Walk Alone
(Ultimatum Music)
To name your band the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, you'd better make sure your mouth isn't writing a check your ass can't cash, you know?
AIR (FROM JAPAN)
All Along Air
(Knitting Factory)
Led by guitarist/songwriter Koji Kurumatani, Japan's Air seems bent on exploring the range of the indie rock power trio on the band's fifth album All Along Air. The gentle "Somehow" rides its repeated guitar riff over a (human) trip-hop groove, while "Me, We." distorts everything, including the leader's commanding shout, as if Limp Bizkit was covering the Fall. "Many Destiny's" flirts with jazz, while "I'm Sleepy" and "Honey Cow" incorporate funk and ska. "Don't Abuse Me" cranks up the power chords and just slams away, while "6453" conjures the feel of Nine Inch Nails' more rockist moments. The bright opener "24years Old" goes for straight power pop, while the grungy, catchy "Put Your Hands Up" sounds like a modern rock radio programmers' dream come true. The acoustic/electronic pop of "Here For Sure" and easygoing groove of "To Find the Color of Summer" might prick the ears of the triple-A world. There's even a semi-ambient piano piece called "I Love Chopin." Kurumatani shows a great deal of versatility in his writing and playing, and his nondescript but pleasant voice easily fits any type of material (in both English and Japanese). Bassist Hitoshi Watanabe and drummer Yasuo Sano adapt quickly to whatever approach he assays. Interestingly, despite his obvious skill, Kurumatani avoids showy rock guitar moves, preferring to stick close to the melody on each cut. His willful eclecticism makes All Along Air seem like a résumé more than a cohesive album, but he skillfully navigates every stylistic detour and seems unconcerned with picking a genre and sticking to it. Breathe, breathe in the Air... Michael Toland
For fans of: the Goo Goo Dolls, Incubus, Primitive Radio Gods
BASTARD SONS OF JOHNNY CASH
Walk Alone
(Ultimatum Music)
To name your band the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, you'd better make sure your mouth isn't writing a check your ass can't cash, you know?
Fortunately, the BSOJC do not disappoint. The band pushes a lot of the right buttons. These are fourteen dusty honky-tonk songs, a dozen of which were written by singer Mark Stuart. Having no fewer than three fine truck-driving songs is a good start ("Interstate Cannonball," "440 Horses," and "Truckstop in La Grange," which was written by Dale Watson). Steel guitar weaves in and out of the heartbreak of "Memphis Woman." The CD kicks off with "Texas Sun," an ode to the rough-and-tumble life. "Lay me down in my big, black Cadillac underneath the Texas sun," sings Stuart. It's pretty convincing coming from a San Diego native. A subtle cover of Merle Haggard's "Silver Wings" is a warm and familiar touch, though hearing a country band cover this song is about as special as hearing your kid brother's band do "Wild Thing." The band gets points for having their hearts in the right places, but we already knew that.
Walk Alone is basically a re-release of an album the band did called Lasso Motel, with a pair of John Carter Cash-produced songs added: "Nowhere Town" captures the restless dreams of rural life, and "Spanish Eyes" is a forbidden love weeper. They're seamless additions, and it's good to know that they have the family's stamp of approval. The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash have earned it. Brian Briscoe [buy it]
For fans of: the Mavericks, Paul Burch and the WPA Ball Club, David Ball
KING CRIMSON
Vrooom Vrooom
(Discipline Global Mobile)
A double-live album, Vrooom Vrooom was recorded on the same tour, though not at the same venue, as King Crimson's superlative Deja Vroom DVD, and as such functions as sort of a soundtrack. Presenting the Thrak-era sextet (guitarist/singer Adrian Belew, guitarist Robert Fripp, bassist/Stick player Tony Levin, touch guitarist Trey Gunn and drummers Bill Bruford and Pat Mastelotto) in all its power and glory, Vrooom Vrooom captures the sound of virtuoso musicians at the top of their games making music many have attempted to imitate but have never duplicated. Disk one, recorded in Mexico City in 1996, concentrates mainly on instrumental pieces, from the crunchy ("VROOOM VROOOM," "Red," "Lark's Tongues in Aspic [Part II]") to the near-ambient ("The Talking Drum," "Coda: Marine 475"). There are also a couple of percussion solos ("Prism," "B'Boom") that are more interesting than you'd think and some vocal numbers (the quirky "Neurotica," the popular "Dinosaur" and a rare Belew performance of "21st Century Schizoid Man") for color. Technique geeks will go wild over this half, as the band attacks its catalogue with almost clinical violence.
Disk two, recorded mostly in New York in late 1995, leans more heavily on the band's "pop" songs (i.e. tunes with vocals and recognizable hooks). Thrak and early 80s faves like the delicate "Frame By Frame" and "One Time," rocking "People" and "Three of a Perfect Pair" and bizarre "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" and "Elephant Talk" shine as brightly as the studio versions and prove to be crowd pleasers. "THRAK" and "B'Boom" make also return appearances. This half ends with a surprising cover of the Beatles' posthumous "Free As a Bird" (nice but unremarkable) and a shimmering "Walking On Air." The sound is superb, the song selection first rate and the performances are unbeatable, from Fripp and Belew's savage guitar interplay to Bruford and Mastelotto's intricate rhythm patterns and Levin's amazing basslines (always this edition's secret weapon). Only Gunn's work suffers, as the mix, like that of the DVD, doesn't make his contributions evident. Not that it matters. Vrooom Vrooom is undeniably one of King Crimson's best albums. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: Tool, Djam Karet, the Dark Aether Project
CODY LEE
Living Stereo
(Stompbox)
The former drummer for Fort Worth's Buck Jones, singer/songwriter Cody Lee has gone the one-man-band route now that the BJs have gone the way of all flesh. While he's not reinventing the jet-propulsion system on Living Stereo, he is at the very least confidently working the controls. "Carry On Bag" and "Better Days" are tasty slices of fuzz pop, while the spirit of the 60s rears its paisley head in "10 Stories" and "Ceramic Defenses," though more as an inspiration than a driving force. The ending duo of "Oh Well" and "Ocean Floor" and the acoustic trilogy of "Flight 303," "These Tides" and "New Orleans" demonstrate a, shall we say, fondness for the work of Elliott Smith, though the latter three will effortlessly please disgruntled fans who wish Smith would move back toward the folky sound of Either/Or. Lee has a pleasant voice, perfect for his intimate pop portraits, and a solid grasp on the mechanics of every instrument you need for psychedelically-inclined power pop. There's noting groundbreaking on Living Stereo, but fans of well-crafted bedroom pop should considered themselves advised to seek out Cody Lee. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: Elliott Smith, the Pernice Brothers, the Apples in stereo
LITTLE PINK
Cul-de-Sac Cowgirl
(Adult Swim)
Little Pink's brand of alt.country falls somewhere between the beer soaked sounds of roadhouse bar bands and the academic folk music of coffee house performers. On Cul-de-sac Cowgirl, the Washington, D.C.-based band delivers twelve tight and polished songs that nod to the usual alt.country founders—Gram Parsons, the Byrds, Bob Dylan. Singer and songwriter Mary Battiata's lyrics paint vivid pictures of love and longing for Karl Straub's (the Graverobbers) jangly guitar to decorate. The upbeat rocker "Cry All Night" showcases Battiata's talent as a wordsmith with a knack for clever double meanings: "There are feedback conversations/That distort all that I hear." It also demonstrates Straub's and Battiata's formidable writing presence as one of their four collaborations on the disc.
It's interesting to speculate where Battiata learned to write so well; as a journalist in the early 1990s she covered the war in Bosnia. Does writing about the terrors of war make one more prepared to write about the terrors of love and loss? Surely aplomb is necessary in making either subject palatable for the reader—or the listener. On Cul-de-sac Cowgirl, It's clear that Battiata has the mind, the voice and the band to make the songs go down easy. Benjamin Johnston [buy it]
For fans of: the Cowboy Junkies, the Jayhawks, Victoria Williams
LUCKY 57
Lovely Melancholy
(Looseground, 206 Maplewood St, Watertown, MA 02472; looseground@yahoo.com)
There are a million roots rock/alt.country/whatever bands out there right now, so it takes something special to stand out from the pack. New England's Lucky 57 has that something in the person of frontwoman Kip McCloud. On the band's debut Lovely Melancholy, her world-weary voice relates tales of hearts won, lost and smashed to powder in a tone that could only sound that sanded down because of experience. Her low-key delivery underscores the emotional breakdowns in tunes like "All the Places (You Hide Out)," "Sips of Wine, Coffee Chaser" and the quietly devastating "Never Quite Good Enough Blues." The dignified reading cover of Johnny Thunders' "Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" tells the story perfectly. Guitarist Rustle Chud chips in a couple of sunnier vocals on "Lee's World" and a nice cover of William Bell's "You Don't Miss Your Water," but the show is mainly McCloud's. She's supported by a band that navigates the fine line between rock and country as skillfully as any in recent memory; the quintet's no-frills arrangements may lack radio-ready polish, but they more than make up for it with pure soul. Lovely Melancholy is the type of record that grows richer as time rambles on, commiseration encouraged. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: the Backsliders, X, Star City
SECRET CHIEFS 3
Book M
(Web of Mimicry)
Secret Chiefs 3 is a side project of Mr. Bungle/Faith No More guitarist Trey Spruance, but don't think that tells you anything. Away from his homeboys' fractured pop culture cut-up rock, Spruance is much more prone to indulge in Indian classical music, Balkan and Turkish folk and klezmer than Zappametal, and it shows on his band's third album Book M. Rounding up a batch of musical pals, including Bungle bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Danny Heifetz, Spruance creates a swirling morass of psychoacoustic folk music, with violins, sax and riq sharing seats with guitars, electric sitar and electrobeats. Tunes like "Knights of Damcar" and "Ship of Fools (Stone of Exile)" put Indian and Middle Eastern melodia through their paces; others like "Hagia Sophia" and "Zulfiqar III" hit the dance floor hard, though they keep the Indian feel. "Combat for the Angel," "Blaze of the Grail" and the appropriately titled "Siege Perilous" sound like snippets from a major Bollywood production edited into one piece, while "Dolorous Strike" takes the same kind of melody and rocks it the fuck out. What's truly remarkable about the tracks isn't the excellent performances; it's that Spruance is so comfortable composing in this style. You'd swear he was a scion of famed Indian soundtrack composer S.D. Berman. Fans of adventurous world music, indeed, adventurous music in general, should seek out Book M. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: Church of Betty, Dead Can Dance, Afro-Celt Sound System
SOUNDTRACK
I am Sam: Music From and Inspired By the Motion Picture
(V2)
As if the subtitle wasn't enough of an indication ("inspired by"?), apparently this album was recorded and compiled as an excuse for a bunch of modern rock acts to have a go at Beatles tunes. That doesn't mean that any of the renditions here make for bad music, mind you, just that there doesn't seem to be any real reason for these versions to exist (outside of licensing issues). But Beatles songs are Beatles songs; they're so tightly constructed and beautifully conceived that it would take rougher hands than these to mess them up. At worst the interpretations here are competent but uninspired, such as Sarah McLachlan's pretty but aloof "Blackbird" and Ben Harper's overly faithful "Strawberry Fields Forever". At best, though, they're revelatory. Aimee Mann and Michael Penn's take on "Two of Us" is a jovial version of a lesser-known Lennon-McCartney ditty that sounds like a standard for husbands and wives everywhere. Ben Folds' stark piano-and-voice take on "Golden Slumbers" sheds light on the inspiration for his own ballads. Newcomer Howie Day's slowed-down rendition of "Help" brings out the song's inherent angst, while the Black Crowes' "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" shows off an unexpected subtlety in a band not known for that particular trait. Nick Cave's restrained "Let It Be" displays his growth as an interpretive singer, sounding more like a daily affirmation than the gospel call-to-arms of the original. Rufus Wainwright's "Across the Universe" is simply gorgeous, possibly his finest vocal performance to date. Cuts by the Vines ("I'm Only Sleeping"), the Stereophonics ("Don't Let Me Down") and Paul Westerberg ("Nowhere Man") are also pretty nifty. Only Heather Nova's whiny "We Can Work It Out," which showcases a singer with no clue as to what the song is all about, will make you reach for the skip button. As noted, there's no truly compelling reason for these renditions to exist, but we're glad they do. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: Beatles covers
