High Bias aural fixations
December 16, 2001

BELLE DE GAMA
Garden Abstract
(125)
Guitarist/songwriter Bradley Skaught has up 'til now been best known as a member of Yuji Oniki's band, but after Garden Abstract, the debut release of his band Belle De Gama, he'll surely be appreciated for his own music. Skaught assays mildly psychedelic pop, skillfully rolling impressionistic lyrics, flowing melodies and earnest emotion into the kind of chronic that goes straight to your head in short order. Skaught and his revolving sidemen (including employer Oniki, Sacramento power pop genius Anton Barbeau and Game Theory/Loud Family major domo Scott Miller) are equally well-versed in the to-the-point catchiness of uptempo rockers like "CA Redemption Value," "The Three Cornered World" and "Unfortunate Wine" as they are with reflective dreamers like "If This is Where the Railways End" and "Steadfast & Clear." Even better is "The Cult of Kids," which begins as a floating, tremoloed ballad before crashing to the ground in a thunderstorm of power chords and feedback. Skaught shows signs of experimentation as well; "Fault Hours" is a near-ambient soundscape and the title track is a miniature nightmare of samples and white noise, with commentary from rapper Dose One. Skaught's not reinventing the pop wheel here, but he's doing a fine job keeping the bearings lubricated and the treads on the road. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Game Theory, Cotton Mather, the Apples in stereo

SEAN COSTELLO
Moanin' for Molasses
(Landslide)
The year was 1966. Bluesbreakers—John Mayall with Eric Clapton dove into the blues with youthful gusto, reverence and chops galore. Among covers of the likes of Otis Rush, Robert Johnson and Little Walter were scattered four Mayall and/or Clapton originals. The result was arguably the greatest blues album to ever emerge from the U.K.

Sean Costello's third CD, Moanin' for Molasses, radiates a similar sort of passion. Costello is a capable, affectation-free singer who plays rollicking guitar and scatters four originals (and an instrumental by band harpist Paul Linden) among these thirteen songs. The title track, an instrumental originally by Jody Williams, sets the mood as the band rides chunky organ and swinging guitar; it's a fun listen. "No Lie," the Buddy Guy song, could almost be off of Guy's own seminal A Man and the Blues from 1968. Costello's acrobatic shouts mesh seamlessly with the stuttering shuffle to nail that cool vibe. Runs through James Brown's "I Want You So Bad" and Rush's "It Takes Time" are surprisingly big and soulful, especially for a kid born in 1979. Yes, you read right.

Moanin' has even more than that going for it. Linden's harp and Matt Wauchope's Hammond organ, combined with good room sounds and Costello's penchant for tasty guitar tones, lend the whole affair a lively feel. Sean Costello has potential not unlike what Clapton presented on his Bluesbreakers debut, and folks, that's the sort of thing you just don't come across every day. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

For fans of: Magic Sam, Luther Allison, Bluesbreakers—John Mayall with Eric Clapton

THE DRAGONS
Rock N Roll Kamikaze
(Junk)
You want a perfect, no frills, beer-drinkin', power chord-sportin' punk rockin' bar band? Look no further than San Diego's Dragons, a four-piece Les Pauls 'n' Marshalls gang of ne'er do wells fronted by Mario Escovedo of the notorious Escovedo music clan. On the band's sixth album Rock N Roll Kamikaze, The Dragons don't waste any time with fancy wordplay or sophisticated musical stylings, preferring to simply attack the three-chords-and-a-shot poetry of "Life is Cheap," "C'mon" and "Whoa Yeah" with the kind of ferocity Sean Penn used to reserve for photographers. This doesn't mean they're dumb yokels, merely that they don't fuck around. Some strains of melodic pop sneak into "Three Steps From the Bar," "Cryin'" and "Like It's a Bad Thing," but they're quickly beaten into submission by Ken Mochikoshi Horne's turbocharged lead guitar, Jarrod Lucas and Steve Rodriquez's bullet train rhythm section and Escovedo's brokenhearted rasp. If it's last call and you're facing going home to a pissed-off spouse, the Dragons will send you off in a blaze of glory. Michael Toland

For fans of: the Supersuckers, the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, Kill Tunes-era Leaving Trains

GUTBUCKET
InsomniacsDream
(Knitting Factory)
Whether delivered to the head, the taste buds, the body or the ears, the proverbial visceral punch is usually made up of a one-two combination (ingredients usually unknown) that always elicits the same effect—a confusing knockout of the senses. On InsomniacsDream, NYC-based jazz quartet Gutbucket serves its punch with sides of jazz authority, art rock drama and what is hopefully dark humor. The band conjures the soul of Thelonious Monk with an electric guitar and a slide rule on "Insects" and tests the bounds of sanity with a saxophone on "Rock'n'Roll." The musicians show off their schooled jazz chops on grooves like "Consumption" and "Don't Fall on Dirty Mary." On "Revolution for Sale" electric guitar and sax playfully surround each other in a friendly duel, which quickly turns into a Latin groove when the bass and drums join.

The band toys with groove just long enough on most songs to make you relax; then they rearrange an Algebraic musical formula in the ether, leaving you startled and searching for a reason why a band would deconstruct such an elegant bass line or saxophone riff. A record label flyer touts the intensity and the circus atmosphere of their live shows. It should also mention that fans of math rock, Latin jazz, experimental noise, art rock and groove will appreciate Gutbucket's recorded work. A confusing first listen, but patient listeners and jazz fans will get it eventually. Benjamin Johnston [buy it]

For fans of: Primus, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman

RICH MCCULLEY
After The Moment Has Past
(McMatzo Music)
From the first chords of jangly guitar, After The Moment Has Past is intriguing. Rich McCulley is one of those modern Renaissance men who do almost everything on a CD. He sings, plays guitar, lap steel, harmonica and bass, wrote all the songs (except for his exceptionally great version of the Rolling Stones' underrated classic "Connection"), co-produced and mixed this red hot debut disc. There are phantom notes that hearken back to original country rockers like the Eagles and Poco who were more rock than twang, and harmonies that recall the best of the Plimsouls and Marshall Crenshaw. McCulley is a seasoned musician who honed his chops in SoCal backing up other artists, and his music comes across as approachable, genuine, unpretentious—heck, he sounds like he's genuinely having fun singing and playing these songs, and wants the listener to join in. There is plenty here to keep you coming back for repeated listenings; it matters not if you want to just hear the music, figure out the lyrics, let the sound and mood wash over you, or dance around your room when no one is looking. The tracks are clean, straight ahead and leave the listener satisfied aurally. The eight songs breeze by smoothly—no posing, no tricks, no smoke and mirrors, no bells and whistles. While the best tunes are the first five and the snap-poppiness slows a bit on the final three, this is still an auspicious debut that hints at lots of more good new music to come. Hey, if Ryan Adams can hit it big and Gram Parsons can once again be posthumously pushed into the musical spotlight, there is a good shot that Rich McCulley can find and win an audience of his own. Nice one Rich! Judee Gould [buy it]

For fans of: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the Traveling Wilburys, Big Star

NATHAN MAHL
Heretik Volume I: Body of Accusations
Heretik Volume II: The Trial
(Nathan Mahl)
The Canadian quartet Nathan Mahl proudly and skillfully serves up a steaming dish of fusion-inflected progressive rock with the first two episodes of the multi-volume rock opera Heretik. The concept of a man on trial for "speaking his mind and his heart" is never fully developed, but then the story is merely the loose framework on which the music hangs. Fortunately, the songs and performances hold up quite well. The band is as adept at laying out blistering solos that will send Berklee grads running for the hills as it is at laying down gentle melodies that will soothe and satisfy the wildest beast. The combo sounds little like its Canadian prog forebears like Rush or FM; Mahl music is more like Gentle Giant's more complex material as performed by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Leader Guy LeBlanc pretty much is the show here, as he wrote, arranged and produced every note. While guitarist Marc Spenard gets off some sizzling breaks and the rhythm section confidently keeps up with every twist and turn, it's LeBlanc's jaw-dropping finesse on the 88s and his multi-faceted songsmithery that usually takes center stage. There are a few heartfelt vocals, but the instrumental interplay is what's important. Fans of prog, fusion and adventurous rock music (something in ever shorter supply these days) should seek these records out. And stay tuned for Vol. 3. Michael Toland

For fans of: Camel, Erik Norlander, Magellan

PORTERHOUSE QUINTET
Thumbs Up Little Buddy
(Lauan)
My friends, when was the last time you got down and got funky? Well, that's too long. Fortunately for you, the Porterhouse Quintet is here to save your shoes from the linedancing blues, so drop everything, especially your britches, and get ready to shake your groove thing. Joined by a drummer, two horn players and bassist extraordinaire Sean Foote, leader Joey Porter gives his Rhodes, B-3, clavinet and analog synths a greasy workout on the nine jazzed-up funk tracks found herein. The Portland-based band waxes mellow occasionally, but mostly jumps up and down on the one, all frisky clavinet, restless percussion, frantic trumpet bleats and hyper sax solos, anchored by a bottom so deep you won't hear a splash if you drop in the bomb. There's nothing innovative going on here, but since not many folks make music this stanky anymore, it might as well be radical. Crank Thumbs Up Little Buddy at your next throwdown—if the entire guest list isn't wiggling rumps by the end of the first song, call the undertaker. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Karl Denson's Tiny Universe, Liquid Soul, Herbie Hancock's Headhunters

SATURNIA
The Glitter Odd
(Cranium or www.cranium-music.com)
New Zealand's Saturnia creates psychedelia for the new millennium on its debut album The Glitter Odd. Since the band consists of only two people, keyboardist/bassist/programmer Francisco Rebelo and singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Luis Simoes, it makes plenty of use of electronic rhythms and ambiance. Saturnia takes the repetition inherent in both psych and ambient techno and runs with it, but the duo utilizes so much instrumentation that requires human manipulation—including guitars, sitar, lap steel, exotic percussion, theremin and even a gong—that it's impossible to become bored. Sampled flutes, nature sounds and drum loops nestle up to spaced-out steel licks, Moog synth riffs and Simoes' breezy vocals, which are buried in the mix as just another texture. "A Trick of the Light" indulges perhaps a bit too much in synthesized birdsong, but the repetitive groove of "Still Life" and the gentle melodies of "Azimuth/Menadel" and "Bliss" channel the light in genuinely beautiful ways. Particularly seductive is "Organo," in which a whistling theremin weaves in and out of a funky drum sample, punctured by sitar licks and muffled electric guitars. Ravers would probably be perfectly happy to find The Glitter Odd piped over the sound system in the chill-out room, but there's enough going on here for ecstasy-phobes to also enjoy. Michael Toland

For fans of: Air, early Porcupine Tree, Scenic

Copyright © 2001 High Bias