High Bias aural fixations
February 24, 2002

NATHANIEL CHACE ASHLEY
The Dead Lover's Benevolent Return: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
(Left-handed Label)
Every so often a piece of forgotten culture resurfaces and challenges modern audiences with a unique slant on an established art form. In 1974 and 1975 Nathaniel Chace Ashley wrote, performed and recorded the songs that make up the soundtrack to one very underground Italian horror film called The Dead Lover's Benevolent Return. Recently unearthed and digitally remastered, Ashley's moody and engaging recording stands well without the film. At times, the soundtrack plays like a beautifully orchestrated requiem and at other times like a melodramatic rock opera (sans lyrics). It seems to suffer from zombie schizophrenia—sharpen wax teeth or eat jelly brains? The album starts with a serious enough tone as Ashley's macabre guitars, pianos and banjos play delicately dark waltzes and disco-tinged prog-rock songs.

The soundtrack takes a turn down Slasher Film Lane though with the overuse of haunting "oooos" and "aaaahs" (courtesy of what sounds like a female chorus but is actually Ashley's convincing falsetto). By the fourth song, their abundance almost gives the soundtrack a Scooby Doo-ish cartoon quality that would make most serious film zombies wince. The fifth song, "Becoming Undead," further threatens the opening mood of the soundtrack. Full of creepy clichés, its bells, vocal chorus, wild synth sounds, rock drums and guitar feedback pull the listener out of the Blair Witch woods and into The Munsters' living room faster than you can say ectoplasmic Stratocaster. The dark mood is partially salvaged, however, by a couple of beautiful classical guitar-driven Italian marches and several Ennio Morricone-style soundscapes. Benjamin Johnston [buy it]

For fans of: Ennio Morricone, Tindersticks, Segovia

ALY BAIN & ALE MÖLLER
Fully Rigged
(Northside)
Aly Bain is the legendary Shetland fiddler best known for his work with world-renowned Scottish folk revivalists the Boys of the Lough. Ale Möller helped spark the Nordic folk resurgence in Sweden in the late 80s. Since Nordic and Celtic folk share certain traits, including an exploitation of long, winding melodies and an emphasis on virtuoso fiddling, a collaboration between these two veterans isn't surprising. Bain brings both a traditional fiddle and the Nordic hardanger fiddle to the table, while Möller adds mandola, harmonica, whistles, cow's horn and salgflöjt (willow flute). Most of the tunes are derived from the Shetland folk tradition, but when played on the droning hardanger and accompanied by cow's horn and mandola, you'd be hard-pressed to tell where they're from. That's the beauty of this set; Bain and Möller understand the music's origins as well as its tonalities, so they know how to fit the traditions together so seamlessly you won't know where the Scots accent ends and the Scandinavian one begins. The pair finds delight in jumping sets like "Tame Her When Da Sna Come/Da Dykes O' Voe/Sailor O'er Da Rough Trees" and "Hallingar från Dalsland/Da Bonnie Isle O' Whalsay/Da Fashion O' Da Delting Lassies" beauty in ballads like "Da Trowie Burn" and "The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry" and heart in waltzes like "Jims Vals." A sprightly "Bonaparte's Retreat," with tunings probably derived from Nordic origins, connects the tradition to America. The musicians treat the material with reverence but not as a museum piece. Fully Rigged is a lesson in folk tradition you'll be happy to learn. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Swåp, Harv, Ranarim

AD FRANK
Mr. Fancypants
(Stop, Pop, and Roll)
Ad Frank's Mr. Fancypants is a great discovery for fans of British-influenced pop music. The former member of Permafrost hits the mark on his second solo CD, even if it is hard to categorize outside the "80's-Brit-pop influence" handle. Is it cabaret with a pop edge, or pop with a cabaret edge? Neither description does it justice. There are ever-so-slight shades of Burt Bacharach-like samba swaying ("Bay of Fundy") and the kind of synth/keyboard noodlings so familiar from past bands like the Fixx or A Flock of Seagulls ("The Ticket Was Non-Refundable"). That's not to say anything about this album sounds dated or old—to the contrary, it all smacks of a freshness and originality not found very much these days, at least on the boring songs topping the charts and being played on radio.

The CD kicks off with an amusing but all-too-brief song snippet called "Last Night Mark Eitzel Saved My Life," the title of which should win an award for its brilliance and chutzpah if nothing else. The amusingly-titled "Barking Up The Wrong Girl" features sad, minor-keyed strings a la The Beatles' "She's Leaving Home," and the reflective "I Have Seen The Moment Of My Greatness Flicker" recalls the sound of early David Bowie on his very first album, which was itself compared to cabaret legends like Jacques Brel or the great British actor/composer/performer Anthony Newly. Frank has a real knack for writing clever lyrics that seem to be self-deprecating and humorous while at the same time speak of heartbreak and love lost. The songs are listenable and sway-able, the words easy to discern, and the music just powerful enough to lift you up and spin you around before gently placing you back on the ground. This album is soooo cool. Judee Gould [buy it]

For fans of: early David Bowie, Duran Duran, Soft Cell

GADSBY & SKOL
Gadsby & Skol
(Woronzow)
Toronto's Gadsby & Skol fits comfortably in with the current so-called stoner rock scene, with a heavy power trio sound that flirts with metal without quite going all the way. Guitarist/vocalist Chuck Gadsby, drummer Rick Skol and bassist Drew Tjernstrom stack up all the basic building blocks—tribal drumming, competent but plain singing, riff-oriented songs, lots of guitar solos—in much the same way as the stoner hordes, and at first listen it's hard to discern what makes G&S stand out from the pack. There are crucial differences between this band and the rest, however. For one thing, the trio owes a blatant (and acknowledged) debt to proto-metal pioneer Blue Cheer (as opposed to the usual source of inspiration, Black Sabbath). For another, unlike most of the current headbangers, G&S was actually around in the 60s, performing at the same time as Blue Cheer and the rest. In fact, while this album was recorded last year, its material is drawn from the band's old repertoire. There's a relaxed feel to the performances here that most current bands of this ilk can't quite capture; only decades of experience would produce it. There's no impetus towards authenticity here; there's no need for it. G&S simply rocks out, doing what it always has. So while tracks like "Jam and Guts" and the cheesy philosophy treatise "I Don't Know," seem rather plain, others like "Getting Used to It," "Who Calls You?" and "Fools Like You" stand up nicely to any contemporary neo-heavy practioner you'd care to name. Gadsby & Skol isn't a necessary item for the casual rock & roll collection, but fans of old-school hard rock will want to check it out. Michael Toland

For fans of: Mountain, Cream, Atomic Bitchwax

JUDITH
Play of Light
(Neue Asthetik)
The fourth album from NYC-based trio Judith pays tribute to the underbelly of 80s rock. There's no facile New Wave synth pop here; Play of Light calls to mind both the British neo-psychedelic post punk movement and the Goth rock that flourished at the same time and place. Frontman Christopher David has the requisite deep baritone, the band's songs play up the minor-key atmospheres as much as the haunting melodies and its lyrics lean towards the romantic doom of the best Goth. "Switchblade" proclaims "O sea, what you've taken from me/It's not what you promised to return one day/And all I've left is a memory of a life too short/Together, forever," while "Without Her (Judith)" declares "Without her/The sun will never blaze the sky again." This kind of melodrama tends to incite unintentional giggles when read cold, but David's heartfelt crooning and the band's shimmering miasma make even the most florid sentiments sound darkly romantic. Variations on the formula, such as the acoustic 12-string-driven "Air of Lovers" and the screaming distortion of "Drop of Passion," dress the wight up in spiffy new clothes. The band's utter conviction and iron grip on melody and atmosphere raise Play of Light above the realm of mere ear candy. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Bauhaus, Lycia, Echo & the Bunnymen

RIVER CITY HIGH
Won't Turn Down
(BWR/Doghouse)
The pop/punk gravy train ran off the rails some time ago (arguably when mediocrities like blink-182 became superstars), but there are still plenty of musicians keeping the three-chords-and-a-busted-heart faith. Richmond, VA's River City High does the style like it's still new, with a sparkling melodic flair and a sense of emotional commitment rare in any rock genre. Bassist James Menefee sings like he means it, as if nothing—nothing, dammit—is more important than getting these tunes across. Guitarists Mark Avery and Bobby Raw provide the prerequisite sugared-up power pop riffs, while drummer Jay Mac gives the music a refreshing sense of dynamics. You've heard tunes similar to "Belle Said," "One Day" and "Just a Song" before, but rarely done as well as this. Green Day, eat your heart out. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: MXPX, Down By Law, the Mr. T Experience

THE SUNSHINE FIX
Age of the Sun
(Emperor Norton/Kindercore)
The Sunshine Fix is the nom de guerre of former Olivia Tremor Control co-frontperson Bill Doss; Age of the Sun is his project's first full-length album. The OTC walked a fine line between sharp pop craftsmanship and arty psychedelic experimentation; the Fix leans farther towards the former than the latter, which probably indicates the elements Doss brought to the table with his former combo. That isn't to say Doss' 60s-derived melodies aren't filtered through a haze of pop art and pot smoke, just that the tunes themselves are a bigger concern than kaleidoscopic ambiance. As with his old band and their compatriots the Apples in stereo, Doss continues to mine the rich vein of tunesmithery derived from the Beatles, with "A Better Way to Be," "Hide in the Light" and the title track in particular making good use of the borrowed tools. But Doss incorporates other iconic musicality as well: "Digging to China" adapts Motown to psychedelic pop, while "That Ole Sun" sports a melody of which Burt Bacharach could be proud. "Mr. Summer Day" updates the Zombies, while "Sail Beyond the Sunset" crosses Crosby, Stills & Nash with the (early) Move. "See Yourself" adds some buzzing synthesizer and a funked-up drum track to sound effects and a soaring chorus for one of the record's most effective, and affecting, tracks—if Beck had done this it would be a huge hit single. As derivative as Doss often is, he still makes better use of these sounds than most of his indie rock peers. He may use familiar noises, but he stops short of borrowing complete melodies wholesale. According to the Sunshine Fix, the Age of the Sun is a good one in which to live. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Lilys, the Zombies, Beulah

Copyright © 2002 High Bias