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Slash prepares new album, recruits entire music industry

September 24, 2009 /

Slash

Renowned guitarist Slash has been preparing his very first solo album since 2007. The former Guns ‘N’ Roses and current Velvet Revolver member plans to release the record, Slash and Friends, sometime in 2010. The list of these “friends” is very lengthy. Those announced so far include Flea, Ozzy Osbourne, M. Shadows, Alice Cooper, Chris Cornell, Ron Wood, Iggy Pop, Fergie, and Adam Levine. Now Dave Grohl and Duff McKagan have even entered the fold. Josh Freeze will drum and Chris Chaney will play bass on the majority of the album.

“Doing a track for my record with Dave Grohl on drums & Duff on bass tonight, it promises to be killer,” Slash tweeted about the studio session before returning the 140-character Website to report “Great jamming w/Duff & Grohl tonight, the track is a killer instrumental, very heavy.”

With this effort, Slash is slowly becoming our generation’s Jeff Beck, recruiting established musicians to enhance his guitar work. For example, The Jeff Beck Group’s 1969 album Beck-Ola featured vocalist Rod Stewart and Ron Wood (again!) on guitars. The Jeff Beck Group would evolve over the years until Beck completely broke out on his own, recording whatever the hell he wanted to at the time.

The thing is, with these albums, the music rarely sounds cohesive. Slash has created a definitive guitar sound, but mixed with these various vocalists and eccentric musicians, I think the record is going to be all over the place. Oh well, I’m sure a few tracks will rip!

News

Phonograph: OKNO

September 24, 2009 /


RIYL: Guided By Voices, ELO, Pavement

Just in general, Brooklyn-based quintet Phonograph would seem to have a formidable task ahead of them in trying to carve out a distinctive niche in rock’s already overcrowded arena. Bands spring up almost daily, each competing for attention and some measure of popular acclaim. Fortunately, Phonograph jumped off to an impressive start with their 2007 self-titled debut, a set of songs that blended atmosphere and Americana so adroitly, neither was able to overpower the other. Lead singer Matthew Welsh was clearly weaned on the Tom Petty school of slow drag, his vocal drawl coming across as the perfect accoutrement for the band’s weary, ragged shuffle. The songs evolved like a slow burn, frayed around the edges but steadfast nevertheless. Other tracks took a more rustic route, bringing to mind Neil Young and the Band in all their tattered glory. And while Phonograph’s penchant for tossing in all matter of cosmic effects occasionally crowded the proceedings with unnecessary distraction, their assertive, straight-ahead designs remained as basic and unmistakable as the flat black discs that inspired their name.

Nevertheless, as history has proven, it’s the artists that demonstrate variance and flexibility that are ultimately hailed for being the most innovative and intriguing. The Beatles are the ultimate example; from the midpoint of their career, their songs branched out in a multitude of directions, whether it was rock, country, blues, ska, folk, psychedelia or experimental. And while it would be presumptuous to mention Phonograph in the same breath as the Beatles, it ought to be noted that the former do emulate the latter, at least in the sense that they leave no boundary unbroken.

Indeed, OKNO finds the band on an even more adventurous tack than the one they took before. Having amped up the energy level, they kick off the set with the buoyant “You/Me” and sprinkle in a number of equally infectious offerings from that point on, from the effusive strains of “Less Than Expected” and “Holy Rollers” to the rambling banjo-based clap-along of “Mountain Tops,” the chipper steel guitar sway of “American Music” and the quaint ukulele serenade of – what else? – “Uke.” Make no mistake, the group still seems tempted to dally with psychedelic cacophony, and even their most melodic moments frequently run head-on into some discordant dissolves. Happily, though, those intrusions don’t allay the inviting approach OKNO conveys overall. The fact is, this is one of the most satisfying albums a relatively novice band has delivered in quite some time. Here’s hoping Phonograph choose to crank up their sound for a long time to come. (BNS, 2009)

Phonograph MySpace page

Americana, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Psychedelic, Rock

Dennis Diken with Bell Sound: Late Music

September 24, 2009 /


RIYL: The Beach Boys, The Who, The Smithereens

Here’s reason why one shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss drummers who opt for solo stardom. Okay, so maybe Keith Moon and Ringo Starr didn’t exactly set a high bar when it came to moving from the drum stool to center stage, but given the right instincts and a simpatico backing crew, a drummer can transform a big beat into a superior set-up. Take Dennis Diken, for example. Long known for laying down the rhythms with the Smithereens, he’s obviously absorbed the pop precepts formulated in his day job and turned out a surprisingly accomplished album packed with retro rock finesse. Like his band mates, Diken is greatly indebted to the rock and pop of the mid to late ‘60s, with special nods to the Who and the Beach Boys in particular. Considering the fact that the Smithereens recently retread Tommy, and covered a smattering of Who staples early on, Dikens’ “The Sun’s Gonna Shine in the Morning” and “Long Lonely Ride” make any comparisons with the aforementioned foursome seem quite intentional. The Brian Wilson references are equally informed, with “Standing in That Line” and “Fall into Your Arms” boasting billowy harmonies and the pensive tone that marked “Surfs Up” and “Til I Die.” Likewise, “Let Your Loved One Sleep” carries the sound of a song that’s been around forever.

Diken’s chief foil here is Pete DiBella, whose multi-instrumental abilities help anchor the duo’s easily accessible melodies. In addition, several power pop veterans lend their expertise and add to the ambiance – Andrew Sandoval, Andy Paley, Brian Wilson sideman Probyn Gregory and the Honeys, the vocal trio that includes the chief Beach Boys’ own onetime honey, Marilyn Wilson-Rutherford. How appropriate that with its embrace of nostalgia, Late Music becomes nothing less than a timeless treasure. (Cryptovision 2009)

Dennis Diken MySpace page

CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Power Pop, Rock

Patty Loveless: Mountain Soul II

September 24, 2009 /

It would seem inevitable that Patty Loveless would opt to make a return to her roots via this sequel to 2001’s critically acclaimed Mountain Soul. Like that earlier effort, Loveless tackles tradition, serving up Americana standards that embody her rural Kentucky origins. Loveless’ honey-soaked vocals effortlessly meld with these country classics, whether it’s the mournful intonation of “Half Over You,” “Prisoner’s Tears,” “When the Last Curtain Falls” and “You Burned the Bridge,” the rousing bluegrass romps of “Busted” and “Blue Memories,” or the gospel wail of “Friends in Gloryland,” “Working On a Building” and “(We Are All) Children of Abraham.” Still, what binds this set so seamlessly is a reverence for back porch purity, a down-home sensibility imbued by fiddle-fueled, banjo-driven, mandolin-tinged arrangements and the music’s undeniable authenticity. Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Al Perkins, and Del and Ronnie McCoury each stamp their indelible touch on the proceedings, but its Loveless’ obvious reverence for the material that leaves the most lingering impression. Loveless deserves kudos for discarding commercial concerns and aiming instead for authenticity. (Saguaro Road Records 2009)

Patty Loveless MySpace page

Americana, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Country

Third Eye Blind: Ursa Major

September 23, 2009 /


RIYL: Eve 6, Matchbox Twenty, Better than Ezra

It’s amazing to think rock band Third Eye Blind has been around since the mid-‘90s, but they have as their debut was released in 1996 and spawned not only some of their biggest hits, but some of the best songs of the decade in “Jumper” and “How is It Gonna Be?” as well as lesser known beauties like “Motorcycle Drive By.” But this was a case of setting the bar so high, that there was no place to go but down. And while Third Eye Blind is, according to press materials, one of the most sought-after college campus touring acts and also uses technology to further their career, they seem to have lost the focus on the one thing that matters – making good music. On their latest album and first release in six years, Ursa Major, Stephan Jenkins and company deliver a new batch of songs that are really somewhat dull and lifeless. It’s not that the band lacks energy, it’s that the songs make them sound like they are going through the motions. “Don’t Believe a Word” has elements that made “Semi-Charmed Life” a hit, and “Sharp Knife” has flashes of the band finding that sweet spot. But when Jenkins sings “Let’s Start a Riot” in the opener, “Can You Take Me,” it has all the impact of a cotton ball hitting the ground. And “One in Ten” and “Monotov’s Private Opera” are wussy, bland and really kind of annoying. The early stuff from Third Eye Blind was hooky and had so much raw emotion that you couldn’t help but get sucked in, but Ursa Major will suck you in and spit you out before you even finish listening. (LABEL: Mega Collider)

Third Eye Blind MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Power Pop, Rock

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