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Neilson Hubbard
why men fail

(Parasol)

www.parasol.com

Release date: February 13, 2001

Neilson Hubbard's 1997 release The Slide Project introduced the world to an artist who was familiar with the pop conventions of Big Star and their ilk, with jaunty tunes showing great promise. Hubbard's newest release delivers far more than promised by his last disc. why men fail is a stunningly mature and focused work that elevates Hubbard to a stature on par with artists such as The Pernice Brothers and Elliott Smith.

With sparse and effective lyrics, and a breathy, tremulous falsetto that has aspects of Joe Pernice, Alex Chilton and Shudder To Think's Craig Wedren, Hubbard achieves a supremely high level of emotional resonance on a disc comprised mostly of ruminations on the travails of the heart. Producer Clay Jones deserves major kudos here, as the record sounds spectacular, combining organic instrumentation with oddball sounds in an environment that is spacious and makes excellent use of stereo separation.

Pernice fans should immediately forward to "Wonderful Pain", a succinct breakdown of the simultaneous agony and joy of finding someone new: "Not a wonderful pain/to feel the way that this drains/the life out of me." And "The Girl That Killed September" has a melody on par with Big Star's "Thirteen". These may be the only instances where such specific comparisons can be made, as Hubbard has a real gift for simple melodies that are wrapped in full, creative arrangements.

The crackling "The Last American Hero" storms through the speakers with a funky clavinet and a swirling Stone Roses-type bass line. Strings are also utilized to maximum effectiveness, particularly on "Beautiful Yesterday", which has the somber sweetness of the best Ron Sexsmith material (with a decidedly more spartan lyric) - when the cello and violin start doing their magic, your spine will tingle.

Other rushes include the one truly happy love song on the album, "Surrounded"; the classic "Settle" in which Hubbard lets the lady he loves know that she's making a mistake staying with her current lover and "Speedin'", a basic driving metaphor that cruises with the warm organ playing of Peter (ex-dB's, Continental Drifters) Holsapple. Hubbard also gets stellar contributions from Garrison Starr, who sings backing vocals on most tracks and Will Kimbrough's typically excellent guitar work.

why men fail is passionate and envigorating. This is clearly one of the most special records of the year and will deservedly wind up on its fair share of Top 10 lists at year's end.

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The Ringles
Dish Full Of Ringles

(JAM)

www.go.to/jamrecords.com

A list full of Ringles:

1. The low-fi psychedelic wisenheimers that call themselves The Ringles hail from Princeton, Illinois. There must be something trippy in the Princeton water supply - how else can you account for what's going on here?

2. Primary vocalist Todd Borsch has one of those offbeat voices that shouldn't work but does. Immediate comparisons that spring to mind are Ace Frehley, Alice Cooper and David Gilmour.

3. Tom Rose takes the mike on the most straightforward track, "Won't Be Listening". It sounds like a nice mix of Sell Out-era Who with a Beatlesque inflection at the end of the chorus.

4. Songs like "Googalick Boop Day" and "Mary Go Round" have the type of meaty guitar/feather light melody combo that typifies the best work of Guided By Voices. The former even has a title that GBV fans can relate to.

5. The Ringles are even better when they add a bit menace to the melody. Easily the album's highlight, "Jennifer Love", the verses are sinister and keyed by a simple lead guitar coda, balanced off with a lighter middle eight. If the Smashing Pumpkins could have written stuff like this, pop fans would have embraced them.

6. Even when they freak out, The Ringles are in control. "Sourdough Sky" effectively uses a backwards instrumental track, and the underlying is so strong, the backwards trick isn't a gimmick but makes a cool song even cooler.

7. I love the guitar sound on this record - it buzzes, it fuzzes, it soars and, at times, cuts through the speakers. Dirty and melodic at the same time.

8. Once you have a dishful of Ringles, you'll probably want seconds.

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Stephen Bunovksy
Hazy Sunshine

(Pleides)

www.pleidesrecords.com

Nice pop sounds, stitching together some classic pop influences in an original fashion. If the cover of The Kinks’ “I Need You” wasn’t a giveaway, the lead track on this disc, “Feed The Sun” would clearly reveal Mr. Bunkovsky’s Ray Davies jones. The basic melody of the song and the rhythm are very Kink-y, but drenched with a sunshine vibe that is not only consistent with the title, but smacks of The Beach Boys. (Hmmm…how would Mike Love and Ray Davies gotten along?).

The former Hanna Cranna leader offers a mix of languid acoustic numbers with a few rockers. The rockers are not quite as effective – this might be a bit of a production flaw. Both the cover of “I Need You” and the Bunkovsky original “Northbound Blues” (which reminds me of Canadian pop-rockers 13 Engines) seem kind of subdued, and part of it is that the recording isn’t very bright – there’s very little high end. The songs are fine, but I wish they cooked as much as they could have. The less rocking numbers are played just right. “For Now” is a gently strummed ballad that creates a mood similar to mellow John Lennon or Big Star material. Bunkovsky’s vocal really captures the worn out spirit of a lover whose heart is being torn. The similar tone of “Do We Go On?” further proves that Bunovsky is right on when it comes to portraying love going wrong.

Appropriately enough, considering the record’s title, there is enough sunshine to cut through the haze. “He’s Going Home” has a bit of a 50’s rock feel, akin to the Everly Brothers and Nick Lowe – it’s nice to hear such a basic tune, devoid of irony and not ashamed to head down its merry path. Even better is “I Found A Reason” which traverses similar territory as The Breetles. Lead guitarist Solin plays an old-fashioned George Harrison-type lick, while Bunkovsky’s vocal (and let it be known, Stephen isn’t the rangiest of vocalists) conveys both the happiness of meeting someone who could be the one, but the inherent worries that come along with such a discovery.

The disc clocks in at barely over half an hour, and actually feels like it could have used another track or two. Hopefully on the next effort, Stephen Bunkovsky can pen a few more tunes and beef up the performance and production.

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Mike Bennett: March, 2001
Mike Bennett: February, 2001
Mike Bennett: January, 2001
Mike Bennett: December, 2000
Mike Bennett: November, 2000
Mike Bennett: October, 2000
Mike Bennett: September, 2000

Mike Bennett Reviews: Part I: March, 2001
Mike Bennett Reviews: Part II: March, 2001
Mike Bennett Reviews: Part I: February, 2001
Mike Bennett Reviews: Part II: February, 2001
Mike Bennett Reviews: Part I: January, 2001
Mike Bennett Reviews, Part II: January 2001
Mike Bennett Reviews, Part I: December, 2000
Mike Bennett Reviews, Part II: December, 2000
Mike Bennett Reviews: November, 2000
Mike Bennett Reviews: September, 2000

About Mike

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