Pulling Down My Scratchy Records

Blah blah blah. February sucks. It just drags and there's so little to get excited about. So, an update of sorts...

Received the new Wisely CD from Not Lame this week. I won't complain about the crap digipack it came in. It seems too petty. In fact, I won't complain about anything. I'm not one to succumb to superlatives, particularly from Not Lame, who likes to give out "Very Highly Recommended" to every other disc (I do appreciate their passion though). After spending some good listening time to Parador, though, they got this one right. Well, I don't know if it's one of the best of the decade, but it's surprisingly damn good. Previous comments on falling somewhere between Michael Penn and Bleu are right on. I'd throw a dash of Jon Brion in there for good measure. What Penn lacks in pure pop sensibility and what Bleu lacks in depth can both be found on Parador. For those of you into this type of music, trust me, this is not one to miss (and it pisses me off that somehow I've missed out on him until now). Not an ounce of filler anywhere, and that is not true for 99.8% of CDs.

After a couple listens, I'd Very Highly Recommend Too Quick To Love and especially Parador. And check it out: the Mews in Des Moines has him on May 5. Sweet.

If you're already a Wisely fan and looking for a something a bit different, he's released another version of Parador with alternate takes of each song. Brilliant idea.