High Bias aural fixations
April 28, 2002

GREG BROWN
Milk of the Moon
(Red House)
It's amazing that singer/songwriter Greg Brown has been able to create a substantial body of work yet remain below the radar of the audience that would most appreciate him. The Iowa-based folkie is an immediately appealing vocalist with a personable, craggy baritone and an expert songwriter equally at home with the political and the personal, the sensual and the spiritual. He also favors a rootsy production tone that tastefully fills out his folkie leanings and underscores the bluesy elements inherent in his style. He even has famous friends like Lucinda Williams and Garrison Keillor. Yet the triple-A format which should be his natural radio home remains, for the most part, oblivious. Milk of the Moon is merely the latest in a series of solid LPs recorded over a two-decade career. It has the usual elements one would expect from Brown: deceptively cheery love songs ("Telling Stories," "Ashamed of Our Love"), bluesy rockers ("A Little Excited"), a horny come-on ("Let Me Be Your Gigolo"), homespun celebrations of the little things ("Smell of Coffee") and more. Though Brown's longtime guitar-slinging producer Bo Ramsey is absent, Pete Heitzman ably fills his shoes, not only with smart fills but also clean production that never slides into slickness and always puts the song first. Milk of the Moon stops short of being a masterpiece—there aren't any surprises here, after all—but it could be a good introduction to the work of an artist who deserves more attention. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: John Gorka, Loudon Wainwright III, Lucinda Williams

FINE CHINA
You Make Me Hate Music
(Tooth & Nail)
Fine China may come from the arid desert state of Arizona, but one listen and you'll swear it comes from mid-80s England. The young quartet's ringing guitars, tasteful synthesizer washes and oh-so-plaintive vocals definitely hearken back to a time when androgynous vulnerability coupled with efficient pop hooks spoke to disenfranchised young people in a big way. Cynical members of the rock audience may find frontman Rob Withem's almost painful earnestness too much to take. More open-minded fans, however, will find the glorious pop melodies of "Hug Every Friend," "Rock Can't Last Forever" and "Your Heart Was Made of Gold" to be nigh-irresistible and ballads like "You Were a Saint" and "Boo to the Freaks" to compare favorably to the lush emotional landscapes of bands like the Pernice Brothers. If the group has a fault, it's that it's a bit too slavish in its imitation of the underground pop bands of the 80s era, but unless one has an aversion to openly emotional expression and/or blatant hooks, that's hardly an issue. Fine China will definitely not make you hate music. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Smiths, the Ocean Blue, the Pernice Brothers

GRAND MAGUS
Grand Magus
(Rise Above/The Music Cartel)
The latest in a long line of contemporary Swedish power rock bands, Grand Magus is more classicist than most of its brethren on its self-titled debut. The only thing about the trio that places it in the modern age is the production quality and its synthesis of various 70s heavy rock styles into its own Frankenstein's monster. This dinosaur is a long way from fossilization, however. Though the riffs ring and the rhythms pound with an air of familiarity, the band scrapes off the mold, giving the music a freshly-scrubbed sheen. Guitarist/growler JB, bassist Fox and drummer Trisse gracefully grind out the tonnage as if they'd discovered it themselves. Thus the thick-as-molasses licks powering "Lodbrok" or the straight-outta-hell crunge of "Legion" sound as relevant now as they would have in 1972, with nary a dust mote of nostalgia. Let's face it: the heavy throb of "Black Hole," "Never Learned" and "Wheel of Time" or the melodic grunge of "Generator" would sound far more fresh coming out of the radio than anything by Papa Roach or Creed. The lyrics can be a bit silly (from "Gauntlet:" "Steel crown my goal/Claiming the throne/Burning their eyes/Laugh with delight"), but the sheer weight of the music is what's important here. Grand Magus represents a better brand of sludge. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Black Sabbath, Foghat, Mountain

OKKERVIL RIVER
Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See
(Jagjaguwar)
Austin's Okkervil River straddles the line between post-80s indie rock and the new wave of 90s roots rock on its second record Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See. The quartet, led by songwriter Will Robinson Sheff, plays pop-informed country rock with a minimum of frills, basically augmenting a vocals/guitar/drums core with sparing use of mandolin, bass, fiddle and low-tech keyboards. The result is an immediately pleasing sound that doesn't get in the way of Sheff's anguished songs. He may be a happy, well-adjusted guy in real life, but he certainly knows his way around the dark side. "Westfall" takes the point of view of a sociopathic killer as he dispassionately sings, "And when I killed her it was so easy I wanted to kill her again." He also looks at a parent through the eyes of an abused child in "Bad Days," looks back on what might have been in "Listening to Otis Redding at Home During Christmas" and mourns a beloved pet in "Dead Dog Song." His protagonists often explore the depths of their own romantic pain; the waltz-time "Kansas City" opens with "The river is deep and the river is wide/And the girl that I love is on the other side." The sense of loss inherent in the first two lines sets the tone for nearly everything at follows. Sheff's isn't the world's greatest singer; he's especially hampered by his limitations on faster tunes like "Lady Liberty." But he's more than capable of finding the secret heart of a character and exposing it for all to watch beat. That his band induces empathy for a lost soul instead of revulsion is a testament to the talent of Okkervil River. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Palace, Knife in the Water, Damien Jurado

THE JOSH ROSEMAN UNIT
Cherry
(Knitting Factory/Velour)
Trombonist Josh Roseman has been a long-standing member of acid-jazz avatar Groove Collective, as well as a player in New York's infamously amorphous jazz envelope-pusher the M-Base Collective. Cherry is his first album under his own name. His Unit draws on the talents of fellow NYC musos like keyboardist John Medeski, drummer Joey Baron, percussionist E.J. Rodriguez, guitarists David Fiuczynski and Ben Monder and tubist Bob Stewart, and also features the late Lester Bowie on a handful of tracks. No jazz purist, Roseman is just as happy covering classic rock and pop as he is jazz, and his impish sense of humor prevents the onset of either eyebrow-arching condescension or doctor's office Muzak. To get an idea where Roseman and his buddies are coming from, check his versions of Elvis Presley's "Don't Be Cruel" (done as hyperactive ska), the Beatles' "If I Fell" (as jazzmatic car chase music), Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (as psychedelicized hip-hop) and two Sun Ra covers, in which he somehow turns Ra's notoriously eccentric melodies into lounge music. He also assays straightforward versions of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" (solid but this song has been done too many times lately) and Marvin Gaye's "Just to Keep You Satisfied" (nice and sensual). Roseman also contributes a smattering of originals, including the elephant march of "Trousertrout" and the sweet melodicism of "Frank Mills, Jr." Some of the arrangements verge on cheese, but overall Roseman's musicality and good nature keep him out of trouble. Fusion is rarely so much of a hoot. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Robin Eubanks, Steve Coleman, the Jazz Passengers

THE SUPERSUCKERS/ELECTRIC FRANKENSTEIN
Splitsville Vol. 1
(The Music Cartel)
Heavy rock label The Music Cartel has inaugurated its new Splitsville series with this disk, featuring Seattle's Supersuckers and New Jersey's Electric Frankenstein. Both bands play a lean and mean version of rock that drinks deeply from bottles of punk, metal and high-octane rock & roll, so this is a good match. Each does four new originals, plus a tune by the other. The 'suckers blaze through good-natured burners like "Then I'm Gone," "Devils Food" and "Shit Fire" (because a Supersuckers release just isn't complete without at least once profane song title), then move to their C&W side for a dusty version of EF's punk rock anthem "Teenage Shutdown." The Joisey quintet tends to snarl more than smile, ripping through adrenaline rushes like "Sweet Baby Arrogance," "Not This Time" and the appropriately titled "Rip It Apart" with the savagery of a starving carnivore. Singer Steve Miller in particular sounds two steps away from lycanthropy. But EF's version of the Supersuckers' staple "She's My Bitch" falls flat; the 'suckers' tongue-in-cheek misogyny sounds discomfiting coming from Miller's heart attack-serious lungs. That's a minor complaint, however. Overall this is a great way to discover a couple of great American rock bands. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs, the Gaza Strippers, Adam West

TIAMAT
Judas Christ
(Century Media)
Sweden's Tiamat continues its evolution away from its death metal roots on its latest album Judas Christ. Embracing melody as never before, frontman Johan Edlund and his latest crew emphasize power chord hooks and Edlund's dramatic baritone over extreme heaviness and dark Gothic atmosphere. This is true of the subject matter as well. It would have been unthinkable for the old band to sing "It's about time we all get out and vote for love," but here it is in the catchy "Vote For Love," complete with female backing chorus. The singalong "Love is As Good As Soma" (which unfortunately sports some fairly silly lyrics), driving "Angel Holograms," pretty "Heaven of High" and sneering "So Much For Suicide" follow suit in the positivity department. This isn't to say that Edlund has abandoned Scandinavian metal's traditional anti-Christian stance, as the album title and tunes like "The Return of the Son of Nothing" make clear. Overall, though, it sounds as if Edlund has clearly stepped from his self-imposed darkness into the light of the modern world. Judas Christ is still a few steps away from being an out-and-out pop record, but it's bright and catchy enough to appeal to more than just the Tiamat faithful. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Mission U.K., Moonspell, the Jesus & Mary Chain

Copyright © 2002 High Bias