Harvette
Harvette
Stone Garden
HH (of five)
It must be one laugh after the other being a member of Harvette's inner circle. It's obvious the LA-based trio likes poking fun at just about everything, including themselves, as evidenced on the 14-track, self-titled debut.
Yet, there's one problem with Harvette's sense of humor: No one, except for the band and a few pretentious folks who gather 'round coffee houses in southern California bragging, "Yeah, I went to high school with those guys," gets the joke.
Whether it's the lonely, pathetic life of a lovable loser who has fallen for his best friend's bride ("Coverall easy/Cuddled 'til queasy/Jefferson marathon/Favorite is 'Ouisey") on the album's opening "Sweet and Scary," or the story of a slacker who just can't seem to make it in the real world ("Hi mom/Please keep your dog off my lap") on "Movin' Back Home," Harvette delivers punch lines only a mother could love — as long as she hasn't heard this one before.
What's worse is that Harvette, made up of lead vocalist/guitarist Danny Allen (whose Lennonesque voice does little to make up for his lyrical inability), bassist/vocalist Dave Chapple and drummer Michael Kinkade, strays nary an inch from the predictable songwriting for which its dufus-rock predecessors (i.e., Marcy Playground and Fountains of Wayne) became infamous.
There's quite a difference between Bob Dylan's three-chords-and-the-truth mantra and even the most melodically-challenged listener being able to transcribe the first sitting to sheet music.
For all its comedic bombs and bland composition, the album's saving grace may be Chapple's "Memorial Day," a sincere and nostalgic ballad chronicling the struggles of a dysfunctional military family. It's one glimpse of what Harvette could potentially become if only they'd take themselves seriously and drop the fatal attempt at satirical lampooning.
Until then, Harvette can expect what a Carrot Top routine gets these days — the deafening sound of chirping crickets.
Reach Josef Watson at josef.watson@asu.edu.
Concrete Blonde
Group Therapy
Manifesto Records
HH 1/2 (of five)
Concrete Blonde's new album, Group Therapy, bills itself as the band's first new work in eight years. One hopes that the band didn't spend all that time working on it.
Group Therapy (Manifesto Records, in stores now) is not a terrible album; it's just not very inspired. The band, made up of James Mankey, Harry Rushakoff, and lead singer Johnette Napolitano, has a nice sound —ringing, mellow guitars and pulsing bass/percussion. But, aside from a few songs, the melodies are fairly insipid, neither memorably hook-laden or experimental.
Still, there are a few nice tracks. "Roxy" and "Violent" are respectable, driving rock songs that make one start air drumming in the car. The best song on the album is "True, Part III," which features a soulful voice by Napolitano and beautifully harmonizing guitars.
Overall, the lyrics are fresh and interesting. In "When I was a Fool," the band writes, "I walk through the airport and read magazines/Every face that I see so much younger than me/And I drink and I think how I don't even miss my glorious past."
These lyrics and others sound true and world-weary; they catch exactly the sentiments of a band that has grown a little wiser and mellower reflecting on their rock-and-roll past.
Unfortunately, the musical elements of the enterprise give off a whiff of derisiveness. Most of the songs are standard rock affairs that sound vaguely and unexcitingly familiar. The band — particularly the guitars —sounds an awful lot like The Cowboy Junkies.
It is an inevitable comparison since both bands feature female singers, but distressing nonetheless. In "When I was a Fool," Napolitano sings/screams like Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters, and the minor chords of a sluggish, heavy base evoke Floyd's The Wall.
"INSIDE/OUTSIDE" sounds a little like early U2, and then segues into "Fried," which practically lifts the highly recognizable opening base and snare line form the Irish rockers' "Bullet the Blue Sky."
All of the rock and roll is a mishmash of its own past, and one can forgive a little musical plundering if the songs move or inspire.
Unfortunately for Concrete Blonde and their fans, the songs on Group Therapy do neither. Hopefully the band does not take another eight years to come up with something a little more fulfilling.
Reach Michael Green at michael.green@asu.edu
Desaparecidos
Read Music/Speak Spanish
HHHH (of five)
"Missing persons" in English equates to Desaparecidos in Spanish.
Although the motives of this Midwest punk band to name themselves in a foreign language may never be revealed, it is clear they won't stop performing until they've made an impact.
Their album, Read Music/Speak Spanish (now available) combines an alternative style with a deeper message to create songs that you'll be humming all the way to music appreciation class.
Similar in sound to Weezer and The Pixies, Desaparecidos uses raw emotion and fierce music to make critical, social commentary.
Desaparecidos outwardly protests the evils of corporate America, the destruction of nature and the institution of marriage.
Their first single release titled, "The Happiest Place on Earth," uses satirical lyrics such as "good God shed greed on thee" to attack the American capitalistic system and near-monopoly corporations like Disney.
"There are no art forms now, just capitalism," sums up the band's sentiments about America's consumerist values.
Other songs such as "Greater Omaha" and "Man and Wife (Damaged Goods)" describe suburbia gone awry and the unhappiness present in the average, "functional" home environment.
It seems as though the five members of Desaparecidos have been burned before.
Such pain and bitterness reverberates through every instrumental outburst and passionate delivery of lyrics.
Desaparecidos brings the healing powers of musical expression to life by fighting against the mainstream and not succumbing to concerns about what "sells."
Ironically, Desaparecidos began this year's tour in Omaha, Neb., on Jan. 18. They will travel to venues across the country until March 3 and play at Nita's Hideaway, Feb. 13.
The unique lyrics and almost familiar sound of Desaparecidos gives us all something to relate to.
This CD is different, yet familiar, and capable of reaching an audience on levels that run deeper than media-fabricated images.
Reach Jennifer Ballesteros at jennifer.ballesteros@asu.edu.
