By David Thomas
April 1, 2003
This week I'll be talking about all the latest protest songs hitting the streets. These poignant ditties really sum up how everyone feels in three and half minutes of mediocre music. Then we'll talk about the phenomenon that is 50 Cent and, of course, Eminem. April Fools!!!!
In reality I've never experienced a worse year for music (so far anyway). The "War" should only inspire better music instead of perpetuating the repetitive releases that inundate my mailbox. Rock radio is playing either emo derivative drivel or pseudo hardcore songs. No one is taking any chances, playing passionately or trying new things. There have been some decent independent releases here and there and solid efforts by NICK CAVE and a few others. But overall as a critic, I'm languishing in promo copy hell. So take all the picks this week with a grain of salt.
Pick of the Week
THE BLACK KEYS, Thickfreakness (Anti)
I'd seen this band's name pop up in all the usual places as the next big things and dismissed it instantly as I do most next big things. The comparison between this guitar and drum duo with THE WHITE STRIPES never crossed my mind after I listened to the opening blues infused guitar licks of Thickfreakness. Sure, this is a duo, but this twenty-something twosome plays like they are hardened veterans of the Mississippi Delta.
The album is recorded starkly with little in the way of glossy production. There's even some distortion in the vocals that add to the record's classic rock aesthetic. It sounds like an un-remastered Jimi Hendrix album at times. Tracks like "Midnight" pour out beautiful, amplified guitar chords with the drums popping crisply in the background. Dan Auerbach's gravelly blues vocals ring true on every note and make you proud to be a music fan again.
I don't mean to rave as much as I am but I'm a fan of Hendrix's blues stuff, John Lee Hooker and others. That makes hearing THE BLACK KEYS refreshing as they pay homage to the past but write original tunes as well. I'm going to enjoy putting this in the CD player and won't feel guilty for liking one of the next big things.
Derivative Pick of the Week
MATCHBOOK ROMANCE, West for Wishing (Epitaph)
This band has one of the greatest stories I've ever read in a bio. A bunch of teenagers put their songs on the Internet and somehow Brett Gurewitz of BAD RELIGION and Epitaph fame heard it and signed them instantly.
Obviously Brett knows all about musical trends since he released breakthrough punk bands The OFFSPRING and RANCID before punk broke, for its third or fourth time, in the mid 1990s. Again Brett strikes while the iron is hot (actually it's kind of cooling) with this, let's say it all together, melodic hardcore band. MATCHBOOK ROMANCE lives up to its name delivering emo-ish chords, a whiney lead singer and those very necessary death curdling, hardcore screams.
Unlike Brett's past discoveries, MATCHBOOK ROMANCE comes at the waning end of a new trend. If you weren't been around at the beginning, there's not much cred left for you. So these youngsters will have to battle it out with the big boys like THURSDAY, AFI and even relative newcomers FINCH. I wish them luck.
Indie Pick of the Week
SMOKING POPES, The Party's Over (Double Zero)
Here is the final SMOKING POPES album. Five years after the band broke up following a somewhat brief career on Capitol records, they finally get to distribute The Party's Over, a mix of covers by the likes of PATSY CLINE, THE BYRDS and JUDY GARLAND?
Singer-songwriter Josh Carterer always had a fascination with classic movies and it shows on the title track by Garland. The POPES turn the tune into a typical pop-punk track with Carterer's somewhat monotone vocals. They even amp up another Garland tune "Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart." But the band does a better job trying out some country tunes like "Seven Lonely Days" by Cline and "Valentine" by Willie Nelson.
Electric guitars still ring true throughout the disc but you can almost hear the strain that must have gone into recording this album. It doesn't sound like the band is enjoying any of it. And unlike RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's post-break-up Renegades, The Party's Over does NOT make you wish the POPES had stayed together. But as a historic document featuring some interesting covers, The Party's Over is worth checking out.
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