Sometimes disparaged for his striking vocal similarity to Elvis Costello — who has, himself, expressed displeasure with the uncanny likeness — Wesley Harding Stace boasts many appealing virtues that belong to him alone. A witty but more straightforward wordsmith than Mr. C, he pens concise, catchy tunes, fancies himself a renegade folk musician rather than…
One part Scottish, two parts English, this fierce trio (led by two ex-members of Motor Boys Motor) is well-named. Not averse to howling until blue in the face, they could very well be the prophesied saviors of static ’80s pop. The Messiahs take their jaundiced love of Americana and render it into an unrecognizable hybrid…
Athens, Georgia’s Love Tractor started out playing instrumental rock’n’roll, with reference points in the non- vocal golden rock era of two decades ago. Unlike the Raybeats, they’re not so style-conscious, so you get far fewer sly references to the Ventures and other camp heroes, and more outright flirtation with fusion and cocktail lounge muzaks. Though…
Born out of tragedy, fIREHOSE began after the 1985 death of Minutemen guitarist D. Boon in a car crash. Knowing there was no way to recapture Boon’s burly bluster, bassist Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley didn’t try to find someone to fill those iconoclastic shoes. Instead, they recruited another kind of dude entirely in…
Singer, songwriter, ace producer (Los Lobos, Marshall Crenshaw, etc.), Christian moralist and pal of Elvis Costello, T(-)Bone Burnett has wielded a steady and growing influence on the music scene since the late ’70s. Whether his inconsistent records leave any lasting mark or not, he’s likely to make his presence felt in some role for a…
Derivative, arrogant and at times unbearably pretentious, Terence Trent D’Arby is nevertheless so inventive and entertaining (when he’s in the mood) that it’s hard not to be seduced by his rock’n’soul pastiche. Recorded with British veterans of the pub-rock/new wave wars, the New York native’s accomplished debut, Introducing the Hardline, includes the sultry hit “Wishing…
When London art-school escapee Adam (Stuart Goddard) turned up with the Ants on the awful Jubilee movie soundtrack in 1978, you’d never have guessed he’d amount to anything. Like much of the record, his two cuts were just ordinary meatgrinder punk. Nor was the ambitious Dirk Wears White Socks all that encouraging, despite the considerable…
Prefiguring the Stray Cats, the Kingbees were one of the first neo-rockabilly bands to augment nostalgia with an original approach. The West Coast trio’s sound on these two albums is sinewy and unpretentious, thanks primarily to frontman Jamie James’ economical guitar and no-nonsense vocals. What’s more, the material is a first-rate blend of his originals…
Once upon a time, Detroit’s Romantics were the band the Knack always wanted to be, hammering out a few essential chords while the singer wailed out inconsequential lyrics about girls. They played fast, loose and tough but, unlike the Knack, weren’t obnoxious. This is the kind of band that would have been happy jamming to…
Much the way Robbie Robertson served as the creative mainspring for the Band, guitarist/writer Dave Alvin was the guiding force behind the Blasters, providing his brother, singer Phil Alvin, with stellar, Americana-soaked tunes. After leaving that band (high and dry) and joining X for a short stint, Alvin embarked on what could have been an…
Crowded House, the group New Zealand songwriter/singer/guitarist Neil Finn formed (with bassist Nick Seymour, who happens to be the brother of Hunters and Collectors leader Mark Seymour) after Split Enz, followed the trend toward simplification of that band’s later albums. Despite occasional keyboards (on disc by Finn and producer Mitchell Froom and onstage by ex-Enzman…
The big disappointment of producer Clive Langer’s solo career is that he doesn’t give it top priority. Presumably freed from financial pressures by making (with partner Alan Winstanley for the most part) hit records for, among others, Madness and Dexys (later, the Smiths and Bush), the talented singer/guitarist — judging by his dismaying lack of…
Led by enthusiastic guitarist/singer Richard Barone, this Hoboken, New Jersey pop band makes no effort to conceal its roots. Mixed among the original songs on Drums Along the Hudson (an expanded version of the Time and the River mini-album, itself a compilation of singles) is a breathy cover of T. Rex’s “Mambo Sun”; elsewhere, Barone…
The three Cotton boys (rockabilly Ramones?) are far from the worst English nouveau rockabilly band you’re likely to encounter, although they don’t go out of their way to leave a lasting impression. The debut consists primarily of well-worn oldies like “My Baby Left Me” and “Honey Hush.” 100% Cotton constitutes a distinct improvement, with sharper…
Here’s a sad tale of promise quickly squandered. Featuring bass-ace-turned-top-producer Dave Allen (Gang of Four, Shriekback) and fronted by wailin’ Walter Wray, King Swamp debuted with a brawny, exciting set of anthemic rockers like “Man Behind the Gun,” “Is This Love?” and “Year Zero.” If the potential for arena-rock bombast seems high, King Swamp is…
Heard in the cold light of the present, England’s pub-rockin’ Ducks Deluxe sound rather inconsequential (if amiable). Back in the dark ages of 1974, however, they were manna from heaven. Along with Brinsley Schwarz and Dr. Feelgood, the Ducks championed a much-needed return to basics by playing in traditional American styles diametrically opposed to the…
In an interview, black Bronxite August “Kid Creole” Darnell — writer, singer, producer — once alluded to not being able to play reggae as well as Bob Marley or salsa as well as Tito Puente, but possibly being able to combine the two styles better than anyone else. Darnell’s internationalist fusion was one of the…
With so many late-’70s musicians possessing a strong sense of rock’n’roll history in addition to their overriding interest in style, the emergence of groups like the instrumental Raybeats was inevitable. Pat Irwin, Jody Harris and Don Christensen, refugees from the New York City no wave avant-garde, had been in such outfits as the Contortions and…
When Dwight Twilley and Phil Seymour — known collectively as the Dwight Twilley Band — scored a hit single in 1975 with “I’m on Fire,” it looked as if they were going to be unstoppable. The ingenious melody, tight, driving rhythm and sparkling harmonies spelled instant pleasure for fans who longed for the golden era…
Along with DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, New York’s Kid ‘n Play were among the best of the lite rappers, middle-class performers whose pursuit of pop stardom didn’t preclude exciting grooves. Christopher Reid (Kid) — he of the towering fade — and Christopher Martin (Play) concentrate on shameless self-promotion, but do their bragging…
