P-Wolves Arriving Too Late to Save a Drowning Pixie

The time seems to be right to start thinking about Frank Black again. July saw the release of the Pixies' Purple Tape demos. David Bowie covers the Pixies' "Cactus" on his latest album, Heathen, and Papa Roach cover "Gouge Away" on lovehatetragedy. On August 20th, Black release two new albums with his garage outfit, The Catholics just in time to keep hiumself fresh in the public's mind. Black Letter Days and Devil's Workshop were both recorded live to two track, and feature guests like Eric Drew Feldman, Lyle Workman, and Joey Santiago. Even without a lot of studio wizardry, both sound great. Prescott Curlywolf, a great little band from Texas, used this method to record Funanimalworld, a lost treasure, to my way of thinking.

The Catholics have had their critics in the past, and these two albums aren' t likely to change anyone's mind who has warmed up to Black's solo efforts. But the albums represent growth and consistently in Black's style. He hasn't changed his approach to songwriting. He still likes loud choppy guitars and quick acoustic strumming that serves as an extension of the drummer's high hats. He still approaches his subjects like some sort of arthouse alien, and he still has a way of lobbing off one corner of where the beat is expected to fall and shortening words to fit the song's rhythm. If anything, the only element that is different is Black's growing appreciation for the alt.country sound, but that's not entirely new either. But both of these albums show that DIY is alive and well, and with a solid songwriter in the driver's seat, "garage band" doesn't have to be a derogatory term.

Speaking of the P-Wolves, I has incredibly happy to find that the band released a new album called Arkadelphia last year. Check it out at http://www.pwolf.com. This little Austin band seemed to have called it quits a while ago, considering Funanimalworld came out in 1998, and different members were involved in several different projects. But after having kept up a search for the band for a couple of year, I unfortunately gave up a little too early. They have that same "just play the goddam song" attitude that marks the best rock, from the Stones to Pavement. Hard to claim this is news, but I was happy to find out about it, if embarrassingly late for such a hip music critic like myself. Hey, anyone know if Ryan Adams will ever do solo material?! Can't seem to find much about it in the mainstream press and all.

The Bigger Lovers have a new album out on Yep Roc (www.yeproc.com) called Honey in the Hive. When I got their debut album, How I Learned to Stop Worrying, came out last year, it managed not to make much of a mark on me. Time will tell if that was my fault or the albums fault, but after listening to the new album, I will be digging it out to see what I was thinking. Honey in the Hive is full of songs with ingratiating melodies roughed up by crunchy, fuzzy guitars and some really spot on harmonies. (Yeah, I said "spot on". I'm tired of seeing harmonies described as tight, and I like English comedy. So sue me.) If you didn't give The Bigger Lovers a shot last time around, give it another whirl.

Tribute albums seem to get a lot of attention these days - discs celebrating the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash (two new ones for Cash due out soon). The songwriting world is starting to seem a little incestuous, with Cash appearing on the Springsteen tribute and Springsteen appearing on one of the Cash tributes. That's why Chooglin', the new indie tribute to CCR mastermind John Fogerty, is a bit of a refreshing change. The disc is filled with lesser-known bands like the Ray Mason Band, Gingersol, Frog Holler, and Star City. The biggest name is probably ex-Del Lord and uber-producer Eric Ambel, who is hiding under the name Gringoman here. Chooglin' is a laid back, solid album crafted by bands who care enough about Fogerty's music to make the songs their own and sing them with the passion they deserve. Gingersol give "Up Around the Bend" a bit of a sixties psychedelic feel. Mark McKay and Scott Murawski sing "Who'll Stop the Rain" with a back porch melancholy far less urgent than the original tune, but fitting in it's own way. The Ray Mason band countrify "Don't Look Now (It Ain't You Or Me)". On the most inventive of the contributions, Western Electric make "Keep on Chooglin'" a funky electric blues full of flanging guitars and sound bites.

And DCN has released a live album Tonight It's Now Or Never, by perennial favorites in this column, Blue Mountain. It captures what is said to be the band's last performance together (not counting European dates Cary Hudson filled with a different bass player). True to the band's live stamina, it's a double disc covering everything from the Hilltops to Roots, the last album the band released. It's not like having the band together and touring, but it makes a nice parting shot for folks who used to buy tickets two months in advance of the shows coming through town. (Check out www.dcn.com for some of the other live albums they're currently offering. They also have some discs by the likes of The Meat Puppets, The Handsome Family, and Ralph Stanley). Cary Hudson's solo debut, The Phoenix, is also out, and Laurie Stirratt is working on her next project. Here's a little laundry list of questionable or semi-useless terms, some of which I use on a regular basis for lack of a better word: Americana, country, cow punk, twang scene, alt.country, the new sincerity, roots, newgrass, power punk, power pop, power trio, pop rock, Beatleqsue, Stonesy, art rock, art noise, fuzzy or chunky guitars, abstract sounds, angular riffing, mature rock, countrified, and gazappy. How many can you find in my columns? Play at home, make up your own!

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