New
fire picking of individual strings while, simultaneously, strumming sets of strings.
Here, along with
like-minded musicians such as David Nelson (New Riders Of The Purple Sage) and Stu Allen (JGB Band), McReynolds pays tribute to life-long bluegrass buffs Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter of The Grateful Dead in Grand Ole Opry fashion with invigorating arrangements of 12 of the Dead’s most resplendent songs along with the ruminative ‘Day By Day’, a new Hunter/McReynolds composition. Favourites are the banjo- infused version of the traditional ‘Deep Elem Blues’, a lengthy recasting of ‘Bird Song’, Nelson’s gripping vocal turn on ‘Ripple’ and particularly soulful renditions of both ‘Standing On The Moon’ and ‘Fire On The Mountain’. Jerry is smiling somewhere.
Gary von Tersch
MANI NEUMEIER & KAWABATA MOKOTO Samurai Blues Bureau B CD
www.bureau-b.com
There’s no way to describe this other than as a complete melting of minds. On one side Mani Neumeier, much
revered drummer and founder member of Krautrock giants Guru Guru. On the other Kawabata Makoto, guitarist and head honcho of Japan’s reigning kings of contemporary psychedelia Acid Mothers Temple.
Recorded over two days in Nagoya and
Tokyo in 2008, the beginnings of the free fire zone captured on the album’s five tracks lie in the earlier collaborative project Acid Mothers Guru Guru. For all this may only be a two-way shoot out as Neumeier and Makoto revel in improvisatory skills that are more akin to free jazz than the furthest out psych. The 20-minute ‘Spinning Contrasts’ might qualify as the album’s magnum opus however the duo’s kamikaze approach is best exemplified on the all-action fury of ‘Another Romance’ where they summon up a cacophony worthy of Ornette Coleman sparring with John Zorn. Grahame Bent
THE NEW YORK DOLLS Dancing Backwards In High Heels Blast Recording CD
www.blast-recording.com 2006‘s One Day It Will Please Us To
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Remember Even This and ’09’s Cause I Sez So were solid, sassy and wizened, as the Dolls flew their defiant flag for
vanishing New York and its glorious musical tradition. After changing labels after each, they have found an inspirational new home – in Newcastle; their new album recorded at Blast studios and released on its same- named independent label. Maybe it was the change of surroundings,
tight schedule or Steve Conte’s replacement by ex-Blondie guitarist Frank Infante, but this could be the best Phase Two Dolls album yet as they return to their early ’60s Brill Building roots, crafting sparkling rooftop hipshakers, heart-hugging ballads and inimitable street missives such as super- bitchy ‘I’m So Fabulous’ or double entendre- ridden ‘Streetcake’, all blessed with trademark heavenly backing vocals. They also turn ‘Funk But Chic’, from Johansen’s ’70s catalogue, into a barnstorming soul vamp. This group is special – treasure them.
Kris Needs
THE PARTIES Coast Garde Rainbow Quartz CD
www.rainbowquartz.com
This San Francisco quartet’s ‘Kensington Avenue’ was an undoubted highlight of Shindig!’s very own It’s Happening Volume
2 compilation of last year so it was with some anticipation that we welcomed this, their second long-player. The ancient and revered powerpop combination of delicate 12-string Rickenbacker picking and sun-kissed harmonies is the blueprint here and nowhere is that better illustrated than on the opening ‘Let’s Call It Love’ and the Rain Paradian moves of ‘Catastrophic Storm’. Elsewhere there are less than subtle but ultimately pleasing nods to The Beach Boys, Who, Beatles and – unless I’m very much mistaken – Elliott Smith on ‘Annie’. I did find myself wishing they’d ditch the
restraint and polite competence for 30 seconds and let rip, exposing their obvious mid-60s Anglophile tendencies to the max, but it never happened. Maybe next time, eh fellas? Andy Morten
MICHAEL RAULT Ma-Me-O Pirate’s Blend CD/download
www.piratesblend.com
Regular Shindig! readers may have come across my reviews of Michael Rault’s previous self- released albums in
the past. Now he’s secured professional representation and his new album is a professionally produced and highly effective collection of self-penned, guitar-led R&B/pop songs. This young Canadian talent has long deserved wider recognition and hopefully this will prove to be something of a breakthrough for him. Catchy R&B-driven songs like opener ‘Let
Me Go Out’ and ‘Lay Right Down And Die’, outright pop in ‘She’ll Cut You Down’ and ‘Things You Said’ and the occasional ballad like ‘The Time When You Were Mine’ make up this fresh, positive set. At the time of writing the album seems to
be only available only as a download though it’s intended to be released as a CD too. Paul Martin
THE SAILS A Headful Of Stars Rainbow Quartz CD
www.rainbowquartz.com
This CD gives a UK release to songs previously only released on difficult to find albums released only in Japan
and the USA. It begins with the sitar swirls and dense guitars of ‘I’m Only Bleeding’ and ‘Travel’, but The Sails are adept at many different types of ’60s influenced pop. There are tunes bristling with guitars both chiming and punchy, ballads with strings and even The Small Faces/Steve Marriott-influenced ‘In My Head’. But please don’t get the impression that main Sail Michael Gagliano has just worked his way through all available classic ’60s styles – the quality is consistent throughout, and makes for a versatile and highly listenable collection. Although Mr Gagliano is responsible for
all the voices and instruments except the drums, his production is layered and sophisticated and The Sails sound like a full band. They have been described as “lysergic psychedelic Britpop” but don’t expect druggy psychedelia or Blur. Phil Suggitt
THE SEE SEE Late Morning Light Dell’Orso CD/LP
www.myspace.com/theseeseeband With band members from the fondly remembered alternative folkies The Eighteenth Day Of May and the more
raucous Soledad Brothers, the debut album from The See See is an intriguing mix of styles. Actually, it’s not
much like either of these former projects. The See See has jumped into the psychedelic Laurel Canyon, with plenty of relaxed good feeling and mellow warmth. Songs like ‘It’s True’ dominate, bringing to mind an appealing, sun-dappled day in the park. Yet there’s still some other touches: a bit of Matthews’ Southern Comfort in ‘Keep Your Head’ and, when The See See indulge in mini wig-outs, flashes of Wooden Shjips. This album could have a very wide appeal, and it’s no surprise that they recently toured with The Raconteurs. For the future, they might consider
factoring in more complexity to keep things interesting but, for now, their unfussy, sandy folk-rock will sit very well with anyone who liked the most recent albums by Vetiver or The Coral. Jeanette Leech
THEM BIRD THINGS Wildlike Wonder Playground CD
www.myspace.com/thembirdthings There are a few things that are quite difficult to pinpoint about Them Bird Things. They sound charming but not fey; they
appear odd but, oddly enough, not geeky, and more importantly, they are quite breathtaking – their music paints pictures that afford limitless possibilities. Geographically speaking, the majority of
the Them live in Finland, with a couple of key personnel from USA. That connection is by way of main songwriters Steve Blodgett and Mike Brassard, guitarists from original ’60s New York area rebels Mike & The Ravens. Will Shade, Them’s inspired producer, swings between the two continents. Salla Day’s vocal tones are thoroughly
bewitching: smoky-folky and country-blues by turns, further imbued with qualities beyond such labels. Stylistically too the group jump around in a pretty eclectic pond but there are obvious references – the country, R&B and folk/blues evident within standouts ‘Raised In Bangor’, ‘Silver Oldsmobile’ and arresting closer ‘Georgia Mountain’ – but they push and reshape the envelope, creating their own special niche.
Great sleeve art too on this, their second
outing. Lenny Helsing
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