Mike
Bennett
Reviews:
Part I:
November,
2001

Scroll down for reviews of the latest releases from The Knack, Paper Airplane Company, Elton John as well as an Ian Dury tribute. Click here for reviews of the latest from The Wipers, Receiver and Dave Rave. Click here for reviews of the latest from The Steamkings, Gripweeds, Orange Alabaster Mushroom, Garbage and Fugu.

Sloan
Pretty Together

(Murder)

sloanmusic.com

Sloan's sixth LP finds the Canadian superstars again making a compelling case for the proposition that the '70s were an underrated decade for rock music. The band is remarkable in its ability to mine the best aspects of their infinite influences, leaving the cheesy stuff behind. 1999's Between The Bridges was chock full of numbers that would have been prime 1978 FM radio fodder. This album retains some of that flavor, while bringing back some of the band's harder rock style. The result is a good all-around rock LP.

The '70s orientation of Sloan's music has always given it a warmth and humanity that is due in part to nostalgia and also because this feeling is an inherent characteristic of the tunes of that era. This warmth has often been contrasted by the band's clever wordplay, which tickled the brain more frequently than it won the heart. This was not a problem, since the music alone usually did the trick. But the band is delving in more straightforward lyrical expressions that result in powerful songs.

This is perfectly illustrated by "The Life of a Working Girl", a tender and economical character study. With only a spare acoustic guitar backing, the empathetic narrator tells the tale of a woman getting a late start ("she's young at heart/but no teenager/early 30s I would wager/I came along a little later/so I can merely carbon date her/age") at an entry level office job. The last verse provides a turnaround, as the narrator's pity turns to resentment, as she manages to succeed and apparently get promoted. This is Eleanor Rigby's cousin, as portrayed by Ray Davies with an assist from a modern day O. Henry.

The pretty "Are You Giving Me Back My Love?", with a melody that sounds like a Paul McCartney/Graham Gouldman collaboration is more than just a pop tune, but a real heartfelt inquiry. The simplicity of the arrangement matches the directness of lyrics: "I'm singing my heart out/but you were so out of range". The keyboard embellishments and harmony backing vocals add just enough extra poignancy.

The band still cranks out some righteous hard rock - the single "If it Feels Good Do It" is fueled by fat riff power (and sneaks in an homage to Aerosmith's "Back in the Saddle" in a brief coda before the tune kicks in) and "Pick it Up and Dial It", with its overmodulated vocals and beefy guitars urgently asks listeners to call Sloan up and let 'em know that rock ain't dead. They are extremely convincing.

Two of the best numbers are steeped in '70s magic. "The Other Man" sounds like a forgotten top 40 single, with a moody soulful vibe - is it a lost Atlanta Rhythm Section or Hall & Oates track? It's a cuckholder's tale ("I know you've got a man in the picture/but that hasn't stopped me yet") which Sloan plays dramatically without overselling it. The soaring "Who You Talkin' To?" has elements of Poco, America and a few other bands I can't think of right now.

This may be the most complete album Sloan has put out - the band has a distinctive sound and unique melodic sense (amazing when everyone pitches in on the songwriting), and finds new ways to show it off. The album has more depth than previous work, but doesn't skimp on the fun. This could be a classic.

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The Knack
Normal As The Next Guy

(Smile)

knack.com

This is the best even-numbered Knack album yet. Discs 1, 3 and 5 have been the high water marks so far. Get The Knack (#1) was a swell debut chock full of terrific power pop songs, that still gets unfairly dismissed in some circles. …But The Little Girls Understand (#2) is not as bad as its rep, but certainly was a sophomore slump, lacking enough top drawer tuneage. Round Trip (#3) showed The Knack surveying territory beyond Teensville, with forays into psychedelia and jazz, and a perfect song ("Just Wait and See"). By this point, the anti-Knack backlash was so strong, the album could have been a superhuman combo of Blonde on Blonde, Abbey Road, What's Going On and London Calling and it would have been slammed. The band's first comeback effort, Serious Fun (#4) had a great single ("Rocket of Love") and managed to sound both tentative and forced, as if the band was unsure how to tailor their songs to a changing marketplace. 1998's Zoom (#5) was simply The Knack at its best, just writing great '60s style pop songs and singing 'em real good.

This effort follows in its predecessor's footsteps, but with some more idiosyncratic moments. The resulting product is less consistent and flows unevenly at times, but on the balance this is a good record.

Though more known for their uptempo tunes, The Knack may even be better at slow and mid-tempo love songs - while the brash side of Doug Fieger is more prominent, he has a way with a tender tune. "Girl I Never Lied To You", "One Day At A Time", and particularly "Reason to Live", where Fieger really lays his heart out on the line (i.e. maximum vulnerability) are all fine additions to the Knack collection, displayed in the heartfelt wing. The pure powerpop motor is running smoothly too - "It's Not Me" jangles neatly, "Seven Days of Heaven" features splendid George Harrison-ish lead guitar work from Berton Averre, and "Disillusion Town" has a slight psychedelic tinge to it.

But it's the less typical tunes that grab your attention - this is their most experimental record since Round Trip. "Spiritual Pursuit" is a goofy country romp that works, but "Les Girls" is an annoying cutesy trifle, based on a '60s R & B chord progression with Fieger trying way too hard to sell a tune that should have been given away. Fieger's efforts are not wasted on the charging title cut, a clever romp ("I'm as normal as Betty Crocker/I'm as normal as Jarvis Cocker" - who says these guys don't listen to new records?). For a normal guy, Fieger sounds pretty nuts. And "Dance Of Romance" is so Steely Dan.

The best experiment is a solo Averre composition "The Man on the Beach". If you're a sucker for a good Pet Sounds inspired tune, then you'll fall for this song instantly. A great closing tune that, like most of the album, shows The Knack still has the knack.

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The Paper Airplane Company
Marbles

(Avionics)

Former member of The Nines Aaron Nielsen (drums, guitar, Roland) and Andre Lapointe (bass, guitars, flute) are the creative forces behind a group that effectively blends psychedelia and pop smarts in a manner that will please fans of XTC and the current wave of Rainbow Quartz bands. That the band takes a left turn on the second half of the disc to go in slightly different, but equally cool, direction is all more reason to embrace them.

The album is littered with gems. The album opener "Hey Fella You Fell", with its winning refrain of "can't we give our sweet love/one more college try", and it's hooky Rickenbacker guitar figure, the song sounds like Andy Partridge singing lead with Cotton Mather backing him. "Fingernail Moon" is another slice of post-modern Beatleisms, stripped to a bare acoustic core. Meanwhile, "Seven Degrees of Separation" has warm bass playing, jangle guitar, and an intriguing electro-pop rhythmic foundation, that gives the pop-psych an '80s synth gloss.

By about the seventh track, the album hits the off-ramp and heads to a more space age sound. "Sister Blister" is a new wavey, keyboard driven tune with a big ascending powerpop hook. "My Dad" goes even more new wave, with a chugging guitar over an insanely dumb (dumb in a good way) melody, while Janice Penczak vocalizes in a near cyborg manner. Penczak shows a bit more life on her other vocal turn on "Merry Go Round", which is cut from similar cloth otherwise.

The liners, which could stand to be a bit more informative, indicate that this material was recorded back in 1999. This disc is worth the wait, and hopefully songwriter Nielsen is stockpiling more tunes, as this debut reveals a considerable talent who is not content with sticking with one sound.

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Various Artists
Brand New Boots And Panties (A tribute to Ian Dury)

(Gold Circle)

goldcircle.com

iandury.co.uk

Ian Dury was the funky pub rocker. He penned the least punk sounding punk hit ever, "Sex and Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll". He had a lower plate of false teeth with the Union Jack on the front. Cursed by polio as a child, one of Dury's legs was shorter than the other, and as a consequence, he also had one leg longer than the other. Dury was far from a matinee idol - a Creem Magazine writer once described Dury as looking like "a mismatched set of donor organs." Ian would have surely had a good laugh over that, after all, he's the man who wrote "Spasticus (Autisticus)".

Leaving Kilburn And The High Roads, Dury formed the Blockheads in 1976. More importantly, he hooked up with keyboardist Chas Jankel. Somewhere between Dury's personable traditional rock and roll vibe and Jankel's fascination with R & B and disco, Dury waxed some classic singles and great album tracks that came only second to Madness in the Happiness Sweepstakes. As with many artists from the Stiff Records stable of the late-'70s, he was a U.K. chart staple and relegated to college radio stations in the U.S.

This tribute redoes Dury's 1977 debut LP, with The Blockheads playing on eight of the 10 cuts. Classics like the aforementioned "Sex…", "Hit Me with Your Rhythm Stick" and "Reasons to be Cheerful, Pt. 3" weren't on New Boots And Panties -- they aren't here either. Somehow, I think Dury would have appreciated a tribute that misses three of his highest watermarks. It's a tribute to his artistry that even without the big hits, this tribute hits the mark.

The contributors are as inspired as they are renowned. Sir Paul McCartney, part-time lesbian Sinead O'Connor (do you think she and Anne Heche ever compare notes?), former Pogues leader Shane MacGowan (who makes Dury look like a GQ model), Robbie Williams, Billy Bragg and former Stiff label mates Madness and Wreckless Eric perform with maximum affection.

Bragg gets the Dury soundalike award, doubling his working class accent on the reggae tinged "Billercay Dickie". Macca teams with the Blockheads for "I'm Partial to Your Abracadabra", which would have fit in well on Paulie's Run Devil Run disc -- a compliment , in my book. Williams shows again why he is the consummate pop star, with his beautiful, crooneriffic take on "Sweet Gene Vincent".

Madness sounds as good as ever, bringing their more sophisticated early-'80s ska vibe to "My Old Man". O'Connor and the Blockheads slow "Wake Up and Make Love with Me" down a bit, giving it an even funkier edge, and I don't know if Sinead has ever sounded this sexy or playful.

This disc is pure fun and a great reminder of what a great bloke Dury was. Pick this up and then seek out the originals.

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Elton John
Songs From The West Coast

(Rocket/Universal)

eltonjohn.com

Elton John's legacy is daunting - current charttoppers may sell more, but no one can match his combo of ubiquity (cross-format smashes all over the AM and FM dials) and classic tuneage. Somewhere around 1975 or so, his run of high quality albums came to an end, but he continued to crank out a bunch of fine hit singles, with the artistic decline only really becoming apparent in the late '80s.

Apparently inspired by ex-Whiskeytown leader Ryan Adams, John makes a serious effort to add on to his legacy. John is reunited (for the second or third time?) with lyricist Bernie Taupin, original bandmates Davey Johnstone and Nigel Olsson appear, and Patrick Leonard (Madonna) produces with Bruce Botrell (Sheryl Crow) engineering. In addition, everyone from Stevie Wonder to Rufus Wainwright to session players Matt Chamberlain (Smashing Pumpkins, Filter, Cupcakes) and Rusty Anderson puts in an appearance.

John definitely has gone back to crafting melodies on his piano and lets his amazing voice, which still strikes a distinctive balance between bluesman and balladeer, take center stage. On some songs, there's even a palpable intensity that hasn't been heard on an Elton John album in years. So what's missing? The jaw dropping hooks - the songs never reach their full potential. There are no loopy charmers like "Bennie and the Jets", no swinging grooves like "Honky Cat" and no go-for-broke ballads like "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" or "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me".

Moreover, the album suffers due to its lack of variety - almost every song is in the same slow tempo. So a lot of cuts seem to blend together. Still, there are some classic John melodies - "Dark Diamond" seems to meld the fine overlooked singles "Little Jeannie" and "Chloe", with Stevie Wonder pitching in with a distinctive harmonica part and a bit o'clavinet. There's a moderate testifying gospel feel to "Birds" - this is an example of a well constructed song that is undermined by an overly restrained performance by the musicians - the recording succeeds in spite of itself.

The best tune is "I Want Love" - it sounds like Elton was conjuring his old mate John Lennon on the Quija board. Moreso than any other cut, this sounds like Elton fully recapturing his '70s magic - by far the best hook on the record. The delicious piano chord change in the intro to "Mansfield" is as comfortable as an old sweater, and the rest of the tune nearly lives up to it.

Taupin's lyrics are as maddeningly inconsistent as ever. They are particularly disappointing on "American Triangle", a tune ostensibly about the tragic murder of Matthew Sheppard. Taupin can't successfully blend his poetic skills with the sharp observations he wants to make.

Though not top notch Elton, this gets him back to where he was about the time of Single Man or The Fox. Which is to say, pretty good, but not back to peak form…yet.

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