{"id":7369,"date":"2015-03-04T05:30:25","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T10:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=7369"},"modified":"2015-03-04T05:30:25","modified_gmt":"2015-03-04T10:30:25","slug":"hundred-word-reviews-for-march-2015-part-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/2015\/03\/04\/hundred-word-reviews-for-march-2015-part-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundred Word Reviews for March 2015, Part 3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cRock\u201d is such an all-encompassing term. It can include speedy punk, gothic rockabilly, krautrock, indie rock, and more. So, too, can a selection of my hundred-word reviews. To wit:<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/stuyvesant.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" \/><\/center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00QHZXNFG&amp;asins=B00QHZXNFG&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;linkId=DDK3ZLA3WMNZ24XN\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Stuyvesant \u2013 <\/strong><em><strong>Shmyvesant<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nThe cover art suggests pop-punk. The band photo shows husky, middle aged white guys. The music says, \u201cWe may be from New Jersey, but we look to Minneapolis for at least some of our inspiration.\u201d Stuyvesant are indeed reminiscent of <strong>H\u00fcsker D\u00fc<\/strong>, though <strong>Sean Adams<\/strong>&#8216; voice is a lot higher (but just as expressive) as that of <strong>Bob Mould<\/strong>. The band does a lot with a small arsenal of instruments, and there&#8217;s plenty of stop\/start action to keep the songs from getting samey. Think of it as college rock made by guys who&#8217;ve long since left the university. Well worth spinning.<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/69_cats.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" \/><\/center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00KYL7ZQW&amp;asins=B00KYL7ZQW&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;linkId=E6R7BTVSO547ZWDR\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>The 69 Cats \u2013 <\/strong><em><strong>Transylvanian Tapes<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nThis international (Finland\/UK\/USA) gothabilly outfit stakes out a sound that&#8217;s equal parts <strong>Cramps<\/strong>, <strong>Cure<\/strong>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=5776\"><strong>Doors<\/strong><\/a>. I&#8217;m not sure if it was their goal with this album, but the collection of original and cover tunes points out the aesthetic similarities between <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=6722\"><strong>Bauhaus<\/strong><\/a> (\u201cBela Lugosi&#8217;s Dead\u201d), The Doors (\u201cPeople Are Strange\u201d) and <em>The Rocky Horror Show<\/em> (\u201cSweet Tranvestite\u201d). You&#8217;ll either love or hate the yelping vocals of <strong>Jyrki 69<\/strong>, who sometimes favors <strong>Brian Setzer<\/strong>. Fans of reverb-drenched rockabilly guitar will enjoy this thirteen-song set. <strong>Blondie<\/strong>&#8216;s <strong>Clem Burke<\/strong> handles the drums, and 77-year-old legend <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=3589\"><strong>Wanda Jackson<\/strong><\/a> guests on <strong>Leiber<\/strong>\/<strong>Pomus<\/strong>\/<strong>Stoller<\/strong>&#8216;s \u201cShe&#8217;s Not You.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/guru_freakout.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" \/><\/center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00LVEF1TE&amp;asins=B00LVEF1TE&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;linkId=J4NJHXGKZSCLJD2W\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Guru Freakout \u2013 <\/strong><em><strong>Mothership<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nKrautrock never really caught on in any sort of way here in the USA. Even genres like 60s-styled garage rock seem mainstream in comparison to the proggy, borderline ersatz-jazz, droning, fuzzed-out sounds of bands like <strong>Birth Control<\/strong> and <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=573\"><strong>Grobschnitt<\/strong><\/a>. So it&#8217;s a bit of a surprise to find modern-day bands mining the genre. But mine they do. This fantastic five-track CD \u2013 a thirty-plus minute track plus four shorter but still long numbers \u2013 is primarily the brainchild of krautrock legends <strong>Guru Guru<\/strong>&#8216;s <strong>Mani Neumeier<\/strong> and <strong>Die Krups<\/strong>&#8216; <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=5203\">J\u00fcrgen Engler<\/a><\/strong>, and finds them firing their spacerock rocketship on all cylinders.<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/pete_galub.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" \/><\/center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00BH412FK&amp;asins=B00BH412FK&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;linkId=O7GFCCFCVJMWDGY5\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pete Galub \u2013 <\/strong><em><strong>Candy Tears<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nSome spiky guitar textures applied to catchy melodies gives <em>Candy Tears<\/em> a feel that&#8217;s halfway between powerpop and indierock, 90s version. Galub&#8217;s vocal delivery suggests a punk singer who just wants to get his point across \u2013 while defiantly chewing gum and sneering \u2013 but his skilled way around the fretboard shows that he&#8217;s far more artistically ambitious than your average pop-punker. Some angular, almost no-wave guitar lines give his jangly rock songs more bite than they&#8217;d otherwise have. Vibraphone on a couple of tracks is wholly unexpected \u2013 especially in this musical context \u2013 but it works, and well.<\/p>\n<p><center><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/fractal_mirror.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"280\" height=\"280\" \/><\/center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"float: right; padding: 10px; width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=ss_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=musoscribe-20&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B00OB3DEQE&amp;asins=B00OB3DEQE&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;linkId=FR6XISHBKLQE3MNJ\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"320\" height=\"240\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Fractal Mirror \u2013 <\/strong><em><strong>Garden of Ghosts<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\nThese guys remind me of another band, but for the life of me I can&#8217;t figure out which. Unusually strong vocal arrangements, creamy keyboard textures and shimmering guitars suggest a sound not miles removed from \u2013 and I&#8217;m grasping at straws a bit here \u2013 <strong>Icehouse<\/strong>, <strong>Peter Gabriel<\/strong>, <strong>Japan<\/strong>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/?p=310\"><strong>Porcupine Tree<\/strong><\/a> (the latter&#8217;s <strong>Richard Barbieri<\/strong> was in Japan). The band is Dutch, but as with many European bands, American listeners will be hard pressed to spot a \u201cforeign\u201d accent. The minor-key melodies are best described as hauntingly beautiful. More keyboard connections: the group is associated with <strong>Synergy<\/strong>&#8216;s <strong>Larry Fast<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>More to come.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/the_musoscribe\">Follow \u201cthe_musoscribe\u201d on <\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/the_musoscribe\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/musoscribe.com\/images\/icon_twitter_small.jpg\" alt=\"\" name=\"graphics3\" width=\"18\" height=\"18\" align=\"BOTTOM\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"1\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/the_musoscribe\"> Twitter<\/a> and get notified<br \/>\nwhen new features, reviews and essays are published.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cRock\u201d is such an all-encompassing term. It can include speedy punk, gothic rockabilly, krautrock, indie rock, and more. So, too, can a selection of my hundred-word reviews. To wit: Stuyvesant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,49,56,59,62,65,66],"tags":[95,853,956,1685,2078],"class_list":["post-7369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-krautrock","category-new-release","category-prog","category-punk","category-rawk","category-review","category-rockabilly","tag-69-cats","tag-fractal-mirror","tag-guru-freakout","tag-pete-galub","tag-stuyvesant","cat-43-id","cat-49-id","cat-56-id","cat-59-id","cat-62-id","cat-65-id","cat-66-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7369\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blog.musoscribe.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}