RECOMMENDED LISTENING............................23 JUL 2007
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Artist: RICHMOND FONTAINE |
Most bands seem to hit a creative plateau a few albums in. Not these guys. Thirteen Cities (2007) is the best album we've heard all year, easily the equal of RF's critically acclaimed Post to Wire (2004).
Recorded at Tuscon's Waveland Studios by JD Foster--and featuring contributions from members of Calexico--Thirteen Cities has a bit more southwestern flavor than RF's previous releases. And despite our abhorrence of horns, Jacob Valenzuela's trumpet stylings get our stamp of approval.
We could do without the spoken word number "The Disappearance of Ray Norton" (a violation of Cheezeball Manifesto §3.n) and, all things considered, this album isn't one to lift your spirits, but you'll be hard pressed to find a finer collection of tunes this summer. Among our favorites are "$87 and a Guilty Conscience," "Fell into Painting Houses," "Capsized," and "Lost in This World."
MP3 : "MOVING BACK HOME #2"
VIDEO: "CAPSIZED"
VIDEO: "EL TIRADITO"
VIDEO: "$87 AND A GUILTY CONSCIENCE" (LIVE)
VIDEO: LIVE @ PARADISO, AMSTERDAM (COMPLETE CONCERT)
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Artist: LEEROY STAGGER Album: DEPRESSION RIVER Label: BOOMPA Release Date: 19 SEP 2006 Website: www.leeroystagger.com Myspace: www.myspace.com/leeroystagger |
After an alt.country album or two, it is not unusual for a band to forsake the genre for greener pop pastures. Call it the Wilco Effect.
Apparently Leeroy Stagger didn't get the memo. After releasing the poppy (albeit alt.country inflected) Beautiful House in 2005, Stagger has returned with a straight-up roots record. And it's a gem.
From the blistering "Where I Live," a Crazy Horse-inspired rocker, to the sparse and affecting "Jesus and the Liquor," all acoustic pickin' and pedal steel, Depression River will suck you in. If you've yet to acquaint yourself with Leeroy Stagger, this is the place to start.
AUDIO PLAYER: LAUNCH LEEROY STAGGER AUDIO PLAYER
VIDEO: DEPRESSION RIVER EPK
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Artist: BLUEHEELS |
You probably haven't heard of these guys. Their website's down. Or it doesn't exist. They're stuck in Wisconsin. Yeah, Wisconsin. Cheezy Wisconsin. (Neenah, to be exact--home of Howard Hawks, paper mills, and so forth.)
All kidding aside, Blueheels put on one hell of a live show, and their self-relesed debut is an auspicious beginning. Fronting the band is one Robby Schiller, with his effortlessly adenoidal vocals, and he is joined in the current lineup by Justin Bricco (lead guitar), Justin Perkins (bass) and Adam Cargin (drums). Here's hoping some label is smart enough to snap these guys up.
Do yourself a favor and track down a copy of Long Gone.
VIDEO: "UP ALL NIGHT" (LIVE)
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Artist: JON ITKIN Album: BIG GOLD GUITAR IN THE SKY Label: SADIEJANE RECORDS Release Date: 12 JUN 2007 Website: www.jonitkin.com Myspace: www.myspace.com/jontkin |
Desipte its dubious title, Big Gold Guitar in the Sky is one of the finest alt.country discs to emerge in 2007. You'd swear Portland, Oregon wunderkind Jon Itkin is decades older than his twenty-four years, whether he's spinning a yarn or hollerin' rockabilly. The songs are all over the Americana map--"Emerald Valley," for example, would be at home on one of the Wilco / Billy Bragg collaborations from the late '90s, while "Bismark" might be a long-lost Johnny Cash tune. And despite the eclecticism, the disc hangs together. Our favorite track is the haunting "Patience (All We Ever Do Is Wait)."
That isn't to say that the album doesn't have a wart or two. "Ten-Pack of Years," with its cheezy "I remember you" refrain recalls Skid Row (and we didn't want to go there). And for a brief moment on the otherwise stellar "Halfway," Itkin seems to be channeling Neil Diamond. All things considered, however, the album's flaws don't amount to a hill of beans. Go find this one.
MP3: "BISMARCK"
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Artist: ROCKY VOTOLATO |
Usually comparisons to Elliot Smith are enough to make us run screaming in the opposite direction, and when it comes to Votolato, rock critics can't help themselves. On The Brag and Cuss, however, the onetime emo forgoes the navel gazing of his earlier solo work for a full alt.country work up. Sounds a bit like Ryan Adams might, were the tousled one not trying so hard to sound like everyone else. Our only criticism is that the album is perhaps a tad innocuous, but pleasant and well wrought nonetheless. Worth a few spins on the porch with the cicadas buzzing in the background.