SONG OF THE WEEK: “The Song of the Low”
— Richard Buckner

Isidore
Self-Titled
(Brash Music, 2004)

Steve Kilbey, former front man for The Church (“Under The Milky Way”), returns to the spotlight on an amazing electronic-rock collaboration with Remy Zero’s Jeffrey Cain. As with the dreamy, chilly soundscapes he created in the ’80s, here Aussie songwriter Kilbey touches on universal human subjects with an almost eerie precision. The songs (written mostly through the mail, as Kilbey lives Down Under and Cain in L.A.), particularly the dreamy, lilting opener, “Musidora,” evoke a plethora of emotions—ranging from pure joy to the depths of melancholy. Interesting side-note: The pair include somewhat of a “manifesto” with their press kit, where, among other things, they pledge that they’d rather “... have nothing to do with the music industry,” but that they are “quite capable of making use of it like anyone else.” They refer to Isidore as both a musical and a global entity, both of which provide “total liberation of the mind” and “a cry of the mind turning back on itself.” They also make the rather grand, sweeping claim that they are determined to “make a sonic revolution” and “show the fragility of sound,” using “the hammers of harmony.” Well, I don’t know about all that, I mean, it all sounds quite exciting—but do I have to dress up for the revolution? I’d rather stay home in the basement and listen to this album, if that’s alright with you, Steve-O. Very cool new stuff, though, from a pair of highly talented (if a bit eccentric) chaps. Cheers!

The Blood Shot
Straight Up
(Garage D’Or Records, 2004)

If a mad, musically-obsessed scientist took genes from Iggy Pop, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Skye Saxon of The Seeds and Alice Cooper, mixed ‘em all up in the ol’ centrifuge, and brought the results to life in one glorious, gritty, noise-driven monstrosity, you’d still only have a pale imitation of Andy Kereakos, the howling, hell-raising head rock chieftan of local garage thrashers The Blood Shot. Like the band’s previous releases, this collection of loud, fuzzy, stomp-rock finds the band dealing with subjects closest to their black little hearts—guns, gloom, the road, dope (the album cover features two needles jammed into the skull of what looks like a golden idol), women and ear-splitting guitar bands. And man, I’ve got to say, never has there been a better time for this brand of no-bullshit, meat-and-potatoes, wamma-jamma rocka-rolla to make a come-back. The eleven tracks on this release (including such scathing numbers as “Runnin’ And Gunnin’ You Down,” “I Wanna Tear You Up,” “Crawlin’ (Across The Killing Floor)” and “I Did Too Much”) go a long way towards restoring one’s faith in the pure, unassailable power of the amplified power chord. If you dig Blue Cheer, scrappy Nuggets bands, early Cooper, Sabbath, and the overwhelming reek of motor oil, stale beer, gun grease, pot smoke, old gasoline and slowly melting electrical cords, this batch of songs will do you quite nicely, thank you very much. Made loud to play loud.

Daniel Cartier
Revival
(Endurance Music, 2004)

Former NYC subway-system busker Daniel Cartier returns (he was originally signed to Elton John’s Rocket Records in the mid-’90s, but found himself label-less after the dissolution of Rocket’s corporate parent, PolyGram) from a self-imposed sabbatical with a punchy, exhilarating cache of new material. Though he’s released a few limited-run, home-recorded albums over the past few years, Revival finds the pop maestro at his hook-savvy best. Self-released, self-funded and self-produced, this record is all his baby, and he makes the most of that freedom here. Gleefully side-stepping from genre to sub-genre and back (here a ’70s style disco thumper, there a soul-wrenching, Jeff Buckley-esque ballad, etc. etc.), the wily singer/songwriter/musician (with “Five-octave, powerhouse Gospel pipes” screams the press release—but it’s true, Lord, it’s true!) defies categorization and positively oozes pure, original soul. Album opener/anthem “Lay It On” fairly bleeds out of your speakers with a plaintive cry and a soul-heavy back-beat, while “Good Time” ebbs and flows like a bewitched electronic musical waterfall. The eerie, bass-heavy “Locked Away” finds our illustrious protagonist spewing and growling his way out of that aforementioned self-imposed exile with such vehement invectives as, “Fuckin’ A ... fuck all the things that I thought I knew ...” The rest of the tunes are just as eclectic and wide-ranging in both subject matter and style. Over sharp, spine-tingling acoustic pickin’, sly, swirling drum loops, and positively joyous harmonica blowin’, Cartier raises the specter of such sound-pioneers as former Velvet Underground multi-instrumentalist John Cale and erstwhile Roxy Music co-leader Brian Eno at their most romantic, exploratory, carefree peaks. Cartier—an openly gay white man with a bizarre spider-web of tattoos adorning his shaved pate—may physically resemble a Bizarro World Michael Stipe, but his true peers are modern electro-pop romantics like King Of France and Halloween, Alaska. A truly inspiring record that just gets better with every spin. Highly recommended.

The Summer People
Verge Of A Breakdown
(Garage D’Or Records, 2004)

Like their stable-mates The Blood Shot (both are affiliated with longtime local scene supporter Terry Katzman's Garage D'Or label), The Summer People deliver scratchy, squirrelly guitar rock with the amps turned up to eleven and their switchblades half open. Led by vocalist Clayton Kline, this Arden Hills quartet fairly sizzles their way through 10 cuts of the most energetic, frenetic, groove-a-licious gut-busters you'll hear this side of 1969. Right from the first notes of album opener "Light" to the booty-bumpin', mind-melting psychedelic punk of "It's Fun," right on through to the bowel-disrupting drunk anthem "Whiskey Bottle" and the wink-and-a-nod Stooges blast of final cut "Dark," Verge Of A Breakdown captures a band not only at their least self-conscious, the-riff-is-GOD best, but could very well serve as (please, please, please) a template for up-and-coming young axe-slingers not sure which direction to funnel their six-string angst. Psst! Hey, kids! Be like these guys! More ROCK, less SCHLOCK!! Superb.

GIG OF THE WEEK

Don’t miss the official Minneapolis release of local singer/songwriter Dan Israel’s latest CD, Time I Get Home, this weekend. Along with his crack backing band, The Cultivators (drummer Dave Russ and bassist Kris Bowring), Israel will perform songs from the critically lauded album as well as crowd favorites. As a special bonus, fans will get a chance to check out (and buy!) the band’s recent, homemade DVD video for the Cultivators’ tune “Overloaded” (from 2002’s Love Ain’t A Cliche) on the big screen. Shot in a basement practice space, and featuring hilarious, “Office Space”-ish scenes starring Israel, the band and friends, the vid shamelessly brings out the simultaneous melancholy/exuberant vibes of an already killer song by a great group of guys who just happen to be excellent musicians, as well. Good job, fellas! Check it all out at Lee’s Liquor Lounge this Friday, Dec. 3. Openers include Molly Maher and The Disbelievers and The Wooldridge Brothers from Milwaukee. 9 p.m., 21+. $5.

That’s it for me this time out, gang. Spin your dial back to this same place, same time, next week for more of the same. Until we meet again—make yer own damn news.

If you have local music news/gigs/events/CD’s you’d like to see listed in this column, or you’d just like to really know what’s going on, Mr. Jones, send replies to: (temporary e-mail) jamescrouch_1@juno.com.