An a sweet description here, too...
By Mike Chin on February 15, 2012 in CD Reviews
Every once in a while, I’ll listen to one small segment of a song and lose myself in the moment. It’s a trance-like experience when all at once I’ll forget I’m listening music at all and simply be in another time, in another place, and most importantly, in the music.
By Mike Chin on February 2, 2012 in CD Reviews
American Harmony is a documentary directed by Aengus James, documenting a year-long journey to the International Championships of Barbershop Singing. The film will air on The Documentary Channel on February 12, 2012 at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET (5 p.m. and 8 p.m. PT)
To explain why American Harmony is so effective, it’s worth taking apart the name. Although the film focuses on an International competition, the stories it portrays are distinctively American. There are four major threads to consider.
When we watch David versus Goliath, most of us root against Goliath for a love of the underdog. But if Goliath actually does take a fall, can we help feeling a twinge of sympathy at the giant’s disappointment for falling short of expectations? For any favorite who has lost and for every bridesmaid who never made it to the altar herself, Max Q has a heartbreakingly familiar story to share. The film opens on the 2005 Internationals where the star-studded quartet is expected to take home gold medals, only to walk away with silver instead. The arc of the film is very much about the foursome’s journey toward redemption. At the fore stand Tony De Rosa, a talented role player who is singing lead for the first time in a high stakes situation, and Jeff Oxley, a been-there-done-that pro with international championship credentials who oozes confidence and hungers to stake his claim one more time as the best in the world.
By Mike Chin on January 23, 2012 in CD Reviews
So often, when strong live a cappella groups hit the studio, they leave behind the sheer gusto for performance that they ordinarily exhibit on stage, in favor of pristine tuning and effects. One of the most refreshing elements about Code Blue, the latest offering from The Johns Hopkins University Octopodes, is that the group brings its flair for drama straight into the CD for a finished product on which the group never sounds as though its phoning in a song, but rather like they’re attacking every note.
Indeed, emotion is the key hook for this album. The best example is an inspired cover of The Script’s “Breakeven,” in which the solo positively rips through verse after verse, while still somehow retaining enough umph to get progressively bigger on every chorus. The track is a case study in both intensity and control that really kicks the CD, on the whole, into gear. The group’s takes on “Uprising” and “The Clock” demonstrate similar vigor, compelling listeners through a real sense of urgency in the music.
By Mike Chin on January 18, 2012 in CD Reviews
As I was listening to Tongue Tied, the latest offering from The Stereotypes, out of Washington University of St. Louis, I couldn’t help thinking of alternative titles for the album. The main one that came to mind: Post-Gaga: How To Make All-Male A Cappella Fun Again.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with an all-male group covering Lady Gaga. In fact, when On the Rocks and the rest of the vanguard took the charge, I was as amused as anyone. But as the 2011 competition season wore on, it became increasingly apparent that an uncomfortably large number of all-male college groups thought it would be hilarious to put their own spin on “Poker Face” or “Bad Romance.” The market grew saturated and it just wasn’t fun anymore.
To my knowledge The Stereotypes never fell into the Gaga trap, but this album demonstrates the guys’ ability to capture the best elements of that particular craze while artfully dodging the clichés attached to it. The boys from Wash U have a rip-roaring good time, embracing Bonnie Tyler, Adele, Madonna, and a selection from Wicked. They simultaneously grabbed their audience’s attention for how different and fun these songs are coming from a male lead vocal, while also taking the songs seriously. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is that these guys don’t just go for cheap laughs; you don’t hear them pausing and there’s no point at which you can really imagine them winking for a camera in the studio. On the contrary, you get the impression that one of these guys legitimately grew up on Madonna and thought, “hey, wouldn’t it be neat to have 15 of my dude friends sing this”—and all 15 dudes were on board.
By Mike Chin on December 7, 2011 in CD Reviews
Ambition. Shared purpose. Compromise. Alliances, come and gone. These are but a few of the factors that color the world of politics. In his debut novel, AcaPolitics, Stephen Harrison demonstrates the a cappella world can be every bit as complicated, treacherous, and prone to turmoil as any other political sphere. At the same time, Harrison also reveals the collegiate a cappella universe to be one of unparalleled hope, community, and love.
By Mike Chin on November 21, 2010 in CD Reviews
The ACB will return to regular posting on January 3, 2011. In the meantime, we head into this holiday season with a review of Take 6’s new holiday album, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
Recording a holiday album is simultaneously one of the simplest and most confounding things any musical act can do. On one hand, holiday music easy. There’s a huge selection of songs to choose from, many of which already have multiple versions, and many of which are in the public domain. In addition, you know that you’re going to have willing listeners. Whereas groups may traditionally worry if they’re really reaching their audience, or if their song selection will be off-putting, Christmas has a built-in fan base of people eager to drink in what you’re putting out there.
On the other hand, holiday recordings are challenging because it’s difficult to accomplish something truly new, and you’re inevitably going to face comparisons with others who have tried their hands at the same tunes. As a result, it can actually be more difficult for a holiday album to receive a positive critical response, because there’s a lot more room for apples to apples comparisons.
Given the nature of holiday music, I have tendency to favor songs in this genre that provoke an emotion. Take Sarah McLachlan’s “Wintersong,” the title track of her 2006 holiday album which is positively haunting, tragic, and beautiful. Another example would be Bruce Springsteen’s version of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” on which the down home, rocking joy of the piece is so palpable that I can’t help but smile and think back to times when dreams of Santa seemed plausible. The long and short of it is that these are songs that will not get lost in the holiday shuffle—they’re provocative, grabbing and ultimately distinctive.
With all of that said, Take 6’s It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year is an interesting experiment. The group has openly stated that it means for the album to sound warm and familiar—to conjure up holiday memories, and to be easy to sing along to. On these notes, the album is, indeed, quite successful.
Where this album falls short is in its inability to stand out. The only approximation of an emotion this collection consistently drew forth for me was that of nostalgia. Otherwise, the album came across as too breezy, lightweight and generic for my tastes. I worry that the everyday listener could miss the a cappella nuance at play and readily mistaken the album for the easy-listening holiday favorites broadcasted at department stores across the country this time of year.
By Mike Chin on September 26, 2010 in CD Reviews
The ACB will return to regular posting in January 2011. In the meantime, a review of a recent CD release:
Over the course of the group’s 15 year history, Northwestern University’s Purple Haze has made a name for itself through hard-hitting coed a cappella—diverse song selection, walls of sound, and soaring solos. 2010 was quite arguably the biggest year in the group’s history. It started with junior John Park arriving as a soulful finalist on American Idol. It continued when the group eked out a win in the ICCA Midwest Semifinals, earning their second trip to the finals in four years, and staking their claim as the group to beat in the Midwest. And then came the release of the ensemble’s seventh studio album Feed the sound.
There’s a great deal to like a about this album. The CD kicks off with an inviting rendition of Christina Aguilera’s “Come On Over”—a fun opener built upon the back of some tremendous solo work, and continues with ICCA finals favorite Anastacia’s “I’m Outta Love” with a fantastic solo all its own, and cleaner sound than the live showing, based on the track’s production. The group takes chances, ranging from bubble gum pop to indie-rock to hip hop in an eclectic mix that is going to have something for everyone.
“The Process,” a cover of an Imogen Heap and I Fight Dragons song, probably represents the pinnacle of the group’s work on this album. A neat simulation of synthesizer trills opens the track, and recurs throughout, highlighting some of what I like best about a cappella recording. You take a completely inorganic sound, translate it to the human voice, then layer effects on it such that it irons out the edges without diluting the fact that it is human beings making this sound. The end result? Something unique to the recorded a cappella medium, and a testament to this group’s abilities. Beyond the special effect, the song is aurally pleasing and it’s not one that has been done to death on the collegiate a cappella scene, which makes it sound fresh.
By Mike Chin on May 14, 2010 in CD Reviews
Today, Northwestern University Freshman Fifteen is releasing its fifth studio album, Welcome to the Paradise Lounge. The A Cappella Blog was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at a handful of tracks, and it’s looking like a promising disc for collegiate a cappella aficionados looking for a new CD to carry them into the summer.
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