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| REVIEWS |
The
Arcade Fire
Funeral
(Merge)
American Music Club
Love Songs for Patriots
(Merge)
Richard Buckner
Dents and Shells
(Merge)
Shark Quest
Gods and Devils
(Merge)
Camera Obscura
Biggest, Bluest Hi-Fi
(Merge)
On Saturday, I was at my favorite record shop in Long Beach
thumbing through used CDs looking for bargains to fulfill my
eclectic and sometimes bizarre musical yearnings. After thirty
minutes of fruitless searching, I managed to pick up a copy
of an old McCoy Tyner record and the new one by Rilo Kiley.
Then it suddenly occurred to me that I had a record store in
my den in the form of two boxes full of CDs waiting for my written
words of evaluation, whether it is praise or disdain. After
sifting through the pile of envelopes, I came across one that
had a shyte load of music from indie label Merge, based out
of North Carolina. Since I am an indecisive sod, I am rendering
a brief synopsis of each of the five CDs enclosed in their promotional
package; and based on what I write, you can go out over the
Thanksgiving holiday and comb the planet for anything I pontificate
about that sparks your interest.
The Arcade Fire - Funeral
The Arcade Fire hails from Montreal, Quebec and in between freezing
their collective asses off during the Canadian winter, have
managed to put together a brilliant debut album featuring songwriting
with artful, personal lyrical themes, great arrangement ideas
and appealing combinations of instruments including xylophone
and accordion. Though they are completely original, in spirit
TAF reminded me of quirky bands like the Move and older Split
Enz. There is not a weak song on this record but my favorite
tracks are "Tunnels", a song with a linear groove
that crescendos beautifully and features one of the best opening
lyric lines that I have ever heard and "In the Backseat,"
which is metaphoric and powerfully unsettling. I highly recommend
this record and consider it to be one of the best I have heard
this year.
American Music Club - Love Songs for Patriots
San Francisco band American Music Club has recorded their first
album in ten years. However, having not been a follower of the
band's previous work that spanned nearly a decade between the
mid eighties and nineties, I cannot make any comparisons to
their earlier efforts. With song titles like "Myopic Books,"
"Mantovani the Mind Reader" and "Son of the Rats
Leaving the Sinking Ships," this somber effort is extremely
well played but plods along slowly until nearly the end of the
hour long outing. "America Loves a Minstrel Show"
caught my ear with its Robert Fripp sounding guitar bits and
cool 6/4 tempo. The country folk shuffle of "The Horseshoe
Wreath in Bloom" is also a standout, conjuring a style
evocative of the Band's "Stage Fright." Closing the
record is "The Devil Needs You." a dark, atmospheric
acoustic piece that is beautiful and profoundly haunting. Though
a bit slow at times, this musical investment more than pays
off.
Richard Buckner - Dents and Shells
Richard Buckner is described as a modern day troubadour playing
his original folk rock in cities like Edmonton, Austin, San
Francisco, Atlanta and New York. He sings in a rich deep voice
and his earnest songwriting has a quality foundation but I kept
waiting for a standout song and the closet thing to that was
"Picture Day," a tune sounding like vintage acoustic
Grateful Dead a la "American Beauty." For some listeners
this record might be a diamond in the rough but I cannot recommend
it.
Shark Quest - Gods and Devils
Shark Quest is an instrumental band living in Chapel Hill, North
Carolina that just happens to be the home of Merge. They combine
"elements of surf guitar, bluegrass, traditional folk,
bossa nova, Sufi-western and neoclassical baroque." I know
that's a mouthful to chomp but it turns out to be pretty good
eating. The opening track titled "The Rosetta Barrage,"
sounds like what would happen if Dick Dale played with Gentle
Giant. Having worked with a well-known surf band, I would say
their material falls into a new musical category I am inventing
called Southwestern Surf; so just picture giant Saguaros on
the beach and you may fathom what I am talking about. Throw
in a twist of Blue Ridge Mountain folk and you have yourself
a diverse blend of instrumental sounds.
Camera Obscura - Biggest, Bluest Hi Fi
Checking in as the Merge's oversea entry, I offer you a brief
rundown on Camera Obscura. Formed in 1996, they are based in
Glasgow, Scotland and apparently have endured (or depending
how you look at it) enjoyed endless comparisons to that nifty
little unit called Belle & Sebastian. In fact, Stuart Murdoch
of Belle & Sebastian fame produced their song "Eighties
Fan," on this very record. Another meaningless but interesting
piece of trivia is that both Camera Obscura and Belle &
Sebastian were formed at the same time and both in Glasgow;
the singular difference is one was formed at a café and
the other a basement, spooky eh? Unfortunately, the coincidences
end there, as Camera Obscura's material does not rise to the
same quality as their compatriots. Tracyanne Campbell's vocals
do remind me of Harriett Wheeler from the UK band The Sundays.
My recommendation is pass on this one and go buy Dear Catastrophe
Waitress instead.
In closing, I admire Merge Records for sending me five CDs,
all of which are offering serious music from independent artists.
The Arcade Fire is garnering some serious attention and it is
richly deserved as they have produced a spectacular debut album.
Although requiring some patience, The American Music Club also
deserves your attention for their work and I will definitely
be listening to their album again this week. Finally, in a world
where major labels take no prisoners or chances, my hats off
to Merge for giving Shark Quest a chance to record their imaginative
brand of instrumental music.
Reviewed by
Phillip E. Hardy
November 24th, 2004 |
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