LEND ME YOUR EARS
Some new releases on CD worth bothering about
By Kevin C. Madigan
The Minus 5The Gun Album
Yep Rock RecordsA little history lesson is called for: The Minus 5 is the brainchild of Scott McCaughey, Seattle-based eccentric and reputed trouble-maker, and former member of Young Fresh Fellows. Started in 1993, he envisioned this group as a musical cabal, with members changing and rotating with each new recording. McCaughey, who apparently sees himself as something of a rebel, has enlisted for this album the talents of Peter Buck (REM), Ken Stringfellow (Posies), John Wesley Harding, Kelly Hogan and members of Wilco and the Decemberists, among others. In spite of his daredevil persona, Mr. McCaughey has a somewhat thin voice and some of his arrangements smack of cheesy 1960s pop, but that is undoubtedly his intention.
Given the album's title, it comes as no surprise that violence rears its ugly head repeatedly, as in the song With a Gun, which threatens: "I'll kick your sister's ass / I'm going to take your brothers face and smash it in the grass / It's no wonder I'm spiral bound." It has a jaunty, almost cheerful rhythm, but the lyrics reveal a dark, ugly anger. He delves into the abyss with depressing abandon, the song titles alone ( All Worn Out, Leftover Life To Kill, My Life as a Creep, Bought A Rope) giving clear indication of morbid tendencies. But for all that, a certain stoicism prevails, as if McCaughey wants to avoid sympathy, urging the listener to simply enjoy the tunes and even dance to them, should the need arise. Overall, the paradoxes enhance the album, rather than undermining it, and the result is a strong, cohesive piece of work.
Somewhere buried in the musician's psyche is a wicked, twisted sense of humor. You know you're on to a good thing when a song begins with "I had six white Russians tonight / and two of them were people / It's not pretty when your best friend is a saloon." Evidently, McCaughey is not a man who takes himself too seriously. There are more than enough of those in rock already.
CD $13.98 @ Amazon.com
Download from Yep Rock Records - $9.99
The Minus 5 sample MP3's
Various ArtistsI Am The Resurrection:
A Tribute to John Fahey
VanguardVanguard Records has come a long way. Established 50 years ago in New York, the company had the chutzpah to record blacklisted artists like The Weavers and Paul Robeson, becoming known chiefly as the home of Joan Baez and for its live recordings of the Newport Jazz Festival.
These days, Vanguard has re-invented itself (much like the great Nonesuch label) and the contemporary artists that it represents are invariably some of the most interesting to be found anywhere. Case in point: I AM THE RESURRECTION: A TRIBUTE TO JOHN FAHEY, an astonishing collection of the late guitarist’s music by an impressive assortment of indie folk and rock musicians.
Fahey, an oddball eccentric who was troubled by mental illness for much of his life, wrote timeless, often melancholy music for guitar that received precious little attention from the public. Banjo player Mike Gangloff, from the band Pelt - who provide a wonderfully succinct take on ‘Sunflower River Blues’ - writes in the liner notes: “John Fahey’s music has always been a beacon, a landmark of raw beauty and originality.” A rare piece of levity comes with ‘Vine Street Blues,’ a rollicking rocker played here by the album’s co-producer M. Ward. Other contributors include Calexico, (‘Dance of Death’) Grandaddy’s Jason Q. Lytle (‘Dance of the Inhabitants of the Palace of King Phillip XIV of Spain’) Howe Gelb (a spirited piano version of ‘My Grandfather’s Clock’) Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo (‘The Singing Bridge of Memphis, Tennessee’) and Peter Case (‘When the Catfish is in Bloom’).
Ward’s liner notes end with this: “ My hope is that this tribute
record acts as a catalyst towards... understanding and appreciation. He is
our Django Reinhardt and William Blake wrapped in one - only better.”
$16.98 @ Vanguard Records Shop
David FordI Sincerely Apologise For
All The Trouble I’ve Caused
ColumbiaForget all this James Blunt hoopla. If you want a good, solid, albeit caustic male singer and songwriter who wears his heart on his sleeve without wallowing in self-pitiful anguish, then Ford is your man. And don’t let the album’s title fool you. It’s meant to be ironic.
Something of a one-man operation, Ford plays most of the instruments on this debut, and he produced it as well, even filming his own video. Heck, he did the artwork, too. Evidently he does not want you to read the lyrics, though, because the type is tiny and almost impossible to read. Lest you think he doesn’t have any friends, Ford, who lives in Sussex in southern England, enlisted the entire local football (or soccer, if you insist) club to add their burly yet mellifluous voices to the project.
The song titles alone provide clues to his thinking: ‘Cheer Up, You Miserable Fuck,’ ‘I Don’t Care What You Call Me,’ ‘Laughing Aloud’ and ‘What Would You Have Me Do’ are some examples. This last one includes the lines: “Another empty bottle in the hand / It helps to kill the things that we don’t understand / The thoughtless speak: ‘“Yeah, I’ll be there for you”’ / Now sleep through all the dreams I never made come true.” This is good stuff.
The British press is falling all over itself in praising the man’s talents. Let’s hope there is no subsequent backlash, as often happens. He is touring the United States, and his live shows are said to be riveting. Go and see him if he comes anywhere near you.
David Ford @ Independente.co.uk / CD £9.99 @ Recordstore.co.uk
THE AGGROLITES
The Aggrolites
Hellcat RecordsThis is a band of white Southern California boys who have apparently spent an awful lot of time listening to classic ska and reggae of the Sixties, a bit of Joe Cocker and plenty of Booker T & The MGs. Throw in some Sly Stone and Wilson Pickett too. The result is the most infectious, thrilling recording I’ve heard in ages. I defy anyone to sit still while it’s on.
The Aggrolites are a combination of two bands, The Vessels and The Rhythm Doctors, who pooled their talents after doing a gig with the Jamaican singer Derrick Morgan. Mixing originals (with lyrics often invented on the spot) and covers of Upsetters’ songs, they parlayed their love of island music into a rock-steady phenomenon in the L.A. area. But they are not of bunch of dilettantes ripping off someone else’s culture. This, their second album, is an honest homage to all the music that they love.
With 19 tracks of joyful noise, the record bears its influences proudly. Vocalist and guitarist Jesse Wagner describes the purpose of making this kind music as a need to alter the image of Jamaican music, to transcend the stereotype of dreadlocks and ganja, adding: “we’d love to help put it more on the map.” Even Prince Buster likes the band. Now it’s just a question of time before everyone else catches up. 
Artist Page / CD $11.97 @ Amazon.com / Video: "Don't Let Me Down"
