High Bias aural fixations
November 4, 2001

COUSTEAU
Cousteau
(Palm Pictures)
You're sitting in the bar, a beer in your hand. It doesn't matter what it is; you can't taste it anyway. Everything's like ashes now. You had another fight and she walked out the door; when she left, she took with her the joy you used to get out of simple things. You've seen her flashing, angry eyes followed by her stiff, retreating back so many times before. You can almost hum along with the sound of the door slamming. But this time is different. You both said things that left the air poisoned between you. She's not coming back, not this time. You know it's your fault; it's always your fault. But you don't know what to say, what to do, how to make things right again. Instead you're sitting here in the candlelit dark, letting the sweet melancholy wash over you like an auburn tide. The smoke, the idle chatter, the liquor burning the back of your throat—all of it feels natural, like you've come home at last. The air is filled with bittersweet piano and brittle guitar, a warm baritone and a lonely flügelhorn. The languid melodies of your sorrow wrap around you like a cloak, even as they gently squeeze your fragile heart. Because "She Don't Hear Your Prayer," this was the "Last Good Day of the Year" and all you can perceive are "Shades of Ruinous Blue." You feel like Frank Sinatra backed by a tattooed gang of British romantics. You feel like Jimmy Webb if he'd never found success with his sophisticated love songs and instead spent his days in a piano bar, pondering his numerous divorces as he charmed his next drink out of the crowd. But doesn't it always feel so good to feel so bad? Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Scott Walker, the Blackeyed Susans, Tindersticks

JENNIFER DANIELS
Dive and Fly
(TNTrees Music)
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee's Jennifer Daniels is more than just another WGWG (that's "white girl with guitar"). Sure, she's pretty, has a beautiful voice, writes sensitive, poetic songs and favors acoustic arrangements with occasional polite electricity—all the primary accouterments needed for Lilith Fair stardom. But there's an undeniable strain of Celtic folk running through her music that immediately sets her apart. Not only does it lend lift to her melodies, but it gives her voice an intimate keening sound that makes her seem like an otherworldly siren. Combine this with songs that avoid the adolescent romanticism of, say, Jewel, and you have a strikingly mature and attractive album. "Now I met my longing there/And I will not withdraw it," she sings in "Widening Sky," and the sense of yearning is palpable. Dive and Fly is the kind of record that would elevate the triple-A radio format, which means it'll probably never see airplay. Beautiful stuff. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Nanci Griffith, Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan

FINISTERRE
Storybook
(Moonjune)
Genova, Italy's Finisterre follows proudly in the symphonic rock footsteps of their 70s forebears like PFM and Banco del Mutuo Soccorso. The Italian wing of prog considers itself less a batch of rock musicians absorbing classical elements than serious composers who use rock instrumentation and flash. Finisterre upholds the tradition with sweeping, cinematic pieces that change tempos and shift keys with the same ease a politician displays with lies and contradictions. Recorded live in 1997 at the ProgDay festival in North Carolina, Storybook presents a band as fully in control of its multifaceted muse on stage as in the studio. "In Limine," the first tune, pretty much lays out what's to come, alternating Sergio Grazia's classic flute, Boris Valle's jazzy analog keyboards and Stefano Marelli's hard rocking guitars over Andrea Orlando's busy drumming and bandleader Fabio Zuffanti's four-string foundation. The band particularly impresses on the flamenco-frosted "Hispanica" and a cover of PFM's "Altaloma," but the group reaches its musical apex with the penultimate track. The mammoth epic "Phaedra" not only gives each musician his due but quotes King Crimson (to the delight of the audience) and leads directly into the explicitly rockist "Canto Antico." Finisterre isn't going to cause the original Italian pioneers to lose any sleep, but at least it's carrying the tradition into the 21st century. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: PFM, the Flower Kings, Änglagård

JACKIE KING WITH WILLIE NELSON
The Gypsy
(Indigo Moon)
Jackie King is a jazz guitar veteran of many decades and many bosses, from Chet Baker to Ray Charles to Tony Bennett. On The Gypsy, Jackie collaborates with Willie Nelson on half of the album's ten songs. The marriage of country and jazz is nothing new, of course. Bob Wills, with whom Nelson did a stint in the 60s, was known to lead an 18-piece band at times, using elaborate charts to meld country and big band sounds. The Gypsy, though, is a more subdued affair, a straightforward, hushed stroll through standards such as Hoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You" and Wills trademarks "San Antonio Rose" and "My Window Faces the South." Tasteful backing from folks such as bassist Jon Blondell and pianist Don Haas holds it all together without intruding. Make no mistake: this is King's record, with vocals and a few guitar solos courtesy of Nelson. And it works, it really does. Both men clearly love this music, and pay respectful homage to its place among their inspirations. By the way, King is now a touring member of Nelson's regular band, the Family. That could add an interesting new dynamic to their sound. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

For fans of: Chet Baker, Charles Brown, Django Reinhardt

MOONSPELL
Darkness and Hope
(Century Media)
The Portuguese quartet Moonspell is one of the many European death metal bands to make the transition to a more Gothic, melodic style, though they shifted much earlier in their career than most of their ilk. While they're not exactly innovators, they've been at the forefront of the Goth metal genre for years by virtue of having perfected their craft. Darkness and Hope, the band's seventh album, is an excellent example of their musical black magic. Bassist Sergio Crestana and drummer Mike Gaspar lay down the rhythms with power and drive, while guitarist Ricardo Amorim and synthesist Pedro Paixao set up a blackened cathedral of barbed riffs and scorched melodies. As with any Goth metal band worth its salt, the focus is on the frontperson, and vocalist Fernando Ribeiro sounds as comfortable in the spotlight as the Vampire Lestat. While he's certainly capable of unleashing a feral growl when a piece requires it, Ribeiro in the main sticks with a low-key croon that takes good advantage of the naturally seductive qualities of his deep baritone. Songs like "Firewalking," "Devilred" and "Than the Serpents in My Hands" would turn a lot of vocalists into pedantic drama queens, but Ribeiro leaves the melodrama behind for a sedate performance that's devilishly inviting. He has tales to tell, and as horrific as they might be, he'd rather his listeners enter freely and of their own will than be attacked. The group ends the record with a cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley," which actually sounds inferior to its own, more stylish material. Darkness and Hope is a titanium steel-solid Gothic metal album, the kind you want to play for your friends to define the genre. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Tiamat, Lacuna Coil, Amorphis

POPE SYNDICATE
Energy Pimps
(Pope Syndicate)
New York's Pope Syndicate debuts with seven songs built around big-boned riffs, slinky bass with a dash of funk, and singer/guitarist Dave Portal's versatile rock pipes. "Lenore" kicks things off with a smoky bass line that calls to mind Morphine before guitar and drums lift off. "Veer" is built on a groove that's part R&B introspection and part hip-shaking electric romp. "Downfall" and "Bring in the New" meld a subtle funk to a layered chunk with ringing snare drum the way the Red Hot Chili Peppers might, though Portal, unlike Anthony Kiedis, is a talented singer. Lyrically, Portal has his thumbprint on everything, and he brings a perfectly workable stream of conscious phraseology to the proceedings. "And I will keep dry/I won't drown in all your lies," he sings on "To Rectify," a barebones lament that puts this CD quietly to bed.

Since recording Energy Pimps, Pope Syndicate have added a second guitarist, Jeff Scott, and started recording more material. Honestly, they do this well enough that they make it sound easy. Keep your eye on these guys. Brian Briscoe

For fans of: A Perfect Circle, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Puddle of Mudd

THE REMBRANDTS
Lost Together
(J-Bird)
Lost Together is the Rembrandts' fourth CD, and their first in five years. The hiatus was a reaction to the sudden and sometimes unpleasant popularity they experienced after penning "I'll Be There For You," the theme song to TV's Friends. Despite the spotlight, the duo maintain that their variation on the Beatles "I Feel Fine" theme is not an accurate reflection of their sound. Indeed, Lost Together is not so much Lennon and McCartney as it is Everly and Everly. The harmonies are tight, the melodies are pleasant, the songwriting is neither ambitious nor embarrassing. The problem is, it's all so innocuous and so completely sweet without being sticky that one would kill for them to march out a Beatlesque romper like the one that muddied their spirits and filled their coffers back in '95. "One of Us" doesn't flirt with quirky pop appeal so much as it admires it from afar. The title track is pleasant enough and "You Are the One" is sadly sweet and pretty, and with just a bit more lyrical muscle it could have resonated. Instead, when the chorus rolls around to deliver its emotional punch, the title of the song is just repeated four times. And so it goes. These guys are talented, but their tendency to plod and nod along does neither the listener nor themselves any favors. With the Rembrandts, it's all about waiting for something to happen. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

For fans of: Jellyfish, Brendan Benson, XTC

THE WATERBOYS
A Rock in the Weary Land
(Razor & Tie)
The long-awaited comeback album from the Waterboys, A Rock in the Weary Land finds bandleader Mike Scott and friends ('boys alums like Anthony Thistlethwaite and the late Kevin Wilkinson, Julian Cope associate Thighpaulsandra) looking back to the band's mid-80s heyday of albums like A Pagan Place and This is the Sea. Huge, widescreen arrangements, layer upon layer of guitars and keyboards, songs unafraid to tackle sweeping issues of love and spiritual hope in a heartless world—what Scott calls "the big music"—fill up every spare bit on the disk. It's like Phil Spector producing U2. There's a bit of contemporary electronic seasoning, but otherwise this is an old-fashioned Waterboys record. The dramatic "We are Jonah," the fiercely distorted "Dumbing Down the World" and the uplifting "My Love is My Rock in the Weary Land" rock like there's literally no tomorrow, the music building to a fever pitch while Scott lets loose his tangled emotions in his ragged cry. "Malediction" and "It's All Gone" travel quieter roads reminiscent of Scott's solo albums, but are no less cogent for the diminished intensity. The record is perhaps most effective when it directly contrasts the two approaches. The penultimate track "Crown" builds a massive tower of electric sound, only to rapidly tear it back down; the following track "My Lord, What a Morning" gently settles the dust on the rubble as the sun rises. A Rock in the Weary Land isn't quite on par with the band's best work, but it's a worthy addition to a mighty canon just the same. Welcome back the Waterboys. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: U2, David Gray, the Call

Copyright © 2001 High Bias