High Bias aural fixations
November 10, 2002

THE CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO WITH TONY LEVIN AND PAT MASTELOTTO
CG3 + 2
(InsideOut)
The California Guitar Trio has garnered quite a reputation for itself over the past decade, mainly for its freewheeling live performances, but also for its exquisitely crafted records of complex compositions and challenging improvs. CG3 + 2 is the latest document, with a twist. Instead of recording unaccompanied, guitarists Bert Lam, Paul Richards and Hideyo Moriya are joined by bassist Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, etc.) and drummer Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson, XTC, Mr. Mister, etc.). The quintet of virtuoso musicians takes on old CG3 faves like "Melrose Avenue" and "Blockhead," new compositions like "Eve" and "Skyline," a handful of interesting covers and some group improvisations. Though the addition of a rhythm section gives the old songs new power (check out the angry slide-driven "Train to Lamy"), it's the latter pair of conceptual broadsides that raise the most eyebrows. The fiery cover of John McLaughlin's "Dance of Maya" sets the studio aflame, with burning acoustic and electric soloing over Mastelotto's roiling percussion and Levin's trademark rubbery grooves. Yes' "Heart of the Sunrise" is done as faithfully as a group with no vocals can do it, and the acoustic guitars take those familiar, difficult riffs and ride them into the sunset (er, sunrise). "Hanagasa" and "Zundoko-Bushi" mix progressive rock dynamics with the traditional Japanese folk music of Moriya's youth and provide the set's coolest moments. But the group improvs also impress. "Swampy Space" lives up to its title, with banjo-like acoustic and muddy slide playfully dueling over Levin's deep rumbles. "What I Am" goes more for mood, with David Torn-esque atmospherics and a busy percussion loop; "The Chase" continues the theme but adds more aggression, with buzzing six-strings, strange noises and a more jungle-influenced rhythm. CG3 + 2 displays a veteran ensemble in adventurous mode, setting new standards for instrumental progressive rock. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: John McLaughlin/Al DiMeola/Paco deLucia, Steve Howe, the Hellecasters

GOODBYE GIRL FRIDAY
Mr. and Mrs.
(Goodbye Girl Friday)
Formerly a jazz/rock trio called Edison With the Weather, Goodbye Girl Friday is all about the pop on its album Mr. and Mrs. Keyboardist/singer David Sherman, bassist Dan Grennes and drummer Andy Sanesi play warm, melodic songs of romantic entanglements and emotional confusion, with Sherman's electric piano coloring the sound in burnt amber and deep forest green. Funky pop tunes like "Summer-Dusted Mind" and "This Drama You Create" sidle up to smoky ballads like "Mr. Rainy Days" and the title track, and no one goes home alone. No matter the misery conveyed by the lyrics, the analog keyboard sound and the swinging rhythm section wrap around your eardrums like a thick blanket, making the harshest medicine go down like hot chocolate. Mixed metaphors aside, Goodbye Girl Friday makes pop music with heart. Michael Toland

For fans of: Emitt Rhodes, Ben Folds Five, AJ Croce

J MASCIS + THE FOG
Free So Free
(Ultimatum/Artemis)
Free So Free, the latest album by J Mascis, the man formerly known as Dinosaur Jr., is allegedly a concept album about skydiving. OK, sure, whatever. Whether you buy into the theme or not, however, you can't deny that this record is one of Mascis' strongest collections of songs. Mascis doesn't do anything here you haven't heard him do before—creaky vocals, melodies that split the difference between punk, pop and classic rock and overdriven guitar sounds abound. This is one guy who knows his strengths and sticks to them. But there's more inherent tunefulness here than on any record he's made since the landmark Dino Jr. album Where You Been. "Bobbin," "Tell the Truth" and "Freedom" have singalong choruses and big fat hooks; if not for Mascis' trademark guitar sludge, they'd qualify as power pop. The mostly acoustic "Someone Said" and "If Thats How Its Gotta Be" waft gently by as a couple of Mascis' prettiest ballads, while "Everybody Lets Me Down" is some of his purest pop (despite the skronky lead guitar). The title track rides a wistful melody, unusually soulful vocals and some of Mascis' most lyrical ax wrangling, on both acoustic and electric, no less. Mascis will never be accused of progression, but as long as he does what he does as well as he does it on Free So Free, no one can begrudge him sticking with success. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Built to Spill, Neil Young, Buffalo Tom

MCGILL MANRING STEVENS
Controlled By Radar
(Free Electric Sound)
When guitarist Scott McGill, bassist Michael Manring and drummer Vic Stevens last convened, it was for the aggressive blow-a-thon Addition By Subtraction. For the double-disk Controlled By Radar, the emphasis is more on mood and composition than mind-blowing chops. McGill in particular keeps his more frenzied instincts in check on the electric first disk, letting fly only on "Have Sex Get Paid ñ Part II" and "Cash From Chaos." Otherwise he contents himself with haunted volume swells, smoky atmospherics and the occasional gnarled burst, letting Manring's ambient funk bass do most of the heavy lifting. The trend continues in the acoustic second disk, as the interplay between McGill's quirky 12-string licks, Manring's busy basslines and Stevens' percolating percussion calls up dreams and diversions of all types—check out the rumbling "Madinat Ash Sha'b" or the cloudy "A Darkness Falls Upon Us." McGill does break out the speed-demon soloing for "He is Invisible;" backed by Stevens' tablas and Manring's low-end drone, it's practically a tribute to John McLaughlin's Shakti. Amazingly, at nearly two hours of improvisational composition, the album rarely becomes boring. The musicians' delight in exploring their tonal boundaries and experimental interplay comes through quite nicely, and the avoidance of simply burning up and down the fretboards keeps the band away from listener fatigue. Fusion is rarely as creative or compelling as it is on Controlled By Radar. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: David Torn/Mick Karn/Terry Bozzio, Oregon, Attention Deficit

BEAVER NELSON
Legends of the Super Heroes
(Freedom)
BEAVER NELSON Legends of the Super Heroes (Freedom) What we've got here, folks, is a mountain-grown blend of almost-alt country music, singer-songwriter and rock. Ever present is the scratchy, sometimes too-strained twang of a lonesome voice and the nice guy cowboy poetry you would be right to expect from a man named Beaver Nelson. But enough harping on his name—at his down-home narrative best, Nelson conjures up contemporary country/rock/folk singers like Gillian Welch, Gary Louris ("It Seems So Simple") and Jeff Tweedy back in his Uncle Tupelo days. At his worst, he lets some of the more unsavory elements from the rock tradition taint his country in a way that is unbecoming. Not every song is a standout, but there are a few.

The disc really takes off on track three, "Digging a Well." With brushes, tender vocals, and splashes of old school Nashville and breezy Hawaiian electric guitar licks, Nelson shows sharpness as an arranger. Strummed acoustic guitar, trippy vocals, and a glowing Farfisa work nicely to give "Anything Left" a winsome charm reminiscent of Wilco and even Elliot Smith. With its scrappy slide guitar and mandolin, the traditional sounding "Government Sanctioned Hayride" is a real favorite; Nelson cops a social satire in the tradition of everyone from Loudon to Mark Twain, trying to cut the blue tape to get permission to stage a hoedown. The lyrics of "Baloney Bay" conjure up ol' Jim and Huck floatin' down the river on a raft. Also of lyrical note, "Sleep (No Rest)" is a Texas folk tale based on the repetitive musical style of traditional Irish music. In it, Nelson gives a detailed account of a dream where he finds himself the only person in dusty town, except for the proprietors of little shops that can't help him solve his lonesome riddle.

The cheesy electric guitar and quasi-disco drums of track one, "Clean it Up," bring back memories of Don Henley's "You Belong the City" from the Miami Vice show. Similar guitar cheese mars "Chameleon Brain" significantly. Likewise, the music of "Baloney Bay" could stand without the faux hip-hop drum beat. Sometimes for a traditional style like country, too many options in the recording studio can be a bad thing. The reason why some alt.country is so good is because those bands are on the cutting edge of both country and rock. Nelson is best with his county and folk. Jonathan Donaldson [buy it]

For fans of: Uncle Tupelo, Jimmy Buffet, Daniel Johnston

OF MONTREAL
Aldhils Arboretum
(Kindercore)
Aldhils Arboretum, the sixth album by Athens, GA's Of Montreal, finds the group following the trail blazed by previous mainstays of the Elephant 6 collective, that is, leaving lo-fi psychedelics behind for a more polished pop sound that draws from 60s British pop as much as 80s underground rock. Vocals, pianos and guitars anchor streamlined arrangements that eschew kitchen-sink production for simpler presentations of the tunes. Songwriter Kevin Barnes remains a child-like presence, as the schoolboy antics of "Isn't It Nice?" and gleeful ennui of "Doing Nothing" attest, and he prefers to celebrate the simple things in life. "Kissing in the Grass," the Stephen Sondheim-quoting "Natalie and Effie in the Park" and "Old People in the Cemetery" don't show much deep thought, but they're not meant to do so. "An Ode to the Nocturnal Muse" and "The Blank Husband Epidemic" (which is as close as the LP comes to rocking out) meditate a bit more thoroughly than the rest of the material, if just as whimsically. Not everything is made of quirky blocks stolen from Brian Wilson and the Beatles' playrooms, however. Out of nowhere comes "Jennifer Louise," a superb slice of catchy singalong pop that wouldn't sound out of place on a Hollies record, while "Pancakes For One" drops the what-me-worry grin for a melancholy look at a recent breakup. Both are refreshing breaks from the constant zaniness. It's tempting to recommend the band move more toward a straight pop direction and put the silliness on the backburner. But if the group did that it wouldn't be Of Montreal, would it? Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Elf Power, Shimmer Kids Underpop Association, Beulahd

SLOBBERBONE
Slippage
(New West)
Slippage, the fourth album from Denton, TX's Slobberbone, is the group's most streamlined effort yet. Most of the C&W and folk influences are gone, as the band revels in the sound of two guitars, bass and drums. But Slobberbone has always used sounds, whether elaborately arranged alternative country or basic rock & roll, as a means to illuminate songs. Leader Brent Best has a batch of good ones here, mostly revolving around his familiar theme of busted hearts and broken smiles. The aggressive "Write Me Off," tender "Stupid Words" and split-the-difference "Sweetness, That's Your Cue" would find their way on any Slobberbone best-of. The mixture of Best's gruff, emotional vocals and the crackling electric guitars reminds us that rock still isn't dead. The band also hasn't totally abandoned country rock, as the lovely "Find the Out" attests, and its way with ballads still rules, as on the soulful "Live On in the Dark." Overall Slippage has a very straightforward, unpretentious vibe, as it simply presents the songs, unvarnished, unadorned, just rocked up and out. Slobberbone once again excels at sizzling songcraft. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Soul Asylum, the Drive-By Truckers, the Sidewinders

Copyright © 2002 High Bias