CD review - Alain Johannes, Spark (2010)

Albums can have a depth that goes beyond individual songs. Sometimes it comes from an underlying concept that ties the tunes together. Other times, it's the continuity and progression of musical elements that build a movement. On the surface, Spark falls into the concept album category, since it deals with Alain Johannes' loss of his musical and life partner, Natasha Schneider. But Spark is more compelling for its musical approach. Still, it's a bit counter intuitive because the album goes through wild mood swings from song to song. Rather than blunting its message or sabotaging its flow, these shifts create a roller coaster ride, where each song drags you into the next section.

Or maybe a better analogy is a great multi course meal. Each track balances the previous one and offers something new, as the album unfolds. The opener, Endless Eyes, starts off frenetically. Looped and layered guitars create a driving tension that the chorus can only slightly relieve. This ends with a small flourish, allowing the simple, retro sound of Return to You to cleanse the palate.

The courses continue: haunted (Speechless), reminiscent (Spider), barely controlled anxiety (Gentle Ghosts), and regret (Unfinished Plan). While each song contrasts, the order has been well crafted. Musically, Johannes shows a lot of depth as well. His vocals and rhythmic structure evoke Barenaked Ladies, but I can hear Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), and some of King Crimson's harmonic complexity.

Although Spark is of a piece, one track deserves special mention. Make Gods Jealous sounds like John Fahey drifting into an Indian raga sound. It's fast and exciting, with exotic harmonies. The extended instrumental introduction creates a hypnotic, expansive feel. The music is ecstatic, but the languid vocals are detached. The clash creates a tension to savor. This is one of my favorite songs of the year. Here's a live version.

Alain Johannes' musical career has tendrils that reach some very interesting corners. Early on, he played with Flea and Hillel Slovak before they became the Red Hot Chili Peppers. He started the indie rock band, Eleven, which led to playing with and producing Queens of the Stoneage. He's also worked with artists from Chris Cornell (Soundgarden) to Kelly Clarkson. More recently, he's toured with Them Crooked Vultures.

Spark is his solo debut. It reminds me of a complex metheglin (spiced honey wine), where a host of flavors clamor for attention while staying in balance.

CD review - MC Paul Barman, Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud (2009)

MC Paul Barman hasn't release a full album since 2002's Paullelujah!, which was a masterpiece of clever rhymes, arcane references, and crazy humor. To make up for the wait, Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud has packed 22 songs into about an hour. It's a noble gesture, but not all of the material is top shelf. His stream of conscious style can be a little wearing, especially when he loses his thematic thread.

Barman has an East Coast approach to creating complex, rolling rhymes, but his delivery and subject matter are definitely all his own. A bit of a rap iconoclast, MC Paul Barman rarely tackles expectations head on. The albums starts out with Props, a call out against critics and rapper wannabes. Barman talks trash over a spare beat with a bit of detuned guitar throwing out a loose chain of notes. But the flow of his rap is key. He builds a rhyming chain of lines, all starting with "I came to collect...", like "I came to collect like crowds collect when I speak". This repetition culminates in a shot between the eyes:

Call it collect direct rather than roundabout
Before I spell it out for you, sound it out.

Boom. A strong beginning.

Another strong track is Drug Casual-T, which is effectively a personal intervention with a friend about their drug use. This stands out above a couple of other PSA type tracks (AIDS, Get Help, and maybe Circumcision Suite), in part because, after the solo, he throws in a response from his target. It's a bit of a straw man: don't be so self-righteous, you don't understand. But it's a surprise that keeps things interesting.

While Paullelujah! flirted with palindromes (in a section of Bleeding Brain Grow), Thought Balloon Mushroom Cloud sets up a whole song as a double acrostic. The first letter of each word in a line spell another word (which is called out). Taking the first letter of each of these words, you get "MC Paul Barman". Obscure? Clever? Geeky? Sure, all of those are true. While I respect the effort, the end result is not particularly coherent.

My favorite line on the whole album is actually lifted from Ernie Kovacs: Television's a medium because it's neither rare nor well done. What makes it sweeter, is that the line comes in the song Sampling Law, which lyrically justifies the use of artistic sampling.

For deep fans of MC Paul Barman, you've drunk the Kool-Aid, go ahead and buy this. For newcomers, check out Paullelujah! and see if you acquire the taste. I'll have a little Kir Royale as you make up your minds.

CD review - Drug Rug, Paint the Fence Invisible (2009)

Sarah Cronin and Tommy Allen come together to form the idiosyncratic duo, Drug Rug, along with a little help from some friends. Paint the Fence Invisible, their sophomore effort, is the sort of album that requires real effort from the listener. The melodies and harmonies are off kilter and the songs don't follow a simple format. This is music that seems rooted in a dimension where Roky Erickson (13th Floor Elevators) is worshiped, a place where the Sugar Cubes are considered bland.

Vocal harmony is the key component of their sound. Sometimes they evoke a bit of a Fleetwood Mac or Mamas and Papas feel, mostly because of the male/female pairing and the way they've mixed the two vocal parts at about the same volume. So, neither voice is background, exactly. Another constant across these songs is strong retro aesthetic, based on a live room sound with plenty of reverb. The story is that the album was recorded in a haunted house; certainly, there's a sense of something to be exorcised.

Blue Moon starts with a simple guitar, then adds a spidery organ part that sounds like it belongs in 96 Tears. This one, along with Noah Rules, are what brought Roky Erickson to mind. It's the mix of keys, odd but simplistic guitar, and offbeat lyrics. Noah Rules takes it a step farther by filling the background with chaotic noise, flailing over the groove.

Shifting gears a bit, Hannah Please pulls out an Electric Light Orchestra riff with a hint of B-52's in the vocals. Normally, I'd compare this song with X, and it does have some of that raw emotion, but Cronin's voice is higher and wilder than Exene Cervenka's.

Throughout the album, Drug Rug has created layers of vocals and instrumental music that call for a most interesting pairing. Maybe a taste of absinthe is in order...

Further listening:
Roky Erickson:
You're Gonna Miss Me Baby (13th Floor Elevators)
Night of the Vampire

? and the Mysterians:
96 Tears

X:
Your Phone's Off the Hook