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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dynamico, Indeed, June 13, 2007
_Dynamico_ is terrific, at least as good as anything by Let's Active, and certainly more consistently buoyant: as the title suggests, this is a loud, fun record. The rocking "1 1/2 Way Street" kicks things off with a bang; that and tracks such as "Time Warping," "You/Me," "Ton of Bricks," and "Sights Set on Heaven" give the album's first half a harder edge than most of Easter's earlier work. But he heads into gentler (and in some ways more interesting) territory in the second half, with songs such as "To Be, Cool Thing," "The Phantoms of Ephemera," and the appropriately titled "Glazed." Musically, the songs are all insidiously catchy; lyrically, they range from straightforward sentiment (as in the built-for-radio "I Want a New Scene") to dazzling word salad (as in "Sudden Crown Drop").
It really is a solo record. Eric Marshall plays drums on one song, and Shalini Chatterjee plays bass on another (in addition to singing backup here and there), but Easter does everything else. And he does it very, very well: of course his guitar work is fantastic, but he's also an exciting bassist and drummer, unlike other guitarists-turned-one-man-bands. Then there's the sitar on "Glazed"; in his hands the instrument really shimmers the way it ought to. Add the saxophones, the organs, the synthesizers.... In the Let's Active days Easter was obviously a gifted musician, but now he really seems like an alt-rock Mozart.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Can't Keep a Good Dog Down, May 31, 2007
The notable North Carolina power-popster and producer's previous album was Let's Active's Every Dog Has his Day (1988). His return could be dubbed You Can't Keep a Good Dog Down. Dynamic it is, although just for starters I'm too nervous to compare it with the sonic peaks of the Let's Active catalogue.
Australian admirer Stuart Coupe co-produced the 2003 Let's Active tribute album. As a few of his contributors sighed, Easter's peaks are as simple and as hard as inimitable lyrics, melodies, chord progressions and guitar solos.
Budding rockers from Athens GA to Perth WA have cut their teeth sussing out those chords. Easter is like some entropy theorist of transatlantic rock, still inventing great originals from unstable amalgams of words and riffs.
He channels Let's Active itself in the melodic grunge of Sudden Crown Drop and Dusky Lair. The Byrds-like elation of Why is it So Hard? goes up against the intricate Badfinger-styled quaverings of To Be, Cool Thing. A simpler one vying for best song is Sights Set on Heaven, set off by purposeful lyrics and driving riff.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth waiting for., March 13, 2007
Great cd. If you have been waiting 20 years for Mitch Easter to release new material like I have, wait no more. Good clean rock and roll. Mature release from a mature artist. I hope he pulls more from the vault to release...
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