THE
QUIET CORNER, by Robert Barry Francos
Due to computer issues, I had lost a bunch of
reviews I had written to be published here.
If you sent me a CD and it still has not been
reviewed, please let me know!
Talk about international: PAT ALLEN and ANDY
BUCKLE are two British musicians teaching
grade school in Connecticut, who have recorded
this CD, “Through the Same Eyes”
(kef4kids.org), to help build a school in
Africa (Kilimanjaro, to be precise). While
the collection is all over the map, from solid
rock to children’s songs (think Wiggles)
to ballads, to Hall & Oats-ish soft rock,
to singer-songwriter, it comes together as
a cohesive effort, thanks to the blending
of both their mellow voices to the central
themes of encouragement, empowerment, and
positivism. Now, I know that this all sounds
kind of preachy and has a high possibility
of a yecch factor, but yes, they do pull it
off, and quite well. As for the charity aspect,
hey, we did the Rock Again Racism, Rock Against
Reagan, and Hands Across Your Face, so why
not help these kids in Africa? I don’t
know if we are the world, or if they know
it’s Christmas time, but I do know that
this is a solid piece of work worth listening
to on its own. It’s a bit steep at $25,
but think where it’s going.
This seems to be the year of all ABBA-all
the time. To add to the pile is Australian
band AUDIOSCAM, who have produced their own
interpretation on their CD “Abbattack”
(australiansunrecords.com). All the hits that
are in the movie, on the radio, coming out
of storefronts, etc., are here. But what makes
this different is that it is done in a poppy
hair metal milieu. Yep, guitar solos, and
all. It’s kinda interesting in its own
twisted way, and would be more so if I was
a fan of the Swedish acronym. One song that
actually comes across especially well here
is “S.O.S.,” on which they put
just the right sheen. “Momma Mia”
seems as if Queen arranged it, so I guess
that works as well. Problem is, I was sick
of these songs by 1985, so it was a tough
listen at times, not because of Audioscam,
who do a fine job, but because, well, as I
said, all ABBA-all the time. Wonder if they’ll
do a similar-yet-more-fun (to me) band next
time, and cover The Seekers: “It’s
a long, long journey, so stay by my side…”
For
those who don’t know, KEVIN AYERS is
a legendary British musician who was an original
member of the psychedelic Soft Machine back
in the late ‘60s, playing often with
the likes of Syd Barrett. “The Unfairground”
(giganticmusic.com), which is also the name
of his back-up group, is his first release
in 15 years. While his voice has mellowed,
as it were, he is not just “famous for
what he did before,” as his songs are
top notch. The psychedelia is mostly gone
but there is definitely a late ‘60s-early
‘70s feel that leans more toward glam
(without the over-the-top exuberance that
is usually iconified by the style), but mixed
with some folk and even Tex-Mex! It is often
said that the quality of a musician can seen
in the company they keep. Backing Kevin in
various songs include the old guard like Roxy
Music’s Ray Manzanera, Brit folk marvel
Bridget St. John, and Soft Machine bassist
Hugh Hopper. Some of the newer ones include
Teenage Fanclub singer/guitarist Norman Blake
and Frank Reader from the Trash Can Sinatras.
All the cuts here are musically superb, and
even Kevin’s rough voice works well
within the frame.
JOHN
BATDORF and MARK RODNEY were cult favorites
in the early ‘70s, with their mellow
folk rock output. They broke up in 1975, but
got back together again recently to record
“Still Burnin’” (johnbatdorfmusic.com),
a mostly live recording at XM Studios, which
is mostly their own covers plus two brand
new songs. Have to say that before this CD,
I hadn’t heard of them (though my go-to-guy,
Bernie Kugel, who is a ’60-‘70s
musical encyclopedia, knew them right off.
Of course). I can only go by what I’m
hearing here, and I have to say, as much as
I like folkie stuff, this was the kind of
material that originally made me want to listen
to the Ramones. B&R would probably fit
somewhere between Seals and Croft and CSN
(sans Y). After all, in one form or another,
B&R had toured with the likes of America,
Hall and Oats, and, well, you get the picture.
Yeah, the songs are okay, with a deep view
of personal growth and heartache, and I don’t
mean to put that kind of musical stretch down,
but they are not my cup of tea. Melanie was
more ‘core than they were (I loved Melanie,
to whom I lost my concert cherry, so back
off). That being said, for those B&R fans
out there, please don’t get me wrong,
I am not saying they are bad. Their musicianship
is tight and Batdorf still has his voice (“Burnin’”
comes across as Batdorf BACKED BY Rodney more
than Batdorf AND Rodney) after all these years,
but to me it is just…meh, whatever.
Get this if you like Kansas and Poco.
THE BUGS (myspace.com/zodiackillerrecords)
is a Cali post-hardcore band that owes a lot
to the Ramones and the Descendants. Their
self-titled release is 11 songs in just over
13 minutes. From what I can see, there are
three main topics here. In no particular order,
one is drugs (e.g., “Back on the Weed,”
“Meth on My Mind,” “Dopefiend”),
looks at culture (e.g., “No More Emo
Haircuts,” “I Wish I Was a Mexican,”
and my favorite in this category, “Dave
Navarro’s Goatee Fucking Sucks”),
and the most outstanding one is about homosexuality
(“Lesbo! Lesbo!,” “Never
Went Gay,” “I’m Turning
Gay,” and “Email From a She-male”).
I don’t know these guys, and despite
the very humorous and sophomoric tone, they
seem old enough to know what they are saying.
Are they homophobic or homo-core, I’m
not sure, but they made me laugh. The songs
are little paragraphs of statements with a
grin and elbow, and can be summed up by something
in the one-page booklet that thanks someone
“who was supposed to play drums on this
record but could not due to state issued mandatory
jail time.” If you like your ‘core
with a non-serious bent, well, here ya go.
CAMERA-HEAD
SHARK is the kind of band that just gets better
the more you listen to it. “Oh, You”
(cameraheadshark.com) at first came across
as a slightly skewed pop rock band, but oh,
it is so much more. With a sharp sense of
melody and harmony, layered under the off-kilter
but actually quite fitting vocals, the songs
have memorable hooks, and a sound that if
not unique is certainly in short supply. In
other words, they don’t sound like every
other damn band you hear these days. Some
of the better cuts here, and they are actually
all worthwhile, are “Baby Midnight,”
“Pack Up Your Suitcase,” “It’s
So Evil,” and especially the opening
“Punched” (which could have been
written by They Might Be Giants) and what
should be their breakout single, “Since
the Stone Age.”
It is amazing how much STEVE CARLSON at times
sounds like Greg Brown on “Stripped
Down” (smokinglionmusic.com or stevecarlson.com).
Mind you, that’s not necessarily a bad
thing. And please let me be clear that Steve’s
material is really well crafted, and not reductive.
From “Without You,” the opening
cut, his emotion is on his sleeve in a powerful
performance. Yeah, he looks like he w/could
beat the crap outta ya, but there is definitely
some heart in there and is not afraid to show
it, evident by the one cover: the Ronnettes’
“Be My Baby.” It’s brave
to go up against Ronnie Spector’s voice,
especially as raspy as Steve’s is, but
his heart definitely pulls it off. This CD,
Steve’s fourth, is actually full of
really strong material, like “All That
I ever Wanted,’ “Happy Hour,”
straight through to the finale, “Love
Your Or Leave You.” If you like singer-songwriter
with just a hint of western flair (sans country),
check it out.
Seems
when bands focus on horror flicks, they fall
into two general categories: you have the
non-human monsters, such as Children of the
Night and The Scared Stiffs), or the human
monsters (e.g., cannibals and mass murderers),
such as The Cramps and now CHESTY MALONE AND
THE SLICE ‘EM UPS. Their CD, “Now
We’re Gonna See What Disaster Really
Means” (Wrecked; c/o chestymalone.com),
is a fuckin’ hoot. Post-hardcore speed
with a New York ‘80s style, they pound
their way through 13 numbers, such as “Trouble
With Cannibals” (one of my faves), “13
Killers” (what, no mention of New Yorker
Albert Fish?), “Meat Factory,”
“Skincrawl,” “Livereaters,”
“Dotti Douchebag Sings the Blues,”
and “Beavershot.” Thing is, from
the first to the last, this is such a fun
release, that its 30 minutes goes by so quickly.
Chesty Malone, in her latest incarnation (she
was the lead singer of Lady Unluck), is Jaqueline
Blownapate, whose throaty voice is not so
much a death rattle, as it is a body slam,
using a 24-pounder. The rest of the band,
which includes her partner/co-writer/guitarist
Anthony Allen van Hoek, keeps up with her
(or she keeps up with them…either way
it works). There are a lot of cool subtle
film references throughout, such as “Spiderbaby”
in “Livereaters” and perhaps “The
Corpse Grinders” in “Meat Factory.”
I haven’t caught them live, but it’s
definitely on the agenda.
Don’t really know what to say about
“2B1” by DISCRETE ENCOUNTER (myspace.com/discreteencountermusic).
They call themselves electronic rock. Yeah,
I can see they’re maybe trying to be
the new Timbuk3 or Eurythmics: Woman singing
(Natasha Romanova), guy playing guitars and
electronica (Taras Mashalir), various hired-gun
DJs, and somebody listed as “visual
projection” (Stas Mashov). Anyway, the
sound is crisp, a techo-lite-type drive, and,
well, I don’t care. A solid hour of
thump-thump-thump-bleep-blorp mixed with other
assorted noises (and guitar). Someone else
may rave (pun intended) about this style,
but anyone who knows me is aware that I find
electronica and techno about as interesting
as, well, disco. The CD cover photos make
this look like they’re trying to bring
Euro techno trash to these shores. Aren’t
we being punished enough by rap?
The
Colorado-based MICHAEL HARRISON BLUES is –
of course – Michael at the center, and
a bunch of studio musicians, releasing “Lost
in the Blues” (michaelharrisonblues.com).
This CD is mostly blues standards, with some
originals thrown in. Gotta say, Michael’s
electric blues style is right up there with
Stevie Ray and Eric C, with a sharpness like
a razor. And what he lacks in the vocal area
with a tendency to be flat (both literally
and emotionally), he certainly makes up for
with his flying fingers. Some of the covers
include “Mean Mistreater” (a Muddy
Waters’ wailer), Robert Ross’s
1991 “White Boy Lost in the Blues,”
“CCR’s “Wrote a Song,”
Buster Burnett’s Jumpin’ at Shadows,”
and the late and underrated Tommy Bolin’s
“Sweet Burgundy” (which is vocally
the weakest here). It is nice that Michael’s
originals fit in pretty well with the standards.
Jennifer Burnett’s vocals on the opener
and closer helps, but I do have to say that
as a release that is put out by Michael himself,
he did an above decent job. Maybe an instrumental
release next?
Rather
than producing the usual concept of songs,
HOLLER, WILD ROSE! uses each cut of “Our
Little Hymnal” (blacklightrecords.com)
to create a soundscape experience, which is
almost a world of their own. There are multiple
instruments ranging from the classic guitar/bass/drum
to all different types of synthesizers. For
well over an hour, they stream out sounds
that all flow together. No bleep or blurps,
but rather texture and waves. I cannot really
imagine them playing out, as each member of
this group is listed as playing numerous instruments
which are all blended. The vocals are wispy,
sometimes in a John Lennon-ish way, other
times, more pastoral. Despite such heady music,
the lyrics are actually very accessible, which
helps the whole project be approachable.
When I was in high school, I had a friend
named Robert Gordon (not the rockabilly singer)
who introduced me to his three loves: Bob
Dylan, Jethro Tull, and pot. It took me a
few years to appreciate Dylan, the other two
not. Back then, I found arena rock really,
excruciatingly dull, perhaps because I was
not a lover of pot? I took chances and went
to see Led Zeppelin at MSG, and was bored
to sleep, literally. Now I was given the opportunity
to review the new DVD by JETHRO TULL, “Jack
In the Green: Live in Germany, Recorded Between
1970-1993” (Aviator-Entertainment GmbH).
There are 18 songs covering a few performances,
the forefront of which is in 1982. Since high
school and now, I have learned to value Celtic
music, which is a large part of Tull’s
sound (along with rock, jazz, and fusion).
As the DVD started, at first I thought, oh,
wow, this isn’t bad at all. Maybe Robert
had something here. I mean, I still remember
the main riff from “Aqualung,”
but I didn’t recall anything else from
that album or “Thick as a Brick,”
which were quite prevalent in my high school
days. Then, somewhere around the fourth of
fifth song, I started looking at my watch.
The quality of the DVD is excellent, with
the visuals and the sound being very crisp.
As the DVD went into the second show (1986),
and the 10th song, I subconsciously I caught
myself fiddling with the remote in my hands,
feeling restless. About halfway through the
’86 shows, I started fast-forwarding
a bit through the instrumentals. The ’93
part, taken from TV appearance, is nearly
pure jazz, and the two songs kept my interest.
The last part is from the “Beat Club,”
also TV, one song from 1970, and one from
1971. While I was amazed at the sharpness
of the image (with the typical German way
of superimposing the full names of the band
members), I was totally bored out of my mind,
though it was interesting when Ian Anderson
grabs his side in pain, walks off the stage,
and end the song short. Of all the cuts here,
the 1982 ones are the best sound, lighting,
and most entertaining, showing Anderson at
his best, but that’s limited for me.
I think I’ll still with my “just
Dylan,” though I appreciate the chance
to see if I was missing something. Speaking
of absence, there are no extras on this disk.
This
Texas group has put out 14 releases before
this one, hence (does anyone else hear that
word in Anna Faris’s voice now?) KING’S
X titled their latest “XV” (insideout.de).
Wow, that many and I never had heard of them
before 15. And if you want to scare this particular
reviewer, do as they did and have the info
sheet compare them to Rush. KX is no way as
lame as that one, but I do see a strong early
‘70s rock influence, but with modern
studio techniques. KX have a strong start
and sort of end (there are two “bonus
tracks” after the “last”
song) with the religious-minded “Pray”
and “Go Tell Somebody.” Definitely
the best of the bunch, with rousing choruses
and powerful hooks. “Julie” and
“Alright” are – err –
all right, following similar styles at the
previous mentioned tunes. While there is only
one cut I would say was not only whatever
but out of place (“Rocket Ship”),
the rest is okay, but not overly inspiring.
Even though this was recorded in two parts
(first instruments togther, then voices) in
a “live atmosphere” (their press
says), it all feels very controlled and commercial.
Considering this is a trio, they sound really
tight, and the high production values by legendary
engineer Michael Wagener put it a little over
the top. All in all, there are a few keepers,
and seemingly a lot of stuff that is good,
but not my speed.
The
handsome JANN KLOSE resides in the Bronx now,
but throughout his life, he has lived on numerous
continents, all of which has affected his
music views. His latest is “Reverie”
(janklose.com), which was recorded in New
Jersey. It’s kind of hard to put a handle
on Jann’s material, but it is somewhere
in the theatrical jazz singer-songwriter area.
His songs take you on journeys though emotions
and styles, sometimes with basic guitar (by
Jann)-piano-bass-drum, and on others, the
lovely Jann’s voice, piano and cello.
I can see this ensemble playing Carnegie (Hall,
not Deli), or some of the ritzier jazz spots.
Yet, the style never tries to talk over the
listener’s head; I admire that. Jann’s
vocal stylings are reminiscent of Sting, but
with some major exceptions: first, Jann has
a very beautiful and pure voice, where Sting
has that nasal twang that is sorta chalk-on-blackboard;
and most importantly, Jann comes off totally
sincere and not focused on “self,”
unlike…you know who. There are a lot
of really enjoyable cuts here, such as the
lush, jazzy “All These Rivers,”
and the subtle “Questions of the Heart.”
The instrumental “Ithaca” is pretty,
and this ends on a high note, ironically,
with “The Beginning.” I haven’t
heard Jann play live yet, but I have met him
(tremendously intelligent and nice guy). On
the other hand, I have heard Sting play but
have not met him, and don’t need to
do either with Sting again.
EDDY
& KIM LAWRENCE have released their first
folkie singer-songwriter (including blues
and country influenced) duo-focused CD, “My
Second Wife’s First Album” (snowplowrecords.com),
but Eddy has been releasing solo stuff for
over 20 years. Based near the northeast corner
of New York State where Quebec meets Vermont
(though he’s original from deep south),
they recorded this on their own. Kim plays
stand-up bass and adds minimal vocals, and
most of the rest, such as writing, singing,
and picking is by Eddy. Unlike some other
DIY work, they seem to have good control of
their material and recording (i.e., no over-indulgent
“what will this button do to the sound?”
here), thankfully. Eddy is a fine songwriter
who takes his everyday life into accord, including
addictions, presenting the likes of “Rescue
Somebody,” “Camp Cumberland,”
“Black Ice,” “Turnpike,”
and “Apology.” Sometimes it gets
a bit “hunh?” (like “Sammy
From Massena” and “Weekend at
the Muggles”), but even there the melody
takes you, and his framing works. But there
is a certain level of deepness that comes
through when you least expect it, like on
“Your Mama Likes Me,” “One
Day at a Time,” “Truth or Consequences,”
and “Step 8.” At a bit over an
hour, this may have been able to be edited
down a bit, perhaps to the next CD, but still
good to hear what’s on his mind. What
I like the most is that the crisp recording
that makes it feel like they’re sitting
in the room with the listener, all homey and
comfortable. Kim seems to be good for him!
{Life Underwater photo by RBF/FFanzeen
Prod]
There are lots of double things to mention
when it comes to Staten Island’s LIFE
UNDERWATER (liveunderwateronline.com). First,
sometimes they’re a group, as in their
“Live at Café Verboten,”
and now they are back to a duo with their
self-titled release. Sometimes lead singer
Jamie Glass plays guitar, and sometimes bass…oh,
and sometimes she’s just Jamie (the
other part of the duo is her partner, Shane,
who plays great guitar), and sometimes she’s
amazing novelist JD Glass (“Punk Like
Me,” “Punk & Zen,” “Red
Lights,” “American Goth,”
and yes, I’ve read them all; there is
a huge interview I did with her linked to
their MySpace page, but I digress). Both these
CDs are their own flavor, and are superb in
their own rights. The live CD is solid straight
through, as a four-piece. I like the drum
sound, and the songs on there are among my
favorites of Jamie’s, such as “I
Fall,” “I Say Goodbye,”
and especially “Lead Me On.” The
band helps give it a beautiful bottom rhythm.
The self-titled one is stripped down to just
Jamie and Shane, who play off each other well.
Once again, Jamie’s wonderful use of
melody and lyrics in her songs keep the listener’s
attention. All the songs here, including “The
Kiss,” “Complicated,” and
“What Am I Fighting For” show
solid songwriting in my melody and lyric.
So, basically, check out their songs on their
site, get the CDs, and read the books; you
won’t be disappointed.
MICHAEL
LINDNER is one of those DIYers who does it
all, from playing all musical parts, to engineering
and recording (his “day” job),
to even designing the packaging of “Cocktail
Napkin” (alleyonemusic.com). This CD
consists of 8 original instrumentals, and
4 cover songs with vocals. His own pieces
are lounge-based, with a strong surf guitar
influence. Many of them remind me of the kind
of music playing on the soundtracks of ‘60s
exploitation films, such as those by Russ
Meyer. Believe me, I mean that as a major
complement, as those tunes were amazing. While
multi-instrumentally talented, Michael’s
main axe is the bass, which he uses as the
cornerstone of pieces like “Tremulux”.
All of these Linder-penned songs are strong.
The only weakness seems to be in the vocal
tracks, which are very vanilla. He opens up
with the Bararach-David tune made famous by
Love, “Little Red Book”; mind
you, it’s hard to follow someone like
Arthur Lee, or even the Stones on “2000
Man.” He just does not have the of the
blues heartfelt singing chops. Even the post-doo-wop
era “Party Doll” comes off flat.
But that’s just four uninteresting songs
for eight pretty amazingly fun ones. Definitely
the odds are good, and worth a listen.
When the press release starts off with a
quote by one of my old mentors and professor,
Neil Postman (from “Amusing Ourselves
to Death,” I believe), I’m going
to pay a little more attention. THE LOVE KILLS
THEORY takes “Happy Suicide, Jim”
(xomu.com) as a look at Huxley’s version
of dystopia, which is blinding ourselves with
consumerism. Rarely does this post-pop group
hit the listener over the head with its message,
but it is definitely a theme throughout, from
specifics, like giving up smoking (“This
Thing”) and computers (“Suicide
Girls”), to general ownership (“The
Love Kills Theory”: “Things you’re
wanting become things you’re hating/What
sustained you now makes you weary”),
to just general cultural morass (“Dream
of Sleep”). Now before you start saying,
“Ya commie bastids,” it’s
not that at all, but rather a request to look
inside. These guys are more into the Situationalists
than Lenin. The music is quite interesting,
in a pop way, with an industrial/electronic
influence, though I thought a few more songs
would have more power if they hadn’t
been electronically affected: a couple times
works, but about half are processed, which
is overkill. Despite the down-tone of the
lyrics, it is actually a positive message
(much like Postman). And the final chorus
of “Dream of Sleep” is hard to
get out of one’s head.
JON
MACEY & STEVE GILLIGAN make up the core
of Boston pop rockers FoxPass. Now they expand
into their own foray with “Everything
Under the Sun” (Actuality Records, Box
408, Arlington, MA 02476; jonandsteve.com).
Here, Jon and Steve have the support of percussionist
Barry Marshall (of the classic Boston ‘70s
band, The Marshalls, who double-duties as
producer). I had the pleasure to see Jon and
Steve doing their duo stuff up in Boston last
year at the Cantab, and they are amazing together.
Their material could have been right off Dylan’s
“Blood on the Tracks,” but it
is all their own. In pure partnership, they
each wrote 5 songs apiece, and two together,
and yet all are seamless. The songs of life,
losing oneself and redemption are woven together
through various stringed instruments (such
as guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, mandocello),
and both their individual and harmonious voices.
Truly, I could not pick out a fave because
there is not a bad cut here, and each is as
impressive as the rest.
Powerpop
trio MEN FROM WHEN have appropriately titled
their CD “About Time” (myspace/menfromwhen).
Nearly every song is somehow connected by
the thread of time, whether it be a particular
year, the physical clock (or even sundial),
or how one spends it. And speaking of time,
these guys are a bit older than most of the
bands whose material I review (they’re
about my age), and their style belays that.
They are reminiscent of a ‘60s pop feel
with harmonies, along the lines of Gary Lewis
& the Playboys or the Vogues. While Art
Cohen (lead and bass guitars), Steve Lessick
(drums) and Rob Lincoln (rhythm guitar) all
write the songs here, it is Lincoln’s
songs that are the most effective, in both
writing and vocals. Some of the highlights
include “Silvertone Transistor Radio,”
“Queen of the Sun,” and “The
Sweet Marie.” Definite feel good stuff,
but not fluff.
NEVEREVEN
are a New York-based band, and this is their
self-titled release (myspace.com/nevereven).
At one point, this may have been called alt
rock, or even grunge pop, but it’s more
MOR now. They probably see themselves as the
new Foo Fighters; heck, they even got Mike
Watts to mix this up. They’re at the
top of their game, with fine musicianship,
including lots of melodic fretwork, solid
albeit formulaic song structure, and vocalist
Kenny Grohowski has a good, if safe voice.
But they really don’t bring anything
new or interesting to this recording. The
impression is given that they may have more
umph live, but they sound kind of vanilla
here, which is all well and good if one is
looking for mainstream alt (how is that for
an oxymoron?), but if you’re looking
for something groundbreaking, perhaps it’s
around the corner…hopefully by this
band’s next recording.
While it is safe to say that the ROBERTA
PIKET TRIO is built around Roberta’s
piano on “Love and Beauty” (robertajazz.com),
it is also fair to say that Ratzo Harris’s
bass and Billy Mintz’s drums are equally
strong in their mostly support role. Roberta
is quite the fingerer. She flits and floats
around the keys like a magician as much as
a musician. Frickin’ impressive, really.
The trio’s sound, for those who lack
familiarity with jazz, is reminiscent of some
of the “Charlie Brown Christmas”
flavoring, but she definitely brings something
of her own. Whether it’s the hyperness
of “I’m My Everything” to
the ultra romantic “Love and Beauty,”
the trio shine. While mostly originals, there
are interesting riffs on Jimmy Webb’s
(known by the Fifth Dimension, though) “Up
Up and Away,” and Cole Porter’s
“So In Love”. If anyone uninitiated
and is looking for a chance to step into some
jazz, it would behoove them to seek out this
nearly an hour of beauty.
Going to a cool She Wolves show at Delancey
(of coz, all She Wolves shows are great),
I met some guys who do a cable access metal
show. Having worked on a cable show myself
(Videowave), I understand the work it entails.
They presented me with their DVD, “Reality
Check TV Presents Collector’s Series
Volume One: Real Rock Divas” (realitychecktv.com).
These dudes know their stuff, and they have
managed to interview and record shows by some
amazing talent. And yet it is all looking
two-cent, which I mean as a total compliment
as it is appropriate. This is the video equivalent
of a fanzine, sort of what Wayne and Garth
may have done if they had balls and gotten
out of the basement and actually attended
shows. The list of bands is long, but I’ll
rattle off a few, like the Donnas (who really
open themselves up), The Runaways drummer
Sandy West and ace underrated guitarist Lita
Ford, the overrated Bif Naked, the ultracool
Lunachicks and L7, Barbee Killed Kenn, Doro
Pesch, and so on. Sometimes the sound quality
is questionable, and subtitles may be helpful,
but I repeat, “fanzine.” I am
certainly looking forward to seeing Volume
Two, which hopefully will include the likes
of the She Wolves, maybe the Vesties and Chesty
Malone. Oh, there is so much great talent,
and I expect Reality Check TV to be there!
It
takes all four names to identify Brooklyn
resident MILES BENJAMIN ANTHONY ROBINSON,
which is appropriate since the music on his
freshman eponymous CD (sayheyrecords.com)
is just as complex. Miles is an ex-homeless
junkie who has knocked around Coney Island
for a while, and has settled into a musical
groove that I would identify as anti-folk.
His songs are dark and gloomy, sometimes nearly
dirge-like, aided (and abetted) by members
of TV on the Radio and Grizzly Bear, who fill
in the music and some haunting harmonies.
And speaking of that sorta thing, each song
is overdubbed with Miles’ own voice,
but not to add in harmony, but more as a counterpoint.
It certainly does not add a pleasant or enhancing
element, and is in fact disconcerting, which
I’m guessing is the point. The songs
about his life of hardship are made all the
more dissonant this way. To add to this, the
songs are either played slightly off-key,
or off melody, I’m not certain which,
making it all the more poignant. The only
real issue I have is because of the double
voice recording, usually with an echo, the
sound is a bit muddled, making the lyrics
a bit hard to make out (and no lyric sheet
included). Still, I am impressed with the
work, taking the risk, and doing something
a bit different than the norm.
STACIE ROSE is a both a musician and humanitarian,
who has a history of releasing her own quality
pop material and compilations for various
charitable organizations. I have reviewed
some of both before, and this time I have
the pleasure to pass on her new works in “Shotgun
Daisy” (Enchanted, c/o stacierose.com).
Stacie has a velvety voice, and her songs
are equally as lush, looking at relationships
– both positive and negative –
with extremely catchy hooks, such as on “Hit
Me in the Head,” “Mr. & Mrs.
Happily Ever After,” and “Not
Listening,” though it’s hard to
pick a favorite. While they all are better
than anything one can hear on mainstream radio
these days, which is where a lot of this could
be, Stacie needs to be careful not to overproduce
her material. Producer Jeff Allen has played
bass for Avril Lavigne, and it seems like
he’s trying to make this sound like
“Complicated.” Stacie’s
material is too precious to take the chance
to squander. Luckily, her voice and songs
rise above it.
It is sort of an understatement to say SCRIBES
OF FIRE is a metal band. “Zauberer”
(myspace/scribesoffire) is loaded with a sound
that roars, which is amazing considering they
have only one (very talented) guitarist, Phil
Salvagione. Backing him on rhythm is an acquaintance
of mine from the Brooklyn Punk Temple/Peggy
O’Neill’s days who is an equally
strong bassist, Mike Delfino, and Dan Kurfirst
on drums. The centerpiece is, of course, Ben
Abelson on soaring vocals (and lyric writing).
Now, when I say metal, I don’t mean
either the death metal growl-scream that is
seemingly omnipresent, or the sludgy kind
that is sodden and molten; in fact this is
the crisp fire that melts the metal. There
are five songs here, over a span of 42 minutes.
Yeah, long songs, but each one is practically
a suite, broken up into sections to tell the
story not only lyrically, but also musically.
If you’re into intelligent headbanging
rather than just the usual girls and drugs
as so many metal bands are these days, than
I suggest digging this up. Only negative thing
I can say is that there are at least four
typos in their booklet.
Hamilton, Ontario, is some ways is a mystical
city. This is especially true when it comes
to music. As Boston was to New York City during
the mid-‘70s explosion, the Hammer was
to Toronto. One of the first bands to come
out of that rise was SIMPLY SAUCER, let by
Edgar Breau. Despite a shoddy recording history
on fan labels, mostly consisting of an album,
“Cyborg Revisted,” put out by
writer/musician Gary Pig Gold, and then by
writer/local music historian Bruce “Mole”
Mowat (both great guys and great writers,
by the way), Simply Saucer (SS) have reformed
recently, and recorded “Half Human/Half
Alive” (sonicunyon.com). The first half
of the hour-long release is a newly recorded
record of their earliest material, which had
not seen the studio before. The second half,
recorded live, is their LP and single recently
re-recorded before an audience. Now the thing
that is important to remember is that SS is
a band of their time, leaning more towards
the Detroit MC5 sound than the New York Ramones
style. The music is kinda rough and popish,
with more than a hint of a synth. SS were
highly experimental and thereby influential.
Even with a limited recorded history, they
managed to help change the face of what was
cool. This is a worthwhile historical record
of the music was like on the verge of revolution.
Now here is an interesting concept: STRATOSPHEERIUS
is the brainchild of Joe Deninzon, and the
result of his group is “Headspace”
(stratospheerius.com). What makes them so
unusual is that Joe is a classical-level violinist,
who uses mostly 6- and 7-string electronic
fiddles that he uses in place of a lead guitar.
When Joe and southern blues guitarist Mack
Price duel and play off each other, as they
do on “New Material,” it’s
pretty amazing. Now, one would think violin/fiddle
= country, but not so here. The style is more
classic R&B, rock, and jazz. Yep, one
might say “Jew-Eyed Soul,” especially
on cuts like the instrumental “Heavy
Shtettle Part II: Heavier Shtettle.”
Joe has a very sweet, high tenor voice, which
actually gives this a bit of a glossy feel,
and the occasional over-production also makes
it kind of slick, and yet it is easy to appreciate
them bringing something interesting and a
concept to liven things up.
In
the tradition of people like Ian North and
Jandek, musician/writer JUSTIN VELLUCCI has
put out his ninth (yes, ninth) solo CD, “Terminal
Harbor” (Secret Decoder Records c/o
myspace.com/justinvellucci). Personally, I
like when DYIers use a second party to help
with the production, so there is more of an
editing process that goes on. Much of what
is here is sort of “hunh”? The
lyrics are deep (read “cryptic”)
with a large focus on drugs and alcohol (either
directly or metaphorically). Truth be told,
I don’t know what the hell he’s
talking about most of the time, but that’s
just me. When he uses guitar to back his often
whispered/mostly distorted vocals, it is melodic
and interesting. However, he also uses what
I believe is a synth to make loud, dissonant,
grating rhythmic sounds that mimic what appears
to be metal trash can lids pounding, or sandpaper
scratches, or hollow wooden planks hitting
each other. This is, needless to say, a distraction,
especially when it’s louder than the
vocals (luckily, there is a lyric sheet included).
While I respect what is he doing, especially
on cuts like “Din,” which is almost
a talking blues, much of it is lost on me.
But then again, I could say the same about
Jandek, and look how popular he is, in a cult
manner. I do like the packaging, which is
letterpressed paper (for the first run…will
it go to a second?). Anyway, if you’re
into avante garde DIY, this is definitely
worth hearing. Guess in some ways, I’m
more meat and potatoes.
This
is the first time I’ve heard JIM WHITE,
though “Transnormal Skiperoo”
(luakabop.com) is certainly not his first
release. He’s known for being alt country,
but other than a couple of twangy guitars
here and there (mostly not, though), he comes
across as pretty straightforward singer-songwriter.
Anyhoo, Jim has a sort of sweet Jimmy Buffet
kind of voice and tone, and the songs are,
with one exception, deep and personal, either
looking at his own life, foibles, and missteps,
or his imaginings of those he knows. What
I like about his work is that while I was
not blown away by it, still I was impressed
that even though it is heartfelt and layered,
it is also extremely accessible. Personally,
I wish it was more alt country, and perhaps
his earlier releases were (MOJO called his
work “Sweet hillbilly swing,”
which I found very little of here). There
are some standout numbers here, like the opening
“A Town Called Amen,” “Take
Me Away” and especially the haunting
“Jailbird”. I’m curious
to see where he’s going, musically,
and hopefully I’ll get the chance to
find out.
I
love the concept of “Born To Shine,
Vol. 5: Seattle, WA, 01.27.07” (trixiedvd.com)
DVD. Actually, as exposition, the press release
says it perfectly and succinctly: “Benjamin
Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie brought together
14 of his favorite bands on one day to create
a portrait of one of the world’s most
thriving music scenes. Each band plays one
song each and it is delivered here as it happened,
in chronological order, in a jam packed 55
minutes.” Also, Fugazi’s Brendan
Canty (Fuzagi) produced this collection, and
was recorded by Eli Janney (Girls Against
Boys). This is the fifth of (so far) six collections
in different cities, and a wonder to behold.
With this one exception, all of them are performed
in condemned houses (this one was moved, as
shown at the end of the DVD). The performances
are quite crisp as they are performed in a
living room, and the viewer can see as the
sun as it goes through the day, and darkness
sets through the windows. Since the 1990s,
Seattle is basically viewed as the “grunge”
city, but as with every other town, there
are actually a full arc of styles one can
see perform, and that is evident here. There’s
the poppier rock sounds of Spook the Horse
(who open the collection) and Harvey Danger,
the anti-folk of the wonderful Tiny Vipers
(aka Jesy Fortino), total psych-out instrumental
Kinski (who have been known to play single
songs for 45 minutes), dissonant (may have
been called No Wave at one point) of the badly
named Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to
Death (and I thought When People Were Shorter
and Lived Near the Water was a awful moniker),
the rap duo Blue Scholars, post modern rockers
Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, and the
– yes – grundgy Minus the Bear.
What is also interesting is what is sort of
missing. Dave Bazan (ex-Pedro the Lion), Benjamin
Gibbard, and Eddy Vedder (Pearl Jam) all sing
with no back-up other than their acoustic
guitar (or in Vedder’s case, an electric
ukelele). There are a few previously unheard
before songs by Gibbard and Bazan, for example.
As a side note, it amazes me how many musicians
in Seattle have beards. Not the Cobain two-day
growth, but full-on bushes. I am looking forward
to hearing the rest of this magnificent and
yes, historically important, series.
There are a number of reissue labels, some
cheesy like K-Tel, and some are a blessing,
like Rhino, which specializes in ’60-‘70s.
Now there is a new label, AMERICAN BEAT (myspace.com/americanbeat),
whose vision is more ’70-‘80s.
I contacted them, and they sent me 25 of their
products. Truly, there is stuff there I’m
certainly not interested in, like the works
of Billy Squire, but there is so much more
that made me salivate. And that is what I
will discuss here. David Johansen’s
“Here Comes the Night” was from
his early solo period (post Dolls, pre- Buster
“Hot Hot Hot” Poindexter). I remember
many of us mocked it at the time, but it certainly
stands up after 20 years. The Simthereens’
“Green Thoughts” was a solid CB’s
band from New York, who had a pretty dedicated
following that even touched some mainstream
listeners. Peter Wolf’s “Long
Line” was one of his post-J. Geils Band
that was noteworthy. Graham Parker came so
close in the early ‘80s to breaking
through in the States, but was considered
too close in style to Eric Costello here.
His “The Real Macaw” shows that
he wasn’t reductive. Tex-Mex cult hero
and should-be legend Joe Ely recorded “Live
Shots” while on tour with the Clash.
This re-release also includes his “Texas
Special” EP. After Ian Hunter left Mott
the Hoople, he released this underrated “All
of The Good Ones Are Taken,” which produced
a title song which should have been at the
top of the FM charts at the time, and is still
one of my favorites. The Tubes were known
for two things: humor and it’s lead
singer, Fee Waybill. While “Remote Control”
doesn’t contain their one charting hit,
“Sushi Girl,” it shows how much
fun they were, and that they were way ahead
of their time. Todd Rundgren, who also plays
on the recording, produced this collection.
I once insulted Joe Jackson to his face around
the time of “Is She Really Going Out
With Him,” but his later, jazzier stuff,
such as the rerelease of “Beat Crazy,”
is much better. What I particularly like about
American Beat is when they release two-on-one-disks.
Some of the noteworthy ones they sent along
are Ian Hunter’s live collection “Welcome
to the Club” and “Live”,
Gary U.S. Bonds’ “Dedication”
and “On the Line”, and especially
Robert Gordon’s “With Link Wray”
and “Fresh Fish Special.” This
is the rockabilly material he left Tuff Darts
to do, and actually started a fresh movement
(which led to bands the Rockats and the Stray
Cats). He covers such material as “Red
Hot,” “Boppin’ the Blues,”
and “The Way I Walk” (though I
have to admit I like the Cramps’ version
more). I hope American Beat stays around for
a long time, and I thank them for sending
me hours of great music.
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