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Mike Bennett
Reviews, Part I: June, 2001
Scroll
down for reviews of the latest from The Asteroid No. 4, The
Ladybug Transistor, The Morells and Lynchpin. Click
here for reviews
of The Go-Gos, Pearlfishers, Hawksley Workman and You Am I
Lucinda Williams
Essence
(Lost Highway/Island/Def Jam)
Release
Date: June 5, 2001
www.losthighwayrecords.com
Essence is an appropriate title for the latest Lucinda
Williams release. Rather than following up her five-years-in-the-making
masterpiece Car Wheels On A Gravel Road with another
album of meticulous arrangements and full instrumentation,
Williams scales back on songs that are, for the most part,
extremely simple. This really spotlights Williams' incredible
vocals. Her chronicles of the bumps and bruises of love are
always enhanced by her vocal chords, which seem to have absorbed
every blow she has taken. The dichotomy of the essential smoothness
and beauty of tone and the rough edges that remain intact
automatically gives her songs a depth and richness that most
artists can only dream of.
Many
of the songs ebb in a later day Dylan fashion; standard blues
chords with a minimum of changes and very basic melodies.
Other than some organ and lead guitar fills, there is little
ornamentation, as Williams drives the songs with her passion,
or, in many cases, resignation.
The dominant themes on the album are loneliness, unrequited
love and the pleasure and pain that comes along with longing.
"Baby, sweet baby/can't get enough/Please come find me and
help me/get fucked up/I am waiting here for more/I am waiting
by your door/I am waiting on your back steps/I am waiting
in my car/I am waiting at this bar/I am waiting for your essence"
she sings on the title cut, where love and desperation seem
to have joined forces. She also offers empathy for "Lonely
Girls" and pledges to "Steal Your Love". Based on these songs,
one surmises that the Lucinda Williams romantic scorecard
is not a pretty sight.
The prettiest of the songs is the yearning "I Envy The Wind".
Williams' voice is at its sweetest as she sings about how
she wishes she could be part of the elements just so she could
touch the man whose love she so strongly desires. The gentle
accompaniment further pushes the raw emotion of the performance
to the forefront. This is the type of song Linda Ronstadt
would have killed for during her 70's heyday.
The
musical pace really only picks up on "Get Right With God".
It's similar to "Joy" from the last album, but more subdued.
For the most part, the disc is so atmospheric, Daniel Lanois
could have produced it. (He didn't, Williams and Charlie Sexton
did).
Williams deserves credit for not just putting out Car Wheels
II. The album is rewarding, but still must suffer in comparison
to its predecessor, since it is musically monochromatic. However,
the unrelenting nature of how Williams exposes her heart is
also the strength of the album.
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The
Asteroid No.4
King
Richard's Collectibles
(Rainbow
Quartz)
Release
Date: June 5, 2001
www.asteroidno4.com
This
Philadelphia quintet harnesses the best bits of 60's psychedelia,
garage and freakbeat on a delightful album that could easily
be fobbed off as a solo project by Sir John Johns of The Dukes
Of Stratosphear. Scott Vitt is the primary writer and he croons
his compositions in a vocal tone that is sometimes strongly
reminiscent of XTC's Colin Moulding.
"Apple Street" kicks the disc off to a fine start, with its
fuzztone guitar, a pulsing rhythm so strong you can just picture
the mod women in go-go boots frugging in time, and insistent
"whoa-whoa" backing vocals that threaten to break into "G-L-O-R-I-A"
at any moment. This song demonstrates one of the AN4's best
qualities, a balance between heaviness and lightness that
allows some of the more psychedelic numbers, like "Little
Flower" to somehow be trippy and chirpy in equal amounts.
The
album is loaded with terrific melodic mid-tempo psych-pop
numbers. On "Mercenary Man", Vitt's voice is at its most Colin-ish,
and the song has a strong Dylan/early Green On Red vibe (particularly
the organ parts) supporting some swell wordsmithing: "I was
once like you/crimesolver without a clue". "Local Fashion
Junky" blends acoustic strums and a reverbed guitar for a
slinky and sarky putdown of a (presumably) Philly poseur.
Two numbers stand above all. "Thank You R.E.A." has Quick
One-era Who in its marrow, with a jaunty "Happy Jack"
verse, Entwhistle-ish horn parts and a driving chorus. The
ostensible title cut, "King Richard" features lots of gonzo
lead guitar work in the fashion of The Pretty Things circa
'67, an effective use of dynamics, powerhouse drumming by
William Reim (note - Steven Keller is the primary drummer,
and does a fine job on his 9 tracks) and a regal chorus.
The record has a punchy retro sound, which is no surprise,
as the band receives production assistance on most tracks
from Kurt Heasley of Lilys. This is appropriate, since Heasley
is also an expert at layering guitars and other sounds without
overwhelming the tunes. Moreover, Vitt is not the only quality
tunesmith, as Joe Patitucci contributes two solid numbers
that are a bit more straightforward and poppy than the rest
of the material. So if you don't like hooks, skip those tracks.
For that matter, hookaphobics might just skip the whole thing
and let those of us with taste and intelligence revel in the
riches in this collection.
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The
Ladybug Transistor
Argyle
Heir
(Merge)
www.mrg2000.com
This New York septet specializes in arty soft pop songs that
pull off the difficult trick of being simultaneously baroque
and intimate. They are steeped in the influences of groups
like The Bee Gees, producer Curt Boettcher and other string
and wind driven artists, and although Gary Olson's erudite
folk-rockish vocals can be a tad arch, the group avoids coming
off as mere academics creating inspiration collages. The Ladybug
Transistor are kind of an aural equivalent to the films of
Whit Stillman - the precision and literateness (new word?)
is an asset rather than a deficit, since they so skillfully
render their distinctive approach.
At their best, the band enhances solid 60's inspired tunes
with full arrangements and orchestration. "Going Up North
(Icicles)" is a fine example of their approach. Starting with
a simple electric piano riff, the song builds with the addition
of cellos and wind instruments, and then shifts into a second,
complimentary movement that is shades of Pet Sounds.
On "The Glass Pane", the keyboard sounds like a harpsichord
and is counterpointed by a twangy guitar and a flute. The
chorus glides into a dramatic swath of violins and a mournful
melody. The song has a combination of jauntiness and grandeur
that is on par with Orson Welles' film adaptation of The
Magnificent Ambersons. (Two film references in one review
- these folks should be doing soundtracks).
Not everything is heavy duty art. "Perfect For Shattering"
is a fine low key pop tune. "Nico Norte", with its Rod Argent
piano part, and slinky groove, sounds like post-graduate Zombies.
And "Echoes" slightly echoes a Jimmy Webb composition for
Glen Campbell.
The Ladybug Transistor fall somewhere in between Lambchop
and The Heavy Blinkers. Not quite as dry as the former, but
not as overtly poppy as the latter. This is a worthy effort
that fans of experimental soft pop might want to check out.
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The
Morells
The
Morells
(Slewfoot/Delmore)
www.themorells.com
The
more things change, the more they stay the same. 18 years
ago, the U.S. president was a self-deprecating clueless conservative,
oil prices were at record high levels and Eric Clapton was
churning out M.O.R. clap trap. And The Morells were taking
their crazy country hop all around the Midwest, combining
the killer musicianship of D. Clinton Thompson (guitar) and
Lou Whitney (bass) with a corny sense of humor bordering on
Hee Haw silly. With Ron Gremp on the skins and Lou's (then)
wife Maralie dazzling on the keys, The Morells celebrated
the virtues of "Getting In Shape" and then wasting the effort
by eating a greasy cheeseburger at "Reds". With their 1983
debut Shake And Push, the Morells were the wiseacre
uncles to roots rock acts like The Blasters and Jason and
the Scorchers.
Eventually,
Whitney and Thompson formed the like minded, but more R &
B-ish Skeletons, and it looked like Shake And Push was
both a hello and a farewell. But the Springfield, Missouri
quartet is back, ¾ intact, with Joe Terry manning the keys
in place of the dearly departed Maralie.
The
fun formula is still intact - there may not be any tunes that
rank with the best stuff on the debut, but the band twangs,
swings and rocks in a fine fashion. And it's educational.
Where else can you get the sound counsel of Uncle Lou Whitney
- "Don't let your baby drive a car/there she goes and there
you are". Or Joe Terry's compelling ode to supporting your
mater - "Mom's got a headache/she needs a nap/she's been working
hard all day/now's not the time to play".
And
D. Clinton Thompson is still one of the top pure rock and
roll guitar players out there. He busts out a terrific rockabilly
solo on "Hot Rod Baby" and struts his stuff on a cover of
bluesman Roy Buchanan's "Roy's Blues". The band just swings
as the album expertly balances Chuck Berry style rock, some
60's pop and lots of skewed country. The tunes are played
with a bopping deftness that is infectious.
Lou Whitney is a veteran produce - hell, he's a veteran everything
- so the disc sounds great. Likewise, the band chooses its
material wisely, tapping sources like Ben Vaughn (long a Morells
favorite) and Radney Foster. So fire up the grill, grab a
six-pack of Pabst and celebrate the return of The Morells.
__________________________________________________
Lynchpin
18
eleven
(Pure Pop Au.)
www.lynchpin.com.au
Acoustic pop that is smooth without being slick, this Australian
duo sometimes lights up the Neil Finn indicator on my stereo,
but not in any manner that is derivative. Lynchpin shares
with Mr. Finn a penchant for clean melodies, intelligent lyrics
and solid vocals. This is a very promising debut, with a fistful
of highly compelling tracks.
Singer-guitarist Andy Kirkland writes the tunes and is augmented
by drummer Glen King and various guest musicians on bass and
keyboards. Kirkland is a fine vocalist with a soulful tenor
voice. This is best displayed on "When She Falls". On this
simple acoustic ditty, the hook is a chorus that requires
Kirkland to briefly go near the top of his range. The song's
melody will sound sweet to fans of Crowded House and Squeeze.
Most of the songs are full of acoustic guitars with some jangly
bits occasionally thrown in. One of the top tracks on the
album totally deviates from that formula. "Best Laid Plans"
has a jazzy, R & B feel, augmented by Sandro Donati's appearance
on trumpet. The song is comparable to the slower material
of The Housemartins or early Simply Red. A couple other songs
lean in this direction, and it gives Lynchpin a nice extra
dimension.
The generally low key vibe of the album is smartly broken
up by "Fluffy Duck Army". Yeah, I don't quite get the title
either, but I like it. The relatively uptempo tune illustrates
Lynchpin's primary assignment for the next album - to punch
things up a bit, whether it's by being a bit more musically
aggressive (for example, the Hammond organ fueled "Vital Signs"
is good, but with more piss and vinegar, it could have been
great) , or just sharpening the performances of their mid-tempo
material. This also might be cured by stronger production.
The sound here, while adequate, is still a bit thin.
When
the band does hit their passion stride, as on the aforementioned
"When She Falls" or "Mirandah" it a showcase for their considerable
talent. All of these songs are copyrighted 1998, so that means
that Kirkland has another three years worth of songs in him.
Based on this debut, the follow up should be highly anticipated.
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