THE OLD SCHOOL REPORT CARD V. 11 p.1
By Peter J. Gianakopoulos
WHITE DENIM “Fits” double CD/double LP (Downtown)
This power trio from ....Austin.., ..Texas.... came out a few years ago with a couple of import EPs and one full length LP. On their second record “Fits”, they include the debut “Exposion” as a bonus in this double CD and/or double LP domestic release. Borrowing heavy bass garage blues riffs from the ....school.. of ..Captain Beefheart.... and the punk bombastic energy of the Minutemen, White Denim deliver weird time signature changes and pure pop bliss in under 40 minutes.
“Radio Milk: How Can You Stand It” opens the record with driving bass in the garage rock Nuggets style with Amboy Dukes type vocals moving into weird time signatures of “All Consolation” while giving the melodic sensibilities of a My Morning Jacket vibe. “I Start To Run” will make a great catchy single with its bass boogie Minutemen vibe and the groovy organ on “Sex Prayer” sounds like a lost Madlib track that’ll please the hip-hop jazz-funk fans.
“Paint Yourself” has a great shuffle beat with a catchy melody recalling the ghost of Jeff Buckley trying to do a Devendra Banhart impersonation. “Everybody Somebody” takes it back to the boogie shuffle Texas garage blues rock that sounds like some very early west coast psychedelic Grateful Dead song that could have been on their first record.
“Regina Holding Hands” takes the cake as the prettiest song on the record reminding me of the Fleet Foxes or My Morning Jacket with some great southern rock harmonies. White Denim may look like the beer-drinking type but they engage and excite throughout this record that’d please even the oldest of punk rockers.
GRADE: A-
U2 “The Unforgettable Fire” CD/DBL CD/DBL CD-DVD/DBL LP (..Island..)
U2 created a new transition with the dark sonic landscape on their fourth release “The Unforgettable Fire”. Newly remastered and available as a single disc, a double CD with b-sides, EP tracks and rarities, a double CD/DVD version with videos or as a double LP straight reissue.
Working with Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, U2 touched upon the territory previously visited by Eno with David Bowie on “Low” utilizing the recording studio as an instrument itself. They created tracks in the studio in an improvisational manner while adding lyrics later to construct songs from the ground up to brilliant success. Exploring the guitar effects of The Edge, the band layered parts into sonic shimmering textures to great effect on the Martin Luther King tribute “Pride” and the two-chord driving elegy to an addict on “Bad”.
U2 used these new experimental methods even better in song structure on theie follow-up masterpiece “The Joshua Tree” but is interesting to hear this record and its history as that transition before it developed and became fully realized.
Although the remastering on the original release doesn’t improve upon itself much, the bonus CD has some great remastered rarities and remixes plus an inclusion of the tracks from the “A Sort Of Homecoming” EP which will please the most diehard fans.
GRADE: B+
TINARIWEN “Imidiwan:Companions” CD/DVD (....World.. ..Village....)
The blues has had quite the influence and impact on the world over since the late fifties as evident in ..Africa.. on this group Tinariwen and their release “Imidiwan:Companions”. Hailing from the ..Sahara.. region, Tinariwen combine acoustic instruments with electric guitar and African percussion to be hailed the Rolling Stones of Africa. Think of the track “I Just Want To See His Face” from the Rolling Stones “Exile On Main Street” album and you’ll hear the vibe.
Tinariwen’s moody guitar riffs remind one of the boogie of tracks by John Lee Hooker and Lightnin’ Hopkins combined with African percussion sung in their native tongue which makes it a blues all their own. The DVD includes a 30-minute documentary of interviews and performances with the members to give the viewer an exclusive insight into the Tuareg scene. The Tuaregs are found mostly in West Africa and were nomads who roamed south from ..Northern Africa.. over the last 2000 years combining Middle Eastern and African styles in their music. World music enthusiasts will dig deep in this new release as well as the adventurous blues fan.
GRADE: B+
