High Bias aural fixations
August 4, 2002

BARRIO CHINO
Méditerra Nostra
(Candela/Tinder)
Mediterranean pop band Barrio Chino comes off as a world beat poster child on its latest album Méditerra Nostra. Strains of Afro-Cuban dance music, Latin rhythms and Algerian Rai melodies come together for a truly global fusion of international notes and scales. Singers Gil and Sylvie Aniorte-Paz let their soulful voices fly over a bed of Taofik Farah's flamenco guitars, Tony Gavila-Grisostomi and Jérôme Viollet's Afro-Latin percussion and Charley Tomas' busy electric basslines, with pianist/arranger Patrick Cascino adding his two cents in subtle fashion. "Je te salue Marseille" practically leaps out of the gate with its vigorous African rhythms and soaring melody, while "Oran" and "Torrevieja" work their distinctly Latin rhythms into your hips and skull. "Fuerza del querer" expertly blends Rai and Cuban music, while "Massilia" and "La vela (à Valérie Gasmi)" are ballads with exotic touches that belong to no fixed ethnicity. While there's nothing particularly challenging on this record—despite the multitude of world musics mixed and matched, it all comes out as smooth as a suede jacket—there's nothing that's less than pleasant, and much of it is quite beautiful. And whatever personality a stray track may lack is more than made up for by the shining voices of the Aniorte-Paz duo. Barrio Chino isn't as innovative as it could be, but it succeeds nicely in its chosen arena—that of pure pleasure. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Djavan, Rachid Taha, the Fania All-Stars

THE DAMN PERSONALS
Standing Still in the USA
(Big Wheel Recreation)
In all the talk about a "garage rock revival" (which, let's face it, is a rather large umbrella—the garage the Strokes came out of must have been bigger than the house White Stripes' Jack White grew up in) one band has been overlooked: Boston's Damn Personals. Adding a raw hard rock aesthetic to a late 70s new wave base, the rough 'n' ready quartet ejaculates all over the landscape on its second album Standing Still in the USA. "Better Living," the ingeniously titled "Amphetamine Rifles" and the title track put singalong melodies and pop riffs through a skewed arrangement sensibility that finds the group shifting from lite reggae and skittering new wave to rawboned punk and Who-like arena rock like a Superball bouncing on the kitchen floor. Riffs come shooting out of the speakers without warning and the singer always sounds as if he's on the edge of losing it completely. Yet somehow the band never descends into unorganized chaos, having perfected the art of crafting tight arrangements that sound loose. It helps that the recording sounds like producer Michael Deming simply set up the mikes, hit "record" and told the band to let 'er rip. The energy and vibrancy of the Damn Personals' approach to rock & roll comes through with no impediments whatsoever. This is what Cheap Trick might've sounded like if it had never made it out of the bars. Michael Toland

For fans of: the Clash, the Hives, Wannabes

KRISTIAN HOFFMAN
&
(eggBERT)
Usually when you see an album of duets on the shelves, the consistent duet partner is someone famous or legendary: Frank Sinatra, BB King, Willie Nelson. But that kind of superstar pairing usually leads to predictable choices and bland, sentimental crap (BB King's glorious Blues Summit being the notable exception). In the case of &, however, the main artist is fairly obscure, if well-respected, and thus his choice of partners runs toward the quirky and underground cool. (It says something about the folks involved when Paul Reubens is the most famous person here.) Songwriter Kristian Hoffman is best known, if at all, for his role as main songwriter for the Mumps, an obscure New Wave band in the late 70s that never got around to recording a proper album. Hoffman continued to work in the music business after the Mumps' dissolution, not only honing his considerable craft but also picking up an awful lot of acquaintances in the process. & bears this out, not only in its excellent choice of duet partners but also in its smart, melodic songcraft.

Hoffman writes tunes that draw as much from Jimmy Webb and Cole Porter as the Beatles and Ray Davies, and he's able to strike just the right balance between sarcasm and sentimentality. "Anyone But You," featuring kindred spirit Stew from the Negro Problem, is a snarky guitar pop song with delightful give-and-take and a strong hook. "Devil May Care," featuring the distinctive falsetto of Sparks frontman Russell Mael, puts a guided tour of an earthly hell in the voice of a carnival barker and atop a bouncy pop tune. The same spirit infuses Hoffman and El Vez's grinning tribute to "Madison Avenue." "Just in Time," with the Jupiter Affect/Three O'Clock's Michael Quercio, and "Get It Right This Time," with That Dog's Anna Waronker, turn toward more serious reflections of love, not to mention forthrightly lovely melodies. Speaking of audio beauty, "Scarecrow," a soberly witty treatise on the search for love, fairly wallows in lush sonics, due in part to the participation of Rufus Wainwright. "Tender Even Then," a frankly sentimental tete a tete with Maria McKee, drops any hint of irony and goes straight for the bathos jugular. Other fellow travelers on & include Van Dyke Parks, Redd Kross' Steve McDonald, Lydia Lunch and actress Ann Magnuson. Hoffman's songs nearly always hit the sweet spot between clever and fuzzy, between sugar and spice, and Earle Mankey's sparkling production captures his efforts perfectly. & works magic on nearly every level. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Stew, Ben Folds, Elvis Costello

JACK LOGAN & BOB KIMBELL
Woodshedding
(Parasol)
Bob Kimbell is the former leader of Midwestern power pop combo Weird Summer; Jack Logan is Athens's favorite underground musical son after Michael Stipe (does he even count as underground anymore?). Woodshedding is the pair's second album together, following the delightful Little Private Angel in 1998. Woodshedding is an equally low-key affair, with a rootsy vibe (dobro and pedal steel are everywhere) and a relaxed atmosphere. Perhaps, in fact, a bit too relaxed—tracks like "I Still Miss Her Dog," "Legs and Brains" and the so-laidback-it's-comatose "The Only Son" don't show much sign of sweat and toil being put into the songwriting. Fortunately, tunes like "Host of the Party," the surprising bossa nova "Navigator Type" and the intimate ballads "Nothing But Sky" and "Just as You Are" make up for the occasional bout of creative laziness, even if there's nothing here as tunefully melancholy as Angel's "Rained Like Hell." Logan's amiable voice is nearly irresistible anyway—he's the friendly dude next door with a broken heart. With sparse accompaniment provided by members of the Star Room Boys, the Moon Seven Times and the Possibilities, the pair has for the most part a quality late-night pop record on its hands with Woodshedding. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Ron Sexsmith, Ron Flynt, the Cultivators

MEDIÆVAL BÆBES
The Rose
(Nettwerk)
The Rose, the fourth album for British vocal ensemble the Mediæval Bæbes, simply revels in the interplay of nine beautiful female voices. Though the melodies are drawn mainly from European Renaissance sources, the songs found herein resonate just as well in modern times as in ancient days. Pagan religion, poetic language and languorous sensuality get woven into a luminous tapestry by the nonet's larynxes on shimmering tunes like "Glass Window," "L'amour De Moi" and "Laude Novella." Despite the ethereality of the arrangements, the group is as concerned with earthly pleasures as spiritual contemplation—"The Circle of the Lustful," anyone? Give a listen to "Dringo Bell," a story worthy of the bawdier sections of The Canterbury Tales. Yet the group can also rapturously croon a piece as high-minded as "There is No Rose of Swych Vertu," with lyrics like "By that rose we may well see/That he is God in persons three." Other cuts like "The Woods and Rivers are Silent" and "Blow Northern Wind" are so beautiful it doesn't even matter what they're on about. On The Rose, the Mediæval Bæbes sings sweetly and confidently of both the sacred and the profane, and you'll be happy to give them your undivided attention. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Miranda Sex Garden, Värttinä, Bel Canto

TOMAHAWK
Tomahawk
(Ipecac)
Sort of an indie noise rock meeting of minds, Tomahawk boasts singer Mike Patton (Faith No More, Fantomas, etc.), guitarist Duane Denison (Jesus Lizard), bassist Kevin Rutmanis (the Cows, Melvins) and drummer John Stanier (Helmet). With that pedigree, you can count on menace, ugliness and general aggression to be present in spades on the band's debut album. Interestingly, this record isn't nearly as chaotic and brain damaging as one might imagine. The band hews closely to vaguely conventional hard rock melody lines, though this could hardly be expected to gain radio play. Denison goes as much for atmosphere as skronk, and while Patton indulges in his usual vocal variety, he avoids unearthly screeching or animal noises. While still challenging and confrontational, Tomahawk could be called—gasp—accessible. Muscular, powerful songwriting and a strong sense of dynamics distinguish the band as much as its infamous cast; the way the group confidently moves from spacey, almost pretty creepouts like "Sweet Smell of Success" to all-out frontal assaults like "Sir Yes Sir" says volumes (loudly) about its musical abilities. "Jockstrap," "Laredo" and "God Hates a Coward" are even catchy, if still snarling and twisted. Tomahawk: Mike Patton music you don't have to be a freak to appreciate. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Butthole Surfers, Tool, Steel Pole Bathtub

WITHOUT FACE
Astronomicon
(Elitist/Earache)
European progressive metal usually comes from a different place than the American version. Maybe it's because there's no Berklee School of Music in Europe, but Old World prog metalheads have less interest in 10-minute guitar/keyboard duels and virtuostic excess than in atmosphere and epic scale. (Except for the preposterous Italian band Rhapsody, which never met an over-the-top element it didn't like. But the less said about it the better.) This is certainly the case with Hungary's Without Face on its sophomore album Astronomicon. While the musicians are clearly capable of more than three chords and a couple of time signatures, the focus is entirely on getting the songs across, rather than setting up solo time. Not that there isn't some of that, but mostly the songs' length comes from the band's widescreen arrangements. Besides, with two singers, who has time for lead breaks? Much of the sextet's appeal comes from the interaction between Andras' alternating beastly baritone and Juliette's more heavenly soprano. "…In the Garden" sums Without Face's work up nicely: Juliette and Andras weave their vocals around each other while the musicians deftly sculpt several appealing melodies and countermelodies into a cohesive, titanic whole—sort of the quintessential Face moment. Of course, with titles like "Pit and Pendulum," "Daimonion" and "Weird Places," fans with an aversion to dark fantasy would be well advised to steer clear. But if you've a taste for vaguely Gothic metal bombast, Without Face will go down better than absinthe. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Oratory, Theatre of Tragedy, After Forever

Copyright © 2002 High Bias