quickcrit - music reviews

I've probably listened to Pure Country Gold more than any other Portland band this year. I just can't get enough of the duo's blistering garage blues. Far from purists, they seamlessly incorporate country, roots, punk into songs that remind me more of the propulsive and fuzzy Reigning Sound, than other blues duos, such as the Black Keys or locals Hillstomp.

Although I only just picked up Positive Vibrations recently, I've been loving their self-titled debut for the last few months. I wish I'd discovered them two years ago when it was released. Positive Vibrations is a compilation of the singles they've released since then and some of them are pretty awesome, especially when they charge through romantic boasts on"Setting Sun" (mp3) and make drinking plans for the apocalypse on "Yellow Bubbles" (mp3).

I can't wait until they release their next album, Tough Tuesday, later this spring.

Pick up your crazy heart and give it one more try...

There are films that make you weep at the end. But then there are those that make your eyes well up with tears the entire time you watch. The tears just stay there in your eyes, constantly. Enough to touch your heart, but not so much to ruthlessly tug at your heartstrings causing them to stream down your face**. Crazy Heart is just one of those poignant, beautiful films I cannot help but recommend to fans of music movies in the vein of Almost Famous and Once and movies about male mid-life crises in the vein of Sideways and American Beauty, if a bit more heavy, dark, hopeless and gritty. Thematically, it isn't entirely groundbreaking as it deals with the likes of love, loneliness, loyalty, despair, regret, disillusionment, and friendship, but it's a must for people who love movies about music, musicians, music journalism, fandom, the process of song-writing, the healing power of song, and the sparks of creative inspiration.

My life-long awe of Jeff Bridges in a film that could lazily be classified as The Big Lebowski meets The Wrestler may have caused me to walk into the theatre predisposed to falling in love with it, but the story of Bad Blake, a washed-up, alcoholic country singer on the verge (of what... a breakdown? The end? A comeback? A deadline? Redemption? Death? I'll let you figure that one out yourself) is so engaging that it matters not whether you like country music (albeit the really, really good kind) at all. I was actually pleasantly surprised just how amazing the songs were and I'm sure T-Bone Burnett and his cronies deserve most, if not all, of the credit. Of course, the killer soundtrack cannot compete with JB's authentic performance which hardly qualifies as acting anyway as clearly the man doesn't just play the role... he transcends it. The Dude's got my vote for one of the best alcoholic actors of all time. He totally deserves the Best Actor Oscar nomination... fuck it, just give him the award already. I doubt the other Best Actor nominees would have the audacity to contest it.

Favorite line in the movie:
"I wanna talk about how bad you make this room look." Trust me, in the context of the scene it was a simple, awesome segue/change of topic, had old world charm and a certain je ne sais quoi sexiness to it.

Favorite lyric:
"I used to be somebody, now I'm somebody else."

Favorite songs from the movie:
"The Weary Kind" (theme from Crazy Heart by Ryan Bingham), and "Fallin' & Flyin'" (sung by Jeff Bridges & Colin Farrell in the movie... who knew?)

I must confess to loving just about everything Greg Cartwright has been involved in; Reigning Sound's amalgam of country, soul, garage rock grit just feels like home to me. Each album takes a slightly different spin on that perfect formula. This time, rather than packing the sonic gut punch of Too Much Guitar, Love And Curses is more a slow burn, making it's impact a little less immediate. As a result, the songs take longer to sink in and reveal their greatness. However, the shredded vocals and thumping drums of "If I Can't Come Back" and the uh huhs and oh yeahs shouted over a bouncing organ on "Stick Up For Me" rival the urgency of any of my previous favorites. Over all, it's a solid album of rough and tumble relationships delivered by Cartwright's sandpaper rasp and alternately ringing and chugging guitar. So good.

When you hear people like Steve Earle talk about Townes Van Zandt, the story comes across as more of one belonging to a cowboy legend or folk hero rather than a flesh and blood, songwriting man. His documentary, Be Here to Love Me: A Film about Townes Van Zandt, is both an amazing portrait of a poetic songwriter and a haunting look inside the life of an awkwardly talented man who seems determined to destroy himself. Although people may be familiar with Van Zandt's songs covered by some of the biggest names in country and folk, less people recognize Townes playing his own songs. On Townes, Earle offers up his own renditions of van Zandt's gems mixed in with near-impersonations, and, for the most part, does a really good job. With a consolidation nod to Bob Dylan, Earle has been quoted as deeming Van Zandt the world's greatest songwriter, in addition to being his mentor and good friend. The respect and admiration shines through on the album, and people who are fans of Earle and Van Zandt should find the familiarity of Earle's sound and Van Zandt's songs a good blend. I guess the questions is: Did Earle bring anything new to the table, as far as Van Zandt's songs go? I would say that he brings enough to make this album worth checking out, especially if you are interested in hearing some cleaner version of Van Zandt's later songs.

There are very few album releases that I have anxiously anticipated more than Alberta Cross' first full-length LP, Broken Side of Time... Chinese Democracy is certainly an example. At this point, I have used and abused both of AC's EP releases—Leave Us Or Forgive Us and The Thief & The Heartbreaker—nearly to the point of delirium. Accordingly, I was exponentially stoked when the new track, "ATX," was posted on Alberta Cross' MySpace page recently. The track cranks the AC sound and style up a few notches with reverberating guitar riffs and rumbling bass, that is somewhat similar to Kings of Leon when they lay down some hard rock. This is not the folky, country rooted Alberta Cross from the aforementioned 07/08 EPs, but the guitar driven, hard rocking Cross that (apparently) releases full-length albums. Perhaps a foreshadowing of what to expect, but I hope that this extremely talented quintet does a little bit of everything on the album to be... it has been too long my friends!

Check out this solid shot of AC's South by Southwest performance of "ATX." The album, Broken Side of Time, is slated to be released on September 22nd, but I won't hold my breath...

Jeremy's review: Hayden's new album, The Place Where We Lived, is very good but still feels to me sort of like a b-side to his previous album, In Field and Town. It checks in at only 30 minutes and lacks enough of the moments with a sharper edge (jangly guitar solos or bursts of distortion) which his previous albums have often deftly used to counter the more dominant dour and quiet strain. The laid back groove on a few tracks is reminiscent of a country-folk Bob Dylan in his Nashville years, and these toe-tappers do balance out the slower acoustic turns. Typical of Hayden's wistful lyrics, though, the most upbeat sounding song is titled "Let's Break Up." But it's the familiar warmth and depth of his voice, both playful and sad, that brings me back every time. Check out the title track as well as "Message from London," “Dilapidated Heart,” and “Never Lonely.”

It is no secret that I have a soft spot in my heart for female country singers. Nothing makes me happier than when I hear a woman with a mature voice belting out a tune from her gut. I was recently introduced to Paula Sinclair's new album, Steady Girl, and instantly fell in love with almost every single song. Her from-the-heart lyrics reveals a lady in search of love, but also hardened by the sadness romance often brings.

Sinclair commands attention from her very first track "Something Sweeter", and honestly, heartache has never sounded better. The fact that she has relocated from Kentucky to Portland only makes me love her more. Steady Girl also includes a cover of Steve Earle's "Fearless Heart", which I think is even better than the original (granted Earle wrote that song in 1986). Sinclair's rendition is warmer, more soulful, and is actually one of my favorites on the album.

Having been disappointed by Lucinda Williams' recent recordings, Paula Sinclair easily takes a firm position in my top favorites among the likes of Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, and Caitlin Cary.

Other favorites on the album include: "Medicine Burn", "Blue-Eyed Kentucky Boy," and "Looking for Love".

Lucero fans will most likely already be aware of this recent EP from the band's front man, Ben Nichols, but for those who are not tapped into the Lucero circle, this is definitely worth getting your hands on. The Last Pale Light In The West is a stripped-down, "Blood Meridian" themed, folk-country album that features Nichols' rasp and acoustic guitar, with subtle backing. The 7 track album moves quickly with minimalistic quality throughout, leaving me wanting more length to the existing tracks, and more tracks to the album; however, I'm happy with the likes of the title track, as well as "Chambers," "Tobin," & "The Kid."

As far as I'm concerned, Neko Case shouldn't be new to anyone who has even a relatively loose grasp on what's "hot" in the world of female singer-songwriters, because she has one of the most astounding set of pipes in the business. Everything, from soft and soothing, to puissant and commanding, is within Case's vocal range, and she knows how to exploit her ability. Long before Starbucks peddled Fox Confessor Brings the Flood to the masses and made Neko Case an alt. country, indy-labeled chart buster, she was enhancing the sound of The New Pornographers, and cutting her own piece of immortality out of the music industry with her independent releases and intimate live performances. So, how does one follow up an album as excellent and acclaimed as Fox Confessor Brings the Flood? By conjuring up some of the most awesome album art I've seen in days, and by sticking to what works and featuring Ms. Case's most dynamic attribute—her powerful vocals. That is exactly what Middle Cyclone does, and what makes it so enchanting. Subtly and consistently Case continues to deliver tracks of quality and class that seem beyond the attainability of many pop-country divas and big label darlings. My favorites are "This Tornado Loves You," "Red Tide," "I'm An Animal," & "People Got A Lotta Nerve," but really, all the tracks are damn good (especially for those currently omnipresent rainy days), with the 31 minutes of birds chirping on "Marais La Nuit," being the non-song exception. Listen and love.

About six years ago I received two copies of Hogtied Like a Rodeo from the man himself, Jake Smith: vocalist extraordinaire and guitar man, and it instantly became my go-to mellow, "play-for-everyone-I-know," acoustic album. As the title suggests, many, but not all, of the tracks off the now discontinued original are revisited on Hogtied Revisited with new recording and a slightly different approach, but there are a few newbies as well. Of the new tracks, "Damned," an acoustic guitar and piano backed piece, is the most powerful and showcases Smith's impressive baritone's emotion and range (think: Greg Brown with a touch of Eddie Vedder, but the comparison really doesn't do his voice justice). Of the "revisited" tracks, "Bar and the Beer," remains a personal favorite imbibing song, while "Today's Tomorrow," "Story," and "The Woods" encapsulate the exceptional vocals and pleasant country-americana instrumentation that has made The White Buffalo one of my favorite acts for the better part of a decade.

For a taste of his sound, check out this video for the song "Love Song 1" off of The White Buffalo Ep... if you like what you hear, you will love this album.

1. Aqua Velvets, Surf Rock– Never knew how intense a $5 poker game could be while listening to “Mysterious Mambo”.

2. Too $hort, Gangster Rap– Had “Blowjob Betty” memorized by the 7th grade.

3. Chuck Berry, Rock N' Roll – So this is where it all comes from.

4. Merle Haggard, Country – Found out that tough guys could love their Mamma and like to hold hands.

5. Cannonball Adderley, Jazz – Opened my mind as to what genius sounds like.

Seven years ago today, Waylon Jennings passed away after a long bout with outlaw diabetes. In tribute to his legacy and impact on music, here is Nightrain's Top 5 post-Waylon Jennings Country Songs, in no particular order...

Hank Williams III - “Country Heroes” from Straight To Hell (2006)
The pedigree is incontestable. Hank III was born to write and sing country music, and very good country music is what he writes (in addition to his psycho-billy / punk that is... not as good as his country). This is just a great song that pays homage to all the greats: "I'm drinkin' some George Jones and a little bit of Coe / Haggard's easin' my misery and Waylon's keepin' me from home / Hank's givin' me those high times / Cash is gonna sing it low / I'm here gettin' wasted here with my country heroes." 'nuf said.

Shooter Jennings - “Lonesome Blues” from Put The O Back In Country (2005)
C'mon now, he had to make the list. This song could be pulled directly from his father's catalog, although their vocals do not sound exactly the same. "Lonesome Blues" is the most country of the tracks off of Put The O Back In Country, and personally, I think that it is the best song. Additionally, you can't go wrong with a country song with both "Lonesome" and "Blues" in the title.

John Prine - “Glory of True Love” from Fair & Square (2005)
There is something really honest and "been-there-done-that" about Prine's music. He can go slow, he can go fast, and he can tell a damn good story in a song. "Glory" is not a story song, but it is one of those songs where the lyrics all fit together, perfectly placed and sang in just the right way, like an old man sharing his wisdom with his grandkids. Listen and you might lean something.

Old Crow Medicine Show - “Wagon Wheel” from O.C.M.S. (2004)
With a chorus borrowed from from Dylan, and an old-timey sound, OCMS create a classic with "Wagon Wheel." Excellent country vocals, violin, banjo... to the point where everything has a feel of a slightly broken, perfectly imperfect, back-porch bbq jam session.


Hayward Williams - "Redwoods" from Another Sailor's Dream (2007)
With a warm, full, heartfelt voice leading the way (a little like Waylon), Williams pieces together a very pleasant and catchy track that features harmonica, acoustic and electric guitar over a steady trot of drums. Sounds like a solid country music formula to me.

Note: I intentionally limited my selection to songs with male vocalists that were, in my view, relatively traditional country songs (non-southern rock, non-pop country, non-alternative country) in sound and style. Also, in no way am I claiming to be an authority on this subject, so I would enjoy hearing additional song suggestions and comments.

R.I.P. Watasha

It is well documented that I appreciate things like pedal (slide) guitar, folk-country influences, and the contrast between raspy, strained male vocals and harmonic, less abrasive female vocals. Or, The Whale brings all of the aforementioned together, with a particular emphasis on the well-placed pedal guitar. This San Francisco based group is often paired with The Devil Makes Three out of Santa Cruz, but while Devil Makes Three takes a drumless three person ragtime-punkish approach (which is excellent), Or, The Whale fills out their indie folk-country sound with seven musicians and a multitude of vocalists. I understand that they are one hell of a live tandem, and both are on my must see list.

Or, The Whale's music is not quite as quirky as their name. "Call and Response" is the obvious standout on Light Poles and Pines, originally released in 2007, and certainly the most accessible for people who are not particularly interested in "that country sound." An "I listen to everything except country" attitude should not deter you from appreciating this cut, because its hooks are universal and undeniable. Pedal guitar, a sing-along chorus, and conspicuous enthusiasm all come together over toe-tapping snare and symbols, which makes for a track that has a similar feeling to (not duplicates) a quickcrit favorite: "I Woke Up Today" by Port O'Brien. In contrast, songs like "Rope Don't Break" and "Threads" have a down-home, back-porch kinda feel that permeate with country influence and are also fantastic.

Light Poles and Pines may not be for everyone; however, the music and lyrics are excellent and provide a West Coast take on the typically Sounthern sounds.


Call and Response - Or, the Whale - Or, the Whale

On Way Back Home, Sarah Blackwood delivers a solid set of neo-traditional country songs. Her slightly worn - smokey, not scratchy - voice is perfect for the dark and heartbroken tone of the album. The songs are mostly stripped down to just her voice and a strummed acoustic guitar. Although the straight forward lyrics about the crap boyfriends dragged her through, recall classic country, some of the phrasing and perspective - direct, not overly sentimental - seem a little punk, which makes sense since she also fronts a horrorbilly punk band, the Creepshow. It's not quite tear in your beer music - her voice is strong and her outlook reflective, but if the liner notes are too be believed, these are based on real-life tough times. At points it feels a little too reigned in. Some of the songs seem like they could use an infusion of energy, perhaps borrowing a Creepshow riff or two. Regardless, it's a solid album and it'll probably make you want to check her other band too.

An album version of the 33 1/3 series of books is an intriguing concept. Still, a straight-ahead cover of a classic album could go horribly wrong, but Chuck Prophet and company seem to have approached this with the right amount respect and irreverence. He adds his own laid-back, worn vocals and sliding psychedelic guitar to some already fantastic songs, updating "Waymore's Blues" for a more weary and cynical world. Co-conspirator Stephanie Finch contributes an excellent version of "Let's All Help The Cowboys (Sing The Blues)". It won't replace your copy of Dreaming My Dreams, but it may make you go back and appreciate it again.