Not for Velvet Underground Fans

Artist: Charles Musket

Song: “Tapes” (from myspace.com/charlesmusket)

Heard By: Jason Campanile, Boulevard

It started off strong. It had a really catchy melody. I saw what they were going for, and I don’t think they made it there. I think it was the vocals. The vocals were a little bit tired. The lyrics were maybe a little impersonal. It was definitely Strokes-influenced, maybe Television, too. The Strokes were of course influenced by Television, but I felt mostly like [Charles Musket] listened to a lot of Strokes. I see this as an attempt to be a part of that movement. I do like the Strokes and a lot of bands like that. [This song is] not hitting the mark enough to be popular. I could see this appealing to a younger crowd — people who don’t pay attention to music so much…definitely not Velvet Underground fans.

Artist: Jon Foreman

Song: “A Mirror Is Harder to Hold” (from the CD Summer)

Heard By: Bill Harrison, Chicago

I liked it because it was quite reflective. It was an interesting perspective because it was about him more than about a girl, if there was a girl involved. It sounded like he had an opportunity or somebody was leaving, but he’s been through this before; people have left him. He’s going to be alone again, and he didn’t care much for that concept. It was a little subtle — it took me two tries to hear exactly what he was trying to say — but the music was good. His voice was a good folky voice. It didn’t have a beat you could dance to; it was kind of a waltz. He had mariachi trumpets in the background. I could see where he’d have a good niche in the folk-music scene.

Artist: Paul Bell

Song: “Adrift” (from the CD Hourglass)

Heard By: Andrew Thompson,

Mission Hills

It was interesting. It was kind of a synthetic sound — it sounded Eastern-influenced. It sounded like there was an electric guitar, but I think it was more of a synthesizer. Altogether, I felt like it was a hypnotherapy session. The start of it kind of opened you up with the different ways the music was going and then the true purpose hit you halfway through the song. It was uplifting. I guess the concept would be kind of close to that of the Flaming Lips. A little more abstract, though. It was just a straight instrumental. It has a lot of potential for a lot of people to enjoy it. I do know that there’s more of an “indie” scene out there and maybe this would be a little more attuned to that.