Kevin Mathews:
November, 2004

So Much Music … So Little Time

Don't laugh but sometime at the end of this month, I will be conducting a night course on writing music reviews! Imagine, being made to talk about music for hours - pretty unbelievable, eh? But then I realized that I was about to transform my beloved hobby into work - meaning, that people were paying good money to learn from me and I needed to be professional about what I was going to present. Puts a different spin on things doesn't it? I'd like to think that after all these years of putting together music reviews, I know a thing or two to pass down to prospective music writers and again, want to take this opportunity to thank Casey Fundaro for having the grace and guts to let me into the Fufkin bullpen. (You are very,very welcome - ed.)

Choke

Sorry for the lump in throat stuff - on with the cabaret…

The Attack of the Killer Blurb-O-Rama!

Velvet Crush Stereo Blues (Action Musik)
Ahoy! Legends on the deck! After delving into soft and rustic sounds in the last couple of releases, it's a welcome return to the overdriven power chords of earliest VC memory. Doesn't hurt that Adam Schmitt is on board as co-producer and there's the hint of an empty guitar case on the inner sleeve. So tracks like "Rusted Star," "Here It Comes" and "Son of Ray" reveal an abrasive, cutting edge to trademarked VC irresistible tunes. Essential power pop? Oh yeah! www.velvetcrushrockgroup.com

Grain The Bad Years (Orangeworld)
This is special. Built around the songwriting nucleus of guitarist Wayne Smith and singer Carla Simmons, Grain pays the ultimate tribute to '70s rock (an era in which the finest rock music of all time saw light of day) by creating material that is faithful to that period without being slavish in their devotion, choosing to mix and match differently styles and genres to produce a invigorating blend. So you're gonna hear Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, Emmylou Harris and Neil Young over the course the CD's 12 tracks and prepared to be completely enthralled. www.grain-music.com

Johnny Dowd Cemetery Shoes (Bongo Beat)
At its best, country-folk-blues can be the most visceral and intense musical expression on the planet. No poses, no pretence - 'in-your-face' ruminations of love and death - and in songs like "Whisper in A Nag's Ear," "Rest in Peace" and "Wedding Dress" Dowd (and collaborator Brian Wilson - not *that* Brian Wilson) mixes in electronica and jazz to spice up the proceedings. www.bongobeat.com

Edmund's Crown Collected (Self released)
Apparently, we've heard the music of Edmund's Crown in TV shows like Dawson's Creek, MTV's WWF Tough Enough and NBC's Providence which at least suggests that they struck a chord with TV producers. What about discerning rock and pop listeners like you, dear reader? Well, EC do have a way with simple rock songs that would probably do well on modern rock radio formats and that may be good enough for most of us…. for now anyway. www.edmundscrown.com

Little Wings Magic Wand (K)
Rustic and austere, Little Wings parlay modest piano and acoustic guitar arrangements that create a mood of melancholy introspection that are perfect for the days where nothing seems to be going your way. Know what I mean? Where dropping a tear or two may be as cathartic as air-guitar windmilling to "Won't Be Fooled Again." Poignancy reigns with "I Am with You," "Magic Wand" - complete with haunting pedal steel, "So What" and the delightful "Laugh Now." For fans of Neil Young, American Music Club, Neilson Hubbard. Superb. www.krecs.com

Dream 13 Scissors Paper Rock(Self released)
Right off the bat, this CD contains an inventive title on the outside and inventive edgy pop on the inside. Echoes of XTC, Television, Blur, Wire, Pavement et al are easy reference points. At a pinch, you could probably say that Dream 13 belongs to the post-punk revivalist movement that would include Interpol, the Strokes, Franz Ferdinand and their ilk. Or maybe they just really smart fellows delivering pop smarts. Keep a close watch, my friends. www.dream13.net

Water School Break Up With Water School (Morphius)
This Baltimore quartet has an obvious fixation with the late great Gram Parsons. And in the tradition of the great man, Water School infuses their basic roots foundation with the finest that rock and pop can offer. Often referencing back to classic rock artists who have taken the similar narrow route e.g. Neil Young and the Kinks. From the straight-forward "Southern Belle" to the rousing "All God's Children," Water School displays all the right attitudes and approaches that will appeal to alt-country devotees. www.morphius.com

Dan Vaillancourt Live & Funktified (Self released)
Funky folk or folky funk? Take your pick. Vaillancourt chooses to let his lone acoustic guitar and vocals speak for his talent and skill. No doubting it's uniqueness in delivery and the hybrid never sounds forced. However, only reservation I may have is in the quality of the songs, which at the moment could do with a certain improvement. As stripped down as the presentation is, Vaillancourt's success as a singer-songwriter will depend solely on this, however accomplished a musician he is. www.danvaillancourt.com

Wigglepussy, Indiana Life at the Gallows (Self released)
What would possess a band in this day and age to eschew popular notions of rock success and plough its own lonesome path. I mean, odd time signatures, dark undertones and um gallows humor isn't even in most A&R executives' vocabulary. So you've got to admire the way that Wigglepussy Indiana has gone about charting its musical directions. Slim pickings on the melodic front perhaps but prog rock enthusiasts will not be disappointed. www.wigglepussy.com

Thirteenth Tribe Diamonds Aren't Forever (Partyline)
Joe Sears is behind virtually every sound on this home recorded effort and the basic agenda is very trad rock structures with techno/industrial textures. I suppose you could say latter-day Depeche Mode or early Nine Inch Nails, though without the unrelenting moroseness. In fact some tracks like "Round and Round" are downright power poppy, which is all right in my book! A diverse palette that should have something for every taste. www.theorchard.com

Chris Tomlin Arriving (SixSteps/EMI)
Tomlin deserves his reputation as one of the finer worship songwriters out there. What has worked for Tomlin is his ability to keep his songs balanced between sing-a-along tunes and the modern rock dynamic ala U2/Coldplay/delirious?. Best of all perhaps, his lyrics touch with spiritual fervor and scriptural truth. Arriving continues to meet the high standards Tomlin has set for himself. www.christomlin.com

… by the way, anyone interested in the course and living in Singapore or somewhere relatively nearby can certainly get in touch with me for more details. That's it for now, pretty soon it'll be time to get my head around deciding who gets into my top albums of the year list. Till then…God bless.

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