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Album Reviews
Pecos B For the record, my experience with hip-hop took a break between Heavy D in ’89 and Digable Planets in ’97. In the interim I hit puberty, discovered Straight Edge, got bored, did a lot of drugs and took some college classes, in that order. My point in this little biography is to be completely honest about my fairly uneducated self when it comes to this style of music. What I have found, however, is that there appears to be a movement happening in the genre not unlike what happened to jazz in the 40’s. After suffering an agonizingly long period of popular swing music (which I’m comparing here to all show/no soul gangsta rap), jazz reorganized itself in a grass roots fashion to take back what had been lost to commercial interest. During the next 40 years jazz was able to put some of the most innovative and creative contemporary musicians at the forefront of popular culture. Today I think we’re on the cusp of a similar movement, and perhaps one of even more value due to the vision of underground hip-hop. Weekly open mics with Pecos B.:
THEforREALS Self Produced Ok. So, imagine you and your buddies down in your basement kickin' back a few. You've been playing together for a year or so and finally decide that you need lyrics to all these songs "that sent you wiggin". Everybody sits down with their thinking caps on and, in about a half an hour, you pound out the magical words to every one of them. Then ya'll go ahead and record 'em. Well, that seemed to be the process used by these guys. Had I been able to ignore the words, I feel I might have enjoyed the album a whole lot more. Now, as I finished writing this, track 12, or Slo-Mo, came on. Here, finally, was a song that conveyed some kind of true emotion, even if they can't write it in lyrics that actually make sense. THEforREALS have a very unique sound with the bass, but not enough to take the money out of my pocket for. I think you will find that track 13 is the perfect ending to what I am sending or pending on tending to (you'll understand if you buy this album). But hey, at least I could draw to it. -pdr (ed. note: to see the drawing go to www.musicliberationproject.com/forrealpic. Sorry Pinces). Gin and Tillyanna. Self Produced Demo Gin and Tillyanna are a recently consecrated band. That said, I listened to this album 15 years ago when they were Jesus and Mary Chain, and then again six years later when they were called the Breeders. There is a reason this music is always around in some form or another, it's good fun to listen to. It drives and sinks in and is easy to hear and makes your head bob up and down. Crunchy guitars, slightly dissonant vocals, and the boom pop boom boom pop of the drum kit will always make me smile. And they do it well. I smile more the more I listen to it. It reminds me of the good times I had in high school, stoned in the basement of my friend's parents' house, playing Atari, and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Hotcakes on my thighs/ Hmmm. Interesting image. Between that and the occasional strap-on against the wall of the local tavern reference, one begins to get the idea that the album isn't for the morally righteous or anyone from the OCA (except maybe Lon Mabon, with his comb-over eighties hairdo, wide-eyed innocent look, and bushy mustache. C'mon, give that guy a few drinks and I bet he's in a Speedo singing YMCA, with the moves, on the table tops of C.C. Slaughters.). Makes me want to go see a show, though, and I guess that's the whole point after all. Ladies, put this album on when you are driving across town so you can make out with your new girlfriend. Gentlemen, put this album on when you are waiting for your girlfriend to come over after she's been hanging out with her new friend from the previous sentence. Or just put it on and think about all the good things that used to be and apparently still are: simple, digestible rock and roll, rolled up in three-and-half minute packages wrapped in seaweed with little bits of raw fish stuffed in the middle. -sh
Desert City Soundtrack Deep Elm Records Inc When first hearing DCS, I was mostly attracted to the energy with which they played. I saw them open up for The Dropscience, a great band from San Diego. But then this opening band completely blows me away. I went to see them again 4 days later at Murray's Pizza on SE Hawthorne. I would have gone to Satyricon the next day, but was too worn out from the rock. This band is a shining jewel in Portland emo...and really loud. We're From Japan Self Produced Listening to We're From Japan is much like driving down an empty wooded road in the middle of the night with the headlights shining on the yellow stripes coming at you three at a time. Long, sprawling, mesmerizing landscapes of guitars, bass and drums that roll by and each musical phrase is one you've just heard and each musical phrase is one you've heard before and each musical phrase is the next one and each musical phrase is the one before that. Even the subdued parts are a sustained, intense sonic assault. It makes me feel like I am always on the verge of some sort of great breakthrough. Like the moments leading up to the sun parting the clouds or when you are about to do something courageous or have an epiphany. Always the moment before release.
Adam Selzer Film Guerrero Adam Selzer is a singer/songwriter of the finest fashion. His full-time projects include Norfolk & Western, as well as Type Foundry Studios. He works hard at what he does, and seems to be a staple in Portland's sleepy-time music scene. What must be faced right off, though, is that this album sounds very, very much like Elliott Smith. I, for one, am ok with that. And Adam, I'm sorry for the immediate comparison. Elliott certainly didn't invent soft guitar sounds and double-tracked vocals, but he did make a small empire with the sound at a time when most people in the music industry were arm-swinging, misogynistic, ego-centric metal rappers. So, ok, we all know what the "Eliott" sound is, it certainly doesn't take the quality or creativity away from the "Adam" sound. In fact, when it comes to this style, Adam Selzer is much more creative and interesting than Elliott has ever been. It's not quite as passionate, but, I don't ever remember that other guy using sleigh bells or a toy piano.
Ross Beach and the Hellpets A Bouncing Space Recording Ross Beach's new album "You Make It Look So Easy" is one that people who like the twang of country-folk, and the catchy hooks and melodies of pop can appreciate. |
