High Bias aural fixations
May 18, 2003

JOSHUA BAYER
Lines and Grooves
(Jazzheads)
Washington, DC-based Joshua Bayer is a teacher as well as a composer, bassist and guitarist. Not that that fact has much bearing on his second CD Lines and Grooves, unless the overall mellow tone comes from not wanting to stir up the blood of his students. Bayer (sticking to double bass here) writes light, swinging tunes that never sit still for long but don't race around like a sugared-up toddler either. There's an easygoing vibe to even the peppiest tracks, like "Line." Bayer and drummer Luther Gray keep the songs on the move, if not particularly quickly, while keyboardist Bob Sykes puts his pianos through its paces and saxophonist Marty Nau does a fair David Sanborn imitation. The musicians are at their best when they play it the most straightforward, as on the swinging bop of "Blues For Now," the bluesy "Product of Block" or the solid take on George Gershwin's "Prelude." Some of the other tunes, especially the opener "J Cess," border on fuzak cheese, but Bayer mostly keeps his compadres out of trouble. Lines and Grooves ain't groundbreaking jazz, but it's more than just background music. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Bill Evans, Marcus Roberts, Charles Mingus

FRUIT BATS
Mouthfuls
(Sub Pop)
Chicago's Fruit Bats are one of the few contemporary bands purveying that difficult but rewarding sub-subgenre some call psychedelic folk. Led by multi-instrumentalists Gillian Lisee and Eric Johnson (neither the virtuoso guitarist nor the Crooked Line/Archers of Loaf guy, but a utility player in indie heroes Califone), on Mouthfuls the Bats make quirky, beautiful music that sounds like it was conceived on a back porch but realized in the dimension of Yellow Submarine. Gentle, melodic tracks like "Seaweed," "The Little Acorn" and "Union Blanket" sound like traditional folk music written by farmers on acid, while "When U Love Somebody" and "Slipping through the Sensors" come across as cosmic pop music with roots in a hootenanny. The band keeps the arrangements loose without ever descending into sloppiness; despite the oft-puzzling lyrical concerns and generally spacey aura, the songs are tightly constructed and the performances treat them with respect. Fruits Bats probably isn't the kind of band to really call attention to itself, but don't let that stop you from appreciating its Mouthfuls. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Holopaw, Sparklehorse, Donovan

GALLERY OF MITES
Bugs on the Bluefish
(MeteorCity)
Despite the high profile garage rock has gotten lately, it would be easy to overlook Bugs on the Bluefish, the first album from side project's side project Gallery of Mites. But that would be a mistake. Fronted by Monster Magnet associate Tim Cronin and starring seemingly half the population of New Jersey's stoner rock community (including members of Solace, Halfway to Gone, Black Nasa, Lord Sterling and everybody from Monster Magnet except Dave Wyndorf), G of M takes the Nuggets sound, adds a healthy dollop of psychedelic guitar wizardry and rocks the heck out on ten catchy tunes. On snarling cuts like "X's For Eyes," "Headless Body, Topless Bar" and the title track, the riffs are simple, the hooks even more so, but they're all effective, especially when played by the rotating guitar army and delivered by Cronin's biting bark. "A Man Called Shit" dips deeply into the acid rock well, with multiple solos, crazy echo chamber bullshit and enough fuzz to recarpet a stadium. The guitar orgy "100 Days (Heron)" features heavy rock icon John Garcia (Kyuss, Unida, Hermano, god knows what else) on vox, though he's put through so much distortion you'd never know it was him if not for the credit. The record rocks righteously and, despite the explicit throwback to the 60s, timelessly. Put these folks on tour with the Cynics and watch the beer and blood flow! Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Cynics, the Count Five, the Music Machine

JOHN HAYDON
She's Gone
(Independent)
John Haydon plays roots rock. Straight up, nuthin' fancy, no frills, bells or whistles roots rock. No fancy producers, no gimmicky tunes, just straightahead songwriting and performance, with the kind of simple arrangements and uncomplicated production that allows this kind of music its maximum impact. (Well, OK, an electric sitar makes an appearance, but if Ry Cooder can do it on Bring the Family so can Haydon.) Tasteful lead guitar, a subdued but peppy rhythm section, the occasional dollop of steel or mandolin and Haydon's own acoustic strumming support his perfectly serviceable voice and heartfelt songs. "You Got Me Lost," "This Time" and the pretty "Where There Used to Be Tears" stand out with the strongest melodies, and "If You Could Be" has the deepest thinking, but there's nothing here that's less than good. (Well, the clichés in "Nothing New" irritate, but, given the title, they're probably meant as satire.) Solid all the way 'round. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: the Delvantes, the Cultivators, the Americanos

JOHNNY SOCIETY
Life Behind the 21st Century Wall
(Messenger)
New York's Johnny Society makes difficult pop music. "Difficult" doesn't mean "unlistenable" by any means, but it does mean that the band doesn't load up its songs with obvious hooks or choruses that beat you over the head with how sing-song they are. The quartet creates melodic but challenging tunes that beg for multiple listens in order to appreciate every nuance. The group's fourth album Life Behind the 21st Century Wall continues that trend, adding a sinuous strain of roots rock to chief Johnny Kenny Siegal's angular arrangements and lyrical cynicism. Adding a banjo to "Get Off My Farm" or a lap steel to the bluesy "Popular Man" gives those cuts an extra kick without uprooting them from their basic pop grounding. The same is true for the rest of the record—whether it's blending fractured folk ("Anyway"), weaving soul ("21st Century Wall") or propulsive hard rock ("Dirty Water") to the mix, the songs never lose touch with their essential "pop"ness. All of this means that pure pop fans may be put off by all this genrefucking, but they'll have more straightahead cuts like "Strange Bird," "I Can't Win" and "Love" to keep them happy. Regardless, Siegal and company have a winning way with a tune, as knotty as it may, making Life Behind the 21st Century Wall an exceptional pop record. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Supergrass, eels, The Negro Problem

THE TELEPATHIC BUTTERFLIES
The Telepathic Butterflies
(Rainbow Quartz)
Winnepeg pop trio the Telepathic Butterflies play it clean and sweet on their self-titled second album. The catch of the day here is power pop, mildly psychedelic jangle division, and the Butterflies have all the necessary ingredients: ringing guitars with George Harrison leads and the occasional growl for variety, spot-on harmonies and the usual complement of melodic songs. There's nothing fancy here, just straightforward, catchy tunes like "Elixir," "Radio Darlings" and "Urban Meanderings." It sounds almost too simple, except that, as any artist could tell you, staying simple is actually one of the most difficult tasks. But the Telepathic Butterflies make it sound easy. Guitar pop fans, line up here. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: Sloan, Velvet Crush, Teenage Fanclub

WOODENHEAD
Perseverance
(Free Electric Sound)
New Orleans progressive fusion quartet Woodenhead has been slogging in the trenches reserved for such things since 1975. So Perseverance is an apt title for its latest album. You can tell by listening to this band that it's no spring chicken—these cats can play and they know how to put a song together. Guitarist/composer Jimmy Robinson knows the importance of a strong melody, especially in instrumental music; cuts like "Ayo Aise" and "Bone Wars" are more than just outlines for soloing. Robinson is definitely the frontman here; his legato-filled lines dominate the proceedings, especially on the Steve Morse-like "Dance #2." But keyboardist Fran Comiskey gets plenty of room as well, even if some of her tones (will that damned 80s "bell/piano" sound ever go away?) are suspect. Like many bands of this stripe, Woodenhead doesn't just draw from jazz and prog, but also C&W ("Drop Dead"), funk ("Funk Tune," natch), pop ("Yes and No") and even a touch of Celtic music ("Chef of the Future"). A well-rounded ensemble like Woodenhead will give fusion a good name. Michael Toland [buy it]

For fans of: e-motive, Steve Morse, Allan Holdsworth

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