Mike Bennett Capsule Reviews, November, 2003

Scroll down for capsule reviews of releases by Exploding Fuck Dolls, Shonen Knife, Robot Monster Weekend, The Jessica Fletchers, R D Roth & The Issues, Betty Drake, The Jupiter Affect, The Green Pajamas and Ben's Diapers.

Grand Champeen -- The One That Brought You (Glurp): Catchy and kick-ass is always a great combo, and Grand Champeen are awash in great hooks, big guitars and the right blend of sloppy and tight playing to make for a record that must be a close second to seeing them live. The reference points start up north -- the basic approach here is very comparable to The Replacements and Soul Asylum, before both bands cleaned up their act. Which means that there's a punk foundation, mixed in with some 8-track savvy, as traces of Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith and even Lynyrd Skynyrd come through. But not in some self-conscious way -- when they kind of boogie-riff on "The Rest of the Night", it's not due to some ironic 21st Century take on boogie rock -- it feels good and they play it in a way that in doesn't sound cheesy. But it's not all dumb fun. There is some skilled songwriting here that allows for some really heartrending melodies amidst the fun and the fury. This talent comes through in spades on "Memory Loss" which flies like a runaway train in the verses, before using a cute countrified melody in the chorus that utterly contrasts the explosiveness. The chorus is the musical equivalent of the realization that the protagonist is coming to. The song even has a second, less frenzied movement. It takes you places. "Step Into My Heart" is flat out pretty, a terrific change of pace ballad which is enhanced by Channing Lewis's affecting lead vocal, which is absent the sore throated sound he sometimes achieves on the barn burners. They split the difference on "Paid Vacation", which sounds like a collaboration between Superchunk and the late, great Mega City Four -- i.e., it's awesome. They close on a great note. "Fakin' It" is smokin' melancholy, with one of those melodies that evokes just a little bit of sadness. It sounds great as the rhythm sections pounds away and the guitars snake, tangle and pierce. One of the best pure rock records of the year. glurp.com

Exploding Fuck Dolls -- Here's To Your Fuck (self-released): A compilation spanning the years 1991 through 1997. The Exploding Fuck Dolls played punk rock in classic 1977 fashion -- so fans of Australia's Exploding White Mice, The New York Dolls and, perhaps, of fucking, should find something to dig on this piledriving 17 track disc. The mainstays of the four different lineups of the band featured here are Art and Steve Godoy (guitar and drums, respectively), two skateboard dudes who rock and currently play with former Radio Birdman guitarist Deniz Tek in the Golden Breed. And when I say line up changes, I mean it -- they had four different lead singers. The songs, however, show a continuity of sensibility. In addition to the artists named above, if groups like D.O.A., the early Clash and Stiff Little Fingers flip your wig, you'll immediately lock in on the pleasures of tracks like "Lap of Luxury" and "I'm Alright", which melds a shout along vocal with a pulsing high hat beat (like Naked Raygun used to do). In particular, the four tracks from the 1992-1993 edition of the band are sharp, focused and articulate rage and anger exceedingly well, both in terms of the lyrics and music. If there's more of this, I'm all ears. dhdrecordsdivision@yahoo.com
dhdrecordsdivision@yahoo.com

Shonen Knife -- Heavy Songs (Confidential): Heavy songs? During their hiatus, has Shonen Knife plunged headlong into decadence, producing an album that makes Lou Reed's Berlin sound like The Osmonds? Of course not. Silly songs set to Ramones-lite punk-pop are still the order of the day. However, Naoko and Atsuko Yamano are smart enough to vary their approach, making for an entertaining, albeit slight, album. So you can choose from the cod-funk/disco of "A Boogie Monster", or the piano driven "Pygmy Jerboa", which sounds like a bastardized Brian Eno pop tune, or the solid ballad "Heavy Song". You can also choose the psychedelic (sitars included!) "Mango Juice" or the slight glam rock of "Elephant Insect", with a guest vocal by Ron Sexsmith (?), but neither track builds much on their initial structures, and they become a bit boring. The tried and true still sounds good. "A.A.A." has a nice Beatley harmony vocal beginning before heading into a more typical peppy rock track celebrating compulsive consumerism. "Rubber Band" is gimmicky, and that's actually an edge for these gals, while "Mushroom Hair Cut" is a wiggy ‘60s style pop tune. No revelations, but Shonen Knife is still doing their thing pretty well. confidentialrecordings.com

Robot Monster Weekend -- Funeral Candy (Self-released): Sadly, this band split up right before the release of this disc. Robot Monster Weekend's silly and scruffy rock shows off influences ranging from garage rock to The Jam to Elvis Costello and the Attractions, resulting in bouncy party gems that would have compared favorably in the ‘80s to fellow Texans like Joe "King" Carrasco and the Crowns and The Skunks. Guitarists Mike Gargiulo (who also provides the wonderful cheesy organ) and Aaron Thedford split the songwriting and lead vocal duties, and each comes up with some winners. Gargiulo's "When I Die" is a buzzy folk-pop number in the vein of The Last, with some clever musings on what will happen when ol' Mike shuffles off this mortal coil: "It will be just like my birthday/except I won't be there/all my friends will come to see me/they will tell me how they cared" . Gargiulio also scores with "UFO Parade", with his work on the keyboards reminiscent of Steve Nieve on those early Elvis Costello & the Attractions plates. On "Love, Love, Love, Love", Thedford hits upon a jangly pumping folk rock sound that seems to find a midpoint between the playful side of the Replacements and prime NRBQ (who were always playful), and creates a song that can only fully enjoyed by bobbing your head all around like an idiot. Thedford's "I'm Your Davy Jones" is structured as if Madness were an American band, with a goofy vocal (a la Too Much Joy's Tim Quirk), and some poor man's Beach Boys backing vocals thrown in for more fun. Other winners include the rocking "Onward Teenage Soldier", which would have been a perfect addition to The School Of Rock soundtrack and the slow jangler "Plastic Rainbow". Back in the hey day of ‘80s college radio, there were lots of fun records from bands like The Wooden Soldiers, Eggplant, Groceries and others that combined solid songs with a bit of cleverness, and Robot Monster Weekend rightfully belongs with such bands who simply want to make you smile, and succeed more often than not. robotmonsterweekend.com

R D Roth & The Issues -- Fear Not The Breakdown (Floating Moon): In less than a year since his last album, Roth has assembled a full time band (Heidi Meredith - bass, Gregg Ostrom -- lead guitar, Jerry King -- drums), while handling the production chores all by himself. Wisely, Roth again collaborates with Epicycle's Ellis Clark, this time as an engineer, since Clark, no stranger to elaborate productions, is able to help Roth realize his ambitious soundscapes. There is no doubt that the foundation of much of his work is folk-based singer-songwriter material, with great attention to the lyrics. Yet he goes well beyond the limits that such a description might indicate. Roth has a flair for the dramatic, befitting his smoky, near baritone voice. But the album's most striking song may be "Love in the Alley", where he skillfully melds his folk sensibility with a light ‘60s R & B lilt. Everything on this track is right, from Laura Caragher's spot-on backing vocals, to the horn accompaniment (including Deanna Varagona on saxaphone), to Chris Gillock's sunny harmonica solo. The middle eight is wisely repeated, as it has a perfect melody for soulfully ruminating. In the song, Roth finds that an intended fleeting encounter hit him harder than he expected. The record takes on a countryish tint on "When I Left", an outstanding duet with Freakwater's Janet Bean -- the contrast between Bean's pure voice and Roth's scruffier tones is immediately endearing. Endearing, however, is not Roth's normal modus operandi. He is a master of songs that sound forlorn, brooding and somewhat menacing. This talent shines (murks?) through on "The Brentwood", a track that retains its intimacy despite the breadth of the musical canvas. Ominous low-end guitar parts are somewhat leavened by an eerie-pretty organ counterpoint, while Roth describes a city where "they know what escapes you/they know where you been/and nothing is evil when everyone sins." The track is awash in a paranoia perfect for an Ashcroft America. The tension is much more personal on "Ear to the Ground", which starts with pithy wordplay in the love song vein, before taking a turn to jealousy and inadequacy, fueled with Neil Young-style power. While many of Roth's lyrics create impressions and let you fill in the blanks, he is surgically precise on the scathing ballad "Hey All You Hipsters", an indictment of slacker trendiness, where goateed Pabst drinking bohos try to find originality in a mixture of irony and pop culture past: "It can be a full time job/just separating from the mob". Much like the movie *Ghost World*, Roth is aware of how using one's taste as an identifier can be limiting, yet it's hard to avoid. Such is the richness of this album that many other tracks could merit a similar in-depth analysis of the both the music and the lyrics. What is critical in Roth's development as an artist is how the music, both in the composition and arrangement, supports the lyrics, both encapsulating and enhancing them. This is a very rewarding piece of work. rdroth.com

The Jessica Fletchers -- What Happened To The? (Rainbow Quartz): An endearing blend of ‘60s pop, garage rock and psychedelic vibes, done with a cheeriness that matches happy bands like Madness and Apples In Stereo. This Norwegian band unleashes a cavalcade of swift ideas, and packages them in 13 concise packages. The band's chirpy nature avoids the dreaded twee syndrome and also manages not to undercut the necessary rock energy, so they don't sound too polite or wimpy. "Christopher Jensen" is an early highlight, with it's warm organ sound supporting a song that has a Swingin' London mellow Motown mod music track with some veddy polite vocalizing that fits the character study lyrics. The band gets heavy on "Do You Know What She Hides", with some blistering psych guitar and frat rock rhythm, juxtaposed with musical asides that have some swell brass accompaniment and a touching melodic vibe. It works better than it should have, a credit to the band's confidence and skill. The band blends old school Kinks riff-rock with a swirly whirlygig of sound on "Let's Go". The caffeine wears off for just long enough on "Shoot", a pretty number in the vein of The Beatles by way of Cleaners From Venus (and any other Martin Newell, for that matter). The more I listen to this record, the more it sounds like a modern update on the surfeit of peppy British pop bands that sprung up in the early days of new wave. The Jessica Fletchers are equally foppish and fey, and know how to write a catchy tune. The difference is that they rock with even more energy. Now they need to do an Advertising or Lonely Boys cover. parasol.com

Fellaheen -- Busking For Karma (Egads): It's one thing to get a nice disc from someone you hadn't heard of. It's quite another to throw on a CD from an unknown and realize there is some really substantial talent at work. Such is the case with Fellaheen, the brainchild of Bruce Hanson, whose music seems to rest in an enjoyable bit of turf between The Jesus And Mary Chain, Nada Surf, the latter day Replacements and Sparklehorse. The guy just oozes simple and unforgettable melodies and places them in a winning mix of contexts. Hanson also has a raspy voice reminiscent of Daniel (Love & Rockets) Ash, which gives the tracks a tossed off decadence. I'd bet that Ash would like to claim "Cold Green Tea" as one of his own. It's a basic mid-tempo slammer, with a nifty lead guitar part that goes up and down like a country fair roller coaster and some cool backing vocals. "Harry Sez Hi" shows that Hanson can pull off a less stylized rocker – this comes off between The Rolling Stones and The Velvet Underground (and really reminds me of The Dancing Hoods, but does anyone remember them?). While these big rockers are immediate, Hanson has quite a few other tricks up his sleeve. "Oswald's Dirge" is an appropriately titled tune – a way-too-short folk-blues with this great opening: "you are dead/death's a slut/falls in bed/with anyone." This doomy mood is explored again on the striking "Unrealized", which is melodically similar to Tom Waits. Hanson's production and the arrangement give this track a real nightmarish feel. The most sinister track, however is "Record Collector", which makes a geeky hobby come off like a Clive Barker novel – the coiled menace of the verses is beaten into submission by the explosive choruses. Awesome song. This is a very good album. fellaheen.com

Betty Drake -- Grape Or Red (Purple Pit): From Minneapolis way comes a pretty darned good guitar pop album, which is sometimes straight ahead power pop, and other times goes for an even punchier jangle favored by the latter day Replacements or many of the better recent Aussie guitar pop bands. Maybe the strongest criticism that can be lobbed at this band is that neither Andy Schultz nor Paul Novak are incredibly distinct vocalists, which isn't to say their vocals aren't good. Far from it, their leads and harmonies are well done. However, it's just hard to hear a distinct Betty Drake sound -- they don't sound exactly like anyone, even themselves. But a specific personality can always develop, and when it does, it will be supported by extremely solid songwriting, fine performances and a true engagement to the material. Each song meets and exceeds the minimum Pop-Rock Administration's requirements for melodies and catchiness. Two that max out are "Time Will Never Tell", which is on par with some of Kenny Howes's best material and "Lock & Key", where the guitars are chunky and melodic, the song hurdles immediately into the chorus, and the verses have a Southern power pop charm, transported to the land of 10,000 lakes. The song is simply one hook after the other. The band can take the pedal off the metal and pull off a cool mid-tempo track -- the album closer "Lucky Star" is a cheerful love song that mixes twanging and jangling guitars. A good record from a band with a lot of potential. bettydrake.net

The Jupiter Affect -- The Restoration Of Culture After Genghis Khan (Orange Sky): The second album from Michael Quercio's latest band happily picks up where the debut left off, with the Affect pulling off some nifty psychedelic rock. The biggest difference between the two albums is that the new one has a rawer quality to it, both in the smashing guitars (like on the smoking "Genghis Khan Blues Theme") and Quercio's vocals -- he pushes his angelic tenor a bit more -- it's a subtle difference, but the added intensity gives some of the songs just a wee bit more edge that infuses the songs with further energy. This energy serves some genuinely loopy lyrical concepts. In fact, Quercio uses the era of Genghis Khan as a foundation for the lyrics, so while this isn't a story concept album, there is a concept in mind, leading to tracks like "Hymn of the Steppes" and "You Are Wise in Your Conceit O' Beautiful Woman of the Tartars" (which has a nifty instrumental break with a slight jazz orientation that takes up the last two minutes of the song). The band is augmented by strings and horns. The strings are superbly integrated into the wistful "Do You Remember?", which may be the least psychedelic tune on the record. The strings add depth to the feelings of disillusionment that Quercio is singing about. The horns contribute mightily to "Attack of the Hair People", giving a whiff of "Penny Lane" sophistication to the sing-songy melody. This record shows that you can mix twee and crunchy very effectively -- even producing a track that is somewhat of an epic ballad ("Above the Ground"). The Jupiter Affect is by far the most rewarding music Quercio has made since his days in The Three O'Clock, sharing many of the same virtues in a much more stylized context. Worth checking out if you liked the early Three O'Clock or the last Jupiter Affect album. Dionysusrecords.com

The Green Pajamas -- Through Glass Colored Roses: the best of The Green Pajamas (Hidden Agenda): The title is a slight misnomer, as this only covers the second wave of Green Pajamas output, from 1997 to 2002. You'll have to dig up the Get Hip compilation to get the ‘80s material. The one thing both comps have in common is "Kim the Waitress", this disc leading off with a brand new recording of the Pajamas' most famous tune. The new recording is a bit smoother, but the song remains a beautiful and slightly creepy track, as a customer waxes poetic about the beautiful woman filling his coffee cup, with a disturbing edge: "though I don't stand a ghost of a chance with her/she's pretty/(and that bothers me)." The second edition of the Pajamas carries on in "Kim"'s psych-pop tradition, as the band went from vaguely danceable big guitar rock ("Rattlesnake Kiss") to loverly music that bordered on chamber pop. ("Tomorrow Will Bring Rain", which has a ‘60s melancholy melody in the chorus that Skip Bifferty or The Honeybus would have killed for). This compilation primarily focuses on the relatively more rocking material and provides ample evidence of Jeff Kelly's proclivity for writing perfect psychedelic music, with a couple nods to bandmates Eric Lichter and Laura Weller. So this is a good chance to introduce yourself to a band that can do a perfect piece of chiming folk rock like "Just Another Perfect Day" (think Dylan/Byrds/Donovan), buzzing fey power chording ("She Doesn't Love You Anymore"), and plain ol' pop that hearkens back to days of yore ("She's Still Bewitching Me"). parasol.com

Ben's Diapers -- Laughter Tracks (Rhythm Barrel): This Finnish band adds more rootsiness to their jangle on this album. Perhaps some of this due to the contributions of Jack and the Beanstalk's Joe Algieri, who produces many of the tracks on this collection. So, right off the bat, on "Happy Man", special guest Jonne Valtonen riffs on his Hammond organ, which adds more depth to the song and meshes well with the pleading voice of Jaakko Soderstrom. Indeed, the Diapers are really in tune with their rock and roll roots, so much so that they write great songs about it. "Hey Rock and Roll" is a thoughtful look at rock, trying to figure out what the music's relevance in this day and age. The song is chock full of great guitar work and Mikko Lappalainen's steady drumming. The song doesn't resolve anything, but it shows that Ben's Diapers cares. They even manage a clever country-blues song about songwriting, "I Wrote a Song About Sadness": "I wrote a song about Jesus Christ/but it didn't come out right/sounds like I know Him/though I haven't got a clue". There are some more purely melodic charmers on here too. Album closer "Stockholm Sky" is a nice dramatic ballad that is akin to some of Mott The Hoople's roof raisers in the ‘70s. And "Josephine Geraldine" is an effective light-hearted pop song. Ben's Diapers have developed a distinctive identity using familiar elements, playing with passion but not forgetting to have some fun. This is their best record to date. geocities.com/rhythmbarrel

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