May 2008

Liner Notes by Brian Chozick

Menu of this month's listings, stories and columns

 

 

 

Local: Texas Boy Rides Back Into Town

 

  Take II, the newest concert stop in West El Paso, has been able to wrangle in some nationally distributed artists to their watering hole over the past several months. A few of the bands that have bellied up to the bar are Cowboy Mouth, Roger Creager, LA Guns and Shooter Jennings. It seems that the bulk of the groups have had an alt.-country vibe. The latest round will follow that flow, starting the month off right with Jack Ingram arriving on May 2. He is no stranger to our area, as he was born here in the Lone Star State. Jack has been at the music game since 1995. His style has seesawed between rock and country, with the latter landing on the ground more times than not. He is touring in support of his latest release, “This Is It,” his second for Big Machine Records, a label operated by fellow musician Toby Keith. This album abandons the raw-and-rowdy sound of his early days and replaces it with a more polished and clean radio-friendly country that is quickly becoming his soup du jour. That is not to say he has taken a misstep, because the best thing about Jack is his ability to go from grit to gleam in the blink of an eye and have both come off outstanding. That is it for “This Is It” — see you there.

 

National: Gutter Twins, “Saturnalia,” Sub Pop

 

  Rock has given birth to a few nonbiological twins since its inception as a music genre. The ’60s gave us the Glimmer Twins — Mick Jagger and Keith Richards; then came the Toxic Twins — Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith; and now, welcome the Gutter Twins. This band consists of Afghan Whigs and Twilight singer-songwriter Greg Dulli, and Screaming Trees front man Mark Lanegan. The pair has just unleashed “Saturnalia,” an album that paints a reminiscent hue of both artists’ work in their late-’80s and early ’90s alternative-rock heyday, although this is no rehash of what once was. There are moments of later solo work, with extremely minimal arrangements and moving harmonies, but the haunting passion infected in every utterance makes this release relevant today, tomorrow, and for years to come. They share equal time on vocal duties, as each takes distinctive control on the mic for exactly six tracks each. Dulli, in particular, spreads his wings when he’s not leading a rousing chorus; with the donning of many hats, from bassist, pianist, guitarist and drummer, he is all over the place. “Saturnalia” is no longer a feast for the Romans alone — everyone can dig in and enjoy this one.

 

Ike Reilly, “Poison, The Hit Parade,” Rock Ridge Music

 

  Ike Reilly revisits his dark, wisecracking, sarcastic, and at times, insane songwriting on this current album. “Poison, The Hit Parade” finds him back in the lab, tinkering with new formulas on old recipes. On this one, he reexamines some of his favorites of the past, from demos of his brilliant debut, to alternative versions of gems off two other catalog pieces, to completely unreleased tracks. The older material shines like never before with these latest injection treatments. The new selections find him in somewhat familiar places, exploring life and death, conflicted Middle America, and girls in summer dresses, and of course, his obsession with assassination still remains strong. Strangely enough, even with this fixation on the subject, he has reverted back to simply “Ike Reilly” and has dropped the “and the Assassination” moniker. “Poison, The Hit Parade” is the only poison that will serve you well and should be taken in large quantities, as it is sure to fix any and all ailments.

 

R.E.M., “Accelerate,” Warner Brothers Records

 

  If your college alternative-rock torch was ignited by the very creators of the genre, it is time to stand clear, because the flames are burning bright. In fact, you may very well be in danger of getting scorched by an out-of-control, full-on blaze — because R.E.M. has returned. The unfortunate fact is that most wrote off the band years ago, claiming they were at their best in their first decade; although it should be noted that they have released many gems in their later years, the truth is the early years can’t be beat. That is why “Accelerate” cannot under any circumstances be dismissed as just another R.E.M. album — this is their glorious restoration. The only problem here is it may actually challenge some of those early releases as the absolute front-runner of their entire catalog. A raw, energetic youth, mixed with a guitar assault and a deliberate focus on Mike Mills’ backing vocals, is a similar formula that appeared on their debut a quarter century ago, and is now back in full swing. So buckle up and get ready, because this CD accelerates a bit too fast; clocking in at just over 36 minutes, it flies under most radar detection.

 

Collectibles: Jason Ringenberg, “Best Tracks and Side Tracks,” Yep Roc Records

 

  Jason Ringenberg, lead vocalist and songwriter from Jason and the Scorchers, is marking his 30th year as a professional musician with a collection that celebrates his best and the rest. It was more than a quarter century ago that Jason and his gang came riding into town with their blend of folk, rock, a heavy dose of punk, and country. Some labeled it “cowpunk,” others named it “heartland rock,” and some said it was alt. country; but whatever it was, it created a whole new kind of music that had not been heard before. “Best Tracks and Side Tracks” is a double-disc set with the first CD focusing on 20 tracks that honor his finest work to date. The second CD is where collectors will be bitten repeatedly as though by mosquitoes drawn to flesh on a humid summer day. The rarities found here are flowing in abundance, from a bizarre Christmas tune, to reworked versions of classics, to a track created specifically for his mother as a gift for her 70th birthday. That doesn’t even touch on the special guests found throughout the entire package, including Webb Wilder, Steve Earle, and Los Straightjackets, with the Wildhearts rounding things out. Whether he is a Scorcher or simply solo, Jason Ringenberg should be toward the top of all country-slanted-rock lists.

 

Keep an eye out for these new and upcoming releases:

 

Jakob Dylan — “Seeing Things”

Alejandro Escovedo — “Real Animal”

John Mellencamp — “Life, Death, Love and Freedom”

Mötley Crüe — “The Dirt”

Weezer — “Weezer”

 

 Brian Chozick is owner of
Tumblin’ Dice Music. Write him at
tumblindicemusic@netscape.net

 

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