The undiscovered genius of “Death” – “…For the Whole World to See”

Death

When considering a band named Death, it’s not hard to imagine their struggle to achieve popularity during the mid-1970s. Originally composed of Detroit-based brothers Bobby, Dannis, and David Hackney, the band never made it past the early stages of releasing a single decades ago.

Now, 40-years later, with the release of their 1970s demo tapes, the band’s revolutionary sound is finally gaining the credit it deserves.

Legend has it that the band’s demo tapes, recorded in 1975, began circulating record collectors collections via ebay in 2008, and were eventually published by Drag City Records in 2009.

Upon first listen of the bands 2009 release, …. For the Whole World to See, it is brazenly obvious Death was not only ahead of their time, but that three black guys from Detroit had essentially captured the late-70s punk sound popularized by the Sex Pistols, and the Clash three years before those bands ever hit the spotlight.

Originally an R&B band called RockFire Funk Express, an Alice Cooper show inspired the band to switch direction, and start playing “white-boy” music. Sprawling, hard-rock cathedral guitars riddle the album’s short tracks that do not shy away from the band’s gospel roots. Ethereal soundscapes overlay stunningly powerful bass lines and fast, loud, and mean harmonies.

A repeated, punctuated chorus on the fourth track “You’re a Prisoner” takes aim at social issues and those afraid to confront them. During a time when sociology and music were obscurely connected, Death were not afraid to make a statement with their music.

As brother Bobby told Soundcheck on WNYC, the band’s incarnation was a bit strange considering their father’s place as a Baptist preacher. Yet, their dad was no stranger to the continually evolving state of music in the world. Bobby specifically remembered his father dragging his brothers to the TV during the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, telling them “you are about to witness history.”

Freaking Out, the album’s fifth track, could just as easily be a Ramone’s song, lacking neither the intensity or the innovation of the later “band of brothers.”

Especially impressive is the bass work displayed on the album, which runs faster and more intricate than most of its time. Moving up and down scales with ease and fluidity, Bobby’s ability to blend gospel, roots, and rock & roll is unchallenged, even today.

The first track seems to take an early cue from Hard Day’s Night, before running itself into a whirlwind of Neil Young on adderall. A guitar riff made for 1983 is ripped apart by David, the group’s “artist” and most forward-looking member. A brilliant melody and the track’s vocal style are both extraordinarily beyond their time. It would be no surprise for this track to have been recorded and released today.

Buy the album somewhere, don’t stream it on YouTube over and over again. You won’t be let-down.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFs11ZFLpjE]

The Greatest American Album

A recording session during Exile on Main Street.

The greatest American album ever recorded is, interestingly, not American at all. Conceived in the south of France by a bunch of drop-outs looking to escape British taxes, even its back story is everything that Yankee rock & roll is meant to be.

Sweeping evangelical choirs, gritty bluegrass guitars, and passion driven chords define the Rolling Stone’s 1972 masterpiece, Exile on Main Street. Taking note from gospel, roots, and the blues as only the Stones are able to do, Exile produces a danceable, hard driving sound that does little to ignore the band’s — and the era’s — pop-fueled beginnings.

Detached from their homes, running from the British government, the band was almost never on the same page during Exile’s recording session. Largely considered the thematic brainchild of guitarist Keith Richards, the album’s tracks would be almost empty without the virtuosic rhythm of Charlie Watts’ drums. Showcasing an inhuman ability to cover nearly any genre of percussion with the precision of a jazz drummer, Watts gives tracks like Tumbling Dice, and Torn and Frayed, more solid flavor than any other member of the band. Watts remains the most under-appreciated member of the band to this day.

Vocally, Exile shows off Mick Jagger’s ability to evolve beyond the mainstream, unafraid to use sexy, jagged vocal stylings right along side the transcendent voices of more traditional female vocalists. On Sweet Virginia, a track that fits perfectly behind Dice,  Jagger’s desperate intonation comes across as powerfully as any blues master. The vocalist, who had been slowly moving away from a traditional rock & roll sound that he considered boring, has no better example of his range than on Exile.

Though Richard’s genius is generally over promoted in regards to this album, his ability to capture the feel of a 40-year range of American roots musicians, from soul, to deep-south blues, is impressive. The most striking aspect of Richard’s contribution is, perhaps, his ability to draw from influences he — a British, tax evading, rock star — seemed so far removed from. Rather than isolating the album through overly tangential inspiration, his vision is deeply rooted in, and subtly removed from the great artists he sought to emulate.

Now, someone please convince Phish to stop covering this album’s tracks?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6U8JlcB_BzA]

Review: The Civil Wars – The Civil Wars

Buy it? No way.

Too infrequently, a well-deserved band releases an album with the grace of God behind it. They ride the wave of His grace to the top of the Billboard 100 list, start walking the carpet at the Grammys, and find very attractive significant others. If they’re lucky, they do this again, and again, and again.

The Civil Wars find themselves at the beginning of this story. They’re a cute m/f pair from ultra hip Nashville who “just happened” to meet at a 2008 songwriting session. They’ve exploded to the top of the charts despite an interesting story — that they are currently estranged from one another and recently cancelled a tour.

Their dreamy, whisper intoned music “needs a love scene in a chick flick,” said NYC’s WFUV radio station this morning. Their newest album The Civil Wars  is powered by a strong, basic beat and hypnotic soundscapes that are so boring, they could be appreciated by anyone. Every flanging country guitar seems to be part of some Taylor Swift equation, and otherwise excellent bass lines get drowned by a same-old, same-old country toolkit.

The story and the bass-work have a Fleetwood Mac flavor to them, with none of the delivery. Rather than exploiting their relationship to make something that resonates, they seem to have been filling in the necessary details with basic Nashville country pieces.

The band stands as further proof that the Grammys have absolutely nothing to do with innovation in the world of art. Pay enough money to advertisers and promoters, and you too can have your own golden record player. The Zach Brown Band might not be as “indie” intoned as the Civil Wars, but at least their music is genuine. The Civil Wars is a record jam packed with a bunch of musicians who sound like they’re playing someone else’s music.

Because they probably are.

If you buy the album, you’ll be hoping you were the one that got away from this formulaic excuse for a breakout album. They bands on hiatus now, hopefully it stays that way.

Edit: Honestly, they couldn’t have come up with a less shitty name than The Civil Wars?

Review of Gregory Alan Isakov’s The Weatherman

A streak of hope passes through Gregory Alan Isakov’s The Weatherman (July 9, 2013) that was imperceptible in his previous releases. Experimental vocal effects have continued to grow beyond the moon-song distortion that previously affected his songs with an aura of despair. On the same point, less-than-simple harmonies compliment his sound for a fuller album than The Sea, That Gambler, or This Empty Northern Hemisphere.

An upbeat persona dominates this album’s innovation, proving that Mr. Isakov is not another acoustic-folk one trick pony. Though his lyrical structure and delivery maintain the same endearing self-awareness as before, the wistful (dare I say happy?) nature of his work begs a closer comparison to banjo-god John Hartford, and Paul Simon than to Bob Dylan.

With each number, the record bounces down the road into the listener’s psyche. Well-picked instrumental accompaniments maintain record focus, while Isakov is allowed to experiment with the traditionally static vocal nature of folk numbers towards an excellent sound. The result is a neo-folk album that combines the beautiful, nearly tangible, aesthetic nature of folk, with a willingness to explore the genre beyond the base experimentation of Mumford and Sons foray into folk-rock.

Isakov’s unique voice continues to transport its audience into their own past, as if he might be universal voice of late night phone calls you promised yourself you’d never make. Amsterdam, the record’s title track, lounges peacefully and allows you to slip quietly into the weight of a long forgotten emotion. Isakov’s brilliance is that his tracks are not wholly reminiscent of moments in time, but invoke the distinct and powerful emotions those moments once brought.

All Shades of Blue, near the end of the album, is a bluegrass infused number which asks its listener to accept it only after a shot of cheap whiskey.

“When the wine stops working / and you’re all run out / and all of your hounds have all headed south / the song’s left the stable and they never came / and there ain’t no forgetting that you’re out on your own.”

On “Living Proof”, the fourth track, Isakov gambles with a Springsteen-esque intonation that works at the basic level without delighting. The charming nature of his voice escapes only when harmonies inspire it too, but the second half of the track uses these harmonies powerfully to highlight the off-kilter instrumental and vocal experimentation that makes it one of the better songs on the album.

Second Chances (a song this writer has been searching for since an Isakov concert in Ridgefield, Connecticut many years ago) is the most valuable song on the album, with lyrics, sound, and emotion in-tune perfectly. Two lines stand out “Lonely is the rain on a cold coffee cup,” and “I thought that heart was yours, but it might just be mine /  I could share it with you, if you gave me some time / I’m all bloody knuckles, longing for home / if it weren’t for second chances we’d all be alone.”

Two minute-long tracks, California Open Back, and Astronaut, act as a pleasant refrain on the album. The Universe is too dark, and too contrived to belong on this album.

Suitcase Full of Sparks combines a subtle pop sound with the feeling of vintage bluegrass thanks to interesting vocal harmony, and a foot tapping sound. Yet, when the harmonies fade into soft whispers, Isakov is left to make his mark alone, and the solitary excellence of his past sound shines through.

Perhaps the most striking lyric on the album comes from Honey, It’s Alright. A short line, and also part of the title, its message is the strongest on the album, “Honey, It’s alright/ It’s alright to be alone.”

Listen to the whole album stream for free here http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/arts/music/pressplay.html