The Kooks: Konk

Written by Fantasma el Rey

The Kooks are back with their sophomore release Konk, delivering more of the same rocking brit-pop that helped them sell millions of copies of their debut album throughout the world. The lads deliver twelve new tracks that swing and sway from the opening vocals to the closing guitar strum. The Kooks (Luke Pritchard vocals, Hugh Harris guitar, Max Rafferty bass, Paul Garred drums) continue to write their own songs and perform them with a flair all their own.

Fueled by catchy guitars hooks, a solid, funky rhythm section and Pritchard’s unique vocals, The Kooks never stop driving the pace of their songs straight to your memory. Their songs are short and to the pop point, making them easy to store, even though some of the new tunes tap the four-minute mark! The music gets you moving and the simple lyrics force you to sing while the vocals make you feel the tune as you take it all in. The songcraft skills of these young men are awesome. As I’ve said before, these kats at masters of the pop song while remaining true to their rock roots.

The sound of Konk, recorded at Ray Davies’ Konk studios, keeps to the path taken on The Kooks debut album Inside In / Inside Out. Blending perfectly the Beatles/ Kinks 60’s vibe with the Smiths/ Morrissey 80’s dance-floor feel. “Always Where I Need To Be” hints at Moz’s “First Of the Gang To Die” in its guitar runs while “Gap” and “Love It All” bring images of Smith’s guitar-slinger Johnny Marr to mind. Keeping the groove alive are “Do You Wanna” and “Stormy Weather,” both are drum filled and bass thick, begging you to hit the local dance hall, especially the mean bass intro on “Stormy Weather,” which has nothing to do with the street-corner, vocal group staple song.

“Mr. Maker,” “Tick Of Time,” and the bonus hidden track “All Over Town” bring in a rockin’ country/folk-sounding acoustic guitar and loses absolutely nothing as far as push and drive are concerned. The Kooks never really slow the pace of Konk even though “Tick Of Time” and “All Over Town” are quiet ballads.

Rounding out the CD are “See The Sun,” “Sway,” “Shine On,” “Down To The Market,” and “One Last Time.” From start to finish The Kooks second CD doesn’t let up, holding your interest with each song. There is also a bonus disc, Rak, that is available as a companion to Konk and is only offered in physical format and in limited quantities. It looks to be a cool collection of songs recorded that did not make the album and alternate/ demo versions of a few of the Konk tracks.

Konk is one of those albums that I can play over and over again, never skipping tracks and often pressing the repeat button to hear one of my favorite tunes just one more time before I shut the stereo off. I’m glad I took a chance on these Brits over a year ago on their first outing and look forward to what they have in store for their next album. Could it be, seeing that it will be the third album that The Kooks will follow other great rock bands of the past and put out what we like to call the “departure record?” Who can say? All I know is that it will find its way into my collection no matter what.

Ministry and Co-Conspirators: Cover Up

Written by Puño Estupendo

April Fool's Day is sure to see many mindless pranks pulled, jokes cracked, and people left scratching their heads and asking what's real and what's the joke. To capitalize on this, Ministry has deemed it appropriate to release an album of covers for the masses to scratch their heads over and smile about, and they've called it Cover Up.

After the release of three blistering Anti-Bush themed albums, Al / Alien / Buck Satan Jourgensen has taken some rock staples from the ‘60s and ‘70s and given them a distorted, programmed sound that their original fans couldn't possibly have imagined while in the back of vans everywhere smoking pot. With their tongues seemingly nail-gunned in cheek, his lineup of musicians, which includes Tommy Victor of Prong, tear through such radio mainstays as “Radar Love,” “Space Truckin’” and “Mississippi Queen.”

Although the opening track (an almost ridiculous version of “Under My Thumb” with fuzzy/whispered vocals and inserted dirty lyrics) had me rolling my eyes as to what the rest of this collection of misfires was going to sound like, I quickly lightened the hell up and went with the joke. Even after half-cringing over the first track, “Bang A Gong” brings it back around and actually works well. Josh Bradford's vocals are nice and sleazy and the guitars are straightforward enough to even have the more sensitive of T. Rex fans having to admit it sounds pretty good.

It may be more of an album for people that are already fans of Jourgensen's discography, but the casual listener should be able to have fun with this record too. Even when you know that most of the tracks are going to be predictably blown out, sped up and double-timed, there's absolutely some fun to be had here.

It does seem to me that this would have been a better fit for another of Al's bands, The Revolting Cocks, but does it really matter where Al decides to be slightly nuts? We should all be thankful it wasn't Al trying to be completely nuts!

Goldfrapp: Seventh Tree

Written by Tío Esqueleto

It’s been three years since Goldfrapp, the British duo of vocalist Alison Goldfrapp, and composer Will Gregory, released their third album, Supernature. It sold over a million copies worldwide and catapulted the duo to superstar status in their native England and Europe, as well as here in the states where its undeniable electro-pop seeped into American pop culture via various commercials, network television bumpers, countless music TV promos, as well as on the dance floor. The natural sister piece to 2003’s electro cabaret Black Cherry, Supernature seemed to be everywhere at once and, before too long, teetered on exhaustion for both fans, and unknowing consumers, alike.

With Seventh Tree, the band’s fourth album, gone is the glam electric of those previous two offerings. Instead, they have returned to the lush, cinematic soundscapes of their first endeavor, 2000’s Felt Mountain, the perfect destination after four good years of disco glitz. Where their debut was mondo Morricone, with a nod to Barry’s Bond, here we are treated to a folky, no less lush, but subtly psychedelic, touch of the cinematic with Goldfrapp herself likening its overall feel to the 1973 British cult film, The Wicker Man, directed by Robin Hardy and scored by Paul Giovanni.

Nowhere is this love letter to The Wicker Man more apparent than in the album’s slower songs. The opening track, “Clowns,” is a gorgeous offering that evokes washed-out images of Scottish countryside, lens flares, and the eerie inhabitants of Summerisle. They’ve spared us any reference to “Corn rigs and Barley rigs” (thank God), and have instead stuck with the more Britt Ekland-inspired, Willow’s songs. Traces of Ekland’s memorable turn as the highly erotic Willow can be found scattered throughout the album on tracks such as “Road to Somewhere” and “Some People,” tracks that while lyrically don’t make much of a connection, musically they seem to be directly inspired by the now-infamous bedroom seduction song, while subconsciously conjuring imagery of a voluptuous Ekland dancing naked against the wall.

The psychedelic really comes into play on the more up tempo numbers, “Little Bird” and “Happiness,” the first of which starts slow, but by song’s end, takes a turn towards one of the deeper cuts on The Yellow Submarine. “Happiness” takes Goldfrapp’s signature swing and forgoes the usual hard-edged, chunky synths for softer synths, various horns, and an array of strings and technique that would impress a young Brian Wilson. The same can be said for most of the album’s composition that, for the first time, finds the band enlisting the help of outside musicians, as well as from U2/Nine Inch Nails/Depeche Mode producer extraordinaire, Flood. Much of the arrangement recalls the previous two albums, only this time they are merely played through a variety of different instruments and musicians. This about-face is a means to an end is most apparent in the aforementioned “Happiness,” as well as in the single “A&E.” You can almost hear the good people at Target putting together their spring campaign to one of these two songs. The hooks are certainly still there.

Seventh Tree is a wonderful step sideways for Goldfrapp. They’ve traded pop-glitz and glam for folk-psychedelia and sun. It is still undeniably Goldfrapp, and with a voice like that, how could it not be? Will Gregory, with the aid of Flood, has done some of his finest work to date. For those of you longing for a taste of the “wonderful electric,” there is always the live show. I, for one, cannot wait to see how this album translates to the stage. With a tour currently underway across the pond, my fingers are crossed that it makes its way to the states, animal heads, Maypoles, ribbons, and all.

Albert Collins: Live At Montreux 1992 (CD/DVD)

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Albert Collins hits the stage not once but twice on this new DVD from the Live At Montreux series. Collins dubbed “The Iceman” shows us why he’s known worldwide as such with every strum, pick, and lick that smokes off his guitar and freezes you in your tracks. Collins and his bands, let loose on eleven cuts presented here, seven songs from the 1992 performance at Montreux while the remaining four are from his 1979 appearance.

Born in Texas in 1932, Albert Collins started out by mimicking his cousin Lightin’ Hopkins, but quickly crafted a style all his own, evident by his first single release an instrumental titled “The Freeze,” which began a theme of song titles and killer instrumentals that included what would become his signature jam “Frosty.” “The Master of the Telecaster” would ride this theme until his final days with songs like “Cold Cold Feeling” and “Iceman.” Sadly Collins’ last days were not long after his 1992 appearance at Montreux. Just a year later, he would lose his long fight with cancer and join other guitar greats in the afterlife.

Collins and the Ice Breakers start off fast with his then most recent release “Iceman” and keep moving with “Honey Hush” showcasing his assertive yet playful blues vocals. Everything Collins is known for is on display in these two opening tunes. Featuring a driving beat, funky bass lines, soaring horns, and his guitar playing, he uses a capo, tunes his guitar to a minor key, and plays with his fingers only; that’s right no pick!

The funk-dripping “Put The Shoe On The Other Foot” has one of the oldest original Ice Breakers, bassist Johnny B. Gayden, chilling the room with groovy solo jam. It also finds Collins jumping into the crowd for his traditional walk in the audience, a move begun years before the cordless era when Collins would use a 150-foot cable to meet and greet his fans. Legend has it that he actually ordered a pizza one time and had the delivery boy follow him back on stage.

Collins shifts gears with ease, cruisin’ slow and low with “Lights Are On (But Nobody’s Home) and “Too Many Dirty Dishes,” providing a cooling-off period before the band starts to smoke again. “Lights Are On” shows Collins’ playful side, scatting along as he picks through the song. Not too be left out “Frosty” closes the show as always and has the band blasting full speed ahead, making this tune stick with you, infecting your brain for weeks. The spotlight is turned on the band as each member gets a chance to strut his stuff.

From 1992 we travel back to 1979 and a show that in Fantasma’s opinion is vastly superior to ’92. Hell, I was amazed that the second set was so stunning. Driven by a cast of seasoned blues vets, this version of the Ice Breakers is street mean and the sound is more solid and menacing. The rhythm section sounds like funky thunder from the gods, Casey Jones hits hard and heavy while keeping time like a jazz master. Larry and Aron Burton, second guitar and bass, sound like funk-filled hammers working together to bang out bass lines and chords that sum up jumpin’ blues perfectly.

This charging blues train doesn’t have a whistle, just one horn and that’s more than enough when that horn is sax legend A.C. Reed. His roaring, honking sax blows hot and cool, proving that he’s a true master sax man and why this kat’s solo album “I’m In The Wrong Business” was a long-time favorite of a teenaged Fantasma. Reed also provides back-up vocals that compliment Collins’ aggressive vocals very well.

Collins is in top form and more animated, moving and grooving while he sings and plays. Even his crowd walk during “Listen Here” is highlighted by his guitar showmanship, sitting in the crowd while picking and pounding out his one-handed hammer on and playing behind his head. All this before skipping back on stage to hit the next powerful jam and keeping the crowd in frenzy.

“This ain’t nothin’ but the blues,” Collins declares before the band creeps into “Snatchin’ It Back.” He is constantly laughing and playing with the band as he “loves” his guitar, and they jump and pound they’re way through the rest of the set which includes the slow “Cold Cold Feeling” and the closing show-stopper “Frosty.” Is it really any surprise that this working of “Frosty” is completely bad-assed and will have you bouncing on your feet. Adding more fuel to the ice fire is a guitar cameo by another Texas blues legend Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown.

Albert Collins - Live At Montreux 1992 is a must for blues fans and the hardcore fans will be pleased to see the bonus set from 1979. The two shows together represent a master guitar slinger, who would inspire many young guns, frozen in time at his best. A CD of just the 1992 set has been released.

Barry Manilow: Songs From The Seventies

Written by Hombre Divertido

Barry Manilow has aged gracefully and unlike other stars of that era still manages to hit all the right notes. The production company and marketing staff may have let him down here. This appears to be a project that does not know what it wants to be. The direction is strained, and the show as a whole lacks continuity.

Reading the title on the cover of the DVD package one might think that what we are getting is a special featuring Barry Manilow’s hits from the seventies. That is not exactly the case here. This television special does contain many of Manilow’s hits of that decade, though he fails to realize that his fan base does not want to hear new renditions of the classics.

What we also get is Barry covering other songs of the seventies, though it is not clear how they were chosen. His covers of “My Eyes Adored You,” “He Ain’t Heavy He’s My Brother,” etc. are fine, but not really what the fans want to hear. To have these songs on the special, and some of Barry’s hits relegated to a melody of other seventies songs was disappointing, especially since this production is only seventy-five minutes long, and the second disc is nothing but filler.

When Barry sits down at the piano and plays such hits such as “Mandy,” the audience truly gets what it wants, and had the direction gone towards this simple concept throughout, the project would have been much more enjoyable to watch. Manilow works well while sitting at the keyboard, and seems awkward and uncomfortable when up and moving around. This is most obvious in the closing number of “One Voice.”

At one point we are shown a photo of Barry from that era, and it gleans an excellent response from the studio audience. This of course begs the question as to why a photo retrospective was not used along with footage from that era. Stretching this out to two hours with full renditions of all the songs and a visual retrospective of the era would have been far more appealing than hearing Barry cover other songs.

Not really any extras here. Though the second disk states that it contains “Extra Special Outtakes.” That is quite generous. It feels more like someone decided that they needed a second disk, and threw something on it.

Recommendation: Manilow is still a charismatic singer, and hits some of the songs with great energy. The sound quality is excellent so this is worth buying to listen to, but watching it lessens the enjoyment.

Ray Davies: Working Man’s Café

Written by Fantasma el Rey

Ray Davies legendary cofounder of The Kinks is back with his new solo release Working Man’s Café. Sticking with a country/blues rock sound throughout the disc, Ray hits hard as he jumps, skips, and swings into twelve tracks about life and modern day themes. The mastery of his songwriting skill has not diminished with the passing of time. Ray’s tunes are observant and strike a chord in the mind and heart without being whinny or sappy, losing none of their drive.

The rocking opening track “Vietnam Cowboys” sets the lyrical and musical palette of the album. Ray points out the “economic meltdown” and dilemmas hitting the nation and the world with lyrics like “Take the culture right to the third world,” “Mass production in Saigon/ while auto workers laid off in Cleveland,” and “Cowboys in Vietnam/ making their movies.”

“No One Listen” is a tune along the same lines, expressing that no one is around to listen anymore as “everything’s goin’ wild.” All those people who you’re told would listen to the concerns of the “little guy getting kicked around,” from preachers to local government, are nowhere to be found. Ray goes on to note that he’s in the system and that his case will be reviewed in a few years. So now instead of telling the National Guard he might as well tell winos, same difference as government I suppose.

A number of songs are laments for days gone by. “Working Man’s Cafe” is about the disappearance of just that. Long ago the working man, who had a small shop on the corner, selling apples and pears, where you can now get “designer pants,” would be comfortable in the town shopping center and could find easy conversation at the local café and not one that offers the internet. “Imaginary Man” can be seen as a look back at either two people no longer as close as they once were or one person who can’t see himself in a reflection anymore, during those times when you seem so far from who you were or who you thought you are.

“One More Time” takes a look at how things fade and why true love is so hard to find but keeping to the theme of the album, the story goes deeper. It tells of “economic vultures,” corporate tax breaks and profits going somewhere but not to the people, a telling song of the heart and how landscape around us change and become more urban.

“You’re Asking Me” is a cool tune with a light ‘60s psychedelic feel that has Ray sounding off a bit about folks asking him for advice: “No point asking me because I haven’t got a clue,” “Don’t make me responsible for you living your life,” and “I could just as easily go tell a lie, couldn’t I.” Basically he’s telling folks to “get a life” and live it for yourself. On the other hand there is “Peace In Our Time,” which finds Ray spouting unconditional love and peace, “All we deserve is some peace in our time”

Ray Davies’ cool, calculated, unpolished vocals shine on Working Man’s Café. He gets his points across with out sounding weak or false; at times his voice is quite tough, making this CD even more enjoyable. It is definitely a CD that can be played over and over again with its catchy tunes and thoughtful, at times stinging lyrics. Listen to what Ray has to say and you can find some thing to connect to or agree with. That’s his gift to the world, songs that everyday people can understand, from his straight rockers (“Vietnam Cowboys,” “The Voodoo Walk”) to his slower tunes (“Imaginary Man”) and the jazzy, swinger “Morphine Song,” he speaks in a language that you can understand. It’s easy to see how other British heroes of the common man such as Joe Strummer draw influence from Ray’s past masters.

Cowboy Junkies: Trinity Revisited

Written by Fumo Verde

In 1988 the Cowboy Junkies released their second album Trinity Sessions and put the band’s name on the charts. The album was recorded in the Church of the Holy Trinity in the city of Toronto, Canada. The basic cost of making this album produced by Peter Moore was around $250, of which five dollars went to the church’s caretaker to let the band stay a little longer while they kept recording. Centered around a single microphone and using a mix of traditional folk songs along with ones written by Michael Timmins, Trinity Sessions became a hit.

So what is Trinity Revisited? It’s a film by Pierre & Francois Lamourex that celebrates the original album’s twentieth year by capturing the acoustics of the old church while adding some new sounds to those haunted songs. Brining the talents of Natalie Merchant, Ryan Adams, Vic Chesnutt, and longtime friend/part-time Junkie Jeff Bird, who can make the mandolin cry and the harmonica sing, the ensemble revitalizes the music and makes a completely different album from the one made two decades ago. The Lamourex Brothers along with the Junkies gathered together not only musical talent but film, sound, and lighting talent from all over to help shoot this.

My congratulations must go out to Pierre & Francois for the amazing crew that made this incredible film. All of this musical talent in one church blows up as new twists to the old tunes tell those familiar stories through different eyes. For those of you who only bought the first album for the cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Jane,” the band plays this “tune-up intro” where Michael Timmins and Ryan Adams do a little dueling on guitar as drummer Peter Timmins loosens up by checking all his skins and cymbals. Bassist Alan Anton tickles his Fender until a crescendo of noise peeks, then nothing, a lone voice calls out “2, 3,” then that familiar thumping starts. Ryan’s guitar takes this song into a different orbit as Michael’s strumming keeps the song on the right trajectory. Having Ryan sing a chorus and using Natalie on this track to back Margo gave the song new depth and a whole different feel that even Lou Reed would dig.

Natalie and Margo share choruses on “Misguided Angel” and the harmony these two women have is unbelievable. Margo has that low sultry, soulful tone while Natalie has an uplifting yet sorrowful Irish spirit. Put them together and I don’t have the college degree to find the words to describe the awesome sound these new twists put on such a beautiful song. Add Mr. Bird on the mandolin and you add a bluegrass twang.

Vic Chesnutt sounds like Dylan on a rendition of “So Lonesome I Could Cry” that would make Hank Williams proud. Along with Margo, who I think has the sexiest voice in music, these two contrast well against each other and give the song a stirring vibe.

“Working on a Building” has to be my favorite track out of them all. Everyone contributes; the lighting and camera work capturing the energy going through the church as this gospel traditional explodes as a rocking blues jam.

I am so impressed with the work the Cowboy Junkies and everyone else involved put into this film that I have to say that this will be one of the more memorable things I will get to review in 2008, and the year has just started. The music is great with all its new sounds and it really sets itself apart from the original album.

One of the greatest things about this DVD was the documentary on the making of Trinity Revisited. The band gives us some cool insights on what it was like for them back then and how they have grown since. We also get to see Natalie, Vic, and Ryan in a more intimate setting as they prepare to play songs that have had influence on them.

Trinity Revisited comes with the DVD and a CD so you can keep it jamming on those long road trips from California to Tennessee (it will be coming with me to Bonnaroo). The album encompasses folk, country, blues and bluegrass with a twinge of rock ‘n’ roll keeping the music alive and well. The Cowboy Junkies have always been on my top-ten list and Trinity Revisited will enshrine them there forever.