Sinister: Holiday article (no B&S content)

[Amanda Bergman]

Since someone had mentioned Holiday to the list, I figured this might be of
interest. It's a review of their new album that appeared in this month's
CMJ magazine. The album was "recommended if you like Magnetic Fields,
Orange Juice, and Belle and Sebastian." So, here it is:

---On its last record _Ready, Steady, Go!_, Holiday had all of the makings
of great lounge-pop, but couldn't piece the puzzle together. Lush horns and
sweet melodies don't mean much without great hooks. On _Café Reggio_, the
quartet has discovered a lot of what they were missing. Josh Gennet's spry
vocal lines are immediately hummable, shimmying between the jazzy guitar
lines. The album opener, "There's a Place," floats along like a dingy
kissed by the summer breeze. The song might not be a classic, but it's
close. With the help of Dave Max on flugelhorn, trumpet, and trombone,
Holiday shows it can churn out rich and reverent arrangements using just a
handful of people. Giddy rave-ups like "Something About You" and "Just
Follow" are perfect fare for your next soiree at the cabana. Unfortunately,
only eight out of the 12 tracks here are new. The last four are from the
band's early single, "New Year's Anything," which included a cover of the
Magnetic Fields' "Candy." Here the Brooklyn band rides the crest between
new wave and indie rock with moderate success. Holiday has since moved its
sound forward quite a bit by borrowing more from the '60s. Heck, if they
had been around 30 years ago, these guys would probably be gigging with
Dionne Warwick in Reno right about now.---

So, there you go. Just for anyone who was curious. I have the album, and I
love it. Good stuff.

ta,
Amanda


------------------------
Amanda Bergman
Northwestern University
a-bergman at nwu.edu

"¿En qué te ofendo, cuando sólo intento
poner bellezas en mi entendimiento
y no mi entendimiento en las bellezas?"

--Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz


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