VITAL REVERB: FEBRUARY 18, 2010 Sounding Off On The Sounds You Need
Everybody
Was In The French Resistance… Now!
Fixin’ The Charts, Volume One
Cooking Vinyl
ESM Rating: 7/10
Thank God someone is finally acknowledging the fact
that social networking is funny. Thank God, because we have to deal with it as
a phenomenon of our generation — and given that there are generations
following, there will be much of this kettle stew from children, grandchildren,
and everyone after us. We are only going to get older and more out of touch,
but that doesn’t mean each one of us can’t steadily maintain growth within the
cool factor. Some are just more successful in accomplishing this task then
others. Eddie Argos and Dyan Valdes from Everyone Was In The French
Resistance… Now! should be university professors in graduate studies of
psychoanalyzing the inner workings of artists currently toping the charts, as
they’ve developed elaborate companion pieces to hits recorded by artists as
expansive as Frank Sinatra, Avril Lavigne, and The Archies. EWITFRN are Fixin’ The Charts and the problems they see as a potential threat
to our current generation’s perceived mark on artistic history.
On paper the two individuals who compose EWITFRN are
perhaps the most interesting bi-polar individuals I have ever studied. Eddie
Argos from British band Art Brut walks a fine line with his full disclosure
lyrics and antics on and offstage, and while most innocent victims of major
mood dementia are annoying as shit, Argos appears unscathed. It’s the scenario of
the comic who seems so composed in his act and then tries to strangle himself
later that night with hookers watching. Argos releases everything at once, and this
is the separation factor between him and those who would struggle with issues
of esteem and success. An open book onstage and in-studio, Argos sing-speaks
about the subtlest of nuisances that cross his mind. Admitting that most of his
songs are written drunk on a cell phone is just the tip of the Argosian
Sargasso Sea; he’s also a comic book animator, painter, obsessive fan of Van
Gogh and Beanie Babies, and a self-explanatory psychiatrist, he being his only
patient. Plus, he’s a former Goth with a history of blue-collar work spanning
from traffic cop to barkeep.
I have to imagine Valdes is perhaps the only person
capable of dealing with Argos as a partner. Her vocals complement his trademark
speech, and this rare combination of beauty and beast is an almost unthinkable
harmonic match. Fixin’ The
Charts,Volume One is a savage observation of current trends, adding
meters of depth to the work. Without the back story — Avril Lavigne’s a
bitch, teenage love doesn’t last, etc. — you may not know how to take the
album’s style and mark it down simply “worthy of praise.” But with Everybody Was In The French Resistance…
Now! knowledge in hand, you may find yourself truly scared about what
tomorrow’s pop stars have up their sleeves. By Will Tunstall
Adam Green
Minor Love
Fat Possum
ESM Rating: 8/10
Adam Green is the type of artist I don’t want to insult. His
music was too prolific in the years of my youth to really describe. His early
‘00s albums Jacket Full Of Danger, Friends Of Mine, and Garfield weighed
upon me with the importance other friends of mine placed on grungier work from
the past. It’s a love for words and content, a strong force drawn upon a
one-way relationship I felt towards Green as an artist. And despite misunderstanding or even completely missing the
lyrical themes of his songs, I knew they held a religious equivalent within
their existence.
Green’s later work with The Moldy Peaches was another epic journey for my psyche, and together
I felt we were growing up together. I was a little younger than Green when I first heard Garfield — a child listening to a young adult who sounded like an old man
— but I’m now an adult without a single album to my name. Nor have I
learned to play an instrument. But Adam
Green is an adult too, and to his honor he has released six solo albums. And
instruments? Well, he plays them all. 2002 single “Baby’s Gonna Die Tonight”
developed my mindset on the variation one could explore within one’s own
talent.
Green’s 2010 album Minor Love holds a charging importance in my eyes, as it’s an album that leaves nothing
more to be desired from an artist’s current state. Every track cocoons around
several strengths: a flaring guitar, a singularly drawn metaphor, a quick twerp
in the vocals. Every attraction is timed to a science. The album definitively
proves Green’s importance in the
field of folk exploration. This man has a righteous sense of humor, and his
promotion style toes such a thin line between truth and humbled gratitude (for occupying
a place he feels he doesn’t deserve) that he actually goes one step further.
Reading Green’s own words describing
the process that brought him to this point, anyone can see that he has accepted
his gift but admires it from afar, like any other face in the crowd. By
Will Tunstall
Bruce
Kulick
BK3
Twenty4
ESM Rating: 7/10
Just when you thought the theatrical hard rock made
famous by Kiss and Rush in the 1970s had fallen by the wayside, former Kiss/current
Grand Funk Railroad guitarist Bruce
Kulick emerges from the shadows with his third solo album, boringly titled BK3. But pop this baby in and there’s
nothing boring about the wild six-string ride Kulick takes us on, as evidenced by the hard-charging opener
“Fate,” which borders on heavy-metal territory. Kiss frontman Gene Simmons
shows up to bring back anthemic rock on resistance statement “Ain’t Gonna Die,”
and former Motley Crue member John Corabi lends depth to the downtrodden and grungy
“No Friend Of Mine.”
That same ‘90s ethos returns on the snake-like
brooder “Hand Of The King,” which features Gene Simmons’ son Nick’s recorded
debut, before Kulick and company
turn down the volume and inject acoustic guitars into “I’ll Survive.” But the
biggest coup on BK3 is the
finger-snappin’ ‘80s throwback “Dirty Girl,” which features vocals from The
Knack frontman Doug Fieger, who tragically passed away last week. It could go
down as Fieger’s last recorded statement, and if so, it’s a beauty on par with
The Knack’s classic “My Sharona.”
More sparkly guitars follow on “Final Mile,” before
power-metal guru Tobias Sammet and current Kiss drummer Eric Singer bring back
the filthy ‘80s Hollywood days on “I’m The Animal.” BK3 starts to grind its gears a bit on the uninspired “And I Know,”
before the funk-heavy instrumental “Between The Lines” teams Kulick up with Toto axeman Steve
Lukather. All in all, BK3 is a wildly
varied affair that reflects Bruce
Kulick’s far-ranging work with everyone from Billy Squier to Meat Loaf to
Michael Bolton. And in an age when synthesizers and samplers are slowly taking
the place of real instruments, it’s nice to hear someone shred on the six-string
for a change. By Nick McGregor
Red Pens
Reasons
Grain Belt
ESM Rating: 7/10
Minneapolis 2010 is not London 1984. However, I know
a lot about Minneapolis for someone who has never been north of South Carolina.
It’s the most literate city in the United States, they have great public radio,
the city is home to Prince, and Prince likes the color purple. These are all
undisputed facts, and I will fight to the death over them. Minneapolis is also
home to the very promising new band Red Pens. Like Prince, fine
literature read aloud, and the bands of the 1984 London shitgaze scene, Red
Pens have a lo-fi sound one does not easily forget. Considering the group is composed of only two people —
Howard W. Hamilton III and Laura Bennett — prominent audio waves
promenading from their podium is a worthy accomplishment.
Unlike so many other up-and-coming duos, Red Pens is not a twosome to be
ignored. Reasons, the group’s debut on local Minneapolis label Grain
Belt, is large — swollen with grimy energy and distorted potential. Red Pens are booking every slot
available, drawing a Minneapolis following of only the most well read North
Americans. Yes, Reasons is a flashback to an older scene, but it’s also a
welcome update in the new millennium. If you like black snow bordering the
chill of windy dark streets as you walk home from the disco at 4:00 a.m. to
watch old MacGyver episodes online,
you’ll find companionship with the Red Pens style.
I know that many individuals and bands find
repetition in the circuit of independent venues and lengthy van rides to and
from, so it’s nice to hear a band express enthusiasm as they sit on the brink
of what may be a bright future. Reasons is well worth a purchase, and Red Pens' noisy live show will surely be one to look out for in the
future. By Will Tunstall
Junkie Rush
Musica
Self-released
ESM Rating: 8/10
If you think Orlando, FL, quintet Junkie Rush are just another beach-happy
reggae band, think again. These guys possess skills that run far deeper than
Bob Marley imitations and feel-good vibes — think metal, funk, ska, and
even a little flamenco mixed in with their island-style rhythms. Even better,
sometimes the band careens between the aforementioned genres in the space of
one track, making Junkie Rush one of
the most talented bands to emerge from Central Florida in a long time. And
their latest album Musica is surefire
proof of that.
Metal-style drumming and fingerpicked guitars collide
on “Bring Money,” before lead guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Bobby Koelble
punctuates “James Brown DNA” with choppy riffs and breathy lyrics. The addition
of subtle saxophones from Nathan Anderson on the highly danceable “Grow” lends Musica a strong funk backbone, before
“Ideas Robadas” downshifts into lush Spanish flamenco that demonstrates Junkie Rush’s impeccable technical
chops. Koelble’s classical guitar then segues into “Close To The Sun,” a
flute-lined ballad cemented by the wonderful percussion combination of Ito
Colon and Thatcher.
Ska and reggae return at full speed on “Make
Tomorrow,” but Junkie Rush detours
through fast-paced ‘90s punk on “Mona Lisa,” a track that starts with the
influence of NOFX but expands exponentially from there. Further gems follow
(the staggering “Musica,” the bluesy “Walkabout,” and the tender “I Won't
Forget"), and by the time Musica reaches
its end any assumptions about Junkie Rush have been thrown out the window. These guys can turn the most disparate
sounds into a cohesive, intoxicating whole, lending new meaning to their motto
and mantra: “The music is the junk, kid!” By Nick McGregor
