Mike Bennett Reviews, Part II: June, 2001

Scroll down for reviews of the latest from Pearlfishers, Hawksley Workman and You Am I. Click here for reviews of Lucinda Williams, Asteroid No. 4, The Ladybug Transistor, The Morells and Lynchpin.

The Go-Go's
God Bless The Go-Go's

(Beyond/The Go-Go's)

www.gogos.com

Release Date: May 15, 2001

After two or three tries to get back in the studio and record a fourth album, The Go-Go's finally made good on their threats. And do I mean made good. Pretty much picking up where they left off on their terrific 1984 release Talk Show, the band shows it hasn't forgotten how to make good solid melodic rock and roll. You couldn't call it punk, although a few songs have a whiff of Buzzcocks buzz and new wave would imply this stuff is dated or retro. I guess this effort proves the Go-Go's are timeless.

The band plays with incredible spirit and verve, with a special gold star going to Belinda Carlisle, who has left her brief solo foray into blandness way behind. As good as her vocals were by 1984, she seems to have ADDED range, along with increased nuance and control. Yet she can still rock like a youngster when necessary.

The title is somewhat appropriate, as there is a sense of redemption and affirmation throughout the album. This is particularly true on tracks like "Unforgiven" and "Apology" that seem to touch upon the rocky past that led the band to split in the first place, as summed up by this coda from "Apology": "In the meantime/I live I work I wait I hope/I still have faith/that what was mine can still be mine."

The album is chock full of soon to be Go-Go's standards. "Automatic Rainy Day" is in a similar musical vein to "Beneath The Blue Sky", but with an uncharacteristic venom. "La La Land" is a chugging, go for the gusto rocker, Charlotte Caffey and Jane Wiedlin furiously strumming over Gina Schock's big beat, while Carlisle carves a melody into the middle. And the way the hit-and-run chorus just runs right back into the bullet train verses is super. By the end of the disc, the band earns the right to do a tribute to themselves - "Daisy Chain" is a look back at the up and downs of the band. This acoustic number has a slight Mott The Hoople feel to it and should inspire some nice concert sing-a-longs.

There are some spots where the band tries too hard. "Kissing Asphalt" is an attempt to recapture the feel of "Skidmarks On My Heart" that doesn't quite live up to its predecessor. "Throw Me A Curve" has clunky lyrics, though the anti-lookism sentiment is laudable. (This just in - 12 hours after I wrote the preceding sentence, Belinda Carlisle announced she had posed nude for Playboy, in part, to show that all body types are attractive. Talk about you mixed messages. Apparently, Belinda may not realize that Playboy wouldn't have asked her to pose unless she was a semblance of a babe [the wonders of airbrushing!], and believe you me, she's more than a semblance).

Sometimes The Go-Go's status as the first all-female rock band to hit number one tends to make folks overlook the fact that they are a helluva rock band. This album shows that in spades.

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The Pearlfishers
Across The Milky Way

(Marina/Caroline)

www.parasol.com

Release Date: June 12, 2001

The fifth Pearlfishers' disc is their first to be distributed in the States and, personally, my first exposure to this highly touted group. The Pearlfishers are certainly praiseworthy, occupying a territory adjacent to XTC's more recent soft-pop forays like Apple Venus, Volume 1 and The High Llamas' Hawaii and touching upon classic 60's mellow magic like Burt Bacharach and The Association. Sophisticated without ever giving off the slightest whiff of pretension, the disc glows with the radiant warmth of a perfect late spring day.

The Pearlfishers is essentially the nom de plume of David Scott, who is assisted by skillful guest musicians. Scott is a masterful craftsman, whose songwriting and arrangements by themselves clearly put him at the top ranks of the pop brigade. But more importantly, Scott's songs are incredibly evocative - unlike some musicians, the lessons he learned from Brian Wilson were not purely technical. These songs have emotional cores that are as hard to shake as the hooks that accompany them.

The minor chords and downcast piano melody of "Everything Works Out" paint a picture of an overcast day, and the minimal lyrics are a mantra of a man trying to pull hopefulness out of the depths of depression: "Everything works out, everything works out/and I know why I'm so blue/yeah I know why I'm so blue/isn't any wonder." The repetition of the primary melody is so incredibly effective, and then Scott begins subtly layering other instruments playing the same melody - when the strings come in, your breath may be taken away and tears may start to flow.

Other songs are simply inspirational. "Shine It Out" could almost be the positive response to XTC's "Last Balloon", as the melody ascends in the chorus: "If we wanna sail, we've got to row the boat away/while we're young." The song is a call for making things better despite the obstacles life throws in our way - the song avoids "Howard Jones-itis" by showing depth and maturity. And "Paint On A Smile" is an inspirational message to a friend, with an intelligent lyrical structure that fits perfectly with the McCartney-cum-jazz feel of the track.

The album is full of splendid musical touches. Dazzling showers of strings, mournful Herb Alpert type horns and expert guitar work. In keeping with the overall excellence of the project, Scott's vocals are very appealing, particularly in his rare forays into falsetto land. You'll sigh when you hear the childhood reminisces of "I Was A Cowboy". The sheer beauty of "Is It Any Wonder" will make you melt. Across The Milky Way is an instant classic.

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Hawksley Workman
(Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves

(Isadora CAN)

www.hawksleyworkman.com

Hawksley Workman has a voice that can soar like Jeff Buckley, a musical sensibility that is often reminiscent of early Roxy Music and Sparks and is totally unaware that artists are supposed to adhere to limitations and find a pigeonhole and nest inside it. Audacious, witty and eminently hummable, Workman reaches highs so high that one can forgive the sundry tracks that are merely good.

Workman shows off the sensual, silly and sensitive sides of his personality. "Striptease", which leads off the affair, is sarcastically sexy, with its trebly synthesizers and fat beats making it sound like an update of Prince's more rock oriented early 80's work. Then the Roxy/Sparks card gets played big time on "Jealous Of Your Cigarette" with a 1974 piano driven feel and clever lyrics that live up to the influences: "I'm jealous of your cigarette/and the pleasure that you get from it/and not from me." Meanwhile, the spartan lyrics of "What A Woman" compliment the world weary musical accompaniment.

The growth shown between his debut disc and this LP is startling. Workman adeptly takes on caffienated synth-pop on "Little Tragedies" and rides a slight reggae groove on the charming "Your Beauty Must Be Rubbing Off", and ups the artistic ante to the hilt on "Dirty And True". The song combines a Tom Waits-doing- Kurt Weill foundation with bombastic guitar flourishes on par with Queen.

Beyond the individual emotional and intellectual aspects of each song, there is a palpable sense of joy on this record. It is best captured by Workman's soaring vocals on "You Me And The Weather" - it is a joy of creating and performing that is even subtly apparent on more somber tracks like "No Beginning No End" and "Lethal And Young".

With this disc, Workman clearly establishes himself as one of the most exciting young artists in the world. Now let's see if the world will find out.

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You Am I
Dress Me Slowly

(RCA Aus.)

www.youami.com.au

Release date: April 30, 2001

You Am I might be the best overlooked rock band in the world right now. The band builds on a variety of traditions. You can hear pop melodies with touches of The Kinks and The Beatles and so forth. They have a solid rock and roll base, which at times has a rollicking feel reminiscent of The Rolling Stones and Faces. There's a ballsy rhythm section that inspires comparison to The Who. And sometimes they have a raggedness that Replacements fans would appreciate. This package is wrapped in an amiable Australian attitude that is extremely appealing. At least the citizens of Oz recognize You Am I's greatness - they're stars there.

This album could do the trick, if it gets released elsewhere (You Am I was dropped in America - their first four releases can be found in bargain bins across the U.S.). Stronger than 1999's #4 Record, but not quite on par with the trio's best disc, 1997's Hourly Daily, this album is a great mix of immediately winning tunes and songs whose melodies subtly begin to take over your brain. The band also splendidly balances rocking energy with quieter moments.

The opener, "Judge Roy" sounds like a Byrdsy cousin to XTC's "Ballad Of Peter Pumpkinhead". Frontman Tim Rogers even begins the tune by shouting "Here we go", just like Andy Partridge. "Get Up" has hit single written all over it, building momentum in its first verse, taking a step back in the bridge and then leaping into an explosive chorus. The fiercest moment on the album is "Doug Sahm", which does not share the Tex-Mex vibe of Mr. Sahm, but instead adds hot R & B horns on a stomping rocker - Rogers must have busted out his old Saints albums before the recording session.

The album is chock full of sublime chord changes. On "Gone, Gone, Gone", the chorus contrasts a descending lead guitar part with ascending chords, which perfectly fits the melancholy tone. The band shows ambition on the slow tempoed "Damage". Rogers' lead guitar work perfectly embellishes this lament, which has a hook reminiscent of '67-era Beatles and latter day XTC. The strings don't just fit the song - they are intrinsic to its beauty.

This album grows in stature with each listen. This is a band that could unite resolute powerpop cultists and good mainstream rock (i.e., Tom Petty) fans. This album is particularly recommended to fans of The Shazam and similar robust popsters. (Note: The first 10,000 copies of this disc came with an 8-song bonus disc of Rogers doing solo acoustic tunes. Mostly pleasant ditties, the highlight is a talking blues tune, "The Smoking Popes", which is about their U.S. tour with the Popes. Definitely a treat for hardcore fans).

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