El Vy, Christine & The Queens, !!! Power Week’s New Releases
El Vy: Return To The Moon (4AD) That this collaborative project is called El Vy—and described as being “pronounced like a plural of Elvis; rhymes with ‘Hell Pie’”—is an indication of the intent and approach at work here, but don’t come expecting slicked-back hair and wiggling pelvi. The collective work of the National’s Matt Beringer and Ramona Falls’ Brent Knopf, Return To the Moon rocks in an appealing but understated, almost laidback way. And this is good. The behind-the-beat feel of such tracks “I’m The Man To Be” perfectly serves the studied, cynical lyrical approach—humorously cynical, mind you—and the result is intelligent and, ultimately, catchy as hell. The big win is that the album oozes personality and wit, and makes you want to hear it once, twice, maybe even three times again. This is attitude that wins!
Christine & The Queens: Christine & The Queens (Neon Gold) We’ve come a long way in pop music when the most immediately striking aspect of a new artist may be their music video, but if you catch this French act’s “Paradis Perdus” video, which features lead vocalist Heloise Letissier sitting in a chair while her fashionable pink suit expands and eventually envelops her—all while Kanye West’s “Heartless” oozes about—you will remember what you see. And visuals or no, most of this music on this album is very good indeed. The group is deeply appreciated in their French homeland, winning accolades all over, they are currently on tour in the USA with Marina & The Diamonds, and according to informed Wiki sources, singer Letissier identified herself as pansexual. Summation: They win on all counts! This record = good, and you should hear it.
John Renbourn: The Attic Tapes (Riverboat) An unexpected and invaluable addition to the legacy of British folk guitarist John Renbourn, once of highly regarded ‘60s folk combo Pentangle—which also included his friend and equally lauded fellow guitarist Bert Jansch in its ranks—The Attic Tapes is an absolute treat. Mastered from old tapes literally found in a friend’s attic, the collection features a number of well-known tracks recorded in the early ‘60s, well before their official debut, including classics such as “Anji,” “Blues Run The Game,” and a batch of blues well-covered by the folk crowd of the era. Guests include Beverley Martyn, Davy Graham and Mac MacLeod, sound quality is marvelous, the 20-song selection more than generous, and the taste of Renbourn’s talent and history extremely welcome. A worthwhile package that can only make one wonder what else resides in other people’s attics, and why. Highly recommended.
!!! (chk chk chk): As If (Warp) The superbly punctuated !!! return here with an album that bears all hallmarks of exceptionalism: In this case, a cover featuring a well-known monkey, perched atop a heap of bananas, welcoming us to his world–a non-stop array of danceable, slightly punkish songs in that early ‘80s Danceteria, Medium Medium, Liquid Liquid, Word Word / Ze Records way, evoking but never aiming to duplicate. And it all sounds warm, welcome and friendly. Plus, the songs are solid. There is variety, there is melody, there are things that in another time, in another world, could almost be hits—I am digging on “Every Little Bit Counts” at the moment—and there are, ultimately, a lot of good things on this album. You may think you know !!!, but you don’t know !!!.
Saxon: Battering Ram (UDR) There’s a certain comfort to be drawn from England’s Saxon, be it their longevity—this is the 21st album from these participants in the very first New Wave Of British Heavy Metal—their instantly recognizable, absolutely perfect band logo, the dual guitar attack proudly displayed from Song One onward, and the surprisingly sturdy vocals of vocalist Biff Byford, who, let’s face it, possesses the very best name in all of rock ‘n’ roll. This is indeed a very good Brit Metal record—it aims for the mainstream and accessible, comparatively speaking, but there is no wimpiness, the imagery is sound (Louis Carroll, Marvel Comics villains, the devil’s footprint, etc.), and there is intelligence on display without that sort of unavoidable descent into parody that can hamper long-lived artists in this genre, and often does. Hats off to producer Andy Sneap: This is Saxon in 2015, and this sounds great.
Small Black: Best Blues (Jagjaguwar) This is the sort of thing that may sneak up on you: pleasant beats, subtle things happening on and off in the background, appealing vocals by singer Josh Hayden Kolenik that are slightly obscured and just personal enough, and moods that simply don’t quit. The New York band’s third album, Best Blues is just right: deliberately non-flashy, loaded with craft, meaning, and apparent intent, it’s just sitting there, waiting to be listened to and assigned your own personal interpretation. It’s kind of remarkably good, and not a whole lot of people are making music like this. Make a point of hearing this more than once.
The Hampton Grease Band: Music To Eat (Columbia/Legacy) In the peculiar world of issues/reissues/re-reissues/and stuff reissued in purely digital form, here again comes the 1971 recorded debut of Georgia’s still-startling Hampton Grease Band. A marvelous batch of players that at the time of this album’s original release were most often compared to Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention (because of their conspicuous instrumental skills) and Captain Beefheart (because of lead singer Bruce Hampton’s affable vocal yawping), the band sold next to nothing and became semi-legendary. Singer Hampton and guitarist Glenn Phillips carried on and made many fascinating albums in the years that followed, true—but still, Music To Eat’s unforgettable opening lyric—“Wouldn’t you like to come to Halifax/ Air masses moving eastwardly”—has burned itself into the psyche of many humans, this writer included, and here is your chance, yet again, to sample something that is spectacularly odd, unique, weird, and—don’t forget, this came out in 1971—very much ahead of its time. Have fun.
Chris Walla: Tape Loops (Trans) Kudos to former Death Cab For Cutie/producer/multi-instrumentalist creative sort Chris Walla, whose understated, instrumental return here is gentle and appealing in the same manner as Brian Eno’s early Discreet Music and Music For Airports, the quiet end of Germany’s Cluster and Harmonia, and maybe a New Age person or two who didn’t actually put people to sleep. It’s rich, meditative music—not dopey and deliberately minimal—and the subtleties within speak well for Walla, his considerable talent, and future directions to come. More, please?
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