Pop Rock – Page 4 – Zachary Mule

THE STANDELLS: BUMP

(GLOBAL RECORDING ARTIST; 2013)

American rock and roll during the early ’60s had become homogenized… I’m talkin’ Pat Boone homogenized; even Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard Penniman had significantly toned down their acts. Suddenly, the land that invented rock and roll no longer had the guts for it. It seemed that the only fire was coming from England: The Who, the Kinks, the Animals, those filthy Rolling Stones and the Pretty Things, the guys that made all of the others look like choir boys. All of that changed with the release of the Standells’ “Dirty Water” at the very end of 1965… with its vicious, snotty vocals, ominous organ and immediately recognizable riff, suddenly American rock and roll was dangerous again. But, unfortunately, the band that saved American rock music had an amazingly short shelf life. Their 1967 album TRY IT would be their last… until the release of BUMP. Co-founder, vocalist and keyboard player Larry Tamblyn (who, for the trivia buffs out there, is the younger brother of actor Russ and uncle to actress Amber) is the only original member of the band, though John “Fleck” Fleckenstein had been in the band for a time after leaving fellow Los Angeleans Love. Guitarist and vocalist Mark Adrian and drummer Greg Burnham complete the 21st century version of the “dirtiest band in America.” BUMP is short (ten songs in 35 minutes), but the brevity is more than compensated for with the high-energy playing, offering a killer blast of nostalgia spiked with a decidedly modern dose of rock.

The Standells (Larry Tamblyn, Mark Adrian, John Fleckenstein, Greg Burnham) (publicity photo)

The album kicks of with a rollicking version of the Love classic “Seven and Seven Is,” falling somewhere between the original and Alice Cooper’s punk-metal take from SPECIAL FORCES. As contemporaries of the Standells, this one falls very nicely into their garage-sized wheelhouse, even if Tamblyn’s vocal prowess can’t hope to come close to Arthur Lee. The band takes the song in a completely different direction as it shifts into a slower gear for a bluesy solo from Adrain. “It’s All About the Money” is a very modern sounding number, with some nice guitar and cool backing vocals. If you were wondering, Tamblyn’s organ playing is still the dirtiest thing this side of Lady Gaga’s undies (wait… does she even where those?). Though the Standells weren’t from Boston, they continue to be Boston proud; “Boston’s Badass” is a sequel of sorts to the group’s biggest success, “Dirty Water.” The song has a distinct early Alice Cooper groove to it (the Standells were obviously an influence on the boys from Detroit). “Help You Ann” is a kind of paisley power pop thing, a cover of the Lyres’ (a band that actually was from Boston) paisley underground track. It features a great guitar riff and lead vocals from Mark Adrian. Another cover, the Seeds’ “Pushin’ Too Hard,” features an awesome arrangement that sorta mixes the riff from “You Really Got Me” with a hard rockin’ Iron Butterfly rhythm.

The Standells (Greg Burnham, John Fleckenstein, Larry Tamblyn, Mark Adrian) (publicity photo)

Adrian is back on lead vocals for “Big Fat Liar,” with vocals and melody line straight outta the ’80s Cali punk scene and smushed up against the band’s own arrogant style of garage rock. Mark supplies some beefy guitar solos to the proceedings, as well. “Mister One Percent” is the political portion of our program. Larry’s passionate lead vocals are enhanced by some particularly fine backing from the rest of the band. Again, Adrian offers up some very tasty guitar with Tamblyn’s organ working a nice balance just below. Burnham and Fleckenstein, while just percolating along, give the song a perfect backdrop, proving that a flamboyant rhythm section isn’t always advantageous to a song; it’s all about knowing what to play and when and where to play it. Another Mark Adrian lead vocal follows on “She’s Just 18,” one of those lo-fi kinda chugging rockers. John has sort of a “Peter Gunn” bass thing going on that works well within the confines of this track. If any song here absolutely screams “classic Standells,” it’s “And I Got It.” There’s also a bit of a nod to the Nazz in there, if you’re paying attention. All four guys are firing on all cylinders here, with Tamblyn, once again, reasserting his dominance as king of the garage band organ players. “Bump In the Night” is a smoldering, smarmy pop confection. With its urgent rhythm, Larry’s lecherous vocals and lines like “This ain’t gonna be a big romance/We’re just gonna have some fun tonight/Let’s go bump tonight/We can bump ’til the broad daylight/Let’s go bump/Let’s go bump in the night/You know what I’m talkin’ about, baby,” the song leaves little to the imagination. The number makes a great album closer and you’ll find yourself humming the raunchy groove long after the thing’s over. But, then, that’s what you’d expect from the Standells, right?

WHAT’S IT TO ME, ANYWAY?: THE 25 ALBUMS THAT MOST INFLUENCED MY LIFE, PART 2

(Ruminations of a music junkie, by KEVIN RENICK)

It’s interesting how certain albums come to mean so much to you, the longer you are an active music fan. From 1976 to 1979, I worked at a major record store, which increased my access to all kinds of new and upcoming artists. I also began to read music magazines obsessively, so I was able to follow the music scene really attentively. Hundreds and hundreds of albums crossed my path during that time and beyond. I went to college from 1980 to 1983, and that, too, brought a ton of new artists into my life. So-called “new wave” music ruled at that time, with artists such as Elvis Costello, the English Beat, the Clash, the Cars and many more finding favor among people I hung out with, and my friend Tina Carl and I began trading and sharing and even dancing to a lot of the music at that time. There was so much stuff I loved, but the sheer volume of it probably prevented most of it from becoming INFLUENTIAL. And that is my focus here: what were the albums that actively, in a meaningful way, became an influence on my life and creative journey? So, here is part two of that list of 25, carrying us from the late 70s to the present…

14. TALKING HEADS: FEAR OF MUSIC and REMAIN IN LIGHT (tie)

FEAR OF MUSIC (SIRE RECORDS, 1979); REMAIN INLIGHT (SIRE RECORDS, 1980)

This is the second time I am cheating by calling a TIE between two albums. I pretty much HAVE to, because each of these albums by the New York new wave group fronted by David Byrne was HUGE for me. FEAR OF MUSIC came out while I worked at Record Bar, in the summer. It was an amazing piece of work, quirky as hell, rhythmically unique and heavily atmospheric. Songs like “Air,” “Cities,” “Animals,” “Drugs” and the new wave dance anthem “Life During Wartime” were like catnip for my ever-growing interest in offbeat music. And the hypnotic piece “Mind” became the unofficial breakup song for me and that girl who looked like Joni Mitchell. I loved this band, and the fact they were produced by my new hero, Brian Eno, was a bonus. But the following year, while I was attending Webster University, the incomparable REMAIN IN LIGHT came out. Influenced by African high life music, and featuring Eno again as producer and even co-writer of many of the tracks, this was just a full-on masterpiece of innovative modern rock. I absolutely went gaga over it, and “Once In A Lifetime” remains, to this day, one of the most instantly captivating weird songs ever recorded. Topping things off, MTV was becoming a going concern, showcasing this new “music video” art form to a fast-growing, interested public, and the Heads’ video for this song got huge attention. My friend Ted Moniak and I also discussed this album at length in college, and I remember him taking a long verse from the song “Crosseyed and Painless”, and writing the lyrics on a piece of paper which he posted on a door in the theatre conservatory to make a point. These were major, heady days of music listening for me, always intense, always communal. REMAIN IN LIGHT is truly one of the greatest and most interesting albums of all time, and that coincided with it being influential for me in its awesome creativity, its often dark and globally inclusive mood, and a palpable sense of ALL things truly being possible now. It made me want to learn about ethnic music, and my mind just kept opening more and more…

15. NICK DRAKE: FIVE LEAVES LEFT

I didn’t know anything about Nick Drake when he was alive and making music (1969-1974). It was some years later that I learned about him through my friend, Ted. The doomed British singer/songwriter, who died at the age of 24 either through suicide or an accidental drug overdose (theories differ on that), was an instantly compelling new “find” for me. Nick always sounded like he was apart from the rest of humanity, a lonesome figure who couldn’t fit in and related more to nature and quiet moments than anything else. I probably identified a little too much with this, I have to say. FIVE LEAVES LEFT was his first album, and it’s one of the best debut albums ever. I love every song on it; “Time Has Told Me,” the gorgeous “River Man,” “Cello Song” and “Fruit Tree” are just a few of the timeless, intimate songs on this album. I began performing “River Man” as a musician myself some years later; the mood of isolation combined with a deep reverence and connection to nature, was a recurring and potent theme in Nick’s music. Also, the way his career never took off (fame eluded him during his lifetime; it took a clever Volkswagen commercial using his song “Pink Moon” to catapult him to real fame after his death) and the aching solitude made me start thinking much more about the uncertainties of being an artist and the pain of being perhaps too sensitive. This is essential singer/songwriter stuff, and will likely always be one of my top 10 albums of all time.

16. BRIAN ENO: ON LAND

I already covered Eno’s album DISCREET MUSIC, which found him inventing a new kind of music that baffled many listeners and critics at the time. And in 1979, he basically announced ambient music as an “official” new genre with the release of MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS, labeled as “Ambient 1” in his new series at the time. That album was influential, for sure, but 1982’s ON LAND was so far ahead of the game in this genre, so much farther than his own DISCREET MUSIC, in fact, that in a way, my life instantly changed right then and there. If DISCREET MUSIC had made me feel like dreams had come to life, ON LAND recreated the experience of being lost in nature, and thinking about the most private and long-gone of memories while doing so. It was a series of rather lengthy pieces with titles such as “Lizard Point,” “The Lost Day,” “Lantern Marsh” and “Unfamiliar Wind,” all of which were made in such a mysterious process that almost no recognizable instruments appeared on them. Eno had traveled deeply into new, mysterious musical territory, and in these heady days before the internet, finding albums like this and maybe, just MAYBE encountering another human being who liked it, made you part of a cult in a way. I was utterly, utterly shocked and amazed that an album like ON LAND, which vividly captured the way I felt when I was out in nature, watching birds and feeling the glorious solitude of my surroundings, could exist. I had literally never been so affected by an album before, and I went a little nuts. I started collecting every article and review of Eno I could find, even compiling a scrapbook. More significantly, I decided I had to write to Brian Eno himself and express my admiration. It was a crazy, bold impulse, but I was unstoppable; I wrote about a 25-page letter to Mister Eno telling him about how I had long dreamed of a kind of cinematic, pastoral music that would evoke landscapes and the mysteries of life, and how in awe I was that HE had single-handedly created this music. Late in 1982, one day when I was at Webster University, I was flabbergasted when Eno answered my letter. He was warmly appreciative of my enthusiasm, hand-wrote a 3-page letter to me, and shared some of his thoughts about this bold new music that was happening. We corresponded several times, and it was a highlight of my life. It’s possible that ON LAND is, in fact, the MOST influential album of my life, it depends on how you want to measure these things. But the way this album combined many of my interests, veered sharply into unknown and haunting new sonic territory and carried with it an entire new philosophy about recorded musical art, was to change the big picture for me forever. And the time I played it on my car stereo at sunrise while driving into the Grand Canyon National Park, is one of the most unforgettable listening experiences of my entire life.

17. COCTEAU TWINS: VICTORIALAND

Ah, the Cocteau Twins. Their fans sigh and swoon at the mere mention of this so-called “shoegaze” band (a lousy label that some critic made famous, even though none of the dreamy sounding bands saddled with that label could stand it). You’re lucky in life if you meet friends who introduce you to some new band that goes on to really affect you, a band you might not have encountered otherwise. That was the case with my first introduction to this ethereal Scottish trio. Liz Fraser, the sublimely gifted female singer who fronted the band, sang like no one else EVER, not even singing understandable lyrics until the last years of the band. Instead, fans were treated to wailing, intoning, swooping and soaring, shiver-inducing tones and unearthly vocal bursts that were uncategorizable. With her partner at the time, Robin Guthrie, who conjured one of the most recognizable and groundbreaking painterly guitar sounds to ever come along, the Cocteau Twins (joined by bassist Simon Raymonde on most of their albums) earned in instant cult following with their visionary sonic palette. Many of their albums are now considered classics, but VICTORIALAND, a largely acoustic and sparsely played recording, has some of their most singularly beautiful moments. It’s music that is not easy to describe. In many ways, it is ambient, because Liz Fraser does not sing understandable lyrics, and the overall mood, a haunted one, is what you respond to most. The music is wintery, solemn and desolately beautiful, filled with mystery and destinations unknown. Some friends and I listened to it one day while we were all sprawled out on the floor together at a party, in a totally receptive mood. There was a sense of discovery at this time in the mid 80s that was magical, and by the time the internet came along and music like this was analyzed and discussed to death by countless pundits, some of that mystery went away. But the Cocteaus’ powerful music endures (though they disbanded in the late 90s), and Robin Guthrie is now a prominent ambient musician and soundtrack composer, continuing the awesome legacy of this pioneering band.

How it influenced me: By proving that truly wondrous music could render lyrics irrelevant, by emphasizing mystery over almost everything else, by demonstrating that a female voice could power a kind of “new form of ambient,” and by partially inspiring me to start writing my first novel, a story about a girl who worshipped this band, and happens to get embroiled in a supernatural murder mystery. Not sure if the novel will get finished or not, but if it does, I am contacting Robin Guthrie to compose the score.

18. REM: AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE

AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE (WARNER BROTHERS RECORDS, 1992)

This Athens, Georgia band became heroic in the ’90s for their status as one of the ultimate college bands and for helping to create the very notion of what “indie rock” meant. Michael Stipe had a unique, stylish approach to vocals (in the early days he utilized a kind of beguiling mumble), and there was something about the SOUND of these guys that was able to keep growing an audience year after year. “Losing My Religion” became their most classic song, but in 1992, they released AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE, an evocative song cycle about loss, change and disillusionment. Three of my favorite themes! This was an autumnal album, one that I played constantly and featured regularly on road trips with a couple of friends. It was conceptually solid, deeply moving and strangely comforting. I reacted most to the melancholy songs like “Try Not to Breathe” (a painful song about an old person’s last moments), “Sweetness Follows” (heartbreaking song, with potent cello playing, about the aftermath of a death in a family) “Nightswimming” and a personal favorite, “Find the River.” This album made me cry a few times, and I have to mention in particular that the song “Sweetness Follows,” a truly haunting piece, was something I listened to on the fateful day I found out that a close friend, and the founder of a publication I had written for, was killed in a horrible car accident coming home from Chicago. I was on the highway the same day, maybe an hour behind her, and didn’t find out ’til the next day what happened. It was a huge, tragic event. There were many upbeat REM songs, and I had fun growing with them album after album for almost 30 years. But it was their softer, more intimate songs that ultimately affected me the most. I don’t play this album that often because it brings back some painful memories, but it definitely had an impact.

19. PETE NAMLOOK: AIR 2

Considering that most non-aficionados consider “ambient” to be nothing more than background music, something probably with repetitive droning or tinkly keyboards and not much variety, it’s a huge surprise to discover that there’s actually a HUGE diversity of sounds and approaches in the world of ambient releases. That topic will be discussed in depth another time on this site, but I have to include a Pete Namlook album on my list because Pete, like Eno, created an entire world of ambient releases. He launched a private German record label called Fax in the early 90s, and began releasing limited-edition recordings that became collectors items fairly quickly. The releases spanned the musical spectrum from straight ambient to stuff heavy on beats to weird experimental things to jazz stylings and beyond. Fax fans were challenged by all this and discussed Pete’s work on several key websites. One of the best pairs of ambient recordings on Fax was the first two volumes in a series called AIR. These were meant to be expansive, “ethno-ambient” projects that included instrumentation far beyond mere drones and keyboards. AIR 2, in particular, was a spectacular album. It’s hard to even describe, because it constantly changes, from hypnotic travelogue soundscape (with subtle rhythms) to breezy synth to chanted middle-eastern sounding vocals to glassy, wind chimey stuff and more. “Traveling Without Moving” is the subtitle of the work overall, but it is so filled with diversity, and so enthralling to listen to while driving, that it became a personal landmark for me. I played the entire thing in my car while driving in the mountains of Colorado one evening, with some dangerous conditions happening, and it was one of the most amazing cinematic experiences of my life. This is real musical art, raising the notion of “ambient to a much, much higher level.”

How it influenced me: By creating a bold, fascinating new vision of what ambient could be, and by allowing me to lure friends and other newbies into the ambient “fold” by providing a stellar, immersive and unforgettable listening experience.

20. RADIOHEAD: OK COMPUTER

Radiohead took the music world by storm with this album. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and it was said to be an epic meditation on millennial angst and the growing encroachment of technology in our lives (with the subsequent alienation we were sure to face). I was utterly enthralled with this recording; it really did achieve some sort of pinnacle of creativity for a rock album. Having always loved high, emotive male voices, Thom Yorke’s singing on stunning tracks like “Paranoid Android,” “Subterranean Homesick Alien,” “Let Down,” and “Lucky” was spine-tingling, and the arrangements (and production by Nigel Goodrich) maximized the emotional impact. I listened to this one over and over; it was a thoroughly modern rock masterpiece that took me back to the days of listening to Pink Floyd, Yes and the Moody Blues when I was a teen. The underlying anxiety about the future and the ups and downs that were soon to come with the pervasiveness of the internet and other technologies, were deeply ingrained in the musical aesthetic of this record.

How it influenced me: By announcing a new candidate for “Best group in the world,” showcasing powerful new songwriting and arrangements in a neo-prog rock idiom, and reminding me clearly of the power of writing music that echoed the times and tried to make people think and feel about our fate as humans.

21. THE DOMINO KINGS: LIFE AND 20

This is the only Missouri album on my list, and at this writing, it is out of print, sadly. The trio of guitarist Steve Newman, upright bassist Brian Capps and drummer Les Gallier, based in Springfield, play roots music that blends barroom country and early rock and roll into a snappy, lively formula that is a genuine pleasure to listen to. But that’s not why the album is on my list. It’s here because the album came out when I was an active music journalist for a publication called NOISYPAPER, and I was assigned to review a show by the Domino Kings. I met Brian Capps and struck up a friendship with him. Just a few years later, when I saw Brian in concert again, I was about to endure one of the most painful relationship breakups of my entire life, and Brian’s songs not only served as a bit of a soundtrack for this period, they made me want to dance through the heartache. The Kings were (and still ARE) crack musicians, capable of playing the kind of alcohol-fueled, lost-at-love rave-ups that patrons have been dancing to and enjoying for years. On this album, the Capps tunes “Borrow A Lie,” “Alice” (a wickedly catchy stomper about a bad, bad woman), “Don’t Be Indifferent” and “Steppin’ Out Again” all deal with the kind of women and relationships that tear a man’s soul apart. As this happened to me at the end of 2003 and the first part of 2004, I got to hear Brian Capps perform live several times, with most of these tunes in the mix. And he was kind enough to discuss relationships with me and tell me his own stories of romantic woe. Very cathartic and significant. Additionally, the Kings’ music increased my awareness that Springfield, Missouri was a center of musical vitality. Not far in my future at this point was a deep connection and involvement in that city that would affect my own music career dramatically.

22. EPHEMERA: BALLOONS AND CHAMPAGNE

BALLOONS AND CHAMPAGNE (EPHEMERA MUSIC, 2002)

It’s funny how one little action can end up leading to something much bigger, something you couldn’t predict. By 2002, I was working at an advertising agency, getting into the groove of internet communication and browsing, and trying to learn about new music and discover new things. I had read a few things about Norwegian music, just sort of casually, and I ended up purchasing a CD called THIS IS NORWAY on impulse. It was a compilation of Norwegian pop and rock bands, and there was a track by a band called Ephemera on there. I had never heard of them, and knew nothing about them. The song, “Last Thing,” featured several female singers offering beautiful, tight vocal harmonies, and unusually crystalline keyboards and production. It stood out, and I wanted to know more about this group. Nothing by them was available in the US, but I ordered this album, BALLOONS AND CHAMPAGNE. Lordy. It so far exceeded anything I could have expected, that it’s hard to put into words. It was like realizing your eyes have been impaired for a long time, causing you to never see certain details, and then being given a pair of stunning new glasses that brighten up the entire world, with colors, details and landscapes you were never aware of appearing vividly before you. The three women of Ephemera – Christine Sandtorv, Ingerlise Storksen and Jannicke Larsen – are singer/songwriters of peerless, diamond-pure talent. Since I have an interview with Ingerlise pending, I’ll save most of my thoughts for that piece. But I was bowled over by this magical trio from the start, and they are one of my absolute favorite musical groups in the world. On BALLOONS AND CHAMPAGNE, tracks such as “Act,” “Air,” “Bye” and the title track are such heartbreakingly beautiful, with emotive, delicate singing and a level of purity that I had almost never heard on an American record. I love literally every song this band has recorded, and I came to the conclusion early on that they don’t really know how good they are. They are some kind of magical musical goddesses that simply do what they do, and trust that some people will like it. Ephemera opened up a new world to me, the world of Scandinavian pop music, which I would, within a year, be writing about regularly for a couple of different publications. They actually changed the way I LISTEN to music, because after absorbing the beauty of their vocals and the genius production techinques of their producer, Yngve Saetre, I could no longer respond the same way to typical American pop records. Here’s how passionately in love I am with Ephemera’s music. If there was a fire or a coming tornado, and I could only save a limited number of CDs from my collection, I’d grab an armful of ambient CDs and then use my other hand to grab my small stack of Ephemera CDs. They have been a HUGE, huge influence, and when I became a musician, I kept their intimate vocals in mind at all times as I advanced in my own career.

23. DANIELSON FAMILE: TELL ANOTHER JOKE AT THE OL’ CHOPPIN’ BLOCK

TELL ANOTHER JOKE AT THE OL' CHOPPIN' BLOCK (TOOTH AND NAIL RECORDS, 1997) — TELL ANOTHER JOKE AT THE OL’ CHOPPIN’ BLOCK (TOOTH AND NAIL RECORDS, 1997)

I never, never found so-called “Christian groups” musically interesting; the vast majority of what I heard in that vein seemed like the most shallow, over-reverent, musically insipid crap I could imagine. Nothing against Christianity, only something against boring music. But Lord God almighty! The Danielsons changed that in a big way. It is, of course, not cool or even accurate to call them a “Christian” band. In fact, they are so weird and arty that their first label, a Christian one called Tooth and Nail, dropped them after one album. Instead, Daniel Smith, the composer and frontman for this band along with a rotating cast of family members and friends, began to attract a following from the fringes of indie rock and outsider music. Smith has a very, very high voice, and he makes it even higher by singing one of the highest falsettos in the history of pop music. It is showcased on several tracks on this amazing, visionary album. But the entire album is notable for the focused PASSION on display, the extremely original songwriting, and the sense of communal empathy that pours from the whole thing. Less important than the Christianity of the band is their deep, poignant humanity and concern for the well-being of everyone, meaning every single listener. They really don’t PREACH per se, they simply share their souls, and they do it with powerful music that ranges from Beatles to Beefheart in influence. I’ve tried to share Danielson music with various friends, and it is honestly too much for a lot of them. When Smith ascends to that remarkable falsetto and starts ranting about something in the modern world, it results in a singular, aggressively original sound that is not meant for all. But the humanity and intensity of this album is undeniably hypnotic, emotional and yes, quite beautiful. Some of their later albums, although I like all of them, are at times spotty. But TELL ANOTHER JOKE… is a masterpiece to me.

How it influenced me: By demonstrating that religious themes on an album can be musically riveting, that the subject of confessed vulnerability (one of my favorites) is worth examining, and that weirdness and focused passion are absolutely compatible bedfellows, something I have kept in mind ever since.

24. LISA GERMANO: LULLABYE FOR LIQUID PIG

LULLABY FOR LIQUID PIG (INEFFABLE MUSIC, 2003)

I decided to include this one among some of the final “candidates” for this list because it was a crystal-clear example of a dark, depressing album being cathartic at a time when I was lost. The very offbeat, non-commercial style of Ms Germano is an acquired taste, but fans of originality and darker artsy/folksy stuff can find a lot to love in her work. LULLABYE… was released to little fanfare late in 2003, right as I was breaking up with a girl named Star in an unexpected manner. I went into a downward spiral for a time, and this record is about just that, a downward spiral. Although I’d found other dark, sad albums in the past to be compelling, such as stuff by Neil Young, Lou Reed, Joy Division and others, Lisa Germano really let her worst fears and sorrows hang out, and the album was willfully uncommercial. Yet it had a lot of fragile beauty on it. There were some verses, and eerie sounds (inspired by struggles with alcoholism, reportedly) on this album that could absolutely get under your skin. One verse that almost brought me to tears, was “Without you here/Without your love/The world’s just THERE/It doesn’t move me.” The songs are generally short, and Ms Germano really sounds like she is fighting off a breakdown, which oughta sound familiar to anyone who has suddenly lost their love, or found themselves on the wrong end of a battle with substance abuse. This is not a fun album, but I’ll never forget how it provided therapy and catharsis during a pretty rotten four month stretch for me.

25. In order for this list to have a sense of “completeness” for me, I have to put FILM SOUNDTRACKS

FILM MUSIC: NEVER CRY WOLF (WINDHAM HILL RECORDS, 1983)

for the final slot. I don’t mean loose collections of songs, I mean orchestral scores. I grew up with film music and I love it, and my brother is one of the most knowledgeable film soundtrack buffs in the country; he writes a column about it. Film music has been described as the “first cousin” of ambient music; it’s generally instrumental, generally evocative and mood-setting, and able to be created in many different musical idioms. Watching movies and TV shows all my life, I have to say that I always noticed the music, and the mood-enhancing nature of movie music got deeply into my psyche. When I write songs now, there is always part of me that hopes to capture something subtly cinematic. There are tons of soundtracks in my collection, but to round out this list of influences, I will pick three different ones: TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, the beautiful Elmer Bernstein score for the classic Gregory Peck movie (with a main theme that everyone loves and remembers); DANCES WITH WOLVES, a rapturous, Western-themed score by John Barry that covers as much terrain as the epic film itself does, and NEVER CRY WOLF, by the prolific Mark Isham, whose 1983 score was one of the first ambient soundtracks ever. Isham stated in interviews that he was influenced by Brian Eno, so… it figures I could identify with his movie work!

TEN OTHER INFLUENTIAL RECORDINGS THAT MISSED OUT ON THE MAIN LIST:

NEIL YOUNG: ZUMA… THE WHO: TOMMY… MIKE OLDFIELD: OMMADAWN… XTC: ENGLISH SETTLEMENT… THE SAMPLES: NO ROOM… THE RESIDENTS: NOT AVAILABLE… PHILIP GLASS: GLASSWORKS… HAROLD BUDD AND BRIAN ENO: THE PLATEAUX OF MIRROR… MUM: FINALLY WE ARE NO ONE… PINK FLOYD: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

SPECIAL HONORABLE MENTION:

ROBYNN RAGLAND: MODERN AMERICAN FEMALE GUT

MODERN AMERICAN FEMALE GUT (RAGDOLL RECORDS, 2003)

Although it didn’t feel right to place this on the main list of 25, I need to include Robynn Ragland’s record because, first of all, it was one of the most well-written and well-produced collections of songs by a local artist during my early years as a writer, first for NOISYPAPER, and then for PLAYBACK STL and fLUSH. Appreciating artists in Saint Louis wasn’t always easy, but Robynn made it a cinch. Her true significance for me was that we became close friends, and she really encouraged me with my own writing and creative pursuits. And in a twist that neither of us could have foreseen, when I had my surprising success with the UP IN THE AIR song, Robynn became my manager for a few years. She was singularly responsible for my spectacular trip to Japan to promote the movie, and I could hardly forget something like that!

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Features/Interviews | Kevin Renick | January 29, 2015 | Alternative Rock Ambient Music Americana Brian Eno Christian Rock Classic Rock Cocteau Twins DANCES WITH WOLVES Danielson Famile Electronic Music Elmer Bernstein Ephemera Experimental Music Folk Music Gothic Music John Barry Lisa Germano List Mark Isham Music NEVER CRY WOLF Nick Drake Noise Rock Norway Pete Namlook Pop Rock Post-Punk Music Progressive Rock Radiohead REM Robynn Ragland Rock and Roll Roots Rock Saint Louis Shoegaze Singer/Songwriter Soundtrack Music Springfield MO Talking Heads The Domino Kings Theatrical Rock TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

TRIGGER HIPPY: TRIGGER HIPPY

(ROUNDER RECORDS/CONCORD RECORDS; 2014)

So, what’s a fella to do when his band is prone to rather lengthy bouts of inactivity based on the whims and hubris of the brothers that front the band? Well, if you’re the Black Crowe’s drummer, Steve Gorman, you form a band of your own, enlisting the group of musicians with which you would most want to collaborate. That’s exactly what Steve did in 2009, when he founded Trigger Hippy with fellow Crowe member, guitarist Audley Freed, Widespread Panic guitarist Jimmy Herring and Nashville session bassist Nick Govrik. Herring and Freed eventually departed (as did Freed’s replacement, Will Kimbrough), due to outside commitments, and the group solidified around Gorman, Grovnik, ace session guitarist Tom Bukovac and the duel lead vocal powers of Jackie Greene (who also provides guitar and keyboards) and Joan Osborne… a veritable super group of seasoned, in-demand players. The sound on their debut record is solid Southern Rock ‘n’ Soul (think Lynyrd Skynyrd – or the post-crash offshoot, Rossington Collins Band – spiced with a touch of Wet Willie and Little Feat and a whole lot of Stax Records funky rhythm and blues), a true band effort, as Gorman relates: “Sure, you can see this as a ‘player’s band,’ but it really is a BAND, in the true sense of that word.”

Trigger Hippy (Tom Bukovac, Steve Gorman, Nicj Govrik, Joan Osborne, Jackie Greene) (photo credit: JACOB BLICKENSTAFF

The album kicks off with the celebratory, anthemic “Rise Up Singing,” a gospel-tinged song driven by a vibrant organ and hand claps. Aside from the previously mentioned influences, you can also hear touches of Delaney and Bonnie and even – believe it or not – a little Three Dog Night and latter day Fleetwood Mac. “Turpentine” is a Black Crowes type rocker with a deep, pumping bass, powerful drumming, smooth harmony vocals and Skynyrd-esque double lead guitars, with an unforgettably cool harmonic riff. The slow, plaintive “Heartache On the Line” marks the end of a deep love and a long relationship, with Jackie’s organ infusing just the right touch of melancholy to the song. That melancholy is matched by the vocal performances by Greene and Joan Osborne; especially effective are the lyrics in the chorus: “You and me, babe/We got history/It ain’t everything we asked for/But it’s everything we need/You and me, babe/We got nothin’ but time/Well, the kids are grown/And the money’s all gone/It’s heartache on the line.” Steve’s drumming, as usual, is spot on and Bukovac’s solo perfectly relates the feeling of dissolution. “Cave Hill Cemetary” features a solo Joan’s rather ragged sounding vocal over a funky guitar/organ groove. The pumping rhythm, supplied by Gorman, Nick Govric and Greene, and the blistering leads and solo from Tom catapults this one into the rarified air occupied by Al Jackson Junior, Lewie Steinberg (and, later, Donald Dunn), Booker T Jones and Steve Cropper (uh… Booker T and the MGs, if you didn’t know). “Tennessee Mud” is a swampy, muscular number that sonically evokes such acts as Mountain, Mother’s Finest and a bit of Ram Jam’s version of Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter’s Blues stomp, “Black Betty.” The second, primarily instrumental, half of the track absolutely screams “jam band” but, in a totally cool, acceptable way. There’s a great give-and-take from Joan and Jackie on the ballad “Pretty Mess,” that pays off beautifully with the harmony vocals on the chorus. Bukovac’s semi-acoustic guitar adds to the depth of the number with its ringing tone.

Trigger Hippy (Jackie Greene, Joan Osborne, Steve Gorman, Nick Govrick, Tom Bukovac) (photo credit: JACOB BLICKENSTAFF)

“Pocahontas” is one of the funkier tunes here, with a slithering, snaky guitar coda, kinda like Gary Rossington and Stevie Ray Vaughan fronting Sly’s Family Stone. Greene’s clavinet brings a Stevie Wonder-esque funk to the proceedings, while another solo vocal performance from Osborne proves why she is one of the preeminent ladies of this type of soulful rock ‘n’ roll. While I was rather expecting a cover of the Blackfoot tune, “Dry County” has the quintet firing on all cylinders as they build off of the David Bowie/John Lennon groove of “Fame.” As the song progresses, the guitars toughen up as the deep bottom end from Steve and Nick seems to gain new momentum into the instrumental section; with guest Ian Fitchuk providing keyboard support, we are treated to a harmonica solo from Jackie Greene, while his and Joan’s singing are lifted to new heights, teasing each other with lines like: “I know you got it/But you can’t spare it/What I gotta do to get you to share it/It’s like living in a dry county/Trying to get a little bit of your love.” The spry playing and almost joyful singing on “Nothing New” belies the hurt in the lyrics. There’s a lot happening here that could easily go unnoticed if left in the hands of another producer (Bukovac co-produced with input from the rest of Trigger Hippy): The track starts with a guitar signature that’s right out of the Derek Saint Holmes playbook as a prudent use of the cowbell marks time before the vocals come in; a great boogie woogie piano cuts through at times, augmenting the continually stellar guitar work. Another slinky groove propels “Ain’t Persuaded Yet,” as Osborne’s character pleads her case to a jealous lover: “’Oh, I never would step out on you/Now what you heard, it just ain’t true/Baby, don’t something you’ll regret.’/He said, ‘Your words are sweet/But I ain’t persuaded yet.’” As wicked sounding guitars and organ weave in and out of the mix, a buoyant, rock steady bass holds the groove, allowing Gorman to get a little adventurous with the percussion. Sounding like the flip side to the last cut, “Adelaide” is a sad, rootsy lament, with Greene’s high lonesome voice; the emotions seem genuine and are definitely effective. The almost dirge-like music comes together with a rolling drum beat, steady, solid bass, and grief-stricken harmonica, organ and banjo (though not credited, I would imagine that the banjo is courtesy of Tom Bukovac).

Trigger Hippy (Tom Bukovac, Steve Gorman, Nick Govrik, Joan Osborne, Jackie Greene) (photo credit: JACOB BLICKENSTAFF)

I’ve always been a fan of the Black Crowes but, honestly, if Trigger Hippy can continue producing the type of music presented on their debut, I won’t be too sad if the Robinson brothers permanently retire the group. The vocal interplay between Joan Osborne and Jackie Greene is exceptional, the rhythm section is tight and I can certainly see why Bukovac won the MUSIC ROW Session Guitarist of the Year award for five consecutive years; the man is absolutely brilliant… a true player’s player. The songwriting by the band, collectively and singularly (and, occasionally augmented by former guitarist Audley Freed), is superb. If I were to do a Top 10 of 2014, TRIGGER HIPPY would undoubtedly be near the top of the list.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews | Darren Tracy | December 28, 2014 | Audley Freed Blues Rock Classic Rock Country Rock Funk Music Hard Rock Ian Fitchuk Jackie Greene Joan Osborne Memphis Soul Music Nick Govrik Pop Rock Rock and Roll Roots Rock Southern Rock Steve Gorman The Black Crowes Tom Bukovac Trigger Hippy

MEDICINE: HOME EVERYWHERE

(CAPTURED TRACKS; 2014)

After a brief, 18 year respite, Medicine’s original core trio (Brad Laner, Beth Thompson and Jim Goodall) reconvened in 2013 for the TO THE HAPPY FEW album (Laner released an album in 2003 called THE MECHANICAL FORCES OF LOVE, but it was a Medicine album in name only). Rather than tour to hype the new material, the band immediately began work on a new record; now, a little over a year later, comes HOME EVERYWHERE. My first true exposure to the band came with the 1995 release of HER HIGHNESS, their third (and final) record of their original run, and the ensuing tour; the record was okay, the live show was an exhausting lesson in feedback and noise that I’ve never forgotten and have never seen repeated in the ensuing 18 year gap (although Sons of Hippies do come close). The band handed me a copy of their second album, THE BURIED LIFE, which still receives frequent plays at home and in the car. HOME EVERYWHERE seems to pick up where that release left off in 1993.

Medicine (Jim Goodall, Beth Thompson, Brad Laner) (publicity photos)

The album’s opening salvo, “The Reclaimed Girl,” is wicked noise-mongering at its finest… just like I remembered; it kinda sounds like it was recorded in a toilet… just like I remembered. There’s an odd, bubbling bass thing and a weird tack piano part that come to the fore oduring the breaks. What a great way to start an album! “Turning” is a prototypical Medicine track, with a really dirty sounding, fuzzed-out bass, a funky guitar signature, vocals buried deep in the mix (as usual) and drums that Jack Black would call “gut-bucket.” A two-headed behemoth of uncontrolled abuse, “Move Along” and “Down the Road” features guitars that are strangled to within an inch of their metaphorical lives. The vocals, again, have a rather syrupy sweet sound, even if they are buried under tons of near-white noise. This pop music at its best. “Don’t Be Slow” kinda sounds like a girl group run through a blender with Brian Wilson at a Big Country kegger. Translation: Quite melodic and utterly dissonant. Sort of a clunky rhythm propels “Cold Life” along, under a bed of feedback enhanced guitar repetition. This is the type of headache-inducing noise that we all wanna hear from Medicine. “They Will Not Die” closes out side one of the vinyl version, for those so inclined, of HOME EVERYWHERE. It’s an oddly haunting tune – a little bit of a New Orleans voodoo vibe – with rather unique instrumental choices for this group. The number is a well-placed (mid-album) change of pace and very enjoyable.

“It’s All About You” opens side two and is probably the poppiest that you’ll ever hear the group play. An echoey piano from Laner truly enhances Thompson’s dreamy vocals. The song actually got stuck on “replay” in my head! Has anyone ever been able to say that about a Medicine song? A percussion-heavy non-tune, “The People,” has Jim Goodall out front while stabs of vicious guitar feedback punctuate the mayhem before everything falls away into a spooky soundtrack of low noises and weird voices. “Home Everywhere,” aside from providing the record with a name, is also its piece de resistance. It starts out as a happy, hippie pop thing with a bass line that gets stuck in the cranial cavity, turns into a swirling cauldron of imaginative percussion and feedback, has a break with sort of a hypnotic hymn vibe at about the five minute mark and finishes up with four minutes of what can only be called a “droning hippie-fest… all with amazingly up-front vocals. As awesome as it is here, this eleven-and-a-half minute minimalist workout would be great live!

Medicine (Brad Laner, Jim Goodall, Beth Thompson) (publicity photo)

So, there you go… a really solid album with some truly great songs. It’s like the band has never been away. Now, if we can just get ’em back on stage!

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Darren Tracy | November 26, 2014 | Alternative Rock Beth Thompson Brad Laner Hard Rock Jim Goodall Medicine Music Noise Rock Pop Rock Rock and Roll Streaming Video

SWEET: LEVEL HEADED TOUR REHEARSALS 1977

(ANGEL AIR RECORDS; 2014)

A couple of albums after my all-time favorite Sweet record (GIVE US A WINK), the band was digging in with a new record label in the UK (they went from RCA to Polydor; they maintained their long-term relationship with Capitol in the States). The band’s sound had already started to shift to a more middle-of-the-road (MOR), more “mature” approach on the previous release, OFF THE RECORD, but LEVEL HEADED would be the album that gave them their first hit single of this new era, “Love Is Like Oxygen.” Before the LEVEL HEADED record had even been released, the band started making plans for their first tour in over a year; they retooled the stage show, jettisoning all of their better known pre-1973 tunes in favor of more music from the OFF THE RECORD and LEVEL HEADED albums (performing all of the songs from the latter… a very bold move back then); they worked up new arrangements for many of the more familiar tunes for a more cohesive live experience (for the first time, the band would be working with sidemen to bring the newer, more keyboard heavy cuts to life on stage: Gary Moberly on keyboards and Nico Ramsden as second guitarist). Under normal circumstances, after more than a year away from the stage, a group needs a certain amount of rehearsal time to get up to speed; working on the total overhaul they envisioned for the LEVEL HEADED tour, the band convened at Shepperton Studios somewhere near the end of September, 1977 to prepare for the tour, which kicked off in February, 1978, a couple of weeks after the album’s release. The release of LEVEL HEADED TOUR REHEARSALS 1977 – which has made rounds on the bootleg circuit for many years – offers a glimpse of the new sound and, warts and all, the progression from bold idea to masterful fruition.

Sweet (Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Mick Tucker, Andy Scott) (uncredited photo)

This set begins with a pair of GIVE US A WINK tunes. First up is theirfinal great, balls-to-the-wall single, “Action.” In this new arrangement, the keyboards take an even more prominent role than they had on the studio version and the second guitarist adds his own spin, quite apart from what Andy Scott’s signature sound offered; this new take isn’t really all that bad, just different. Of course, the vocals seem a bit thin in comparison to the multi-layered studio sound, which is to be expected with only the four unadorned voices of the band on display in a live setting. “Yesterday’s Rain” is one of my absolute favorite tracks from …WINK. Brian Connolly’s voice sounds particularly ragged here, but still strong. Scott’s fierce soloing and the harmony work he does with Ramsden are, indeed, awesome to behold (in a totally aural fashion). I would have loved to have seen the boys perform this one live! “California Nights” is a softer, more melodic tune from LEVEL HEADED, with a nice Steve Priest lead vocal. It’s a definite sign of things to come as the band moved in a more mature, hard rock vein. A cool, single-only track from the LEVEL HEADED period, “Stairway To the Stars,” rocks a little harder and features those high, piercing backing vocals for which the group is so well known. “Dream On,” an understated keyboard ballad, works as a nice interlude or transitional piece. Andy Scott’s voice highlights another ballad, “Lady Starlight,” a signal that the guys are definitely looking to soften their image on the new tour.

Sweet onstage, 1978 (Andy Scott, Nico Ramsden, Steve Priest, Brian Connolly, Mick Tucker) (uncredited photo)

“Lady of the Lake” is as unlike the Sweet‘s brash style as possible, a gentle renaissance-like piece. Listening to “Fountain,” a mid-tempo rocker that may best represent the group’s output at this time, puts me in mind of the 1973 Wishbone Ash classic, WISHBONE FOUR. The song features classic Ash-style harmony guitars and is highlighted by a cool slide solo and a memorable bass line from Steve Priest. “You’re Not Wrong For Loving Me,” a rare B-side from 1971, sounds ragged and not in synch at all; the guitars and voices seem to be doing different tunes. But, then, working out those types of kinks is what rehearsals are for, right? “Fox On the Run” gets an upgrade (not the original arrangement was bad) with a more keyboard heavy, radically different version of the stomping rocker. Oftentimes, a new arrangement can revive a tired classic or reinvigorate a band; you get both here. “Air On ‘A’ Tape Loop” is one of those wonky synthesizer/keyboard kinda experimental number that’s intended to show a group’s growth as musicians. Uh… okay.

Sweet, 1978 (Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, Andy Scott, Mick Tucker) (uncredited photo)

Another early B-side, “Done Me Wrong Alright,” once more recalls the more melodic sounds of Wishbone Ash. Connolly belts the tune out like the Brian of old but, the overall feel on this number points to the four core members of the group reaching a bit too far to make a point and in trying to make full use of their new hired guns. That’s borne out by an extended organ solo. The solo isn’t bad, but with Andy Scott shreddingon guitar before and after, I would have preferred a shorter solo from Andy or maybe another harmony piece with Ramsden, keeping the organ as a rhythm instrument. A kind of stripped down version of the then-current hit single, “Love Is Like Oxygen,” works far better than the distinct disco groove of the studio version. Brian’s voice sounds more natural on this type of tune at this point in his career, which may have been a considering factor in the Sweet exploring this subtler sound. “Set Me Free” is a true Sweet raver. The band was playing loose and easy and having fun; you can actually hear the guys laughing at one point, when Brian goes flat. As much as the group wanted to switch gears musically, eight years into their career, this style is their comfort zone and it shows throughout this song. “Sweet FA” is another mid-career barn-burner; the chorale part with the piano works really well and the organ pushes the sound closer to the hard rock land occupied by Uriah Heep and Deep Purple, which ain’t a bad thing. “Windy City” is the one where everybody lets rip. Connolly’s voice sounds like his throat has ripped open and Mick Tucker, Priest and Scott (as well as sidemen Ramsden and Moberly) attack the tune as if it’s their last gasp chance to rock.

Sweet (Brian Connolly) (uncredited photo)

LEVEL HEADED was the final album to feature Brian Connolly and the ensuing tour was the last time that this version – the most popular version – of the Sweet performed together. There are clues that the move to a more middle-of-the-road sound may have been precipitated by Connolly’s health problems. If that’s the case, it is a testament to the other three band members that they took the high road (so to speak) by taking the collective foot off the gas to accommodate their friend’s needs. This rehearsal session indicates that all four men were working overtime to make the new tunes work and, whatever the reasons behind the change in style, it is well worth the price of admission for fans of the Sweet, regardless of which era they favored.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews | Darren Tracy | November 18, 2014 | Andy Scott Brian Connolly Classic Rock Gary Moberly Glam Rock Hard Rock Mick Tucker Music Nico Ramsden Pop Rock Rock and Roll Steve Priest The Sweet

JENNY LEWIS: THE VOYAGER

(WARNER BROTHERS RECORDS; 2014)

Jenny Lewis literally grew up in front of America. She was only nine years old when she made her first television appearance (in the TV movie, SUBURBAN BEAT). The first thing I ever saw her in was the 1989 big-budget Shelley Long (of CHEERS fame) comedy, TROOP BEVERLY HILLS; it wasn’t a huge part for Jenny, but it was obvious that she had that something special… even at 13 years old. As she got older, she was showing up less on the screen, slowly transitioning to a career in music. In 1998, she formed Rilo Kiley, a band who were destined to become indie darlings. She released an album with the Watson Twins in 2006 and her first true solo album, ACID TONGUE, in 2008. After the release of I’M HAVING FUN NOW, an album recorded with her boyfriend, Jonathan Rice, Jenny’s life headed into a rather drastic downward spiral. Her father passed away at the end of 2010 and Rilo Kiley broke up a few months later. These two events led to intense bouts of insomnia and emotional upheaval. As a coping mechanism, Jenny began writing again. Now, almost three years later, we finally have THE VOYAGER, a cathartic, thought-provoking collection that, through the shimmering sound, a very vulnerable soul is laid bare.

Jenny Lewis (photo credit: AUTUMN DE WILDE)

THE VOYAGER is produced, primarily, by Ryan Adams, it’s the team of Lewis and Rice who helm the folk/dance opener, “Head Underwater.” The song has a certain ebb and flow and the sparkling production perfectly highlights Jenny’s vocals. “She’s Not Me” is sort of an ’80s pop/R and B thing that would have demanded a video which would have been placed in heavy rotation on the MTV. Even though the tune has a smooth and easy feel (no doubt like the other woman in the song), it’s basically a smackdown by a scorned lover. Speaking of videos, “Just One of the Guys” (check it out below) features Jenny and a bunch of her friends (including Anne Hathaway, Kristin Stewart and Brie Larson) playing dress up and trying to mimic typical macho men; obviously, they don’t even come close but, then, maybe that’s the whole point. By this point of the album, a certain thematic thread seems to developing: Jenny Lewis, now heading toward 40 (geez… how old does that make YOU feel?), is starting to hear the ticking of her biological and reproductive clock. Amongst the psuedo-psychedelic country vibe of the Beck Hansen-produced song are the lyrics, “There’s only one difference between you and me/When I look at myself, all I can see/I’m just another lady without a baby.”

A different kind of psychedelia (“A slippery slope/Mushrooms and coke”) seems to drive the next track, “Slippery Slopes.” The guitar has an almost metal feel which offers an odd juxtaposition with Lewis’ silky smooth voice. “Late Bloomer” is a rockin’ country thing with lyrical allusions to Lou Reed’s “Walk On the Wild Side,” without the cross-dressing and transgender references (as far as I can tell, anyway). The third and final non-Ryan Adams produced (it’s another by Jenny and Johnny) song, “You Can’t Outrun ’em,” is a weird, watery sounding piece with bizarre Gothic country overtones.

“The New You” is quiet little rocker with lyrics that conjure images of a person trying to find themselves or, worse, a person in complete denial regarding their own identity. The tune segues into “Aloha and the Three Johns,” a song with an intriguing bass line, a shimmering guitar and an unreasoning disdain for Hawaiian songs. Jenny’s voice is particularly crisp and punchy on the track, another one of those retrospective things about relationships and fear of commitment. The intro to “Love U Forever” features a take on one of the greatest riffs of all time: That infamous Dave Davies (and, yes, it IS Dave, not Jimmy Page… how do I know? Well, Dave once told me, “Don’t you think that if I could blame Jimmy for that piece of crap, I would? It was me. All me.”) guitar signature from “You Really Got Me” actually repeats throughout the song, generally as a bass riff. The tune also features a great vocal melody line, as well. It may be my favorite track on the record. “The Voyager” closes the album. It’s a rather dreamy thing about getting to the place you want/need to be in your life (no geography involved) with minimal instrumentation. It’s gauzy feel is the perfect album closer. I guess misery begets beauty, but I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Even if it did result in another record like THE VOYAGER.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews Streaming Video | Darren Tracy | August 7, 2014 | Alternative Rock Beck Country Rock Jenny and Johnny Jenny Lewis Jonathan Rice Music Pop Rock Rilo Kiley Ryan Adams Streaming Video

INCAN ABRAHAM: TOLERANCE

(WHITE IRIS RECORDS; 2014)

I never trust music reviewers who sound like they know every single similar artist when they try to describe a new band to the reader, and it would be literally impossible for any music scribe to hear even a majority of the stuff that comes out these days; there’s just too much of it. An honest, well-intentioned reviewer, which yours truly would like to be considered, can at best hope to give you a general idea of a new group’s sound, and then offer up a few similar artists as loose references. What you need to know about Incan Abraham, and their debut album TOLERANCE (well named in these intolerant times) is that it’s melodic, stately rock bent on achieving a casual grandeur, rock that is friendly, communal and very inviting, with high male vocals and pleasing harmonies. You want reference points? Well, there is a Norwegian artist named Magnet that comes to mind but I’m guessing you don’t know that artist or the singer, Evan Johanssen, who powers it. So let’s go with a touch of Coldplay, a few dollops of Beach House and a vague smidge of Sting, arranged in such a way that it could go prog on you if the group had a ton of money, but they don’t yet, so they stop just in time to be melodically solid and easily accessible. Comparisons aside, the main thing about Incan Abraham is that they sound familiar, something that reminds you of other stuff you’ve heard, but in a good, reassuring way.

Giuliano Pizzulo, Teddy Cafaro and Spencer Mandel have evidently been friends since grade school, and you can practically hear that kind of tight-knit vibe in the close harmonies and unity of purpose here. Pizzulo’s vocals soar, typically against lush, synth-generated backdrops that never go on too long, and are always melodically winning.”Midwife,” “Concorde” and “Forgiveness” have that easy accessibility that’s elusive for so many bands, hitting the right buttons not just for a presumed mass rock audience but for jaded critics that look for something oh so different but will normally surrender to great vocals and high production values. On “Tram,” Pizzulo has the confidence in his range that allows him to hit high notes perfectly, and the resulting emotional clarity is very pleasant indeed. “Desert Hold,” a brief truffle of a tune, is sparsely arranged, with just a slightly off-center vocal, acoustic guitar, and sweet harmonies to give it a bit of company…very becoming. But “Peers” is a real highlight, a warm, lovely bit of songcraft in which the vocal harmonies wrap you in a soft blanket of comfort, outdoing Beach House by a degree or two. When the band sings “Oh, oh, oh” a few times at the end, you might be inclined to do the same at the sweet sound emanating from your player. And the jaunty keyboard figure of “Spring House”, with another breezy arrangement in tow, should seduce the majority of just about any genre audience out there save hip hop or metal. It’s easy listening for uneasy times. In short, there are two ways you can approach this kind of record: the stuffy, “oh look at me I’m a critic” way, which will have you concluding that this is a listenable, but not very original debut. Or, the way most listeners SHOULD respond to something: does it sound good? Are the vocals strong? Do the tunes invite you in and incite some emotion here and there? On that level, Incan Abraham have definitely got it going on; they are attentive, emotionally present musicians who aim to pull you right in for 45 minutes, and then let you go, feeling a good measure better. In my book, that’s a solid musical goal, and TOLERANCE is likely an understated word for what you’ll achieve by experiencing this lovely record start to finish.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews | Kevin Renick | May 8, 2014 | Incan Abraham Music Pop Rock Rock Music

JESSICA HERNANDEZ AND THE DELTAS: DEMONS

(INSTANT RECORDS EP; 2013)

The music of Detroit’s Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas is a mash-up of styles and musical references that leaves you wanting more. The five tracks on DEMONS has definitely whetted my appetite for a full-length (coming later this year, if things go as planned). Like its predecessor, 2010’s WEIRD LOOKING WOMEN IN TOO MANY CLOTHES, the EP shows that the 20-something singer is a vocal force to be reckoned with. The songs, also, exhibit an ability to write: the lyrical content is at once, witty, sexy and – on a deeper level – somewhat subversive, while the music and melodies are memorable, stick-in-your-head cool. There are many artists out there making a lot of money with a whole lot less talent! The Deltas (guitarists Mike Krygier and Gordon Smith, bassist Ben Sturley, drummer Steve Stetson and keyboardist Taylor Pierson) and guests (a horn section including Daniel Zlotnik, John Rahleeh and Yoanni Pino) prove they are no slouches, either, offering a muscular, elastic underpinning for Jessica’s voice.

Jessica Hernandez and the Deltas (publicity photo)

The title tune has a kind of Squirrel Nut Zippers, old school hot jazz feel to it, which really suits the ample vocal skills of Ms Hernandez well. Not to be pigeonholed in one genre, the band also proves adept at a more conventional pop/rock sound on “Caught Up,” while a cover of Conway Twitty’s “Big Town” adds a bit of a bossa nova feel to the country twang. “Shadow Boy” is an atmospheric, slow simmering and moody ballad, bringing a touch of the Gothic to the mix. “Picture Me With You (Carnie Threesome)” closes the short set. It’s an odd, circus midway/ska kind of thing with a creepy Farfisa running throughout and lyrics to match: “I’ve been sleeping with your boyfriend/I’ve been sleeping in his bed/Picture me dead/Picture me with you.” Anyone exhibiting the scope and musical breadth found on DEMONS deserves to be huge! You can do your part by visiting jessicahernandez.merchtable.com to get your copy (along with WEIRD WOMEN… and other goodies). You won’t be sorry.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews | Darren Tracy | February 25, 2014 | EP Hot Jazz Jessica Hernandez Music Pop Rock Ska The Deltas

WHEN PIGS FLY – SONGS YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU’D HEAR

(A2X RECORDS/XEMU RECORDS/AORTA RECORDS; 2002) A REVIEW FROM THE VAULT (UPDATE BELOW)

“Hey… let’s make a record!” “Yeah! Awright! Let’s get some really cool songs to put on it! How about Peter Gabriel’s ‘Shock the Monkey?’ That song rocks!” “But… we can’t afford to stick a Peter Gabriel song on there with our budget. Unless… ” “Okay. I hear what you’re saying. Don Ho rocks!”

“Huh? Run that one past me again? Don Ho… ‘Shock the Monkey’… I don’t get the connection, dude,” you say. Well, Slappy, give a listen to this hipper-than-hip collection and get yourself a clue. WHEN PIGS FLY… takes a bunch of really cool tunes and a bunch of really strange performers, dumps ’em all into a blender and gets… well, some strangely cool covers! They ain’t all masterpieces and, truthfully, a lot of ’em aren’t even that big a stretch to imagine the couplings. A lot of people may be upset to find that, though the collection was done with a nod and a wink, these versions are – for the most part – dead serious artistic restylings.

On the first track, “Unforgettable,” the unlikely duo of Ani DiFranco and Jackie Chan (yup… THAT Jackie Chan) displays chops that will surprise more than a few folk. Now, seriously, we all knew that Ani is in possession of an ample set of pipes, but her vocals on this American standard are amazing! And… who knew that Jackie could croon? Well, apparently the vast majority of his homeland, as he is one of Hong Kong’s biggest musical stars. He will probably never be confused for Nat “King” Cole, but he can certainly hold his own. We’re only one tune into this eclectic array of singers and songs and the pigs have definitely left the runway!

Devo deconstructs Neil Young’s “Ohio” next. Here’s one of those tunes that really isn’t a huge stretch: The guys of Devo are Ohians (from Akron, of course) and, if memory serves, a couple of them may actually have been enrolled at Kent State in 1970. This version belches, whistles, and throbs, in typical Devo style. Though Mark, Jerry, and the others never step out of character, the tune’s original vehemence and anti-war sentiment still comes through. “Call Me,” by the Box Tops is… different. Blondie’s huge electro-dance hit is turned into… well… a Box Tops song, with funky Memphis horns and a patently dispassionate Alex Chilton vocal. What can be said about the Connells’ version of Cypress Hill’s “Insane In the Brain,” especially while I’m rolling on the floor in hysterics? First of all… Holy crap! I hate this song! However (and you knew that there was gonna be a “however,” didn’t you?), these North Carolinians make the song palatable, in a repugnant sort of way… i.e.: Like a train wreck or a gruesome accident, you just can’t turn away. I guess that’s what Cypress Hill’s all about, anyway. And the Connells capture that perfectly.

Don Ho (photo: BEN MARGOT-ASSOCIATED PRESS) — Don Ho (photo credit: BEN MARGOT-ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The centerpiece of this collection is Don Ho. As mentioned above, the Hawaiian of indeterminate age covers the improbable “Shock the Monkey.” You wanna laugh… I know you do. And that’s alright, but I’m betting that once you hear the track, you won’t be laughing anymore. The man who brought us “Tiny Bubbles” delivers a dead-on version of the classic Peter Gabriel tune. His voice is surprisingly strong, rich, and raspy, with just enough creepiness to sell the song. Maybe it’s time for a Rick Rubins career makeover for Mister Ho. I’m not suggesting that Rubins could recreate the success that he experienced with Johnny Cash or Donovan, but I would certainly like to hear what he could do with Ho. Though 75% of these tracks are homespun creations, the brainchild of executive producer Cevin Soling, the next track is more than a decade old. The criminally over-looked Roy Clark turns in an amazing vocal performance on a song made famous by the one and only “Satchmo,” Louis Armstrong. While no one can possibly hope to come close to Armstrong’s funky growl, Clark’s smooth-as-silk voice lends a sense of pathos to “What a Wonderful World.”

Billy Preston approaches Duran Duran’s “Girls On Film” like he approaches anything he does: He attacks it and makes it his own. The thumping bass and funky guitar and drums probably has the guys in Duran Duran saying, “See… that’s what we wanted it to sound like!” Preston’s pumping organ and throaty vocals add to the vibe, stamping the tune with the “Official Cool People’s Seal of Approval.” Cy Curnin delivers a creepy, David Bowie like vocal on the Fixx’s version of “These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.” The song, originally performed by Nancy Sinatra, is about empowerment; this version turns it into a misogynistic song about control. One of my favorites from the collection. Another one of those pairings that really isn’t that far of a stretch is the Oak Ridge Boys covering Kansas’ mega-hit, “Carry On My Wayward Son.” The religious overtones of the tune plays well with the Boys’ gospel roots, and the harmonies are so tight that you can totally forgive lead singer Duane Allen for his shortcomings (minimal, though they are) in delivering a rocker like this.

T Rex gets the garage treatment with the Neanderthal Spongecake’s version of “Bang a Gong (Get It On).” The Spongecake is fronted by our erstwhile leader, Cevin Soling and their deliciously trashy version is the best since the Power Station covered the thing somewhere in the final quarter of the last century. I’ve done a little checking and, as far as I can tell, these guys had a full-length release in 1996 (or there-abouts) and have been quiet on the recording front until this solitary track. Hey, Cevin… we all love Spongecake, dude! How ’bout some more? And, now, we’re 11 tracks into a 12 track collection and we finally run into a duffer. Herman’s Hermits take a whack at Billy Idol, offering a rather tepid version of the former Gen-Xer’s “White Wedding.” Now, I have nothing against Peter Noone and, in fact, his vocals actually hold up fairly well. However, having said that, I’m not real sure who the other Hermits are, but I’m guessing that they’re a group of studio musicians… and it sounds like it. The music is as sterile and lifeless as anything that Toto (a group of professional studio musicians, in case you didn’t know) ever recorded.

If Don Ho didn’t shock you (no pun intended), then the final track will. Like most music lovers, I know that you’ve lain awake at night, wondering whatever happened to pop princess Lesley Gore. Well, sleep well tonight, my friends… she’s been laying low, waiting for just the right song for her comeback. And that song is… “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap.” That’s right… Lesley takes one of AC/DC’s most infamous tunes and, adding her own special touches, turns it into a rollicking pop ditty, complete with horns, handclaps, pumping organ, dirty piano, and a slutty “girl group” chorus. This is, without a doubt, the coolest AC/DC cover I’ve ever heard (yeah… I know there aren’t that many, but even if every album ever released featured an AC/DC cover, this would probably still be at the top of the heap)! If you wake up screaming and in a cold sweat remembering Celine Dion’s horrendous version of “You Shook Me All Night Long,” this one will cure the night terrors… at least until that evil Canuck opens her trap and yodels again!

UPDATE: WHEN PIGS FLY… is still available at all the usual download places, like iTunes and, if you’re looking for a physical copy, the original web-site, www.pigsflycd.com is still up and running. You can also listen to individual tracks there.

DO THE ARCHITECTURAL WATUSI Music Reviews | Darren Tracy | August 4, 2013 | Alex Chilton Ani DiFranco Billy Preston Cevin Soling Classic Rock Country Music Covers Devo Don Ho Herman's Hermits Jackie Chan Lesley Gore Neanderthal Spongecake Oak Ridge Boys Peter Noone Pop Music Pop Rock Progressive Rock Rock and Roll Roy Clark The Box Tops The Connells The Fixx Various Artists

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