Music Reviews
by Kent Manthie
The Key Party: “Hit or Miss” (no label)
You know, listening to certain CDs is a lot like getting high for the first time: according to urban legend, no one ever really gets “stoned” their first time smoking pot. Similarly, when I hear a brand new disc of totally new stuff it often times comes off flat, it leaves me cold even. But then there are two things that can happen: if I listen to it at least once or twice more, maybe three at the most, there will come a point where I’ll suddenly click with the music as a whole, through the gateway of one particular song, or – more precisely – a particular hook or riff or a solo or the way it ends; whatever it is, that’s the catalyst that spurs me on to really love it. Now, if, on the other hand, I’m on my fourth or fifth listen and I am not excited about it but at the same time I don’t actively dislike it then it will probably not get listened to anymore after that and I’ll chuck it in with the rest of those like-minded CDs.
The Key Party is somewhat of an iconoclastic outfit. They don’t have any normal, faddy, trendy slick pop-oeuvres in their music. It is basically the brainchild of one Darren Gaines, from New York City. Gaines and a bunch of friends made “Hit or Miss”, their debut opus, by recording it around the country in places such as: “…living rooms, bathrooms and bedrooms in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Washington D.C. and Jacksonville, FL”, according to the back of the CD sleeve.
The lyrics are a mish-mash of mad poetry, beat writing and pop-intonations. The music is a great thing to listen to. It’s a bittersweet, alt-pop séance with a tinge – just a tad – of country in there somewhere, mixed in with the rest of the gumbo, with a hearty sprinkling of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits and maybe just a drop of Lou Reed.
Songs I really dig on this CD are: track #14, “Monday Morning”; track #11, “Manhattan Song”; track #9, “Police KDM”; track #10, Sideshow” and lastly, but not least (the last cut), track #15, “To Begin Again”. Like a lot of other good stuff out these days, there is no label involved here, at least not yet – but you can check out more about them at their website and on My Space, which is, I believe, owned by that foul, evil Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. (son-of-a-bitch): http://www.thekeypartynyc.com & http://www.myspace.com/thekeypartynyc – KM.
Zen Boy & Karma Girl: “Who They Are & How They Came To Be” (no label)
So, who the hell needs a record label anymore these days? Obviously not these two, who’ve managed to put out a slick CD all by themselves and if they’re any good, word-of-mouth praise will follow accordingly – voila!
Zen Boy & Karma Girl is a folksy duo who is either from Alpha Centauri or Hollywood. I was kind of taken aback when I put the CD in the player and out came this really light, acoustic folk music. The first two tracks were kind of all right, but as it went on, starting with the corn-pone “There Won’t Be”, it got pretty unbearable for me, not being much of a Peter, Paul & Mary fan and I never liked the Kingston Trio either (but my mom loves ‘em). So, don’t let the tight pants fool you, they’re folkies in disguise. You can check out their website for more info: http://www.zenboyandkarmagirl.com – KM.
“Other Songs and Dances Volume One” – (Backlight Records)
Smooth, baby; dig it. Backlight Records has come out with a sampler of twelve “smooth jazz” tunes, also known as “Lite Jazz” or what I think is more honest: “Jazz Manqué” – the syrupy white-boy stuff a la Kenny G, the poster boy for “smooth jazz” – it is really the Muzak of today, the stuff you hear in 7-Elevens, at Baker’s Square for coffee and pie, in the dress shop or at the mall. It isn’t bad music, it has a kind of “smooth” quality to it, it’s fluid and very ambient too, I mean, it literally melts into the woodwork (ok, well, not literally…).
On “Other Songs and Dances Volume One”, there are highlights from such Lite Jazz stalwarts as Duncan Sheik, Jeff Dueck and Matt Singer. Put this CD on next time you have a dinner party, it’ll be the right soundtrack.
Pretty much every major city around the U.S. has a “Smooth Jazz” station, just like KOOL Oldies stations are like a franchise around the country too, so you’ve no doubt been in contact with the aforementioned stylish people. If you’d like more information on this compilation or other stuff from Backlight Records, check out http://www.backlightrecords.com – KM.
Kelly & David: “As the Twilight Auguries” (no label)
This is the stuff of which daydreams and reveries are made: “As the Twilight Auguries” is a blissed out acoustic CD; a bohemian folkie set. These two kids put together some mellow-as-hell, ethereal acoustica that is a little folksy, I’ll admit, but it is a very cerebral folksiness, a brilliant set of lyrics and simple guitar pluckin’ – it is a perfect way to unwind after a long, hard and stressful day.
Kelly Martin and David Jones hail from Los Angeles and they bring that big city, urbane wittiness to their craft; think of Neil Young in the late 60s, David Crosby, Brian Wilson, John Phillips, that is the legacy of L.A. that these two are following quite well.
It’s hard for me to pick any favorites here, at least now, ask me again after I listen to it a bunch more times, but for now all the songs just sort of melt into each other, they all sound so good, I don’t have any complaints, really. The lyrics are sublime, never forced; the music is quite good; understated melancholia, beautifully demure. But “As the Twilight Auguries” rises on the strength of the vocals, the words are what stand out; it isn’t about virtuosity or sonic intensity, it’s about singing songs. In that regard, Kelly & David have pulled it off, this thing works.
Patrick Cornell: “This Much is True” (no label)
On “This Much is True” Patrick Cornell wows us, the general public (that’s me & you, baby) with some punchy rock riffs and slick chokehold hooks. The first cut, “Dies Irae” is a classic example of what I’m talking about: it has an almost anthemic refrain, it’s a tight-fisted set of riffs that grab you by the lapels as soon as you hit “play” and throttles you until you submit to it!
Yet, I don’t know why the major (pimp) labels aren’t yet all over Cornell like cheap suits. Just wait a little while and Patrick will be getting solicited like a two-dollar whore on Sunset [Blvd] after 2 am. P.C. has a plaintive wailing voice that at times reminded me of Jeremy Enigk, late of Sunny Day Real Estate, a great, great band that burned brightly and then burned out as quickly, but I digress…
For me, this much is true: I like his voice, I like the jingle-jangle guitars and the mod-lyrics and the oh-so-cool way he has about that undercurrent of madness in check by an iron will.
It has become rarer and rarer these days for a CD of new music to even interest me, much less make me shake and shiver. It’s like, for every 10-12 CDs there is maybe one decent one and an even wider ratio for getting stuff that is really outstanding, so you’ll have to forgive my occasional lapse into cynicism. I see no reason to make any cynical barbs here.
I hope that this CD, “This Much is True” is not just a fluke; I hope there’s something here on which to hold; something I can look forward to: we’ll see…check him out at http://www.myspace.com/patrickcornell – KM.
Rockosaurus Rex: “The Big Bang” (Huge Wonder Records)
It’s a ‘Huge Wonder’ that I’m reviewing this silly thing. I guess it is something for those rock & roll kiddies – like I was when I was little. I suppose I would’ve jumped up and down on my parent’s bed while jamming to this when I was 3 or 4 years old if this were around in ‘74 or ’75.
Rockosaurus Rex is a one-joke band: they take a bunch of old standards of kiddie fare that all of us remember from our childhoods and they turn them into fast, furious punk rock versions. What a riot, hahahaha. A few examples of this kind of kitsch gone wild: “Skip to my Lou”, “Pop Goes the Weasel”, “Polly Wolly Doodle”, Three Blind Mice”, “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “This Old Man” and “Wiggly Woo”. Uh… what do I say? I mean, I didn’t like these songs when I was a child, I was into the Rolling Stones, big time, so although it’s a little funny to goof on them, by doing irreverent rock-tinged covers. The thing is, is that it’s a little too long. I mean, sure it’s a cute gag, but there are 21 songs on this CD and I’m sure it’s not that un-obvious that this kind of schtick wears thin way before you get to the end. I mean, really now; c’mon, dude, gimme a friggin’ break! Then again, if you have a kid who thinks it’s a hoot, the advantage of so many cuts is that it’ll be that much longer before it ends and the kid starts it over and over and over – the way children are wont to do; http://www.hugewonder.com – KM.
Podunk Nowhere (s/t) (no label)
Podunk Nowhere is a duo consisting of Heather Marie who sings with a most beautiful voice and Johnny Janiga on guitar, which means that we’re talking acoustica here; simple, stark and marvelous craftwork.
Heather Marie has a heavenly voice that transcends any amount of instruments that could’ve been playing in the background; it’s no wonder that a guitar is the only accompaniment – it’s all that’s needed. She takes things from aria-like elegance to a countryish swagger, to a soft songbird and back again. Her graceful chanteusicity (to coin a word) has an operatic shimmy that reaches and reaches then dips down, down to a stillness that is dying to get loose and then it does and a cathartic wail will emanate above the tension that has built from the slow, quiet, steady strumming of Mr. Janiga’s guitar, speaking of whom, he is no slouch himself, musically, a fine counterpoint on both acoustic and electric guitars.
I can picture the two of them together on a stage in a dark, cavernous club somewhere in the city, captivating the audience with a hypnotic reverie produced by their sweet music. To see, read and possibly hear more about Podunk Nowhere, check out their “My Space” page at: http://www.myspace.com/podunknowhere – KM.
Boys Like Girls (s/t) (Columbia Records)
I don’t know how I ended up with a CD on Columbia Records. They should know better than to suck up to me for a review. I have nothing but utter contempt for corporate muck. Anyway, Boys Like Girls have this self-titled major label debut and it is a showcase of modern rock in the vein of the “Nice Guy Band”, you know: a combo of young, suburban middle class white boys who have just barely escaped the clutches of childhood. Now they’re out on their own and making something of this rock and roll thing that their moms have indulged them in for the last ten years in the form of rides to and from piano lessons, buying them instruments, giving up her quiet household into a rock & roll party pad and making sandwiches and cookies for all the friends that come over for jam sessions.
Anyway, that sort of sums up the pathos comprising this eponymous CD; I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear this on one of the modern rock radio stations around town. In fact, I rather expect it to be pushed hard by a big outfit like Columbia Records – the recent settlement between the Justice Department and Sony Music Corp. (parent of Columbia) just goes to show that Payola is alive and well in this slave new world of ours.
Boys Like Girls have a kind of Jimmy Eat World sound to them, for lack of a better comparison, but you get the drift – ‘nuff, said, huh? I guess this is the latest trend in the modern rock department, since it’s now drifted to corporate serfdom. But it is tired and trite and you know, this fare was fresh-sounding for a few minutes a few years ago, like 2002 or so, but now it sounds formulaic, phony and you know, I don’t trust any band that comes out of nowhere and signs with a major label; just where the hell did they come from anyway? I mean, what kind of person has a big goal of selling out and signing a contract and becoming a businessman for all practical purposes? If that is your goal you should just go to Wharton and get your MBA. If you want to make music to make music then a major label is the last thing with which you want to be associated. (http://www.boyslikegirls.com) – KM.
Slowdeath: “A Rising Tide of Anger” (Moebius Palindrome Records)
On the long-awaited follow-up to their last album, “12 Anthems”, Slowdeath brings you “A Rising Tide of Anger” and believe me, it’s angry! The CD gets going with a really cool opener called “Apocalypse Dub”, a funky little instrumental jam that really pulled me in only to bait & switch me after two minutes when it went into the meat of the disc: the grungy, violent Manichean blobfest that took over. It’s a veritable catharsis of major proportions – for both Slowdeath as well as the fans who listen to the CD.
Besides the opener, “Apocalypse Dub”, check out “Requiem”, “Helicopter Head” and “Slow Doom March” for some good samples.
While the music is just a tad slower than your average Black Flag song, Slowdeath have a punk attitude, a DIY sensibility and they don’t seem like a bunch of obstreperous, Young Republicans, which is what most metal bands are.
So, next time you have a big fight with your parents or your crazy volatile girlfriend (once again) flips out on you and you’re all worked up afterwards, put this CD on and turn it up really loud and then you’ll slowly have a release for all the rage burning up inside you. http://www.slowdeath.net – KM.
Max Brody: Demo (self-released)
A former member of Ministry – ha! I’ll bet he never even shot dope with Al Jourgensen! But seriously, I’m happy that industrial music is still around after all these years; that metallic, dehumanized, repetitive drone and the sturm und drang of it all.
Anyway, I suppose one has to do what one has to do, n’est-ce pas? Well, this 4-song EP demo thingy that Mr. Brody sent us is pretty cool, I must say. It isn’t the usual banal garage band junk. I hope that there will be some follow-up to this little tease of a sample.
It’s full of instrumental industrial stuff. It’s not quite as hard-edged as Ministry, it’s a decent little thing, though and I will say this: it’s a good piece of stuff and I hope Maxie-baby makes more groovy stuff like this. My favorite tracks are the last two: #3 & #4 – “Ft. Lauderdale” and “Biloxi”; but I like the first two tracks, “$14 Meatball” and “Ointment” a lot too.
If you’re feeling adventurous and want to hear something exciting and different instead of the same old crap rehashed again and again, you can have Max send you a copy for maybe $5 or something – I’m sure you two can reach some kind of deal, right? Go to: http://www.stackedrecords.com and there you’ll be plunged into a twisted netherworld of depravity, human bondage and CDs for sale at decent prices – KM.
Michael Bernier (s/t) and “Michael Bernier & The Uprising Live at Phoenix” (Evolvement Records)
Michael Bernier, a singer-songwriter who has an interesting set of tunes on his self-titled CD, where he plays acoustic guitar and sings – it seems like a pretty sparse soundscape but the songs have a fullness about them, they’re very rich in texture and depth. While the music is acoustic, he’s not a folkster; Bernier’s more of a laid back, mellow, introspective emotive kind of expressionist, he’s not pretentious, no gimmicks, just really honest, unobtrusive music to lounge around and be lazy to on a weekend afternoon at home. Songs like “Willow Tree”, “Not So Sure” and my favorite, “Pipe Dreams” are surprisingly (to me, anyway) captivating. Just when I thought that the CD was getting too long, I sort of got my second wind, metaphorically, and it just kept getting more and more interesting, I liked it more the longer it went on. Sometimes a CD can go the opposite way, where I’ll start out really digging it but then it goes on too long and after about six or seven good songs there are six or seven filler cuts. Kudos to Bernier for not running out of material and putting in filler just to make a longer CD; this is the kind of album that grows on you as you listen to it more and more.
So then I came across another CD of Bernier’s: “Live at Phoenix”, which adds a group dynamic, as this time he’s playing with a backup band, called The Uprising. The “Phoenix” of the album title refers to Phoenix Studio, where they recorded it ‘live’ as opposed to overdubbing one track at time (guitar, then bass, then drums, then vocals, then keyboards and so on). It’s a smooth set – a leisurely romp of an album that does sound like a live event. It sounds like they could be jamming in some downtown bar, you know, the type: gentrified old building with exposed brick walls, high ceilings, a lot of space, like a giant loft, with an intimate, relatively low stage up front from where great music sometimes emanates. “In the City” and “Pelican Song” have a sort of jazzy ambience to them; they are mellow, but have a wry energy that envelops you like a leather blanket. Track 5, “Pick Up Pick Up” is a funky, moody thing that really had me in thrall. “Awaken Me”, which has a bit of a country tinge to it and “Willow Tree” show off the vocal talents of Ms. Diane Proulx, who also plays keyboards on the record.
“Live at Phoenix” has a lively feel all the way through, it makes you feel like you know them a bit more intimately even though it’s only a CD and you never have met them. OK, no, it’s not that intimate, but it is fun to pretend so. Also, track seven, “Things Have Changed” is a fantastic meditation with a subtle groove.
I think that there is something to Michael Bernier and his bad self. Watch out for this troubadour to come to your town – I’m sure you and your girlfriend will be wowed and you’ll feel love in the air. For the lowdown on Bernier and company, check out the Evolvement website: http://www.theevolvement.com and visit Mike on his My Space page- http://www.myspace.com/MichaelBernier (your welcome, Rupert) – KM.