alternative rock

Song of the Week: "Dark Matter"

Ian Alterman — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 20:53:10 +0000

Song of the Week: "Dark Matter" Ian Alterman February 17, 2024 - 15:53

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I am not a particularly huge Pearl Jam fan, though I have a handful of their albums, love many of their songs, and understand their place in rock history (vis-a-vis the Seattle sound). I am also aware of socio-politics and (slightly less often) child abuse and mental health.

This is Pearl Jam sounding their angriest, with a vibe closer to "metal" than even their occasionally strongly aggressive sound suggests. And, as is often the case, Vedder's enunciation and elision of lyrics leave one wondering what the song is actually about. (A reading of the lyrics suggests a socio-political theme, but what, exactly, is not clear.) In other words, this is "classic" Pearl Jam, only even more obscure and aggressive than usual.

Still, for all that, the song is a good one (and remarkably short, but complete, at just over 3:30), and bodes well for their upcoming album, of which the song is synonymous.

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Song(s) of the Week: "Atopos," "Ovule"

Ian Alterman — Sun, 25 Sep 2022 02:32:34 +0000

Song(s) of the Week: "Atopos," "Ovule" Ian Alterman September 24, 2022 - 22:32

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I was very late to Bjork. I only "discovered" her by accident while researching "trip-hop" a few years ago, and found her name associated with its founding. I listened to a song or two on YouTube, and went out the next day and bought every then-existing Bjork album and listened to all of them over the next few days. It became immediately apparent that not only had I missed something very special, but that Bjork is arguably one of the true living musical geniuses -- and not just rock music, but almost any music, since she dabbles in anything and everything she hears, often channeling those influences into something remarkable.

For anyone else (like me) who may have lived under a ridiculously large rock and is unfamiliar with Bjork, she is Icelandic, and has been producing extraordinary music for almost three decades (July 2023 will mark the 30^th anniversary of her debut album, entitled (of course, since this is Bjork) Debut). Her music runs the gamut from trip-hop to rock to disco to jazz to gamelan to avant garde to post-modern classical and beyond. Much of her music, particularly in the first decade or two, is beat-oriented: rhythms -- which can include dance, tribal, jazz, and "World" -- are the foundation of that period. Her lyrics are minimalist, esoteric, often poetic, and always brilliant. Her voice is indescribable: something between a jazz singer, an opera singer, and a 10-year-old child. Her phrasing is both bizarre and inevitable. She is also known for pushing the boundaries of music videos, using state-of-the-art techniques, costumes that bring to mind David Bowie and Genesis-era Gabriel (with a generous dose of opera), and imagery that is sometimes breath-taking.

After dropping albums consistently every two to three years since 1993, Bjork took a break after her 2017 album, Utopia, and is just about to release her first album in five years, tentatively entitled Fossora. And based on the two songs she has released thus far, it is going to be extraordinary.

The first song/video released, "Atopos," is a gamelan-inspired paean to "connection" (or lack thereof). Using an ultra-heavy driving Indonesian dance rhythm (in the video, provided by a costumed DJ) and a sextet of clarinets (from contrabass to soprano), the song is propelled forward relentlessly as she sings about connection (and its loss) -- a subject that is near and dear to her heart. Wearing costumes that would make Lady Gaga jealous (and Bjork was doing this when Lady Gaga was still in a stroller), Bjork offers one of her most poetic lyrics yet, and her facial expressions alternate perfectly between joy (when talk about connection) and sadness and concern (when talking about the lack of connection).

The second song/video released, "Ovule," has quickly become among my absolute favorite Bjork compositions. Opening with a wonderful brass section figure (and undergirded entirely by this brass section, a light rhythm arrangement, and a peek-a-boo synthesizer part that resembles vox), Bjork sings one of her most esoteric lyrics yet: if it is about love (which I believe to be the case), it is love in an increasingly cyber-infused universe. Initially wearing one of her wildest, and yet simultaneously elegant, costumes (first in red, then in black), the imagery here is all reds and blacks; water; ethereal cloud-like forms; and one image of a woman being buried in what looks like black sand. Her other two "costumes" are either completely or partially computer-generated, Bjork once again using the absolute state-of-the-art in her video work. The closing image -- in which her partially computer-generated self and costume are enveloped in a red egg -- is simply fabulous.

One of the comments on the YouTube thread for this video suggests that, "If she continues at this high level of creativity, she's going to explode." That pretty much says it all.

It has been a very long time since I have awaited a new album as eagerly as I am awaiting Fossora.

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Failure Never Felt So Good

C. Jefferson Thom — Tue, 12 Jul 2022 15:17:10 +0000

Failure Never Felt So Good C. Jefferson Thom July 12, 2022 - 11:17

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Failure at Neumos, Seattle - July 5, 2022

In 1996 the album Fantastic Planet was released to critical praise but failed to launch its creators to levels of commercial success that it probably should have. One year later Failure would disband and it would be fair to assume that would be the end of the story… or that there might be "pay-the-rent" reunion tour accompanied by a joyless new album that only bore a hazy resemblance the band the fans once followed. Right? Well… that wouldn't be Failure.

You may not know it yet, but you need Failure in your life and the good news is, that’s still a possibility. The band reunited in 2014, resumed touring, and has since released three new albums that inexplicably not only pick up where they left off close to two decades prior, but are inspired progressions from their original trajectory.

July 5^th, 2022 found Failure at Neumos in the once-Grunge-scene Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. Nodding to the nostalgia of their Gen X followers the three-piece took the stage to a well-placed clip of the 1990's classic Ren & Stimpy and then proceeded to rock. Quickly building their wall of sound the group's sonic powers are as strong as they are tight, with a pervading theme of beautiful sadness that weaves its way through their lyrics and music. Kelli Scott is a precision machine on the drums, flawlessly executing unique licks that set the pulsing backbone etched with patterns of unique, rhythmic texture. Greg Edwards intrigues with intricate riffs on guitar while also rotating between bass and synth with smooth dexterity. Edwards also offers delicate vocals which greatly enhance the leading voice of Ken Andrews. Andrews’s voice feels effortless and has an almost hauntingly detached quality which aligns nicely with the often-uncanny nature of their lyrics. The three bandmates work off of one another in a tightly choreographed dance, handing off the movements of their room-filling, idiosyncratic audio devices. Another distinctive quality about Failure is their effective use of dynamics, perfectly reigning in the size and reach of their volume to a focused, calm number of measures before blowing it back out with an explosion of energy. They execute this eloquent move regularly and flawlessly. On the whole, Failure offers a very memorable live performance which any fan of solid '90s rock should make an effort to catch and familiarize themselves with before going.

In the opening paragraph of this review I said that the band's seminal album Fantastic Planet probably should have earned them commercial success… on a personal note I would switch out the word "probably" for "definitely." I recognize that musical tastes are highly subjective, but the masses missed out on this one (myself included as I didn't find them until A Perfect Circle enlightened me on the matter, a discovery route that I am certain I share with many others). The album walks the tightrope of being artsy and innovative while simultaneously being thoroughly accessible and infectiously catchy. Their sound is very well defined with a clear and recognizable sense of itself. They are lyrical powerhouses, between the profound and darkly beautiful story telling of songs like "The Nurse Who Loved Me" and "Smoking Umbrellas" and the melancholic honesty of "Blank," they are masterful with their use of words. Even their name, Failure, is one of the most perfect names for a band from the '90s, with only a name like "We Suck" possibly being more fitting for that wonderfully disaffected time and scene in Rock Music. I just can't help but feel that this was one of the decade's most under-acknowledged albums and a band that should have been heard by a much wider audience. All that being said, as mentioned before, after reuniting they continue to be prolific at making amazing music. Their 2021 release, Wild Type Droid, is right up there with Fantastic Planet for this music lover and the album's closing track -- "Half Moon"-- is one of my new favorite songs (getting to hear Greg Edwards perform it live pushed through some stiff competition to be one of the highlights from my night at Neumos). Reuniting after close to 17 years and then coming back so true and so strong and with a matured growth is a rare exception in any artistic field and I genuinely envy the dedicated fans from their past who got to have the experience of first listening to The Heart Is a Monster in 2014 and feeling that surprising joy in real time. They were there. I wasn’t… but I will be next time. I wish this wonderful band nothing but spectacular success and hope they tour through Seattle again veery soon. When they do, I will be there, eager to hear what new wonders they have to sing for us then.

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Song of the Week: "Bethel Woods"

Dusty Wright — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 16:06:45 +0000

Song of the Week: "Bethel Woods" Dusty Wright January 14, 2022 - 11:06

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"Bethel Woods" - Midlake

Some bands have a "sound" that resonates with people on a deeply personal level. For me, the Texas-based indie rock Midlake is one such band. If you know and love the band and their catalog of work you'll recognize this emotional connection immediately. The latest single, their first in 10 years, features that familiar tone of dreamy keyboards, stinging guitars, melodic bass and drums, and dreamy harmony vocals wrapped in a slightly prog/indie vibe.

Produced, engineered, and mixed by GRAMMY® Award-winner John Congleton (St. Vincent, Explosions in the Sky, Sharon Van Etten) at Elmwood Recording Studio in Dallas, TX, he affords the band organic clarity and nuanced tones and textures. The galloping beat is relentless and utterly catchy.

According to Midlake's Eric Pulido. "‘Bethel Woods' lyrically was born out of a documentary film still of our keyboardist Jesse Chandler's dad, Dave, at 16-years-old, sitting in the massive crowd of Woodstock in 1969. I felt that moment in time embodied the perfect depiction of a paradisal place. Dave tragically died a few years ago and I was moved to write this song from his point of view with a message of peace in returning to that special place and reuniting with loved ones 'down the road.'"

The haunting video directed by Brantley Gutierrez (Tom Petty, Diplo, Paul McCartney) features the actors Michael Peña (The Shield, Ant-Man, Narcos), Danielle Dallacco, Malakai Lopez, and Dylan Winters. He wanted to explore past memories, approaching the narrative like a ghost story if you will; how one becomes attached to memories and thus reuniting with loved ones.

New album For The Sake Of Bethel Woods (ATO Records) will be released out on March 18; pre-orders are available now, and a world tour beginning in Nashville on March 16, 2022.

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Retro Forward Rock

Ian Alterman — Wed, 21 Apr 2021 20:38:38 +0000

Retro Forward Rock Ian Alterman April 21, 2021 - 16:38

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Soundhoose: Quarantine Psycho (DistroKid)

I have not heard any of Soundhoose's music prior to this album, so I can only assume that all of it reflects their claimed influences of (among others) Green Day, Linkin Park, and My Chemical Romance. What I hear most on this particular album (actually, more like a 28-minute, 8-song double EP) is the kind of good-time rock and roll delivered by bands like Thin Lizzy and the heavier, hook-ier side of Queen (with a bit of Nirvana thrown in). Working with mostly simple, spoken-sung lyrics and straightforward but effective rock, much of it with heavily fuzzed-out guitar, this is plain infectious fun.

Opening with the shamelessly Floydian "Welcome to Quarantine," we then move to "Devil's Angel," which is also somewhat Floydian musically, and is the "heaviest" song on the album. "Psycho" is a sort of fuzzed-out blues figure. "Rejects" takes us into more truly musical territory, and is one of the two strongest songs on the album, with a nice guitar figure. "Deja You" is bass-thumping rock, with a clever lyric. "Left Behind" and "On the Run" are good, but somewhat repetitive rockers. "Still Into You" is the most interesting and musical track, and a real stand-out; were I to release a single from this collection, this would be it.

A few quibbles. First, there is a "sameness" to the structure of all the songs. Of course, this might be seen as "stylistic" rather than as a lack of variety. Second, with an exception or two, the arrangements seem a little "hollow"; e.g., an occasional well-played, tasteful keyboard would help round out the sound. I also heard many places that really ached for a screaming guitar or keyboard solo.

But those really are just quibbles. If you like a certain kind of rock and roll, then this arguably too-short album is well worth your time.

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Breaking The Silence

Robert Cochrane — Sat, 07 Nov 2020 00:06:29 +0000

Breaking The Silence Robert Cochrane November 6, 2020 - 19:06

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When Staying Alive's The Latest Craze Tim Arnold (TA Records)

Releasing your twentieth album in 2020 might seem like a happy accident of fate. A convenient mirroring of numbers. Appearances though can be deceptive. When Tim Arnold began work on When Staying Alive's The Latest Craze, it was the day after the first national lockdown in response to a modern plague. Theatres, cinemas and venues instantly fell dark. Bars and restaurants became empty. What in wartime hadn't been realised in centuries of various conflicts transpired in a smattering of hours. The visible consequences of an invisible enemy. It became something akin to enforced self-contemplation on an industrial scale.

Now in the throes of a second lesson in lockdown. Arnold's album finally, after changes of release dates, wilfully slips into the strange daylight. An example of what he has achieved on his unwanted holiday from whatever normality seemed to be, before a heavily eerie silence set in. The influence of change on the creative impulse is a curious ether. He has used the time he has moved through to dig deep emotionally, and the process details a work of raw and pared down honesty.

“Nothing On Earth” begins with a brief trill of birdsong, a telling touch as during lockdown their musicality became more noticeable as the amount of transport on the roads decreased. The song has an urgency and plaintive directness. A hymn of hope that suggests Tom McRae at his most stirring it drives along with a train-like insistence.

“There's nothing on earth quite like

Being alone with someone else

The simplest of charms of throwing your arms around someone else”

“Weird Now” comes across as a rather English form of Talking Heads in kooky cahoots with Kevin Ayers and has pastoral eloquence akin to a sequence of David Robillard poems (1953-1988) stitched together in a tapestry of note-like delights.

“I miss people. I miss friends.

Starting to feel weird now. It's starting to feel weird now”

Arnold's voice soars like a stranded chorister, a beautifully sincere punch from the soul, as his postcard from the edge blips and bleeps to an unlikely conclusion.

Things take on a much more funky turn with “One Percent,” a swaggering slab of infectious vibes and sheer verve. The string arrangement has an unhinged insistence that powers the affair along like a manic dervish. Proof positive that Tim Arnold knows how to pen a mini pop sensation of a tune, if indeed any such evidence were ever required.

There resides a semi-Kraftwerkian conceit via the intro to “Change of System:”

“Isn't that enough

Names to make a difference?

Isn't that enough to end your game?

Isn't that enough shame on you to listen?”

The gentle rap and trance-like mantra requests a moral and social change that harnesses the confusion many feel within the present political climate. A gracious protest, but a vitally important one to mint and circulate.

This dark tribute is an essential and worthy means of acknowledgement. The arrangement suggests Japan at their “The Art Of Parties” most barbed and sombre, and the song mentions the names of some of the health workers who have died during the pandemic.

“Another Record That Changed My Life” is a wonderful list of influences. Think Lloyd Cole in a jaunty tango with Edwyn Collins, acoustic heaven in a few minutes full of evocative references, and carried perfectly on the heels of a helluva tune. Wonderfully radio friendly in all its earworm insidiouness, it has some wonderful guitar licks to bring it to a close.

“Ziggy and The Wall.

Get close to Judy At Carnegie Hall”

This must be the nattiest, neatest lyrical couplet you'll encounter in this or any other year. Spirited, inspired and celebratory you don't need to know all the references to run along with the jubilation of its vibe. A genuine tribute to the soundtracks and mindscapes that enhance and shade our inner lives.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href="https://timarnold.bandcamp.com/album/when-staying-alives-the-latest-craze-new-album-2020" href="https://timarnold.bandcamp.com/album/when-staying-alives-the-latest-craze-new-album-2020"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;When Staying Alive&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s The Latest Craze (NEW ALBUM 2020) by Tim Arnold&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

In “Key Worker” there's a doomy and cinematic urgency of threat and danger written from the perspective of those for whom in their role as essential workers there has been no safety in lockdown, and the many who have died as a consequence of their own selflessness. The track features the contribution of former Penguin Cafe Orchestra stalwart and now Buddhist monk Phra Peter Suparo who zoomed in his contribution from his monastery in Thailand. A perfect twist of spiritual modernity within a heartfelt elegy.

“It's not what I'm used to

But I risk my own life for you...

I'm just happy.

I'm just happy to work at all...

I was given a pack of ten hand wipes

And was told to get on with it”

“The Wonder” possess a watery ambience and is a spirited and lilting expression of battered hope entwined with observations that aren't joyous, but which concludes with an uplifting lilt suggestive of striving and disappearing into light.

“Here Lies Liberty” essentially sets a tone poem of voices that spook the listener with whispers and wireless blips and bleeps, before Arnold's voice lilts in with a Jeff Buckley nakedness. A modern folk lament, as empowering as it is uplifting and is both new-age and simultaneously timeless. An ethereal act of defiance, an incantation and a spell that works in a perfectly sublime manner. The ghostly words are actually Orphic Hymns to the gods and goddesses of dreams recited by the performance artist and dream researcher Kate Alderton. An ancient and modern twist of appropriate appropriation.

The birdsong returns at the start of the concluding song “The Great Without” in a swoon and swirl of encompassing piano.

“I am thinking a lot about all our friends

Thoughts become words that say ‘when’

When will we close the screens and stand shoulder to shoulder again?”

A smouldering epic of grandeur driven along on the wings of hope, what enfolds, informs and comforts in the way that crafted eloquence often does, and yet it falls beautifully apart at the end, as a nifty and neat touch.

In years to come there will likely be much written about the creative response to this time of crisis and confusion. Tim Arnold has taken the perfect stab at being a leading and truthful messenger of these dark days. Spontaneous and sincere, his reflections, like all astute creativity, transcends the spark of its inception. This is much more than a lockdown sequence of songs, it is an inspired reaction to having time and isolation forced into your hands.

The cover features two of his friends, appropriately masked in a beatific embrace. They were introduced by him and have now become romantically attached. A perfect illustration of the contents that they decorate and adorn. The image effortlessly expresses a wonderful hope for the future that awaits when we are fortunate enough to harness the moments that will certainly follow our enforced experiences of confinement.

LISTEN TO ALBUM HERE!

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All The King's Horses & A Train, Too

Dusty Wright — Fri, 14 Aug 2020 14:00:00 +0000

All The King's Horses & A Train, Too Dusty Wright August 14, 2020 - 10:00

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HARVEY GOLD: It's Messy Volume 1 (Smog Veil)

To truly appreciate this album, one should have a music conversation with Mr. Gold. I had many with him as a teenager back in the '70s. It was from that very deep well that I have been drawing water since I first met him at our local record store at Summit Mall. He was my musical mentor in many ways. A voice of knowledge on all things that crept around the fringe of rock music. And while he appreciated the mainstream rock of the day, he was clearly responsible for getting me into, and suggesting I buy vinyl by, Captain Beefheart, Gong, Eno, Roxy Music, Caravan, Matching Mole, Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Hatfield & The North, Robert Wyatt, and so much more.

From his ground breaking band Tin Huey to his resplendent solo material, as well as his recent musical excursions in Half Cleveland, Harvey in the Hall, Golems of the Red Planet (surf ensemble with cello tackling John Zorn's Masada catalog!), Huey's Swing Club, the HiFis and Fancy Legs, Mr. G remains the grease in the Rube Goldberg machinery in all of them. During Devo's ascent and national breakout debut album, he was a member of the Akron-based band Tin Huey featuring future Waitress leader Chris Butler ("I Know What Boys Like") and future Tom Waits horn/reeds man Ralph Carney. They went on to record the criminally neglected Contents Dislodged During Shipment for Warner Brothers in 1979. Their shows around town were always a revelation; a cornucopia of new wave, dada, and experimental rock delivered with an energy unrivaled by most of the other NE Ohio bands at the time.

But I digress... this is Harvey as only Harvey should be heard -- all of his influences in one concise package. Wearing his eccentric tastes as a badge of honor that only time bestows upon a seasoned music veteran. This is "geezer" rock in only that it takes a lifetime to be this informed of the challenges on this mortal coil. Yes, life is "messy" and the sooner one accepts it, well, the better a persons will be able to survive. From Dada rock to Americana, new wave to zany, and one downtempo VU-like reading of a Beatles song -- all of these song weave in and around Harvey's clever arrangements, lyrics, and expert musicianship.

The album opens up with the "molten" rocker meets prog syncopations of "Your Side of the Room" featuring members from his band Half Cleveland -- Harvey on vocals, guitars and keyboards, Chris Butler on vocals and lead guitars, Taylor McIntosh on sax, keys and vocals, Mike Wilkinson on bass, and Bob Ethington on drums.

That same lineup unleashes on the third track "Silly Idea" -- my pick as the single. It has a wonderful "Pinball Wizard" strummed guitar line that knocks you sideways as the song builds and builds to its tension released conclusion and a final vocal "wow" and audible gasp from Harvey. Pure Harvey prime Huey.

"Allegheny Lode" is a most excellent acoustic-driven foot stompin' Americana track featuring ex-Byrd Chris Hillman on mandolin and Black Keys guitarist Dan Auerbach on bottleneck as well as Deborah Smith Cahan (ChiPig) on bass and Bob Ethington on drums. Most Americana bands would be hard pressed to write such a catchy train song. If Levon Helm were still with us, I bet Harvey would have enlisted him! One of my favorite tracks on the album.

"Eidola (inadvertently for Ralph)" is pure dadaist, Harvey solo new wave action that is an homage to fallen comrade Ralph Carney and features a keyboard line and plenty of space that might have been occupied by his friend and madcap sax/reed-man had he had a chance to add his tracks. Sadly he passed away before he could. No doubt Ralph was playing along in Heaven when Harvey recorded it. As Harvey explains:

"Eidola is Greek for a specter or phantom. The ghosts of all my people that I am collecting with greater frequency. In sequence, Ralph wrote that he wanted to do an album with me. Maybe a week or so later I wrote and recorded the front end of 'Eidola' and sent it to him, not with any intention other than he and I would send our latest to each other to giggle over or be wowed by, or polite about! He wrote back 'I LOVE IT!' Maybe a week or so later... suffice it to say that back and forth constituted our last conversation. I added a very quick 'ghost' of a couple of tenors snaking through and, as I finished it up, I knew in my heart I would always associate it with Ralph, hence the title."

"The Fence" is a mid-tempo rumination on growing older and losing the loved ones around us. But at its core, it's a protest song. According to Harvey, this past year's stresss has aged all of us. "The song is about the dissonance between a gloriously happy personal life, and the socio-political chaos (read Trump and his ass hat brigade) on the 'other side' of the fence." Proceeds go to the Southern Poverty Law Center. It once again features Half Cleveland for assistance and a features a wonderful lead guitar from Chris Butler and horn orchestra from Mr. Carney.

"Every year it grows us older

The last one more than most

It's become a hard, hard world

And I breathe so many ghosts..."

But with you here in my life

A disturbing contradiction

Cuz what I feel is light

As I'm thrashing 'bout in darkness"

The simple, languid downbeat vocals, piano and drum cover of The Beatles' "I've Just Seen a Face" is haunting and sad, like it fell out of a David Lynch film. You will be hard pressed to forget it any time soon.

"Song for Joanne" is pure smile time a la Spike Jones meets Kevin Ayers as Harvey laments on this silly piano and vocal ballad about an infected eye, breakfast foods past and present, egg salad, and the resignation of growing old(er):

"And a hard boiled egg pressed against my eye."

"In a Very Good Place" is another acoustic guitar-forward ballad that would be right at home on a John Cale solo record. It features his Harvey in the Hall bandmates Deborah Smith Cahan on bass and Bob Ethington on drums. And speaking of Mr. Cale. Check out Harvey's reading of this John Cale chestnut "I Keep A Close Watch" from 1978. It was released as a vinyl on the Akron label Clone Records in glorious mono! (Sorry, Harvey, couldn't resist sharing this magical track.)

Harvey claims this could be his final solo album. (Doubtful.) Well, if it is, what a corker of an album. He has managed to pack all of his musical tastes and tones onto one 12-track tasty platter. What the listener gets are four tunes from Harvey in the Hall and four new songs recorded with Half Cleveland at Sta-Level Studios in Akron. Plus, one tune, "Lemon Beazley," with Tin Huey brothers -- Michael Aylward and Stuart Austin with David Stephenson, aka Mr. Ray Violet. He also recorded two new songs and a looping piece in his own Casa De Oro home studio (where much of the Harvey in the Hall tunes were recorded by Bruce Hensal). Tracks were added, and songs were remixed and/or remastered at Sta-Level.

It's Messy, Vol.1 is available on download/streaming platforms now with a CD release scheduled for September 18th, 2020.

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A Maid From Then & A Maid For New

Robert Cochrane — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 14:49:59 +0000

A Maid From Then & A Maid For New Robert Cochrane July 28, 2020 - 10:49

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Fruupp: Maid In Ireland (Cherry Red Records)

If good things come to those that wait Fruupp have in many ways served their time in the game of patience. Last year saw their entire output given the box-set treatment. Four albums, refined and eclectic in nature remastered, but with no new morsel from the vaults to enhance the pleasure of such a compliment. Hot on its heels comes Maid In Ireland, a compilation that can only serve two purposes. Either as a primer for beginners unfamiliar with their rich offerings, or a bauble to beguile their completists. Vinyl copies of their output have rocketed in price in recent years, so if you are arriving as a curious novice, this is the purchase with which to begin your education. Compiled by Paul Charles, their former manager and collaborator, a man blessed with a good memory for detail and diligence, virtues that have gifted him the role of Fruupp's scribe and Boswell.

Northern Ireland wasn't a suitable home for a band of their kind. They didn't do a neat line in country and western, hadn't a catalogue of covers to placate a restless crowd. and there was nothing cabaret or cruise ship in their repertoire. They left their native shore and headed towards London like four Irish Dick Whittington's in search of something more. Their foppish romantic classicism was strikingly odd in a province that had begun the long sad process of tearing itself to pieces. Such refinement was a direct rebellion of psyche and sentiment. to the backdrop that had initially spawned them. Mysticism, a touch of folklore and penchant for elegant piano didn't gel terribly well with, bombings, strife and sectarian murders. Ambition meant a term of semi-permanent exile. Following in the foot-prints of Them, Dr Strangely Strange, Taste, and Thin Lizzy, as well as a myriad of others, they hit the metropolis, secured a deal with Dawn Records, and what happened there after is what is compiled revisited on this new offering.

Things kick off with the breezy and up-tempo "Janet Planet" a mix of keyboard jauntiness and a coach and horses drum motif and bass driven intro. ELO with a touch of 10cc. The song a ditty for Van Morrison's Laurel Canyon lover and muse, it should have been a single, but only appeared as one in the Irish Republic. "Decision" is a rumbling monolith of a song, proof positive they were a consummate rock band beneath their refinements but it has so many elements that take it beyond any pedestrian journey, Screeching guitar from Vincent McCusker, crazy strings, a pastoral psyche interlude, then banshee-like wailing ghosts above the rumbling drums. It is also home to one of the best screams ever committed to vinyl thanks to Peter Farrelly at one crucial dramatic point letting his tonsils rip. A relentless and passionate effort.

"Three Spires" implies a suggestion of Yes at their most refined at its heart, but it leans more towards their Italian contemporaries PFM who dwelt within the same elements of classical pastoral refinement.. There is also a late- period Beatles edge to the song's conclusion. "White Eyes" too operates with in the same subdued and mannered eclecticism. Oboe and guitar blend into a fleeting reflectiveness before Farrelly pipes into action and the whole thing is suggestive of a Irish collision between Chopin and Bach. Things couldn't get much more considered as it drifts off into a loose jazz-combo amble.

In "Sheba's Song" there gleams an element of Supertramp in its relaxed and confident swirl of keyboards, with the guitar sound suggesting Focus, and a lovely sense of jazziness from the sparkling illusions from the electric ivories of the late John Mason. Peter Farrelly is a uniquely sensitive singer, his voice glides melds and soars in cahoots with the the rich tapestry of music, to which he also adds some sublime bass notes. Epic and controlled it is a song that is perfectly taut in its seemingly languid execution. "Wise As Wisdom" emerges like the intro to a ballet and builds into a mini opera with a Stranglers-like organ motif and wistful layered vocals. Restrained and classy with an unusual toy-town cohesion between the bass,, keyboards and percussion. Elements occur and repeat like a refined classical jig. A deceptively effortless execution, and one that reveals the band at the height of their cohesive powers.

"Knowing You" stands as a particularly baroque laden song graced with space and a perfect melody it builds like a hymn, neatly underscored by Stephen Houston astute sense of piano and oboe. Melancholy it drifts along and then lets fly with another perfect shout from Peter Farrelly it sounds like the song to close a massive stage production with. Florid, fey and effortlessly flowing it really tugs at the heart strings as it drives itself to a conclusion egged on by Farrelly's exceptionally tender and laconic vocal. It exits with a dervish-like palette of voices before he again strides in like a strident chorister as power chords abound. Slicing guitar licks slice and dice with empathic drum rolls.

A neat similarity of tone allows "Graveyard Epistle" to sweep in, glistening amongst it's keyboard embellished beauty, before rumbling into a reel of jazz and Eastern elements, suggestive of dervishes in full whirl and swirl guided by Martin Foye's perfectly paced drumming. All hits a crazy Irish reel-like bridge and back to Farrelly at his angelic best, and finally to a manic conclusion like Riverdance on acid. Proceedings wind to goodnight and goodbye with the up-tempo "Prince Of Heaven" a synopsis of their concept album of the same name, and their sole UK single. It fits perfectly as a conclusion, and leaves the listener, like Oliver Twist, wanting and hoping for more.

I approached this selection with a certain degree of scepticism and suspicion, but Paul Charles has done a mindfully difficult job in creating a sense of cohesion with songs that were never destined to be combined. It is refreshing to hear them in their rearranged contexts. He has carefully dressed certain jewels and they sparkle still, giving a sense of freshness to the songs. Fruupp never were press darlings. The beard-strokers of the day either sneered at their kookiness or damned them with faint praise and in doing so missed the point completely. Outsiders at home, they were more, but never altogether at home in London. Punk saw them fall apart in 1976.

Their music remains vital, varied and supremely gifted. It speaks loud and clear in the present day and that's because it has one thing that cannot be crafted, bought or cultivated. Integrity travels lightly through time, and therefore their efforts have a permanent ticket to ride.

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Fruupp fans.

This is the link to the official Fruupp Facebook group if anyone is interested in keeping up with the latest news and archives. https://www.facebook.com/groups/63773410349/

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Album of the Week: Arc of an Arrow Blind

Dusty Wright — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 16:31:15 +0000

Album of the Week: Arc of an Arrow Blind Dusty Wright July 26, 2017 - 12:31

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Music Review

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alternative rock

Desert Shore - Arc of an Arrow Blind (Darkan Records)

From the family tree of Red House Painters/Mark Kozelek -- one of my favorite artists -- comes the fifth Desertshore album, Arc of an Arrow Blind. This is a wonderfully engaging instrumental album of sublime depth and beauty. Think of a more textured Red House Painters or Sun Kil Moon with arpeggiated guitars and piano/keyboard riffs with the bass and drums anchoring the proceedings in various rhythmic rock, jazz and even hypnotic world beat patterns.

Recorded in just 4 days with the core trio of former Red House Painters guitiarist Phil Carney, classically trained pianist Chris Connolly and drummer Mike Wells. The album also features Benjamin Powell on violin and Erik Kertes on bass. Ben is a gypsy jazz enthusiast, LA session cat and has collaborated with jazz giant Peter Erskin and Gonzalo Beraga. Erik is a young LA session player and touring musician.

From melodic piano and reverb-soaked guitar groove of the fifth track "Floating" to the more uptempo vibe of "Sky Drifter" with its percolating keyboard riff and twin guitar interplay, this is currently my favorite late summer night chill album. (Acutally, I listen to it day or night; it's that good.)

You can preview the entire album on their website.

Song of the Week: "Mind Your Manners"

Dusty Wright — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 18:49:29 +0000

Song of the Week: "Mind Your Manners" Dusty Wright September 1, 2013 - 14:49

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Music Review

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alternative rock

Seems like only yesterday I featured Pearl Jam on the cover of Creem magazine in the early '90s. Yet Eddie Vedder and his bandmates continue to inspire and show no pretentious rock silliness in their music or approach to their business. As this new song proves, they still bring the noise, heat, and passion; from their forthcoming album Lightning Bolt. And don't miss their upcoming fall tour.