Fantômas and Musical Journeys

I consider James Blackshaw one of the most talented musicians I have ever come across. I have written about him before and the growth he has exhibited, from records featuring just him and his acoustic 12-string to more sonically complicated records involving keys and strings.

His latest record continues that journey forward and see him stepping not only into the role of player but as composer. Fantômas: Le Faux Magistrat was recorded live at the Théâtre du Châlet in Paris on Halloween 2013. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Fantômas silent film series, directed by Frenchman Louis Feuillade, composer Yann Tiersen was asked to run the score and accompanying live performances for screenings of the five films. For the final film, Le Faux Magistrat, he asked Blackshaw. And this record is a document of that performance.

It features Blackshaw on his usual nylon string guitar as well as the grand piano. For this he is joined by Charlotte Glasson, Duane Pitre, and Simon Scott playing assortments of guitars, saxophones, flutes, violins, electronics and percussion instruments.

I confess I don't know anything about any of these films or people, except for Blackshaw. His name on the record's spine is what got it into the shopping basket (virtually, of course). But I know interesting music when I hear it. The images on the record hint at a dark, noir-ish endeavor. The music is equally foreboding and lovely. It is broken into 13 pieces and spread over 2 LPs.

For me it is a real listening experience. Four great musicians playing live to a film involves a tremendous amount of skill. Especially when they are rotating from instrument to instrument. It is hard to image that 4 people could pull this off so well. A sinister piano melody is augmented by a dark, almost sleazy saxophone in one of the opening pieces, which will give way to a lovely 12-string figure, soon augmented by a haunting violin and vibraphone. It doesn't deserve to be background music. With so much going on it's worth the listener's effort to apply themselves to the music.

I wouldn't dream of performing music like this, the meager talents I have do no begin to approach what is going on here. I appreciate it immensely. I appreciate the talent and the skill, both natural and that honed by years and years of practice, to make this as wondrous as it is.

Here is a link to Part VIII. For whatever reason the embed won't find it.

All Request Hour: Timber Timbre's Hot Dreams

My friend Joe Apple sent me a Facebook message asking if I would review an album he recommended. I am all up for that. Joe has good taste in music and the record he recommend was one I had not heard of: Hot Dreams by Timber Timbre.

Timber Timbre is a Canadian indie-folk act led by singer/songwriter Taylor Kirk. It's very atmospheric, very elaborate sounding. The record starts off vocally sounding almost like an old Rick Nelson record, but about halfway through the album owner "Beat The Drum Slowly," the reference becomes Richard Hawley, a fine English singer/songwriter who spent some time in Pulp. Hawley is a guy I once said was music to drink Scotch to. This record is very much in that spirit. It reminds me of a less sinister Nick Cave record.

I like the line that opens the title cut "I want to dance, I want to dance, I want to dance with a black woman." Lyrics like that grab the attention. Lyrically it's an interesting record. "Curtains!?" is a great cut; opens with a heavy beat and keyboard with sharp electric chords on the guitar, a quiet break in the middle before ending loudly. "Bring Me Simple Men" reminds me of Urge Overkill covering "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon." The music feels like it could be a soundtrack to a spaghetti western or a Tarantino movie. "Resurrection Drive Part II" is another such cut, but in this one I can see sinister looking hippie-chicks dancing behind a thumping beat and weird violins scraping. Maybe I am just weird.

What I like about it is the mood it creates. It is an incredibly interesting record. And that's good praise. So many records are dull; this one holds the attention. When one song ends here I am eager to hear what is coming next. Thanks, Joe, for the recommendation!

Here is the title cut "Hot Dreams."

Aimee Mann and Gord Downie Side Projects

Aimee Mann has long been a favorite songwriter of mine. After Til Tuesday, who were a fine 80s band in their own right, she made two outstanding power-pop solo records: Whatever and I'm With Stupid. If you watched Melrose Place (I didn't) you probably heard "That's Just What You Are" off the latter record. She also got a lot of exposure doing songs for P.T. Anderson's Magnolia, a movie that was written with Aimee Mann in mind, and which featured all the characters in the movie singing "Wise Up." The rest of her solo output has been good but not great. Her 2012 record Charmer is probably the best of the post-Magnolia output.

Now she has teemed up with Ted Leo to form The Both. Ted Leo is considered an indie alternative (whatever that means) artist but labels aside he's a singer/songwriter. I never really got into him that much, but after hearing this record, I should give him another shot. The Both is a great collection of power pop gems. Mann is on bass and Leo on guitar and they take turns on the lead vocals. Both sound great, but it's even better when they harmonize. At first glance it seems to be a trifle, just a one-off side project of two established artists having fun, but the songs are so well written and so well played it isn't fair to dismiss it as such. My two favorite are "Milwaukee" and "Pay For It," both of which bounce along merrily with great melodies, clever lyrics and super production. What I like best is that Mann has never had a guitar player working with her as intense as Ted Leo. His playing makes the songs roar to life. They are playing the 930 Club on Friday night and I am hoping to go.

My most favorite band on the planet not named Rush is also Canadian: The Tragically Hip. I have written about them extensively before (here and here and here) so my admiration is well known. Their singer is the amazing Gord Downie. He has mellowed out a bit as he has gotten older, but he is still one of the most mesmerizing performers I have ever seen. He seems to go into a trance when singing. Hip shows are always an amazing experience.

He has just released a collaboration with fellow Canadians The Sadies called Gord Downie, The Sadies And The Conquering Sun. The Sadies are another band I never quite got into; they were always a bit more eclectic than I had patience for. I was honestly surprised when I heard about this record. Downie has done a few solo records himself, all of them interesting but all of them again eclectic and therefore not as interesting to me as Hip records. The fact that he was making a record with another band was a bit disconcerting. What about the Hip? Why does Gord feel like he needs to work with another band? Are they breaking up! GACK!!

Hopefully a break-up isn't imminent. For the time being, to get a Gord fix, this will have to do. The best track is the kick-off track "Crater." Noisy and gritty guitars drive the tune. "Los Angeles Times" is a nice mid-tempo number with a good Clarence White-esque guitar solo at the end. Ltrically it's typical Gord Downie; sort of weird, sort of obtuse, sort of rambling but clever in every way. If this was a Hip record it would be a good Hip record, but not as good as the classics.  Perhaps Gord just wanted a break from his band; collaborating with old friends and seeing what happens. I hope he doesn't forget where home is.

Here's the FANTASTIC video for the FANTASTIC "Milwaukee" by The Both:

And not quite fantastic but still extremely cool, here's "Crater" by Gord Downie and The Sadies.

Pass The Buck

Peter Buck was the first former REM-er to come out with a solo record. He also appears to be the only one planning to do that. Only a year after his eponymous and vinyl-only solo debut, he returns with I Am Back To Blow Your Mind Once Again. The debut was not earth-shattering. It felt loose and fun, things that Peter Buck never really seemed when he was in REM. The follow-up here, also a vinyl-only production, is more of the same.

His primary cohort is Scott McCaughey, he of The Minus 5 and long-time collaborator/pal of Buck. It is kind of a bluesy, boozy record.  I don't suspect this record took terribly long to make. It reminds me in terms of feel of the record he and Mike Mills and Bill Berry did with Warren Zevon back in the early 90s as Hindu Love Gods. It's the kind of record that musicians make when they are having a good time. It's not an artistic statement, it's not reaching for something great. It's a portrait of a talented artist doing his thing. It does not quite live up to it's name. But it's a welcome diversion.

Buck does not have the most magnetic voice. It is often drenched in effect but his voice is sort of a natural effect. He was not meant to be a front-man. But that is not a criticism, just a fact. It suits the vibe though. When McCaughey takes the lead vocal on the nice mid-tempo cut "Fall On My Own Sword" it's a noticeable shift.

The first three songs are solid rockers, especially the third one "Life Is Short" where Kurt...somebody. The credits on the back label don't go into much detail. Anyway he gets off a great psychedelic guitar solo that goes on a bit too long, which is perfectly fine.

The Drive By Truckers' Patterson Hood shows up for the most interesting song on the record: "Southerner." It features Buck on a sinister sounding enow guitar while Hood recites the lyrics, capturing what it means to be a southerner of a certain age.

The only song I could find on YouTube was "Drown With Me," which features Sleater-Kinney's Corin Tucker on lead vocal, and sounds like it could have come off of New Adventures in Hi-Fi. I didn't look that hard for a video, though.

Favorite Records of 2013 - Number 7

Arbouretum's Coming Out of The Fog is striking for the classic rock vibe it has. The band that comes to mind is Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Take "Renouncer," it struts along at a slow beat with a thudding bass and heavy guitar run.  It's the kind of song that would play when we first see the smooth not-too-sure-about-this-guy in a movie. There's a sense of dread around it. "All at Once, the Turning Weather" is similar. Nothing fancy in either of these tracks but there is a tremendous heavy vibe. Not a metal heavy but a strong rock heaviness. That classic rock heaviness is balanced by other tracks with a cosmic-American sense like side 1 closer "Oceans Don't Sing." Pedal steel and acoustic guitars come together to close out the side on a warm note.

This record is about mood, it is about texture. I played a couple tracks for a friend who was not impressed at first, but he came back to me a few months later with greater appreciation for it after giving it a chance on his own. When I first heard it the power beneath it struck me. I liked the simple beats and simple bass lines propelling the guitar playing.

Arbouretum are a Baltimore band. I live in DC but even though the distance is not immense I cannot say I have a good feel for the Baltimore scene. A band like Arbouretum makes me wonder about the rock and roll life. Not the nonsense you see on Behind The Music about big-time-bands but the working life of a small time band. I imagine the guys in Arbouretum must have day jobs. They just finished up a two-week tour that took them as far as Chicago and Atlanta. Making a life out of music is terribly difficult, especially a life that has spouses and kids and mortgages and bills to pay. I would love to go out on a tour with my band but a) I know the likelihood of that is slim to none; and b) I have a job and taking a month off to do that is not feasible. We just recruited a new bass player because ours sadly had to move away to St. Louis. He's been in a moderately successful band, especially when compared to what we have accomplished. But he has still had a day job the whole run of that outfit. It is tough sledding I imagine.

Here's the aforementioned "Renouncer."

Up next...Canadians invade the list!!

Favorite Records of 2013 - Number 8

Sometimes albums come out of nowhere. No buzz, no future warning, no seeing them open for somebody else. Sometimes it's just happenstance. Destroy This Place's self titled debut is one of those records. I read The AV Cub on The Onion's site and I noticed a blurb titled "Destroy This Place Show How Press Releases Can Get It Right." The name of the band caught my eye so I checked it out, which led me to their Bandcamp page, which led me to searching out whether they had their record on vinyl, which led the vinyl copy arriving in my hands a week later. A chance encounter with a headline on a website brought about commerce. Hooray technology and capitalism!!

DTP is a perfect example of what I talked about before about the state of rock n roll. You listen to this record and you are assured that rock n roll is just fine. It's noisy, it's aggressive, it's remarkably memorable. It is a loud record, in fact I just went to the stereo to turn it up louder. The songs bite and snarl but they are filled, I mean FILLED, with great hooks and harmonies. For such a noisy record the singing is not just great but put nice and clear in the mix! Serious kudos to producer Mike Bridavsky, this is one of the best produced rock records I have heard. Mike, if you read this I would love to have you produce my band's next record.

DTP probably should be higher on the list. It's easily my favorite power-pop record of the year and if I was in a more power-pop frame of mind it probably would be my #1 favorite of the year. And I am KICKING myself for not going to see them earlier this year. Please come back to DC soon. Pretty please! I promise I won't be lazy.

Back to the point, this record shows that their is plenty of great rock out there if you just go and look for it. It might be hard to find and it might not be popular but it is out there. These guys have almost 900 likes on their Facebook page. What the fuck? Bands like Destroy This Place belong on the radio. If not terrestrial radio then DEFINITELY on Little Steven's Underground Garage. C'mon, Silvio! Play more bands like this!!

Next up....another great guitar record from a great Baltimore band.