Feels Like Sugar, Tastes Like Snow--Hjaltalin's Orchestral Pop on Terminal

I just finished listening to this very interesting album from Iceland. They are not the easiest group to characterize, but the easiest and broadest description is Orchestral Pop Music. I mean, literally, this album is being performed with accompanied by an orchestra. Hjaltalin apparently are an immensely popular band in their native Iceland and this album rose to the top of their music charts. They are never to be confused with a band like Sigur Ros however. Their game is entirely different.

I was lonely, drinking coffee....

I can't honestly say that I haven't heard this before. It is all quite familiar, yet very distinct and quirky. But they seem to be the only group doing this now. The songs are in different styles and the arrangements are quite creative and not imitative. At times I feel that I am listening to a Broadway musical written by Kafka, and at other points I am hearing a dark Scott Walker tune. Or Motown. Or Nick Drake. Or John Cale's Paris 1919. Or Bjork. Or Disco. Or Burt Bacharach. Or The Delgados. Or Pulp. Or The Fifth Dimension. Or Love. But whatever style they attempt, they pull them off spectacularly. So without further ado, let me introduce you to the band.

Hogni Egilsson is on lead vocals and guitar. Sidriður Thorlacius is also a vocalist. Axel Haraldsson is on drums and percussion and Guðmundur Oskar is on Bass. Hjortur Ingvi Johannsson is on keyboards and Rebekka Bryndis Bjornsdottir is on Bassoon and percussion. Viktor Orri Arnason plays violin. Oh, and also
there is a big fat symphonic orchestra and choir for good measure. There must have been a pretty huge recording budget for Terminal. Perhaps they got a grant from the government before the unfortunate financial collapse.

This album certainly may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I am a little surprised that there isn't more chatter about this recording. It's a really ambitious work of art. Terminal won album of the year for 2010 at the Icelandic Music awards. I guess it takes a tour with Radiohead to convince the rest of the World. I know a lot of Americans don't want to hear other languages in music so the fact that the vocals are in English might help give them a bump.

I've only listened to this album once and there are so many nuances to this recording. But this recording was so interesting to me that I had to say something about it immediately. The album begins with Suitcase Man, which is right out of the Scott Walker pantheon. Then you go into the soul balladry of Sweet Impressions.
Then you have the magnificent 60's Broadwayesque Bacharach duet Feels Like Sugar. But with dark baffling lyrics.

Peaceful mind, with invisible scars that won't heal.
Dead alive, butterflies in my eye
Howling hearts, quiet enemies.
Right or wrong, gravity holds,
It holds me down.




Songs From Incidental music reminds me of the Nick Drake tune Day is Done from his Five Leaves Left album. And on the very same album you also have the ebullient disco tune Water Poured Into Wine. Amazing. Iceland seems to be the sort of place where people don't care about these things, which I admire a lot. Maybe on their next album Hjaltalin will have Polkas, or Gangster Rap on it. Your kid sister plays the bassoon at the Conservatory? Tell her to come join our band!

Sigridur has a magnificent voice. When you hear her soulful vocals on 7 years you will be hooked. She is going to be a huge star. Well she's a star already--we just don't know it yet. Anyway, Terminal is an album I would highly recommend to any fan of challenging interesting music. Sometimes you can get a little jaded with the same old same old, and this album has definitely turned out to be an eye opener for me. Oh well, I guess I'll have to pick up their first long player Sleepdrunk Sessions now.

Sound D'Afrique Volume 1: Soukous Dance Party on Mango

Sound D'Afrique Volume 1 is a fun collection of African Dance Music that came out on Mango records in the 1981. It was the first Soukous collection released on a major label for a Western audience. If you have a compelling need of cheering up, this album would definitely do the trick.

The album is a six track sampler that has songs from groups from five African nations, from the French speaking areas of Africa, though African languages are sung throughout. I don't have a lot of information on this album, but I do know that it sounds great, joyous in fact. The only band I recognize is Etoile De Dakar from Senegal.

Me Bowa Ya is the first track and it is a killer, with the great swinging horn line at the start. Makes you want to hop off the couch and start dancing. It is by Mekongo from Cameroon, which may actually be Mekongo President, the closest name of a group I could find. I'm listening to it now and I'm jerking my head back and forth like the "Night at the Roxbury" brothers from Saturday Night Live. Absolutely stellar.




Massoua Mo is next, by Eba Aka Jerome the Ivory Coast, a sunny seven and a half minute guitar workout with multiple vocalists. One of the real highlights here is Bo Mbanda, by Pablo, from what was then known as Zaire, now Congo. I love the guitar breaks where you have two different interlocking guitar riffs going on at the same time. And again great horn parts and group vocals.



Rounding out the album Kambou Clement from Upper Volta perform Dounougnan, a more toned down dance number with sharply chiming guitar work. Etoile de Dakar (Senegal) perform Jalo, a warm mellow number with great dramatic lead vocals by Youssou N'Dour. The album ends strongly with Moboma by Menga Mokombi which is absolutely beautiful, a wonderful finish to a terrific album.

I'm sorry that I don't know more about this. There are no liner notes to speak of here. I don't know what they are saying, and I don't know the band personnel or singers. But nonetheless this is a record that moves me. I know I see comments in Amazon regarding African pop Cds from expatriate Africans. Almost invariably a person will state, "I grew up with this music, or I used to listen to this on cassette when I was a teenager--I now hear this music again after all these years and I cry (or at least put me in a state of joy)." I can only imagine what that must feel like. All the familiarity, memories, nostalgia for homeland and family and friends. I feel a lot when I hear this music and that's coming from an entirely different and less significant level. It's too bad that this is so very out of print. It probably would be a lot easier to get this on vinyl. But at least for the time being you can at least hear a little bit of this great music right now.

The Neighborhoods--The Last Rat--Beantown Idols Incendiary Last Show on Cd

The Neighborhoods were a great Boston band with a huge local following, replete with a lot of airplay on radio stations in the 80's. The song Prettiest Girl which was originally issued by Ace of Hearts was very familiar to anyone who lived in the Boston metropolitan area. They were one of the top bands in the area. The original lineup was Dave Minehan on guitar and lead vocals, John Hartcorn on Bass, and Mike Quaglia on Drums. I was lucky enough to see them perform, probably in the winter of 1983-84 in a small bar in Auburn, Mass. just outside of Worcester. The name of the venue escapes me as it was the only time I was there.

I have to say they were simply excellent. Dave Minehan had amazing guitar chops and electrifying stage presence. The band had that charismatic star quality that every aspiring band wishes they had. I was certain that this was a band that was destined for success. But that did not exactly happen. Certainly they were given a shot to some degree. They were signed to a major label, at some point it seemed that Brad Whitford of Aerosmith became a fan of what they were doing and tried to put some of his influence on their behalf. I don't pretend to be an insider here, but it does seem that something happened to the band in their quest for the brass ring, to be megastars. Somehow all of the great things that band did, all of the things that made them such a revered band in their hometown, were pushed aside in favor of a more commercial, hard riffing,
hard rock style. Say Aerosmith Lite. Their earlier material was what got them noticed, and I think the new trend made them sound undistinctive and less charming, less fresh. And with the stylistic changes they still never got to do the beer commercial.

And so it goes with this 1992 Live Album released in 2010 on 2 discs. The band was in fine form that evening, playing at Boston's Rathskeller in Kenmore Square in front of a legion of adoring fans. The quality of the live recording is excellent. I like a lot of the music here, though on both discs I find that in general the quality is better at the end. The lineup of The Neighborhoods at the time was Minehan with Lee Harrington on Bass, and Carl Coletti on Drums. Tracks 10-17 on the first disc have Dave reuniting with his original cohorts Quaglia and Hartcorn. Not to disparage the other musicians, who are terrific here, but I really enjoyed this part of the album. Some of the other music doesn't move me as much, though I don't wish to overgeneralize.

Certainly on the first disc, Pure and Easy is one of the standouts. In my opinion, it's the best thing they ever did, a bona fide classic rock tune, as good as anything you could ever expect to hear. The opening cut Real Stories is another super song in the vein of The Replacements. Great Great Great!! The minute I heard this song I knew that this Cd was a worthwhile purchase. At their very best they were like America's answering salvo to the Jam, as can be seen on the heart pounding pop of No Place Like Home. With a song like that, I'm not surprised why Boston loved this band so much. The band does a nice cover of Ready Steady Go during this set, but it actually pales in comparison to their A-list originals like She's So Good.




Of course they perform Prettiest Girl and it is wonderful, as you would expect. An irresistible song that always forces a smile out of me. Terrific harmonies. From the demeanor of the crowd, you would have thought the Celtics just won another ring during the set. And right before that Milestone, you get to hear Monday Morning and Innocence Lost. I guarantee that when you hear this portion of the set you will wish you had been an eyewitness to this night. I really wish there was a DVD for this.

But with the good, there are some of the more pedestrian hard rockin' songs of their latter days. It may be to the taste of some, but I'm not that thrilled with Nancy, Hookwinked, Roxxanne, Diane, their version of Walkin' The Dog, their particularly crude song The Pipe. I do like Tommy though, and also Arrogance and Hangin', and the Burma-ish mess. The disc concludes with an apparent tribute to some of the other great Boston bands of the day. They perform Spymaster by La Peste, Hot Steel and Acid by Nervous Eaters, and That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate by Mission of Burma. All in all a very good and well recorded set by a band that more people should know about. For just a 3 piece band, they certainly raised a ruckus live. If you go to hoodsnoise.com you can buy a copy and find out for yourself.




This post is dedicated to my legendary college roommate, Boston's truest son.

Let's Make Some New Mistakes--Celibate Rifles' The Turgid Miasma of Existence!

The Turgid Miasma of Existence is probably my favorite album title ever. The fact that it was made by one of the best Australian band ever, Sydney's Celibate Rifles is even greater reason for jubilation. The Celibate Rifles are one of punk rocks finest ongoing institutions, starting up in the wake of The Saints and Radio Birdman, and continuing to the present. A shining example of why punk rock is great--visceral guitar work, politically charged intelligent lyrics, always passionate in their convictions. Fighting the good fight against hypocrisy and for a greater good.

Thunder From Down Under

But I was listening to this fine album again very recently and some of the lyrics in the liner notes struck me as being quite prescient, in the wake of the shooting tragedy in Tucson. From Sentinel:

I hear the beasts outside my window

They speak the dead man's alphabet

I fear the violence of their speech

Their thoughts that drift just out of reach

Like stars upon a midnight beach

They fail to reach their destination

Another day of cancelled expectations.

Those words really struck a chord with me. While naturally, you cannot definitively prove a causal relationship between hate speech from the conservative right politicians and pundits and the killings in Arizona, it raises the question why people are using violence in their speeches these days. What purpose is served by this? And don't kid yourself. One of the tactics of the conservatives is to try and make this issue universal--the left wing does the same thing, so everyone is guilty. Sure, you can find examples of this, but preponderantly this violent tone is coming from the Right.

I hear people on the TV endlessly lamenting how such a madman could get such a weapon, and how there should be a way to prevent a deranged person from obtaining automatic or semi-automatic weapons. Really the issue is why anyone should be able to obtain an weapon with such a mass killing potential at all! Some people have ventured the opinion that maybe if people had more guns, they could have taken the lunatic out in Tucson before he harmed so many people. Well..., there is a certain logical truth to that. But, the United States has more guns per capita and in sheer numbers more guns than any other country on this planet already, and we have an awful history of gun violence here. So how many guns will we need in order to end violence here? Even though we have more than everywhere else, it is apparently still not enough. When you look at the problem in this way, the logic is sheer lunacy.

I heard someone say that we need guns because of the bad people. Who are these bad people and why does America seemingly have more bad people than other places? I hope when people speak about American exceptionalism, that is not what they are referring to. When you hear an the argument in this manner, you can't help but detect an undercurrent of racism. I hope that in the near future a new version of the Brady Law banning assault weapons will become a Federal Law again. Under the Bush Administration that was allowed to expire. Ironic, because Mr Brady was shot in the head during an attempted assassination of conservative icon and American President, Ronald Reagan. On that note, let me return to the world of music.

On TTMOE, you have the indominatable Damien Lovelock on Lead Vocals. Kent Steedman is on Guitar(!), Mykle Couvret on Bass, Dave Morris also on Guitar, and Phillip Jacquet pounds the Drums. Bill Bonney Regrets opens this album, and the beginning instrumental is one of my favorite punk rock musical moments ever. With their energy and politically astute lyrics they remind me of an Australian version of  Canada's D.O.A. Then again with their name purportedly being the literal opposite of the Sex Pistols in a way makes them the Sex Pistols of the Southern Hemisphere. (You know, like the opposite swirl of the toilet)

"The News is what we want to hear, electric magic diarrhoea...."

This is a very solid album. Kent Steedman shreds giant guitar riffs throughout. Another bona fide classic tune is the awesome Sometimes, which is very much in the vein of Stranded by the legendary Saints. Those two songs I've mentioned make this album essential on their own. But there is also so much more. Eddie is another winning uptempo number as are JNS, Conflict of Instinct, Some Kind of Feeling, and New Mistakes. There are also very good quieter tunes like No Sign, Glasshouse, and the aforementioned Sentinel. The Cd also includes an acoustic version of Eddie and two live cuts, Ice Blue and Thank You America.

So if you are a fan of punk rock there is no way you can be disappointed with The Turgid Miasma of Existence. This is a killer album with a load of great songs. This album seems to be a little tough to get a hold of right now, but there are collections of their early music like Sofa that are readily available. So do yourself a favor and get familiarized with a great Australian band.



While The Rockin's Good--Little Willie John-The King Sessions 1958-1960

It's a little embarrassing that Little Willie John is a recent discovery to me. It's happened in a roundabout way, as it happens sometimes with me. Originally he was just a title to a song from Mark Lanegan's great grunge-blues album Bubblegum, Just Like Little Willie John. For some reason I imagined him to be a harmonica playing bluesman, but I was way way off base. But I was intrigued with his name being used by Lanegan, and when I finally got around to the truth, I was floored. Maybe he is a lot better known to many people, but his music is pretty new to me.

What an amazing amazing transcendent voice!! I thought it was Sam Cooke when I listened to this at first. Everyone and their mother knows who Sam Cooke is, but how many people know about Little Willie John is today? Well, they should. The man deserves his due. He without doubt had one of the greatest voices in popular music. Another great talent who went young. Barely made 30.

There are 3 Cd's documenting his recording for the King Label. This particular one covers the years 1958-1960. I'm listening to this right now and I want to play this on infinite rotation. He sings with so much ease, and with great emotion range. And seemingly with true conviction. Whether a slow burning torch ballad like
No More In Life, or a rock n' roll tune like Let's Rock While the Rockin's Good Willie John delivers like a consummate pro. On this album he also sings the great Leave My Kitten Alone. He doesn't sing with the almost otherworldly confidence of a Sam Cooke, but in a lot of ways his delivery seems more real, with  honest vulnerability, perhaps from a lonelier place closer to Roy Orbison's neighborhood.

I guess due to his moniker people like to talk about his "diminutive height". I'm really not that amazed that a short man could have a powerful tremendous voice. It seems kind of silly to me. I'm just amazed by that voice regardless of the vessel. Little Willie John possessed a tremendous gift and despite his short time on planet earth we are fortunate to be able to enjoy his beautiful recordings. You should give him a listen.

Singles Gone Scrambled--McRackins Eggzit--

I'm going on a limb here, but this is a blog which lives to dare. (If you can call that living...)

The McRackins are without doubt the greatest Egg-based pop punk band that Canada has ever produced.

Standing Ovation

As far as punk rock goes, the eternal question of chicken vs egg has finally been settled. That was back in 1994 with their What Came First? Album. I always used to think that my hometown was the center of the Universe. But maybe its real location of Omeros is Vancouver.

Outwardly, the band is a long running gag, sort of a punk rock parody of Kiss. But with two Eggs (and a dog drummer). Bil, Fil & Spot. You might think that the dog drummer's name is Fil. But if you did, you would in fact be mistaken.

They've put out a zillion albums or so over the last 16+ years, all with great funny titles. Planet Of The Eggs, Bat Out Of Shell, In On The Yolk, and their latest, It Ain't Over Easy. Even Bil McRackin has a solo album entitled I Am The Eggman. I'm serious. This is a real band. The only album with FDA warnings on the CD cover instead of the FCC.




And the music is pretty great sounding, with a surprising lack of quality egg-themed songs. They are an accomplished band from what I hear on their Eggzit album. They sound a lot like what you might expect, Ramones, Cheap Trick, Replacements. Fun, high octane pop with really good harmonies. And of course they have a sense of humor.

Eggs Are People Too.

With song titles like Gumparella and Junk In The Trunk, how can you go wrong? There's no better time than the present to become a foot soldier in the McRackin Army.

David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries:(Nothing But) Pedals? Nah, More Like Byrnesy The Observer

Just finished reading David Byrne's book The Bicycle Diaries. Before I bought the book, I checked out what people had to about the book on Amazon. It was a mixed bag. But then again so is the book.

I think a lot of people who panned the book were avid bikers who received the book as a gift by some well intentioned friend or relative who didn't know much about bikes. The recipients may very well not have known who the author is. It is not really a bike book, with hard technical knowledge about preparing for races, or the most scenic bike routes in the Berlin area. Biking is a part of the book but it is only a small part of the picture. So some people get outraged because the content is wrong. I can understand. I was pretty annoyed when I discovered that there were no French Connection style car chases in Driving Miss Daisy.

The other haters seemed to be the American Super Patriot type, who don't brook dissent, unless of course they are in disagreement with things. They complain that Liberal David Byrne, a known freedom hater and punk rock subversive, is out bashing stuff again, with his internationalist, cosmopolitan, euro-hopping car killing socialism. Blah. Blah. Blah. Makes you wonder if they read the book.(doubt it). Those sort of comments would make Mr. Byrne appear to be a pretentious sort. In reality, while David has strong convictions on issues, he is pretty low key and unassuming in the book, almost to a fault.

But I thought it would be an interesting read. David Byrne is a creative soul, an intelligent person who seeks out new and interesting things. He is a thoughtful person, a man who straddles the art and music world. He has the eclectic Luaka Bop music label. So is this a great great work of erudition, or as in the enlightened vernacular of today, a must read? Not particularly. But I enjoyed it, much as I enjoy a lot of comedies. There are great bits in it, that made me think, made me laugh. I learned a few things. On a lot of his big ideas, it sometimes felt like I was on a tandem bike with him. But like any bike ride there are ups and downs. And in reality Byrne does not have high aspirations here.

First of all, as I said, it is not a bike book. The Bike Motif is a literary foil that connects his travels and his thoughts as he goes about his life. It is not a particularly great travel book either. You get little snippets, little snapshots and philosophical musings about places, and some of the people who are creating things in these places. His destinations include places like Manila, Berlin, San Francisco, Istanbul, and Buenos Aires. But the book is more like the title a diary, or perhaps a blog. Certainly the text is embellished with numerous photos and images. I'd like to imagine that the title Bicycle Diaries is a homage to Basketball Diaries by the late poet-musician Jim Carroll, but since he doesn't mention it anywhere I am probably off base. Unless of course it is that painfully obvious.

Bicycle diaries is not particularly revelatory, at least not in the Hollywood Tell-all style. So Talking Heads fans will not want to read this to find out juicy details about the author. There are just numerous musings on art, music, individuality, architecture, urban society, public policy, global ecology. Belly dancing. The East German Secret Police. It's interesting to hear what he has to say on a myriad of topics. But he seems to be a pretty self effacing person. He is very much a third person in this chronicle, an outside observer. In a way, it's kind of refreshing. So many people visit a place for a few weeks and think they have uncovered timeless secrets and insights. It's more about them than the place, a sort of verbal imperialism. But he doesn't try and dictate what things are so much, or what people should or shouldn't do.

It's not always so clear cut.

But he gets impressions of places through his bike journeys, and puts a lot of thought to more universal ideas. I particularly like his musings on "outsider" art made by school janitors and mentally ill people, and how similar artworks by big name "sane" and savvy downtown artists command respect and big dollars. I think he basically said that if archaeologists uncovered two similar examples of such art by disparate authors, they would not be able to make many qualitative distinctions. I guess there is at least a little bit of hype in everything.

So I would recommend this book, if you've read what I've said about it and are intrigued. The book grew on me as I continued reading. It's like having a conversation with a really smart reflective guy who travels the world with his eyes wide open. With a quirky sense of humor to boot. Most people reach a certain age and decide what they like and don't like and become set in their ways. They don't want to know about new things--well, maybe they will go on some trips and take pictures of the Pyramids or a Norwegian Dragon Church. But other people have a thirst for knowledge and for experiencing and interacting with the world that is boundless. They don't fall for those stereotypes that are often fostered by ignorance. And in a way I consider that to be a form of respect for other people, something that we need more of in this world.
I'm just saying that this sort of questing attitude should keep going, not stop when you throw your cap in the air after graduating High School or when you get a real job. Keep your mind sharp--you might have to use it some day.

Ice Ice Baby!! Chansons Des Meres Froides-Hector Zazou-This Is A Voyage--

Cold As Ice, you know...

This is a fitting album for Winter and us Northern Hemispherians. Songs from the Cold Seas, a concept album by the late French producer Hector Zazou is an album I like to listen to when I need to mellow out a bit and relax. Zazou created an album with vocalists and updated musical styles from the Northern areas of our planet. Most of the singers are female, though not exclusively so. Canada, Norway, England, Wales, Scotland, Russia, Finland, Sweden, and America are represented here, and additionally the Sami people who inhabit the northerly parts of Scandinavia, the Yakut of Siberia, and the Ainu people of Hokkaido.

Though the singers are at the forefront of all the recordings, the reason I return to this album again and again is because of Zazou. There is something truly amazing about the sonic timbre of this album. There is a crisp and pristine clarity to the recordings that fits in line with the Northern theme. The music makes my ears tingle.

With Laughing Face and Gleaming Hands

The arrangements are also traditional but often with unusual injections of instrumentations. And the whole concept is unusual--plus it must have cost a mint to record this. I have to salute the company that gave this project the green light. As much as I enjoy a good pop hook, or a mile a minute punk raveup, I also enjoy hearing unique and unusual recordings like this.

Of course, a further attraction are the great artists who collaborated with Zazou on this project. From Finland we have the stellar vocal quartet Vartiina. On Annukka Sunren Neito I feel like I am being transported back to some ritual from 500 years ago. Bjork is Iceland's representative, and she trades off with a clarinet on a religious theme with Visur Vatnsenda-rosu. Excellent. John Cale and Suzanne Cale duet on The Long Voyage a song whose lyrics are based upon the poem Silhouettes by Oscar Wilde. Actually one of the more lighthearted moments on this album. The bass clarinet riff gives a certain levity to the proceedings.



There are a lot of interesting moments on this album. One of the most notable is Adventures In The Scandinavian Skin Trade which is a hip hop take on a Sami joik (chant) which uses traditional instrumentation like mouth harps and Siberian Tambours. The Yakut Song has amazing plaintive ululating vocals by Lioudmila Khandi. Another highlight is the Scottish segment Oran Na Maighdean Mhara, with Scottish pipes and the powerful vocals of Catherine-Ann MacPhee. The Inuit Song of The Water with its raspy breathy rhythmic vocals is another mind blower that closes the album on a high note.

Also included here are Siouxie (The Lighthouse), Lena Willemark (Havet Stomar), and Tokiko Kato (Yaisa Maneena). Though the albums journey takes us across the entire northern globe and multiple continents, the theme holds together well, and blends traditional with the modern. The only complaint I could have is the sameness of tempo on the album and that you could argue that some of the music has a mystical "Riverdance" aspect to it. I think that a lot of this was not accidental, and I don't really want to quibble about an album not being other than what it was meant to be. Overall, I find Songs From The Cold Seas to be a pretty standout and highly artistic work. I can only imagine how difficult this must have been to put this project together. And he pulled it off. There are spiritual and naturalistic elements to these recordings that put this a cut above and beyond your average musical endeavor.

Guess Who's Back In Town? Ash--Nu-Clear Sounds

Yeah, I'm back.

After a nice visit to the Valley Of The Sun, I am back in the Valley of Ice. Thankfully I got home before the terrible shooting tragedy in Tucson. I didn't do a lot of memorable things, but I did visit The Museum of Musical Instruments (MIM) in Scottsdale for a brief time. It's definitely a museum worth visiting, with over 4,000 musical instruments from all around the globe, including some pretty cool rock instruments from Belarus, supposedly built to be able to survive a nuclear blast. I especially enjoyed the Asian and African sections. They have an auditorium there where they host a diverse selection of musical performers, and they have workshops there, including a gamelan workshop which they will be running through May. If you are in the Phoenix area you should check this place out, along with the fabulous Heard Museum, which houses a tremendous collection of Native American Art, including the late Conservative Senator Barry Goldwater's rather large collection of Kachina dolls. Also ancient Mimbres pottery. They also have a great gift shop, which is actually for the most part a consignment store for Native American artists.

For a great Mexican meal in Phoenix, check out the Barrio Cafe. While the place is somewhat unassuming, the cuisine is not. For an easterner getting a chance to sample delicious regional (non-Sonoran) cuisine of that quality is a truly unguilty pleasure. Chef Silvana Salcido Esparza was actually nominated for the James Beard prize in 2010. But if you are in the American Southwest for any reason, if you don't get Mexican food somewhere, you are missing out big time. For great pizza, check out local landmark Bianco's Pizza downtown. Further proof that great pizza is obtainable outside New York. But back to work.

Post-77

Nu-Clear Sounds is an album by Northern Irish melodic pop punkers Ash that is fairly unappreciated. After their huge hit album 1977 made them teenage superstars across the Atlantic, this album was deemed to be a bit of a changeup. The follow up Free All Angels has been construed by many to be a return to form. On their third full length Nu-Clear Sounds they move away from the bone shiveringly loud fast pop tunes a bit. They slow down a tad here, and provide us with some expressive ballads. But they continue to produce tuneful loud pop songs, albeit in a more experimental way. I like this album a lot.!

I know that its natural for people to want a band they love to never change, to keep pumping out variations of songs from their favorite album. But creative people like to challenge themselves and to try new things--sometimes they crash and burn, but often they find new and interesting ways to express themselves. The Clash evolved throughout their too short career, The Clean have never made two albums quite the same stylistically. Look at David Bowie's chameleon-like musical journey. If you can't embrace new things, life can get stale pretty quickly.

This 1998 incarnation of Ash consists of Tim Wheeler on Guitar and Vocals, Charlotte Hatherly on Guitar and vocals, Mark Hamilton on bass, Rick McMurray on Drums. The album begins strongly with the one two punch of Jesus Says and Wild Surf. Jesus Says is a swaggering Stonesy, Jesus and Mary Chainish party starter. Wild Surf is a bracingly loud update on 50's music.The album also ends extremely strongly with the classic A Life Less Ordinary. "In the slow haze of the afternoon, swaying hips, made like a gun, blackest sails, the most beautiful..." Not too shabby at all.



But there are lots of interesting moments here. Ash execute some pretty cool funk on Death Trip 21 venturing toward Primal Scream in their noise phase. Low Ebb is a droney dirgey yet melodious ballad. I'm Gonna Fall is reminiscent of a beefed up Sunday Morning by the Velvets. Interesting guitar work throughout on this album. Folk Song is precisely that; an excellent Ash punk-pop approximation of a hair ballad.

But there is also plenty to rock to here. Fortune Teller continues in the vein of the opener Jesus Says. Numbskull is riff ready punk arena tune. The ear bleeder Projects is not far off from classic Bailter Space. I really like that on this album the songs are not samey tunes, banged out one after the other.  It shows what this band can do when they are allowed to cut loose.



One of the great things about Ash is that most of their full length albums are available for a pittance, probably under a buck used on the Internet. And I don't think they have put out a bad album. From teen sensations to music biz veterans. Charlotte Hatherly has moved on and pursued a solo career, producing a few very good albums over the last few years. And while it seemed Ash was going to call it quits recently, it appears their career has been invigorated with the A to Z singles they have put out, now lovingly compiled on 2 Cd's for the discerning audiophile. They look to the future, but they also embrace the past. In addition to the Thin Lizzy tribute I posted from Youtube, they put out as a b-side a nice version of Teenage Kicks by Derry icons, The Undertones.

Do yourself a favor and check out one of the best Irish bands of the last fifteen years.

A Good Reason For Killing Time: Zumpano's Goin' Through Changes

For my first post since my Christmas sabbatical I want to talk about A.C. Newman, back in simpler times when he was simply known as "Carl".

The many moods of....

Perhaps I am a simple man, but I miss Zumpano. Goin' Through Changes is definitely a favorite of mine, a low tech keyboard driven homage to bands like the Zombies, dBs and the Beach Boys (and lounge pop in the vein of Burt Bacharach) released on the esteemed SubPop label in 1996. Carl has moved on to fame and probably more fortune with Canadian pop collective The New Pornographers but frankly I find this Changes album at least as appealing as his current group. These days A.C. seems less pleased with his Zumpano days, but believe me, if you like the New Pornographers, Zumpano's two albums are essential listening.

Of course, this band is more than Newman--the fact that the songs are credited to all four band members attests to as much. Of course the bands namesake, drummer Jason Zumpano must be credited. Michael Ledwidge's excellent keyboard work is also an equally huge component to the extraordinary pop music here. Rounding out the quartet is Stefan Niemann on Bass.

Judging from the album artwork, you might assume the band is Jason Zumpano and the others. His image dominates the album. They even have his drum kit on the back of the Cd!

Viva Zumpano!

In reality (sorry drummers), A.C. Newman's vocals are front and center focus of attention in Zumpano. I think the Zumpano concept may have been a spoof in the vein of Frampton Comes Alive!! However I would be remiss not to mention that there are absolutely stunning harmonies throughout this album, possibly the work of Jason Z. And it is true that he has put out music post-Zumpano, under the moniker Sparrow.

One of my favorites on this album is Broca's Way, with its Good Vibrationy Theremin imitation organ riff, and the powerful Wilsonesque chorus, which dynamically contrasts with the subdued tone of the verses. "True Love looked good at a distance" Newman compellingly sings in the stellar Only Reason Under The Sun,  but "doesn't look that way now". Great soaring harmonies again, on the chorus. Of note is dBish piano and harmonica Momentum, one of the most upbeat tunes on the album.

Probably my favorite moment on the album is The Sylvia Hotel with a cello intro leading into perfect beatific pop. Of course I may just be saying this because I am listening to the song at this very moment. Other standout moments include the mellow Bacharach sounding Millionaire Poets, with electric piano verse leading again into a big fat chorus, and the Pet Sounds vibe of the opening tune Behind The Beehive.




The last tune on the album Some Sun is also one of the strongest songs on the album. Nice heartbeat bass by Stefan Niemann, and an overall a masterful use of dynamics and space throughout the song. "Bored myself counting up all the days that I was wasted there", A.C. sings. Credit him for some subtly incendiary guitar work here also. Some Sun is definitely a song I would be proud to have written.

So another great album from Vancouver. But I wonder what happened to Michael Ledwidge? He really was a not so secret foil to Carl Newman on this album and a truly talented keyboardist. I hope that he is still making use of his gift. Goin' Through Changes certainly would not be such an excellent album without his efforts.

Traced the outlines of Main street...
Jason and the Zumpalumpas

I hope that people do check Zumpano out. Anybody who loves excellent pop songs should enjoy this. A lot. While their indebtedness to bands of the past in not very well hidden, that is merely a starting point for this band, as they do put their own unique twist on this genre. And this album, along with groups like the Pernice Brothers was an attempt by Subpop to get away from being stereotyped as the "Seattle Grunge record label". Which they actually were in their early years. But that aside, I still wish Zumpano had put out more material. But who knows? Since every band seemingly reunites, perhaps we will see a Zumpano reunion in the near future. For now we can only pray to the muses of pop-rock for such a happy outcome. It would be muy Zumpatico!