High Bias aural fixations
January 27, 2002
AMERICAN AMBULANCE
Sweetness & Dark
(Dark Songs)
American Ambulance continues a long, proud American tradition of rocked-up folk music on its debut Sweetness & Dark. Led by songwriter Peet Cenedella, the NYC-based quartet (plus guests) plays fairly traditionalist rock/folk/C&W with a guitars/bass/drums core and fiddle, mandolin and banjo spices. There's nothing particularly unusual about the music, though it's arranged and played extremely well. What really makes AA special is Cenedella's tunes. Memorable melodies seem to flow out of his pen like honey from a bottle, and he's an excellent lyricist as well. From country waltzes ("Nowhere is Where I Wanna Be") and loud rockers ("I Believe I've Said My Peace," "Roll Crash & Burn") to meditative ballads ("Debris," "Waltz (for Gigi)") and hook-laden singalongs ("Bitter Wine," "Easy"), Cenedella effortlessly doles out gem after gem. The tightrope between craft and heart is often a difficult one to walk, but Cenedella's got it stone cold down, and his band supports his visions with subtlety and grace. Sweetness & Dark is beautiful stuff. Michael Toland
For fans of: the Walkabouts, Peter Case, the Health & Happiness Show
DIZZY GILLESPIE
Live At the Royal Festival Hall, London
(Eagle Jazz/Red Ink)
Recorded with famed trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie's international Latin jazz big band, Live At the Royal Festival Hall, London documents a relaxed show by the septuagenarian pioneer. Though best known as one of the co-founders of bebop, he was also one of the first mainstream jazz musicians to absorb Latin American and Afro-Cuban influences into his music, and that's the style showcased here. Backed by luminaries like James Moody, Slide Hampton and Paquito D'Rivera, Gillespie delivers his usual lightning-fast runs, bleats and squeals, but for the most part he takes a back seat to the ensemble. Latin music is all about rhythm, so drummer Ignacio Berroa and percussionists Airto Moreira and Giovanni Hidalgo carry the grooves, aided by bassist John Lee and guitarist Ed Cherry. Pianist Danio Perez provides light-fingered color. Moody, Hampton, D'Rivera, trumpeter Arturo Sandoval and Gillespie himself layer harmonized horn lines on top of the rhythm bed, taking solos or just laying down riffs. Special guest Flora Purim contributes some lighter-than-air scat singing to "Tanga." Beginning with Chano Pazo's "Tin Tin Deo," a song Gillespie started performing back in the 40s, and ending with his signature piece "A Night in Tunisia," Gillespie keeps the proceedings at a simmer, without ever quite bringing them to the boil one usually associates with live Latin music. Still, the groove is consistently itchy throughout, and all the musicians are in fine form. Live At the Royal Festival Hall, London could serve as a nice, laid-back introduction to the wonders of Latin jazz. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: Paquito D'Rivera, Tito Puente, Buena Vista Social Club
THE MEDEA CONNECTION
The Bell Ringer
(Attica Mythic/Curve of the Earth)
Ever wondered what Hüsker Dü would have sounded like if Bob Mould had been a diehard Black Sabbath fanatic? Me neither, but apparently the three youngsters who comprise the Medea Connection have. Practically defining the term "power trio," guitarist/singer Daniel Alexander Brockman, bassist Tanya Kristina Paglia and drummer Steve F Farmer erect a magnificent wall of melodic noise on their third LP The Bell Ringer. In the pantheon of noisemeisters, this band stands out, simply because no matter how frayed at the edges its speaker cones become, the group maintain its connection to melody. The Medeas never make a racket just for the sake of it. As Farmer and Paglia steadily hold the bottom down, Brockman brandishes massive slabs of overdriven riffery, as well as singing in a forceful but clear voice. The band can be upbeat and tuneful, as on "Totality" and the power pop-through-a-grunge-filter "Part the Sky." But it's just as often heavier than Godzilla after too many Japanese dinners—see "Spectral Halos" and the title chunk. Metallic heaviosities like "Work" and "Red Sister" park their butts side-by-side with candycoated pop rocks like "Mind Control" and "Through the Fields." By the mournful "Sea of Tranquility" and its epic twin "Infinite Space," the trio has veered off into the starlit void, heading straight for the heart of the sun, riding a cosmic wave of galloping rhythms and concrete-thick distortion. Grab the comet tail and hang on. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: Starfish, Kyuss, China Drum
THE MOCKERS
Living in the Holland Tunnel
(One Eye Open)
Most artists avoid labels. They don't want to be stereotyped in the eyes of their fans (or detractors, for that matter) as being just one flavor. Musicians in particular resist efforts to slap a genre designation or stylistic marker on them. One would hope the Mockers wouldn't be one of those, however, as the term "power pop" fits them tighter than hot pants on a go-go dancer. The New York quartet epitomizes the style on Living in the Holland Tunnel. Its members are experts at creating crunchy pop riffs, slick harmonies and ear-snatching hooks. What the band is best at, however, is the foundation of all the best power pop: songs. Frontmen Seth Gordon and Tony Leventhal are quite simply great writers, balancing hooks, humor and heart with the aplomb of individuals in love with their craft. Gordon's opening shot "More Important Things" conjures an earnest singalong out of a desire to look on the bright side, while Leventhal's "Yes World" attacks self-importance so tunefully the target probably never knew what hit him. The band even turns "Get in Line" and "Pearly Gates," both admonitions about the afterlife, into hit singles that should have been. The group doesn't add samples, psychedelic sounds or any special effects whatsoever; they just write cool tunes and play the heck out of them with all the love a Rickenbacker and a heartfelt melody can muster. Contrary to their name, the Mockers play power pop with nothing but reverence. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: the Greenberry Woods, Chris Von Sneidern, Gigolo Aunts
MOKE
Carnival
(Ultimatum)
Press kits can be amusing sometimes. The one that came with the new Moke CD features a photocopy of an article that compares their singer, John Hogg, to Jon Anderson of Yes. Anderson sings in that impossible "genital-clamp" tenor range that only he and guys like Sting inhabit, while Hogg might better be compared to Lenny Kravitz.
Press kit missteps aside, Moke rocks, bigtime. Carnival, their second CD, finds this British quartet riding the riffs with that Big Muff sound with those shamelessly rocking, somewhat glammy structures. Moke have a knack for a riff, a chorus, a vocal harmony or a sound texture. "Slide" taps into all that good stuff, as it opens with bell-like acoustic guitars and Hogg's psychedelic pop falsetto. "Liar" is a mindfunk workout; electric guitars hook you by the gills as Hogg sings, "Look inside and you will find that somebody in here is a liar." His voice, which that same article calls "crystal clear," also does a damn fine job of barking out the chorus to spittle-laced "My Degeneration." Sure, "Today" and "Strange Days" aren't as endlessly creative as the rest of the CD, and therefore sound merely average in comparison, but hell, that still makes them better than anything that's won a Grammy in recent memory. Here's hoping these blokes ascend to the throne Oasis spit-polished but never really inhabited. Brian Briscoe [buy it]
For fans of: Lenny Kravitz, Imperial Drag, Mother Superior
PARKER & LILY
Hello Halo
(Orange)
"Three-Day Life" + "Hey Sau Jin"
(Neo International)
Parker Noon (né Valentine) & Lily Wolf's musical career has been a study in the art of streamlining. The composing duo began with the King Valentine Octet, a lush, panoramic jazz rock semi-big band based in Austin, TX that released a two-song self-titled CD. After moving to New York City, the pair put together the Valentine Six (actually a quintet), paring the arrangements down to a simpler, more rhythmic focus on a handful of singles and an eponymous album. On Hello Halo, their first album as Parker & Lily, the duo has cut their music back to its most basic elements, with Wolf on analog keyboards or vibes and Noon on guitar and resigned croon. Occasionally they accept backup from steel guitarist Matt Verta-Ray and/or an old-fashioned drum machine. The jazz stylings are pretty much gone, as the duo sticks to a straightforward presentation of the melodies, with few solos. No one elements really calls attention to itself here, not even Noon's singing; everything works toward establishing the mood of the songs. Said mood is quite melancholy, with love never quite seeming to work out. There's an air of sadness surrounding cuts like "Waitress," "Desert Holiday" and the self-explanatory "Only Heartbreak For Me," though not one of depression. Noon's characters may be resigned to the fact that romance will never be a picnic, but that doesn't stop them from bringing a basket. This is made especially clear on a track like "My Golden Arm," as Wolf's pretty background chorus gives encouragement to Noon's world-weary protagonist. Hello Halo is definitely music for a certain mood, but if you're in that mood, this is perfect commiseration.
The single continues in that vein. "Three Day Life" has a lounge feel due to the bossa nova drum machine rhythm, as once again Wolf's harmonies let sun in on Noon's dark room. "Hey Sau Jin" is a brief instrumental spotlighting Verta-Ray's stark steel lines. Michael Toland
For fans of: Spain, Chet Baker, Tindersticks
PAUL REDDICK AND THE SIDEMEN
Rattlebag
(NorthernBlues Music)
Canadian blues quartet Paul Reddick and the Sidemen create a righteous groove on Rattlebag, their fourth CD. Reddick is a rare triple threat: his songwriting is smooth and confident, his harp playing is adept and tasty, and his singing is intimate and soulful. The Sidemen hold up their end of the deal well, with Chris Burgess knocking out slack riffs that are creative without being obtrusive. Having a healthy thirst for funk doesn't hurt these guys either. "Pinegum" is sweaty and dark, with the whole band milking the simple riff for all it's worth and more. "I'm a Criminal" is one of the first songs I'm going to play when I install the new CD player in my truck; it's just got that laid-back cruising groove. "Blind River Bound" is a beautiful, heartbroken acoustic meditation written by producer Colin Linden (Reddick wrote all the other songs). "Trouble Again" is a ringing country blues workout that finds Reddick singing, "Take me back now baby/You'll see some change in me." If you know what you're doing, it doesn't have to be complicated to be good. Brian Briscoe [buy it]
For fans of: R.L. Burnside, Howlin' Wolf, Kim Wilson
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Flying Side Kick: Home Alive Compilation II
(Broken)
Home Alive (www.homealive.org) is a Northwest-based anti-violence organization formed in the wake of the rape and murder of Gits singer Mia Zapata in 1993 (a crime that remains unsolved, by the way). The non-profit group offers free self-defense classes, as well as examinations of the root causes of violence (racism, sexism, class issues, etc.) and "what safety means for us as individuals and as a community." They've done good work over the years, aided and abetted by various members of the Northwest arts community. Flying Side Kick is the second music compilation in the name of Home Alive.
One could argue that the quality of the music is immaterial; after all, this is a cause that deserves support. But let's face it; once you lay down the cash, you've got to listen to the thing at least once. Fortunately you get a nice variety of what's going on in the Pacific Northwest music scene that flies under the radar. Angry punk and its variants are the main components here, and of that the opening duo "I Want It (To Write)," a rage-fueled blast by the Gossip, and "This is What We Get," a bottleneck-ravaged pounder by lesliwood, will definitely get your body slamming. Fan favorites the Black Halos also burn through their usual Dead Boys worship with "Worry Doll." Outside of punk you get singer/songwriter pop (Carrie Akre's "Wishing You Well"), razor-edged metal (the Need's cover of Metallica's "Frayed Ends of Sanity"), indie pop (Graig Markel's Moog-lathered "Version 45 Style," Songs for Emma's "Trouble With Sarah"), melodic folk rock (Amy Ray's passionate "On Your Honor," Sanford Arms' "Orange," Carissa's Weird's "Where Are You Now?") and slinky soul (Maktub's "Uptown Feeling"). There's also a new song by NW legend Dead Moon (the lovely, country-inflected "Where Anything Goes") and an uncharacteristic ballad by punks-turned-Rolling Stones acolytes the Makers ("Tattoo For Julie"). Like most various artists comps, Flying Side Kick isn't start-to-finish brilliant, but there's enough good stuff here to make its purchase worth your time. Home Alive will thank you for it. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: the Gits, Northwest punk, the artists involved
Copyright © 2002 High Bias
