Album Reviews

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Published: May 5, 2010

Julia Nunes, I Think You Know (Rude Butler)

I know: The phrase "ukulele-strumming, singing-songwriting YouTube sensation" makes me wanna barf a scarf, too, but Julia Nunes deserves a second click. And it's not just because of that thousand-mile stare. See: Nunes has got this smoky, emotive voice and knows how to write big, pleading choruses to showcase it. And on the five-song acoustic opus I Think You Know, a lot of the verses have the musical and writerly weight of choruses, too. She's just always on. Nunes plays the North Star on Saturday afternoon (4 p.m., all ages). Give her a shot: She'll only make you think of Ani DiFranco once or twice. I know.

- Patrick Rapa

TJ Kong & The Atomic Bomb, Idiots | (self-released)

At first listen: TJ Kong (singer/guitarist Dan Bruskewicz) and the rest of the Philly trio seem to play a contemporary-ancient brand of Americana similar to The Band or, at its crankiest extreme, Captain Beefheart. Throughout: the broke-dick vibe of Idiots, Bruskewicz's grave lyrics and gravelly vocals give off a loneliness that matches the ensemble's bare-bone arrangements. But: Spend time with crabby epics like "Everyone We Know" or the curtly clever "Helena Handbasket" and you find that TJK&TAB — who play Johnny Brenda's on Friday — hardly sound American at all. More like: avant-garde blues with a dirty Mersey Beat that'd shame the Animals.

- A.D. Amorosi

 

John Ellis & Double-Wide, Puppet Mischief (ObliqSound)

Flanked by Muppets: On the cover of his new CD, saxophonist John Ellis provides a sense of the mischievous music he concocts on the second outing with his band, Double-Wide. An eccentric quartet: The foursome consists of Ellis' tenor with sousaphone, organ and drums (with additional help from harmonica and trombone on some cuts), providing a unique palette for Ellis' carnival compositions. A brass band parade: Inspired by the leader's New Orleans roots, the ensemble marches from swampland to smoky bar, corralling a Mardi Gras atmosphere without the drunken stumbling. They play Chris' Jazz Café on Saturday.

The Great Unsteady
Phosphorescent
Eat Me
Caribou
Karl Berger
Shelby Lynne
It's A King Thing
Bobby Zankel/Rudresh Mahanthappa
Sub Swara
Hair Rocket