft's brilliant debut "IN STEREO". Suzie Ferro, Ronnie Alcini, Danny Alcini, Kevin Breslin, Ken Williams and producer David Feeny have used time (five years) and patience to produce a debut that I can only call a "Mass-terpiece" for local audiences, if not the world. Great Songs. Great Production, Great Recording (The Tempermill did it again.) and Great Performances by the bandmembers and various cameos worthy of mention: David Gunthner on piano, David Press on drums and Producer Dave Feeny on pedal steel. Strings: Sean Smith on cello, Anita Margariti on violins and Nenad Djordjevic on viola - arranged by Steve Taylor.
"Just Like Crossing Over...."
Though their music has been self-described as alt/country/twang, I'm beginning to feel that sub-genre fragmentation is no more than a necessary excuse for good musicians to write great songs that appeal to adults. "IN STEREO" is acoustically tinged rock that transcends the murky boundaries and the micro-market of the alt/country niche. It harkens back to the days when all sub-genres of rock found a home on the same radio station - not just those that appeal to the youth culture quip of the moment.
Like their counterparts from Dearborn, The Wrenfields, Radiocraft have successfully bridged the gap between Rock and the "C-Word" the way The Eagles brought you to the deserts of the southwest by way of California. But as both bands have proven, it's not the only route by which you can cross-over to mass-appeal. On every track, Radiocraft and Producer David Feeny have done what's right for the song, regardless of genre; they rock when they need to rock, down-shift and unplug when appropriate or pitch pop references altogether and swing-in some light jazz, as in the closing track, "Wine in The Morning."
So Is it Alt/Country or Not?
Sure, there's enough alt/country or Americana or Roots or whatever the hell you want to call it to pigeonhole the band if you must; There's hints of Cowboy Junkies in "Doublewide" and "The Diner Song" and the lyrical phrasing of "Wasting it All" couldn't be classified as anything else but alt/country. Suzie Ferro's soulful rasp (which sorta reminds me of Kim Carnes but with more passion - listen to track 2 "Soldier's Fortune") is well suited to to the newly-hip sub-genre. But Radiocraft is just as likely to lean towards Heart (track 7&8) or ELO (track 5) as they are Jayhawks and Wilco (for lack of more accurate alt/country references). Even in slower numbers like "Days End" Ferro handles the melody much more like rock matriarch Ann Wilson than alt/country's poster-girl Lucinda Williams. Whatever the label, tag, genre or categorization, any record that compels me to sing out loud in my vehicle more than twice in a single listen is pure magic as far as I'm concerned.
So where's the Punch?
Though Radiocraft's promo package was impressive (e.g. the CD came wrapped in a personalized cover of textured card-stock that was really beautiful and they included a pre-cut Rolodex® card which I think is a great idea. I used it within a week.), there was a slight disconnect between the cover art and the music. My expectation, before I ever heard a note, was that the music might be dark and as technologically bent as the cover image. So I was a bit surprised that the leading track began with a bright acoustic guitar (even though there's a bed of sequenced retro-futuristic drums beneath). This is a minor consideration based entirely on a preconception. Fact is, had I been shopping for indie releases without having any idea of what I was buying, I would still have been hooked by Suzie Ferro's dismal but intriguing cover art (that's right, the singer did the cover art to save the band money ). So even "the punch" is coated with sugar. The only other complaint I have is that I've played the CD so many times it's beginning to mis-cue!
Magic Moments IN STEREO
At the risk of gushing-on with this saccharine review (hey, if it's great I want to tell everyone), I feel it incumbent upon me to make you aware of at least three or four songs worthy of any top-ten list that recognizes M.O.R. pop. That's not to say that the other eight or nine tracks are merely the filler you've grown accustomed to skipping over in less stellar releases, but rather gems in their own right that I'll leave for you to discover on your own.
Track 1 - "Beautiful Ones" eloquently describes "selling out" in the music biz rat-race and the homogenization of rock by cookie-cutter corporate radio culture. This track is not only "radio-ready" and "radio-friendly", but "radio-necessary" for anyone who thinks there isn't something wrong with contemporary pop music and the way it comes to the fore. Special mention should be made of the Alcini brother's guitar and drum work on this track.
'Everyone scrambling to be the beautiful one/ & Everyone's clone up and coming......'There's nothing new in every old way / Out with the old went hope for a change / The righteous few unbroken remain / Depending on you to get us to sway.' ©2000 Breslin/Ferro (ASCAP)
Track 4 - "Mercy Cup" is my favorite song, though it's hard to pick just one. It's so good I find myself bellowing the harmonies in my truck, unhindered by odd looks from passers-by. Though the subject matter is heavy, commenting on the karma collected from the inattention of a culture that values private wealth over common welfare, I can barely hear the words for the joy of the melody. Guitarist Ron Alcini told me his wife told him to bench the song (apparently the harmonies are a bit tricky live). Don't you dare - at least not until I've had the pleasure.
'And Daniel once said / that we'd wish we were dead / if we only knew what we deserved....Meanwhile there's big things adding up / in the overflowing mercy cup.' ©2000 Breslin/Ferro (ASCAP)
Track 5 "The Diner Song" sounds like The Cowboy Junkies produced by Jeff Lynne - if you can imagine that. The string section (Sean Smith on cello, Anita Margariti on violins and Nenad Djordjevic on viola - arranged by Steve Taylor) soars like a wave and washes you along with it until it crests in orgasmic refrains that tempt you to challenge your vocal range in the privacy of your own vehicle. Yes, I know by personal experience.
'She spends her days looking for ways to leave here / Cuz' she can't find a reason to stay and no one seems to need her. / How sweet bitter can be. . . '©2001 Alcini/Ferro (ASCAP)
Track 8 "The Duchess" reminds me of the early days of Heart. This is probably the darkest track due to Ron Alcini's haunting and hypnotic e-Bow work. But the overlapping and reverberating lines of the chorus are so compelling I can't help but sing along to the harmonies yet again.
'She talked of the days she sang Cabaret & so many men that she turned away / She said, "You need to know, you need to know, you need to know / I am the Duchess of Rapa' ©1997 Breslin/Ferro (ASCAP)
Discovering CD's like Radiocraft's [IN STEREO] in your own backyard (Michigan) is like finding out you've built your house over some lost treasure, where precious gems and priceless jewels of every shimmering color and texture await only your sense of adventure and will to dig. Lucky for me, this treasure was dropped right in my P.O. Box.
Congratulations to Radiocraft for an amazing and thoroughly enjoyable, first-class, "retail-worthy" release. - Mitch
Buy [IN STEREO} by Radiocraft:
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Re: Review of Radiocraft's ''IN STEREO'' (Score: 1)
by Rick on Wednesday, August 14, 2002 @ 23:03:40 MDT
(User Info | Send a Message) http://www.michiganbands.com | Well Mitch, I have to agree with you on this one. It is one of the best indie offerings that I have heard. The songs are so strong on the CD that they could have been recorded on an answering machine and they would still have impact. The fact that the production is so good makes In Stereo a tour de force.
RadioCraft is an apt name for a group whose first release is truly radio ready. The production on this CD is so good that it rivals anything that the big five could muster. I can't think of one thing that could be added or subtracted from any of the cuts on this album. I'm reminded of couple of bands that were able to pull this off with phenomenal success with a debut release. Both The Knack ( My Sharona) and Boston had release ready projects in the can when they approached the majors. The label had almost no investment in production on those albums and they sold millions.
Any record exec that doesn't pick this album up would be a fool. It is that good. Hats off to the group, producer David Feeny ( I suspect we'll be hearing a lot more from him) and The Tempermill (engineering and mic placement was superb, just listen to the acoustic guitars ). In addition kudos go out to whom ever it is in the group that always wanted that one last take. You know who you are. I don't, but I know a project like this doesn't get done without a taskmaster at the helm.
Buy this CD now!
~Rick |
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Average Score: 5
Votes: 25
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