CD Review: Matt Gouette - Emeline At The Moon Tower

CD Review by Adam Wujtewicz

I have lived in New London for 3 years and been witness to its local music scene for around 5.  Once a week for those years I have heard the young and the old... and the square and the hip ask Matt Gouette when he was putting out an album or when he was playing next. Well guess what?! He’s got a proper release out now and it’s called Emeline at the Moon Tower, (Telegraph Recording Company).

It’s what you’d expect from Matt in that it’s chock full of pop rock songs about love, loss and various other human emotions.  What you may not expect if you know his live show is that these songs are surprisingly upbeat and super layered, creating production of pop grandeur.  This can be double edged sword for musicians.

For as good as it sounds and as well written as it is, the planning required for this sort of thing strips it of any spontaneity or moments that make you gasp.  Planning does make for cool little quiet moments like “(Opening)” and “Eerie Highway Sounds”, which turn this into an album rather than a collection of songs... and that is important. There are of course some stripped down slow dance numbers on there, “Glorious You” and “Moon is Low” for example.  This also adds to the atmosphere of the record.

In the end “Emeline at the Moon Tower” turns into a soundtrack of sorts, most likely for big Hollywood romantic comedy maybe starring Drew Barrymore and Ewan McGregor.  It is a record for a big audience and big speakers; so if you know a huge audience send them Matt’s way and if you’ve got huge speakers listen to “Emeline at the Moon Tower” on them to catch all the nuances.

CD Review: Uncle Flatty - Sad Songs and Wildflowers

CD Review by Adam Wujtewicz

With the lack of countryside and or farmland in New London you wouldn’t think we’d produce so many folk/country acts but we do and Uncle Flatty is one of those bands.  With a mix of traditional country and 70’s southern rock you’d swear these guys came from Alabama if they didn’t have Connecticut accents.  The first song on their record Sad Songs and Wildflowers has a southern fried Grateful Dead feel.  It sets the tone for the summer time traveling music that makes up the record.

It’s mellow but the songs move along at a pretty good pace which keeps the music from being sleepy.  Though the vocals are the focus of the record the moments when the music shines through is what makes the record what it is.  It’s not like the southern rock guitar solos ala Lynyrd Skynyrd or the Allman Brothers.  These moments are much more subdued like the lead guitar work on “Janet Guthrie”, the slide guitar on “Buddha” or the Harmonica on “Sarita”.  This subtle change in form is what makes Uncle Flatty more than just another bar band.

With the tone and feeling of this record it’s actually a little difficult to picture them playing anywhere besides a green field under the midday sun.  Even the songs that should be sad seem to be played with a smile.  I don’t know if this makes the title a complete misnomer or if it completely explains the title.  I’ll leave that decision to you.

You can purchase & download Sad Songs and Wildflowers by Uncle Flatty here: Uncle Flatty on CDBaby