The Fountain - Echo & The Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen - The Fountain - 2009 Ocean Rain Records

I had planned on reviewing the Bunnymen's latest back in November when it was released. Once I had started writing the review I came the the conclusion that to really say what I wanted to say I would have to write an overview of the band's career divided into two parts: pre and post Pete DeFreitas. I got about halfway through writing and realized that it was becoming a short novel. Now we are back to the plain and simple review....4 months late.

The Fountain is the latest release from post-punk pioneers Echo & The Bunnymen. The first to be released in the US on the bands own dime via their Ocean Rain Records. If you are to believe EATB's lead crooner Ian McCulloch, The Foutain is the greatest record that the band has yet to record. Fortunately for me I stopped believing the one man hype machine called Ian McCulloch years ago. Rightfully so because The Fountain is far from being the best thing in the B-Men's extensive recording catalogue. In fact, it may well be their worst. That's not to say that it is a terrible album - if you were to tell me that this was the new Coldplay album (or pick any other band from that genre) I might tell you that it was pretty good. But when stacked up against everything EATB has released, pre and post DeFreitas, The Fountain is, sadly, mediocre. The first three tracks almost seem to blend into each other - nothing really stood out. It isn't until track 4, "Shroud of Turin", that my ears perked up and I began to get a sense of something , interesting and catchy. The following track, "Life Of A Thousand Crimes", with a beat similar to their hit "Bedbugs & Ballyhoo" is also quite catchy and has a memorable chorus. The title track is one song that could have been great but suffers from a horribly muddy mix that is hard to get your ears around. The ultimate disappointment of The Fountain is guitarist Will Sargeant. It breaks my heart to say this of somebody who has done nothing but blow me away with his guitar playing for the last 30 years - but he really seems to be phoning it in here. My one really lasting impression of this new Bunnymen album is "wow, Will has really lost interest". If this is what we are to expect from this great, great band, then I will soon follow suit

Brandon Schott is a man out of time. A review of his latest, Dandelion

Brandon Schott
Dandelion
2009 Golden State Music

Brandon Schott is a man out of time. Or perhaps, to be more accurate, he is a songwriter unstuck from the constraints of time. His latest album Dandelion gives the listener an overwhelming feeling of early 70’s Laurel Canyon (a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California which many great musicians have called home since the 60’s). Not that Dandelion is a deliberate homage in any way; Brandon shares so many qualities with the amazing artists that populated Laurel Canyon during this time period that its is easy to picture him mingling in this neighborhood of rock royalty. Schott’s songs are perfectly constructed (Jackson Browne, Graham Nash) but not afraid to surprise you with a left turn (Joni Mitchell). One such song, “Fire Season” garnered him a Hollywood Music Award just this last week. The vocal performances on Dandelion express such emotion, depth, and intensity that Schott could convey all of his feelings to the listener even if his songs were without lyrics (Judy Sill, Carole King). Though Brandon is essentially a solo artist the songs here possess the cohesiveness and musicianship of a road tested rock band (CSN&Y, The Byrds). From all of these comparisons it may seem that I am trying to convey that this album sounds "old". No, it sounds "timeless". Unfortunately, there aren’t many timeless albums being made today so you have to go into the past to find comparison. Let me explain...

There is a current trend amongst rock/pop musicians to emulate yesterday’s hit makers and call it something new. Most who try fail miserably. Why? Because, while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it makes for really boring, rehashed music. When you try to recreate music that is “timeless” you only end up with something that sounds dated. Artists, who take in everything around them (new and old) using their own perception to analyze and reconstruct it, give back to the world hybrid creations that are without time. Modern examples of such architects are Aimee Mann, Josh Rouse, and Richard Swift. Schott does this also and does it very well.

Dandelion's 13 tracks were recorded over three months time in a church near Schott's Glendale home while he was undergoing treatment and recovery from a stage three germ cell tumor. Every feeling you can imagine while going through this type of experience is in each and every song. Coming from an emotionally intense place such as this songs can easily turn maudlin, or the opposite, too hopeful to the point of being silly. Dandelion's songs are neither. The theme of Dandelion seems to be "life is a ride". We're all on it. Sometimes bad things happen. It’s a turbulent ride...but an honest one.

I would like to correct what I said in the beginning of this review. Brandon is not a “man out of time”. He is exactly where he needs to be in world quickly becoming starved of beauty and originality. Here and Now.

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Brandon Schott’s latest release Dandelion can be purchased at iTunes and other major digital download sites. You can find out more about Brandon Schott and his music at

http://www.brandonschott.com/
http://www.myspace.com/brandonschott

Dracula Boots - Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds

Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds
Dracula Boots
2009 – In The Red Records

At first glance you may not recognize the name Kid Congo Powers, but go back deep into your collection and check your vinyl by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Cramps, and The Gun Club. You will find his name. He has played with those bands as well as Congo Norvell, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, and Mark Eitzel of American Music Club (to name just a few). Born and raised Brian Tristan in El Monte, California he was rechristened “Kid Congo” by The Cramps lead singer Lux Interior when he joined that band in 1980. Kid Congo and his guitar have been entertaining the flocking masses of punkybirds for over 25 years. Which brings us to his most recent work “Dracula Boots” released under his latest incarnation Kid Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds. Dracula Boots is eleven tracks of psychedelic, surf, swamp, garage, punk, funk, rock, and blues, mashed up into a musical genre/beast that can only be called Kid Congo music. The guitars are fuzzy, twangy and washed in reverb – the rhythm section is incredibly tight and funky – the organs are vintage and distorted. Combine all of those ingredients with a Theremin and the tongue-in-cheek story telling of Kid Congo and you have a CD that will turn your grandma’s tea party into a go-go dancing extravaganza – or morph your boring commute into a high speed adventure through the seedy, back-alley underworld of the deep, dark city. It’s hard not to love a CD where the “squeak, squeak” of a kick drum pedal in need of lubrication is part of the rhythm of every song (it is, and I LOVE it!) or the guitar is out of tune ever so slightly – just enough to add another dimension to the twang. The true beauty of an album like Dracula Boots is found in its warts. And they are glorious.

Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds are currently on a world tour to support Dracula Boots. Buy the CD and catch their killer live show. You won’t be disappointed.

http://kidcongopowers.blogspot.com/

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