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8/12/2004
This is what happens when you don't do it for a
while. The tension builds, things swell, then suddenly you end up with a huge
mess.
We really should do this more often.
EAR PLUGS
First, the bad news. “Dave Davies, one of the founding members of British rock
group the Kinks, has been partially paralyzed by a stroke he suffered in June.”
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/11/people.davies.ap/index.html
And I’m sure you heard Rick James died this weekend (bitch!)
But let’s forget about the oldies for a bit and jump on something new. We’ve
been inundated with CD’s lately. The problem is nobody bothers to read our
FAQ/About Us/don’t send us stuff if you ain’t from around here warning.
But hey, it’s small-label stuff that deserves someone’s attention so we’ll give
a word or three for Yankees and other non-Southerners before we move onto the
non-imports.
First up, a mess of stuff from Dualtone, a label out of Nashville with artists
from all over, such as Charlie Robison from Texas. His new CD, Good Times, is
what you’d like to hear on modern country music radio but probably won’t. It’s
too good. Simple, clear, basic American music. Pedal steel and a Texas accent
provide the twang that defines country music but without the crappy pop sound
that has infected the genre for so long, and without the incessant
cry-in-your-beer blues that drag you down after a while. There’s a mix of good
times, bad times, and the days in between. Definitely worth tracking down.
Another Dualtone CD we received is Cowboy Jack Clement. Cowboy has been around a
while, according to his bio. He discovered and recorded Jerry Lee Lewis, and
wrote and engineered some of Johnny Cash’s big hits. The artists he’s worked
with in the press kit range from Louis Armstrong to U2, but let’s talk about his
own work, Guess Things Happen That Way. It kicks off with an overproduced
country tune, No Expectations. There’s some horns and keyboard in there that
feel unnecessary and a guitar lead that sounds like a Ford commercial – too
slick. Fortunately the title track dumps the extra instrumentation and settles
into old Western Gene Autry simplicity. Johnny Cash even makes a cameo for a few
seconds in the title track and others. The Jordanaires provide harmony here and
there, giving things a gospel/old country feel. But a few of Jack’s songs that
were made more famous by others, like It’ll Be Me, come off limp by comparison.
Cowboy’s voice is thin and old, but without the emotional impact of others his
age, such as Willie Nelson. The instrumentation is varied and often interesting,
but it’s a mixed bag. Reading the liner notes and press kit, the man has some
great accomplishments. But I don’t rate this record as one of them.
Dualtone has some kind of partnering deal with Big Hassle, a New York label who
sent me The Silos’ new CD, When The Telephone Rings. I gave it a listen and
didn’t think much of it the first time. So I let it rest in the bottom of my
briefcase for a week and tried again. The second time around I must’ve been more
awake or less distracted because there’s some good stuff here. It’s kind of 99X
pop soft rock stuff, but with a big dose of Americana sound with violin and
acoustic guitar. If you like Wilco and The Gourds, yet can still listen to top
40 without feeling mildly ill, you’ll probably like The Silos.
Lotos Nile Media is also out of Nashville. They sent me a CD by Burrito Deluxe,
“featuring musical sage Garth Hudson of The Band and Flying Burrito Brother.” Oh
brother, these people don’t know me very well, do they? I was hesitant to even
put the new CD, The Whole Enchilada, into the player. I don’t like country lite,
I’m not a fan of acoustic music, and goove/jam music makes me turn further and
further to the dark side. But they sent me the CD so they asked for it.
The Whole Enchilada starts off with the twangy You Got Gold, a decent song sung
well but with that mushy kinda California country sound I have no appreciation
for. Next up they butcher The Letter. Nobody but Joe Cocker should ever approach
that song again. Just don’t. Things continue in an
elevator-music-for-country-fans style and I honestly wanted to give in by the
fourth track and give the thing to one of the old ladies at work that like this
kind of crap. But I soldiered on through a sleepy instrumental to Ezekial’s
Wheel, a little more upbeat tune that would probably play well on CMT along side
Shania and other modern pop country stars. Good melody, good harmonies in the
vocals, interesting lyrics – if this was the wimpiest tune on the CD I could dig
it. Unfortunately, it may be the strongest. They take all the funk out of zydeco
for Zydeco’s Ball, take all the soul out of what could be a soulful cry in your
beer tune Everywhere I Go, and on and on it goes. It’s super clean, super smooth
stuff, but it reminded me of both The Eagles and Alabama and I didn’t like
either of those bands either.
Next up, 12 Summers Old, a band out of the St. Louis area. Their new CD, 12
Summers Old, kicks off with power chord pop that’s obviously trying really hard
to get onto top 40 radio. It’s even titled “Makeout Radio.” The guitars are
driving hard, but so fuzzy the melody often gets drowned out. I was also
reminded a bit too much of The Foo Fighters. The vocals are clear with punches
of harmony, but the lyrics are straight up high school poetry. Five tracks into
the CD you have a hard time noticing you’ve changed songs at all – it’s just one
long distorted blur. I can easily imagine The Silos getting huge on MTV.
Unfortunately, I’m not in that demographic any more so I can’t say I enjoyed
this record.
Last and most local, Splitsville, a split CD by Catfight! and The Helgas.
Longtime subscribers know these are two of my favorite bands, and some of my
favorite people, so I went into it with as much bias for it as I had against
Burrito Deluxe, just so you know.
Things start off with the Catfight! side, 7 tunes of basic rock. As with other
Catfight! efforts, Jennifer’s vocals provide the smoother punch. Katy’s voice is
a little grating on her tunes, but it works on punky numbers like We Make
Everybody Sick or Don’t Talk To Me That Way. There’s also the expected punny,
50’s style tune with Lookin’ To Score, cute to the point of novelty tune.
The CD came with a bogus press release that reads:
Dear ______,
Here’s our new _________, and man does it ______! Springing from the classic
sounds of the ______ and the _______, the ________ take it to the next level!
From the blazing _______ to the hard-hitting _________ this record has it all!
From the opening strains of _____ to the final chords of ______; ______ delivers
all the _______ you have come to expect from ________.
I thought it was goddamn hilarious, particularly after trying to read the
nauseating crap that came with the other CD’s: “The Silos is an entity that is
both as simple and complex as America itself. In complex times, some things have
never been clearer. The life referenced in the song ‘Whistled A Slow Waltz’
stands up to be counted and gleaned from questions of heart over commerce and
the ability of family to carry the load when it is too heavy for any one man.
From the sentiment of ‘The Only Love’” to the heartbreaking elegy that is the
title track, this is a record that is both a reflection of this country and a
comment on what matters most. It speaks of feelings that need to be heard. It
asks America to take heart and to cherish what is real.”
You know what is real? The Helgas. Real talent, real energy, real melody
combined to make really good pop punk. The only thing lacking is more tunes. The
Helgas only have 6 songs on this disc and, as far as I know, they aren’t new
moms like members of Catfight! And the tunes are short and punchy, leaving you
wanting. But hey, you can get more. Catfight! and The Helgas play a CD release
show Friday, August 27, at the Star Bar with The Plastics.
In other local news, The Fortyfives have a short interview on The Onion’s web
site:
http://www.theonionavclub.com/jye/index.php?issue=4032
FILM FLAM
The weekly drive in vote went to Collateral this week. I thought Jamie Foxx did
a fine job, but Tom Cruise seems to cruise through his role. It was supposed to
be suspenseful and gripping, but I was ungripped.
Meh.
We stuck around for I, Robot, a flick I’d wanted to see for a while. Will Smith
does the usual Will Smith character, with too little humor and too much mock
sadness, but the graphics were purty. Otherwise it’s dull. I even snoozed off
for the last two minutes at the height of the action.
Meh.
Speaking of movies, we got a ton of corrections to last week’s review of The
Manchurian Candidate. One of these days we’ll have to get an intern to do fact
checking around here:
I know you're much more of a film buff than I am, but I need to correct 2
things: I believe the evil mother in the original Manchurian Candidate was
Angela Landsberry, and Frank Sinatra shocked the world in 1951 (11 years earlier
or so) when he won the Academy Award for best Supporting actor in "From Here to
Eternity." (Didn't Mario Puzo allude to how much he, or the Sinatra -like
character, wanted the part in "The Godfather"?) It was his big comeback after
the bobby soxers grew up and had forgotten about him.
I saw the original Candidate in the late 1980's or early 1990's when it was
finally released and it was so good it gave me a headache. However, when I saw
it a few weeks ago again on PBS, I was a bit disappointed with Old Blue Eyes'
acting. (It was also harder for me to suspend reality this time and buy that
people can be brainwashed to kill and not remember... guess I'm not as much fun
these days.) I haven't felt compelled to catch the remake yet.
Keep up the good work,
Degenerate AM
For more, check out the Internet Movie Database:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056218/
Thanks to the attentive ones out there who keep us on track.
Oh, and I guess now we know whatever happened to Fay Wray, that delicate,
satin-draped frame…
http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/08/09/obit.wray.ap/index.html
BLASPHEMY
Here’s a bunch of interesting stuff about the current administration:
Ron Reagan in Esquire Magazine, posted on Michael Moore’s site:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=124
Someone did some statistical analysis of the terror alert announcement timing:
http://juliusblog.blogspot.com/2004_08_01_juliusblog_archive.html#109156476570482138
(scroll down to the August 5 entry.)
Sure, it’s on a blog and sure, there’s lies, damn lies, and statistics, but it
reflects my feelings so I’m posting it.
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