Berlin proffers a stylistic mix of solo piano musings that will inevitably evoke comparisons to Randy Newman, Tom Waits, and even Bruce Springsteen. Even the lesser compositions are interesting, if, for nothing else, their earnestness, their lyric imagery, and, most of all, their inner integrity as expressed by Berlin’s minimalistic melodic and percussive piano performances. But the best songs are stellar. I would include in that charmed circle the brilliantly intuitive and bleakly sad “Buddha”; the ineffably touching “Don’t Talk About Joan”; the engaging and almost heart-stoppingly emotional “R+R Romance”; and, best of all, the perhaps-soon-to-be-classic “The Ride,” an epic which epitomizes our terrain in much the same way as “Roadrunner” once did (and still does). Comparatively few artists lay as much on the line as Berlin does on this release; songs such as “Last Man Standing” go deep to the core of what it means to have lived one’s life and gathered the hard-won wisdom which only comes with hard-lived experience. Ranging across a spectrum of moods, from intensely serious songs like “Criminal” to the lowbrow comic relief of “Beerbelly,” this album should be regarded, alongside of Willie Alexander’s “Tap Dancing on My Piano,” as a genre classic. (Francis DiMenno)
WIDE IRIS
began as three friends from college in 1996. We quickly began headlining clubs throughout New England including The Rat, TT the Bears, The Middle East Cafe, Mama Kin, Bill's Bar and several others. We also played shows at CBGB in NYC. We've released five CDs over the years and have received airplay on several radio stations through the East Coast. We've performed in-studio at WBCN, WFNX, WAAF and several other stations. While we still occasionally play shows, we're for the most part, dormant. We will have a few shows this summer that we'll be sure to make you aware of. The following review from the Boston Globe probably best sums up our sound. Thanks for stopping by. From the Boston Globe, Hayley Kaufman "We don't say this to be mean. But the fact is, a lot of CDs by local bands sound like, uh, CDs by local bands. And we're not talking about production values. We're talking about the music. But every once in a while, a CD lands in the Discman, and you double-take: Is this a national act that we nodded off and missed somehow? They're local, right? Such was Go!'s reaction when we finally spent some quality time with Wide Iris's self-titled disc. Tight, polished, and brimming with attitude, the songs purloin bits of the Buzzcocks and Pixies, spin out some just-this-side-of-surf bass and guitar riffs, and work the whole garage-rock punk thing into a rich, foamy lather. Not only were we smiling, we were hitting the repeat button".
Official Site: http://alchemistlounge.com