Disc Reviews
by Max Ink Staff Writers
The Helio Sequence - The Helio Sequence
The Helio Sequence
Album title: The Helio Sequence
By John Noyd
Posted: May 2015
Label: Sub Pop
(3028) Page Views
Taking hold and pulling you under, the Oregon duo’s sixth album finds them washed in a swath of flickering wiggling and shimmering patterns; a cool nuanced confluence pursuing wiry spiraling guitar, scuttling percussion and strong, wandering voices. Wind-tossed synthesis brewed in tightly-wrapped packages saturated in straight-talk pop-rock, “The Helio Sequence,” subtly seethes in dreamy upheaval whose interwoven motions ooze through bobbing chops from aquatic clatter and smooth grooves stirred in sturdy gurgling. The result of a marathon song-writing and recording assignment, THS’s latest percolating circus works soft hypnotic propositions into a unrestrained meringue whose creamy soul rattles in intricate symmetry, propelling this self-titled recital into cozy explosions frosted in glossy blossoms. In their only Wisconsin appearance, The Helio Sequence visits Madison’s The Frequency June 26th.
Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
Courtney Barnett
Album title: Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit
By Sal Serio
Posted: May 2015
Label: Mom + Pop Music
(3653) Page Views
She’s young, she’s Aussie, and suddenly she’s top of the pops in college rock. You didn’t notice the flash in the pan? Right. ‘Cause in this instance I think she’s here to stay. Courtney Barnett, that is.
A solid reason why is the bountiful abundance of attention-grabbers housed on this disc. Media darling? Yeah… for the time being. One hit wonder? No fucking way. More like, FINALLY a new artist with an overflowing bag of tricks, and intellect enhanced by copious amounts of pure FUN.
Much of the fun comes in the form of memorable lyrics: “Her heels are high and her bag is snakeskin / hair pulled so tight you can see her skeleton”, “She looks him up and down with a botox frown / he’s well used to that look by now”, “Give me all your money and I’ll make some origami, honey”, “I was getting dizzy / my hair was wet and frizzy”.
Maybe not overly deep, but rock ‘n roll isn’t rocket science, you know. It’s more about the immediate connection the words and music have with the listener. Who can’t relate to: “I wanna go out but I wanna stay home” (the song title rams the point home further, “Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party”)?
Courtney Barnett performs at Milwaukee’s Pabst Theater, Friday, June 19, with Belle And Sebastian.
The People Brothers Band - Middle Of The In Between
The People Brothers Band
Album title: Middle Of The In Between
By Sal Serio
Posted: May 2015
Label: The People Brothers Band, LLC
(3169) Page Views
What’s good? What’s not wrong? This new People Brothers Band CD, for one thing. When life’s wicked curve balls get you frazzled to the end of your wits, here’s your tonic. The feel-good, put a skip-in-your-step, happy groove in your shoes cure for all that ails ya. Stay away from the edge and move back toward the middle of the in between.
Seriously, I think I love this CD. Besides the thoroughly uplifting emotions it coaxes, it’s just a really well put together musical project. It’s a “total product” instead of just a few standout tracks surrounded by filler, and is obviously the result of a band that has paid it’s dues and honed it’s craft before rushing out it’s initial studio offering. The pristine recording and mix by Landon Arkens of Madison’s Blast House Studios complements these 15 songs well.
Included are many varied styles, from New Orleans style funk/soul/blues (“Lay Me Down”), shades of early rock & roll (“Letters”), upbeat modern rock with jazz/blues overtones (“Ride”), and a Cab Calloway call-and-response shout-out incorporated into the Louis Armstrong classic “St. James Infirmary”. “Bitter Rain” and “Excalibur” are tastefully augmented by Kenny Leiser’s violin. I can’t recommend this music enough, people! People Brothers, that is.
Kelakos - Uncorked: Rare Tracks From A Vintage 70s Band
Kelakos
Album title: Uncorked: Rare Tracks From A Vintage 70s Band
By Sal Serio
Posted: May 2015
Label: Self Released
(2208) Page Views
Not too long ago, someone I know remarked, “There’s a reason we call Classic Rock CLASSIC”… and that’s the best intro to review the Kelakos CD. An East Coast based rock quartet who formed in the late 70s, did a little recording and a lot of gigging, and now are seeing their well-crafted songs released for a whole new audience.
15 songs, as a matter of fact, hearkening back to the days when AM radio was segueing into AOR FM radio, and cruising the main drag in your Mustang with cassettes or 8-tracks blaring was the norm. At times there’s a bit of the early Doobie Brothers/Firefall laid-back southern jammy vibe, but one can’t really sum it up that way. For instance, the opening track, “Boogie Bad Express” sounds like it could be Johnny Winter singing. “Rachel” could be a blended frosty with Sweet, Badfinger, and Raspberries flavors. Then, when you relax in to the grooves, a track like “Frostbite Fantasy” jumps out of the speakers with a more progressive arrangement, and a razorblade sharp guitar solo by singer George Haberstroh.
Even though these tracks were recorded between 1975-1979, the sound engineering is pristine and contemporary. These guys should know something about the studio. Drummer Carl Canedy produced many 80s-era metal groups, such as Anthrax, Overkill, Exciter, and Possessed.
Randy Bachman - Randy Bachman - Heavy Blues - Interview by Bruce Alexander
Randy Bachman
Album title: Randy Bachman - Heavy Blues - Interview by Bruce Alexander
By Bruce Alexander
Posted: Apr 2015
Label: True North Records
(2672) Page Views
Bruce Alexander: Tell me about your new album, “Heavy Blues.”
Randy Bachman: Out of the blue, I got offered a new record deal from Geoff Kulawick from True North Records, a long established record label out of Toronto. That’s rare these days, because there are hardly any of those labels left. When I got the deal, he urged me to try something new and different; several other musical vets I talked to about it agreed. “Reinvent yourself,” they said. “Don’t do the same old shit.” So I wind up with two great female players, and it’s not just a gimmick. They attack the lead, bass, vocals and percussion with the passion and precision of Pete Townsend, Jack Bruce and Keith Moon. So the album was done in five days.
BA: Talk about your hero Hank Marvin of the Shadows, and how you got to work with him late in your career.
RB: He was the biggest influence of my life. I began my career on violin, which is essentially a lead instrument. That gave me the ability to play lead guitar on the Shadows song “FBI”, which got me the lead guitarist gig in the Guess Who. In fact, I knew the Shadows songs so well, if Hank broke his arm, I could have gone up and played the whole show. I got Hank Marvin’s amp, I bought a big wood plaque off the internet that contains the Shadows’ fifty greatest hits, all signed - I have a Hank Marvin shrine in my home. When a Shadows tribute album was made, they asked me to contribute the last song. Together, Neil Young and I decided to play Bruce Welsh’s song, “Spring is Nearly Here,” which we had first heard on the radio back in 1966. Since we couldn’t locate a copy of the song, we recreated the lead and rhythm parts from memory, then manufactured an intro. Then one day after we recorded it, I came home to hear a Shadows fan playing the actual song on my answering machine; it was identical to what we had recorded.
BA: How did you wind up with your radio show, “Randy’s Vinyl Tap”, which also became a book?
RB: I got the radio show as an accident. I was a summer replacement for Canadian DJ Danny Finkleman’s radio show, “Finklemans’ 45’s”. Since I played records for fun, I didn’t consider it a job, but it became much more: Obscure songs with themes that ranged from motorcycles to beach tunes, plus wild renegade news with opinion and humor. By the end of the summer, I was told that I had led the prime time ratings on CBC radio, and was offered a permanent slot. After forty years, I had a real job. My father would have been proud. It might go on Sirius satellite as well. Later, we transcribed the stories from my radio show into book form. Otherwise, you can’t download those stories; you can only listen to them. We had a book deal for over 30,000 books.
BA: How did the Guess Who form, and how did you get the idea for the name?
RB: We played Johnny Kidd and the Pirates song, ”Shakin’ All Over.” We sent it to the record label. We couldn’t use the name “Reflections” because a band from Baltimore that had the name already had a hit called “Romeo and Juliet.” We needed a name so the record label gave it to us. We had no say in it.
BA: Any closing remarks?
RB: “Heavy Blues” is the greatest (and worst) thing I’ve ever done. Also, we have a gig this Saturday night with a phenomenal girl band from Regina, Saskatchewan at the New York Ethical Cultural Center at West 64th Street and Central Park West.
Kopecky - Drug for the Modern Age
Kopecky
Album title: Drug for the Modern Age
By John Noyd
Posted: Apr 2015
Label: ATO Records
(2024) Page Views
Pumped in prompt romps from hip-swiveling singers and gallant ballads ushered in subtle percussion, Kopecky’s jump-started hearts immersed in cocktail pop feathers its nest in restlessly electric quests. Motoring through romantic stand-offs, flirty curtain calls and edgy pledges, bristling riffs woven inside harmonic gifts lift “Drug,” from love’s tender surrender to passion’s vigorous rhythms as the versatile Nashville six-piece treats tired ears to vital dance-friendly geysers and frothy Jacuzzi exuberance to blow away any thoughts of sophomore slumps. Bright, sweeping grievances flushed in abrupt poly-rock sequences keep things dynamic as the band funnels their live performance energies into coy, poised recordings whose catchy clichés and refreshing messages infect both head and feet with spring-loaded odes to dynamic abandon and slinky submissions dressed in fetching confessions.
Vetiver - Complete Strangers
Vetiver
Album title: Complete Strangers
By John Noyd
Posted: Apr 2015
Label: Easy Sound
(2292) Page Views
Cautiously posturing open secrets inside familiar half-truths as an undulating ebb and flow escorts lilting seaside bossa novas down acrobatic paths filled with dreamy schemes placid as naps, “Complete Strangers,” is very much like its title; timid yet curious. Vetiver’s brainchild, singer-songwriter Andy Cabic collaborates with long-time producer Thom Monahan to compile a kindly catalog of tight-rope walks between unconditional love and misplaced trust, searching for rose-colored closure among startling departures and tuneful reunions. Buoyed by soft melodic conscience and fleeting intrigues Vetiver’s latest mid-tempo mazes consistently work opposing notions towards a collective tension that never loses its balance, seeking common ground around life’s dueling pursuits while underlying fires heat percolating surfaces in folksy quotes within twinkling synths. Vetiver play Madison’s The Frequency May 7th.
Overserved Gentlemen - Pistachio Trail
Overserved Gentlemen
Album title: Pistachio Trail
By Sal Serio
Posted: Apr 2015
Label: Outpost Music
(2276) Page Views
Overserved Gentlemen are trying to throw me for a loop. Their press merely says that they are from Wisconsin (no city or regional clarification given) and their genre is described as “Pollinated Blues”, as if daring the music critic to define who they are and what they do. And that sorry-ass music writer happens to be me!
On the upside of this equation, I’m hip to their trip. The 9 songs on the debut “Pistachio Trail” CD are all quite enjoyable, and really do run the gamut from gritty heavy blues (“Straighten Out”, “Blues N7”), to more lighthearted sing-a-long-on-a-summer-day compositions (“Leslie”), to jazz-rock-jamming in unusual time signatures (“Afrobeast”). So, yeah… I get it. Don’t stick these guys in to a box, because they are capable of coloring outside of the lines. Each and every one of these songs grow some funk of their own, conceived in their own unique DNA.
The beauty is, the OSG guys are obviously taking chances and forging their own identity, yet they are still easily palatable. Avoiding the “difficult listening” tag, if you will. This is emphasized by the multitude of bookings on their calendar. The 3 piece blues band framework keeps them grounded, but their no-holds-barred attitude keeps their blues fresh, and, well… pollinated. I say that we need another round!
The Gran Fury - Titan
The Gran Fury
Album title: Titan
By Sal Serio
Posted: Apr 2015
Label: self released
(2440) Page Views
I’m not sure if there is a viable anecdote to whatever is in the Wisconsin water that’s been churning out the massive rock ‘n roll lately, but I hope that cure is never found. First Eau Claire’s Drunk Drivers unveil the definitive album of the year late in 2014, now Madison’s gleesome threesome The Gran Fury throw down the ultimate gauntlet of sonic rock attitude.
The title is “Titan”? I can’t argue with that! These ten songs show no mercy whatsoever. Sometimes local indie rock can steer off course in to the turbulent waters of eclectic overt inaccessibility, but here we have a collection of songs that go straight for the jugular in a way that any rock fan can understand. In fact, often I felt like there was an AC/DC or Judas Priest type song structure lurking beneath the colossus berserker cloak of sheer in-your-face unabashed joyful rock ‘n roll brutality.
The song titles say it all, really. “Left Hook”, “Kick In The Face”, and “I Live For Rock N Roll”. Subtlety be damned! Let’s just get in to it already! It’s in the water, it’s in your ears, and it’s in your brain. It’s The Gran Fury, dammit. Turn it up!
Bachman - Heavy Blues
Bachman
Album title: Heavy Blues
By Sal Serio
Posted: Apr 2015
Label: Linus Entertainment
(2052) Page Views
The opening words sung by Randy Bachman on his new CD are, “Goodbye mama, I ain’t comin’ home. There’s a big world out there. I know it ain’t alone. Leave behind the knowledge. I gotta chase a dream… I wanna be somebody and I gotta be me. My latest address is that I’m living on the edge, there’s where you’ll find me.”
That sentiment sets the tone for the entire ‘Heavy Blues’ release. Bachman slashes and burns his way through these 11 tracks like a man possessed. The sound of his guitar is like a machete, and the muscle of the delivery is bludgeoning. This is not retro! These are contemporary bluesy hard rock scorchers that illustrate Bachman’s resolve to keep his music vibrant and relevant in today’s musical landscape. His two accomplices, drummer Dale Ann Brendon and bassist Anna Ruddick, nail these songs against the wall with a heavy, heady, G-force.
Throughout this release, the icing on the cake comes in the form of guest soloists that provide their own individual personalities to certain performances. On the ‘Heavy Blues’ VIP list are Scott Holiday from Rivals Sons, Peter Frampton, Neil Young, Joe Bonamassa, Robert Randolph, Luke Doucet, and a posthumous track recorded by Jeff Healey while on tour with Bachman in 2007. Experience the ‘Heavy Blues’ live and in person when the Bachman band brings the goods to your town… currently on tour!
Joe Pug - Windfall
Joe Pug
Album title: Windfall
By John Noyd
Posted: Mar 2015
Label: Lightning Rod Records
(1878) Page Views
Possessing an unwavering faith in conflicted characters and a strong allegiance to nurtured narratives, singer-songwriter Pug’s modern folk-blues lullabies are lined in refined curbside revivals and set to restless first-person recollections as slow, groaning slide wipes across prairie twang and crisp pickin’ rocks each cradled verse. Regrouping after a grueling tour, “Windfall,” represents the former Chicago resident’s renewed enthusiasm for refreshed perspectives gathering resonant reexaminations captured in respected reflections while addressing bargain-basement karma inside ill-fated crossroads and eroded footholds. A galvanizing gallery of street-corner angels washed in free-spirited weariness and broken-hearted martyrs seeking bittersweet relief populates, “Windfall,” in home-spun gumption, optimistic wisdom and road-tested resilience. Check out this talented craftsman when Joe returns April 10th playing Madison’s High Noon Saloon alongside Field Report’s Chris Porterfield.
Johnny Mez and the Fatman - Inner City Hero
Johnny Mez and the Fatman
Album title: Inner City Hero
By John Noyd
Posted: Mar 2015
Label: self-release
(2800) Page Views
An all-natural folk-jazz oasis from the Lower Eastside of New York City, “Hero,” cultivates an organically managed collaboration reaping sleepy rainbow-bop built around loose roots planted on urban streets and fed by exotic botanies. A global fusion of humanity in a unique coalition of talented musicians, Mez’s inquisitive vision balances energetic acoustic guitar with fluid tuba, laidback sax and unrushed percussion that brews elusive grooves washed in spacious pacing and luminous nuance. Recorded to two-inch eight-track analog tape the entire enterprise flies between idyllic mischief and stoic emotions as interpersonal journeys reach out seeking soul-blown conversations; coy, whimsical horns fluttering in dreamy swarms while bamboo flutes dodge palpitating Udu and accordion-driven rhythms tackle border-town tejano, lighting casual pathways into universal communities housing proud, mindful vibes.
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