|
 Staying
Power
The
Soft Boys
Nextdoorland
(Matador)
The Soft Boys’ crunchy 1980 psychedelic masterwork, Underwater
Moonlight, has been regularly cited by critical types
as the Rosetta stone needed to understand modern, guitar-based
alternative rock in all of its myriad manifestations. You
may like R.E.M., the Replacements, Dream Syndicate,
the Bangles and the Three O’Clock, sure (the critics will
tell you) . . . but you can’t really appreciate them
all properly unless you’ve been schooled at the church of
the Soft Boys first.
Of course, that sort of absolutist critical position was built
upon the fact that Underwater Moonlight was also the
last Soft Boys record, so it was easy to attribute divine
stature to the final studio release of a group nobody ever
expected to play—much less record—together again. But, oops
and surprise surprise surprise, this year finds Robyn Hitchcock,
Kimberly Rew, Matthew Seligman and Morris Windsor not only
playing together again, but releasing their first slice of
new material in 22 years. So the big question now is: Does
Nextdoorland enhance or diminish the Soft Boys legend?
And this critic’s answer would be: neither. Nextdoorland,
instead, sustains the legend, by allowing a great band
to play some solid songs together, nicely reminding us all
why we liked them so much in the first place.
While Hitchcock and Windsor have never really stopped playing
together (the pair, along with Andy Metcalfe—himself an earlier
member of the Soft Boys—spent much of the ’80s and ’90s together
as the Egyptians), their work benefits greatly from the return
of guitarist Rew (who brings out the best in Hitchcock’s own
guitar work) and bassist Seligman (a more muscular player
than Metcalfe, creating a stronger rhythm section than the
Egyptians ever enjoyed). Hitchcock’s songs are rich and strong
this outing, and his distinctive reedy voice benefits from
the tight harmonies his Soft brothers provide, creating a
fuller, more accessible sound than his recent solo work has
borne—a sound that could have been made by any number of contemporary
groups, actually, which is probably the ultimate statement
of just how influential the Soft Boys really have been on
modern pop-rock music.
—J.
Eric Smith
The
Figgs
Slow
Charm
(Earsmile)
The Figgs’ fifth full-length release in eight years (plus
a handful of EPs) is their best yet—which is just as it should
be. This in no way diminishes the potency, resonance and durability
of Slow Charm’s predecessors. The best bands get better;
anything less than that, and you’ve got either brand names
meeting middling expectations or middling bands getting to
the top of their stepladders. Pete Donnelly and Mike Gent
continue to grow as writers, with the band as a whole confidently
adding soulful rhythms and slow grooves to their well-rounded
identity. “The Trench” rings like an anthem, but with no cloying
anthemic aftertaste. Gent’s singing on “Soon” is masterful
and sly, as he bends the note of the title word, underscoring
its definition.
And there can be no great band without a great drummer. Slack
off in any other position and maybe you can squeak by, but
if you’re shortchanged at the trapset, it’s a lost cause.
Here’s a fact: You can listen to this album from beginning
to the end as a Pete Hayes album and find myriad delights,
from the hopped up ska of “Static” to the push-and-pull simplicity
on the closing ballad “Are You Still Mine?”
—David
Greenberger
 Mindless
Self Indulgence
Alienating
Our Audience
(Uppity Cracker)
As Mindless Self Indulgence have but one full-length album
(Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy) under
their collective belts, fishnets and garters, one might think
that it’s a bit premature for the New York electropunk audioterrorists
to be issuing their first live collection. But one would be
wrong (as one so often is), seeing as there’s nary a single
song from Frankenstein Girls on the new Alienating
Our Audience, and seeing as how MSI have probably played
live before more and larger crowds than any other unsigned
band in America—having been handpicked to open for the likes
of Korn, System of a Down, Cypress Hill, Staind and Rammstein.
They’ve earned a live record, goddammit, and they deliver
a good one with Alienating Our Audience, which offers
six previously unreleased songs, plus such crowd-pleasing
essentials as “Tornado,” “Molly” and “Diabolical” (from the
hard-to-find Tight EP), and “Panty Shot” (from the
impossible-to-find “Bring the Pain” cassette single). Sound
is good throughout, with MSI’s hyperspeed riffs and histrionic
rants making the transition from studio to stage very, very
well—largely due to the nail-biting intensity of singer Little
Jimmy Urine’s preprogrammed beats and bombs. Urine’s vocals,
too, are strong (which may surprise those of you who think
that, no way, he can’t really sing like that without studio
effects, can he?—Yes, he can), as are the live musical meltdowns
bashed out by drummer Kitty, bassist LynZ and guitarist Steve,
Righ? Try as they might, Mindless Self Indulgence appear to
be too good to alienate their own audience—and here’s betting,
based on the evidence presented on this disc, that they might
have even stolen some other acts’ audiences from them as well.
—J.E.S.
Jim
Hall
Downbeat
Critics’ Choice
(Telarc)
Jazz guitarist Jim Hall first came to widespread attention
in Jimmy Giuffre’s drummerless trio in the ’50s. That setting
was perfect for all concerned, showing both Hall’s subtle
melodicism as well as the reed player’s good sense in assembling
his small combo. Hall’s subsequent work found him flourishing
in duo and trio settings, utilizing a sensibility on his instrument
that combined Django Reinhardt’s fluidity with the pristine
atmosphere of chamber music.
This set is culled from five releases recorded between 1995
and 2001. Extracts from Downbeat reviews by three different
writers appear in the booklet. With Hall’s focus on melody
already well recognized and celebrated, these dozen tracks
show his variety of approaches to interplay, from duos to
large ensembles. Hall is a regal soloist as well as a supportive
player, giving rhythmic structure to even the quietest of
moments. While not by any means a career overview, this disc
does offer a wonderful entry point to Jim Hall’s long career.
—D.G.
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