Tuesday, April 18. 2006
Chan Marshall has taken on her stunning musical persona of Cat Power once again and delivered a fantastic new record, The Greatest.
Don't let the title confuse you; this isn't a greatest hits compilation, but her sixth full length release from Matador records. The Greatest was recorded in Memphis, which makes its presence known with the twanging guitar on "Islands" and the whistling refrain on "After It All."
With the first half focusing on her skill as a pianist and the guitar taking over on the
last half, this album features more of a backing band than her previous work. Help from Al Green's backup band and a few other musicians make The Greatest a little more upbeat and give it a more full-bodied sound. It was surprising to hear so much going on in a Cat Power song, reminding me of when I threw on Elliot Smith's Basement on a Hill and heard "Coast to Coast." A full band backing someone we're used to hearing alone, strumming away at their guitar, can be daunting, but Marshall reassures us nothing has changed. Her haunting songwriting and strong, velvety voice are still the forefront of her music, and none of her talent gets lost in the sound of the new musicians on board.
Although her style has progressed and we see a lot of new additions to the Cat Power mix, she hasn't swayed from what we know her best for. Lost love, missing your love, depression, death and (did I mention losing your love?) come up in her intelligent and honest songs, but the morbid accompaniment is gone. This makes for a slightly unusual mood, since there are horns and banjos and whistles that have you bopping your head to fairly melancholic vocals. The Greatest may be suffering a bit of genre-confusion, but it's still shows Marshall's experimentation with different styles and growth as an artist. Moving more toward the soulful, bluegrass style of music her voice sounds most suited to sing, she's proven she isn't going to make soundtracks to breakups and crying sessions forever.
Ok I admit it. I miss Max. I have always been into the vocals in music more than anything else. The words speak to me. I have failed on the bass and guitar, and let's just say I am a tad intimidated by the drum kit in the basement. But it's safe to say Derrick Green has grown on me with this CD. He has finally found his way in the land of Sepultura. Igor Cavalera on drums, Andreas Kisser on guitars and Paulo Xisto on bass round out the original trio of the group.
This CD has something that I love about the older Slayer CDs as well. It plays almost like one straight song. A long, hardcore, heavy song. And also perfectly seamless. A song to get the aggressions of the day out with. A song that makes me want to throw down and hit the pit. Yes, some girls really did like to hit the pit and work out those pent up angers. But I digress.
This CD is such a throw back to the Old Skool metal that I love so dearly. Hard, heavy with ripping guitars and heart stopping double bass. Strength and force come through each song. This is the best album the band has released since Roots back in '96 or even perhaps Chaos AD in '93. The others were merely a growing period for the band. They have found the missing pieces of the puzzle and are verging on being a force to be reckoned with again in the thrash world.
Favorite songs:
"Convicted In Life" (this will be the first video off the album)
"Ostia"
"Still Flame"
A release like this album early in the year has me eagerly anticipating the rest of the year. One very nice touch was the tribute to the late great Darrel "Dimebag" Abbot. Two years is too long already for us to be without this god of a man, but it is a nice touch to remember him. It also reminds me that metal is not just music, it's a family and a way of life.
Austin being the music capital of Texas, we see our share of good roadshows. Shows I'll be covering in the Austin area:
Additional shows will be added as appropriate and this list does not include shows seen while "clubbing" locally. If you are in the Austin area I hope to see you there.
Friday, April 14. 2006
From the strange but true files, it seems two miniaturized KISS tribute bands are going head to head over who had the idea to start a tribute band populated by little people. The mini-match culminated in at least one tiny bandmember being tossed from the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. No further news is available at this time and so far no comment from the full sized KISS camp either. I am hoping to see this ironed out in the wrestling ring rather than the courtroom. Perhaps we can convince the Hells Belles, the all-female AC/DC tribute band, to officiate the match. Only in Vegas...
More here.
Wednesday, April 12. 2006
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Hometown: NYC
http://www.yeahyeahyeahs.com/
Monday, April 10, 2006
The Kool Haus (Toronto, Canada)
also: The Liars
It's always equally exciting and nerve wracking to see a band I would put in my top five, especially when their popularity has sky-rocketed since they were last in town and they're all over the radio. Surely nothing could compare to their bursting energy at the small intimate club I saw them at a couple years ago, with other fans who loved their single five song EP as much as I did? Yet even playing a bigger, sold-out venue, with a bigger fan base and a killer new album with a very different style, the Yeah Yeah Yeah's charmed me as much as ever.
Touring with longtime friends The Liars, who opened with a good set, Karen, Nick, Brian and the newly added Imaad hit the stage after a bit of a wait, and kicked off with the latest single, "Gold Lion."
They hadn't changed a bit. Karen O was prancing around the stage and doing her classic foot-shuffling-leg-bending-everywhere dance that I used to imitate in the mirror (OK, OK, and maybe still do). She dominated the stage and crowd, saying halfway through the show that she was "being pretty shy" but still radiating her I-don't-give-a-fuck attitude. From the schoolgirlish "doot, doot, doot" refrain in "Art Star" to the growling scream that comes out of her in "Miles Away," it was obvious her love of what she does hasn't faded. The rest of the band has always somewhat been in her shadow, but Nick still played his role well, with a great squealing solo on "Mysteries," while Brian played nonstop and hard. The set had more downtime than in the past, since the new album has a much folkier relaxed vibe, so there was more swaying than dancing. Still, it was a good progressive route for the band to take; they managed to change their style drastically but still sound edgy and full of emotion.
Hearing the songs and watching the band and crowd, seeing kids dance like no one was watching, reminded me of the energy that seems to have slowly leaked out of the Toronto scene. The band was as humble as ever, frequently reminding us between songs, "Thanks a lot, we're the Yeah Yeah Yeahs!" as if we didn't know. Karen O, known just as well for her outrageous costumes and style as her raging voice, came out for the encore dressed in what looked like a skeleton Halloween costume. After taking off the mask, she serenaded the crowd with the YYY's self-proclaimed love song, "Maps."
One thing this show proved for sure: Once a band breaks out of the "indie" scene and really starts getting the recognition they deserve, they can still stay true to their roots.
Tuesday, April 11. 2006
Staunch conservative republicans should read no further. Sometimes it takes something special to bring out an artist's best works. For Ministry, it appears that special something is having a Bush in the White House.
Cuts from their forthcoming CD Rio Grande Blood are available on their website. Darker, heavier and faster than earlier disks such as "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste" or "Psalm 69," this disc is more raw and brash, not quite as hooky. Certainly the politcal rhetoric is ramped.
Ministry is always shoved into the "industrial" genre along with artists such as Nine Inch Nails, and it is really not the right fit. Ministry is a mix of speed metal and thrash punk all its own.
This disc will make it into my collection soon after its release in May. Jello Biafra makes an appearance. Ministry will be touring this summer with the Revolting Cocks and Pitbull Daycare. For CD release and tour info and to listen to tracks, go to http://www.ministrymusic.org/.
Monday, April 10. 2006
The Original Sinners w/Exene Cervenka
Hometown: Pacific Palisades, Ca.
http://www.exenecervenka.com/
Saturday, April 8 2006
Emos (Austin, Texas)
also: Punkaroos, Pink Swords, and 7 Shot Screamers
This was an old fashioned punk rock show in a small bar with an unbelievable $10.50 cover charge and plenty of good music. The crowds were thinner than expected, workers at Emo's attributing it to the festivities for the Texas Relays that had shut down 6th Street and eaten up all the spare parking.
When I first arrived I almost tripped over Exene Cervenka at the bar. I got to talk to her for a few minutes. She was waiting for Austin's Punkaroos to start, a favorite local band she follows. The Punkaroos are fronted by the vivacious Dotty Farrell who is backed up by longtime punk locals and former members of Austin's legendary Dick's, a punk rock band that dates back to the days the punk scene was dominated by clubs such as Raul's and Duke's Royal Coach. A good band with a dark punk humor to their lyrics, they blazed through a tight set.
Austin's Pink Swords followed. Like a Green Day without training wheels, they are definitely a band influenced by the faster pure punk sounds of bands like the Sex Pistols and 999, and is a band I am sure I will be writing about more in the future.
The stand-up bass was a dead giveaway that the 7 Shot Screamers from St. Louis would be playing some hardcore punk-a-billy and seemed to draw their own crowd of supporters. They are a fun band with a lot and I mean a LOT of tattoos.
To call The Original Sinners too derivitive of X would be a cop-out. I have loved X since Los Angeles was released in 1980 and caused thousands of women across the country to dye their hair black and adopt the goth punk maven lifestyle. With members of the 7 Shot Screamers providing the rythym section, The Original Sinners set smoked, sating my need for a live X fix. With a slight country trailer-park twang, distressed vocals and a hardcore punk edge provided by some slashing guitar work, this show evokes the spirit of what punk in the early 80s was all about. This is a can't-miss tour for anyone who wasn't born when Los Angeles was released and thinks that the pablum being pushed as "punk" by the mainstream is too slick, corporate and over-produced.
Sunday, April 9. 2006
P!nk was packaged as just another pop princess on her first album Can't Take Me Home, got disgusted with the way she was being marketed, and went out and got one of my heroes and hers, 4 Non Blondes' Linda Perry, to slap everyone silly on her sophomore album, M!ssundaztood. Her third album, Try This, sold badly and she herself has spoken negatively about it, but there are some great songs there - "Trouble," "God is a DJ," "Catch Me While I'm Sleeping."
But her fourth album, I'm Not Dead, is going to blow everything else she ever did right out of the water. If this isn't P!nk's year, I'll eat this blog. And if that means my indie/alt street cred gets flushed down the toilet, I really don't care. If this foul-mouthed, smart, badass gets even one teenaged girl to ditch the "itty bitty doggies and the teeny weeny tees" and take karate or something, then it's worth it. If I had a daughter I'd not only want her to have P!nk as a role model, I wouldn't mind one little bit if she actually grew up to BE P!nk.
"Stupid Girls," the first single and video from the album, is something I'd like to have piped into the bedroom of every girl in America, although I don't actually have to arrange that, as they seem to be listening to it on their own. "Dear Mr. President" is unabashedly melodic, lyrical, and political - and not for those who like George Dubya, with its shout-out to Cindy Sheehan and backup harmonies from the Indigo Girls; I loved it.
The other single/video release, "U+Ur Hand," harkens back to the subversive dance floor P!nk of M!ssundaztood:
Keep your drink
Just give me the money
It's just U + Ur hand tonight...
You're high fivin' and talkin' shit
But you're going home alone tonight - aren't ya?
Pure rock-pop: "Who Knew," the anthemic "Long Way to Happy," the heartbreaker "Nobody Knows," "I'm Not Dead."
I'm also trying to wrap my brain around the number of people on Amazon who reviewed this album negatively because of the lyrics to the rock/dancey "'Cuz I Can" and the R&Bish "I Got Money Now." I think the schools of America need to teach Sarcasm 101 or something.
I didn't love every single song on I'm Not Dead. I could have lived without "The One That Got Away," P!nk's homage to Janis Joplin. The lyrics are pretty witty, but didn't Melissa Etheridge corner the market on being the reincarnation of Janis already? And I'm maybe too old for "Conversations With My 13-Year-Old Self," but that probably won't dimish its impact on P!nk's main audience, girls far closer to those hormonal and tragic days than I.
Long story short: I'm Not Dead is tight, raw, mean, warm, sexy, and smart. Just like P!nk.
PS: For the two people out there who admit to liking dance music, I also have the remixes of "Stupid Girls," one of the very small number of songs I like enough to pay ten bucks for three remixes of. Noize Trip Remix is better IMO than the album version, and about the same three-minute length. The Junior Vasquez & Dynamix Club Remix could be less synthy and more percussive, but I love what they did with her vocal, and it may win the award for "most times the word 'fuck' appears in a song not about sex in the history of dance music." (Oh shit, did I say "dance music"? Is that allowed on this site?) I was kind of cool on the D-Bop at Crash Mix at first, but it heats up a lot in the middle, so I did too. It's not on iTunes, at least not yet, so you'll have to buy the whole CD; start saving your allowance. Long story short: For dance music and serious P!nk fans only, but we'll love it.
Saturday, April 8. 2006
I recently rediscovered my love of music. It wasn't a new band or a concert that did it, though; it was our new radio. A year ago hubby and I made the switch to Sirius Satellite radio. I used to think it was a joke to pay to listen to music. So what if there are no commercials? Well, you know, commercials must make the difference.
Now, I have heard Motley Crue on the radio, but I have never ever heard C4, Deicide or Cannibal Corpse on the radio. Nothing wakes you up on a long drive home like "Hammer Smashed Face," let me tell ya. And I can honestly say I am really looking forward to Buckcherry's new release - and I can promise you won't hear many of their songs on terrestrial radio.
If you have a deep seated love of music no matter what style, I would seriously suggest satellite. Yeah it costs. Yeah you have to pay 12-15 bucks a month, but honestly, when you can choose from a selection like these companies are offering, I would never turn back. At this point I would rather sit in silence than be with out my new lover, My Sirius. Between the music and My Bubba the Love Sponge I am never alone.
Sirius
http://www.sirius.com/
XM
http://www.xmradio.com/
Friday, April 7. 2006
Pigs fly. Hell freezes over. Morrissey gets laid.
That unexpected new chapter in the saga of Mr. Never Loved No One Ever was enough to get me to listen to Ringleader of the Tormentors, despite having disliked every post-Smiths album Morrissey ever released, and having cooled on even some of the stuff I used to like when I was following the Smiths all around Europe just about the time Hatful of Hollow came out. (I helped translate "William, It Was Really Nothing" into Italian. Such are the things we waste time on when we're young and obsessed.)
I heard the news of this transformative development in the life of the world's unhappiest man on a music blog I read, and thought..... surely not. Surely when I actually listen to the song it will all turn out to be either some metaphoric excursion into poetic excess (from Morrissey? imagine that!) or some kind of sarcastic joke. But no. It was pretty much just what it seemed to be: The boy got some. And he was actually happy about it.
I wish I could tell you the album had such a happy outcome. Although the Moz fans are rhapsodizing all over iTunes, to my mind there isn't that much going on with it. I do like the single, "You Have Killed Me," and "Dear God, Please Help Me," the song about getting laid, is not bad; it's just that overall, Ringleader is nothing but the usual droney, boring story from our Stephen, only totally over-produced... I guess I should have suspected something like that, given he posed with a violin on the cover, but there is ORCHESTRATION on this thing.
And here we all thought love could fix anything. Guess we were wrong.
Thursday, April 6. 2006
The Pretenders
Hometown: London UK
http://www.pretendersband.com/
Saturday, March 18
Stubb's (Austin, Texas)
When I first saw the Pretenders, both Chrissy Hynde and I were much younger. Chrissy has aged much better than I have.
This tour is supporting her new box set and covers a lot of the classics from the first albums, like Tattooed Love Boys and Kid. Playing to a packed house at the world famous Stubb's in Austin, Chrissy has lost none of the verve or punkiness of her youth. She blew through her extensive catalog and dusted off long-unheard gems for an appreciative crowd. The music has lost none of its luster after an eight-year hiatus.
A punk rock icon and "founding mother" (she taught Sid Vicious how to play, kind of), she has lost none of her ability to excite her audiences, although she might not be able to shock them anymore. She really appeared to be enjoying herslf onstage and this was pretty apparent as the night wore on. This was truly
a show for diehard Pretenders fans, and not an oldies show at all.
Wednesday, April 5. 2006
I liked the Smiths as much as anyone, in fact, I liked them to the point that I saw them 20 times in six different countries. I loved them, OK?
But that was a long, long time ago baby, and they ain't comin' back. Plus, you know, I grew up and everything. You can only be Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now for so long.
So I just don't get why people were so frigging disappointed when Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr released his snakily-named solo album Boomslang a few years ago. It's not like he hasn't done anything and everything since the Smiths broke up, from playing with the Pretenders and Bryan Ferry to the Pet Shop Boys (what that chiming guitar did to "Birthday Boy" could make a stone weep).
I also don't get the criticism of his voice. Does someone, somewhere, think MORRISSEY has a great voice? PSB's Neil Tennant? The The's Matt Johnson? Distinctive voices, yes, but great? Not so much. Marr's voice is fine, neither great nor bad, and fits the music well. Do we need more, when he plays guitar like that?
Boomslang came out to great expectations and decidedly mixed reviews. Rolling Stone hated it, Guitar Player loved it. And I'm damn glad I heard it before I read the forty-plus reviews on Amazon, because I probably would never have bought it if I'd read them first, and that would have been a shame. Because I really don't care if I'm in the minority, I think Boomslang is terrific. And I think the reason the legions of Smiths fans didn't like it is because it's a straight-up progressive rock album and it doesn't carry even the tiniest little tinge of angst or agony.
If you like your guitars to thrash and scream, you won't like Johnny Marr's guitar playing. It's subtle, layered, textured, and yes, can definitely be poppy. It's also technically astonishing, and a lot of musicians think so, too, given that he's played with the Pretenders, the Talking Heads, the Pet Shop Boys, The The, Kirsty MacColl, Bryan Ferry, Billy Bragg, Beck, and his group with Joy Division/New Order's Bernard Sumner, Electronic.
Electronic has produced some very good albums, but they're definitely not for your average rock fan .... which I suppose is fairly obvious from the name of the band. If you are allergic to dance/electronica but want to check them out, start with Twisted Tenderness, their third album, as Marr's guitar comes to the forefront (and it was criticized by many New Order fans as being "too rock").
But Boomslang isn't going to send rock fans into shock. There are no synthesizers, and Marr is backed by Zak Starkey (the most recent drummer to put his butt in Keith Moon's seat behind the Who, as well as current drummer for Oasis, which I try not to hold against him since he's a much better drummer than his father, Ringo Starr) on drums and Kula Shaker's Alonza Bevan on bass.
I'm not trying to mislead you; this is not a rock classic, and you won't die if you never hear it. His lyrics are kind of bland, and his voice is average at best.
But oh, that guitar.
Tuesday, April 4. 2006
The Zico Chain
Hometown: Brighton UK
http://www.TheZicoChain.com
Wednesday, March 15 2006
Flamingo Cantina (Austin, Texas)
I caught the last four songs of The Zico Chain's set, which included "Rohypnol" and "Social Suicide," and these guys really made the place throb. This must be what it was like to watch Nirvana before "Nevermind" and "Teen Spirit." These guys are raw, loud, unpolished, and, of the 40+ showcases I checked out, by far the best.
They claim to be heavily influenced by Motörhead and the great god Lemmy does seem to have graced their songs with a frantic pacing. Don't expect to slow dance to these guys, and I don't see many acoustic guitar solos in their near future.
This has to be one of SXSW 2006's breakout bands and if they don't get signed to a major U.S. label soon, I would be surprised. I would also be happy. Much as I would like to see them become successful, I must admit that a greedy part of myself would like to see them stay small and unpolished, because I fear that the music industry would just smooth out all the rough edges, make them corporate, and I like them just the way the are, thank you.
What can you say about an artist who combines reggae, hip-hop and traditional hasidic religous values? Oy vey!
Brooklyn, NY native Matisyahu exploded onto the reggae/hip hop scene in 2005 with his "Live at Stubbs" disc, and this year we get a taste of his studio work with Youth.
Youth is an amalgam of styles, with the sonic influences of Marley and Tosh, but with the freshness and verve of hip-hop that helps bring reggae into the 21st century. Like Marley, Matisyahu's music is politically charged message music, with a distinct religous bent. This disk will make you want to twist a blunt, sway back and forth, and check the flight schedules to Jamaica. Highlights of the disk include "Youth," a reggae anthem about making the right choices, and "Fire of Heaven/Altar of Earth," a lush reggae celebration of god's gifts and a call for appreciation. Keep your eyes out for the "Best Buy" version of the disk as it includes a neat remix of "King Without a Crown" by Mike. D. of the Beastie Boys.
Is Matisyahu the future of reggae? Could be. If so, it will require a change in hats.
Favorite Songs:
What I'm Fighting For
Jerusalem
South African band Seether's second full length North American release Karma and Effect is a solid album with a number of stand-out songs, including "The Gift" and "I'm the One." Buzzsaw guitars, Shaun Morgan's strong, angry voice, and a uniquely identifiable, gritty sound - there's not a song on this album I don't like.
One can certainly hear Kurt Cobain's influence on tracks like "Remedy" and "Plastic Man," but Morgan's voice is smoother and warmer and it works better on slower and richer tracks such as "Never Leave" and "Tongue."
Often compared to Creed, Seether's sound is less accessible to the masses, its ballads not quite so sticky sweet or "perfect." This band rocks hard and has an energy and exitement that seems to drive each song. I hope they can continue to keep this going in further releases. The less corporate and
over-production this band receives the better. They have just the right amount of pointy sharp edges.
Favorite Songs:
Burrito
Truth
|
|