Scroll down for the latest releases by Wire, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, Chris Stamey with Yo La Tengo and Thirdimension

Wire
Wire On The Box: 1979

(PFAR)

pinkflag.com

I was 12 years old when Wire's debut album came out. So I have a pretty good excuse for never going to see them live during the first stage of their career. I have seen them twice since their most recent reformation, and they have blown me away with their mix of precision attack and sheer visceral power. Unlike many in the audience, I was happy with their almost exclusive emphasis on new material, with the few older selections played being transformed to fit their 21st Century sound.

Of course, had they gone all old school, I wouldn't have complained. But I would have been shocked. Wire just isn't a band that is going to look back. Until now. This release is an entire Wire concert, recorded on Valentine's Day 1979 (gosh, what a romantic date that would have been...). It was recorded for the German TV program Rockpalast. It has been oft-bootlegged. Indeed, I've seen four illicit DVD copies at various local record stores in the past month.

This document captures Wire prior to the release of 154. Then, as now, the band was looking forward. The only track they play from Pink Flag is the title cut. Otherwise, the set is drawn from Chairs Missing (and two non-LP cuts from those sessions) and the then-upcoming album. For me, hearing the 154 material is what this is all about. The songs are pretty much fully developed.

Yet there are differences. Almost right away, you hear it on "The 15th". They hadn't quite gotten the tempo to the pace that they settled on for the recorded version. Not that it's much slower, and the languid rise-and-fall melody line (which seems to bounce from the guitar line to the bass line) is still there. Yep, even like this, it's a great tune. But they definitely made the right call in ultimately deciding to speed it up just a bit.

That was probably the biggest ‘revelation,' since, as I said, most of the material was in near final form. Yet there is still a bit of rawness that is not present on the studio versions that is appealing. "Once Is Enough" just smokes, "Touching Display" is spooky and foreboding with tinges of psychedelia, and "40 Versions" and, especially, "Map. Ref. 41º N 93º W", are energetic renditions of two of the best art-pop tunes ever – smart cryptic lyrics that you can sing along to, will indelible hooks.

The Chairs Missing material is equally well served. In the live setting, it is even more evident how this second album was no sophomore slump, but a bridge between the insolent debut and the sophisticated third platter, as the band's learning curve was in hyperspace mode. Indeed, when you hear songs like "French Film Blurred" and "Practice Makes Perfect" and the non-LP "A Question of Degree", they certainly stand on their own, but they took some of their concepts further on 154. Indeed, it's a shame they couldn't have included a few more songs from their debut, just to show how, despite the album-by-album progression, the essence of Wire was always intact.

One other thing this show illustrates is how masterfully Wire created a distinctive and extremely influential sound with very familiar parts. This really comes through in the guitar playing of Bruce Gilbert, who seems well versed in ‘60s psych, Velvet Underground and a fair amount of blues rock. When it suits his needs, Gilbert either plays the parts straight, or finds ways to subvert them, so that a blues progression becomes a Wire progression. The real alchemy comes in Colin Newman's clipped diction (and his own thick guitar chords), the metronomic drumming of Robert Gray and the unsung hero on bass, Graham Lewis. Just listen to the sheer variety of his playing. Sometimes, he seems like he is trying to outmachine Grey, putting some poor synthesizer out of business. Yet he can be slashing, playful or just rubbery. It is often his playing that moves the song into some unique spot.

Now, you don't just get the music, but you get the DVD, which tacks on a half-hour long interview. This is a solid production, with multiple camera angles, a polite audience of Germans with odd hairstyles (i.e., bad, not spiky or punky), and a great look at this band, still so young. Newman is a compelling frontman, looking at times like Peter Gabriel's demented brother, snarling behind his tie and his guitar. Gilbert and Gray just do their jobs, while Lewis, in his usual leather trousers, provides the ironic rock star look
This album (or the DVD) benefits from being played loud on good speakers. Wire invests their music with intensity. It's not a Bruce Springsteen over-the-top passion. Instead, then, as now, Wire gets inside each song and ratchets up every bit of tension and confrontation and feeling, so that their music has a power that is both intellectual and physical. This is an essential document for any Wire fan.

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Dogs Die In Hot Cars
Please Describe Yourself

(V2)

v2records.com

In Ray Charles' autobiography, he discussed Joe Cocker and stated that he thought Sheffield Joe sounded so much like him, that he must have slept with Ray's records. I can only imagine that the beds of the members of Dogs Die In Hot Cars are filled with CDs from numerous acts of the new wave era, with a smattering of ‘90s Britpop thrown in for good measure. In particular, the works of XTC, Madness, Haircut One Hundred and Oingo Boingo would be well represented.

It's hard to avoid these comparisons, not when your lead singer sounds like two parts Andy Partridge and one part Danny Elfman. And then you enlist the masterful pop producers of acts like the aforementioned Madness, Dexy's Midnight Runners and Elvis Costello, Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley.

In the end, Dogs Die In Hot Cars demonstrate that they are superb craftsmen. There are enough terrific songs here that they overcome the spot-the-influence nature of their work. Moreover, the choice of producers was very inspired, as Langer and Winstanley are all about full arrangements and outside instrumentation. This means that every song gets a full presentation.

It's hard to say what song deserves the most ‘XTC points.' After a dozen listens, I'll bestow that title upon "Celebrity Sanctum". It has a drawn out post-Beatle melody in the verses, with Colin MacIntosh sounding so Andy Partridge, his Scottish accent morphing into a Swindonian drawl. MacIntosh is the poor sod in the corner of the pub, alone and fantasizing about Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie and Catherine Zeta-Jones. He has about as much a chance with them as with any lady in the bar: "I just want someone that would come home". When the song swirls into that chorus line, it hits with a tremendous melancholic impact, backed by a mournful horn and subtle backing vocals. Great stuff, as it seems to be a skin deep pop song, but there's a lot more beneath the surface.

Sometimes, the fun is just fun. The single "Godhopping" has a walking piano part, and the song starts to sound like Madness if Tony Banks of Genesis sat in on keyboards, and then left promptly when the cheery chorus proceeds into full hopping mode. For all of the obvious melodic facility that is all over this disc, DDIHC likes to spin the hooks and melodies out of enticing rhythmic structures. This was prevalent among so many post-punk and new wave bands in the early ‘80s.

You also hear this on the following song, "Lounger", which has chicken scratch guitar, rubbery bass and the piano weaving throughout, with everything coming together for yet another big hook. Meanwhile, the opener "I Love You ‘Cause I Have To" comes off like a mix of The Zombies and the Two-Tone bands of days of yore. The title phrase is v. reminiscent of The Zombies' "I Love You", while the band hits a nice ska groove. It even sounds like keyboardist Ruth Quigley brings out a Farfisa, though you have to listen carefully, as this song is so chock full of fun stuff.

Yet the song that really grabs me is "Somewhat Off The Way". This number is evidence of the power that Dogs Die In Hot Cars is capable of. This is a tender reality check. MacIntosh is a young guy who was full of piss-and-vinegar and no plan. Now he realizes he just has to suck it up, get a job and live life: "I'm gonna do what I said I'd do at school/and be the one that says hey/this ain't so hard and it's kind of cool." I suppose at one level, this is just toeing the line and saluting The Man. But I think this is really an appreciation of the working class. Sure, dreams may not come true, but sticking it out day-to-day has its good points.

It's these type of songs that bode so well for Dogs Die In Hot Cars as a long term force. For all their ingenuity and flash, they have something to say with their songs. Mature beyond their years, they should be worth listening to for years to come.

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Chris Stamey with Yo La Tengo
V.O.T.E.

(Yep Roc)

yeproc.com

A couple of years ago, word went out that Ray Davies was going to record a solo album with Yo La Tengo as his backing band. At the time, it seemed somewhat incongruous. I didn't see how college radio station playlist perennial Yo La Tengo would adequately support a superior songwriter like Davies. Of course, this was colored by my general indifference to YLT. They are on that small list of artists who don't engage me, even though I know they are a quality band (in other words, too many of my friends and colleagues who I respect like'em). Other artists in this small category include Grant Lee Buffalo, The Meat Puppets, Luna and PJ Harvey.

Now that I've heard this one-off collaboration between YLT and the former dBs frontman, I hope that the Davies project comes off (or has already come to fruition). Recorded in three days in a Hoboken, New Jersey studio, the veteran band led by Ira Kaplan and Georgia Hubley provides perfect support for Stamey to indulge in some things that haven't often found their way onto his prior solo records.

By that, I mean that YLT proves to be malleable in playing both Stamey originals and the covers that take up half of the album. After the brief title cut, a little ditty telling people to go to the polls, things get cooking right away. Stamey and his mates tear into a swell rendition of The Yardbirds' "Shapes of Things". It is a bit off, initially, to hear Stamey's unique drawl singing the familiar lyrics, but he handles it with aplomb. This is a straightforward cover of a great song, fueled by Hubley's crisp drumming. The guitar freak out in the middle finds Stamey and Kaplan battling to worthy draw.

Stamey's vocal on Television's "Venus" is a natural, however, since he sounds a bit like Tom Verlaine. This version is a bit more jangle-centric and less effusive and more winsome, casting the song in a slightly different light. (Mental note -- it's time for a pop-oriented tribute to Verlaine, as he has written many hooky tunes). Rather than compete with the original guitar solo, Stamey goes for something with more a Spanish jazz feel. It works.

The band really gets cracking on Cream's "Politician", Jack Bruce's nod-and-a-wink ‘statement' song. Tyson Rogers sails underneath the riff, banging away at his piano in a dissonant fashion, while Hubley does a pretty nice Ginger Baker imitation. The band captures the song's playful spirit, as Stamey sings Bruce gems like, "I support the left/but I'm leaning toward the right." This is followed, in what is likely the first time in history, a Magnetic Fields cover. Stamey does a tender reading of "Plainest Thing", which reveals that Stephen Merritt and Stamey share some melodic ideas, as this sounds like a Stamey original.

The covers portion of the disc ends with a bang, on a smoking hot version of Gene McDaniels' "Compared to What". This ‘60s tune is a pulsing R & B protest song with sharp lyrics that have, for better or worse, retained relevancy in modern times. While Stamey is not really built for soul singing, I think anyone could do the job with the terrific groove laid down by Hubley and bassist James McNew. Even better, Rogers seems to channel Ramsey Lewis on the piano, and then throws in a cool organ solo. As angry as this song is ("The president he's got his war/folks don't know just what it's for/nobody gives us a rhyme or reason/have one doubt, they call it treason"), it sounds like they had tremendous fun playing it.

Technically, the second half of the album starts with a cover. Stamey and YLT take on the first ever dB's single (credited, back in the day, to Chris Stamey and the dB's), "The Summer Sun". This is still a sparkling pop song, which bursts with joy and happiness, making it a nice salve after the prior salvo. On "Sleepless Nights", Stamey conjures a rock lullaby, which combines atmospheric guitar sounds with a simple tune, played with feeling.

The album climaxes on "McCauley Street (Let's Go Downtown)". Stamey tells the story of Candy, with specific narrative detail ("she loves Lou Reed/The Dubliners/and Henry Kissenger"). The mention of Reed is appropriate -- this has the subtle epic drama of The Velvet Underground, mixed with a Ray Davies character study. This song is stately from the get go and eventually pulses into a slightly faster tempo, where Stamey and Kaplan star in an dazzling middle instrumental section. Hearing these musicians each playing within a structure, yet all adding something creative to the mix (even the rock steady McNew bends a few bass notes here and there) is revelatory. It's as if Stamey's words can only express what's on the surface, and this explosive passage lets on that there is so much more underneath, appropriate for Candy who, Stamey notes, has an active imagination. This song is a high point in the careers of everyone involved, a magical epic work.

Stamey winds down the album with simple rock and roll song ("Desparate Man") and a reprise of "Sleepless Nights", that allows things to wind down after the emotional wallop of "McCauley Street". Because of the half covers/half originals format, this album almost plays like two EPs stuck together. The album should not flow as well as it does. Yet it does flow wonderfully. So Stamey and Yo La Tengo should take a well deserved bow, and should then give some thought to spending a few more weekends together in the future.

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Thirdimension
Permanent Holiday

(Hidden Agenda)

parasol.com

Their second album was a few years in coming, but well worth the wait. Thirdimension are a Swedish pop-rock factory, seemingly taking a page out of the playbook of most of the cool bands that have come out of their home country -- so they've mastered everything from brooding ‘60s inspired psych-garage to peppy Brit pop. That they manage to make the album sound like the work of one band and not several is a testament to their prowess.

The band leans most on the psychedelic angle. Often, the songs are pretty, haunting, or both. "Save Me" is a quiet song that mines from the ballad tradition of bands like The Bee Gees and The Zombies. A mournful, treated piano plays a circular pattern that sounds distant. Bjorn Stegmann sings from the point of view of someone who either went to prison or was stalking the girl he's singing to. The chorus has a nice ascending melody line, as Stegmann intones: "Ever since they took me away/I get the feeling that you won't come again/every day they feed me with pills/they're beautifully coloured/and they're easy to take." Why wouldn't she go back to him? As the song moves on, other instruments join in the circular pattern, to great effect.

On the closer, "We're Not Gonna Take It", beauty turns into something slightly ominous. Piano chords echo, struck definitively while synthesized keyboard lines play tensely in the background. Bjorn Wickenberg pounds slowly on his bass drum, balancing this with more gentle work on the snare. This track conveys a fine sense of displacement and bitterness. "Silver Eye" has some similar ingredients, however, it has an R & B laced rhythm track. This puts the song more in line with bands like Tahiti 80 and The Inspiral Carpets, as ‘60s pop meets some dance music concepts. Not that this will fill the dance floor, but the treated keyboards and Martin Rosengren's bass work show a bit of Madchester inspiration.

Not every thing is icy and mysterious. Anyone who's been pining for Blur to get back to its classic Parklife sound will die for "Mondaymachine". The song is grounded on two gigantic hooks, as the song is essentially a chorus and a middle eight. Who needs verses, when the chorus and middle eight are so perfect? The song does a good job of capturing the foggy daydreaming of an office working on the first (and worst) day of the work week. My favorite line: "You've got a pretty face/but does it mean that satisfaction grows from within?"

This album is not as rocking as their debut, but it has its aggressive moments. "Ex-Song" begins with blistering guitar and sounds like a cross between Caesar's Palace (a/k/a The Caesars) and U2 at it's poppiest. While so many great songs are premised on releasing tension, in this song, the verses are furious and then reined in for the melodic chorus, before the guitars are released to rock some more. "Last Real People" is more of a mid-tempo track, that begins with a ringing guitar riff. Here, the tension simmers under the surface, the clanging axe work contrasted with the Pulp-like majesty of the rest of the song.

Because Thirdimension are not as consistently aggressive as The Hives or The Soundtrack Of Our Lives (who are pretty comparable), they may not get all of the attention that they deserve. That would be a shame, because they are ace writers, singers and players. This is a good example of how you can be retro and modern at the same time.

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The Green Pajamas
The White Stones

(Hidden Agenda)

parasol.com

My first reaction to this disc was, ACool, this sounds like a live recording!@ A few spins later, I looked at the back of the disc, where it says, ARecorded live at Studio V, Seattle, April 2004. My critical acuity is so...acute? Anyway, The Green Pajamas are about as reliable an act as you will find anywhere in the U.S. of A. At least in the Blue States. The core of the band -- Jeff Kelly, Eric Licther and Laura Weller -- along with Joe Ross and Scott Vanderpool on bass and drums -- have developed their own musical language. It=s steeped in psychedelic pop. Kelly, the primary writer, pens languid numbers that never are twee. The songs have a strong emotional base, even if he=s delving into some heady territory.

The band deserves ample credit how much room they find to operate within the clearly defined boundaries of this sound. Every album is just a bit different. And the live recording here is the wrinkle that makes this stand out. Since this is not a band that will doing a cross country tour anytime soon (though I double dog dare the Pajamas to come out to the Midwest), this disc is the next best thing. This album gives Kelly and Weller opportunities to really express themselves on guitar, and let their inner Tom Verlaines and Neil Youngs, so to speak, come out.

They acquit themselves well, as the songs have a delicate immediacy that may have been lost in a normal studio setting. AIf You Love Me (You=ll Do It)@ is earthy and has a blues rock edge. Kelly=s vocal is typically low key, yet it=s focused and steely. When Weller joins in on the chorus, the effect is potent. While not as rocking as contemporary blues-rock revivalists as Gomez, as anyone knows from personal experience, quiet brooding can be a powerful force. Some of the tension is relieved by a smoking guitar solo near the end, which stands in sharp contrast to the otherwise hypnotic instrumentation.

This track is topped by the ultra-epic AFor S@. This has the type of wavering melody that Kelly has specialized in for years. It=s fragile and seemingly ephemeral, yet it has staying power. The song builds from a slight whisper to Kelly telling S that she Asteals the darkness from the pain.@ As the song flows along, Eric Lichter begins to play a pretty chord pattern on his keyboard that wraps the whole tune in gauze. Unlike AIf You Love Me@, this track does not lead to any sort of long solo or instrumental resolution. Instead, it continues its build, with the choruses subtly gaining energy. Again, the word >hypnotic= is appropriate, as the song swirls and swirls until it envelopes completely.

The band revisits three previously recorded tracks, AThe Cruel Night@, ALost Girls Song@ and AShe=s Still Bewitching Me@. ABewitching@ is a good description of this track. This is a basic psych-folk song that negotiates a path between Fleetwood Mac and early Linda Ronstadt, with nifty backing vocals from Weller and Lichter. Meanwhile, ALost Girls@ is another extended number, with some of the best dual guitar work on the album.

Weller takes the mike on AHolden Caufield@. She is such a strong vocalist, and this folk-waltz is a superb showcase. It is also well placed in the middle of the album, providing a bit more energy before heading back to drowsier territory. The album ends with an unexpected treat -- a Hank Williams cover. The Pajamas adapt AI Can=t Help It (If I=m Still in Love With You)@ to their own ends, leaving only traces of twang intact. This cover fits in perfectly with the mood established throughout the proceedings.

More than anything, mood is the key on this album. There are hooks on most of the songs, but they certainly aren=t pounded into the ground. Instead, the Pajamas show confidence in their ability as a musical entity to create an atmosphere that sustains over the length of the disc. That confidence is certainly justified. This is an album that will play well on a snowy winter day, somehow cool and reserved, yet warm all the same.

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