Album Review- Leyla McCalla - Breaking the Themometer

Another of this year’s finds from Uncut magazine. McCalla played in the Carolina Chocolate Drops (the band fronted by Rhiannon Giddens- and after spending time with them, then focused on a solo career. Breaking the Thermometer is her fourth album. It is an ambitious project that I hope I can explain well enough in a few words- that celebrates Radio Haiti - not for simply being the first Haitian radio station, but also for its stands against corruption and stance for democracy. (Google Jean Dominique and Michele Montas, as well as the Fort Dimanche prison for a better job of understanding the gravitas of what this all means). Also, of course, McCalla’s personal journey as a Haitian American. From my understanding, drawing from a larger Duke University theater project about Dominique and Radio Haiti- it is a mix of traditional Haitian tunes, original music, interviews and personal insights. Of the many take aways, one is “how deep the Haitian roots of New Orleans (run)”. At the risk of sounding crass, all that is fascinating but is the album any good, and here’s the thing, it is. The “documentary” style format make it feel like it wouldn’t hold up for repeat listenings but it’s no bother. McCalla of course is fantastic. A classically trained cellist, she also plays banjo and guitar here. The songs are often minimal but still quite powerful. It almost seems counterintuitive that such an ambitious project could succeed in the space of a traditional album that one would want to listen to again and again in whatever day to day format they choose, but she truly did.

Album Review- The Cult- Under the Midnight Sun

It sort of feels odd discussing the Cult in 2022. For a band who played seemingly simple songs, they have built up quite a legacy. They were criticized at times for AC/DC style sameness, but talented to deliver at least one album that is considered a classic (Love). They arrived to their big moment in 1989 with a sound that fit in easily with alternative, rock, pop and metal audiences. They broke the radio and seemed to have a wide open future. Sonic Temple took their sounds to commercial highs. But the music industry constantly is evolving and the 80s changed irreversibly to the 90s and things didn’t ’t pan out as planned. (You could probably right the same paragraph about the Smithereens who released the album 11 the same year). The Cult’s story became one of diminishing returns- commercially and artistically. But the story takes an unexpected turn. In 2007, a reunited band released Born Into This. Instead of a band chasing past glories, the band sounded strong. Critics stood up and took notice. 2012s Choice of Weapon is the best of the 21st Century albums. An album that is on par with the Love/Electric/Sonic Temple trilogy. Under the Midnight Sun follows the template for recent Cult albums. I find the album cover striking and fitting for the music inside. It’s not all straight ahead rock but a lot of atmospheric goth rock. Credit to Billy Duffy and/or Producer Tom Dalgety (Ghost, recent Pixies and recent Killing Joke) for really producing ambitious background music for frontman Ian Astbury. The album does feel like a continuation of those first Cult albums, and manage to sound more organic than say, the clunkier self-titled 1994 album, to sound like a modern evolution. That said, the album isn’t perfect (Choice of Weapon remains the best recent release). Perhaps, it could use a bit more arena rock sound dropped here and there, but for a band that is 11 albums in, it really feels fresh.

What I am listening to: Maher Cissoko

I have talked at length about how I discover new music. One of my biggest resources is Uncut magazine and their sampler Cd. I have been to the newsstand lately and Uncut may be the only magazine doing the CD sampler. In recent years, it was becoming limited to British magazines Mojo and Classic Rock. But Mojo which gave me some of my favorite compilations has seemed to discontinue. It’s fair, CDs are becoming obsolete. Still, this strikes me as one of the technological changes I am not quite ready for. The benefit of someone like Uncut is that they are listening to a bunch of new music and opening me to bands I would otherwise not hear. This means a variety of genres, labels and so on, that might escape my radar, since other traditional means might be too narrowly focused. So definitely have found some great music that way and today, I am focused on Maher Cissoko and his album from 2021 “Cissoko Heritage”. Maher generally plays with his wife as Sousou and Maher Cissoko. I am not sure that there is much difference in this record, except as it is considered a follow up to 2017’s Koda Fo, but the music is made by both husband and wife, as well as daughter. I’m not an expert but I will take a stab at it. Cissoko plays the Kora- a combination of lute and harp with 21 strings generally associated with West Africa that dates back over seven centuries. Maher is from Casamance, Senegal). The music he plays is traditional of his home, but at the same time combines Afrobeat, Dancehall, Reggae and other influences. Maher is also known as a talented percussionist as well. I just really dig everything about this album, and hope you enjoy a song from it too.

What I am listening to: The Make Up

The late 90s were not a good time for me but there is always a bright side and for me it was music. I would read the British magazine Uncut and the American CMJ New Music Monthly and listen to their CDs which I could find at a traditional local small town newsstand. A fun musical question is what bands did you not like at first but grew to love. For me, the Smiths and the Dead Kennedys stand out as my answer. I must admit these are teenage choices and I don’t do a fair job of going back to reappraise a band. The Arctic Monkeys are a band that could fall in this category of enjoying, but surely I have shut out dozens of worthy bands. One band that was near the top of critics lists in the late 90s was The Make Up. They were not a band that I was interested in 20 some years later, I have come around. It’s possible that the band was before their time. Listening to them now, they sound an awful lot like the Swedish hardcore band Refused spin-off The International Noise Conspiracy who popped up slightly after the Make Up broke up. That’s the first comes to mind, but there’s a whole list of bands who fit that description that pulled the same influences appearing after the Make Up- bands like At the Drive In, the Detroit Cobras, The Dirtbombs, the Black Heart Procession, the Mooney Suzuki, King Khan’s various projects and then of course, the more well known bands of the Garage Rock Revival explosion around the corner from that. I wouldn’t have my eye on the band in the first place. I am not very familiar with Nation of Ulysses - from which 3/4s of the Make up came. Nor am I usually a huge fan of Dischord Records- the noisy DC hard core punk record label. With plenty of hindsight now, it’s clear that the band’s nearest contemporary comparison was probably the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. There is an obvious debt to James Brown and gospel music, and a clear MC5 influence, and there were few bands that could accomplish mixing those styles. The sound of the Make Up was also surely influenced by the sound of Spencer’s previous band Pussy Galore and other raucous noisemakers like Royal Trux and the Laughing Hyenas. (There also was a political element like the International Noise Conspiracy which somehow adds even more artistic flair). I’m mostly drawn to the bands 4th studio (and final) album 1999’s Make Up, which I think is the cleanest version of the band’s work. Critics everywhere called it a “party album”, but somehow I feel like that is a slight to how multi faceted is. A knee jerk reaction is to compare them to Beck- one of the rare artists who were doing what they were attempting- but otherwise, I don’t really find much similarities sonically. Anyway, there you go- that’s a recent discovery. Maybe it will hit your ears like mine back like it hit mine back then and you won’t like it, but maybe it will hit your ears in 2022 like mine did as something still fresh two decades later.

What I am listening to: The Peacocks

I still learn about new bands in very traditional ways, but in 2022, streaming and the algorithm sites are part of my musical diet. I don’t think that I find as many new bands this way, but for some of the niche genres I love like surf, rockabilly and garage rock, it’s a good way to get exposure. The Peacocks are a Swiss rockabilly trio with 8 albums since 1995. While rockabilly is a seemingly easy style to play, it’s still a matter of how some bands click with me more than others. One of my most favorite artists is Lee Rocker. What I like about his solo albums is that he pulls the best from the traditional 50s stars like Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent, and the pop radio sound from the band he played in, the Stray Cats. I became a fan of the Peacocks right away, specifically 2011’s excellent record After All. The Peacocks are definitely descendants of the Stray Cats with a strong ear for melodies. Allmusic probably isn’t wrong when they compare the band to early Elvis Costello or “third wave ska”. Nor would it be necessarily wrong to say the band is sonic cousins to 90s bands like Rocket from the Crypt, Social Distortion and Rancid via a shared love of the 50s and Clash influence. I suppose it’s one of the credits to the “new normal” that I can find a band that is seemingly hidden from view and then discover a whole discography that I wouldn’t know about. That seems incredibly unlikely from tuning into the usual sources. It is also interesting to look at the stats on Spotify (where I discovered the band). The Peacocks have a song with a million streams. While when I look at their other songs and compare them to what I would consider bands with “regional followings”, their numbers are much less. Similarly, the song's YouTube views are barely in the thousands. But all of this is uncharted territory and at the end of the day, I found a band I loved, and many more songs than that.

RIP Jerry Lee Lewis

There’s a lot of discussion these days about the difference between art and the performer. There’s probably not a much bigger example of that double edged sword than Jerry Lee Lewis. Already enough of a personality for a biopic in my youth, Dennis Quaid’s portrayal probably only made me like him more. In the early 90s, Rhino re-released “Live at the Star Club, Hamburg 1964” finally as a CD with the ensuing publicity surrounding it as the greatest live album of all time. It’s a full decade (and several universes) from Iggy’s Metallic KO but it is no doubt deserving of its reputation. Counter to my previous image of 50s rock n roll singers, Lewis is for 40 minutes, the Sonic combination of Johnny Rotten, the Ramones, Jimi Hendrix and Little Richard. All of the stories are true. For the first part of my life, I frequented a small town Record Store that was a local institution for many years. It was a usual stop for me and my friends as vinyl gave way to CDs up until Best Buy finally got the niche for cost and selection in the late 90s. Even then, we often figured a couple of dollars were worth it to support the proprietor- someone who seemingly was tied to rock n roll from birth- the same age, the accompanying haircut and a store full of expensive glam rock imports. One needn’t ask, but of course, his favorite artist was Jerry Lee Lewis. Per Google search, the store was in operation from 1978 until 2017. Ironically, around the time that vinyl was becoming a hot commodity again (though of course, as the appropriate retirement age was also near) it closed. Still, I know those of a certain age and location will always hold it in their memory.

Doc Watch- Dark Side of the 90s

I’m a big wrestling fan, so I have really enjoyed the Dark Side of the Ring series on the Vice channel. It was a big hit for the channel which quickly rolled out similar series for comedians and athletes, and in invading VH1 territory, the 1990s Plenty of stuff to cover in the 90s- Jerry Springer, Beverly Hills, 90210, Hip Hop, David Koresh, Ultimate Fighting, Amy Fisher, Rush Limbaugh, Baywatch, the internet and more. So of course, grunge gets an episode. Despite the sensationalism of the series, the Dark Side of “Grunge and the Seattle Sound” is actually as a good of a documentary one can do on Sub Pop in an hour minus commercials. Two men were largely responsible for Sub Pop and this features one (Bruce Pavitt - who came up with the name and first release) and is missing another (Jonathan Poneman- the business partner and current label head). Producer Jack Endino and photographer Charles Petersen also feature. There’s so much ground to cover, but a lot of the early touch points get namechecked (Sub Pop 100, Green River, Tad, Mudhoney, Soundgarden) and then transitions to the Nirvana story. There’s a bit of sensationalism here, but it still ties into the Sub Pop story. There’s an aside to the New York Times “Lexicon of Grunge” article, too. As an indie rock fan, I enjoyed it. I was really surprised that it focused almost slowly on Sub Pop, even providing that satisfying denouement of the label surviving rocky times being resurrected by a new wave of successful artists like the Postal Service. (The one part that the doc gets wrong is saying grunge was usurped by boy bands like N’Sync and the Backstreet Boys. Yes, everything has an expiration date, but I don’t think that was the same audience. Now, Nu metal and even late 90s gangsta rap, maybe). There’s little to no mention of the bigger name non-SubPop bands like Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, and Alice In Chains and so on. But those interested in Indie record labels or Sub Pop, I doubt you would be disappointed.

RIP Coolio

Since I write about music, I’m often tempted to write about musicians who passed, but not sure always when. It can be a full time job if one would do just that (so thank you @Rest_In_Peace) In September, rapper Coolio passed away at aged 59. Coolio’s braids, generally party-style lyrics and B-movie career seemed to make him a 90s novelty. His legacy oddly overshadowed by a beef with Weird Al when he said he had refused to grant permission of “Gangsta’s Paradise” for parody. (Coolio had long since made peace with this feud, pointing out that if Michael Jackson thought it was fine with it (and MJ was the biggest singer in the world) then why should Coolio complain). I saw Coolio live in concert at the Lollapalooza 1995 Second Stage. In retrospect, I won’t hold that performance against him. If I went to a Courtney Love concert and started rapping in the parking lot, I doubt I’d have a very high ceiling of success, no matter how talented I was. This post isn’t the proverbial burial of Coolio though, I really did come here to praise him. Gangsta’s Paradise (like the movie it was associated with, Dangerous Minds) is so serious, it is ripe for parody, but it’s also perfectly constructed. It is one of those songs that sounded so fresh that it literlaly turns the Radio on its edge Coolio’s career yielded the three Top 5 songs everyone might remember, but also three other songs in the Top 30. That’s not a bad tally. Also per Wiki, his 2006 album Return of the Gangsta, propelled by a duet with Snoop Dogg, charted in Europe. Until I looked it up, I didn’t remember 95s “Too Hot” which was a remake/tribute to the Kool and the Gang song with lyrics about safe sex. I do better to remember 96’s basketball themed “All the Way Live” which I recall getting quite a bit of video play at the time. Ditto the reflective after-world post-Crossroads slow jam “C U When U Get There”. No surprise though, the best songs are the ones that everyone knows. Breakthrough “Fantastic Voyage” marries personal narrative to Parliament funk. But, even better in my view is sequel “1..2..3..4 (Sumpin’ New)”. In fact, you might think I am taking the piss, it’s really one of my favorite songs ever. It takes a sample from Jazz trumpeter Tom Browne, and then, of all things, adds a vocal from an early 80s novelty rap song parodying BBC broadcaster Alan Whicker- and, of cours,e the ubiquitous “Good Times” riff by Chic for all the ingredients- to which Coolio was the perfect rapper to bring it home . A song that simultaneously can fit in on 90s nostalgia radio between Green Day and Mariah Carey or throwback Hip Hop stations in between Nas and Tupac.

Cold Weather Music

Everything is cyclical and at various points, I have decided to do topical playlists. Today reminded me of one I made with songs about cold and/or bad weather. The Choir- It's Cold Outside Joy Division- Ice Age Robert Cray Band- The Forecast (Calls for Pain) JJ72- Snow Bangles Hazy Shade of Winter (#betterthantheoriginal ?) Nick Cave and the BadSeeds- Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow Tom Waits- Cold, Cold Ground Marc Almond- Heart on Snow Rod Stewart -Mandolin Wind What would you add?

Branson & the Dolly Stampede

We went to Branson which is a fairly close (5-6 hour) drive. I hadn’t been in 20 years. That cliche Branson of 2000 is slightly changed. You won’t see Ray Stevens Theater or Jim Stafford or Andy Williams or Yakov Smirnoff or the Oak Ridge Boys. The last time I went I saw Mel Tillis and Boxcar Willie. Both have passed of course, but name performers are a thing of the past. More Generic performers leaning strongly toward impersonators and Christian theater are the rule of the day (and don’t fear Shoji is still there, too). Trying to find some of the best experiences in the area, we landed on Dolly Parton’s Stampede. Dolly is probably the one artist that is universally loved by everyone now that Johnny Cash has passed (I suppose Willie Nelson is on the list too. The Stampede is dinner theater with a focus on horses and Americana and a history of America with Buffalos, comedy and home style cooking. Think of essentially Wild West and a country music version of Medieval Times. It is unsurprisingly patriotic. I didn’t expect Howard Zinn, of course, at the same time I thought it was a fairly well done Midwest red state take on what makes the country great. I was surprised the competing groups were still being divided by North and South- surely, better terms could be thought of, though of course, it was meant to be innocuous. In recent years, Dolly has changed the name which previously had been the Dixie Stampede. Without a doubt, this is a place that recognizes its audience (older Conservative and white) and I recognize that. But it was fun and it was well done and if it aimed for patriotism, it at least did so in a unifying non-partisan way. Branson style is as much about spectacular entertainment as it is about productions that tend to be heavy handed, gimmicky and preachy. One has to do a certain amount of homework, so it was nice that Dolly’s Stampede held up to her name. The food was good, service solid and the trick riding was fun to watch. I was entertained. If one finds themselves in Branson and looking for something to do, I’d put it in the short list.

Album Review: Swami John Reis- Ride the Wild Night

In 2022, Swami John Reis released his first solo album. Which doesn’t feel like much of an event, because Reis is so prolific under so many names. If you don’t recognize the name right away, you will likely recognize his work in Rocket from the Crypt, Hot Snakes or Drive Like Jehu. But he might be the busiest guy on music this side of Mike Patton, as a member of the Back Off Cupids, Custom Floor, the Sultans, the Night Marchers and a few more. In 2015, he collaborated with the Blind Shake for the album Modern Surf Classics. Indeed the new album Ride the Wild Night isn’t even Reis’s first album of the year. That would be the self titled Plosivs debut- the band formed with Pinback’s Rob Crow and RFTC/Against Me drummer Atom Williard. Like Jon Spencer, who also has a new album out, Reis is a rock lifer. And although Spencer atypically is being lauded for his new album, the two generally have been plugging away (as Uncut points out) without the kind of spotlight of say, a Jack White. Maybe Reis and Spencer don’t need critical appraisal for raw rock. I mean a song titled “Do You Still Wanna Make Out?” probably doesn’t need deep analysis (and oddly, isn’t in the Top 3 of weird song titles here). What it is though is raw rock that often reaches the high marks of the Rocket from the Crypt catalog. I haven’t give much thought for what a solo Reis record might sound like, but this is it. Reis has a real ear for pop and there’s at least three songs that could hang with a greatest hits. There’s also a few surprises - “I Hate My Neighbors…” adds synth, and it’s piano on “Days of Auld Lang Syne”. Ultimately though, this album is the definition of “it is what it is” - 60s garage rock, puerile lyrics and a good dose of shambolic swagger.

Album Review- Gogol Bordello- SOLIDARITINE

I’ve been a big Gogol Bordello fan since the beginning. Like ordering the first two records from Rubric back in 02. Like the Pogues, the energy (and sheer surprise) of the first two records were harnessed enough for more mainstream accessible records that are high watermarks- 2005s Gypsy Punks and 2007s Super Taranta. I would suggest (unlike maybe some of their contemporaries) the band really hasn’t made a bad record. Of course, with time, like any band, I am not sure any of the last three records are essential. Of those three, the last one, 2017s Seekers and Finders- a self produced record after two records with big name producers- Rick Rubin and Andrew Scheps (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Adele, Metallica, Audioslave)- is perhaps, given the bands strength as a live act, no surprise the best. It would not be a shock that current events would inspire a punk band from Ukraine to make a great record. Solidaritine is that record. Perhaps Gogol Bordello is best when treated as a punk act. Steve Albini had seemingly got it right on Gypsy Punks and Solidartine pairs the band with producer Walter Schriefels known for his stints in Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits and Quicksand. That connection is deepened by a cover of Fugazi’s “Blueprint” and “The End of the End of Eras” adds Bad Brains vocalist HR with nods to “Sailin On” Yet even on these songs, it sounds like Gogol Bordello, not some kind of musical makeover forcing them into a sound they don’t fit. Of note, other guest stars are Ukrainian poet Serihy Zhadan and Ukrainian pop band KAZKA. Interestingly, these moments may be the best of the album, when the punk moments meet more anthemic sounds. Solidartine is a nice surprise. A high point for a punk band 20 plus years into making music (surely tough for any punk band even when it’s the Ramones, Bad Religion or DOA or whoever).

Album Review- Andrew Bird- Inside Problems

Where to start with Andrew Bird? I go back a ways to early albums which played off musical eccentricity. I read his bio as being an ancillary member of Squirrel Nut Zippers and attributed those characteristics to his music. At the time, I heard a musician staking out his lineage to Beefheart and Waits. A friend of mine was one of the very earliest supporters (even before my 2005 dalliances) and his music fandom (I think) tends towards jam bands (Bird indeed has music on Internet Archive which tends to be a jam band heavy platform). Coming at another angle- he is alt folk and modern indie (Decemberists, Dr Dog, Father John Misty) leaning into the more eccentric side of singer songwriters like Sufjan Stevens, Beirut, Magnetic Fields, Ben Folds and Eels. It’s then not much of a stretch to think Bird could be a distant cousin to actual comic music like Jonathan Coulton and Weird Al Yankovic. In 2019, Bird released My Finest Work Yet which doesn’t account for people’s tastes, but was one of his most accessible records and I thought fitting of the title. It really showcases his witty lyrics and his ears for melody. Inside Problems feels like a counter to that. If Finest Work was his What’s Going On, well , he’s too quirky to record a Let’s Get It On, but let’s say this focuses on ummm inside problems. If Bird is going to do whatever he wants, he is using this time to throw some evidence of great American songwriting in his CV. There’s no “Sisyphus” here (there’s not many songs that great anywhere) but there’s some great melodys and grooves. A lot has been made of the song “The Night Before Your Birthday” which is Bird is at his most Lou Reed like - on an album that also features a song called “Lone Didion”, a song called “Stop N Shop” which might not exactly sound like the Modern Lovers, and “Never Fall Apart” another song with auditory nods to Reed But it’s not quite the “spot the influence” game that makes the album a winner, because the album is at its best when these sounds go into the proverbial mixer to bring Bird at his most accessible. Bird is still likely to remain a “love him or hate him” proposition but if you gave up on him during the decade since Noble Beast, this is a good time to jump back in.