issue 33 music reviews RUN RUN RUN

Music Reviews by Jack Sparrow

Run Run Run: “Endless Winter” (Song & Dance Records)
Los Angeles is a nice place to live. There are millions of people in this city and each one has a story to tell; some of these stories are more tragic than others, some are more suspenseful, more sympathetic or enviable, but you never get the feeling that you don’t belong in this city. A morphing city, a living town that is constantly growing, constantly changing, L.A. will be a vanguard for sometime to come in many different areas, many aspects of American life.
One rock band that has recently emerged from the city of Angels is Run Run Run, a moody, eclectic combo that is very talented as well as having an ear for pleasing melodies, hooks, riffs, jams, et cetera. On their eponymous debut album they show that they are worthy of the time and money spent recording them. Whew! If there is one thing that this world is always in need of, it is new, original, idiosyncratic arts in general and music in particular.
Their debut CD, “Endless Winter”, an apt name, evoking sullenness and moody petulance, with a psychedelia-tinged undercurrent, starts off with a bang in, a perfect opener, “Drizzle”. Some of the more outstanding cuts are “Try”, “Wire” & “Song & Dance”. The disc winds up with a slowed down, mellowed out tune called “All of a Sudden”, which is a great way to end the CD; it’s like the perfect way to come down after jamming along for the whole of the album and have it slowly kind of fade out in the end. I hope that Run Run Run can keep up with themselves and continue to churn out more great music in the months to come (months – not years!). For more information, check out http://www.runrunrun.com or http://www.mridistribution.com – KM.

Andrew Rothbard: “Abandoned Meander” (Smooch Records)
After listening to “Abandoned Meander” all I could say was “Wow!” This is a good find for me. I am glad I stumbled across this solo album by Andrew Rothbard, a really talented musical wizard.
The music on “Abandoned Meander” is a sort of quasi-psychedelic, neo-folksy pop record, recorded by someone who I can tell loves making music; loves introducing new and interesting sounds to musical freaks who’ll appreciate it.
Two cuts that really caught my attention on the first listen were: “Highuponlone” and
“Indigo”. Both had interesting guitar solos, hooks and nuances that one rarely gets to hear in new music anymore. I hope that we all hear more from Andrew Rothbard and not in two years or some distant time, but soon! To learn more about the artist, buy the album or contact him, go to http://www.smoochrecords.com – KM.

Big Backyard [s/t] (self-released)
These are the days…wild nights, lingering memories from late nights, good times, high times and low tides. Ooh! Baby, baby, baby. That is the kind of stuff that Big Backyard evokes. With a big fat helping of AOR-style easy listening rock & roll, BBY has a sort of Bay Area feel to them, especially a KFOG FM feel, for those SF-ers who know what I mean.
Listening to their eponymous debut I thought of Big Backyard as a kind of Verve Pipe-meets-Widespread Panic. The latter because of the jammin’ solos on which BBY take off now and again throughout the seven cuts on this CD; this was most evident on track #3, “Feel It” and track #5, “Temporary”. Basically, this is what I’d think of a “daytime” album, something light and not too trippy or jarring for work, school, meditating at home, or maybe cruising around in your car, coming home from work, on a road trip or just meandering about. If you’d like to get more information, or to just take a chance and buy the album, go to http://www.bbymusic.com) – KM.

Faulter: “Darling Buds of May” (Abacus Records)
You know, I’m pretty sure there is some oh-so-cool band that gets heavy-rotation on all the hip “alternative” or “modern rock” radio stations, but I couldn’t tell you that band. I just know that Faulter has all the right “moves”, as it were.
“Darling Buds of May” is like an ice sculpture: it’s cool, crisp, concise, crafted and ephemeral. All pop music is fleeting; it’s just that some go away sooner than others. Faulter has the potential to be around for a while if they choose to.
I could easily imagine hearing some of the cuts herein on the radio – like the opener, “Sixes & Sevens” or “Holding On”, or maybe even “Eyes Like Stars”.
There is really nothing outstanding, unique or extra-special about Faulter, but they play some tight rock & roll and they do it with aplomb. So, go out & buy “Darling Buds of May” for your sibling for Xmas or Hanukkah. (http://www.faultermusic.com) – KM.

Mind Controls (Dirtnap Records)
Straight outta Portland, OR, it’s Mind Controls. These guys rock! I love the bass-work on this CD. It’s a rambunctious punk album. Low-fi, DIY punk rock is the way these guys go and the ride is fast and bumpy.
This self-titled opus starts out with a gutter-jam called “Take a Message”. Track #2 is a real screamer called “Death Cult Shoot Out”. Then it’s on and on with more rip-roarin’, electrifying jams.
If you were/are into the legendary Minutemen or got your mind blown by MC5 or the Stooges you’ll no doubt dig Mind Controls.
In this sorry, sappy age of sell-outs and ersatz punk, perpetrated by corporate whores, it’s refreshing to see some real people, not fabrications of the record industry, make music the way they want to and since they are happy, it shows in the music, ergo the fans are happy, everyone wins – except icky corporate slavers, Yea! (http://www.dirtnaprecords.com) – KM.

Deviltones: “Riding the High Horse” (Hard Knox Records)
Rrrrrr… the Deviltones are in the house, watch out! If you are up for a whiplash-inducing, head-spinning gutter ball of a record, this will be your saving grace! The Deviltones are a raucous, rockin’, raunchy bunch of wildmen who will show you a good time.
“Riding the High Horse” starts out with a punch – a wild anthem (“Full-Service Woman”) and keeps going from there, not stopping or slowing down to let up on your ass.
It will definitely make you sway and shake and groove along to the beat. The Deviltones bring me back, they evoke images of big, loud arenas filled with cigarette smoke, pot smoke, the smell of stale beer and sweat and 12,000 screaming kids jumping up and down on the folding chairs that get set up on the main floor.
In fact, listening to “Riding…” it sounds so familiar to me, even though I’ve never heard it before, due to myriad influences bleeding through; I can hear a lot of the bands I used to listen to when I was a kid in the early 80s through this record indirectly.
At the same time, however, this doesn’t sound like it’s out of date; maybe a little bit retro, but it’s got a 21st century flavor to it except that it’s all guitars, bass and drums; no Butch Vig studio preening finish to it; but it is loud, crisp and crystal clear; one can hear every little nuance on the guitar solos. (http://www.deviltones.com) – KM.

Io Perry: “Greybay” (Jupiter X Records)
Pixie-like ice princess, Io Perry is a cute little waif who sings in this pretty little voice; a high, soft birdsong that is infused with a sense of happiness and calm.
On “Greybay”, she displays a wry sense of humor, a pop sensibility and sharp, cool and sweet little hooks and gracious melodies throughout.
It is not the deep-throated, heavy voice of an opera diva or a Lady Day-jazz singer, but still, this style is a different one than the heavy-handedness of the former and no one can replicate the great crooners of the past, but take heed to Ms. Perry, she’ll dazzle you nonetheless.
“Sick of You” is a playful song that seems to be glad to get rid of a pest. “I’ll Pick You Up” is like musical sunshine, it brightened up my room on an overcast day, ditto for the next track, “Saturday”. So, as you can see…I like it, I like it. Now, go out & buy it and you’ll like it too. (http://www.ioperry.com or http://www.jupiterxrecords.com) – KM.