Gary
Glauber
Reviews:
February, 2005

Scroll down for the latest from Steve Barton, Built Like Alaska, Grenadier, Jude Johnstone, A Cars Tribute, Tim Cullen and The Dotted Line.

Steve Barton
Charm Offensive

(Sleepless Records)

Release Date: February 8, 2005

http://stevebartonmusic.tripod.com/

Right from the get-go, Steve Barton seems determined to put the power back into power pop. The former lead voice and guitar of alt-rock band Translator never lacks for energy on this, his second solo release.

But Charm Offensive's main charm is not just its charismatic verve, Barton has a knack for writing a variety of rock song styles that cover a range from British invasion to punk to new wave and then some. Barton says he set out to make loud songs with good lyrics - for the most part, he succeeds.

For production, Barton turned to his old friend Ed Stasium, who had produced the latter two Translator albums (as well as other bands like The Ramones, The Smithereens and Talking Heads). Then he assembled a band from some top west coast musical talent. Backing up Barton on guitar and lead vocals is Casey Dolan (guitar/vocals), Derrick Anderson (bass), Robbie Rist (drums) and Dave Scheff (the original drummer from Translator). The results are worthy of the recommended loud volume.

The disc leads with "When You're Gone," a tour-de-force example of what upbeat love songs can be. It's a song of reminisce and contemplation that's driven by the power rhythm section of The Andersons band members Anderson and Rist. It's also got those harmonies and guitars that power pop fans crave - end results, a great three-minute track.

The energy doesn't let up any on "Kiss This," a challenge that Barton presents quite effectively as a dare, declaring challenges to his love like throwing himself over the cliffs of Dover and onto his sword for love. Maybe it's not subtle romance - but in these times, it might be a more effective rally cry.

What follows next might be taken by some as sacrilege. Barton and his cohorts have taken the Lennon-McCartney soft ballad "She's Leaving Home" and pumped it full of punk caffeine until it revs up into something quite different from what you'd expect. Here's the best surprise - it works! Once you get beyond the concept novelty, the song still wins you over. It remains infectious as ever, even when running on a hyper-schedule like this. After a few listens, it'll be stuck in your head (I know, it's currently stuck in mine).

The first quiet moments are found in "Monument," a sweet memorable song of professed desires: "let me be your monument / I want to open my mouth for you / I want to wear your tattered crown / If we're the king and queen of nowhere / then nowhere is someplace to be." Derrick Anderson's bass work is particularly fine here.

"Yours To Lose" has a sweeping organ accent that that makes it sound instantly familiar. The mise en scene here is one of broken hearts and stormy weather. Sometimes those things can go hand in hand.

In this current scene, where Scot-pop bands trade on what once was the signature sound from the Talking Heads, it's only appropriate that Barton has written his own little tribute to the lovely Talking Heads (and Tom-Tom Club) bassist Ms. Weymouth in "Tina Finds The Silences." Barton doesn't stop making sense, but he manages a nice go of it nonetheless (I can picture him in his big white suit, singing this) - as does guest bassist Lisa Mychols.

It's a trip back in the time machine for "Shy." Here Barton writes a perfect little British invasion tune that invokes 1960s simplicity and charm in a big way. I'm a sucker for these melodic, harmony-laced ditties, and the backwards-guitar/Crickets lead (as well as the psychedelic coda) clinches it.

"Narcolepsy Baby" is another melodic winner, telling the unusual tale of a woman prone to sleep at any time: "She lays her head on a feather bed in the middle of the day / the sun can rise, she'll close her eyes and drift somewhere away / and if she laughs at funny photographs and collapses in a heap / well it's alright, it's just day for night, she's only gone to sleep / so don't be scared boy / it's okay / some things only happen in her dreams."

While just a tad over the two minute mark, "Hold A Shadow Down" is classic retro- guitar-driven pop. Barton has it all here - harmonies, jangly guitars, powerful drums, a middle bridge and even the requisite handclaps. This is delectable ear candy, executed perfectly.

Those wondering if Barton can manage with an even earlier rock style need only hear the nice results on "Bertha Jane," another sub-two minute masterpiece that recalls the 1960s in a big way. Barton revs it up some for the new millennium, but this is good, dance-able entertainment (that comes and goes oh so quickly). The lyrics are laughably direct ("I wanna jump on your train / I wanna get to your station / without any hesitation"), but it's not meant to be anything more than good fun.

The disc ends with a poignant ballad in "What Treasures I May Find," aptly conveying a relationship that's also is coming to an end. This soft song has almost a Lilac Time folk-rock feel to it.

At a total time of under 33 minutes, Charm Offensive definitely will leave you wanting more. Yet this CD doesn't lack for quality - all 11 tracks display Barton's talents well - he's grown as a songwriter and can cover a wide realm of rock styles effectively. Steve Barton and his accomplished backing musicians present a most energetic and enjoyable effort - one where both the power and the pop are present and accounted for.

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Built Like Alaska
Autumnland

(Future Farmer Recordings - Sweat of the Alps)

Release Date: February 1, 2005

www.builtlikealaska.com

There's something good afoot here. Following the opening strains of the brief "Theme from Autumnland," there's a wonderful sense of ironic disillusionment, heightened observation, beauty and general struggle that make up the 14 musical slices of rural small town American life that comprise this most ambitious release. On this, its sophomore effort, Built Like Alaska should garner much well-deserved attention - this is the kind of pleasant indie surprise that will strike a chord with many.

Autumnland is all over the map, a diverse and grand exploration of moods and moments, nostalgia tinged with world-weariness and wry smiles, merging folk sensibility with flavors of baroque pop and a heavy dollop of casual independent rock. They have been compared to Grandaddy (whose Sweat of the Alps label coordinated with Future Farmer to co-release this disc), but their sound really goes to different places.

The band hails from California's Central Valley (Oakdale, to be precise), where the isolation allowed them space to develop their sound. Built Like Alaska is a quintet featuring Neil Jackson (vocals/guitar), Matt Candelario (bass), David Burtch (drums), Susane Reis (keyboards/vocals) and Sean Norman (guitars). The first part of the album showcases Jackson on lead vocals, while the latter part shifts those duties over to Reis.

I prefer the Jackson-helmed songs (there are less of them, and the Reis-lead songs can tend to get a bit ponderous).

The first song, "Ran Into A Coroner," is an engaging type of surreal discussion one might overhear, somewhere between horse sense and beating a dead horse. Neil Jackson's soft vocals propel the proceedings - at times almost a laundry list of items and thoughts: "A chain-link fence / it's hard to level this / without a beat / without a probe / hell / a crumbling rose with no house left / haven't I been warned / and dragged and torn like an organ donor / ran into the coroner."

Interesting synthesizer riffs (almost Cars-like) fill the spaces in "Does Your Mother Feel Sick," another mid-tempo track with curious lyrical musings: "I don't envy the arms that hold me / I don't pity no one until some things that's been done to them have been done to you / I put a lot of weight in this / but your head is a cow that's been living in town / dreaming of the country, dreaming of the open space."

I love the piano-driven "A Happy Home" because it sounds so distinctly unhappy. Here is a man wondering if he's alone in wanting a happy home after all he's been through: "I've had enough of things replaced / like a barren heart / ten acres gone and turned to dust." Again, Jackson's vocals perfectly express the weltschmerz required.

There's a sweet innocent sound to these songs that really complements the poetic lyrical twists. Witness "Dirty Mouth," wherein one is discussed who has developed "such a dirty mouth, that his mind goes such that he spends his days cursing in Latin." The optimistic message here is one of memory and continuity, a universe where "feelings mean everything," and "even if you leave us, you can never leave us."

Another quiet sweet winner of a tune that builds slowly is the endearing "Heavy Foot." This is a meditation on a number of things, including friendship: "And I should always walk and sometimes run / when the count begins can I count on you for once / doing what I used to / doing things for nobody else."

There's a hesitance to the intriguing rhythms behind "Train Wreck," a ponderous prayer of a song in which Susane Reis takes the vocals and pleads for safety and that no one sings of train wrecks. In the latter part of the song, there's a lyrical word association explored - one very eclectic coda to a song that manages to use odd sounds in a most effective way.

Reis also sings the intriguingly titled "Allergies And Lust," a somber, quiet journey all about an outsider coming to terms with the realization that it's time to go: "So keep going, you poor lamb / you'll be fine / detox and decide to lose / you're losing life." Fear not, there's a happy ending (or so we're lead to believe).

Piano drives the start of "Wet Hay In A Barn," an almost hypnotic song that explores unusual imagery around feeling badly about how everyone has been taken in: "Tiny farm gone smoldering red like wet hay in a barn or a hand on a breast / a nervous man with a worm in his heart."

"Random Car" asks the musical question "What do I brake for?" and does a nice job of employing synthesizer (but don't ask me what these lyrics are on about).

The sweet ballad "Controlled Climate" is another piano song, this one allowing Reis to sing her poetic allusions in a most expressive way ("leaving blood trails like Rand-McNally). This basically is a track about asking for pardons while one is still alive.

"It'll Keep You Warm" is a short tidbit of a pleasant offering, more of a fragmentary song idea than something, and it segues directly into the powerful musical themes of "Almost The Earth," wherein songwriting is part of the agenda discussed (e.g., "should I use the word euphoria just to bring him down in choruses"). It's about music and songs - and the ultimate pointlessness of it at times - "the river never really goes away / and it doesn't ever really mean a thing / if I'm the only one that ever hears me sing."

The CD ends with the melancholy strains of "Quake Song," largely a piano and vocal treatment that meanders a bit even as it builds (and other instruments join in), discussing whether someone really was at this last earthquake, etc. It's an odd choice for a closing song, but that's part of the spirit of independence that Built Like Alaska demonstrates.

These songs are an eclectic mix of mostly sad thoughts, infused with small town ennui and presented in a haunting and hypnotic manner. It was recorded by band member Jackson with additional help from Lucky Lew (who has worked with Grandaddy). Sometimes it's like listening to a mopey, dreary distillation of American life - but it's strangely compelling. While the soft Autumnland and its odd charms won't appeal to everyone, it's full of a number of pleasantly laid-back musical surprises that might just win you over.

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Grenadier
Hand Offensive

(Ubique Records)

Release Date: October 26, 2004

www.grenadiermusic.com

DeKalb, Illinois is a university town somewhere between the rural soybean and corn fields and the Chicago suburbs. It's one of those odd loci where the progressive meets the conservative - and anything might happen. The aural proof of this phenomenon can be found in this notable independent offering from a trio that calls this place home.

These talented veterans of the mid-'90s Chicago rock scene are Jeremy Heroldt (vocals, guitar, bass and keys), Mark Mattson (guitar, vox, bass, banjo, keys) and Craig Swafford (drums, vocals, horns, vox, guitar, keys and more). As a unit known as Grenadier, they lob 11 potent homemade musical grenades that explode in a variety of styles, presenting Jeremy's song mix in an eclectic fashion, much like his hero Robert Pollard has done with Guided By Voices releases before. Freed from the pressure of paying for studio time, these three create an odd but richly compelling musical tapestry that unwinds with knowing ease.

Hand Offensive takes a few listens for proper acclimation. Once the listener obtains a certain "DeKalb frame of mind," the charms of this music will win you over. There's a certain laidback ease to the proceedings, and little musical nuances flavor each track.

The soothing rhythms of "Death Ray" open the CD, a fairly amiable rocker of a tune with lyrics that refer to our media-saturated existence, suggesting we ultimately acquiesce to this mysterious ray.

The bluesy "Easily Swallowed" is about the lies and excuses we sell to ourselves to get by: "Have you trickd yourself before / about the value of the door / and how it is viewed / it's a hard chore to choose / systematically confused / more easily swallowed than chewed."

"Karma See Thru" is a plodding yet optimistic ballad, occasional harmonies expounding upon a clearing out, a karmic second chance. It's no ordinary musical journey, but one that's well worth the listen. "Boys of Rage" follows suit in similar musical fashion (with a few different noises included).

The synthesized sounds of the instrumental "Turdler" provide a minute or so of musical diversion. This is followed by the fine poppy "Powerless," a short but infectious offering.

I'm not exactly sure what "Gods Of Gravity" is about, but I know it's another light and catchy track. "Way Too Close" offers a musical criticism about the inherent phoniness attached to sales techniques (well, kinda).

"Smile Away, Pt.2" is a pleasant nostalgia trip, a musical journey of someone whose loving dedication is reaffirmed by memories. "Sucker List" has a rougher edge to it than the other songs here - a sort of punk energy igniting it and driving it home. The CD closes with "Listen Now," a quieter affair that explores crowd dynamics during a troubled protest march.

There's a lot of musical quirks in what Grenadier presents here, but there is much to enjoy throughout. Hand Offensive is a most auspicious debut from this trio, and Jeremy Heroldt's songs have a lot to offer. Many of these tracks follow in the tradition of GBV, The Shins, and The Flaming Lips (and many others of that ilk). The production allows the ease of the music to flow well, and the quality shows in the end.

Some of the lyrics are a bit confounding, and there are some occasional lapses throughout. However, overall this is one fine indie disc. Hand Offensive may take several listens to truly "get," but the musical rewards are there for those who'll take the time. For Grenadier, DeKalb is the war zone - for the rest of us, we merely need find a comfortable bunker and some good headphones.

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Jude Johnstone
On A Good Day

(BoJak Records)

Release Date: February 22, 2005

www.judejohnstone.com

Decades ago, I was drawn to music that seemed full of emotional honesty. It was what attracted me to the likes of Joni Mitchell, and to a certain extent, even Jackson Browne. Back then, they seemed in touch with their inner demons, and able to find poetic expression to give those thoughts voice in song. These folks didn't just make casual missteps in matters of love and life, there were true emotional scars being sung about.

While those days are gone, the music survives - a testament to the kind of young mistakes we all go through. Now the baby boomers who once listened to that are older and, one hopes, all the wiser for it. Thankfully, there's someone like Jude Johnstone who can take that heartfelt songwriting sensibility and translate through the filter of someone more mature and approaching middle age.

Her sophomore release, On A Good Day, is a superb collection of that very sort of emotionally riveting material that appealed to me and so many others way back when.

Further, there's no questioning the quality of this music - the arrangements surrounding Ms. Johnstone's piano and vocal contributions are first rate.

Sadly, Jude Johnstone isn't exactly well-known by the public - but among singer/songwriter types, she's well-respected. She's been a songwriter for over twenty years now (since moving from Maine out to the west coast), and her songs have been covered by several, including Stevie Nicks, Jennifer Warnes, Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Trisha Yearwood and Johnny Cash (Johnstone penned "Unchained," the title cut of his Grammy-award winning album). Her first solo record, 2002's Coming Of Age was praised by critics and reached the top of Amazon's best seller list at the time.

Johnstone has a delivery that has a slight country feel at times, bluesy at others. Her voice registers somewhere between Bonnie Raitt and Julie Miller (both of whom are present as background singers on this album). And as Julie Miller has her husband Buddy (and Jackson Brown had his David Lindley), Jude Johnstone is lucky to have her talented husband Charles Duncan, whose production help and guitar and more really sets the perfect tone here, track by track.

The CD opens with the infectious title track, a bittersweet paean to surviving in this turbulent day-to-day world post heartbreak, when no one really knows how you feel: "On a good day I don't come undone / I just wake up and call someone / And I might go out and have some fun if anyone's around / On a bad day all the lights are red / and there's one voice in my head / And I wish those memories were dead / but I'll cherish them instead." Bob Liepman's cello accents heighten the emotive vocals.

"20 Years" is exactly the kind of adult perspective that's lacking from most contemporary music. Here Johnstone dissects a break-up that occurs two decades into a relationship, and tells it from dual perspectives: "20 years and all due respect / she's much too busy to reflect / she only knows she can't connect / the dots on his page / 20 year's and he's in hell / the past is just an empty shell / and all he's got for show and tell / are the lines on his face." It's short of profound - yet again, rife with pain and honesty.

Johnstone goes a little bluesier in "Hard Lessons," a song that sounds perfect for Bonnie Raitt (and there she is, singing backing vocals on it). It's a song about trying to learn from past lessons, fighting the good and noble fight to be a better person, to choose well in love, etc. It features a wonderful sax lead by Marc Macisso.

Quiet piano-driven ballads rule the day here. "Hold On" builds slowly, a song of solace and advice to a man beset by battles raging in his head. Jackson Browne lends support via backing vocals - but Charles Duncan's guitars take the lead mid-way through the song.

It's all husband and wife in the delicate and lovely "In This House" - just Johnstone and Duncan and a direct line to inner emotions. This song could apply to many, the tale of a couple that have been together in the same house for ages and have grown apart from what they once were: "I know you say you love me / but you don't do it right / We co-exist, the trouble is / that we're not really living / In this house."

As we "boomers" get older, our concerns have changed. "Old and Gray" can become the battle anthem for a generation reluctant to give in to aging, scared of becoming what our own parents (and their parents before them) have become: "Don't let me grow old and gray / I don't want to know how it feels / to be alone that way / Confusing what's lost with that is real / and slipping a little each day / Don't let me grow old / don't let me grow old and gray." This arrangement is aided by the excellent viola of Mary Ramsey and Julie Miller's backing vocal.

The first song written for this collection was the poignant "Evelyn," based upon Johnstone's real-life great aunt. Struck by Tom Waits' storytelling abilities, Johnstone set out to try her hand at achieving the same. She has done a formidable job here (as good as many of Jill Sobule's story songs), conveying the tale of a woman destined for great things who was scarred by a fire at age seventeen, and in a sense, scarred for life.

"Pen and Paper" is another poignant winner, a story of who finds safe haven from the sirens and the cold winds in what she writes. One of my personal favorites is the starkly compelling minor-key sounds of "Deep Water," featuring Duncan on slide guitar and effective backing vocals by Rodney Crowell. Johnstone's poetic words convey the woes and troubles of bad relationships so well: "You can know somebody / like you think you know yourself / Sail along the surface / Still believing all is well / Wake up underneath the waves / pounded by the swell / this is deep water."

Some might bemoan the fact that these are ballads, by and large, without much variety in tempo. Oh, but what fine ballads they are. "Long Way Back" is writ large with images about standing at a crossroads, watching a train, and ultimately finding the courage not to give in to the past and make the same mistakes. Raitt and Browne harmonize on backing vocals.

This fine collection closes (appropriately) with "The Hereafter," a stunningly pretty song about dealing with death. Charles Duncan's pennywhistle is Chieftains-worthy, and lends an Irish-ballad flavor. As usual, the lyrics achieve poignancy in their simple statements: "Though our hearts are too heavy to find comfort yet / and there are no words written to help us forget / We hold onto the memories and wait for the rest / as you make your way in the hereafter."

These 11 songs carry the weight of age and experience; they wrestle with topics that many will find endearing. If Lucinda Williams had a less wild sister who married and had two daughters, Jude Johnstone might be her. Fans of Bonnie Raitt, Julie Miller and others of that ilk simply will love Jude Johnstone. Yet the universal honesty in these songs should appeal to a much wider audience.

It's rare to come across well-crafted songs with emotions laid so bare. The very talented Jude Johnstone deserves a lot of credit; her luminous adult-themed songs glow with a generous warmth and succinct voice. On A Good Day was a discovery for me - but with talent like this, her music won't remain a secret much longer.

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Various Artists
Substitution Mass Confusion: A Tribute To The Cars

(Not Lame Records)

Release Date: January 25, 2005

www.notlame.com

The musical legacy of The Cars, who had their heyday in the late 1970s, remains very much alive. "Just What I Needed" is heard on national Circuit City ads, "Hello Again" is heard daily on a Nickelodeon ad. Ziggy Marley's take on "Drive" appeared on Adam Sandler's 50 First Dates soundtrack. In subtle ways, these songs have become part of our popular culture.

What The Cars managed then was to create slick, well-produced rock that merged punk and mainstream in a manner that provided a succession of hit singles. For a time, The Cars were undisputedly America's most popular band. In retrospect, this Boston band had much to offer: David Robinson's catchy beats, Benjamin Orr's rich vocals and bass stylings, Greg Hawkes incomparable synth keyboard hooks, Elliot Easton's mastery of the fifteen second lead, Ric Ocasek's quirky vocals, rhythm guitar and most impressive songwriting. These were songs we all identified with - some about girls, some romance, fast cars, nightlife and always more again about girls. They connected new wave sensibility to the core of the American consciousness.

Staring as a band in 1976, they rode the crest of the popularity wave for a time, starting with their eponymous debut in 1978. Six albums later, The Cars faded from the scene after 1987's Door To Door. Now, thanks to executive producer Peter Kuehl, a new generation of musical artists has gathered to pay tribute to those marvelous songs of yesteryear.

Substitution Mass Confusion: A Tribute To The Cars presents 21 updated, retranslated versions of Ocasek songs, concentrating largely on the more popular, better known part of the canon. It's a respectful homage, and (in a great touch) the artists recount their connections to the original music as part of the CD booklet.

While the originals were impeccably rendered, these various artists really have done a great job of adding their own touches to the songs, enough so to often make them their own. The CD gets off to a rollicking start with West Virginia's The Argument and their fairly straight-ahead take on the synth-pop "Hello Again." Scott Simons does a fine job here with the vocals and keyboard duties and Matt Warder adds a nice guitar lead.

Next up is Waltham, MA's Damone, doing a slightly sped-up version of "Just What I Needed." Vocals are courtesy of Noelle, the 17-year old lead singer for the band - and she gets the attitude behind the words just right. The female lead gives the familiar a different twist.

Jason Falkner takes on the difficult 5/4 time signature of 'Touch and Go" all by himself. Falkner is a master of everything, and his one-man band's version actually manages aspects that improve on the original (do check out his guitar lead - to say nothing of his bass, drums, synthesizer, etc.).

The first real break with tradition can be found in Butch Walker's "My Best Friend's Magic Girlfriend," wherein he delivers the classic tune in a wholly different manner. With just an electric guitar and plain vocals (plus a few accent touches), Walker turns the song into a folk/rock standard. In testament to Ocasek's writing, it works.

Employing the phase-shifter, The Millions put out a fun kinetic version of "You're All I've Got Tonight." Christopher Grey does a nice job on vocals, while Johnny Million and Dan Edwards deliver the goods on guitar.

Bleu imprints his sound onto a version of "You Might Think" in a version I really enjoyed. He adds a minor note to the verses, but his backup band is great (and he handles the vocals and synth programming masterfully). Adam Ross' contributes a lead guitar that would make Easton proud.

Will Owsley and band do a great version of "Got A Lot On My Head." Owsley seems to be quite the cover chameleon (his "Band on the Run" also is excellent). Again, he's got fine support with Millard Powers on bass, Chris McHugh on drums and Jonathan Hamby on keyboards.

PurrBox , featuring the vocals of one Miss Mellie, take on "Shake It Up." Her delivery has sort of a punk party casualness to it, but the real highlight here is Johnny Million's supercharged performance on guitar.

Chris Von Sneidern has taken on the difficult task of covering "Drive." Rather than going after the full arrangement of the original, CVS delivers with just a minimalist clean vocals and guitar (with a few vibe notes later). He really makes it his own - a testament to the strength of the song and Von Sneidern's talents as an artist.

Enuff Z'nuff 's talented ead guitarist Johnny Monaco delivers another one-man band performance with his rendition of "Dangerous Type." His love of the original comes across here, especially on the guitar end of the spectrum.

"Bye Bye Love" (which has the lyric that provides this tribute with its name) is well-covered by Spiraling. Tom Brislin really does a bang-up job on vocals, Moog and clavinet (really getting into the spirit of Ocasek's vocals and Hawke's keyboards).

New York's The Bravery provide an interesting version of "It's All I Can Do" that sounds like The Cars as filtered through The Human League. Former Boston (now L.A.) natives, Gigolo Aunts (featuring Kid Lightning) take on the quiet beauty of "I'm Not The One" with heartfelt emotive vocals and sweet harmonies, turning out a truly pretty track.

Doug Powell, hard-pressed to improve on the excellence of any of the original Cars songs, opted to take on a grungy garage rock version of "Candy-O." Powell is another one-man do-it-yourselfer, a talent in so many ways (listen to the layers of guitar, and impressive drumming for further proof).

The Andersons! deliver a fairly radical departure with their "Since You're Gone." Missing is the click track that helmed the original - in its place, a gutsy, heartfelt vocal delivery that gives the song a whole different urgency (courtesy of Robbie Rist).

Dum Dog Run is Rick Altizer's new band. Rick and cohorts present a keyboard-less rocking version of "Let's Go." Guitars rock the action, and the fine vocals follow.

Michael Simmons adds a quirky "Heartbeat City" intro onto his Sparkle*jets U.K. cover of "Slip Away," one of the lesser known Car hits. In S*JUK's version, there's a lightness and cheery amiability, thanks to the fun inherent in the performance of Simmons, West, Knight and Borack.

The Posies' Jon Auer takes on another lesser known gem in "Misfit Kid." This is a sweetly haunting minimalist take, enhanced by Auer's vocal delivery and powerful tympani accents.

Action Action's Mark Thomas Kluepfel does a nifty job with the synths and organ of "Tonight She Comes," but makes the song his own with his dramatic style of vocal delivery. This takes The Cars' idea of synth-pop and extends it even further into that realm. Similarly, The Cautions do the same sort of thing with "Nightspots," turning the synth knob up to eleven, and interspersing some flashy guitar.

The collection closes with a slowed-down "Good Times Roll," courtesy of Kansas City's own The Daybirds. This treatment really shows the strengths of the song - it's able to stand up to this sort of close-up dissection and still sound wonderful.

I'd have to say that this is one of the best tributes I've come across. Not only will it have you fondly returning to your old Cars albums, it'll also pique your curiosity about these diverse twenty-one artists. I encourage curious listeners to investigate the other offerings from all of these artists - I've reviewed several of them over the years.

Overall, there's excellent quality to these chosen covers on Substitution Mass Confusion: A TributeTo The Cars - a real sense of love for the originals and a desire to live up to that high standard. What's even better is that a portion of the proceedings from the sale of this tribute will be donated to the American Cancer Society in memory of the late Benjamin Orr. So you get to enjoy the music and help the cause - as such, you truly can't go wrong.

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The Dotted Line
The Dotted Line

(Not Lame Records)

U.K. Release Date: July 12, 2004
U.S. Release Date: January 25, 2005

www.notlame.com

The Dotted Line is, for the most part, an ambitious project by Los Angeled-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Scott Bennett. Though not a regular Wondermint, Bennett has spent the past few years as a key member of the touring ensemble surrounding Brian Wilson. As such, it's obvious that Bennett is well-versed in matters of classic pop and rock. With his own songs, he takes that strong foundation and builds powerful, grandly emotional music that surrounds his great vocals.

In listening to this album, I immediately thought about David Mead (particularly his first release The Luxury Of Time, which surrounded his distinctive voice with similarly grandiloquent arrangements). On The Dotted Line, Bennett's fine voice takes center stage, though he also plays guitars, keys, vibes, bass and drums and assorted percussion on this CD as well (in fact Brian Wilson has said of Bennett that he is "the most talented musician I've ever met").

In no way does this seem like a debut - every song is layered with lush sounds, and there's plenty to enjoy here, a full banquet of 11 solid tracks. The CD leads off with "Unbelievable," a fine showcase for the range of Bennett's voice. He reaches high registers on the chorus, and does so effortlessly in this dramatic tale of a man jilted for another, beset by a feeling it was the worst day in his life.

"Ever After" (co-written with drummer Matt Walker and synth bass man Sol Snyder) is a pumped-up musical tribute to John Lennon, taken from us far too quickly: "Your voice pulled love from hate / Found beauty in the heart of all our fate / When we needed peace, you took us all to bed / And since the time you passed / we'd crawl across broken glass for one more melody."

One of my personal favorites here is the delightful "She is Light." This story of a graceful savior of sorts, is chock full of sweet melody, harmony and guitars (including a most impressive lead). What more could one want of a song?

Things go a bit more solemn with "Temperamental Side," featuring Bobby MacIntyre, Brett Simons and Mike Corcoran. This song sounds ultra-commercial and radio-ready (or suited for adoption by television or film). It's all about musical self-explanation, dammit, so give the guy a break --- seems he's got a tendency to be passionate and emotional sometimes.

I find myself partial to the all Bennett performances here - he's got a great sense of infectious melodic hooks and sounds like an accomplished full band.. "Anything" is layered with sounds in a wonderful arrangement. The narrator lets himself down in a series of disappointments - finding himself in a state of constant need. At times, Bennett's voice here and in the piano-driven "For A Day" reminds me of Squeeze's Glenn Tilbrook - a very good thing.

"For A Day" is a lovely ballad tinged with funk - but its real gift is the evocative phrases talking around love and relationships, relating it to colliding planets, flame, lights and times itself.

In deference to Brian Wilson, Bennett updates "I Know There's an Answer" off of Pet Sounds. He infuses it both with energy and instrumentation, while also showing just how well the original well-crafted song holds up over time. This is a great cover, and really gives Bennett a chance to show his musical chops.

Things rock with a harder edge on "Torch Song," featuring an amusing lyric about how intentions can change over time: "I've been carrying this torch for you / You were the object of my desire / Now I'm carrying this torch because / I want to set you on fire." Danny Shaffer provides the guitar solo here.

"Vulnerable" explores the tenuous state of relationships in another grandly arranged piece (heavy on cellos) - very reminiscent of David Mead - and features assistance from Matt Walker, Jonny Polonsky and Andrew Shullman.

"Pearls" is a delightful ballad that reminds us all to keep dreaming. It starts out with simple piano and vocals in almost a lounge setting (very McCartney-like) and then morphs into Beach-Boy-type harmonies. It's a great showcase for Bennett's keyboard skills, and shows he's got a sense of jazz and music theater to him as well.

The bonus track, a fun composition co-written with Brian Wilson ("No Wrong Notes In Heaven"), is a funky little number that recalls Paul Carrack. It features Wilson, Jeff Foskett and Nick Walusko (as close to a modern Beach Boys as you're likely to find) on backing vocals, as well as a Scott Bennett harmonica solo.

Bennett's gifts are many, and he puts much of them on display here. His music arrives fully grown, and the arrangements are lush and impressive. The Dotted Line instantly puts Bennett into rarified company with such impressive do-it-yourself producers as Jon Brion and Jason Falkner - with a distinctive voice that rivals that of David Mead's. Artful, tuneful and lush, this CD is a delight -- providing over 40 minutes of smart, pleasurable listening on a most auspicious debut.

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Tim Cullen
Fun Razor

(Long Live Crime Records)

Release Date: October 5, 2004

www.timcullenmusic.com

Tim Cullen used to be the frontman for the band SummerCamp (who had a brief hit with their song "Drawer." That band ended in 2002 and now, a few years later, Cullen has released a solo effort entitled Fun Razor, containing 12 high energy songs that are all around three minutes long, and all viable commercial contenders for television and film placement. Sure enough, some of these songs already are slated to appear in WB's Summerland> and FOX's North Shore. Can a song or two on O.C. be far behind?

Cullen has assembled a nice band to play his new songs. While Cullen provides vocals, guitar, synthesizer and assorted percussion, he is joined by former SummerCamp bandmates Misha Feldmann (bass) and Tony Sevener (drums), as well as Luke Tierney of The Penfifteen Club (vocals/guitar). This quartet manages to pump these songs out with a sort of punk/pop vitality, and with west coast wunderkind Thom Flowers (Sugarcult, The Ataris) engineering, mixing and producing the sounds, things are in good hands. This is one slick and accomplished debut.

Fun Razor starts out with the three-minute catchy pop of "Your World," a love song about a man who makes the personal sacrifice of traveling into another's world. "All" is another "I want you back" kind of song, propelled by harmonies and guitars, seeking explanations as to why she ran away the first time. "Halfway Home" is another serviceable entry, again about relationship issues (here some woman has drawn him into a mess unsuspectingly).

Two of my favorites come next. "On The Down" offers great harmonies and ringing guitar tones (very Brit-pop like), a tale of more confusion: "take me to the dream where we are real / I could help you face the way you feel / on the down / have you had enough / on the down / can't say which way is up."

"Fool" is about a hedonistic man out of control, on a roll yet on the verge of making wrong decisions: "partying is such sweet sorrow / can't hardly wait to waste tomorrow / but right about now you seem to be / twelve steps ahead of me (just go on and) / leave me / you've got to believe me / I've got to be a fool to say goodbye."

"Good To Know" is a sweet song about reuniting friends, "How Long" distinguishes itself with a descending three-chord progression that breaks up the slow ballad, a song that questions longevity in love and the music biz. "We Are History" turns heartbreak into a celebration (it's all perspective, folks), and "The Need" promotes anarchism with the line "break everything you see."

"Save The Day" is another sweet song of self-sacrifice (and features some nice guitar parts to boot). This guy's been waiting around to save the day - and I trust he gets his chance and comes through admirably.

"Now It's Over" is an upbeat song about (guess what) relationship trouble. This one is told from the perspective of aftermath: "so take your cheap shots, just spare me your deep thoughts / now I don't need 'em, I'm not listening anymore / and nothing you could say would ever make this go away / so weep and read 'em, I don't like you like before." "Valentine" closes the CD, a sweet musical valentine inquiring about whether or not she'll "be mine."

Cullen has a good sense of this type of music (though some songs definitely are better than others) and he seems able to fit most songs in at three or four minutes, tops. The chemistry from the former band members works to their advantage here; they play as a tight unit together.

Tim Cullen essentially has put together a new collection that's a variation on his past efforts with SummerCamp. The energetic songs follow the same basic formula, one that uses the sort of commercial pop-rock progressions in slightly different way. As such, Fun Razor suffers some from its lack of variety, particularly on the latter half of the record, yet fans of the earlier band will find plenty to like here.

It's a simple, fun sound, and producer Thom Flowers has done a nice job of capturing it to disc. I wish the lyrics were a little more challenging (there is more to life than failed relationships, even if you're only twenty-something), but perhaps that's just me. Overall, Fun Razor captures that polished commercial sound, and allows a good forum to display Cullen's vocal and guitar talents, as well as songwriting that begs to be the soundtrack to troubled teens' lives.

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