Disc Reviews
by Max Ink Staff Writers
Joey Broyles - Lucky Superstar
Joey Broyles
Album title: Lucky Superstar
By John Noyd
Posted: Oct 2016
Label: self-release
(2704) Page Views
Washed in lavish passions, brave crusades and militant synths, “Lucky,” holds court against a world enslaved to gray conventions, cradled in ill-fitting labels and wedded to uncontested repression. Dystopian overtures rope social injustice and personal freedom into glitter-bombed romps and diva-teasing power-ballads as Broyles uncoils a conceptual conundrum where self-aware fairy-tales filled with sci-fi pariahs champion non-conformists everywhere in an enthralling call to arms suitable for mass consumption. Bold showmanship has always been the glam-pop auteur’s calling card and his latest do or die diatribes straddle pedantic fantasies and defiant non-compliance with exquisite commiseration, raging rock assaults and damning examinations. Principled sympathy and unequivocal civil disobedience go hand in hand with exorbitant portions and delectable spectacle making, “Lucky,” a fortunate collusion of art and ideas.
The Mascot Theory - Trust and Bones
The Mascot Theory
Album title: Trust and Bones
By John Noyd
Posted: Sep 2016
Label: self-release
(2980) Page Views
Despite releasing a solid EP late last year, the latest full-length album from Wisconsin’s The Mascot Theory took over a year and half to complete. It was not time wasted as, “Trust and Bones,” shines in polished gems whose proven grooves swing in crystal-clear lyrics honed from diamond-hard truths. Fancy hootenannies buck against beguiling revivals as sawdust two-steps with carnival-barker sparkle call boot-scootin’ moon-dances with devilish glee. Recording and mixing between Madison and Nashville, the country-rock quartet drew talented cameos from both places to supplement an already robust sound with titillating fiddle and night-train pedal-steel. Join the CD Release Party October 8th at Middleton’s Capitol Brewing or join a good cause when the band plays Flannel Fest 2016 November 5th with Beth Kille and American Aquarium.
Teenage Fanclub - Here
Teenage Fanclub
Album title: Here
By John Noyd
Posted: Sep 2016
Label: Merge
(2730) Page Views
Making it look easy, Scotland’s alt-rock melody-makers Teenage Fanclub produce seamless breezes filled with quiet yearning and stern, rock-solid solace. Nostalgic romantics whose cherished harmonies flow with pleasing expediency, the five-piece league of gentlemen coast on dreamy beds of gurgling guitars whose occasionally fitful backlashes strengthen each song’s faith and convictions. From the waterfall cover art to the Zen song titles, “Here,” focuses on life’s ubiquitous transience; wrapping unsettled uncertainties around searching hearts through plainspoken lyrics rolling in consoling, cajoling sympathies. Whether reflecting on wisdom gained from days gone by or simply pondering unformed futures, the band’s unerring ear for nuanced chord progressions make well-feathered nests for lovesick songbirds. In a rare convergence of good fortune, Teenage Fan club plays Madison’s High Noon Saloon October 23rd with Sam Evian.
Ryley Walker - Golden Sings That Have Been Sung
Ryley Walker
Album title: Golden Sings That Have Been Sung
By John Noyd
Posted: Aug 2016
Label: Dead Oceans
(2596) Page Views
Sliding and gliding between brazen flamenco flourishes nourishing babbling bluegrass patches and scrumptious country runs feeding tangled blues-based ballads; “Golden,” proposes casually dazzling six-string slivers straddling raga-jazz folk rivers channeling jam-friendly undertows elbowing ghostly Americana roller-coasters as radiant chamber-rock campfires toast elaborate catalytic interactions. Cagey frontier quilts map alleyways and corner bars inside sparkling, cerebral interiors while the swift riffing Walker hawks cryptic fragments bursting with purpose and coated in calm pseudo-psalms, cool daredevil prayers and plainly arcane refrains. Even-keeled spiels harnessing hobo anecdotes, Chicago’s eclectic electric guitarist rides deep-current journeys with cavalier good cheer and stark marksman timing for an album whose restlessness never strays too far from absorbing orbits. Walker visits Madison’s The Frequency September 29th along with the surreptitious Circuit des Yeux.
Faun Fables - Born of the Sun
Faun Fables
Album title: Born of the Sun
By John Noyd
Posted: Jul 2016
Label: Drag City
(3643) Page Views
Perched on cosmic cobwebs spanning whiplashed witchcraft alongside gypsy-driven whimsy, Faun Fables spin untamed prog-rock polyphonics into rays of dappled sunlight slicing primordial forests. Mythical, mystical masonry smelting fissionable madrigals into time-jumping hybrids, “Born,” swarms and buzzes, harnessing artisan karma from shape-shifting rhythms. Stellar songtellers Dawn McCarthy and Nils Frykdahl’s furious curiosity ceaselessly weaves elaborate patterns with nimble stitches from multi-colored thread. Whether Teutonic sonnets casting Slavic spells splashed in ecstatic rapture or Appalachian folk-blues nestling post-apocalyptic parables in lonesome sailor’s jigs, FF’s medieval easels color cunning hunting within historical foraging; midsummer caroling gathers restlessly inventive connections while rumbling hand-drums scurry, herding and circling puckish flutes paired with fairy-dusted autoharps and heavy, electric six-strings for daring organic performances scoring swelling tarantellas dancing around wrangled fandangos.
Tin Can Diamonds - Tin Can Diamonds
Tin Can Diamonds
Album title: Tin Can Diamonds
By John Noyd
Posted: May 2016
Label: self-release
(5331) Page Views
Conjuring family bonds through candid jamborees, a friendly strength pervades Madison’s Tin Can Diamonds’ self-titled debut. Whether whipping up road-trip bliss or drowning in rootless heartache, TCD slips socially conscious mischief into sad tall tales and rousing good-time tunes for a swinging education in interpersonal dynamics, subliminal consumerism and corporate control that never sacrifices a catchy melody for heavy-handed pedantics. Folk-blues grooves meet sweet bohemian dreams as Aarushi Agni’s old soul vocals coax robust moments tinged in sinful whimsy. Ben Strohbeen’s happy-go-lucky bass dances alongside Dave Janus’ shuffling drums for slinky honky-tonk rhythms inside chugging struts while guitarist Mitch Johnson lends a keen ear to restless riffs and back-up vocals. Catch TCD opening up for ferocious folk-rocker Adia Victoria June 16th at Madison’s The Frequency
Julianna Barwick - Will
Julianna Barwick
Album title: Will
By John Noyd
Posted: May 2016
Label: Dead Oceans
(3239) Page Views
Paring down sounds to their essence, composer and sonic soothsayer Barwick lays a gentle hand to serene streams feeding ethereal spirituals through soft pliable hives buzzing in warm swarms. Passive, aqueous chorals plopped, plucked and massaged into captivating fabric, “Will,” blankets the listener in piano raindrops and synthesizer jellyfish, luminous blooms swallowing evolving colonies. Gathering diaphanous gasps voicing wordless hurts, Barwick blurs lines designing chromatic chakras into tonal sonar warbling in secular spectacle and interstellar telepathy. Expanding organic fantasies lift celestial vessels in radiant patience as unseen depths beckon bell-jar avatars to bubble in subtle synergy; methodical oddities suspended in heaven, heaving, breathing and rippling with sophisticated instincts. Julianna plays Madison’s The Frequency June 20th along with cyber-symphonic conjurer Mas Ysa and electro-master Cap Alan.
The Rotten Tommys - The Rotten Tommys
The Rotten Tommys
Album title: The Rotten Tommys
By Sal Serio
Posted: May 2016
Label: To The Core Records
(3468) Page Views
I’ve always said that rock ‘n roll shouldn’t be overly analyzed and philosophized over. It’s best when stripped down to the essence of primal beats, loud chords, and huge sing-along choruses. The Rotten Tommys have taken this formula straight from the garage to the stage, and now to your personal CD players.
The attitude here is turn it up, rock it out, and don’t waste any time. Short, catchy, songs with no filler, sums up things well. Four Rotten Tommys, ten songs, and under 27 minutes total. Ray Davies and Pete Townshend would approve. Two guitars, bass, and drums… the way it was meant to be. A little snotty and a lot in synch with the “Ramones rules” of keeping it sincere, simple, and snorkin’. Like I was saying, this is rock ‘n roll, baby! It’s not calculus.
The Rotten Tommys play out often because that’s what they love to do, and you should take the opportunity to experience the party. The RTs will be at Maybash this year on May 28, so, hey, you could even party naked at that one if you want! Also July 9 at The High Dive in Milwaukee with The HullMen and Northside Creeps.
Security Project - Live 1
Security Project
Album title: Live 1
By Sal Serio
Posted: May 2016
Label: 7D Media
(3084) Page Views
The “Tribute Band” concept can sometimes wear thin, especially here in the Madison market, but, the big stages on the touring circuit occasionally see more interesting and fully-realized concepts come through, particularly in the prog rock realm. The Security Project is one of the more spellbinding tribute productions currently in existence.
To sum this group up, they are performing the early material of Peter Gabriel, with a strong emphasis on his 3rd and 4th album songs. If you only know of Gabriel via his overly saturated radio/video hits “Sledgehammer” and “Big Time”, then this is probably not for you. If you appreciate the inventiveness of “Biko” and “No Self Control”, then you’ll get it.
What’s really amazing here are the vocals of Brian Cummins, who sounds almost more like Peter Gabriel than Gabriel himself nowadays. Famed rock drummer Jerry Marotta, who played on those Gabriel albums, brings some solid cred and those crucial polyrhythmic drum patterns to the proceedings. Trey Gunn’s 10-string touch guitar replicates the original Tony Levin bass parts admirably. And the song selection is truly inspired, spanning Genesis-era gems like “Back In NYC”, to the “Games Without Frontiers/Of These, Hope” (from ‘The Last Temptation Of Christ’) medley. Recommended.
Jessy Lanza - Oh No
Jessy Lanza
Album title: Oh No
By John Noyd
Posted: May 2016
Label: Hyperdub
(2947) Page Views
Trilling thrills meet punctual funk as a divine amalgamation of raving party-favors and cantilevered diva squeaks flow, grow and glow in slippery contradictory bliss; “No,” is both lush and sparse, luxurious yet economical, subversively inserting tense, sensual layers into sanitized mechanics where flexible temptations move to tireless desires. Artfully employing whiplash panache to cybernetic confections, Lanza’s sophomore effort squeezes teasing sparks into a lip-smacking feast of sculpted beats whose micro-managed dance-production let the little things stand out while the soulful whole washes wonderfully over the senses. Perky chirps flirting in catty, bratty j-pop purrs while gentle waves of quirky work-outs slavishly sashay in mincing incisions cause the entire album to wriggle and squirm in blithe seismics, savagely dabbling between danger and delight, pleasure and plight.
The Mascot Theory - Esperanto
The Mascot Theory
Album title: Esperanto
By John Noyd
Posted: Apr 2016
Label: Stone After Stone Records
(3281) Page Views
Packing four originals and a live recording into the tasty new EP, “Esperanto,” The Mascot Theory prove reliably entertaining while appearing magically casual and quietly wise. Charming, chiming chords rouse story-teller spells; pithy rodeo fairytales to sweep you off your feet, placing you inside eager choruses with a racing heart and possibly a raised fist. Gentlemen and artisans, the individual talents of the quartet powers a united canvas highlighting lyrical parables delivered in aerodynamic stamina as quick-ripped riffs and tight-knit harmonics fit into descriptive fictions where hearts mend and character engage in intelligent dialogue, struggling at times but often rejoicing. Catch them next headlining High Noon Saloon’s Third Annual Hullabrew May 14th along with Christopher Gold & The New Old Things and The Pine Barrens.
Imarhan - Imarhan
Imarhan
Album title: Imarhan
By John Noyd
Posted: Apr 2016
Label: City Slang
(2608) Page Views
Grafting constant dodges and shifty pauses to nimble notes raining over beds of super-heated beats, North Africa’s sterling desert whirlwind Imarhan stretches edgy traditions into patient meditations and ecstatic raptures. Stark, thorny competitions melt into flickering, communal trance-jams as the inspired quintet keeps spirits active and feet second-guessing with arresting rhythms and enchanting incantations. Ranging from torrid to languid, their self-titled debut blooms in contagious guitar-tangled syncopations whose serpentine grooves circumvent language and defy logic; nomadic sadness acting as a leisurely transcendent catalyst. The international upstarts bring their restless brand of polyglot blues-rock to a ready America with a rare club tour that incredibly includes a stop in Madison’s The Frequency May 4th. Prepare for a bombastic night that includes Madison’s own Afrobeat sensation Immigré.
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