Aural Fixations

NEAL CASAL
Leaving Traces: Songs 1994-2004
(Fargo)
In the 1970s, Neal Casal would have been a star. With a warm, soulful voice, a genre-blending sensibility and melodies that fill the belly like comfort food, he would have been mentioned in the same breath as Jackson Browne, James Taylor and Crosby, Stills & Nash. That's a bit deceptive, however, as there's more to Casal than just countryish folk/pop. (more)

JOBRIATH
Lonely Planet Boy
(Attack)
For nearly three decades, Jobriath was more a myth than a man. His story is best told by those who've done the research (such as Robert Cochrane, who wrote the liner notes for this collection and has a full-length biography in the works), but here's the Cliffs Notes version. (more)

MARK SANDMAN
Sandbox: Mark Sandman Original Music
(Hi-N-Dry/Kufala)
The shocking and sudden death of Boston musician Mark Sandman left a huge hole as yet unfilled by any other artist. Sandman's trio Morphine carved out a distinct niche in rock & roll, filled with desperate characters, noir melodies and a unique sax/drums/slide bass sound the trio dubbed "low rock." While it's good that no one has tried to copy the band's sound (not even the surviving musicians' new group Twinemen attempts that), there's still a gap in the firmament of rock that once held a shining, if tarnished, star. (more)

WIRE
Wire On the Box: 1979
(Pink Flag Archive Research)
Wire is arguably the first postpunk band. Using a loaded term like "postpunk" puts me in all sorts of shark-infested waters, of course, but in this case I think it's accurate. The British quartet was one of the first bands to take the raw energy and disregard for the rules of the late 70s wave of British punk rock and apply it to quirkily-structured songs and a higher caliber of musicianship. (more)