High Bias aural fixations
January 6, 2002

AUTO INTERIORS
No Frill Halo Flight
(Warm Design)
Admittedly, Boston's Auto Interiors won't exactly set the world on fire with musical innovation on their debut No Frill Halo Flight. The quintet plays mildly psychedelic guitar pop with plenty of hooks, breathy vocals and six-string shimmer. But just because the band isn't reinventing the wheel doesn't mean they don't know how to drive. The contrast between the fuzz and jangle of Larry Mansdorf and Eric Waxwood's axes creates an instant feel of familiarity without calling up the ghosts of other acts. The easy appeal of the band's sound would be its chief asset if not for its real strength: the songs. The group's first two numbers get the record off to a tentative start, but once it hits the sweetly popped-out "Something Good," it cranks out gem after gem. It's hard to pick favorites from a platter as consistently strong as this one, but the mid-album triptych of the folky "Drama Queen," the trippy "Shooting Flares" and the melodic "Simply Saucer" is hard to beat. Except perhaps by the bittersweetly rocking "Glitter Suit," a classic should-been-a-single that would have ruled 120 Minutes back in the day. No frills, maybe, but plenty of smiles. Michael Toland

For fans of: Echo & the Bunnymen, the Red Telephone, the Mighty Lemon Drops

R.L. BURNSIDE
Burnside on Burnside
(Fat Possum)
Burnside on Burnside is a live CD, recorded primarily at the Crystal Ballroom, on Portland, Oregon's Burnside Street, last January. R.L. appears with grandson Cedric Burnside on drums and guitarist Kenny Brown. The set is a raucous, whoopin' and hollerin' bunch of Burnside's best songs. From the opener, "Shake 'Em On Down," it's clear that Burnside, who just turned 75, enjoys performing live. "Skinny Woman" is fueled by that hypnotic Mississippi drone done so well by Burnside and the late Junior Kimbrough. And the reworked-just-enough rendition of Muddy Waters' "Rollin' and Tumblin'" serves as a respectful wink to the man who introduced electricity to Mississippi (by way of Chicago). Listen to "Alice Mae" and "Snake Drive," with their sweaty distortion and sensual dissonance. CDs like Burnside on Burnside are the reason the folks at Fat Possum deserve sainthood status. It's hard to imagine any label in any genre with such a consistently successful Shinola to shit ratio. This music is Blues 101 for anyone claiming to be a fan of the genre. Brian Briscoe [buy it]

For fans of: Robert Belfour, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins

CANDIRIA
300 Percent Density
(Century Media)
Heavy metal bands are often characterized as being dumber than the proverbial bag of hammers, and with blockheads like Limp Bizkit ruling the charts, it's no wonder. But not all metalheads think taking a marketing class qualifies them as intelligent and educated; some of them even use their music to demonstrate actual thought processes. Case in point: Candiria's fourth album 300 Percent Density. How many bands, metal or otherwise, will namecheck Newton's Third Law of Motion ("The Obvious Destination") or put forth the treatise that "Constant Velocity is as Natural as Being at Rest?" Which isn't to say the NYC quintet consists of navel-gazing eggheads—this is a combo that knows how to make heads bang. Guitarists Eric Matthews and John LaMacchia whip up a furious, grinding hurricane, while vocalist Carley Coma alternates between affable raps and bowel-splitting primal screams. Drummer Kenneth Schalk and bassist Michael MacIvor form a deft, graceful rhythm section which can pound or glide as needed. That Candiria can incorporate jazz fusion ("Contents Under Pressure"), atmospheric soundscapes ("Mass," "Opposing Meter") and straight hip-hop ("Words From the Lexicon") into its riffology without losing an ounce of its scatterbomb explosiveness says volumes about the musicians' commitment to diversity and exploration. The band uses ugly, occasionally shocking sonics to attempt enlightenment; if there's a message in these savagely brutal tunes, it's one of rage against complacency and apathy. It's not empty boasting—in an increasingly bland metal universe, Candiria leads by example. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Biohazard, God Forbid, Prong

LAMBCHOP
Tools in the Dryer
(Merge)
Tools in the Dryer, the latest album from Nashville's iconoclastic Lambchop, isn't actually a new record, but rather a handy and much-needed compilation of singles, remixes and live cuts. The majority of the tracks comes from the early 90s, prior to the group's first album. In fact, the home-brewed "Style Monkeys" and "All Over the World" date from 1987, when the band was still called Posterchild. Many of the songs feature a lineup quite a bit smaller than the group's current baker's dozen, so there's little of the lush production for which the band is known. Regardless of whether the arrangements feature a grungy electric guitar, an off-key recorder or a mournful pedal steel, though, the focus is, as it has ever been, on bandleader Kurt Wagner. His low-key croon is the homing beacon for fans, and he's still one of the most disarming songwriters in the country. Tools includes some of Lambchop's best-ever tunes, including the rocking "Nine," the band's first Merge single, and "Scared Out of My Shoes," the witty, strangely beautiful "Each With a Bag of Fries" and "Cigaretiquette," and a lovely cover of buddy Vic Chesnutt's "Miss Prissy." Also featured is a delightfully sleazy take on Teddy Pendergrass' "Love TKO," recorded on stage in London. The album ends with the appropriately titled "Moody Fucker," the quiet B-side for "Nine." The sound quality is all over the dang place, but the artistic consistency makes Tools in the Dryer as strong as any of Lampchop's proper albums. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Vic Chesnutt, Palace, Neutral Milk Hotel

HARRY MANX
Dog My Cat
(NorthernBlues)
Acoustic slider Harry Manx is a truly international bluesman. He was born in England, raised in Canada, spent time in Europe and Japan and settled in India to study with Indian classical music master V.M. Bhatt (the co-star of Ry Cooder's Grammy-winning Meeting By the River) before returning to the Great White North. Manx is equally proficient on slide guitar (played lap style), harmonica and the 20-string Indian guitar called the Mohan Veena. He saves the Veena mainly for instrumentals like "Song For William" and "Rag Bihag," though he does give the traditional "Reuben's Train" a spin on its strings. Though he arguably doesn't really use the Veena to its fullest advantage, he's good enough with conventional slide that it doesn't really matter. Besides, his original songs are so strong it's unimportant on what instrument they're played. Tunes like "Brick and Stone" and "Love Ain't No Game" look at romantic relationships, while "Lay Down My Worries," "Good Morning Stranger" and "Sunday Morning Ascension" resonate with a deeply personal spirituality that draws from both Western and Eastern wells. Manx delivers his messages in a soulful tenor with just the right touch of grit, and his catchy melodies feel warm and familiar without wallowing in 12-bar clichés. Even his Muddy Waters and Jimmy Reed covers nod affectionately to the originals without being note-for-note copies. Manx does the solo blues guy thing with originality and taste; now he needs to take the next step and merge the Delta with India for an acoustic blues of the 21st century. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Kelly Joe Phelps, Mississippi John Hurt, Chris Whitley

CHRIS RICHARDS
Pathetic History 1990-2000
(Futureman/Jam)
If you're a sucker for bouncy pop songs with great hooks, clear vocals, uplifting harmonies and catchy tunes, then this album is a must-have for your collection. The songwriting is first rate and the production neat and spot-on. Chris Richards has apparently been in a number of bands, and wrote and recorded a hefty number of tunes, collected on Pathetic History, which serves as his first full-length release. The tracks are credited to the various groups Richards has helmed over the years, including the Phenomenal Cats, the Pantooks and Hippidrome, as well as under his solo moniker. The collection brings together previously unreleased tracks, alternate mixes, reissues, outtakes, demos and a couple of new treats to form a wonderful overview of the career to date of a very talented artist who should have received kudos from the press and public long before now. Where has he been hiding?

The astoundingly strong 17 cuts on the CD showcase a distinctive talent that can fill an album more easily than some of the current chart-topping acts whose CDs contain a mere eight or nine weak tracks. Every song is a gem, suitable for personal headphone listening or blasting on a primo sound system. You can sing along after a few short repeated listens because the melodies will instantly burn themselves into your mind and the words tell easy-to-remember stories. Richards sings about winning the girl despite competition from Superman ("Superman II") and about a mystery girl he pursues ("Gabrielle"). He also croons an ode to his infant daughter ("Greatest Lullaby") and pays homage to his self-proclaimed excessive drinking ("Ball"). This is the perfect album for fans of pure pop who eschew the dribble as spewed forth by homogenized and prefabricated teen idols. Chris Richards deserves fame and fortune, platinum CD sales and tons of glowing press reviews. Pathetic History will undoubtedly give you hours of pleasure that grows more enjoyable with every repeated playing. Judee Gould [buy it]

For fans of: the British invasion bands of the 1960s, the Nazz, the Raspberries

THE TATTERS
The Tatters
(Knottygirl)
Ventura, CA's Tatters specialize in dressing older music styles in new suits. The sextet—singer/songwriters Mary Z. Wilson, Erika Harding and Jennie Snyder, plus a trio of instrumentalists—expertly combines folk, swing, bluegrass and Hawaiian music into an instantly appealing roots-pop broth. This is a group with all its assets lined neatly up. You want hot instrumental firepower? Try the mandolin solo on "Bluer Pastures." You want smart, satisfying tuneage? Try the Oahu workout of "Tattered and Torn," the dark folk of "Angel of Death" or the lighter-than-air swing of "Lost My Head." You want lovely, often stunning harmonies? Try any song on the album. It would be easy for a group like this to raid classic songbooks for material, but instead the Tatters boldly add their own originals to the canon. Chief tunesmith Wilson's physical and spiritual wanderlust provides the fuel for these songs' fires, while her bandmates' dulcet tones add the sweet incense that captivates the soul. The Tatters may find inspiration in the past, but they're no retro act. The correct term for what the Tatters do so well is timeless. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Laurie Lewis, Texana Dames, the Asylum Street Spankers

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Salsa Europe: Afro-Cuban Salsa Music
(Tinder/Candela)
In just a few short years, Cuba's luscious music has become one of the hottest trends in American music. It has blossomed in Europe as well, but over a longer period of time thanks to the absence of an embargo. It is because of this, according to the liner notes of Salsa Europe, that the cultural exchange between Cuba and Europe never faltered, thus adding "yet another layer to the tapestry" of Euro-Cuban music. This sounds all well and good, but the Salsa Europe CD proves that the colder climates of Europe have instead extinguished the music's fire.

All of the bands featured here have the technical chops to play the popular styles such as son, mambo, salsa, cumbia and rumba, and many of the bands are led by or feature musicians from Cuba, South America or Latin America. All the vocals, though, are mediocre and soulless, and this makes the music sound even more impersonal, cool and void of any passion. There are several sunny spots, such as the easy "E Sonido De Unisano" by Amsterdam's Paradis. Salsa Celtica (from Scotland) adds a touch of bagpipes to "Fuerte" to give it more interest, and Sweden's Los Gran Daneses De La Salsa gets the toes tapping to the swinging "Rompiendo El Hielo." But overall, the tracks are overproduced and just too perfect. Compared to such bands as Conjunto Cespedes, where you can literally feel the sweat coming out of the CD player, Salsa Europe sounds like it was recorded in a steel room. Most every song sounds like it has nowhere to go—the musicians are just playing the music and not living it.

The white heat of passion is the heart of Cuban music. Without it, the music can be redundant and boring. Salsa Europe does a good job of showcasing the worldwide interest in and influence on this awesome genre, but someone needs to light a fire under these bands and weave some energy into their tapestry. Kelli Briscoe [buy it]

For fans of: Buena Vista Social Club, Los Van Van, Conjunto Cespedes

Copyright © 2002 High Bias