Disc Reviews
by Max Ink Staff Writers
Joe Matera - Face Off
Joe Matera
Album title: Face Off
By Aaron Manogue
Posted: May 2011
Label: Mercury Rise Records
(3550) Page Views
Former Geisha guitarist Joe Matera recently released his solo single “Face Off,” which is an instrumental, all electric band concoction of plain simple fun. The guitar work that starts from the very beginning is the heart and soul of the song, carrying an uplifting and strong rhythm throughout the entire song. The winding solos and melodic background seem to paint a portrait of a story that picks up the pace and glides down the finely tuned riffs in a moment’s notice, reminding listeners of the days of classic rock. Rick Brewster of The Angels even made a special guest appearance on one of the track’s solos. Matera’s guitar talents are clean, crisp, and original, and make you wish the song wouldn’t end. But when it does, you just hit replay.
“Face Off” is out through Mercury Fire Music and available for purchase on iTunes. The track will also appear on Matera’s upcoming EP CD due later this year.
John Herdt & Wally Z - October Sky
John Herdt & Wally Z
Album title: October Sky
By Sal Serio
Posted: May 2011
Label: Rampant Squid
(6067) Page Views
I’m not sure if anyone thinks being a music critic is easy, but there are times when it’s really hard to review an album. October Sky, the latest release by John Herdt and Wally Z, has me dealing with one of those heartburn moments. I truly enjoy the music, but the album is without obvious genre definition. So, this instrumental masterpiece transcends most mainstream avenues of review.
Starting at the beginning, which is the composition titled Busted, the first thing that grabbed me is John Herdt’s bass playing on this cut. A guitarist by trade, Herdt has made Herculean leaps and bounds with his melodic bass lines on this latest recording. Also of note is keyboardist Tommy Stephenson, who makes an appearance on this opening track, adding an acid-jazzy vibe to the more straight ahead rock of Herdt and drummer Wally Z.
All of the songs and soloing on October Sky have a distinct ebb and flow, which take the listener through exhilarating highs, and softer, more relaxing, lows. Herdt’s overdubbed guitar work creates density and texture to generally toe-tapping motivational mood music. I also noticed an increased use of slide in Herdt’s playing, which is employed to great effect.
Without the distraction of vocals and lyrics, this recording makes for a terrific listening experience for driving, studying, reading, or cleaning the house. And once the housekeeper has finished the chores, this disc would also provide an excellent soundtrack to peeling off the French maid’s outfit and the subsequent “wang dang” of her doodle.
Recommended tracks: “Busted,” “Crying Shame,” and “In For A Penny,” which showcase a complex King Crimson-ish riffing and chord progression. Maybe a film producer will pick up on Herdt and Wally’s stuff to use as a soundtrack someday.
ohGr - Undeveloped
ohGr
Album title: Undeveloped
By Kimberly E. McDaniel
Posted: Apr 2011
Label: Metropolis Records
(7659) Page Views
This new offering from ohGr, comprised of Nivek Ogre of Skinny Puppy and Mark Walk, is not only the product of 16 years of collaboration between the two musicians, but it is also an amazing odyssey through an industrial landscape. Undeveloped features 14 tracks filled with dance beats, weird vocal effects, and the occasional familiar sound in an unfamiliar setting. The album is, of course, very Skinny Puppy-like, but with enough differences as to tell the two apart. It would be impossible to listen to Ogre sing without conjuring images of Skinny Puppy, and in typical fashion, he twists and pounds his voice to fit the various molds of each song.
Ogre says that Undeveloped has a “soft theme of distorted sexuality” running through it, but he touches upon many subjects amid the album’s 14 tracks. “101” is a song designed to fill the dance floor, while asking, “Who do I have to fuck?” “Crash” was apparently written in reaction to the death of Michael Jackson and our country’s raging health care debate. Ogre claims that the rise and fall of Jackson is sort of an allegory of what lies in store for us “during this massive economic and social shift.”
Other standout tracks include “Typer,” which features haunting musical notes over the familiar clickety-clack of a typewriter while Ogre repeats “Stick to the mainstream.” Whether this is an urging or admonishment is for the listener to decode. “Screw Me” is another danceable number, with the lament, “Life is not what you expect.” “Collidoskope” invites you in with, “Welcome to the collidoskope, everything that fueled the hope has died.”
Essentially, if you are a fan of ohGr or Skinny Puppy, there is no reason you wouldn’t love unDeveloped. If you have never heard either band, then this would be the perfect introduction to the strange and wonderful world of industrial music. As Ogre says, “Now Undeveloped belongs to all those who will listen, interpret, embrace or denigrate.”
Rorry Gallagher - Ghost Blues/Beat Club Sessions 2-dvd/cd
Rorry Gallagher
Album title: Ghost Blues/Beat Club Sessions 2-dvd/cd
By Gregory Harutunian
Posted: Apr 2011
Label: eagle rock entertainment
(3965) Page Views
A friend once described Rory Gallagher’s music to me by stating “He only plays nine chords, but he knows how to stretch them ninety different ways.” But, the beloved Irish guitarist was more than that description. He was a student of different genres, from acoustic and electric blues to straight-ahead rock. His passing in 1995, due to complications from MRSA following a liver transplant, still leaves a void.
Gallagher enjoyed performing in front of an audience, and his infectious demeanor and sheer joy of playing always made an audience smile and enjoy what was being put down. Eagle Rock Entertainment (www.eaglerockent.com) has been working with Gallagher’s estate for a number of years, and they put out some fine products such as the 2-DVD Live at Montreux and 5-DVD Live at Rockpalast.
The latest is a 2-DVD/1-CD set, also available in Blu-Ray, of the documentary on Gallagher called Ghost Blues. The second DVD is nearly 90-minutes of unreleased, roof-raising live performances from the German TV show Beat Club. The CD also features performances from Beat Club as a companion to the DVD set.
The documentary is a well-done life retrospective on Gallagher’s career with some talking-head interviews. However, the heart is the man’s music and features some fine performances. The gem in this set is the second disc with the live performances (mostly is early 1970s) of his best tunes including covers of “Laundromat,” “Tore Down,” and “Messin’ with the Kid.” The picture and sound are clean and digitally restored making you want to hear the other live items in the Eagle Rock catalogue.
As a student of the guitar, his acoustic blues performances were stunning displays of having a good ear for detail from the original recordings. His slide work, whether on wooden or electric guitars, had the edgy feel of possibly going off the rails at any point but pulling it all together at the last moment with a big smile on his face. He enjoyed it too, and the live set here demonstrates that in spades.
Teddy Thompson - Bella
Teddy Thompson
Album title: Bella
By John Noyd
Posted: Apr 2011
Label: Verve
(3678) Page Views
When Teddy opened last month for the Old 97’s at Madison’s Barrymore, his strong voice and tight back-up brought to mind a number of great singers whose trademark heart on their sleeve pop songs are simply iconic. Thompson’s direct lyrics colored by subtle wit instantly called to mind, Marshall Crenshaw and Chris Isaak while his cover of the classic, “Runaway,” suggested comparisons to both Del Shannon and Roy Orbison. Gathering solid, well-constructed insights cushioned by pithy hooks, cozy harmonies and sighing strings, “Bella,” is both a welcome throwback and a refreshing step forward. Classic song structures incorporating biographical perspectives touching on universal themes, “Bella,” coolly conveys a world of romantic yearning fired by introspective regret, galvanized in gregarious guitars and tempered with melodically encapsulated metaphors
Bruce Cockburn - Small Source of Comfort
Bruce Cockburn
Album title: Small Source of Comfort
By John Noyd
Posted: Apr 2011
Label: True North
(2411) Page Views
A warm bath of bluesy acoustic new-age jazz and sharply focused, contemporary folk furnishes lush comfort for topical anthropologist and mystical lyricist Bruce Cockburn’s thirty-first recording. Wrestling reflective hindsight on a tarp of karmic musings, “Small,” imparts decades of open-eyed experience inside songs of jaunty confidence. Light swipes and sly delights infiltrate an album that includes five wonderfully woven instrumentals; a nice departure for a man whose powerful images and thought-provoking observations have often overshadowed an incredibly sensitive musician. A subtly humble affair, Bruce produces ambling jigs preceding mellow meditations, dream-weaving fodder disguising solemn homilies around hard-won relevancy in an increasingly disposable world. Cockburn, travelling this time around with a full band, performs May 21st at Madison’s Barrymore Theater before heading to Chicago and Minneapolis
Tim Schweiger & The Middle Men - The Big Let Down
Tim Schweiger & The Middle Men
Album title: The Big Let Down
By Sal Serio
Posted: Apr 2011
Label: The Good Land
(3697) Page Views
Not to be confused with The Missingmen, who back up Mike Watt and sometimes that schmuck from Sebadoh, this is buzz saw guitar driven Midwestern power pop from singer and songwriter Tim Schweiger of Obsoletes, Yesterday’s Kids, and Paul Collins’ Beat fame. Schweiger’s second solo release can be found on vinyl c/o The Good Land, and on CD c/o Duck on Monkey Records. Both formats feature unique cover art. Sorry, I was trying to not confuse you.
This should sum things up better. The Big Let Down features three anti-love songs, two “waiting for that girl to call” lonely, somewhat self-loathing songs, one hung-over, almost self-loathing but mostly just drunk and lonely song, two slower-tempo nostalgic lost love songs, a Jackson Browne cover which also happens to be a melancholy lost love song, and one paranoid track, but at least it’s not a sad love song. All these are set to a swell soundtrack of churning guitars, pleasant harmony vocals, super tight rhythm section, some unaccredited organ and harmonica, and an overall really crisp and clean recording job.
Don’t let me fool you. Although I’m giving Schweiger a hard time, I do like this release. My favorite track is “Up on Talking” with its reggae beat contrasted by the Neil Young-ish harp and subtle, yet still sad, lyrics. I’m also pretty hip to the opener, “I Don’t Wanna Be Your Friend,” with the punch line being, “I was your friend just because all I wanted was your love.” Dude, I’ve been there.
How do movie reviewers put it? Recommended, yet not a first date record? Bingo.
Tommy Bolin - Teaser Deluxe
Tommy Bolin
Album title: Teaser Deluxe
By Sal Serio
Posted: Apr 2011
Label: Samson Records
(3492) Page Views
Sometimes the next best thing is all we can hope for. Even better is when the next best thing exceeds expectations. This is the case with the new CD release of unreleased recordings by late guitar virtuoso Tommy Bolin.
Bolin made his mark in the early to mid 70s by playing some completely mind blowing lead guitar on Billy Cobham’s Spectrum and Deep Purple’s Come Taste the Band. Fans of the musician’s meaty chops and dizzying triplets were pleasantly surprised by his subsequent solo records, which showed more expressive range and beautifully delivered vocals. The first of these albums, 1975’s Teaser, has never been released on CD form domestically, and the import issues have been sorely lacking in sonic quality. The last this reporter heard, Sony/Universal didn’t feel the project would generate enough return to make its reissue a priority.
Therefore, 35 years after its release, the new Teaser Deluxe project, spearheaded by Greg Hampton with the blessing of Johnnie Bolin, is truly a reason to rejoice. Hampton has unearthed previously unheard multi-tracks of the Teaser sessions, and brought alternate takes of those tracks up to 21st century audio standards.
Originally, Bolin envisioned the Teaser project to be half instrumental, half vocal, but management shied away from featuring too many instrumentals. This new CD brings back some of Bolin’s vision, with the inclusion of two outtakes of the far-out jazz metal romp “Crazed Fandango”. One version displays the soaring saxophone of David Sanborn, while the other features more piano and guitar. Additionally, some songs which were closer to the four minute mark on the 1975 release now run well over eleven minutes in length, giving Bolin room to stretch out his frenetic soloing. The extended jamming functions better on the smoother “Lotus” than on the straight-ahead rock of “Wild Dogs,” but both are intriguing to compare to the final LP edits. Also of interest is the inclusion of Bolin singing along to some of the lead parts in “Wild Dogs” and “Savannah Woman”.
Attention should also be given to the addition of intro riffs counting off “Homeward Strut” and “Marching Powder,” which gives the listener a little teaser of sorts before the song as it’s known materializes. In some cases, such as the rhythm guitar flanging on “Homeward Strut,” subtleties are brought to light that were lost, or simply not present, on the 1975 LP.
Teaser Deluxe is a must for anyone who enjoys sincere rock and roll with diversified flavors. I’m thankful that these aural treats can be tasted once again.
Akron/Family - The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT
Akron/Family
Album title: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT
By Kaleb Bronson
Posted: Apr 2011
Label: Dead Oceans Records
(1734) Page Views
The carnival is a special treat for most of society. The flashing lights, confusing and frightening clowns, dancing bears, trapeze artists, and circus freaks make for an arrangement that cannot be experienced anywhere else. Welcome to Akron/Family’s carnival with their newest album release Akron/Family II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT released on Dead Oceans Records.
The Akron/Family has taken the experiment known as sound to a new level and broken all of the previous rules of engagement. During this musical process, the team of Dana Janssen, Seth Olinsky, and Miles Seaton (also known as the Akron/Family) created an album of truly cosmic revelations. This album lets loose into a land of bliss and psychedelia while transforming noise into an experience. From the ruckus romp of “Silly Bears,” the intro to the album, to the subduing awakening of an outro titled “Creator,” the band lets the shattered mind, the societal-shaken body, and the effervescent soul travel through a portal of genius accomplishments. Some may not be able to handle the out-of-the-box approach, but for those who enjoy music beyond humanities state-of-being, the Akron/Family has released a masterpiece to delve upon.
The precise drumming quality and unique instrumental values allow the listener to take a spiritual journey throughout this record. Fortunately, audience members do take the aforementioned journey when the band is seen live, especially when outdoors. Each track offers an emotional landslide. The track “Island” is so focused and calmingly triumphant that the listener is moved to sway with the waves of electronic-folk rhythms, and then move into a chanting fiasco of beauty on the short song “A AAA O A WAY.” The corrupt noises interwoven in the background enter the mind like a transistor radio, and then send listeners into the river of consciousness before transcending during “So It Goes.”
The more confusion, the better, and the sounds continue to be more colorful throughout this album. Ronald Dahl would be a proud to hear such unexpected instrumental color. The tribal drumming and chanting cascading through “Another Sky” opens the gates into a new room of musical wilderness. As the light emerges from the track of the same name, the sounds of Hans Zimmer’s True Romance soundtrack echo within the song, though the lyrical content compares to a ride with Ken Kesey on a summer afternoon, with Hunter S. Thompson riding on the roof of “Furthur.”
As the listener transcends down this mountain of musical wonderment, they run into the song “Tatsuya Neon Purple Walkby,” which is a 35 second track of woodsy pause. In other words, it’s a time for people to breathe before climbing the tree-house of sound known as “Fuji I (Global Dub).” As the waters trickle over the track, “Fuji II (Single Pane)” arrives to float the eardrums on the lily pads of the planet, making this track the most soothing within the album. A track and time for premonitions, “We’ve been living underground,” the lyrical beauty chimes.
The album ends with the song “Creator,” which allows release back into the normal plain of existence, yet for some reason the listener is a changed person. The entire album is a journey and a piece of artwork that cannot be painted, drawn, or sculpted. Akron/Family II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT is a transformation into a new era of sound.
Signum A.D. - The Unsilenced
Signum A.D.
Album title: The Unsilenced
By Aaron Manogue
Posted: Apr 2011
Label: Cage Rattle Records
(1857) Page Views
It’s extremely uncommon for a new band to have the backing of big players within the music industry on their first album, let alone having those big players put their own hard work into something basically unproven. Signum A.D. is one of the very lucky few who have had this fortune, and clearly there was good reason for Brett Hestla (producer: Framing Hanley, Dark New Day), Kato Khandwala (mixed: Breaking Benjamin) and Tom Baker (mastered: Sevendust, 10 Years) to commit their time to Signum A.D.‘s first album, The Unsilenced.
The kickass Kansas quartet made sure that they followed the inclination of important first impressions, and in that casem I say, “Welcome to the party Signum A.D.” The Unsilenced starts off with a short, twisted instrumental, titled “The Calling,” that serves as a precursor to the emotion and strength behind the entire record.
The following track “Walls That Falls” has all the makings of a radio hit, and to me, could easily serve as the album’s first single. Caution, well written lyrics and an intense guitar riff serving as the backbone of this musical animal may cause you to have this song stuck in your head for days. The album doesn’t lighten up on badass rock ‘n’ roll after that. “Free,” “At the Seams,” and “Sad But Not Forgotten” simply add to the albums rock ‘n’ roll strength. The albums strength is Hercules strong; especially considering it’s their first album.
The lyrics are pristine, and they have a range from kicking your ass with growling screams to stealing your girlfriend by serenading her with acoustic-accompanied whispers. This range is on top of the drums and guitar creating a unique sound without sounding like they’re trying too hard. They’re just kicking your ass with their own feeling and sound. I wouldn’t just suggest this album and band to my fellow rock ‘n’ rollers, but I beg and plead you to check them out and give your dirty little rockstar eardrums a little treat with Signum A.D.‘s The Unsilenced.
The The Ghosts of Laura Palmer - Blackbird
The The Ghosts of Laura Palmer
Album title: Blackbird
By Geert Driver
Posted: Mar 2011
Label: SFP Recordings
(2997) Page Views
Twin Peaks creator David Lynch should be proud. The eclectic director, best known for his quirky films (Blue Velvet, Eraserhead, Lost Highway, etc.) made history in the early 1990s when he created Twin Peaks with Mark Frost. The series followed the investigation of a brutal murder of the town’s homecoming queen, Laura Palmer. This series was so iconic that the question “who killed Laura Palmer” became synonymous with mystery, and made the show one of Time Magazine’s “best shows of all time.” Far from the series’ Northwest setting is Milwaukee, Wisconsin – home to two like-minded DJs whose affinity for deep soul and eclectic funk would eventually launch an edgy, ethereal project. Those DJs are Andy Gulotta and Mario R. Martin. Their moniker is “The Ghosts of Laura Palmer.”
There is a story here, as with most musical collaborations; a history if you will. Gulotta, a trained blues and jazz guitarist, had forever been linked to musical projects in and around the Milwaukee area. Most recently, Gulotta can be heard as one of the contributing guitarists for Will Phalen and The Stereo Addicts. His ear for the obscure is unparalleled, but more importantly, spot on. Martin, however, is a bit more elusive in this department. A trained pianist, Martin’s involvement with music was more on the corporate side. A former publicist for the record label Narada Records (Virgin/EMI North America), Martin learned more about how to market music than how to play it. Nonetheless, together the duo embarked on a short-lived instrumental project before Martin moved to Los Angeles, and Gulotta continued to contribute to projects in the Milwaukee area.
Let’s skip through any more back story though. Let’s forego any more info on Gulotta’s bands. Let’s refrain from any more on Martin’s publicity apex, Soulfunk Publicity. Enter: Blackbird.
Upon Martin’s prodigal return to the Midwest, he quickly reconnected with Gulotta to form what is currently known as The Ghosts of Laura Palmer. The duo set out to bring the most obscure classics to the mainstream. An avid record collector, Gulotta is a wealth of knowledge in the soul and funk genres. The duo shared affection for these genres. Martin pushed the duo to begin the project as a live venture. Playing a myriad of classics, the Ghosts would soon find their niche in analog soul and funk. Straying from what so many others would polish, the Ghosts would strip down sounds in order to present a pure analog sound unlike any other sound heard in and around the area.
Blackbird, named after the famed club located in Milwaukee’s eclectic Bay View neighborhood (and the first place the Ghosts performed live), represents an amazing collection of classics. It is as intriguing as it is seamless. Taking from an actual live set compiled by Gulotta himself, the limited edition record was one of the first times many of the tracks would ever be heard digitally. In an attempt to keep the authenticity of the sound, mastering would prove to be an arduous process through engineering and mixing analog sounds.
But what about the imagery, though? Martin, ever a fan of contradiction, refused to be pigeonholed into a look or feel. First, by choosing a name unrepresentative of a DJ duo, and later, by overseeing all aspects of art direction, Martin set out to stray from the passé and delve deeper into a look more reminiscent of black metal than soul. The result is a strangely cohesive concept that blends post-modern artistry with classic sounds.
Blackbird (from SFP Recordings, the first release under the umbrella of Martin’s own Soulfunk imprint) is a strong debut mix from a duo trained in the classics. They turned out a fresh take on old analog sounds having lived through musical highs and lows. The inclusion of staple tracks like “Working Day & Night” by Michael Jackson, “I Wanna Be Your Lover” by Prince, and “If There’s A Hell Below” by Curtis Mayfield keep those unfamiliar with the genre satiated. All the while, the Ghosts stay true to the concept of deep soul and quirky funk by utilizing tracks such as “Cosmic Slop” by Funkadelic and “You’re Going to Thank Me Woman” by Joe Tex. Other stand outs include tracks by Bogis Chimes and Bill Coday.
The Ghosts of Laura Palmer would make David Lynch proud. Carrying the torch for the brooding sounds that accompany visual concepts, the Ghosts succeed and fulfill their mantra (found on the back of the record): “Dedicated to the preservation of soul, the protection of funk and the shaking of asses.” Once again, David Lynch would be proud.
New People - Impossible Things
New People
Album title: Impossible Things
By John Noyd
Posted: Feb 2011
Label: self-release
(7425) Page Views
Comprised of Blamm-O bassist Matt Ackerman on guitar and Madison Lint guitarist Mark Lint on bass splitting the singing and songwriting duties, plus Ghost Town Council drummer Nate Pinney supplying a well-oiled pulse in addition to vocals and a few tunes; the silky smooth, square-jawed and sardonic New People distill years playing various combinations of indie-rock, power-pop and alt-country to concoct the unlikely delights of their sweetly scathing sophomore effort, “Impossible Things.” Clean, crisp and undeniably feisty, this contradictory Madison-based trio apply faux-ska new wave riffs and pleasingly teasing harmonies to sly, wry pop-rock etiquette occasionally dipping into darkly-colored romance and pompous arena-rock stomps for some tight, contrite swashbuckling swagger blissfully reminiscent of nineties sensations Semisonic, clean-cut cult-poppers Shoes and choirboy jangle rockers the dB’s.
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