DISClosure: The Blacks • Neko Case & Her Boyfriends • Culture • Peglegasus • The Nields

DISClosure
CD Reviews Of A National Scale

The Blacks
Just Like Home

Neko Case & Her Boyfriends
Furnace Room Lullaby

By Ed Yashinsky

The never-ending need to classify music (especially in the last two decades) has led to one of the nastiest headaches in popular music. Having a one to two word classification for music has made it easy for listeners to assess a band ("They’re an Alternative band!") without even listening to the music. Because of this classification, a band can get thrown in the "wrong" category because of a reviewer’s description, and toil in obscurity simply because of this classification.

The whole classification equation has gotten even a little stranger, as small labels have grown to serve specific musical styles. It was fine for the major labels to have vanity labels that catered to a genre even into the Eighties, because they still had the power to get songs on the radio. However, today’s tiny specialty labels, starting primarily for punk bands, have unearthed an incredible variety of music within a specific genre. And while preaching to the choir can make a label a major success story within the genre, these artists rarely turn into a general public or Top 40 phenomenon.

A case in point for the above argument involves Bloodshot Records, a by-the-bootstraps Chicago-based label (with the motto "Home of Insurgent Country"), and two of their most recent releases — The Blacks’ Just Like Home and Neko Case & Her Boyfriends’ Furnace Room Lullaby. While Bloodshot has made a name for itself outside a tiny circle of hardcore fans, and continues to squeeze outside the alt-country box because of their numerous successes, The Blacks and Neko Case will probably never get heard outside alt-country circles, and that is a damn shame.

With their follow-up to their memorable debut Dolly Horroshow, The Blacks have trimmed down to three members, but have focused their songwriting so much that Just Like Home plays like a masterwork. Fronted by co-vocalists Danny (guitar) and Gina Black (bass), Just Like Home still rests comfortably in its country roots with instrumentation ranging from banjo to saw to lap steel guitar, but The Blacks have greatly expanded their palette, delivering an original sound that recalls a less-kitschy Southern Culture on the Skids, The Violent Femmes and classic rockabilly and rock and roll. Rounding out The Blacks is drummer (and Gary Bussey look alike) James Emmenegger, who just might be their secret weapon. Whenever the band veers too close to country, Emmenegger’s frenetic drumming bangs them back to classics roots-punk bands like X or The Blasters. And if The Blacks’ original numbers weren’t reason enough to drool over Just Like Home, their sultry cover of Tom Waits’ "Goin Out West" is a near-perfect, leaving enough of the original intact, but still adding a dash of originality to make the song their own.

While The Blacks strive to blur the country line, Neko Case stands boldly in the middle of the country spectrum, mainly because she belts out classic-weepers while recalling the vocal prowess of Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn or Brenda Lee. Case is a phenomenal talent on her own, but Furnace Room Lullaby comes to life because of Case’s Boyfriends. Backed by Brain Connelly (Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet), Evan Johns, Bob Egan (ex-Freakwater), Dallas and Travis Good (The Sadies) and Ron Sexsmith, Furnace Room Lullaby packs the double punch that should make it a classic release — timeless tales of broken hearts and straight-to-the-heart music that provides the perfect foil to Case’s voice. Furnace Room Lullaby blossoms on killer harmonies and reverb-laden guitar that take these songs to a new level. With every listen Furnace Rook Lullaby becomes less and less of a country record and more and more like a record that needs to be heard by a wider audience. It is a classic. (Bloodshot Records)

Culture
Payday

by Isaac Morrison

Culture’s most recent reggae project, Payday is charged with social and political commentary from the beginning title track all the way to the end. Covering topics ranging from the continuing conflict in Sierra Leone, to legalization of the infamous ganja herb, the central theme of this album is the plight of the common working people of the world. Singer and principle songwriter Joseph Hill still has a bone or two to pick with the established order of things as he sings, "… share the riches with the poor before they share their poverty with you, mister rich man …"

The upbeat song arrangements contrast sharply with the seriousness of their subject matter. Compared with other traditional reggae performers like Burning Spear or Peter Tosh, many would probably consider this Culture album to be a bit too polished and popish for their musical tastes. Modern recording techniques often end up removing most of the raw vitality that turns good albums into truly great ones, and this disk is definitely overproduced. Despite that, songs like "Election," "The Boss," and "Cape Coast to JA" display the same passion and conviction that has driven Joseph Hill for the past twenty-some years of his career. He continues to merit his standing as one of the greatest living elder statesmen of the reggae community, and will most likely continue to do so for many, many years to come. (Ras)

Peglegasus
Tired of Adventures

by Isaac Morrison

I desperately wanted to like the album Tired of Adventures. It looked like it had all the right elements. Clever band name, lots of great influences, expert musicianship, Peglegasus seemed like they could be one of those groups that never quite succeeds despite their own true greatness. Song titles like "Bittersweet Love Scratch," "Black Balloon," and "Mystery School" piqued my interest, and the stirring liner notes on the inside cover made me eager to hear what sort of ear candy the folks at MODE had passed on to me.

Unfortunately, the implied potential is never achieved, and the flaws on this album become evident rather quickly. The vocals are weak, the lyric writing is mediocre at best, and the rhythm section never quite locks with itself or the rest of the band. Perhaps they are just a bit too ambitious in their objectives, as seems to be the case with their cover of Jethro Tull’s "To Cry You A Song." It’s not a simple piece to play, and their capable execution is clear evidence of their skill, but it only left me with a greater degree of respect for Ian Anderson’s original, and a frustration with lead singers who don’t know when a vocal part is beyond their ability.

I guess it just shows how difficult it is to make a good record. Certain absent key elements make this CD into a disappointment, despite its many positive qualities. (Mad Entropic Carnival)

The Nields
If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home Now

by Ed Yashinsky

Even if they could never record again, The Nields are the kind of band that would just sing, for anyone. Their love of music is that evident in everything they produce. Over the course of four band releases and two acoustic trio releases, this combination of sisters, spouses and friends have delivered a complex collection of poignant tales wrapped around folk roots, soaring harmonies and classic pop hooks. If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home Now continues to expose primary songwriter Nerissa Nields’ poetically lyrical mind that grows more and more compelling. If You Lived Here also succeeds in breaking new ground for The Nields as the band widens their musical palette in songs like "Key to the Kingdom, "Forever" and "Maybe It’s Love." But within these expansive musical areas, If You Lived Here also comes up a little short. Self-produced like the band’s last release, Play, this CD gives a very good indication of The Nields’ live sound, however as they tinker with their studio sound, they just might not go far enough. There are many songs on If You Lived Here that are incredibly good, making this the band’s most enjoyable release to date. But another set of ears in the recording studio could have made If You Lived Here an incredibly great release. (Zoe Records/Rounder)