CD Reviews for 10/20/09 – AA Bondy, Amy Millan
Compact Capsules for Oct 20, 2009
by Dan Ferguson
AA Bondy
When the Devil’s Loose
Fat Possum Records
The first thing that strikes you is the voice, a soulful instrument compelling in its delivery. Next is the alluring quality of the spare arrangements, minimal percussion, bass, and the occasional piano buoyed by the captivating guitar strokes of that fellow with the voice. When the Devil’s Loose is the sophomore album from singer and songwriter AA Bondy. It’s an album both dark and beautiful filled with songs that seem more about the feel and sound than trying to weave a yarn. Its sum total is good chemistry.Visit www.myspace.com/aabondy.
Amy Millan
Masters of the Burial
Arts & Crafts Records
There’s a wonderful solitude to Masters of the Burial, the sophomore solo release from Amy Millan of Stars and Broken Social Scene fame. It’s a quiet record of largely acoustic arrangements landing nicely in the abyss between country twang and folk. That sparseness allows plenty of space for Millan’s honeyed voice to work its magic on a collection of heartsongs fully capable of tugging the strings of your own ticker. Visit www.amymillan.com.
(Dan Ferguson is a free-lance music writer and host of The Boudin Barndance, broadcast Thursday nights from 6 – 9 pm on WRIU-FM 90.3. He lives in Peace Dale and can be reached at [email protected].)
 <...