- Lots of New CDs By Local Musicians: By my count, eleven (counting Patty Larkin, who would be something of a ringer) -which seems like quite a few. The pick of the litter (excepting Patty, whose praises I’ve been singing regularly already, and McCawley Burke, whose recent release I’ve not yet heard) arrived toward the end of the year in the form of debut releases from the High Kings and Anna Whiteley, who have much in common in terms of experience, talent, and promise -not to mention that both Anna and High King Jay Cournoyer hail from the Hyannis band Form Alex.
Both of these are assured and interesting pieces of work -and flawed, too; but the flaws are mostly from restlessness and from taking chances, and those are the right reasons. They also share particularly good singing, occasional great songs, and a bit of personality (they also both include tracks from Brewster’s latest addition to the recording world, Aaron Spade’s tiny Shack studio). What should happen is that they’ll get enough encouragement locally to proceed immediately to their follow-up releases, which I’ll bet will be way better; in the meantime, what we have here is pretty good already, and they’re both experienced, fun live acts.
The rest of the Class of ‘97 was remarkably varied, including punks (Philthshack, whose lead singer Tom Fettig originated the famous Qua-hawk hair style); rhythm‘n’blues guys (the Journeymen Rhythm Section, whose leader Michael Canfield is one of the best rock’n’roll drummers I’ve ever heard); swooshy synthesizer guys (Bionaut -if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times: they’re swooshy!); "mainstream" rockers (Borrowed Time -who can just thank their lucky stars I don’t have anything personal on them -yet); "alternative" guys (the Lucky Charms -who don’t really even live here, but what the heck); interesting, arty acousticians (Eric Carter with fellow San Franciscans Mumble and Peg -he used to live here); slightly southern rock thingbluespeople (John Sedlock -definitely, definitely lives here); and everything else the really bright young people of today care about (Mike Iacuessa’s the "Cape Cod Underground Experience" compilation -about forty teenagers who live in my basement, which my wife, the angelic yet ebullient Mrs. Kelp, says is getting "rather crusty" as a result). - Some Cool New Bands Started Up: namely Electric Swing Set and Earth Jr., both featuring former members of the Press (I believe); Nikolai Svishov’s Electric-Acoustic Siberian Jazz Trio, who may not be locals in the strictest sense, but for a few satisfying months this summer, they had the same itinerary; Space Posse, risen from the ashes of Space Pussy; and the more recent Come Ons (risen from the ashes of the Incredible Casuals), who debuted only recently (propriety, good taste, and a strict moral code are the only thing preventing me from mentioning the Chandler Travis Philharmonic here; phew, that was close).
- Some Cool Old Bands Packed It In: the afore-mentioned Space Pussy and the Incredible Casuals, though we’ll keep checking for vital signs...
- There Were Some Great Shows By Some Amazing Bands From Off-Cape: like NRBQ at the Barley Neck, the Skatalites at the WOMR benefit, and (most amazingly) Ray Davies at Cape Cod Community College (fellow Kinks fanatics will also want to know that brother Dave Davies has also surfaced for some noisy band shows in the northeast lately -at Lupo’s in Providence, for instance -and that reports were very encouraging). I also heard wonderful things about Burning Spear at the Beachcomber and David Byrne at the Melody Tent.
- It Was the Best Summer for Weather I Can Even Remember: in a reckless display of rapture and enthusiasm, I actually left the house.
- Michael Jordan Won the "Best Dancer" Title Yet Again: nobody does it better than the Second Hardest Working Man in Show Business.
- Link Montana Said That Tim Dickey Was Getting Really Loud and Wild on Guitar: I went back in my house.
- The Barley Neck Re-emerged as a Great Place to Hear Music: after a period of inactivity, owners Joe and Kathy brought the place back as a (much improved) music and dancing room in the off-season. The only other interesting developments on the club scene were the openings of the Riptide in Eastham (hopefully, they’ll survive a first season that was not without growing pains, following a strong opening) and the Sou’wester in Chatham (who did an excellent job of sound-proofing, and who seem to be hanging in there). Otherwise, the status quo was maintained, thanks to the fine efforts of the folks at places like Rick’s in Eastham, The Wellfleet Beachcomber, and the Land Ho in Orleans
- First Year With No Dick: Wetmore, that is, who had the temerity to stay with wife Marge in Florida for the whole year, despite being extensively missed hereabouts.
- Some Radio Stations Got Stronger, Some Evaporated: WOMR got a stronger signal, and WUNX -the modern rock station -went bye-bye.
- Trendy Rock Columnists Got More and More Money For Doing Practically Nothing: I can dream, can’t I?
Friday, December 19, 1997
Gosh Darn Official Year's End Stinking Wrap-Up (Locals)
Here’s some things that happened this year:
Official Damn Year's End Wrap-Up (CDs)
And now, here it is again, without a single person in the whole world asking for it except my editor; yes, it’s my Official End Of The Year Wrap-Up, in which I take a whole year and try to wrap it up, the better that it may be speedily consigned to oblivion. Actually, 1996 wasn’t such a bad year, as far as I can tell; it just wasn’t very conclusive. I don’t think it will ever be thought of as a year where anything started; neither did anything stop, lately. In general, an affable, let’s-not-step-on-anyone’s-toes kind of year.
A sissy year. A year that was never comfortable with its masculinity, at the same time as it completely lost touch with its softer, feminine side. A year that always got the attention it deserved, without ever really working for it. Basically, 1996 Jr.
Still, lots of good stuff came out, as always; my very faves fall into two major categories: almost perfect, and very swell, indeed. "Almost perfect" is the best; that means there isn’t a lame track on the whole thing ( -still a minor miracle even in modern times). "Very swell, indeed" is still a very high recommendation -at worst, it means there’s a little falter or three, maybe; but I can listen to all of these albums all the way through with nary a grimace. (I mention this now, of course, so that all you people will follow my instructions and buy people proper music this holiday season, etc., etc., for it is only through this unselfish act that I can be rendered useful.
For my money, the cream of the crop are: Freedy Johnston, "Never Home" (Elektra), by far the best rootsy thing I heard all year (also very pop-y and remarkably consistent); the Muffs’ "Happy Birthday to Me" (Reprise), a tuneful yet thrashy blast of rock’n’roll from the missing link between the Ramones and the Shirelles; Papas Fritas’s "Helioself" (Minty Fresh), including possibly the single of the year, the amazing "Hey Hey You Say", plus about seven other amazingly perfect pop songs; Michael Penn’s "Resigned" (Epic/57), which is about as close as we’ll ever get to a great ‘90’s John Lennon album, and as such another brilliant pop confection; and "The Club Foot Orchestra Plays Nino Rota" (Rastascan), by far the best collection of music from Fellini’s films (including most of the original soundtracks themselves) and an absolute delight.
Continuing the "A" list, we have the Flaming Lips’ remarkable 4-CD "Zaireeka" (Warner Bros.), an outrageous gamble that succeeds brilliantly on levels that have barely been invented yet, despite the fact that I’m a total songs-fascist (for me, if you’re not working with a good song, you’re usually doomed in advance), and this concept (four CDs, played as simultaneously as humanly possible, on four different sound systems) pretty much by-passes the need for songs (the very fact that you almost can’t listen to this properly without three other guys being there inadvertently makes the whole process hilarious and new); and the Replacements repackage "All for Nothing, Nothing for All" (Reprise), which is that rare, lengthy retrospective-with-lots-of-outtakes that manages to avoid unintentionally diminishing its subject.
I’d love to add "The Master - Marvin Gaye" 4 CD collection (Motown) and Brave Combo & Lauren Agnelli’s "Kiss of Fire" (Watermelon) to the list, because they’re both wonderful; but I did find out (after the fact, natch) that neither came out this year (heck, the Marvin anthology wasn’t even from ‘96; it was from whatever that year was they had just before ‘96). Anyway, they were definitely two of the year’s major discoveries for me.
Also brilliant (at least very swell, indeed) were: NRBQ’s "You’re Nice People You Are" (Rounder), supposedly their "children’s" album; Margaret Leng Tan’s haunting "The Art of the Toy Piano" (Point Music); Don Byron’s fascinating re-creations of vintage Ellington, Raymond Scott, and John Kirby on "Bug Music" (Elektra Nonesuch); Patty Larkin’s "Perishable Fruit" (High Street), which sustains a lovely, drifting mood throughout; Letters to Cleo’s "Go!" (Revolution)(for all of us dis-placed Go-gos fans); Of Montreal’s "Cherry Peel" (Bar/None), a welcome new branch in the Jonathan Richmond/Kinks/tunefully whimsical tree; Derrick Morgan’s "Time Marches On" (Heartbeat), featuring many fabulous vintage Skatalites band tracks; the "Tree’s Lounge"soundtrack (MCA) (and also from ‘96, now that I mention it ), featuring my other single major discovery of the year, Bill Deal & the Rondells’ "I’ve Been Hurt", plus the Mills Bros., the Ink Spots, Shane MacGowan, and Brenda Lee; and Caetano Veloso’s recent soundtrack to "Tieta De Agreste" (Blue Jackal), a very pretty Brazilian orchestral album that also features Gal Costa. (I’m tempted to add Jonatha Brook’s new "10c Wings" (MCA/Refuge), but I’ve only heard the first four songs. So far, so good, though.)
Also, "Count Your Blessings" (Alert Music Inc), a recording of a live concert of Christmas music featuring Jane Siberry, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Holly Cole, Rebecca Jenkins, and Victoria Williams, together and in turn, accompanied by pianist Tim Ray that is the most interesting new Xmas release I’ve been able to find in the current crop; the title song and Ms. Siberry’s two songs are particularly lovely, and Holly Cole’s tracks particularly disposable; still, a very strong collection (though it seems to be a Canadian release from 1994; worth a search, though). I even like Altan’s "Runaway Sunday" (Virgin), despite an extreme anti-Celtic music bias that I’m quite proud of, in general; but there’s a song on this one, ("A Moment in Time") that is absolutely gorgeous. And don’t forget my good friend Ken Field’s "Subterranea" (OoMusic), a very unconventional yet approachable album of not-jazz featuring the saxophone, percussion, and (gasp!) flute meanderings of the talented title character.
The year’s most promising debuts were made by Jason Falkner, Skavoovie and the Epitones, locals the High Kings and Anna Whiteley, the afore-mentioned Of Montreal, and the brand new You Am I, whose new "Hourly, Daily" (Sire) is a brash pop album with echoes of earlier british bands like the Kinks, the Who, and XTC, and a couple of swell songs.
And that’s it. Go forth and purchase.
A sissy year. A year that was never comfortable with its masculinity, at the same time as it completely lost touch with its softer, feminine side. A year that always got the attention it deserved, without ever really working for it. Basically, 1996 Jr.
Still, lots of good stuff came out, as always; my very faves fall into two major categories: almost perfect, and very swell, indeed. "Almost perfect" is the best; that means there isn’t a lame track on the whole thing ( -still a minor miracle even in modern times). "Very swell, indeed" is still a very high recommendation -at worst, it means there’s a little falter or three, maybe; but I can listen to all of these albums all the way through with nary a grimace. (I mention this now, of course, so that all you people will follow my instructions and buy people proper music this holiday season, etc., etc., for it is only through this unselfish act that I can be rendered useful.
For my money, the cream of the crop are: Freedy Johnston, "Never Home" (Elektra), by far the best rootsy thing I heard all year (also very pop-y and remarkably consistent); the Muffs’ "Happy Birthday to Me" (Reprise), a tuneful yet thrashy blast of rock’n’roll from the missing link between the Ramones and the Shirelles; Papas Fritas’s "Helioself" (Minty Fresh), including possibly the single of the year, the amazing "Hey Hey You Say", plus about seven other amazingly perfect pop songs; Michael Penn’s "Resigned" (Epic/57), which is about as close as we’ll ever get to a great ‘90’s John Lennon album, and as such another brilliant pop confection; and "The Club Foot Orchestra Plays Nino Rota" (Rastascan), by far the best collection of music from Fellini’s films (including most of the original soundtracks themselves) and an absolute delight.
Continuing the "A" list, we have the Flaming Lips’ remarkable 4-CD "Zaireeka" (Warner Bros.), an outrageous gamble that succeeds brilliantly on levels that have barely been invented yet, despite the fact that I’m a total songs-fascist (for me, if you’re not working with a good song, you’re usually doomed in advance), and this concept (four CDs, played as simultaneously as humanly possible, on four different sound systems) pretty much by-passes the need for songs (the very fact that you almost can’t listen to this properly without three other guys being there inadvertently makes the whole process hilarious and new); and the Replacements repackage "All for Nothing, Nothing for All" (Reprise), which is that rare, lengthy retrospective-with-lots-of-outtakes that manages to avoid unintentionally diminishing its subject.
I’d love to add "The Master - Marvin Gaye" 4 CD collection (Motown) and Brave Combo & Lauren Agnelli’s "Kiss of Fire" (Watermelon) to the list, because they’re both wonderful; but I did find out (after the fact, natch) that neither came out this year (heck, the Marvin anthology wasn’t even from ‘96; it was from whatever that year was they had just before ‘96). Anyway, they were definitely two of the year’s major discoveries for me.
Also brilliant (at least very swell, indeed) were: NRBQ’s "You’re Nice People You Are" (Rounder), supposedly their "children’s" album; Margaret Leng Tan’s haunting "The Art of the Toy Piano" (Point Music); Don Byron’s fascinating re-creations of vintage Ellington, Raymond Scott, and John Kirby on "Bug Music" (Elektra Nonesuch); Patty Larkin’s "Perishable Fruit" (High Street), which sustains a lovely, drifting mood throughout; Letters to Cleo’s "Go!" (Revolution)(for all of us dis-placed Go-gos fans); Of Montreal’s "Cherry Peel" (Bar/None), a welcome new branch in the Jonathan Richmond/Kinks/tunefully whimsical tree; Derrick Morgan’s "Time Marches On" (Heartbeat), featuring many fabulous vintage Skatalites band tracks; the "Tree’s Lounge"soundtrack (MCA) (and also from ‘96, now that I mention it ), featuring my other single major discovery of the year, Bill Deal & the Rondells’ "I’ve Been Hurt", plus the Mills Bros., the Ink Spots, Shane MacGowan, and Brenda Lee; and Caetano Veloso’s recent soundtrack to "Tieta De Agreste" (Blue Jackal), a very pretty Brazilian orchestral album that also features Gal Costa. (I’m tempted to add Jonatha Brook’s new "10c Wings" (MCA/Refuge), but I’ve only heard the first four songs. So far, so good, though.)
Also, "Count Your Blessings" (Alert Music Inc), a recording of a live concert of Christmas music featuring Jane Siberry, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Holly Cole, Rebecca Jenkins, and Victoria Williams, together and in turn, accompanied by pianist Tim Ray that is the most interesting new Xmas release I’ve been able to find in the current crop; the title song and Ms. Siberry’s two songs are particularly lovely, and Holly Cole’s tracks particularly disposable; still, a very strong collection (though it seems to be a Canadian release from 1994; worth a search, though). I even like Altan’s "Runaway Sunday" (Virgin), despite an extreme anti-Celtic music bias that I’m quite proud of, in general; but there’s a song on this one, ("A Moment in Time") that is absolutely gorgeous. And don’t forget my good friend Ken Field’s "Subterranea" (OoMusic), a very unconventional yet approachable album of not-jazz featuring the saxophone, percussion, and (gasp!) flute meanderings of the talented title character.
The year’s most promising debuts were made by Jason Falkner, Skavoovie and the Epitones, locals the High Kings and Anna Whiteley, the afore-mentioned Of Montreal, and the brand new You Am I, whose new "Hourly, Daily" (Sire) is a brash pop album with echoes of earlier british bands like the Kinks, the Who, and XTC, and a couple of swell songs.
And that’s it. Go forth and purchase.
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