Serapicos - Serapicos Is A Town

Serapicos – Serapicos Is A Town
2012, Gabriel Serapicos

San Paolo, Brazil native Gabriel Serapicos claims Portuguese as his native language, but chooses to sing in English to feel more connected to the spirits of rock and roll.  This connection is at times raw and comically out of synch at times on his debut album, Serapicos Is A Town, but they playful heart of the album is ultimately its redeeming factor.

Serapicos gets things rolling with the message, incessant garage rock of “There Is No Satisfaction”.  This retro-post-modern answer to the Rolling Stones is built more from a bemused observationalism than any real sense of angst or disappointment.  You can almost picture the knowing smirk Serapicos is hiding as he sings.  “Blow Me” features the same sort of self-satisfied frat boy smugness and fails to be allegorical in any way.  It’s an entertaining look into the barely post-adolescent male mind with quasi 1970’s Lloyd-Webber flair.  The band comes back to Earth with fairly mundane numbers such as “Artists Are Crazy” and the shambling “Pee Pee Jazz”. 

With “Lucky Numbers”, Serapicos descend into a troubled They Might Be Giants parallel universe where bright airy melodies and whimsical story songs have been replaced by dark, minor key explorations and Smith’s inspired tales of woe.  Jumping into a sound once used by Jan and Dean, Serapicos get completed retro on “Inspire Me”. This fun rocker will get your feet moving, and the messy garage style of play creates a fun environment.  Things roll back downhill for “The Sexiest Girl In The World”.  This amounts to a teen boy drooling over a girl in song without any sense of art or tact.  That being said, there is an elemental cuteness to the song.  “Balloon” finds Serapicos practicing a bit more tact in their wooing techniques, but not much.  The vocal is enough to sink this one, as Serapicos has only a passing relationship with the key.

“The Egg Song” is a catchy little piece of post-pop fluff that one presumes is ironic.  The song is very entertaining, with a frenetic energy that’s impossible to ignore.  This is one tune where it’s best not to think too much about what you’re listening to.  “When Your Husband’s Away” is banal and droning; a difficult listen at best.  "I Just Want To Be Your Friend" has a Doors style groove, but fails on pedantic and repetitive lyrics. "Love Pills" and "Russian Roulettes and Persian Carpets" are equally mundane, although the latter captures a bit of that They Might Be Giants air found earlier on the album. "Sexy Julia" is an unsubtle yet entertaining ode to an object of affection/desire. There is an abstract musicality encompassed in the catchy rock arrangement, and the song is danceable in spite of its slightly messy presentation. Serapicos says goodnight with the title track, a stumbling and inexplicably sad number that is messily thrown together and performed without conviction.

Going it alone on a first recording can be wonderfully freeing as an artist.  It also leaves those who create exposed by the weakness of their own worse natures.  There is a clear influence of 1960’s rock and roll on Serapicos Is A Town, and the utter joy that emanates from music of that era is evident.  Serapicos even manages to create some of the same manic glee, both lyrically and musically, that drove the best of They Might Be Giants’ work.  At the same time, Serapicos struggles against his own sense of cuteness, crossing over at times into wildly banal or even downright unlistenable moments.  There is a lot of good to be mined from Serapicos Is A Town.  A first class producer could reign in Serapicos’ more self-immolating songwriting tendencies and help him find the pure pop gems he seeks here.

Rating:           3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.serapicosisatown.com. 

Sly Stone - I'm Back! Family & Friends

Sly Stone - I'm Back! Family & Friends

2011, Cleopatra Records

August 16, 2011 is the day that Sly Stone makes his grand return.  I'm Back! Family & Friends is Stone's first new album since 1982, and finds him collaborating with the likes of Ray Manzarek (The Doors); Ann Wilson (Heart), Johnny Winter, Jeff Beck and Bootsy Collins. 

With little new to offer, I'm Back! Family & Friends relies on some of Stone's most cherished songs.  "Dance To The Music" gets updated with the subtle help of Ray Manzarek, capturing the catchy, danceable magic of Stone's heyday.  "Everyday People" is solid.  Ann Wilson's guest vocal is solid, but the part she takes up is fairly mundane.  "Family Affair" gets a solid update, while Carmine Appice & Ernie Watts lend their instrumental expertise to the inspired but messy "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)."  Jeff Beck sits in on "(I Want To Take You) Higher", providing some flashy fretwork in the process.  Bootsy Collins adds some style to "Hot Fun In The Summertime" without greatly changing the flavor of the original.

The rest of the collection features mixes of "Dance To The Music" (2), "Family Affair" and "Thank You", as well as one-offs "Plain Jane", "Get Away" and "His Eye Is On The Sparrow", making the collection seem as it is, a retread of past hits updated for today.

I'm Back! Family & Friends is likely to appeal to long time Sly Stone fans, but other than the names of those sitting in with Stone and some new dance mixes, has little to offer to anyone who already has the original recordings.  Sly Stone's voice certainly isn't what it once was, and I'm Back! Family & Friends plays like a cynical effort by Cleopatra records to extract cash by repackaging old songs in new clothes.  The songs are familiar and loved by many, but available too many other places to plunk your money down for this collection.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Sly Stone at www.slystonemusic.com or www.slystone.com.  I'm Back! Family & Friends drops on August 16, 2011.  You can pre-order the album through Amazon.com on CD, Vinyl, or as a Download.

Hydrovibe - Nothing Left To Lose

Hydrovibe - Nothing Left To Lose
2009, Orleans Street Records

Hydrovibe has had their share of luck since vocalist Heather St. Marie and guitarist Mat Duzat began working together back in Louisiana. As the band finished recording their first full length album Nothing Left To Lose in 2006, they received notice that their song "Killer Inside" would be featured in SAW III. Quickly switching gears Hydrovibe cut a 5-song EP (including "Killer Inside") to take advantage of the publicity the song placement would bring. Four years later and Nothing Left To Lose finally sees the light of day. With production by Tom Fletcher (Ozzy Osbourne, Motorhead), mixing and re-tracking by Kenny Lamb (The Doors, Keane) and a mixing assist from Kevin Churko (Ozzy Osbourne), Nothing Left To Lose has lost little in the interim.

Hydrovibe opens with "Fifteen Minutes", a heavy anthem built on a solid hook and memorable chorus. Vocalist St Marie takes after the celebrity obsessed culture we live in, bemoaning a values system that places an individual’s fifteen minute of fame over almost anything. St. Marie has a voice that can blow you away or lull you into submission, with a dark tone that's gorgeous and scary all at once. "Disconnect Me" is a solid album track, full of great harmonies and a dynamic vocal line. After a solid start things get spotty for Hydrovibe. "Liberate" features some unusual song construction and really isn't a bad tune but gets a little too wrapped up in repetition. "The Devil Comes Disguised As A Friend" is the heaviest track on the album; high powered yet with a sense of control beneath the anger and vitriol.

"Shallow Grave" is an intriguing number. Solid vocal harmonies encapsulate real angst and stress in the arrangement. Unfortunately the song devolves into a repetitive template of pop/metal that will play well to Modern Rock and Edge radio, but fails to maintain the highly charged potency the song starts out with. Hydrovibe takes listeners on an interesting three song trip with "Reborn", "Suture" and "Fame". "Reborn" is a transitional bit of ambient rock; a slightly surprising turn from a band capable of rocking so hard. The song stands out more what it's not than what it is and is a nice change of pace. "Suture" is pure heavy fun, the sort of song that inspires teenage boys (and girls) to strap on a six string and start blasting out power chords. "Fame" bookends the experience with a big hook, tight arrangement and tremendous harmonies. In this moment Hydrovibe recalls the best of 1980's hair metal.

Realizing there are four songs at the end of Nothing Left To Lose, the review ends here, in acknowledgement that sometimes you have to know when to quit. "Contagious", "Evil Side", "Nothing Left To Lose" and "Liberation" add little to the experience (other than the album title). The songs aren't bad, they just don't fit here, and sometimes less really is more. Hydrovibe manages to create some great moments on Nothing Left To Lose, but a trimmer album (or even EP) would pack a lot more punch in terms of quality and continuity. This is a risk anytime an album sits for several years and is revisited. It would be curious to hear the original composition and sound Hydrovibe had at the close of the 2006 recording sessions.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Hydrovibe at http://www.hydrovibe.com/ or www.myspace.com/hydrovibe.  Nothing Left To Lose is available from Amazon.com as both a CD and Download.  CDs and merchandise are also availble from the band's webstore.  Digital copies are available from iTunes.

Gregorian B.C. - Conquistadors Of War

Gregorian B.C. - Conquistadors Of War
2010, Gregorian B.C. Records

If a high school dropout can become a doctor of pharmacy, there's no reason a kid from Iowa with a penchant for Gregorian Chant and flamenco guitar can't become a rock star. That said, Brian Chupp, aka Gregorian B.C., is an overachiever. The rock star part is perhaps still in question, but he's achieved the rest already. With a talent and sound born of the same rebellious spirit that gave birth to rock n roll in the first place, Gregorian B.C. blends Chant, flamenco guitar, rock, blues and metal into a sound that has perhaps not been heard before. Singing with a relaxed baritone voice that occasionally calls Jim Morrison to mind, Gregorian B.C. has to be one of the most distinctive artists in rock n roll today. Gregorian B.C. releases his debut album, Conquistadors Of War on July 6, 2010.

Conquistadors Of War opens with "Arise", a heavy rock opus that will appeal to Sabbath fans. The song is a call to war and a call to freedom wrapped into one. It's an ambitious opening foray that announces both the musical intent and personality of Gregorian B.C., who styles himself after the 16th Century Spanish Knights from whom his name is derived. "Gregorian Starlight" mixes elements of progressive rock, 1970's metal and Gregorian Chant. "Live Today" embodies "Carpe Diem" in song, admonishing listeners to live in the moment and not work their lives away. Gregorian B.C. takes the arrangement off the map mid-song, showing some wicked guitar skills in the process. "The Clock Of Time" sounds a bit like Jim Morrison fronting The Moody Blues, circa 1972. It's the most laid-back composition on the disc; a somewhat surprising and gratifying change of pace.

With "The Rise Of Spain", Gregorian B.C. moves into more gothic territory, decorating it with dashes of Flamenco guitar inside an expansive rock arrangement. "The Rise Of Spain" is a warning to today's national powers to heed history and how even the mightiest fall in time. Conquistadors Of War keeps the same tone but returns to the Sabbath-inspired slow, heavy rock style. "The Spanish Armada" takes a more conversational tone, as Gregorian B.C. highlights symbols of the Spanish empire in the 16th Century. Conquistadors Of War closes with "East Coast Rocker", sounding more like Jim Morrison than at any other time during the album.

Conquistadors Of War is an uneven but intriguing experience. Nearly half of the album is a historical song cycle with geo-political implications for today's rapidly changing international politics. The rest is a collection of Black Sabbath or Doors inspired tunes; the sum of which suggests that Gregorian B.C. has found a theme but not a solid writing voice he's yet comfortable with. The blend of sounds on Conquistadors Of War is highly original in spite of the influences referenced here; Gregorian B.C. has a sound that will gain him a lot of intention, although it's not as accessible to current mores as it would have been in the 1970s. If you're a fan of Black Sabbath, The Doors or other such acts, then Gregorian B.C. will appeal to you. His is an interesting sound.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Gregorian B.C. at http://www.gregorianbc.com/ or www.myspace.com/gregorianbc. Conquistadors Of War drops on July 6, 2010. You can pre-order the CD from Amazon. Expect wide availability.

Review: The Greening - The Last Tibetan Midnight

The Greening - The Last Tibetan Midnight
2010, Zai Records

San Francisco rock trio The Greening dropped their debut album, After Shoal Parlor in 2003, creating quite a buzz in California over time with a mix of oddly-placed shows and a sound based in the beauty and violence of creation. The band constructed their own studio and set to writing and recording new material in 2009, culminating in the release of last year's (She's So) Electric EP. All told, The Greening wrote and recorded twenty songs, ten of which see the light of day on their most recent album, The Last Tibetan Midnight. (The other ten will be released in 2011, but will get proper airings during live shows between now and then). On The Last Tibetan Midnight, The Greening creates art devoid of cookie-cutter musical imprints.

The Last Tibetan Midnight opens with "Black Lotus", a chaotic number that seems to slip in and out of reality. Shifts in style, meter and sound are as random in occurrence as they are seismically varied, with a sonic nod to The Doors. "Belong Me" carries over from the (She's So) Electric EP as a welcome resolution to the chaos of "Black Lotus"; a poppy love song reminiscent of the middle ground between Ben Folds and The Beatles. If the sing-along nature of the chorus doesn't grab you, the instrumentation and vocal harmonies will. The Greening is struck by lyrical elephantiasis on "The Tangerine Floating In Ink", where the verses last too long and don't flow well, but the chorus is strong, the harmonies are true and the instrumental breakdown is worth sitting through the verses for.

The Greening plays with multi-part song construction (ala The Beatles) on "Sleeping Grandpa Tacoma" while incorporating that would bring happy tears to the eyes of Brian Wilson. Not content with all this useless beauty, The Greening upend the serene nature of the song with chaotic percussion underneath, suggesting a worldly duality-cum-chaos that lies beneath the placid surface. "Better Days" and "Winter Sunshine" are both solid, although both are prone to a less cohesive style of play than the rest of the album. The Greening sound a bit like vintage They Might Be Giants at the opening of "Don't Have The Time", but the arrangement becomes more open and fluid as a lyric ballad before opening the throttles as a quasi-big rock song. It's a decent tune, but the fluidity and grace of the dance through different styles is intriguing.

While often eschewing the pure form in light of more challenging variations, The Greening does pure pop quite well. "Sunday Afternoon" dances with the aesthetic without giving up the vaguely psychedelic approach that runs through the heart of The Las Tibetan Midnight. "Sunday Afternoon" is the tune most likely to end up on repeat. "(She's So) Electric" is a barn burner with real pop finesse built around a classic lick. Moody Blues fans will find a lot to like in this tune that nods to the old without losing a sense of the new. The Last Tibetan Midnight closes with the Floydian psychedelia of "Thought I Told You". The song is not a classic closer, but works well in contrast to the rest of The Last Tibetan Midnight. While seeming initially out of context, the more you listen to The Last Tibetan Midnight the more you realize that this is where The Greening was leading you all along.

The Greening are going to inspire a lot of mixed reactions with The Last Tibetan Midnight. It's not a cuddly album; not an album you treat as an old friend. Think of The Greening's latest more as a long-known and respected adversary. The Last Tibetan Midnight is a challenge to listeners to step up to the plate and take what they want; no quarter is asked and none is given. This is art, like it or not. But whether or not you like The Last Tibetan Midnight, it will inspire respect. This is a meaty album that will outlast many of its contemporaries.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about The Greening at http://www.thegreening.com/ or www.myspace.com/thegreening. You can purchase The Last Tibetan Midnight as either a CD or Download from Amazon.com.

Review: Courage Pills - Ancient Headache

Courage Pills - Ancient Headache
2009, Courage Pills

West Chester, Pennsylvania’s The Courage Pills garnered critical praise from us for their 2008 self-titled debut EP last year, and have been haunting clubs on the Philadelphia scene for a good three years now. Not ones to rest on their laurels, the band returned in late 2009 with their sophomore album, Ancient Headache. With a Post-Punk pastiche that has both singer-songwriter and Pop veins running through it, Ancient Headache finds the Courage Pills stepping forward into a brave new world and developing their sound.

Ancient Headache opens with Swan Song, a rough-around-the-scenes acoustic/electric alt-Rocker that is surprisingly catchy. Swan Song is a great opener. Memory is a bit off the beaten track but is built around a wonderful hook in the chorus. The song is catchy enough to stay with you and novel enough to real get in your brain and haunt you for days. The Courage Pills kick over a healthy dose of Post-Punk rock on Cemetary Song; another surprisingly catchy tune that might make you want to dance just a little bit. Open Our Eyes finds the Courage Pills hitting a bit of Pop/Rock gold. The chorus is infectious, the song danceable and the musicianship is top-notch.

Courage Pills get a bit darker and less accessible on Broke and Dumptruck. The energy level of the band remains high, but the distinctive Pop sense that runs through the first four songs on Ancient Headache takes a breather mid-album, returning on the wonderfully earthy Way Down. This is the sort of song where you just close your eyes and surrender yourself to the gentle swaying rhythm. The melody is brilliant even if the lyrics might be a bit disturbing for some at times. Ancient Headache closes out with the dark and moody Get Out And Play, a mildly catchy yet disaffected tune that seems like it would be a hoot done live. There's a lot of room for instrumental mischief in this tune, some of which is realized on the album, but the jam possibilities are endless on-stage.

Ancient Headache is intriguing; the Courage Pills takes risks and move forward from their 2008 self-titled EP. Most of the material on Ancient Headache ranges from interesting to compelling, and a real Pop sensibility wends its way through the album. There are a couple of rough spots, but it all works out in the end.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Courage Pills at http://www.thecouragepills.com/ or www.myspace.com/thecouragepills. You can purchase Ancient Headache on CD from CDBaby.com, or you can download the album from iTunes.

Review: The Peace - PEACE!!

The Peace - The Peace
2009, Hip Folk

The Peace are blazing the trail of a new genre called Hip Folk in some circles and Hippy Hop in others. It's a blend of traditional folk music and Hip-Hop, generally played on acoustic instruments but maintaining the lyrical and rhyming tendencies of Hip-Hop & Rap. Think Jack Johnson and Jay-Z sitting down to lunch at Jason Mraz' house and you'll have the general idea. Bobby Kendes is the founder, writer and voice of The Peace, and blends a lifetime of musical influences into an intriguing musical stew on The Peace's debut album, The Peace.

The general makeup here is spoken/rap verses and choruses that are sung. The rhyming style is almost stream-of-consciousness at times and covers the whole range of human experiences, generally with a positive worldview. The Peace kicks things off with This Is Life, a song that lays out life in a series of one-line vignettes covering everything from birth to death. The experiences shared here are universal enough that most listeners will find something familiar, and the song has its own inherent charm that will draw you in. Seven riffs on references to the number in legend, superstition and popular culture. The song is catchy and novel, but feels more like an exercise in writing than a serious composition. Heaven is a musical daydream about all the people you might meet in the afterlife, offered as a near death experience.

The Peace takes time to introduce themselves Hip-Hop style in Rookie And The Vets, a Reggae flavored musical bio that gives credit to the makers of all the different styles and sounds that informs Kendes' writing. The song is very well done; a great listen. The 11th Letter is interesting because it sounds more like an old Doors tune than anything else; the lyrics are a bit repetitive but the song is musically interesting and just a tad unique. Thank You comes across as space filler on the album, essentially taking the thank you's section from the liner notes and turning it into a musical montage. Free is similar to the song Seven in that it's more of a riff or writing exercise than anything else, but it's a fun listen. The Peace closes out with a change of pace on Your Heart, something of an ecumenical love song. It's the sort of change-up that really focuses your attention on what you've just heard while hinting at new horizons to come on future recordings.

I was a bit skeptical of The Peace when I first encountered them, but I have to say that I really enjoyed The Peace Hybridization is the new medium for creating "new" sounds and styles, and there's a lot of bad musical marriages out there, but The Peace are on to something here. The Peace is a highly listenable and enjoyable experience. Give it a chance.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Peace at http://www.thepeacemusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/thepeacemusic. You can purchase The Peace as either a CD or download through the HipFolk Store.

Review: Susurrus Station - Add A Day Going West

Susurrus Station - Add A Day Going West
2009, Susurrus Station

J Breeden and Sara Dyberg are the emotional and physical core of Susurrus Station, reaching out of Portland, Oregon with whisper rather than a scream. Multi-instrumentalists and vocalist, both, Breeden and Dyberg mix styles and sounds in unusual and surprising ways to create some of the edgiest and darkness Avant-Folk in the business today. As Susurrus Station, Breeden and Dyberg have released two albums, and step forward with their third, Add A Day Going West, on November 10, 2009. Folk, Garage Rock, Industrial, Cinematic compositional styles and a dark countenance make up the heart of Susurrus Station's music. Unlike past albums, Susurrus Station was recorded over the course of a year (rather than in a rampant frenzy of creation and recording). The building of songs was deliberate and intentional, and it shows on the album.

Add A Day Going West opens with Driven, a song which seems written in contradiction to its title. Breeden sounds like Jim Morrison on serious downers here, giving a somnolent, drugged sounding vocal reading that's inured in Smiths-like pathos. Musically it's more a collection of sounds and musical passages than a composition, right down to the heavy rock portion that kicks in around 4:15. Midway Shuffle shows an energetic, neo-surf guitar opening that descends into the hypnotic depressive state of the first tune. Sara Dyberg takes over vocals on The Bellwether Din; a fuzzy trance-like performance where they key shifts and things like tone don't seem to matter. The song ranges over four-and-a-quarter minutes but at times seems like it will just keep going.

Barnstorm takes on a Middle Eastern flavor in a song about yearning for "The One" to come along. The style and arrangement are highly moveable, even interposing a "Beatles in a funhouse" passage at the end. b reminds me of a band like The Butthole Surfers trying to cover one of Pink Floyd's more spacey instrumentals; Susurrus Station descends into an absolute chaos of noise that essentially chokes any musicality out. The album closes out with Talking With The Wind and Long Tomorrow, leaning more heavily into the hopeful ether of overly-affected Folk/Rock. The end result is an album that decreases in listenability throughout its course even as it rakes in the pathos.

Add A Day Going West will find folks into this sort of thing, but they're not your typical music fans. Anything that sounds almost wholly unhinged from reality and ethereal at the same time is bound to garner some attention. Susurrus Station attempts to bridge the gap between listenability and discomfort and fails in significant portion. Add A Day Going West takes a high constitution. Make sure you have yours handy.

Rating: 1.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Susurrus Station at http://www.susurrusstation.com/ or www.myspace.com/susurrusstation. Add A Day Going West goes public on November 10, 2009. Keep checking the band’s website for availability information.

Review: A Scribe Amidst The Lions - Sunken Cities

A Scribe Amidst The Lions - Sunken Cities
2008, Tubwater Music

San Diego’s A Scribe Admist The Lions takes Alternative Rock down harrowing and reward paths on Sunken Cities, their second album. Nominated for a 2008 San Diego Music Award as best alternative album; Sunken Cities explores the depths of experimental rock in occasionally discomfiting and generally rewarding dioramas of sound. Don’t expect to listen passively; you won’t get it unless you stay involved.

Sunken Cities opens with The Depth Commencing, a brief instrumental appetizer that leads into the explosive chaos of The Equator Swallowed The Boys. Imagine elements of Classic Rock and Melodic, Post-Punk Modern Rock wrapped into a highly compact yet ranging Rock N Roll experience and you'll get an idea of where A Scribe Admist The Lions starts out. Elements of Grunge come into play on Scripted Daydreams, which has a monotonous and less-than-elegant temperament. The vocal line reaches stratospheric heights in this song with notes that are pure imagination for most singers. A Scribe Amidst The Lions takes turns both Progressive and Psychedelic on songs like Wet Bird, Marble Czar and Light Sinks The Moon, balancing right on the edge of musical madness for much of the middle of the album. No Peace Found In Pieces continues the somewhat psychedelic aspect, but maintains a bit more constructive approach. After several listens I'd have to say that A Scribe Admist The Lions remind me most of Canadian rockers The Rheostatics but with less of a tendency to seek out the occasional bit of Pop sensibility. You'll want to make sure you seek out The Drift and Metropolyptika as well.

A Scribe Amidst The Lions is what you might call an acquired taste. Dark, urban soundscapes populated with psychedelic bordering on psychotic moments is the order of the day on Sunken Cities. This is an album that challenges the listener to dig deeper and find your own treasures. On balance, I can't say that I entirely enjoyed it, but Sunken Cities was an interesting experience. There are folks out there for whom this will click, starting with fans of The Rheostatics.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about A Scribe Amidst The Lions at http://www.ascribeamidstthelions.com/ or www.myspace.com/ascribeamidstthelions. You can purchase a copy of Sunken City at www.cdbaby.com/cd/asatl2, or you can download the album from iTunes.

Review: Foggy Nocean - Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good?

Foggy Nocean – Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good?
2009, Ron Mancini

Rock and Roll is dead. Long live Rock N Roll. Check that, Mancini’s still here.

Ron Mancini is the heart and soul of Foggy Nocean, the last bastion of anti-pop heroes on the Rock N Roll scene. Cranston, Rhode Island is a bit out-of-the way, and don’t be surprised if you don’t hear about it again (unless you live in Rhode Island), but it has the seeds of musical revolution in Foggy Nocean. Mancini rails against the music industry on his website, bemoaning the loss of creativity and music as a force for change in the world. Foggy Nocean certainly don’t fit the current mold of Poplets. Taking his cue from classic rockers such as The Doors, Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks, Mancini constructs entire albums as organic creatures, rather than highly vetted, highly focus-group studied pop confections designed for maximum impact. Working in a wicked sense of humor and a quirky eye for the world, Foggy Nocean’s Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good? is politically, fashionably and aerodynamically incorrect (thank you Berkely Breathed), but that sucker can fly.

The title track, Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good?, sounds like Randy Newman sitting in on vocals with They Might Be Giants. If that doesn’t intrigue I suggest you go back and read the previous line until it does. It’s a love song about all the things a cow can become (generally involuntarily). Shattered Image in an upbeat parable for looking to yourself for problems before blaming others. The song is well produced and yet maintains a Lo-Fi, garage aura to it that’s charming. You could picture this as the response to an argument with a significant after the fact. I should say about Mancini’s voice that it isn’t a perfect voice; it works really well with some songs/styles and occasionally doesn’t with others. All Those Things is one of the songs where it doesn’t quite work, which is unfortunate as the song is excellent from a musical perspective. Hurting Me sounds a bit like The Who’s Magic Bus on the verses and has a classic punk chorus. The vocals here are amiably off key and the song itself is very catchy. The piano and guitar work here is absolutely stellar.

Lay Your Hands and 13 Colonies both find Foggy Nocean sounding like Elvis Costello of the late 1980’s. Lay Your Hands is the best songwriting on the disc, coming across with a distinctive 1980’s Pop sound while retaining that Lo-Fi grandeur evident elsewhere on the album. 13 Colonies is a bit of fractured US History delivered with great energy and the panache of a real performer. Capn A Ship is upbeat and highly energetic, a young boy’s dream that’s never fully outgrown. You Don’t Know How Much I Care and Steppin Stone were both enjoyable, and The Foreskin is an absolutely unforgettable closer; a plea to remain whole that most any man who’s been circumcised can find sympathy with. The song perhaps isn’t quite as funny as intended, but should do well with the adolescent crowd.

Foggy Nocean practices one the greatest tenets of Punk Rock; “Here’s our music. If you don’t like it, go XXXX yourself”. If you don’t believe me, go read the bio of Foggy Noceans website. Ron Mancini is a guy who makes music he likes; he hopes you like it too, but he won’t be heartbroken if you don’t. Like most musicians who do what they do because their hearts can’t bear to do anything else, Mancini would still be making music if there was no hope of money or notoriety involved. Those things are nice, desired, sometimes needed; but they are not essential reasons why he or other artists like him make music. Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good? is an experience. It’s a Rock album in the truest sense of the phrase. Not every song here will work for everyone, but there’s something here for most anyone who might listen. Foggy Nocean isn’t like ever to take the airwaves by storm, but they’ll provide you with some great entertainment, 47 minutes at a time.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Foggy Nocean at http://www.fnmmusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/foggynocean. You can purchase a copy of Why Do Cows Have To Taste So Good? at www.cdbaby.com/cd/foggynocean.

Review: Robert Joseph Manning, Jr. - Catnip Dynamite

Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. – Catnip Dynamite
2009, Oglio Records

Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. has quite the Rock N Roll resume: Keyboard player for Beatnik Beatch, Jellyfish and Imperial Drag, and highly involved in The Moog Cookbook. Manning has also done session/tour work with Beck and French group Air. These days Manning does session work and composes soundtrack (Sophia Coppola’s Lost In Translation) as well as writing commercials for VH1, Comedy Central and the like. Somewhere in there he also found time to write and record a new solo album entitled Catnip Dynamite. True to its title, the album is intoxicatingly good.

Catnip Dynamite is retro-rock with a modern edge. The harmonies here evoke thoughts of The Beach Boys, Queen and Styx. Manning is a highly accomplished songwriter, presenting intricate and interesting song construction, lyrical content and melodic flow throughout the album. The other interesting facet of the album is the recurrence of philosophical/religious imagery and themes throughout the album. I don’t get the feel that this is a religious album, but some of these deeper concepts certainly appear to be weighing on Manning at this point in his life; at times in serious terms and perhaps at times with ironic intent. The album opens with The Quickening, where Manning sounds more than a little bit like Prince vocally. The harmonies transform from a Brian Wilson-era Beach Boys sound to Freddie Mercury led Queen. This is a great pop rock song that would fly on commercial radio in almost any era. Down In Front is a retro-mod rock tune similar to bands such as Woodward or Tally Hall. My Girl has a strong bubblegum pop feel without being frivolous.

One of my personal favorites here is Imaginary Friend. The song is an amusing listen but the sound is like what you might get if The Doors sat down and jammed with They Might Be Giants. Perhaps the piece-de-resistance here is Haunted Henry, an amazing tale of a veteran ravaged by the ghosts of his experiences. This is an extremely melodic piece with Brian Wilson harmonies that doesn’t come across as overtly anti-war but certainly makes strong points about the cost of war for those who come back home. Haunted Henry is sonically gorgeous. Tinsel Town is a fun song that berates celebrity culture and our fascination with it. You should also be certain to check out The Turnstile At Heaven’s Gate. Reflecting on the concept of reincarnation and the judgments of an afterlife, Manning has crafted a melodic/harmonic mix that sounds like The Beatles meets Queen.

Survival Machine opens with faux harpsichord in a piece vaguely reminiscent of Suite Madame Blue, but that’s just a warm up for Living In The End Times; possibly the greatest apocalypse song ever written. Here Manning mixes tremendous harmonies with a tongue-in-cheek glam rock swagger. The album closes out with four live tracks. Drive Thru Girl is a campy ode complete with kazoo orchestra that you just have to hear. You Were Right sounds like something that might have come out of a Supertramp session, and Manning’s live take on Elton John’s Love Lies Bleeding sounds a bit like Billy Joel covering Elton John.

Catnip Dynamite is so good it’s exhausting. You can listen to this album casually but you won’t get everything out of it that you might. Manning has always had a taste for classic rock and interesting compositions, but Catnip Dynamite represents a plateau in his career. Having been familiar with much of his work prior to this, I think it is safe to say that Catnip Dynamite may be the best he’s written/recorded to date. Don’t miss Catnip Dynamite, a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc!

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. at http://www.rogerjosephmanningjr.com/ or www.myspace.com/rogerjosephmanningjrmusic. You can purchase a copy of Catnip Dynamite on Amazon.com, or you download the album through iTunes.

Review: Leopold And His Fiction - Ain't No Surprise

Leopold And His Fiction – Ain’t No Surprise
2008, Native Fiction Records

San Francisco band Leopold And His Fiction brings a plains sensibility to garage rock. Led by Daniel James (vocals/guitar), a Detroit native, Leopold And His Fiction has been compared favorable to The White Stripes. While there is something to this comparison, Leopold And His Fiction digs a little more heavily into the soul of 1960’s garage than The White Stripes ever dared. Jangly guitars and Lo-Fi effects highlight the raw sound and Dylan-esque mood Leopold And His Fiction put forth on their sophomore CD, Ain’t No Surprise.

There is nothing polished about Leopold And His Fiction; nothing refined. Ain’t No Surprise is raw Rock N Roll ripped right from the soul and social consciousness of James, Micayla Grace (bass/vox) and Jon Sortland (drums/vox/organ). Songs like Hawk Eyes and Come Back (Now That I’m Here) underline the raw energy Leopold And His Fiction are capable of, while Broke has an almost Jim Morrison-like aura over it. The best track on the disc is Ain’t No Surprise. James has pieced together lyrics worthy of Bob Dylan and a straight ahead folk/rock arrangement that is infectious and memorable. A close second is Katie Mae, a delicious little bit of rockabilly that you won’t be able to resist. Other highlights include Sun’s Only Promise, Mean Ol’ Train and Pretty Neat.

Leopold And His Fiction don’t fit easily into one demographic or genre slot. If you’re a fan of classic garage rock with a penchant for plains sensibility and a back-roads Americana feel, then Leopold And His Fiction are for you. Quirky and dirty with the dust of thousands of miles of road, Ain’t No Surprise will lull you with its earthy feel and worm its way inside your head. It may take a few listens, but this disc will charm you.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Leopold And His Fiction at www.myspace.com/leopoldandhisfiction or http://www.leopoldandhisfiction.com/, where you can purchase a copy of Ain’t No Surprise.

Review: The Courage Pills - The Courage Pills

The Courage Pills – The Courage Pills
2008, The Courage Pills

West Chester, Pennsylvania natives The Courage Pills have the right idea. Formed just two years ago, they already haunt the clubs and venues of Philadelphia with a sound that is steeped in punk rock energy and a pop-hook driven musicality that’s bound to make the most cynical critic look up and take notice. The Courage Pills are no slouches as musicians either, with lead guitarist Michael Schramm featured in the March 2007 issue of Guitar Player magazine. Despite the recent loss of their original drummer, The Courage Pills continue to weave great pop/post-punk tunes in the same vein as Graham Parker’s former backup band, The Figgs. The Courage Pills sent along a seven-song demo entitled The Courage Pills. Let’s take a look.

The Courage Pills open with Way Down, an Americana flavored tune with an underlying punk sensitivity. The song is incredibly catchy with a bit of a garage sound to it (as if it were a live recording, which it may be). Open Our Eyes is a live recording, and is another incredibly catchy creature. The Courage Pills ride a big guitar sound and an almost Jim Morrison style vocal here to a bit of pop/punk nirvana. The melody will not escape you, recurring in your brain until you want to stomp on it. It’s infectious and a lot of fun. Cut Back The Lawn heads for Americana territory again with a surprisingly smooth sound offset by electronic voice box supporting organic vocals. The arrangement here is wonderfully smooth and high brow and shows The Courage Pills broadening their range of sound.

Cemetery Song has a manic, almost new-wave sound to it. This is perhaps the song with the greatest commercial potential on the demo; although the vocal/guitar mix is very muddy and should be clarified (vocals and guitar are at the exact same level, meaning the vocals become lost at times). Cemetery Song carries the same sense of pop hook wonderment mixed with the frenetic punk energy that underlies much of what The Courage Pills play, and is thoroughly infectious. Dumptruck is a little more driven, sounding a bit like early Figgs material. Swan Song is a glorious romp with big guitars and an almost Pearl Jam style pomposity. For alt-rock fans, Rabbiteater is the song you come to the Courage Pills for. Easily their most complex composition from the material here, Rabbiteater shows a band jumping to the next level artistically. This particular recording is rough, but shows the distinct potential of the band as a future entity.

The Courage Pills are a young band at a crossroads. The first real personnel change is just behind them, and they show the restless tendencies of a band just starting to take wings and find its true voice. It’s generally within the next year that they’ll either explode into the band they’ll become or implode into a mass of good intentions and lost potential. If I were a betting man I’d pick the former. The Courage Pills mix pop and punk in a style reminiscent of Ben Folds, and there is a real hunger for great Rock N Roll out there right now. The Courage Pills could be part of the answer.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Courage Pills at www.myspace.com/thecouragepills or http://www.thecouragepills.com/. It does not appear that The Courage Pills have any CDs or MP3s for sale online at this time. You can stream six of the songs discussed in this review on their MySpace page, although Rabbiteater is curiously not available. Perhaps if you message them through the MySpace account they’ll sell you a copy of The Courage Pills.

Review: Dog Gods - I Am Large; I Contain Multitudes

Dog Gods - I Am Large; I Contain Multitudes
2008, Dog Gods

Arkadelphia, Arkansas is a small town of about 10,500 residents that has nonetheless produced no less than four NFL Football players. An old salt mining town, "The Arc Of Brotherly Love" has now produced an interesting musical conglomerate in the Dog Gods. This Folk/Americana band has a unique songwriting style and sound that is pure musical nirvana. Marck L. Beggs (vox, guitar, songwriter); Jason Chism (keys, production); Phillip Taylor (bass); Luke Pittman (lead guitar) and Craig Seager (drums) create lushly energetic and intelligent songs that are unlike anything you've heard in popular music. Dog Gods debut CD, I Am Large; I Contain Multitudes was self-released by the band in 2008. Its fifteen songs of quirky, catchy and unusual folk pop you don't want to miss.

The album opens with Another Day, a highly catchy and smartly cynical song. It's great Americana rhythm to it that makes you want to get up and two-step. Antarctica is my favorite song on I Am Large; I Contain Multitudes. Antarctica is 3:24 of Pop/Folk perfection, and reason enough to by the album on its own. The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat borrows its title from a book by Oliver Sacks (Patch Adams) of the same name. It's a humorous story song that will leave you laughing and shaking your head in enjoyment. Ploughing The Moon has a great melody you're not likely to forget any time soon.

A second favorite here is Ireland Suite. Ireland Suite is very strong on Americana roots. This is destined to be a crowd favorite, and shows flashes of style similarities with Great Big Sea. Valentine For A Bi-Polar is a classic. The arrangement is wonderful and the lyrics alternative between ironic humor and straight forward suffering love song. Satellite Radio Blues has a Doors feel to it and is a very enjoyable listen. Other highlights include There's A Light At The End Of This Train; Disgrace - David's Lament and Blue Cats & UFO's.

The Dog Gods are certainly eclectic. Their mix of Rock, Americana and Folk is refreshingly new while being just familiar enough to be comfortable. I Am Large; I Contain Multitudes places Dog Gods firmly on the Folk/Americana map as a musical force to be reckoned with. I Am Large; I Contain Multitudes is a beautiful start.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Dog Gods at www.myspace.com/doggods. You can pick up a copy of I Am Large; I Contain Multitudes at www.cdbaby.com/cd/doggodsmusic or http://www.indierhythm.com/.