cdreviews

COUNTRY/DIVORCÉE
The Moaners
Dark Snack (Yep Roc)
What's a Trailer Bride to do after the divorce? Guitarist Melissa Swingle dumped the boys in the band, got herself a girl drummer and became a Moaner. On Dark Snack, Swingle swaps Trailer Bride's morbid country ramble for fuzzy blues-rock swagger. She's escaped marriage with a stronger grip of melody and a sense of humor that's as black as it ever was. "Terrier" is a two-headed warning. To the ladies: Beware of dogs. To trifling men: Dogs beware. The Moaners slip a bit when they try too hard — "Paradise Club" sucks all the magic out of "House of the Rising Sun" — but when Swingle and Laura King put their own spin on bad love ("Talk About It"), bad scenes ("Too Many People") and bad leaders ("Hard Times"), it's all good.
--M.J. Fine

FOLK
Paul Brady
Say What You Feel (Compass)
Irish singer-songwriter Paul Brady is compelling, and he's got the thumbs-up from Bob Dylan. So why isn't he selling in big numbers? Is it his quirky voice that occasionally hints at strangulation? Are his spare arrangements too classy for pop? Brady's songwriting is transparent yet poetic, often encouraging his listeners to celebrate themselves (most relentlessly in the title song). Middle-class audiences should gobble up the narrative of "Living for the Corporation": "How can something that just bought up the world continue to grow?" And Bonnie Raitt adds vocals on "Doin' It in the Dark," a song about shedding some light on what our leaders are doing in our name.
--Mary Armstrong

ROCK/POP
Del Cielo
Us vs. Them (Lovitt)
Del Cielo's MySpace page calls the D.C. trio a "jam band." On the surface, it's just a bit of indie irony for those who've seen their crisp and quick sets. On another level it's saying "don't pigeonhole us." A solid pop-rock act with riot grrrl leanings, Del Cielo gigs in the punk circuit and is often described as such. The most common comparison is Sleater-Kinney, and if they're trying to avoid it, the handclaps and cheeky "woah-oh-ohs" one minute into Us vs. Them don't help. But singer Andrea Lisi's lyrics generally read more like mini romance novels than political manifestos. The title cut, one of the first to move past her established emo-tip, is a blunt dig at pseudo open-minded punks ("You can change the world cause you're different / But you can't change a thing till you realize we're all the same"). Still, the record's prevailing Olympia girl-rock sound, sharper here than on their debut Wish and Wait, shows they're not completely rejecting the scene they were weaned on — just reminding us they could easily move beyond house shows given the chance.
--John Vettese

FADO
Ana Moura
Guarda-me a vida na mão (World Village)
Joining the growing market of budding fadistas vying to capture the ears of world music lovers, Portuguese singer Ana Moura injects some welcome warmth into the potent, elegant folk tradition. While Lisbon-based fado singers Misia and Mariza attack the music with glass-shattering soprano voices, 25-year-old Moura, hailing from Portugal's heartland, is a full-throated contralto with a penchant for sparse musical arrangements — provided by producer/arranger Jorge Fernando, longtime guitarist for the late, legendary Amalia Rodrigues. While Moura bravely (and successfully) tackles one Rodrigues number, the gentle "Flor de lua," she's drawn more often to modern-day themes. Highlights include the aching Fernando-penned "Meu triste, triste amor;" the homage to her art form, "Sou do fado, sou fadista;" and a stirring duet with Jose Silva, "Vou dar de beber a dor" ("I'll offer pain a drink").
--Nicole Pensiero

INDIE/NOODLERS
The Octopus Project
One Ten Hundred Thousand Million (Peek-A-Boo Industries)
Austin's Octopus Project can go from jazzy to spazzy in a minute. Their transition from moody to skittish is even quicker, and they do distortion, dejection and relief all at once. One Ten Hundred Thousand Million is equal parts electro-fuzz and solid rock, but the labor doesn't always divide the way you'd assume. "Bruise" brings the mellow with warm samples; "Malaria Codes" does it with flute, trombone and a drum machine. Straight-ahead guitar gives "All of the Champs That Ever Lived" a melancholy edge, but the six-string also supplies some of the danciest bits. There's a lot going on here, but the band shows restraint in sticking to instrumentals. Words would break the spell.
--M.J. Fine
The Octopus Project plays Fri., Feb. 25, 9:30 p.m., $7, Millcreek Tavern, 4200 Chester Ave., 215-222-9194.