Gary
Glauber
Reviews:
November,
2001

Scroll down for reviews of the latest from Jump, Little Children and Butterfly Jones.

Yazbek
Damascus

(W.A.R.)

Release Date: August 7, 2001
www.davidyazbek.com

Smart doesn’t always sell and radio stopped being relevant ages ago; these are but two of the reasons why you may not know the music of Yazbek. On this, his third CD, Yazbek continues to grow as a musician, and the results are smoother than before, and worth your time. What is evident here are more jazz influences allowed to show through than in the past, particularly in the keyboard and horn arrangements, though the trademark Yazbek intelligence and humor remain intact. In the dozen songs collected here, you get a healthy dose of catchy and clever. Think of a stripped-down Steely Dan with more life and sting to its adult-targeted musical cynicism, crossed with a flair for pop jingle songwriting and clean arrangements, and you’ve got Damascus.

While the jazziness of this CD no doubt puts it outside the ken of the usual Fufkin.com review, I’ll explain up front why it’s important to expand your listening choices a bit wider. First, the mini-bio: David Yazbek, born of Jewish mother and Arab father, plays cello as a child then switches to piano, attends Brown University, starts playing in bands, submits gags and gets hired writing jokes for “Late Night with David Letterman” where he wins an Emmy for outstanding writing, then quits, eager to do something with his music instead.

For three or so years, he co-manages a company that writes jingles for all manner of retail products, from beer to your feminine hygiene whatever, getting paid but still wishing to do something “real” with his musical talents. So he quits that, goes to England where he records a few original songs with mentor XTC’s Andy Partridge producing, and more or less as the ‘90s begin, so does his legitimate musical career. He co-writes the theme to “Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego” (with Sean Altman) and soon is writing or producing with a diverse collection of artists (e.g. Space Hog, Tito Puente, The Persuasions), producing among others, an XTC-tribute album (A Testimonial Dinner) that featured contributed songs from Joe Jackson, Ruben Blades, The Verve Pipe, Freedy Johnston, Sarah McLachlan, They Might Be Giants, and even XTC in disguise.

By 1994, twelve songs were recorded and released the following year as a debut album The Laughing Man, and while it remained virtually ignored in the U.S., it got rave reviews and a certain following in Japan and Europe. Finally in 1997, this CD gets the Indie award for “Best Pop Album of the Year.” It contains such XTC-inspired gems as “Welcome To My World” and “Black Cowboys On The Beach” and establishes Yazbek as a sort of keyboard-based “Son of Partridge.” This legacy is extended further on Tock, a short but sweet follow-up collection rife with catchy tunes, among them “Schmuck In A Vacuum,” “Clean,” “One Layer Deeper,” and “Here Come The Ducks.” Again, the public seemed not to notice and Yazbek remained a talented secret.

That’s when things took an interesting twist: Broadway came calling. Some producers with the far-fetched idea of adapting the successful film The Full Monty into a stage musical, sought the up-and-coming composer Adam Guettel. Guettel, busy with other projects at the time, deferred and instead suggested his one-time bandmate and friend David Yazbek. Yazbek was a risky prospect, never having written a musical before and not a big fan of the musical theatre genre. Still, with two CDs of original pop music, he was granted an audition. The rest, as they say, is history.

At a time when the musical stage needed new blood, the producers took a chance. He not only got the job, but when pressed into action, came up with music and lyrics that were integral to the show’s eventual success. Critics were more than kind, and ruled that Yazbek had indeed made a successful transition to musical theater where others had not (most notably Paul Simon with The Capeman and Randy Newman with Faust).

The musical (still currently on the boards) got ten Tony nominations, including one for best score. Unfortunately, hype and politics ruled the day and Mel Brooks’ The Producers soundly trounced The Full Monty in every category. Yazbek, however, did get a Drama Desk award for his efforts, along with a whole new potential audience. One can’t help but be thankful for the show’s success, particularly if it leads to more work and allows him the luxury of recording his own music. When listening to the soundtrack recording, there’s no mistaking the Yazbek influence, though in all honesty I still prefer listening to any of the three Yazbek CDs. Rather than getting his talent filtered through the constraints of the form and demands of a particular show, I prefer the undiluted focus we get on the likes of Damascus.

Some don’t like the fact that even as Yazbek is bringing new music to the theater, the influence is going both ways. On the new release, there definitely is more of a show tune feel to some of it. I like to hear it as a wedding of styles - there’s some old, some new, some borrowed (a brief melody line from Yip Harburg’s “If I Only Had a Brain” finds its way into a horn solo in the showy “The Cowgirls Go To Santo Domingo” and an interpolation of “Tubby The Tuba” appears within his “Strange Warm Day”) and of course, plenty of blue(s). The supporting musicians all do a fine job: Paul Vercesi, Tony Orbach, and Kevin Batchelor on horns and reeds, Chris Smylie on bass, Erik Della Penna on guitar and lap steel, and Dean Sharenow on drums. In addition, Yazbek’s voice has never sounded better; it’s smooth and assured.

The proceedings get underway with “Montgomery Alabama” a bouncy bluesy jaunt of a song that lets Yazbek show some piano chops with tight horns backing.

“Strange Warm Day” is another typically rich Yazbek melody that wins you over with subtle musical details that contrast with a fairly bleak lyrical look at death: “What’s underground is understood, And nothing’s really over till it’s over.” The likely single (not sure where it’ll get airplay) is “Everything You Want And Then Some,” which employs a melody line that climbs up and down and recalls somewhat Yazbek’s own “Fight The One-Armed Man.” Again, Yazbek lets loose with the acid tongue, exploring the nasty underneath to a controlling relationship from hell: “I see your symbols in the sand/ Is it dog, is it tail? Do the holes fill up the pail? Is it treasure or turd? Is it shaken - is it stirred? Is it real - is it wood? Is it evil is it good?”

The “Broadway” Yazbek is most strongly on display with the song “Sandy Koufax,” asking the musical question: “Is it good for baseball? Is it good for the Jews?”

Here is a tune as strong if not stronger than any to be found in The Full Monty, touching upon the irrelevance of religious/ethical dilemmas through more clever lyrics and upbeat delivery. “The Cowgirls Go To Santo Domingo” is Yazbek’s lounge turn, and you can picture him belting it out at some smoke-filled piano bar, people snapping fingers alongside their flavored martinis. This is musical ingenuity, plain and simple: the man can take a style and master it. Looking for a little country accent? “Why Me?” takes you there, pondering the title’s question over and over, pointing out the pointlessness of asking in the first place.

My two current favorites are the soft charmer “Ultrasad” and the hypnotically simple “Two Crows.” “Ultrasad” perhaps is the prototypical Yazbek song, piano driven with biting lyrics that attack the living death of a shallow woman who remains the same, “the open door painted on plaster, nobody home but welcome in.” “Two Crows” will fly around your brain for many a day, again showing Yazbek’s flair for creating catchy melodies.

While there are plenty of nods to the music of his two previous CDs, this is a definite step forward and away from the past for Yazbek. Broadway’s influences provide a positive transition, and the real pop talent now is infused with the promise of ever better yet to come. His growth as a musician is obvious, the production is slicker (Yazbek co-produced it with his drummer Dean Sharenow), and the feeling is confident and hopeful. On the whole, Damascus is a very appealing record for a discriminating adult audience. As the possible Great White Hope for the Great White Way, Yazbek seems up to the task. But regardless of whatever he achieves in that forum, I think it wise to keep up with his personal musical endeavors.

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Jump, Little Children
Vertigo

(EZ Chief)

Release Date: September 25, 2001
www.jumplittlechildren.com

These days, pure talent is no guarantee of anything. The music business for most is an ever-uphill struggle against hardship in an attempt to get product out to the people. Often, there’s little justice and what seems an overabundance of bad luck. One can tour endlessly, have the talent, and still remain relatively unknown. Such has been the case with the Charleston, South Carolina-based quintet known as Jump, Little Children.

Vertigo, their best album to date, was recorded last winter at Supertramp’s Media Vortex studios and was ready for release long ago (May, to be exact). But a few weeks before the scheduled debut date, the record label went bankrupt and things got caught up in legal tangles. Talk about being all dressed up with nowhere to go. It took a few unsettling months of negotiations but ultimately, the band managed to get back the material in order to release it on their own label (EZ Chief) in late September. Now they are hoping that devoted fans will do their part to spread the word. Again, one can say it’s all part of the uphill battle toward success.

When the core of the group first met at the North Carolina School of the Arts (where they were studying classical music), they started out playing traditional Irish folk music crossed with Delta blues. Named for a line from a Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee blues song, Jump, Little Children have come a long way since. Turning their talents to the world of pop, they released a homespun CD in 1996 The Licorice Tea Demos and gained momentum enough to get signed to the Breaking Records division of Atlantic Records.

In 1998, their first major release Magazine displayed marked growth for J,LC as singer/songwriters. As produced by Brad Jones, Magazine was a chance for the group to learn the ways of the studio, and to show more of its talents in what essentially was a romp through variants of alternative rock. It garnered some minor notoriety among a very devoted fan base, and the song “Cathedrals” made some inroads onto college radio station playlists.

Now with Vertigo finally released some three years later, the group’s evolution continues. Much of the adolescent fun of Magazine (“Not Today, “My Guitar”) has been replaced with more ornate production of largely contemplative pop songs. The group’s multi-instrumental talents are more evident here, and though the songs may be less “easy” to absorb, they represent a clear step forward musically.

More than previously, these new songs rely on the soaring vocal wizardry of Jay Clifford. Clifford has developed his clear voice with a nice range into an instrument that conveys emotions convincingly. In short: if you like Clifford’s voice, you’ll love this CD (I do, but beyond the voice, there’s plenty to recommend about Vertigo). This is the kind of CD that takes time to appreciate fully - some of the songs take several listens to make their hooks apparent. There’s a lot happening in this lush aural tapestry, co-produced by Clifford and Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Liz Phair). The careful listener will hear accordions, tin whistles, mandolins, cellos, and intriguing percussion mixed into the standard rock combinations of guitar, bass, drums and keyboards.

Of course, the team that put these soulfully rich sounds together was a masterful one, including mixing by David Leonard (Barenaked Ladies, Prince, Santana) and engineering by John Porter (Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music, The Smiths). Jump, Little Children are the Bivins brothers (Matt on harmonica, mandolin, accordion, etc. and vocals, Evan on drums), Jay Clifford (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Jonathan Gray (upright bass) and Ward Williams (cello and lead guitar). As a tight playing unit, the band is known for its theatrically engaging performances. But even if you can’t catch them live, fourteen new solid-length songs provide much to ponder here -- just don’t be daunted by the challenge.

Some have likened the record’s sound to that of Radiohead, circa The Bends, and I suppose that’s an apt comparison. Jump, Little Children offer a similarly melancholic and moody collection here with challenging multi-textured arrangements that grow more hauntingly compelling with each listen. In a sense, this collection might even be slightly more pop and less strictly guitar-dominated than Yorke & Co.’s earlier effort, with fragile melodies wrapped in sonic insulation. J,LC grows beyond the confining structures of traditional pop songwriting, and many a song proves unpredictable in its unfolding.

The CD opens with the title track, a catchy number exploring the dizzying vertigo of being in love that has rightfully been chosen as the first single: “Leaning from a balcony/ As if without a care/ Wondering should I take a fall / or should I take the stairs/ Have I already fallen over and now spinning in the air I don’t know/ ‘Cause I’m in this vertigo.” None of these songs are simple. Strings and complex arrangements surround soaring vocals that wrap around verses, choruses and middle bridges in impressive manner. “Angeldust (Please Come Down)” is another notable cut here, building gradually into an emotional plea of a song.

There definitely are a lot of British influences. The song “Too High” lifts the octave-apart vocal stylings of Difford & Tilbrook for its verses and when you hear it, you’ll be amazed at the uncannily captured Squeeze sound (while the chorus returns to a more familiar Jump, Little Children feel). The phenomenal “Mother’s Eyes” is a definite Radiohead-type composition, mixing orchestration and sonic nuance into a much longer opus (7:26). “Lover’s Greed” works off a percussive chord structure similar to that found in Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes,” yet makes its own statement as it examines all that has been taken by the endless insatiable hunger of love: “What then from all the vine and seed/ on the fragrant air of Spring they feed/ They come in swarms of two/ like me and you/ fattened by the love that they need.”

“Hold Your Tongue” builds off a simple arrangement (percussion and piano) with warm accordion backing, until swirling guitars provide harmonies to the vocals in a middle section, then it returns to the simplicity of the first verse. The sounds are clean, and the instruments are not ever lost in the often-complex mixes. “Made It Fine” offers a sound similar to many of the songs of Magazine. “Words of Wisdom” is one of the more immediately endearing songs, dealing with memories and legacies inspired in part by a battle with cancer by the Bivins’ dad. The sensitive lyrics fit into a deceptively upbeat melody: “Every precious memory/ and broken hearted tragedy/ will walk into eternity/ and not fade away.”

“The Singer” offers spoken vocal rap poetry lyrics from Matt Bivins, much in the style of his song “Habit” from Magazine. Some songs teeter on the edge of operatic self-indulgence, and might have achieved more with a little bit less. Jay Clifford, a big fan of the poetry of Pablo Neruda and e.e. cummings, often tries too hard lyrically, sometimes landing in the inscrutability realm of say, many of Jon Anderson’s Yes lyrics.

In truth, if you have the patience to discover the merits here, there are no bad tracks. This truly is an album for listening (less upbeat, more mid-tempo), and then listening again. Like Radiohead, the songs aren’t always easy to digest and not everyone will have a willingness to put the time in. Still, intelligent pop lovers will reap rewards for such efforts. J, LC is gaining confidence in their talents and abilities and translating it into noteworthy work that deserves a much wider audience. Jay Clifford has a winning voice, and the musicality of all five members combines impressively here, employing more broad musical styles and rhythms than ever before, kicking things up quite a notch on the pop complexity scale.

Perhaps Jump, Little Children will be the next Radiohead. But even if they simply remain the first Jump, Little Children, you won’t be disappointed. Vertigo is an ambitious and gracious effort by a talented group worth hearing and watching. Help their success by giving it a listen and, if you like it, spreading the word.

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Butterfly Jones
Napalm Springs

(Vanguard)

Release Date: July 24, 2001
www.butterflyjones.com

Some say if you wait long enough, then everything old is new again. I say, when something as good as Napalm Springs updates several decades’ worth of old sounds into something exciting and new, forget about the clock and just lose yourself in the timeless fun of the music. While this CD is a dream to listen to, it’s also an A&R Department’s nightmare, eclectically transcending styles across the board and avoiding easy description. Each of these 14 tracks has its own little genetic musical DNA, and I’ll try to map at least some of them for you to give an approximate idea of what’s in store.

This is an amalgam of contemporary rock with retro flavors, tunes that provide a healthy dose of Brit-Rock and Anthem-Rock and lyrics that contemplate love and life and the human condition in songs that invite you to sing along. Much like the music, Butterfly Jones itself combines both new and old. While a new entity in name, in actuality Butterfly Jones is 2/3 of the old Los Angeles-based band Dada (they had four critically-acclaimed CDs back in the ‘90s, developed a devout fan following and scored some radio play with an early single “Dizz Knee Land”). So while it’s a debut album, it’s also a somewhat veteran effort.

As the largest creative force behind Dada, you often got the sense of Michael Gurley’s general love of music. His disciplined structured songwriting springs forth from a lifetime of musical influences, creating a harmony between past and present and future. Following Dada’s last release (1998), Michael Gurley teamed with friend and co-producer Scott Gordon (Alanis Morissette, Ringo Starr, Aerosmith) to record a few new songs. Manager Michael Scurlock was so impressed; he took the songs to Vanguard Records, who eagerly signed up for the project, offering multi-instrumentalist Gurley unusual trust and creative freedom.

That trust has been amply rewarded with a fine collection, perhaps Gurley’s best ever. This “soulful neo-psychedelia” (as the label describes it) is chock full of rich harmonies, classic pop song structure, great guitar licks as needed and a host of wonderful musical accents and contributions. “We weren’t writing these songs to get signed,” Gurley explains. “There weren’t any egos involved at all in the making of this album. It was just a bunch of friends making a record and having a blast.”

This labor of love features Michael Gurley at the helm, singing, often backing himself up vocally as well, and wowing you with some tasty guitar work. Phil Leavitt, his drummer for 11 years, is back as well. Joie Calio, former Dada bassist, only makes a small appearance doing backup vocals on one track (“Sophie”). Mark Harris, returning from touring with Venice, takes the majority of bass duties here, and a number of guests make nice contributions as well. The sound often is reminiscent of Dada (how could it not be?), but this is something different. It’s as if the best of Dada (clever lyrics, catchy songs) has been transformed into something new and definitely pop inspired.

And now, the music: be sure to wear headphones to get the maximum effect from the CD’s production values, where subtle mixing and layered instruments provide treats galore for the careful listener. The opening title track “Napalm Springs” shows right from the get-go Gurley’s abilities to serve up a catchy old-fashioned rocker, this one with definite Led Zeppelin touches along with a big old chunky guitar solo that rips right through the middle of the song. Lyrically, it’s a sarcastic twist on a “can-do” attitude: “If love don’t tear me apart/ If I’m not feeling quite enough pain/ If love don’t tear me apart/ I’ll do it myself.” This track features samples and keyboards from guest Mark de Gli Antoni of Soul Coughing fame.

“Suicide Bridge” shifts gears with its baroque strings (violins, viola and cello) and slower tempo, telling all about how suddenly things can change in life and matters of the heart: “In an instance everything can turn around/ In an instance everything is lost and all is found/ Your winds of change have come to blow my mind away/ Everything about you feels so fine.” Once again, impressive guitar work highlights another finely produced track.

The chosen single (and that must have been a difficult choice - not a bad song in the lot) is the more contemporary sounding “Anywhere But Now.” Inspired by when a friend of Gurley’s got dumped by his girlfriend, this rhythmic anthem of a song captures that universal pain and realization: “Anywhere but now, anywhere but in my room alone, like a jerk waiting by the phone” or more poetically “Anywhere but stuck inside my head, drowning in my bed/ Milking teardrops from your sacred cow.”

One of my favorites is the bluesy rocker “Alright,” which features backing vocals from world champion surfer Kelly Slater. This is the kind of multi-layered old-fashioned hard rocker that builds gradually, a type of song rarely written these days. It tells a story of suicidal bleakness and desperation battled by a chorus of optimism and hope. A person in trouble calls a friend to come over: “He was taking a bath in his best green suit/ buzzin’ like a wet grenade/ he was tryin’ to wash away his dirty blues/ with some bubbles and a razor blade.” Yet, true to the inherent optimism found on much of this album, we are reminded ultimately that: “It’s alright, it’s okay/ don’t you know tomorrow’s another day/ don’t look now here comes the dawn/ baby sometimes you just gotta hang on.”

My bet for follow-up single would be the infectious “Are We In Love Again,” which deals with confusion of on-again off-again amour. In the manner of classic Dada (say “Bob The Drummer”), clever lyrics contribute to the upbeat keyboards: “So are we in love again, is it off is it on, are we going, am I gone, are we in love again, is it wrong is it real, baby tell me what you feel and I will pretend that you meant what you said and we’ll jump back into bed, I don’t want it to end, so are we in love again.”

While Gurley can rock out, he also can fashion a ballad with the best. “Wonder” is a soft-spoken song of quiet introspection, employing a beautiful string arrangement, while “Sophie” features tabla drums and a mellotron in its pleading treatise to an oft-absent object of desire. It’s the perfect little touches that endear with repeated listens, like the playfully expressive guitar fills on “It’s Cool Dude” or the octave-apart vocals on “Blue Roses” (note how the octave rises in successive verses). “Dreamtime” can hold its own with any Sugar Ray radio hit and “Please” has a little Harry Nilsson vibe to it.

For those still stuck in the 1960s, Gurley gives you plenty here. “When People Are Mean” opens with a sort of “California Dreamin” guitar line, then launches into soft vocals akin to The Four Freshman or The Letterman of yesteryear. The lyrics are so obvious I assume they aren’t to be taken at face value. Still, the harmonies are pleasant and the bass oboe accompaniment is lovely. Further references are at play with “Sunshine And Ecstasy,” which opens with the type of bah-bah-bah harmonies of The Association or The Turtles, then spins into a more contemporary verse, extolling the mantra: “Sunshine and ecstasy, Peace, Love Sex and Be Free.” This is one that appeals to the hippie in us all, and features a wicked Who-like middle bridge.

Another favorite cut is “The Systematic Dumbing Down of Terry Constance Jones,” where vocals are shared with Julie Ritter of Mary’s Danish, as Gurley opens with a female Bob Dylan turn (Roberta Dylan?). Never before has a song captured so well the way our society provides shallow image-driven role models for young women: “It’s the systematic dumbing down of Terry Constance Jones, she used to be a surgeon, now she operates the phones/ With all her magazines and TV queens, she still feels so alone.” You get more lyrics than you can wrap a tongue around, taking careful verbal aim and sarcastically hitting the target dead on.

Overall, Napalm Springs is a mix of genuine optimistic hope infused with enough modern cynicism to make it palatable. Lyrically, it goes from insightful to clever to tongue-in-cheek droll and back again. Musically, it’s homage to a past when strong well-crafted songs could be found playing on radios everywhere. Fourteen consistently good and diverse tracks comprise the wings that set Butterfly Jones maiden flight into motion. Listeners will sing along, hum tunes and will discover more hooks than in a tackle box and a meat locker combined. This is the kind of remarkable CD that renews one’s faith in modern pop music (rock and roll ain’t dead yet) and makes you smile. When these troubled times keep you close to home, I heartily recommend a musical trip to Napalm Springs. Bring your headphones; it might just be the best vacation yet.

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