High Bias aural fixations
December 9, 2001

ANTON BARBEAU
The Golden Boot (Antology Vol. 2)
(125)
Sacramento's Anton Barbeau has been quietly producing superb pop music for a decade now. Despite ringing endorsements from critics (not to mention Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond) he's yet to reach the wider audience he deserves, even within the pop underground. Still, he's prolific enough to release his second album of odds and ends. Due to his brilliant consistency, The Golden Boot is as good as anything in his catalog. Barbeau has a gift for combining eccentric lyrics and subject matter with winning melodies and indelible hooks. Great tunes like "Helen Mirren," "Banana2000" and "Sula 2" resonate far longer than their superficial novelty value might indicate. And while his words are always quirky, he knows when to switch from zany to heartfelt in damn catchy tunes like "Octagon," "Third Eye" and "C'mon Girl." Want insight into Barbeau's character? This is a guy who thinks, in the irresistible "The Horny Old Ballad of Tracy Shellac," that all he has to do to get Tracy in the sack is "light a little candle/And spin a little Bevis Frond." He's a power pop geek of the first order, but he'll get luckier if he plays a prospective date his own marvelous material. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Brendan Benson, E, They Might Be Giants' "Birdhouse in Your Soul"

BOY SETS FIRE
After the Eulogy
(Wind-Up)
A look at the liner notes and lyrics to Boy Sets Fire's fourth CD After the Eulogy, with its references to communism and disgust with the status quo, sets the listener up for hardcore of the sociopolitical variety. And sure, they march it out. The title track finds the band in furious unison, flailing and riffing as Nathan Gray screams, "Where's your anger? Where's your fuckin' rage?" It's probably a great set opener.

But then a curious thing starts to happen. During the opening vocals of the second song, "Rookie," Gray backs off of his wonderfully venomous shout to actually sing. About a minute and a half later: harmony vocals. Subtle, and not misplaced, but yes, harmony vocals they are. In fact, as After the Eulogy unfolds, it becomes clear that Gray has a startlingly versatile and pleasing voice, and in fact, whoever wrote these songs (the whole band is credited) has a talent for melody. Want to hear Gray howl to Hades? You've got it. Aside from the aforementioned title track, "Pariah Under Glass," "Our Time Honored Tradition of Cannibalism," and "Twelve-Step Hammer Program" find Boy Sets Fire face-first in the bile and disgust. They just flat rock. But "Still Waiting for the Punchline," "When Rhetoric Dies" and a fistful more find them indulging the melody, eagerly (yet still angrily) cushioning Gray's pipes. It's always wise to know which side one's bread is buttered on.

It's easy to lose sight of Boy Sets Fire's message, which is one of disgust with complacency, abuse of power, inequality and all the subcomponents therein. Some of it can be a bitter pill to swallow no matter the listener's personal stance, though Boy Sets Fire make it go down much easier. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

For fans of: Minor Threat, A Perfect Circle, Rage Against the Machine

RANDALL BRAMBLETT
No More Mr. Lucky
(New West)
It's not by accident that Randall Bramblett can fashion a CD as poetic and organically pleasing as No More Mr. Lucky. If the name sounds familiar, yes, he's the one who played in the reformed Traffic fairly recently, though he's also rubbed elbows with, and lent his influence and skills to, the likes of Gov't Mule, Elvin Bishop, Steve Winwood, Gregg Allman and Widespread Panic (and don't forget that he's a member of Sea Level).

No More Mr. Lucky is only his fourth solo album in more decades than he'd probably care to have clarified; hey, he's been busy. He's a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter, and his music bears much less of a Southern-fried bent than one might expect considering some of his peers. What we get is a pastoral, R&B-flavored, roots-respecting canvas splattered with rainy afternoons and watercolor backdrops. "Lost Enough," which feels not unlike Peter Gabriel's "Don't Give Up," is ethereal and sad: "You feel the sweetness of the smile she leaves you when you're lost enough," he sings. "Sunflower" is a toe-tapping anecdote about disrupting the daily tedium. Acoustic guitar and a brushed snare drive "Disappearing Ink," a ballad more battered than broken.

No More Mr. Lucky is heartfelt, resonant and touching. Bramblett's not out to change your life, but he provides it a lovely soundtrack. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

For fans of: Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, Lyle Lovett

JEREMY
Pop Rules
(Jam)
Jeremy Morris is one of the most artless musicians in the power pop biz. The Michigan-based multi-instrumentalist formed his own label and online store to release not only his own music but also that by bands he loves. He makes no pretense toward massive commercial success; he's simply giving his buddies and peers a hand. He radiates positivity and Christian charity without ever forcing it down anyone's throat. He carries his honest philosophy into his music as well, eschewing clever wordplay and production trickery for straightforward, uncomplicated pop music. His 15th album Pop Rules lays its heart out on its sleeve with the title, so if you're expecting heartfelt, major chord compositions with lots of plush harmonies and jangly guitars, you're dead on. Jeremy's melodies lean toward the sweeter side of the spectrum, and his mostly upbeat sentiments dispense with artifice to get the message across as cleanly as possible. "Father of Lies" is the prettiest anti-Satan warning you're ever likely to hear, and "Frustrate Me," "Time to Leave" and "Where Were You?" make melancholia beautiful. The most successful marriages of words and music, however, come from tracks in which the two aspects agree in disposition. "It's Getting Better," "Here We Go Now" ("Sunshine in your heart/Keeps you from the dark") and the title track spread good vibes and healthy grins with the strum of a chord. Pop Rules is sincere and accessible in the best way possible. Michael Toland

For fans of: the Monkees, the Hollies, Boy Wonder

LOS STRAITJACKETS
Sing Along With Los Straitjackets
(Cavalcade/Yep Roc)
After four albums of top-drawer instrumental rock 'n' roll, the masked Mexican wrestlers that comprise Los Straitjackets did the only thing left they could do (outside of trading in their guitars and drums for synthesizers): they added vocals. Rather than remove their hoods for their own vocal stylings, however, on Sing Along With Los Straitjackets the band invited some friends to exercise their lungs. The Mavericks' Raul Malo belts out Los Bravos' "Black is Black" in perfect melodramatic style while Paul Revere & the Raiders' Mark Lindsay growls out Roy Head's "You Really Got Me" soundalike "Treat Her Right." Big Sandy croons Spanish language versions of "Tallahassee Lassie" and "Mother in Law" and El Vez Latinizes the King with "King Creole." Allison Moorer and Lonesome Bob duel on "I Ain't the One" as Tom Petty's right hand man Mike Campbell makes his vocal debut outside the Heartbreakers with "Bumble Bee," which also features his stinging guitar. Dave Alvin and the Reverend Horton Heat leave their six-strings at home and rock the mike on "California Sun" and Roy Orbison's "Down the Line," respectively. Conversely, Nick Lowe keeps his trap shut and adds lead bass to his own "Shake That Rat." Exene Cervenka and the Trashmen make significant contributions as well. Only "The End of the World," which features a rather wan vocal from Sixpence None the Richer's Leigh Nash and a strings-dominated arrangement that buries the 'jackets' guitars, is less than memorable. The ostensible stars of the show are in fine form, ripping through sizzling surf, twang and rockabilly licks that propel the songs forward and burn with rock 'n' roll energy. Bringing the garage to the stage, Los Straitjackets rock it like their talented buddies talk it. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Ventures, the Skeletons, Lawndale

RAMONA THE PEST
Birds, Bugs, Bones EP
(Ramona the Pest)
So many releases start with a promising bang and end on a sad whimper. Bay Area-trio Ramona the Pest's EP Birds, Bugs, Bones falls into that unfortunate trap. The four-song punk/pop collection features songs from RTP's upcoming full-length album by the same name, and if this is any indication, the album will have only one bright spot for every four songs.

RTP is known mostly for its "mischievous" shows, but Birds, Bugs, Bones offers little of that, passing off immature lyrics as "fun." The first song, "15 Yeah," is a decent pre-teen angst song that offers a peek into what this band can do. Drummer Pat Spurgeon's backing is solid and Lucio Menegon's off-the-wall guitar playing actually works. Even songwriter Valerie Esway's vocal fits right in. Unfortunately, the other songs focus too much on RTP's weakest link: Esway. Her voice is not spectacular in the least, but gray, flat, and essentially void of any passion. "Skeleton Woman" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" reveal her vocal flaws, and "Spider," based on the children's rhyme, is a poor excuse for songwriting as well. The last song, "Lullabye for a Sad Day," has Esway singing in a softer and more passable vocal style, but the rest of the band is just wallpaper.

The fun and games this band is known for in its live shows is completely missing, and it's a shame considering the small hope of "15 Yeah." This EP proves that RTP would do well to concentrate on itself as a whole and not on its parts. Kelli Briscoe

For fans of: Veruca Salt, Pixies, Hole

VÄSEN
Live At the Nordic Roots Festival
(Northside)
It's a rare thing for the fine Scandinavian bands on the Northside roster to play the U.S. To rectify this, the Minneapolis-based label holds its annual Nordic Roots festival, bringing over its acts and giving us Yanks a chance to see what all the jojkking is about. The hard-driving folk quartet Väsen is one of the outfit's stars, and with this performance it's easy to hear why. Any group that can take a composition as complex as "Ploska" and rev it up faster than normal, while staying in the pocket and keeping the interwoven viola and nyckelharpa lines from stumbling over each other, is sure to register amazement in spectators. A guest appearance by Harv, an energetic fiddle duo, enlivens the already peppy "Polska after Mats Berglund/Såld och Solde." On an epic version of "Nitti Pomfritti," the band takes the original arrangement, prods it, pokes at it and stretches it out to nearly 10 minutes of giddy improvisation and structured joy—leaving both band and audience breathless. It's a bravura performance; hopefully it won't be the only one most American audiences are likely to hear. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Groupa, Harv, JPP

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Listen to What the Man Said: Popular Artists Tribute to Paul McCartney
Coming Up: An Indie Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney
(Tribute/Oglio)
What we have here is not one but two simultaneously released tribute albums to Paul McCartney's solo career, with proceeds going to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of Sir Paul's late wife Linda. Listen to What the Man Said is listed as being by "popular artists" and Coming Up as "independent artists," but there's aren't that many household names on either, with fairly few major-label folks. Most of the artists, faced with either doing radical remakes or remaining largely faithful to the original arrangements, chose the latter route. Since the musicians assembled almost all fall into the power pop category, it's like listening to two dozen 90s remakes from the man himself. It's unclear whether that's a testament to McCartney's enduring influence (particularly on singers), or a lack of imagination on the part of the artists. Not that it ultimately matters, since both albums amount to a couple of hours of unfailingly pleasant listening.

The song selection is interesting in that while some songs are done twice, many of Macca's more obvious hits like "My Love," "Silly Love Songs," "Live and Let Die," even "Listen to What the Man Said" are (some might say thankfully) ignored in favor of more eccentric choices like the B-sides "Back On My Feet" (done by Cockeyed Ghost) and "Oh Woman, Oh Why" (by Ray Paul), not to mention album cuts like "Temporary Secretary" (by the Andersons) and "Ram On" (an eccentric song given an eccentric arrangement by They Might Be Giants). Tunes come from every stage of his career as well, from his first solo single "Another Day" (remade here by Cherry Twister) to Flaming Pie's "Somedays" (from Phil Keaggy). Highlights include Star Collector's energized "My Brave Face," Semisonic's straightforward "Jet," Sloan's lovely "Waterfalls," Matthew Sweet's intimate "Every Night," Starbelly's faithful "Let 'em In," the Virgos' passionate "Maybe I'm Amazed" and the Jellybricks' bouncy "Take It Away." Really, it's hard to pick favorites, as nearly everybody here (Robyn Hitchcock, Owsley, the John Faye Power Trip, the Masticators, the Judybats, the Minus 5, SR-71 and many, many more) does a fine job. Only the Gadget White Band is truly wretched, giving "Maybe I'm Amazed" an ill-advised Melissa Etheridge makeover. Despite a dearth of new ideas for these songs, ultimately McCartney's amazing sense of melody and craft carry the day—and that's the most telling tribute of all. Michael Toland [buy Listen to What the Man Said and buy Coming Up]

For fans of: Wings, Badfinger, Swag

Copyright © 2001 High Bias