High Bias aural fixations
October 13, 2002

HOT CLUB OF COWTOWN
Ghost Train
(HighTone)
While equally observant of Django Reinhardt's gypsy styles and Bob Wills' two-step tradition Austin's Hot Club of Cowtown has grown in leaps and bounds from its revivalist roots. While there are plenty of sounds from the past, the strongest songs in this batch come when the band steps away from those traditional styles. The darker tones of "It Stops With Me" and "Sleep" show the band at a creative peak, borrowing from whatever style suits them to create some truly unique sounds. The band even does their roots one better with "Forget-Me-Nots," a song that will probably fool all but the most dedicated Western swing fan into thinking it's a cover from the 40s. As with their previous albums the sharing of vocal duties provides plenty of balance. Guitarist Whit Smith has a developed croon that lends itself to the smokier songs while violinist Elena Fremerman has a joyous, easier tone that adds that much more warmth to her tracks ("Sweet Secret of Mine" being the best example). Bass player Jake Erwin lays a strong beat to the whole affair and gets near the mike for the closing chorus-laden stomp of "Pray For The Lights To Go Out." "Pray" mixes equal part church sing-along and honky-tonk which, much like the album as a whole, makes for a satisfyingly powerful result. Boon Sheridan [buy it]

For fans of: Squirrel Nut Zippers, 8 1/2 Souvenirs, Don Walser

MIKE JOHNSON
What Would You Do
(Up)
It's been a while since we've heard from Portland singer/songwriter Mike Johnson, and from the sound of his fourth album What Would You Do, he hasn't gotten any happier. Of course, since Johnson possesses one of the deepest, darkest voices this side of the Sisters of Mercy and prefers a laconic, resigned delivery, he would sound dour if he were singing "Happy Birthday." Fortunately, Johnson knows the proper use of a voice like his, and slow, sad songs like "Remember," You're Still Around?" and "Only For Today" suit his morose delivery perfectly. Framed by gently strummed electric guitars and lush pianos, Johnson's performances suggest a crushing weight settling on his shoulders, but one he can bear with dignity and rugged stoicism. He seems to be finding some spiritual surcease in the relentless misery, if his version of Vivian Jackson's "Deliver Me From My Enemies" and a reading from Dante's Divine Comedy: Purgatorio in "Over" are any indication. If that doesn't help, he simply breaks out the guitar skronk when things get too dark&the crackling coda of "Things…" should send Neil Young back to his rehearsal room to fire up his Les Paul. What Would You Do isn't the masterpiece his last album I Feel Alright was, but it's a fine record nonetheless. Nobody does sadness better. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Mark Lanegan

LIVING SACRIFICE
Conceived in Blood
(Solid State)
When a band like Living Sacrifice puts out an album, it makes you wonder just what kind of positive attributes Christianity provides. If Jesus offers so much comfort, why is this music so angry, so ugly? At its most brutal, the long-running Arkansas quintet rivals any death metal icon you'd care to name. "Imminent War," the opening track on the band's latest album Conceived in Blood and an earnest attempt to understand the Middle East conflict, lays waste to lesser mortals and probably would clear the room of most churchgoers before it was a third of the way through. This isn't formless thrash, however. Frontman Bruce Fitzhugh has the starving werewolf thing down, but his vocals are more articulate and determined than most singers of this stripe. He, co-guitarist Rocky Gray and bassist Arthur Green can burn down buildings with their furious riffage, but they strike with precision, even subtlety. Drummers Lance Garvin and Matthew Putman keep the grooves going, alternating mosh parts and more straightforward driving rhythms in such a way that the songs become relentless without being numbing. The songs incorporate actual melody into the violence, though Fitzhugh and company let it out only once in a while, usually during a guitar solo. Songs like "Send Your Regrets," "Distrust" and "3x3 We Carried Your Body" (an agonizing account of a friend's suicide) are startlingly well-crafted, perfectly balancing metal melodies, heartfelt emotion and raging aggression. The album is so brutally heavy and harsh (an observation, not a value judgment) that, again, we're left to wonder just what comfort the band takes from its chosen spiritual path. Maybe this is how the members release their aggression before church on Sunday, pummeling sinful thoughts into submission. Regardless, Conceived in Blood is one of the finest death metal records in years. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Zao, Slayer, Prong

THE LUCKY BISHOPS
Grimstone
(Woronzow)
Dorset's Lucky Bishops have for years been happily flying under the radar of everybody but the Bevis Frond's Nick Saloman and Adrian Shaw, who have the good taste to bring us the second Bishops album Grimstone. The quartet neatly reverses the concept of sophomore slump on this record. On its debut, the band sported a tasty sonic approach, a luscious blend of Beach Boys pop, late 60s psychedelia and contemporary indie rock, but hadn't quite mastered the songwriting end of things quite yet. On Grimstone, however, they've got that part down cold. Tunefully cynical ditties like "Life in Hell" and "Doppleganger" will have you singing along to the Bishops' bad vibes in no time. A healthy dose of Burt Bacharach seems to have infected the writing as well, if the lovely "In Everything I Saw" and the bridge to the otherwise-rocking "Napoleon" are any indication. Other highlights include the irrepressibly tuneful "Wait For No One" and the disarmingly upbeat "You Come Alive." The band has streamlined its eclectic approach to match its more focused songwriting; the harmonies are tighter than ever and the instrumentation enhances the arrangements instead of distracting from them. Grimstone is a significant breakthrough for the Lucky Bishops, paving the way for a masterpiece. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: XTC, the Wonder Stuff, the Move

NEW BOMB TURKS
The Night Before the Day the Earth Stood Still
(Gearhead)
Things are getting way too serious these days—on the radio, on TV, in Washington—so it must be time for a New Bomb Turks album. The Night Before the Day the Earth Stood Still is a baker's dozen tracks of the band's high-octane snot-rock. If you've heard the Turks before, you know exactly what to expect. If not, here's what you get: fast 'n' furious punk rock with above-average riffs, vocals and melodies, and frontman Eric Davidson's distinctive combo of sardonic humor and cultural disgust. The title track is an excellent example: the protagonist and his paramour get into a drunken rumble ("Think I'm screaming now? You should've heard me then/I was hitting notes I'll never hit again"), said protagonist flees, frying pan hitting the wall behind, and ends up in the hands of rectal-probing space aliens. "Compared to going back," he snarls, "It's the preferable end…" Not everything is quite so skewed; the band gets relatively sober on tracks like "Leaving Town" and "Grifted," proving that it has the smarts and the heart to take things seriously while still seriously rockin'. "Like Ghosts" even slows the tempo and piles on the guitar effects for a spot of psychedelia. The sound is rawer than on the band's last couple of records, more visceral, but it doesn't hide the musical progression. On The Night Before the Day the Earth Stood Still, the New Bomb Turks take another step forward. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Dickies, the Pagans, early Saints

MISSY ROBACK
Just Like Breathing
(Hear Kitty)
Singer/songwriter Missy Roback has a gem of a pop record in her debut Just Like Breathing. Producer/husband Steven Roback (formerly of the Rain Parade and Viva Saturn) gives her a sparkling, folkish backdrop, with gently distorted electric guitars, lush acoustic guitars, tasteful percussion, warm keyboards and melodic basslines framing her intimate vocals. But the greatest virtues of this platter are the songs themselves. Roback explores the exquisite pain of heartbreak in "Nearest Star," "Take It Back" and "Compass," breathes the refreshing air of forgiveness in "The Only One" and picks at the raw wound of betrayal in the title track. She celebrates the positive aspects of human relationships in the tender, loving "Blue-Eyed Baby," but mostly she dwells on the troublesome side of this thing called love. With her lovely voice and her husband's immediately appealing accompaniment delivering the bad news, it sounds like she's working through it, though. Rotten love never sounded so good. Michael Toland

For fans of: Aimee Mann, Marti Jones, Ken Stringfellow

RPWL
Trying to Kiss the Sun
(Tempus Fugit/InsideOut)
Germany's RPWL isn't going to win points for originality on its debut album Trying to Kiss the Sun. There isn't much that's progressive in the band's progressive rock. The band clearly recalls prog giants of both classic and recent vintage, from Genesis and Pink Floyd to Spock's Beard and Porcupine Tree. But that doesn't mean the band isn't worth hearing, just that you shouldn't expect innovation when you do. The quintet maintains a talent for melody, which is all you really need for this music anyway. Tracks like "Waiting For a Smile," "I Don't Know (What It's Like)" and the title cut work their memorable tunes well; the band understands subtlety and dynamics, and prefers to stick close to the melody rather than take off into the ether with mindless virtuosity. The keyboards/guitars arrangements remain tasteful, though picker Karlheinze Wallner adds the occasional welcome rudeness from time to time. Frontman Yogi Lang's David Gilmouresque vocals bring out the emotion in the compositions, which is appropriate, since the songs are largely about relationships. That in itself, while hardly innovative, is a refreshing change from prog's usual hang-ups on history and philosophy. RPWL's main strength is its instantly appealing sound, and that's nothing to sneeze at. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd, Marillion, Porcupine Tree

Copyright © 2002 High Bias