High Bias aural fixations
February 9, 2003

EL ECO
Two Worlds
(Dreambox)
Some Latin American musicians have argued over the years that nobody really plays Latin jazz; what they're actually doing is Afro-Cuban jazz. Semantics aside, El Eco plays Latin jazz. Drummer/composer/bandleader Guillermo Mojechowicz adapts native melodies from Brazil, Uruguay and his native Argentina to the vocabulary of the blues and bebop, and the result is Two Worlds. Pretty, danceable melodies combine with jazz improvisation for an album that walks a fine line between music and Muzak. Some of the trumpet work brings Herb Alpert to mind a little too often, and a few of the tunes err on the side of accessibility; "La Bossa Nova de Claudio" wouldn't sound out of place as on-hold music for a mail-order company. And the idea that these intensely Latin musicians would find Sting's maudlin "Fragile" worthy of covering is puzzling, to say the least. At the same time, however, Mojechowicz and his crew (including pianist Helio Alves and singer Kim Nazarian, whose wordless vocals are the group's secret weapon) come up with undeniably wonderful cuts like "Parado Final," "Uruguay" and the title number. Two Worlds is ultimately a mixed bag, but a never less than listenable one. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Pat Metheny's Still Life (Talking), Weather Report, Paquito D'Rivera

FAIRBURN ROYALS
From a window way above
(Two Sheds)
From a window way above, the debut album from Athens, Georgia combo Fairburn Royals, is simply a nice slice of the indie/psych/roots/pop pie. The band (a trio on this record, a quartet since recording) takes a variety of melodic approaches on the baker's dozen songs included here, from the jaunty country rock of "The Projectionist" to the meditative languidity of "Don't Force It," from the edgy angst rock of "Anti-Drug" to the gently sweet pop of "For a Reason." The heart-on-sleeve acoustic pop of "Paint the Night" sits quite comfortably next to the indie rock satire of "Be My Punk Rock Friend;" variety is this band's friend. It helps that the performances and songwriting are remarkably consistent. Frontperson Matt Lisle has the kind of immediately appealing voice that bespeaks both eager-to-please innocence and hard-won emotional experience, and it works no matter what kind of song he's singing. The band supports the vocally-centered arrangements with taste and a real knack for bringing out the inherent catchiness of its janglecrunch guitar lines and versatile rhythms. No fuss, no muss, just well-written songs and sharp performances; this gem of a gimmick-free pop record is worth the search. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Doleful Lions, recent Wilco, the Red Telephone

ILLEGAL TEENAGE BIKINI
I Am Not Job
(Precipice/WTII)
Patrick Ogle, the leader of Illegal Teenage Bikini (see the liner notes for the amusing origin of the name), used to lead a Goth band called Thanatos. On I Am Not Job, the debut from his new project, Ogle mixes acoustic guitars, electronic textures and his trademark guttural vocals into a distinctive fusion of old and new, dark and light, mystery and clarity. The pretty, emotional folk/pop of "Akira Okubu," the menacing dark folk of "Larger Than the Sky" and the sardonic country ballad "Oklahoma City Ballroom" sit next to the stark electronic pop of "Drop the Dime" (co-composed and performed with late Gothtronic luminary William Tucker, to whom the disk is dedicated), the percussion-fueled weirdness of "Statues Never Have Fingernails" and the unsettling atmospherics of "Massive, MASSIVE, Object." There's also a straightforward cover of Billy Bragg's "Between the Wars." Despite the variety, everything here sounds of a piece; the contrasts never jar. This is mainly due to Ogle's consistency as a songwriter, as well as his absolute clarity of vision. I Am Not Job is the record he wants to make, with no compromises and a tight rein on any tendencies toward self-indulgence (for the most part, at least). Illegal Teenage Bikini makes flaunting the law worth it. Michael Toland

For fans of: Chris Connelly, Lycia, Lambchop

THE IZZYS
Fast & Out of Control Wins the Race
(The Izzys)
New York trio the Izzys loves rock & roll. Moreover, singer/guitarist Mike Storey, bassist Jesse Korwin and drummer Jared Gutstadt love the roots of rock & roll, whether those roots are found in the Mississippi Delta, the Appalachian hills or the bowery of the Big Apple. The trio takes the tried 'n' true tools of rock out of the box—loud guitars, 4/4 rhythms, to-the-point tunes—and polishes 'em up on its debut EP Fast & Out of Control Wins the Race. Cuts like "Morning Bells," "Little Sally Water" and "Velocity" sound more like the Rolling Stones than the Stones do these days, greasy, grooving and attention-grabbing. "Turning Round" adds some Delta-fried slide guitar to the mix, while the ballad "Blue and Gold" and the country-rockin' "Change Your Mind" prove that the boys can mix it up if they feel like it. The only problem with this disk is the low-budget sound, but that's a minor quibble. As the ramshackle rhythms, loose guitar strums and Storey's urgent yelp make plain, rockin' is the Izzys' business, and, as they say, business is good. Michael Toland

For fans of: the Rolling Stones, Finger, Tiger Mountain

ALISON KRAUSS & UNION STATION
Live
(Rounder)
Live is, needless to say, a double-disk live album featuring acoustic music superstars Alison Krauss & Union Station. It features onstage versions of Union Station classics ("Everytime We Say Goodbye," "Baby, Now That I've Found You," "When You Say Nothing at All"), bluegrass standards ("Cluck Old Hen," "The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe Corn," "Bright Sunny South") and, of course, guitarist Dan Tyminski's O Brother Where Art Thou? hit "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow." Krauss and band also present her O Brother cut, a beautifully harmonized "Down to the River to Pray" taken from her recent Austin City Limits taping. Dobroist Jerry Douglas (still the new kid, even though he's been a session musician and solo artist for nearly as long as Krauss has been alive) contributes a couple of nifty instrumentals ("Choctaw Hayride," "We Hide and Seek"), plus a dobro solo ("A Tribute to Peador O'Donnell/Monkey Let the Hogs Out") as well. Krauss sings prettily and plays her trademark flowing fiddle lines; Tyminski contrasts with his husky drawl and fleet-fingered guitar and mandolin picking. Douglas, bassist Barry Bales and banjoist Ron Block fill in around the edges. (Drummer Larry Atamanuik adds to the proceedings here and there as well.) It's pretty much what you'd expect from a Krauss concert, in other words. Considering the pristine recording quality, smart song selection and dead-on performances on this record, and ignoring the occasionally over-zealous applause, it serves not only as a concert recording but also as a de-facto best-of. If you like Krauss but haven't wanted to shell out the bucks for all of her albums, Live is a good, highly listenable career summary. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Claire Lynch, Nickel Creek, Laurie Lewis

MEANFLOWER
…a distant episode
(Offset/Planetary)
The brothers McCormack, who lead Richmond, Virginia's Meanflower, apparently do a lot of traveling. Check out these song titles: "Postmark New Mexico," "Portland," "White Sands," "Baltimore," "Time and Distance," "Up North." Not to mention "A Place I've Never Known," which addresses more personal spaces. Meanflower's country rock/pop sound on …a distant episode fits the brothers' musings well, keeping things light and melodic without getting in the way of singer Dave's yearning for a spot on the globe to call home. Meanflower uses these tunes to explore the reasons to stick around and the urge to move on, letting the easy-going melodies and plainspoken vocals cushion the emotional blows. There's some serious songcraft going on here; unfortunately, whether or not you'll give it a chance depends on your tolerance for this kind of laidback alt.country. Musically there's simply nothing particularly distinctive; the tunes are nice but not particularly memorable. If you can't get enough of this sound, then Meanflower will certainly not disappoint you, but if you've had enough of the whole nuevo roots rock thing, you probably won't want to tune in to …a distant episode. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: No Depression magazine, the Delevantes, Jolene

SHEAVY
Synchronized
(Rise Above/The Music Cartel)
When Canadian quartet sHeavy first purveyed its traditionalist brand of heavy rock, one name kept coming up: Black Sabbath. Considering how much lead singer Steve Hennessey's larynx sounds like it belongs in Ozzy Osbourne's throat, it was a perfectly apt comparison. You'd think that the last thing the band would want to do is further the notion that they're Sabbath clones, so hiring Mike Butcher, who produced Sabbath in the 70s, to produce its fourth album doesn't seem like such a smart idea. But as it happens, sHeavy knows what it's doing. Synchronized is a mature, varied hard rock album that flirts with a lot of 70s metal touchstones, but Sabbath isn't one of them. Hennessey and his buds are more interested in aggressive propulsion and crunchy guitar hooks than bludgeoning sludge. Six-stringer Dan Moore uses a variety of tones and strokes to smash and slash, while drummer Ren Squires never lets the energy flag. Bassist Keith Foley also adds plenty of interesting new colors to the band's palette with some tastefully placed analog synth licks, though the emphasis is quite rightly on Moore and Hennessey. Of course, there's still Hennessey's startling resemblance to Ozzy to contend with, but it's kind of neat to hear what sounds like Ozzy singing different kind of songs than the real thing normally would. Tracks like the opening "Firebird350" and "Last of the V8 Interceptors" roar down the highway, leaving burned rubber all over the tarmac, while "Ultraglide" works that power ballad mojo better than anyone since, well, anybody. Snarling bonecrackers like "Kill Queens Go Disco," "The Time Machine" and "Part of the Machine" combine steel-booted riffs with anthemic choruses into a nosehair-burning cocktail of accessibility and power. If you want a heapin' helping of tasty heavy rock, get out your spoons and dig in to Synchronized. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Spiritual Beggars, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest

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