Coronado
Coronado
(Self-released)
A respectable first release from these relative newcomers: A self-professed Harry Nilsson fandom is evident, but there are also nods to sprawling folk-rock a la The Band (or maybe that's just the organ talking) and opiate-influenced shoegaze. Not every song is a keeper, but on the whole this is the kind of debut record that does what it's supposed to: makes me want to see this band live.
— Andy Mulkerin
CORONADO CD RELEASE with ROUND BLACK GHOSTS, BRIGHTON, MA. 8 p.m. Thu., Oct. 18. Thunderbird Café, 4033 Butler St., Lawrenceville. $5. 412-682-0177 or www.thunderbirdcafe.net
Stillborn Identity
Stillborn Identity/MC Homeless Split
(Self-released)
Pittsburgh rapper Stillborn Identity linked up with Youngstown, Ohio's MC Homeless for this split cassette. The release features edgy production similar to that of El-P, while Stillborn Identity has an out-of-pocket rhyme style that could be likened to Aesop Rock. The more mellow production of "I'm Leading Me Down" and "1,000 Miles Away" best represent S.I.'s writing skills as he turns memoirs to songs. There's no doubt that these artists are a better fit for fans of the Def Jux label, as opposed to Def Jam.
— Rory D. Webb
The Squirrel Hillbillies
The Squirrel Hillbillies
(Self-released)
Twelve acoustic tracks from the duo of Jenny Wolsk Bain and Gary Crouth; each spends time in the spotlight for turns as lead vocalist. Well-played folk music that deals with a lot of the usual themes of the genre: loves lost and found, playing music, carnival workers. (That's a trope, right?) Overall, nicely crafted and cute, not unlike the name "The Squirrel Hillbillies."
— Andy Mulkerin
