STICKS & STONES 9.6

 

This review-only issue will be updated weekly, if not more frequently. New reviews will be added to the top, so you can keep up with what you have and haven't read. The number next to the 9 up there will change with each update to help you keep track. Use the links at the bottom to get back to the front page, contact page or archives. Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

THE BLUE SERIES

Matthew Shipp - Nu Bop

Guillermo E. Brown - Soul at the Hands of the Machine

Craig Taborn - Light Made Lighter

Spring Heeled Jack - Masses

Roy Campbell Quartet - It's Krunch Time

Tim Berne - The Shell Game

 

When we last checked in with the Blue Series, Thirsty Ear's series of avant garde jazz releases curated by Matthew Shipp, the four discs released to that point showed a couple of things. Shipp, perhaps the best, most adventurous creative music pianist out there, was dominating his own series, and he relied on old hands to round out the selections, with his own discs bookending CDs from Mat Maneri and William Parker.

With another year under its belt and six more releases and counting, Shipp has expanded the slate of artists invited into the Blue Series, sometimes with startling results. Still, his work is the standout.

The artists in the series all are known for their pioneering spirit, musicians constantly in search of the new sound, new vista to explore. With the Blue Series, however, those quests are all the more rewarding, the artists that much more adventurous. Shipp leads the way in that regard. His first Blue Series disc -- and the first of the series -- was Pastoral Composure, the most straight-ahead release of his career. That was followed by New Orbit, a space-themed disc that found Shipp pushing at the envelope with the help of new sideman trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith. his third Blue Series disc furthers that growth. Nu Bop isn't just the best disc in the Blue Series; it may be the best of Shipp's prolific career. The key is FLAM, and electronic musician who provides synths and programming bases that Shipp and the other musicians build on, creating something beyond that available with conventional instruments.

That disc and m.o. fits well with the current slate of Blue Series discs. The second best disc of the recent batch comes from Spring Heeled Jack, an adventurous group in its own right. On Masses the duo provides a bed over which Shipp, Parker and others solo and create. It's a dazzling melding of the two genres, and one that clearly influenced Shipp and others.

Guillermo E. Brown, current David S. Ware Quartet drummer and frequent Blue Series performer, uses FLAM's electronics on his own disc, Soul at the Hands of the Machine. It's Brown's first disc as a leader, and while challenging, the beat-heavy mix -- leavened by the handful of instruments played by Daniel Carter and the contributions of many others -- rewards repeat listens. Aside from Shipp's Nu Bop and the Spring Heeled Jack disc, it is the most adventurous release of the series.

Keyboardist Craig Taborn adds a bit of electronic seasoning to Tim Berne's Blue Series disc, The Shell Game. Saxophonist Berne solos with controlled bursts through this disc, but leaves plenty of room for Taborn's experimental flights. Taborn plays it relatively straight on his own Blue Series disc, Light Made Lighter, a collection that, like Shipp's Pastoral Composure, is positively traditional in the context provided by the rest of the series. His short tunes, bolstered by the rhythm section of bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Gerald Cleaver, cover a lot of musical territory, from post-bop to avant garde.

Roy Cambell's It's Crunch Time rounds out the current offerings in the series, and provides a bridge of sorts between the more out-there sounds of Berne and the even tones of Taborn. Campbell's incendiary trumpet plays well of the vibes of Blue Series newcomer Khan Jamal, while Brown and bassist Wilber Morris push and prod each tune with their skittering rhythms.

Shipp returns to the tried and true in May with another Blue Series release from bassist William Parker. If the uniform high quality of the other 10 discs in the series are any indication, it'll be another winner. Each of these discs is a gem.

Sanford Arms

Too Loud for the Snowman

 

It's better to pop this into the CD player before taking a look at the band's lineage. Otherwise, confusion might result. Ben London is the mainman behind Sanford Arms. His wistful songs, given a spacey treatment by the rest of the group, are a swirling sea of contradition as the melancholy melodies float on a warm wash of near-shoegazer rock. To learn that London formerly led the punk-pop act Alcohol Funnycar makes the listening experience that much more surreal. How did he have this in him? However it works, London's songs are worth seeking out, though the experience will be jarring for and AF fans looking for something new. Maybe they've grown up just like London did, and tracks like "Science & Industry," "Let it Show" and "Red Vine" will be just what they've been looking for.

 

William Pears

Big Bang

 

When you think power pop, those thoughts don't conjure Paris, but the city of light can claim at least one worthwhile export under the PP category. William Pears is a retro quartet with all the right pieces: chiming guitars, precise melodies and plenty of harmonies. Never fear -- they sing in English for the most part, sounding more British than anything else (no surprise; hell, so does Green Day). Big Bang is the band's second US release, and it's more of the same: beautiful, lovingly crafted pop with hints of XTC. Tracks like "Forever Punk" and Big Bang" are instantly catchy, and one of the two songs sung in French, "Je Me Vends a Qui Veut M'Entendre" (I am sold to the one who wants me to hear, roughly) is a winner.

 

Ken Stringfellow

Touched

 

Stringfellow's last band (for those keeping score at home), Saltine, was a welcome return for the power popster, a perfect venue for his guitar-heavy, ultra-melodic songs. Two singles and a handful of live dates (including SXSW 2000) whet the appetite for some of that great pop gone missing since the demise of the Posies. Well, since then, Stringfellow adjoined himself to R.E.M., started playing shows with Jon Auer in what must be the longest farewell tour this side of the Who, and broke up Saltine. Bummer. We're left with Touched, a disc which gathers many of the songs first cut by that band in addition to a few others. It's good, but not as good as the band's output. Credit one-man-band syndrome. Stringfellow seems to have gone back into the studio to cut many of the Saltine cuts himself with minimal outside help. The result is a batch of songs that lack the punch and energy of those Saltine sides. Good songs abound -- "Find Yourself Alone," "Reveal Love " and "Here's to the Future" stand up to anything he contributed to the Posies -- but jeez, just think of what this could have been.

 

Retsin

Cabin in the Woods

 

On this their second Retsin disc, Tara Jane O'Neil and Cynthia Nelson continue their fruitful musical partnership. Unlike most collaborative efforts, however, these two seem to strip things down with each subsequent release rather than tack things on. This spare disc finds the two singing together to the accompaniment of their own guitars for the most part. Ida Pearle contributes violin and Liz Mitchell plays accordion, but that's it. O'Neil even painted the cover. This organic treatment works. These gorgeous songs are slight (that's not an insult), and would likely collapse under the weight of a rhythm section or other accoutrements. "The Good Lady Obstacle" is a case in point. The two harmonize on the chorus, their voices weaving in and out one from the other, a lone plucked guitar the only other sound. It's just one of several tunes here that bring chills.

 

Mission to Mars

Rockandrollspidermanbasketball

 

Rockandrollspidermanbasketball sounds like a work in progress, a good batch of songs that would benefit from a full-band sound and a bit of road seasoning. Sounds like that's what Philip Golden has in mind. The Portland by way of San Francisco songwriter recorded the disc with some friends, then formed a band with some boyhood friends who plan to play shows and record new material. If this short disc is any indication, Golden has the goods. His songs are rocking pop, nothing fancy, with plenty of hooks. He has a good sense of dynamics and of uses his deep voice to good effect. A track like "Village Idiot," with its quiet verses and explosive chorus, shows off both to good effect. Nice touches like background vocals and cello flesh out the tunes. As a primer for something better to come, you could do a lot worse.

 

Adam Schmitt

Demolition

 

Schmitt has been laboring over the follow-up to his major label swan song, Illiterature, for years. This, his next disc, isn't it. It is a batch of demos cleaned up and given proper release while the auteur fiddles with the true follow-up. Given that pedigree, this is better than one might expect. Then again, the meticulous Schmitt isn't going to let something out that isn't up to snuff. While this lacks the soaring highs of his previous work, it is more consistent, with some truly engaging tracks built on his familiar, guitar-driven power pop sound. The opening duo, "See Me Fall" and "Brilliance in Failure" are both solid, while "Let's Make This Easy," found halfway through the disc, is on par with anything he's released. Ever the perfectionist, Schmitt takes most of this into his own hands, recording everything on three of the 10 tracks while a drummer plays on seven of the tracks (frequent collaborator John Richardson on six of those). While "castoffs" isn't the right term, you still gotta wonder: if these tracks are stopgaps, what must the real thing sound like? If you have time, like, um, a whole lotta time, you just might find out.

 

The Reindeer Section

Y'all Get Scared Now, Ya Hear!

 

You don't need to know this Scottish supergroup formed at a Lou Barlow show to enjoy this, but it helps to put it in context. After meeting up with a bunch of his musical friends at the aforementioned show, Snow Patrol leader Gary Lightbody suggested the group make a record. He may have been the only one to take himself seriously -- he went home and wrote an album's worth of material. His friends help up their end of the bargain, and their names (or rather, that of their bands, including Belle and Sebastian, Arab Strap and Mogwai) ensure this gets heard. Lightbody's songs are steeped in Barlow -- a lovelorn mumble backed by quiet, mostly acoustic arrangements. It's a surprise that it took so many leading lights to create such a subtle, simple record. No matter. It's worth seeking out for fans of any of these Scots, or Barlow, for that matter.

 

The Yayhoos

Fear Not the Obvious

 

Say "supergroup" and most people think of Asia, that bloated conflagration that found four gear-heads playing their heads off in an attempt to create art. Say Yayhoo, and another image comes to mind, a dope, a party-animal, perhaps. So when you hear the phrase "the supergroup the Yayhoos," it probably gives you a pretty severe case of mental whiplash. The band name is apt here. These guys are Yayhoos. But damned if they aren't stars, too, albeit faintly shining. You have Dan Baird from the Georgia Satellites, Terry Anderson from the Backsliders, Eric "Roscoe" Ambel from the Del-Lords and producer extraordinaire, and bassist Keith Christopher who has played with just about everybody. Stick 'em in a studio for a few days with some beer, and you get a record like Fear Not, a loud, raucous slab of guitar-cranking bar band fun. This sat on the shelf for years, but its release is better late than never. Where else might one hear a honky tonk cover of "Dancing Queen"?

 

Sound of Urchin

You Are the Best

 

I suppose these dopes have fun, but this sounds too calculated to be explained away as being the output of fun-loving idiots with a bit of talent and a lot of energy. Sound of Urchin sounds for all the world like a marketer's dream: rap-rock mixed with hip hop mixed with sophomoric humor mixed with… aw, who cares? Dean Ween likes 'em, I'm sure the kids love 'em, and if you're reading this you probably would do wise to steer clear of this unless you see my copy in a used CD bin somewhere, and only then if it's less than $1. Aw hell, it's a cardboard sleeve promo. No store will take these. How about this? First guy to send me a buck for postage can have it. Ugh.

 

The Handsome Family

Twilight

 

This Albuquerque by-way-of Chicago duo just keeps getting better. Twilight, Brett and Rennie Sparks' fifth album, is their most assured yet, a solid collection of haunting, creepy tunes that mix the echo-ey twang of country with the quiet desperation of Appalachian folk. Rennie handles all the lyrics, crafting twisted short stories for Brett to sing in his deep, resonant voice. Brett handles all the music, recording every sound here (save for Rennie's strummed autohard) on his Mac G3. Talk about organic. The juxtaposition of Rennie's oft-brutal lyrics with Brett's lush soundscapes is the draw. Just about any lyric pulled from any song proves the point. I like this one, from the quiet waltz, "I Know You Are There," a morbid love song of sorts: "When the rope of death strangles and dark waters roar and foam, when fear and trembling hold me and the slimy pit pulls down, I know you are there." Whoa. 

 

Teenage Fanclub

Howdy

 

After a long wait, we finally get to hear the Fannies latest on these shores. Was it worth the wait? Yes and no. Sure, it's always nice to have a new set of a dozen tracks from these masters of chiming, retro power pop. But this album lacks the highs that made past efforts like Songs from Northern Britain and Grand Prix such delights. It starts with the pleasant tone-setter "I Need Direction," an ambling slice of pop, and doesn't change that direction much over the course of the disc. All three of the band's songwriters -- Gerry Love, Norman Blake and Raymond McGinley -- are in good form here, without a weak track in the bunch. Yet this doesn't ever rise above pleasant. Maybe that’s what the band had in mind. It's certainly a noble goal, and one it attains masterfully. The group, now just that trio of songwriters thanks to the departure of drummer Paul Quinn, soldiers on, each of them content with their four songs per album every couple of years. Not a bad gig if you can get it. And not bad for us, either, come to think of it.

 

Elephant Band

Fabrica de Chocolate (Chocolate Factory)

 

This Spanish quartet has their vintage sound down… now it's time to work on the English. The group, which trades in a syrupy version of the Small Faces, has the music part under control. But lyrics like "Maybe let some things at time was no wrong" which lead of the disc's opener, "Yademos," show that those Spanish-English dictionaries aren't all their cracked up to be. It's a minor complaint. The words carry solid melodies that are bolstered by rocking guitars, swirling organs and propulsive drumming. Who needs meaning when you have all that? This is the band's second album, available as an import through www.munster-records.com, and well worth seeking out. It includes an ace cover of "Strange Roads" from obscure mod rockers The Action, and the LP features a cover of the Creation's "Painter Man."

 

The Mary Janes

Flame

 

Janas Hoyt rocks. Period. Hoyt, who leads the Mary Janes, is a top-notch songwriter and a deceptively powerful singer, and on Flame she delivers her second album full of rootsy, country-rock winner. Hoyt once played with the Vulgar Boatmen, and her songs sometimes chug along at that band's insistent, no-nonsense beat. But she layers more on top of it than the Boatmen do, coloring tracks like "Junie Moon" and "Flame" with a swinging groove. You're occasionally put in the mind of Lucinda Williams on this disc, and it's not an out-of-line reference, but Hoyt seems like she'd be a lot more fun, less moody than Williams, more willing to shut up and rock. Take a listen to her rollicking cover of Tom Petty's "Free Girl Now" for proof. She stands the tune on its head; here, it's a true call to arms, and Hoyt is leading the charge.

 

Volebeats

Mosquito Spiral

 

This hardworking Detroit quintet just keeps getting better, and Mosquito Spiral is its best yet. The band mixes country and pop for a sound that is rootsy and catchy, a grab bag full of "B"s: the Beatles doing "Act Naturally," the early Byrds and some Buffalo Springfield and Big Star for good measure. Those are all influences, not equals, of course, but still apt.  An equal, in fact, might be the late E*I*E*I*O, another band that mixed the twang of country with the tang of pop. The Volebeats succeed because it doesn't fall into the twang trap that befalls most alt-country bands. They infuse their sound with plenty of pop color and texture, which makes this stand up to and reward repeat listens. Three of the five write songs, and that lends diversity to the sound, but the same echo-laden production keeps this cohesive. A dour cover of the Walker Brothers hit "First Love Never Dies" rounds out this impressive collection.

 

Appendix Out

The Night is Advancing

 

The Night is Advancing finds Appendix Out diversifying its sound a bit. This is more airy and dynamic than its two previous CDs, the Rye Bears a Poison and Daylight Saving. AO mainman Ali Roberts is still the draw here, his Scottish take on Will Oldham's quiet warble is warmer than ever, and more an instrument on these songs than the main focus. That allows him to color the songs with vocals rather than overpower them with his melancholic croon. The group stretches out more here, giving a song like the opener, "A Path to Our Beds," a chance to find itself. This has a Chicago feel in that regard, more in common with bands like Tortoise, which explore as much as compose. Credit likely is due producers Sean O'Hagan and Rian Murphy, who bring this creaky band into the present with good results.

 

Little Grizzly

I'd Be Lying If I Said I Wasn't Scared

 

Denton, Texas, is an odd little town. It's close enough to Austin that its surprisingly large number of musicians have a place to play, a conduit to the outside world, but just far enough away that its neighbor's brand of alt-country-folk-rock is only one ingredient in its oddball musical stew. Another ingredient, it would seem, is a bundle of Flaming Lips records. Little Grizzly's George Neal likely has a few Lips' discs in his collection, but their influence doesn't overwhelm his dynamic, strangely wonderful songs. He shares Wayne Coyne's engaging rasp, but his carries a twang that is used to full effect when the band strips down the proceedings and lets some of that Texas soil show through.

 

Jack & The Beanstalk

Cowboys in Sweden

 

Joe Algeri leads this Aussie quartet from Sweden now and has developed quite an affinity for country music and Gram Parsons, but the resulting impact on his music is negligible. On Cowboys in Sweden, the band plays the same slightly punked-up power pop found on its previous disc, …And Other Stories. Cuts like the Raspberries tribute "Raspberry Jam" and the soaring pop of "She Drives a Volvo" are as catchy and rootsy as anything the band has done previously. The rollicking "Baby," the only track for which lyrics are provided in the bookley (and which are made up almost entirely of the word "baby" shows the band's goofy, rocking side, while "Complete" shows Algeri's softer side. Three tracks recorded live in the studio don't sound much different than the more polished tracks. On one Algeri asks, "who will save rock 'n' roll?" Look in the mirror, Joe.

 

The Velvet Crush

In the Presence of Greatness

 

The 10 years of time since this album was first released have done nothing to dim its shine; in fact, thanks to an uncredited remastering job and the addition of three bonus tracks, its glow actually has grown. With Greatness, Ric Menck and Paul Chastain stepped into the big leagues. Leaving behind  the handful of acts they'd fronted over the years with a bag of singles to show for it, they recorded an album with Matthew Sweet at the controls as Velvet Crush. The result is a ragged pop gem, Menck's crashing drums driving Chastain's sweet vocals over a bed of Jeffrey Underhill's surging guitars. This reissue boasts a cleaner sound (it doesn't say so, but it sure sounds like it) and the three songs from the "Ash & Earth" single. This CD kind of came and went when it was released in 1991, so it's nice to see it get a second chance. Don't miss your chance to pick up one of the finest power pop albums of the past decade.

 

Tekulvi

Who Knows Where We Are

 

The second generation of math rock is on the scene. Tekulvi, a Chicago-based quartet, has studied the music of its forefathers well, incorporating the angular guitars, lock-step, mid-tempo rhythms and cascading dynamics into its own work. On the nine-song disc Who Knows Where We Are, the group comes off like a junior June of 44, which isn't such a bad thing. Tracks like "Tetrahedron" and "Chandelier" capture the push-pull, stop-start rush of the best this genre has to offer. There's still little reason to choose this if there's a new disc from any one of the many veteran bands more adept at this sort of thing, but this shows promise.

 

Dwight Twilley

The Luck

 

On the opening track of Twilley's umpteenth disc on his umpteenth label (OK, it's only been about a dozen discs on 8 or 9 labels, but who's counting?), the man sings, "You never listen to my music, you don't know me all that well." Gee, Dwight, could you narrow it down a bit? Given your lack of success over the past two decades, you could be talking about several million people here. That's a shame, of course. While Twilley's one-time label mate Tom Petty (who guests here on one track) has taken this kind of music to the heights of fame, Twilley toils in obscurity. Why? Well, on The Luck he offers the same old thing, good songs that sound like they could have been recorded any time between 1975 and now. Today's marketplace doesn't exactly clamor for this stuff, however, so Twilley seems to be working for a consistently small group of fans. They get a few treats here. Rockers like "Forget About It" and "I Worry About You" are offset by pretty, acoustic tunes like "Oh Carrie." The title track has a nice, vintage Roy Orbison vibe (Hey, Petty, how about throwing Dwight a bone and giving him a shot in the Wilburys? Eliott Smith could sub for George), while "Gave it All Up for Rock 'n' Roll,'' complete with backing vox from the Cowsills and others, is the kind of song that would have been huge in the 80s. Poor Dwight, a man out of time.

 

The Grip Weeds

Summer of a Thousand Years

 

Retro sounding power pop is nothing new, but for a band to absorb such influences and have something that actually has power and sounds modern come out the other end, well, that's something, isn't it? The Grip Weeds are such a band. The trippy guitars, tambourines and soaring harmonies recall ghosts of dozens of bands with reissues on Sundazed, but they are only part of the whole package offered by this talented quartet. Brothers Rick and Kurt Reil have crafted a rock solid set of tunes here, the muscular guitars on songs like "She Surrounds Me" giving this a needed bit of heft. This has nice touches throughout, like the harmonica of "Rainy Day #3" or the glockenspiel and sitar on "Changed." A cover of Pete Townsend's "Melancholia" is a nice fit, sounding right at home with the rest of this engaging disc.

 

Denison Witmer

Of Joy & Sorrow; the 80s EP

 

Witmer was an unknown quantity when his discs came into S&S headquarters, but this engaging singer-songwriter quickly worked his way into the rotation with these two discs. The EP is a teaser for the album, with four overlapping tracks out of seven. The LP is a quiet beauty, Witmer's pleasing tenor floating above these well-written acoustic pop songs. Blake Westcott, who helmed recordings by Damien Jurado, aids Witmer. Jurado's quieter moments are an adequate reference point here, though Witmer's tunes are more polished.

 

Matthew Carlson

Cosmic Americana

 

His CD title conjures thoughts of Gram Parsons' bloozy country-rock hybrid, but Carlson's brand of alt-country hews more closely to the folk end of the spectrum than the rock end. That's OK. While the sounds same-y over the course of 10 tracks, it's a pleasant sameness that makes the most of his limited vocal range. The arrangements here are nice, the playing sympathetic, and the hooks solid. Extra points for the classy retro look of the letterpress packaging.

 

Maple Mars

Welcome to Maple Mars

 

Maple Mars, for all intents and purposes Rick Hromadka, knows what a modern power pop album should sound like, and when he's able to put the pieces together on any given track, the results are worth hearing. But too much of this disc is unremarkable, the right pieces but not in the right spots, or hooks that are fleeting. The standouts are good, like the sticky hook behind "Souvenir" or the aptly named "The Perfect Song," both of which operate on more than one level. Mr. Mars is close, but not quite there.

 

Rilo Kiley

Take Offs and Landings

 

What a charming record. This LA quartet, fronted by vocalist Jenny Lewis, trades in a brand of quiet, droning pop that many attempt, but few pull off. Add Rilo Kiley to that short list. This is a sweet, enchanting batch of songs performed with subtlety and a steady hand. Much of the lyrical content here fits the title as it chronicles travel of one sort or another. As the chorus of "Pictures of Success" states: "I'm ready to go." So are we, wherever this band wants to lead.

 

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