High Bias aural fixations
March 10, 2002
THE ANDERSONS!
Family Secrets
(Smile)
While the Andersons! drink thirstily from the cup of pop, they dine on power, pure and simple. The first hint, perhaps, is the fact that all four members adopted the Anderson surname in the grand tradition of the Ramones. Head Anderson Derrick is a capable man with a pen, knocking out eleven songs that are mostly about girls and complications thereof. His voice almost has an Elvis Costello timbre, which works well in the context of his brand of vertigo pop. With their dynamic hooks and lush three-part harmony vocals, the bandmembers could easily have settled for less on their second album Family Secrets. They could have done a whole CD of fine, bittersweet singalongs such as "Falling Out" or "Apology" (which features squirrelly-yet-appealing vocals by guitarist Bob). "Killing Me," though, sends up a flare, with Smithereens-ish riffery that might just careen into full-blown rock thud on stage. Ditto for "Let You Down," and in fact, "Looking Glass" could almost be called an anthem. Bonus track "A Million Dollars for Christmas" surf-boogies to lyrics such as "You can bury me in cash/Until I get a money rash." In a just world we'd hear this instead of "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" each December. Keep an eye on these guys. Brian Briscoe [buy it]
For fans of: the Smithereens, Cheap Trick, Dash Rip Rock
CAITLIN CARY
While You Weren't Looking
(Yep Roc)
When violinist Caitlin Cary was in Whiskeytown, we all suspected there was more to her than just pretty harmonies and fiddle textures. But it was hard to make anybody else out beside the blinding glare of Ryan Adams (make of that what you will). Now that Cary has taken center stage, we can see just how brightly she can shine, and it's pretty darn bright. Her acclaimed bowing taking a back seat to her husky alto and richly realized songs, Cary works a terrain studded with landmarks from folk, rock, C&W and soul on her first full-length solo album While You Weren't Looking. Her background in fiction comes through in tunes like the soulful "Thick Walls Down" and the heartbreaking "What Will You Do?" The poetic imagery of "Pony," "Sorry" and the image-rich "The Fair" enhances both the melodies and Cary's heartfelt singing. She doesn't always weave word tapestries, though; the straightforward sentiments of "I Ain't Found Nobody Yet," "Too Many Keys" and the catchy "Please Don't Hurry Your Heart" strike chords just as effectively as the more literary tunes.
She gets plenty of help from the friends she's made over the years, including her former Whiskeytown bandmates Mike Daly (who co-wrote most of the tunes), Skillet Gilmore and Mike Santoro, plus former Jayhawk Jen Gunderman, Mayflies USA frontman Adam Price and neo-honkytonker Thad Cockrell. That's not to mention North Carolina rock luminaries Chris Stamey (who produced) and Mitch Easter. Also included in the package is a four-song mini-disk that contains the quirky "Keys to the Fair," featuring Backsliders vocalist Chip Robinson, and "The Battle," a duet with Ryan Adams that used to feature prominently in Whiskeytown concerts but was never recorded until now. Despite the crowd, however, the album never loses focus; Cary and her songs are always the stars of the show. Two years in the making, While You Weren't Looking isn't a tentative opening phrase but a fully mature statement of purpose. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: Richard & Linda Thompson, Neko Case, Emmylou Harris
DEEP REDUCTION
2
(Get Hip)
2 is, naturally, the second collaboration between Pennsylvania punk trio the Stump Wizards and legendary Radio Birdman leader Deniz Tek under the Deep Reduction name. For this record, the band is joined by a surprise guest—former Birdman singer Rob Younger. Those hoping for a revival of Birdman's proto-punk stomp, however, will be a bit disappointed. While most of the tracks call up the old Birdman thunder and fire, Younger's vocal chords are, quite simply, no longer up to the task. The opening track "Two Words" is a good example: as Tek and the erstwhile Wizards pound out a pulse-quickening rock & roll frenzy, Younger tries vainly to stay in key and keep up. It's doubly a shame because that song and others ("Still Born," "Black Tulip," a cover of the Pink Fairies' "City Kids") are fine tracks in need of a more consistent singer. Younger rises to the occasion for "I'm Gone," but otherwise seems somewhat lost; he sounds more like one of his uninspired imitators than himself. Things take a turn for the better when Tek takes the mike; he's no great singer either, but he knows how to use what he has better than Younger does these days. Tek-crooned tunes like the rocking "Novotel Blues" and the jangly "Creosote," not to mention the instrumental "Maui Confidential" (a nod of the headstock to Birdman's "Aloha Steve and Dano"), are far more satisfying than the faux-Birdman reunion tracks. Of course, if you're here mainly for Tek's slashing guitar, you'll be well pleased by nearly every cut here, as the picker digs deeply into his bag of riffs and peels off several sizzling solos. Just don't come into 2 expecting radios to appear. Michael Toland
For fans of: New Race, the Saints, the Lime Spiders
FLARE
Definitive
(Mother West)
New York City's Flare creates an atmosphere of lovely melancholy on Definitive, a three-song teaser to their forthcoming full-length Hung. Led by songwriter/multi-instrumentalist LD Beghtol, Flare uses mostly acoustic instruments to filter 60s psychedelia through a lens of Gothic romanticism on the brokenhearted title tune, which matter-of-factly asks "What will you do when it's over?" The swaying melody and Beghtol's tender but unsentimental vocal bring out the simmering emotions beneath the pretty surface without drowning them in melodrama. The seven-minute "Course" follows suit, as violinist Mark Gunderman mournfully echoes Beghtol's resigned croon. The cover of Gene Autry's "You're the Only Star (in My Blue Heaven)" is self-indulgent more than revealing, but the beauty of the unlisted fourth track makes up for that minor misstep. Very nice. Michael Toland
For fans of: Radar Bros, the Green Pajamas, Tindersticks
GARDEN OF DREAMS
Sleeping Stars
(Garden of Dreams)
The resurrection of 80s alternative rock continues in the capable hands of Chicago's Garden of Dreams on the quintet's three-inch disk Sleeping Stars. Leader Gene Blalock must have spent a great deal of the Reagan years religiously watching MTV's Post Modern MTV, paying special attention of the late 80s wave of British artists like Julian Cope, the Candyskins, etc. Not that this is at all a bad thing—the influence of those folks means Garden of Dreams knows not only how to handle a strong melody but also how to inject a sense of drama into the music without taking it over the top. "Killing Romeo and Juliet" and "Words Never Spoken" stand toe-to-toe with any first-rate 80s rock/pop number you'd care to mention, and "Beautiful" would join those ranks if not for its overly precious lyrics. Only three songs on three inches feels a bit stingy for a group with a nearly ten-year history, but hopefully Sleeping Stars is merely a taste of a much fuller meal to come. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: Richard Barone, Chameleons, the Three O'Clock
EYTAN MIRSKY
Was It Something I Said?
(M-Squared Records, 1619 Broadway, Room 710, New York, NY 10019)
A sad sack with a classic pop voice and a penchant for sparkling melodic hooks, Big Apple singer/songwriter Eytan Mirsky received a nice career boost last year when some of his tunes were included on the soundtrack to the hit indie film The Tao of Steve. His third album Was It Something I Said? is chock full of endearingly droll power pop that walks a fine line between ironic and self-absorbed. "When Good Girls Go Bad," "All the Things to Do When She Says No" and "Just Another in a Long, Long Line" chronicle the travails of modern romance with the aid of impossibly catchy jangleriffs. "Payback" takes a position of enlightened self-interest ("You can get a little payback sleeping with a loser like me"), while "Meet Some Girls" unabashedly states the open secret of why little boys pick up guitars. "(I Just Wanna Be) Your Steve McQueen" and the cheery "Sluts!" will inspire plenty of smiles as well. Mirsky puts just enough moping into his Pat DiNizio-clone voice to keep his tunes from upsetting the irony-meter; the catch in his croon gives the mean-spirited breakup ballad "Leaving You" and the self-absorbed "Only Hurting Myself" an emotional undercurrent that goes beyond mere cleverness. Fans of the well-tempered power pop chord will find a new hero in Eytan Mirsky. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: the Smithereens, Jonathan Richman, early Nick Lowe
THE STREETWALKIN' CHEETAHS
Guitars, Guns & Gold
(Triple X)
Though an odds 'n' sods compilation of stray singles, compilation tracks and outtakes, the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs' Guitars, Guns & Gold is nearly as strong as their regular records. Unlike a lot of their punk rock & roll peers, the Cheetahs understand the value of writing a good song to go along with the irrepressible energy factor, and this record bears that out. "Those Days Are Gone," "Generator" and the ferocious "Small Town Killer" join the quartet's overflowing ranks of first-rate rockers, while the excellent "The Night Billy Wanted to Fly" presages the turbo-pop direction it would pursue on last year's amazing Waiting For the Death of My Generation. Live cuts of "No More" and "Dirty Mockingbird" give a taste of the band's legendary onstage prowess, and the hard-rockin' "I Wanna Die For X-Mas" makes a welcome appearance. GG&G also presents a handful of the band's covers from their compilation appearances, putting the Cheetahs spin on tunes by X ("Los Angeles"), the Boys ("Kamikaze") and Iron Maiden (a surprisingly punked-up "Sanctuary"). The 1995 goof "Carnival," sung by frontman Frank Meyer's brother Breckin (pre-stardom) is more of a curio than an actual song, but it shows how far the band has come from humble beginnings. The disk also includes two enhanced video performances of "Sanctuary" and their golden oldie "Freak Out Man." Guitars, Guns & Gold is a hearty mixture of the first and last of those items. Michael Toland [buy it]
For fans of: Electric Frankenstein, the Supersuckers, the Gaza Strippers
SUPREMIUM
Tales
(Smile)
L.A. power pop quartet Supremium wastes no time highlighting the hooks on its debut CD Tales. The three part harmonies, which we first hear on the chorus of opener "If Not For You," set the bar for the whole CD. This is one slick, catchy affair.
Bassist/singer/songwriter Bruce Witkin possesses the sort of voice meant for this music, with shimmering precision, faultless control in his range and just enough rock rasp to lend huevos to the recipe. The members have varying connections to L.A. celebrity: Witkin is an ex-member of Adam Ant's band, and an ex-roommate of Johnny Depp. Guitarist Coz Canler is also a member of the Romantics. Keyboardist Doug Nahory has some sort of connection to Alanis Morrissette (exactly what is unclear, though that's probably a good thing). Not exactly a resumé that screams "Legit," though it's hard to fault this formula at all, no matter how often we hear it.
The band unites seamlessly in support of the crackling riffs. The lead and harmony vocals are flawless. A line like "I've seen red, I've seen blue/I've seen a rainbow that can't compare to you" (from "This Time"), is a perfectly sweet and earnest stream of consciousness verse. This is what the Rembrandts could have been (and could be someday). Brian Briscoe [buy it]
For fans of: Lustre, Moke, Jellyfish
Copyright © 2002 High Bias
