TOP MUSIC OF 2008 by William P. Tandy
William P. Tandy is the editor of the award-winning and acclaimed series of zines Smile, Hon, You're In Baltimore, and the publisher of Eight-Stone Press.
In no particular order.
1. WARREN ZEVON (Rhino) by WARREN ZEVON
This long-overdue reissue of Zevon’s 1976 major-label debut features the remastered original album as well as a second disc of previously-unissued demos and alternate takes that provides an interesting glimpse into the evolution of such seminal Zevon works as “Carmelita”. Solo versions of “The French Inhaler” and “Frank and Jesse James” presage Zevon’s later solo tours (as documented on 1993’s LEARNING TO FLINCH), underscoring his instrumental dexterity as well as the strength of his songwriting. And while the existential opus “Desperados Under the Eaves” might decidedly chronicle mid-’70s L.A., for my money, its closing chorus (arranged by Beach Boy Carl Wilson) still provides the perfect aural accompaniment to traversing the Key Bridge at twilight.
Choice tracks: “Frank and Jesse James”; “Carmelita”; “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”; “Desperados Under the Eaves”.
2. JUST US KIDS (Lightning Rod Records) by JAMES MCMURTRY
If John Mellencamp is the American’ hinterland’s Don Henley, McMurtry is surely its Zevon. Possessed of a similarly mordant wit, the son of novelist Larry McMurtry (LONESOME DOVE, TERMS OF ENDEARMENT) paints an incredibly nuanced (and unsentimental) portrait of an American heartland rife with speed-freaks and casual incest. Like Algren, McMurtry recognizes that his subjects, haunted by the larger-than-life ghosts of Those Who Came Before and their attendant expectations, are nearly as often to blame for their own predicaments as any force beyond themselves. McMurtry’s character development is, quite simply, amazing, delivered in a deadpan as flat and barren as the plains themselves.
Choice tracks: “Just Us Kids”; “Hurricane Party”; “Ruby and Carlos; “Fire Line Road”.
3. MIDNIGHT MATINEE (self-released) by THE LOST PATROL
Were David Lynch to direct a spaghetti western featuring a climactic showdown between Carl Sagan and Carlos Castaneda, The Lost Patrol might provide the perfect soundtrack. Hailing from the greater New York City area, the band’s unique sound reflects a seemingly bottomless well of influences ranging from Morricone to Dick Dale to Joy Division. Guitarist Stephen Masucci’s reverb-drenched Mosrite along with the boundless desert skies of Michael Williams’ 12-string guitar provide a most complimentary backdrop for the otherwordly vocals of Mollie Israel (who replaces the band’s longtime lead singer, Danielle Kimak Stauss). While Israel’s voice occasionally belies her youth, her impressively solid debut nonetheless suggests the promise of even better things to come.
Choice tracks: “On the Run”; “Homecoming”; “Colors Turn Grey”; “Jukebox on the Moon”.
4. VOLUME II: FOR A LIFE EVER BRIGHT (self-released) by THE NEW ORLEANS BINGO! SHOW
Back in the pre-Katrina years of the 21st century, the vaudevillian sounds of Bingo! were a weekly fixture at Fiorella’s in NOLA’s French Quarter. Sadly, my visits to the Big Easy never coincided with any of their gigs, but I did manage to score the next best thing: a copy of the band’s eponymous 2002 album. With the band’s decadent instrumentation and sideshow aesthetic laying the foundation for lead singer/songwriter Clint Maedgen’s snake-oil vocals, their sound hinted at what Tom Waits might have become had he spent his formative years sweltering below sea-level. Since those early days, the band’s lineup has been overhauled, while Maedgen has pursued various side-projects, including his experimental-rock band, Liquidrone, as well as some stints as guest vox for one of the Crescent City’s most revered musical institutions, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. Rechristened The New Orleans Bingo! Show, the troupe released the impressive VOLUME I: SOFT EMERGENCIES in 2005. They continue to develop their ever-evolving sound on this year’s VOLUME II: FOR A LIFE EVER BRIGHT. Included among the new material are a handful of reinterpreted classics from the band’s early days, such as “In a Lounge with Broken Wings”, “Something in Her Shows” and “Pierre Pressure”; here, the wan violin of earlier versions is supplanted with the bolder strains of the tenor sax or Theremin, while barreling piano lines replace the pump organ of old. Hands down, this band merits a broader audience.
Choice tracks: “In a Lounge with Broken Wings”; “Mid City Baby”; “Shoeshine Blues”; “Something in Her Shows”.
5. JUST LOOK THEM STRAIGHT IN THE EYE AND SAY…POGUE MAHONE! (Rhino) by THE POGUES
In a world of overblown box sets that cull hours of music you likely already own elsewhere, the five-disc JUST LOOK THEM STRAIGHT IN THE EYE AND SAY…POGUE MAHONE! stands out, with roughly 75 percent of its content being previously unreleased. Moreover, while the set indeed feature its share of alternate takes, demos and live versions of songs already in circulation, a substantial portion of the “new” material is not only unfamiliar to even the most pickled of Pogues fans, it’s actually quite good (for example, the album-worthy “Balinalee” – an outtake from the band’s arguable creative pinnacle, IF I SHOULD FALL FROM GRACE WITH GOD – might have at the time simply been too much of a good thing on a record already brimming with stomping barn-burners). There are a few clinkers, of course, like the oft-covered “Eve of Destruction” (of which Shane MacGowan’s unintelligible, drug-garbled reading disappoints). But the few low-points here hardly compromise the overall strength of the material, including collaborations with Steve Earle and the dearly-departed Joe Strummer and Kirsty MacColl, as well as Pogue Philip Chevron’s accompanying overview.
Choice tracks: “North Sea Holes”; “Garbo (aka In and Out)”; “Nicaragua Libré”; “The Balinalee”.
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Over the next several weeks, we will be regularly posting Year End Wrap Up lists from our friends, readers, and regular Shank contributors. So please stay tuned...
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