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 Testify
Various artists
Rise Above: 24 Black Flag
Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three
(Sanctuary)
You’ve
got to hand it to Henry Rollins. Love him or hate him, he
remains one of the most prolific artists American hardcore
has ever produced, and this downright caustic celebration
of the one and lonely Black Flag is further evidence of that
fact. Rollins has been known to sometimes donate portions
of CD sales to advocates for the homeless and other benevolent
organizations in the Los Angeles area, but this project is
a bit larger in scope. With Rise Above, the relentless
actor-singer-writer-commentator has found a worthy opportunity
to politically redefine the band’s catalogue to raise dollars,
awareness and hope for the much-publicized West Memphis Three,
a trio of Arkansas youths believed by many to have been wrongly
convicted of murdering three young boys in 1993.
By his own admission in the liner notes, Rollins feels that
benefit records are usually “well-meant but anonymous and
boring,” but even as Public Enemy’s Chuck D. kicks off the
title track with an ominous “Get ready to go world wide!,”
it’s clear that this salvo of mortal shells transcends the
often contrived nature of such efforts and gives us something
truly inspiring, a sonic tap-and-die kit that duly screws
the outrage, contempt and resistance that made the Flag famous
into our collective middle ear. It’s just in there.
It’s in Lemmy’s stellar “Thirsty and Miserable,” Tom Araya’s
iniquitous “Revenge,” and original Black Flag singer Keith
Morris’ “Nervous Breakdown.” It’s impossible to pick a favorite;
Iggy Pop, Ice-T, Exene Cervenka, and Hank Williams III are
just a few of the many deities who chorus-up with former members
Rollins, Chuck Dukowski and Kira Roessler. Sadly, founder
Greg Ginn chose not appear on the recording, but Rollins Band
guitarist Jim Wilson gave due props by using an Ampeg Dan
Armstrong Lucite guitar, the eclectic ax for which Ginn was
famous.
This retrospective is authentic, significant and will most
likely (for some) bring back a lot of memories. It is a testimonial
that allows Rollins and his band to flex a considerable deal
of interpretive muscle, while offering the man himself an
opportunity to simultaneously solidify and perhaps rearticulate
Black Flag’s role as a trailblazer. At the same time, the
listener can explore the validity of its rage in newer contexts.
Not so soon will any fan of this acerbic outfit forget its
cause, which proposes a surgery upon justice, fairness and
the uniquely American notion of freedom. It’s a thousand feet
tall and rising. Freakin’ great disc for an even better cause.
Visit www.wm3. org for more information.
—Bill
Ketzer
The
Wait
Hollywood
(Paint Chip)
 The
Wait’s latest EP adds yet another feather in the cap of Albany’s
best pop-rock band, who sound more confident, more skillful
and more closely poised for greatness with each recording
they issue. Hollywood features seven well-written,
tightly played songs, covering the full spectrum of the Wait’s
formidable studio capabilities, from the lovely and catchy
radio-ready sweetness of “Hollywood” to the hard-rocking,
harmony-fortified rock aggression of “Starry Eyed.” “Can’t
Do Right” (the next radio single) and “Forever More” round
out the rougher end of the equation on Hollywood, while
the gentle “Isn’t It a Pity” and the U2-flavored “Hold Tight”
find the Wait tugging at the heartstrings atop gorgeously
arranged pop constructions. Smack dab in the middle of the
sonic palette lies “Rock Star,” a thoughtful midtempo rocker
with fabulous build-release dynamics. Dominick Campana’s spacious
production style serves the Wait well, with each member of
the band given ample opportunities to soar without ever falling
into showboating mode. Brendan Pendergast may sing about not
wanting to be a rock star or the next big thing, but Hollywood
proves that he and his bandmates have it in themselves to
be both.
—J.
Eric Smith
Michael
Hurley
Sweetkorn
(Trikont)
Nearly 40 years into Michael Hurley’s recording career, he
brings forth the new Sweetkorn (and nearly simultaneously,
Blueberry Wine, a reissue of his 1965 debut, originally
titled First Songs on Folkways). This 11-song
set is rendered with a casual ease that belies its depth,
confidence and utter timelessness. Hurley stands nearly alone
in this cross-genre land of mountain ballads, oblique yarns,
sly humor and timeless paeans to love and hope. That his basic
approach has not altered over the decades is a testament to
how fully Hurley has invested his own personality in his work
since the very beginning. He sings with a voice that moves
easily between world-weary bluesiness and giddy near-yodeling.
In his song “Get Over It,” he manages the neat trick of describing
the small gruesomeness of a sewing needle being broken off
at its end and becoming embedded in a toe, yet delivering
it with such offhand ease that it floats by nearly unnoticed
at first. His gruff optimism ultimately wins out at every
turn. He’s also rerecorded one of his classics, “O My Stars.”
Jill Gross and Dana Kletter add harmony, the three voices
blending for the magical and heavenly chorus. Hurley goes
it alone for the 18th-century ballad “Barbera Allen,” which
makes his own songs sound like they’d have been at home alongside
it 300 years ago.
Currently, Hurley depends upon overseas labels such as Trikont
in Germany to find release for his music. Music this bracingly
natural makes much of the current country and roots crop look
like landfill fodder. Now 61, Hurley deserves the same college-circuit
revival afforded the blues elders of the ’60s. A hundred years
from now, our great-great grandchildren will be affixing stamps
to letters bearing his portrait.
—David
Greenberger
The
Donnas
Spend
the Night
(Atlantic)
The Donnas put boys down and jerk them off at the same time
in a knockout major-label album that single-handedly restores
the sheen to heavy metal. Modeled on Joan Jett, the Donnas
are vocalist Brett Anderson, bassist Maya Ford, drummer Torry
Castellano and guitarist Allison Robertson. They blow the
dust off rock & roll with their fifth album, the kind
of record fans of Ratt and Mötley Crüe will slaver over. (Anderson,
by the way, is Donna A., Ford Donna F., Castellano Donna C.,
Robertson Donna R.). High school buddies from Palo Alto, the
Donnas got together in the early ’90s under the moniker Ragady
Anne. The hormonally precocious girls were pegged as a novelty
act, and by the late ’90s, they’d developed their own repertoire
and released several albums. Spend the Night is a hummer.
For every tune of desire (“Please Don’t Tease” is an outstanding
example) there’s a kiss-off (“Not the One” is deliciously
nasty), lending the record a great Powerpuff Girl dynamic.
The strategy would be merely contrived were the music not
so in-your-face. The sound is terrific from the “It’s on the
Rocks” start to the “5 O’Clock in the Morning” finish. The
production is huge, the layering exquisite, the harmonies
aggressive and beautiful.
Ultimately, Spend the Night doesn’t lend itself to
analysis. It’s about enjoyment and energy. Rock pundits might
dis it for its teen spirit. Rock fans will revel in it.
—Carlo
Wolff
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