High Bias aural fixations
April 13, 2003

ANTON BARBEAU
King of Missouri
(Woronzow/Bongo Beat)
Sacramento's Anton Barbeau has put out a series of wonderfully eccentric pop records since the early 90s, endearing himself to an ever-growing cult of power pop fans and gaining the respect of peers like the Loud Family's Scott Miller. Another semi-famous friend is Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond, who offered not only his label and production skills but also his band for Barbeau's use in creating his latest album King of Missouri. The result is the singer/songwriter's most winning record so far. Shorn of the more whimsical experiments that typically populate Barbeau's records, King of Missouri is simply a collection of loud pop songs, smartly written and expertly performed. Barbeau's forte is the marriage of bizarre, seemingly too-clever-for-their-own-good lyrics with immediately appealing pop hooks, and in the case of this record, the nuptials must have been ecstatic. The singalong melodies and the sweetly satisfying crunch of his and Saloman's guitars immediately draw you in, while repeated listens (and there will be repetition) allows the lyrics to sink in. Like Robyn Hitchcock, Barbeau uses odd imagery and subject matter to express emotions we all feel; tunes like "I'm Always Offending My Sensitive Friends," "The Clothes I Want to Wear" and "Sweet Creature, What's Your Name?" may seem like exercises in wordplay, but the heart behind the cleverness beats strongly. When he sings "Sylvia something/Between us" in "Sylvia Something," the feeling is left undefined, but it doesn't need to be. When he blurts out "I'm still in love with you" during the hard rocker "Cheque's in the Mail," it shows the pain behind the sarcastic façade. This record also includes a brilliant re-recording of "Octagon," perhaps the most winsome item in his catalog. Often supported by typically magnificent Saloman guitar solos, Barbeau sounds just great, his perfect power pop voice finding just the right balance between eyebrow-raising and heartbreak. Admittedly, at first it doesn't seem quite like a Barbeau record without the audio effluvia he usually sprinkles in as interludes, but the quality of the material overrides such carping. King of Missouri is a constant delight. [Addendum: Bongo Beat's 2005 reissue adds the bonus track "Motor," retrieved from Free City Media's compilation album Further Adventures of the Telepathic Explorers.] Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Robyn Hitchcock, the Loud Family, Brendan Benson

JENIFER JACKSON
So High
(Bar/None)
On her third disc So High, New York's Jenifer Jackson leads a musically adventurous five-piece band through renditions of her cosmopolitan pop compositions, bringing to mind a talent not necessarily similar to, but on par with the other famous J. Jackson from twenty years ago. (Joe!) While it's true that she works in the same confessional, "spiritually acoustic" style propagated by so many of the current singer-songwriters on the national circuit, Jackson transcends and defies the vexing ego-boundaries so often cultivated by the propagators of this iffy genre. She is simply a talent too musical to be contained. As a bandleader, she shows intelligence by bringing some of New York's best pop musicians into her permanent fold, thus escaping the scrambled trappings that singer/songwriters often face when forced to assemble a mere studio band to record their precious songs. Consequently, So High is the fruit of a great group, a fantastic and free spirited joy, marked with musical terrains both well-defined and varied.

The outstanding 70s-esque "The Power Of Love" calls to mind both the mellower side of Todd Rundgren's keyboard pop and the funky folk of British enigma John Martyn. Producer and bandmember Pat Sansone's Fender Rhodes work is especially effective in helping Jackson evoke what sounds like a musical Hopper painting, as she demurely sings, "The moon came up slow after first avenue." Likewise, Sonny Barbatos' delightful accordion bellows love into the Richard Thompson/Los Lobos leanings of "Down So Low" and "We Will Be Together." So on and so forth, like a classic Mitchell Froom production (Elvis Costello, Ron Sexsmith, Suzanne Vega), the hits and the surprises just keep on coming.

For poignancy, Jackson delivers the lovelorn "Since You've Been Away," a sun-kissed bossa nova highlighted by percussionist G. Wiz's tastefully primitive programming and the unpredictable inclusion of a harpsichord. The title track is a gruff inquiry into both Radiohead's and the Beatles' songbooks, complete with all of the chords they never teach you in those little boxes. But even while the band plays this cut with blustering competency (especially guitarist Oren Bloedow, who digs deep into the bedrock with his electric heels), it is ultimately Jenifer Jackson's passionate signing that gives the song instant credibility.

While Jackson may not have the prettiest voice, it possesses distinct fearlessness and passion that is perhaps more valuable than what golden-throated contemporaries like Travis' Francis Healy or Coldplay's Chris Martin have to offer. And her uncontrived versatility is hard to resist. "The Invitation" is a magnificent exploration into the folkier side of British-pop, a l· the Lilac Time, the Smiths or even Chicago's own Aluminum Group. As Jackson sings "Just like the light decides color/And the tone of day/You decide/How you want to ride/With me," it's not hard to imagine a whole album based on this colorful and alluring side of her musical personality alone. She then switches-up directly with "Got To Have You," a virtuous seven-minute exploration into the laid-back soul of Philly groups like the Delphonics and the Stylistics. This is truly a musicians' album. Groovy but never corny, familiar but never blatant, So High is one of the best of 2003. Jonathan Donaldson [buy it]

For fans of: Ron Sexmith, Todd Rundgren, Richard Thompson

MURDER 1
On High
(The Music Cartel)
Back in the early 70s, heavy metal bands were expected to do more than just bang heads unmercifully. They were supposed to have some diversity, to be creative and able to make so-called "serious" music as well as the usual eardrum-thrashing riff rockers. New Jersey's Murder 1 carries on that tradition on its third album On High. Sure, it can kick out the metal jams as well as anyone, as "Back to G.13," "Pimp Killer (Papillon)" and "White Horse Trail" prove. But the band also incorporates the spacey psychedelia from which the music originally sprang. "El Pharmacisto" and the title cut are atmospheric instrumentals that serve as intros to the tracks that follow. "The Raver, the Naga and the Holy Spirit" is the kind of psychedelic ballad acid freaks spend years deconstructing, while "Hudson County Probation Blues" is a samples ën' effects-fest that's closer to ambient music than metal. The group also serves up the obligatory Big Rock Epics with "Helm's Deep" (the latest in the band's Tolkien-inspired pieces) and a cover of UFO's "Rock Bottom." Singer Will Naga is used as just another texture as often as he's the center of the arrangement, and keyboardist Bram Phetamine is nearly as prominent as guitarist Iceberg. The variety of tones and attacks found in On High puts Murder 1 30 years behind and several steps ahead of the contemporary metal contingent. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Dust, Atomic Rooster, Santeria

RPWL
Stock
(Tempus Fugit/SPV/InsideOut)
Germany's RPWL continues its quest for a kinder, gentler progressive rock with its third album Stock. The quintet keeps the instrumental grandstanding to an absolute minimum, and structures its tracks more along the lines of pop songs than epics with multiple time signatures. Indeed, the prog connection comes more from atmosphere and aesthetics than song styling. The spacey synths and soft mumbling of the three-part "Forgive Me" sounds like Peter Gabriel's more sedate moments. "The Way It Is" will find friends amongst fans of Spock's Beard, especially that band's shorter, sharper cuts. The band always puts its sweet melody first; any intimations of virtuosity are strictly background colors. Frontman Yogi's plush voice, almost exactly like that of David Gilmour, suits this approach well. As might be surmised from the litany of other artists' names, RPWL has some derivation issues; it's difficult to listen to this group without immediately thinking of other, superior bands. This was forgivable on its last record, but two records in a row sets off a warning light. RPWL certainly has a way with melody, and no surfeit of passion, but it's not going to be able get away with this sort of (we'll be kind) homage much longer. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Marillion, post-Roger Waters Pink Floyd, the poppier side of Spock's Beard

STARDRIVER
Stardriver
(Stardriver)
Florida's Stardriver revels in the sound of the guitar, especially the fuzzy, shimmering, pedal-driven end of the six-string spectrum. The quartet can jangle and crunch with the best of them, but prefers to navigate the middle ground, using its effects to convey the emotional thrust of the three tunes on this disk. Frontman Angel's soaring vocals occasionally strangle on their own feeling, lending an authenticity to the band's presentation. While none of the songs are stone classics, none are less than good, either, especially the keening "Breakdown" and the fuzz-encrusted "Son of Sam." The production quality of this disk, which is essentially a demo, works against them; this is the kind of music where a major label budget would actually help, adding the kind of widescreen lushness the band deserves. But if Stardriver keeps writing good tunes, that kind of attention is inevitable. Michael Toland

For fans of: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the rockier end of Spiritualized, the Vines

WHITE LIGHT MOTORCADE
Thank You, Goodnight!
(Octone)
White Light Motorcade is a rock & roll band from New York City, which automatically gets them thrown into the press-created camp of NYC rockers spearheaded by the Strokes. Fortunately, the quartet has enough of a strong sense of identity that it doesn't need to be lumped into any movement. Ironically, that identity is based on not having a specific image or sound, other than "rock." WLM isn't a garage rock band, or a post-New Wave Strokes ripoff, or nuevo hard rock band—it's simply a guitar-centric melodic rock group, with just the right balance of aggression and compositional smarts to make it stand out. Frontman Harley Dinardo (gee, ya think that's a pseudonym?) has the requisite rock & roll sneer down, which gives rockers like "Open Your Eyes," "I Could Kick Myself" and "It's Happening" that nasty edge, but he's just as capable of handling the midtempo pop tunes and ballads like "Semi-Precious" and "Dream Day." In addition, the combo boasts a bit of a glam edge on tracks like "My Way," which shows a T.Rex influence—always a good thing. Sometimes Dinardo's curled lip is all that saves a cut—the ballad "Closest" would be a little too close to Dawson's Creek rock if not for the singer's efforts. White Light Motorcade could be accused of being generic modern rock, but its songs are too good for such a dismissal. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Oasis, Living Things, the Dandy Warhols

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Contaminated 5.0
(Relapse)
Relapse Records has been an industry leader in the field of extreme metal for a decade now, with only Century Media being a serious rival, and the label has chosen to celebrate with its latest sampler, Contaminated 5.0. Relapse has done as much as anyone to bring death metal to the masses, and as such this budget-priced two-disk set leans heavily toward rampant musical brutality. Disk two in particular is a relentless aural assault, as veterans like Cephalic Carnage, Cryptic Slaughter and Suffocation scream, pummel, shriek and shred their way past your eardrums in order to dance the watusi on the lizard parts of your brain. Mortician's "Dead and Buried" starts with unaccompanied cries of agony, which pretty much sets the tone for the disk. Employer, Employee's "One Count of Mutiny" breaks up the fury with some processed and clean vocals amidst the beastly growls, and Broken Bones' "It's Like" has more in common with Motorhead than Morbid Angel, but they're merely respites from the carnage.

For a better view of the variety of metal attacks available on Relapse, go to disk one. Nile, Dysrhythmia and Pig Destroyer hold the death metal fort, while Burnt By the Sun and the highly acclaimed Mastodon drag the form kicking and screaming up the evolutionary ladder with "Dow Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "March of the Fire Ants" respectively. But here you can also find the blistering speedcore of Genocide Superstars' "We Are Born of Hate," the groovy moonshine metal of Alabama Thunderpussy's "Motor-Ready" (possibly that band's quintessential tune), the crushing dinosaur sludge of High On Fire's "Hung, Drawn and Quartered," the mystical avant rock of Amber Asylum's "Silence of the Setting Sun" and even the ambient pop of 27's "Warm Hands, Cold Heart." There's also an obligatory exclusive track with the Dillinger Escape Plan's live take on "Destro's Secret." Even better, the sampler includes tracks by avant metal envelope-pushers Neurosis and Alchemist; "The Tide" and "Single-Sided" shift styles and dynamics so seamlessly you'll never notice the genre-fucking. All this and the disk sees fit to include "Forever My Queen," a 70s-era track from unsung stoner rock pioneer Pentagram, which sounds like soft rock compared the brutal thuggery on disk two. All the cuts are annotated with the album from which they came, which is a nice touch for those using this sampler as a checklist. For those keeping score at home, we have 45 tracks and over two-and-a-half hours of sonic muggings here; for only seven bucks (!), that's quite a bargain. If you want to start an extreme metal library, Contaminated 5.0 is an excellent primer. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: adventurous heavy metal

Copyright © 2003 High Bias