Imperturbable pop

Purple Ivy Shadows' clear vision

by Michael Caito

Purple Ivy Shadows

Ham-fisted irony is never in short supply in the realm of rock and roll. It's most useful in endearing a band to fans by letting them in on a joke, whether the joke is big or small. Used sparingly, irony remains highly effective, but many bands take it to the nth degree and end up wallowing in a muddy pool of humorless self-awareness, like Live and, to a lesser degree, Pearl Jam.

Metal and rap have always gone light on ironic twists, choosing to make the message more immediate and, in their fans' opinion, a lot more satisfying because the listener senses in each full-on moment where you stand and where they stand. But that too can be abused, and more "cerebral" listeners dismiss the hi-octane ruckus as simplistic.

Purple Ivy Shadows, then, are a welcome respite from the oodles of self-examination which consistently arrive from the indie/alternative rock camp. The Providence quartet, just back from a two-month tour which gained praise from the New York Times and Mojo, among others, have released No Less the Trees Than the Stars (Slow River/Ryko), their full-length debut, and hit the road again after Saturday's Century Lounge headliner to continue their tour with Reservoir.

No Less represents tenacity. Original members Erik Carlson and Chris Daltry, who moved to Rhode Island from the mid-Atlantic area in the early '90s, spent literally years trying to locate a rhythm section that jibed with their style of expansive, imperturbable pop, which debuted here around the time of the Indie Rock Fest staged mainly by Ty Jesso (now with the Itchies) and No Less engineer and co-mixer Dave Auchenbach. They blew through all kinds of drummers and bassists, though it's never seemed like being in a band with Carlson and Daltry would be like doing a stint as a Mussolini aide-de-camp. The wait proved worthwhile with Will Rice and drummer Frank Mullin eventually cementing the current foursome and contributing as if they were original members.

Music rags harp too much on the Shadows's aural kinship to the estimable Palace Brothers, and again on any number of UK pop ensembles where instrospection is raised to not so much an art form as a tightly-prescribed sacrament. But I'm hearing a lot more old Neil Young on No Less, far before Neil started decorating his stadium sets with gigundo American flags (odder still, given that Young was born in Canada). Definitely more "Cortez the Killer" than "Rockin' In the Free World," but let's not dwell.

What they have given us on their debut is a multi-layered record which never becomes twisted up in its own textures. While many of the songs, locked in by Mullin's extremely tasteful 6/8, have effects-laden guitar interplay, it's never ponderous, though if you're looking for a pure adrenaline push you'd have to search elsewhere. It's crafted with the same care put into the songs of Medicine Ball over several records -- nothing sounds like a tacked-on studio afterthought and the individual tunes don't rush pell-mell into a blatant meaning or destination. There's plenty of both, but like only the most accomplished rockers the Shadows know there's something to be said for letting the song unfold at its own pace.

Whenever you use terms like "expansive" you run the risk of being pushed into some sort of psychedelic or neo-psych niche, but the Shadows are too confident to let that create a distraction. Blessed with a name which perfectly describes their music (as accurately as Rage Against the Machine's pinpoints theirs), PIS bring an ambience that, while capable of rocking out, only does so when the time and tune are ripe. It sounds like they have a game plan. Imperturbable, sometimes, but uninvolving, never. No Less is earnestness without irony, coloring galore, and believability. Their open invite is for listeners to slap on the CD and listen carefully or to do something else while their melodies almost secretly wend their way into your mind.

Take the first three tracks. "Pawtucket" is as delicious an entrée of pop-rock hooks, complete with phenomenal harmonies, as you'll hear, "Feeble" slowly builds to a imploring burn, while "Rebuilding the Ancestral Statue," despite the grandiloquence of the title, is a fuzz-fueled, country/folk shambling anthem replete with sax and crashing cameo rhythm guitar from pal Anders Parker. From then on, importantly, the quality remains high for the entire 44 minutes. Entire.

It's a credit to the vision of Carlson and Daltry that the Shadows' sound has not changed since the early '90s. They've remained unswayed by fad or trend, and No Less sounds like they've corralled the finest moments of the numerous cassettes which they've laid on me over the years. They've stuck to their muse, and through patience and an obvious confidence in their mood-making abilities (which in itself is cause for celebration), have engendered a poised, four-dimensional trip through a landscape of purple, ivy and shadow. Tenacity without results is still good, but in these too-rare instances where the wait was worthwhile, all you wanna do after No Less the Trees Than the Stars is say, "Wow, thanks. That was fun."

Purple Ivy Shadows appear at the Century Lounge on Saturday with Johnny West and Romola.

COUPLA BIG DEALS. Velvet Crush's newest Heavy Changes was released last month in Japan, where it is doing well, according to recently-wed guitarist Jeffrey Underhill. No word yet on domestic issue. The release of Mark Cutler's Skylolo is scheduled for next month, but 'til then you can try to hunt down his new cassette EP Six All the Way (Potters Field) with the excellent weiner art and six tunes recorded around the holidays by Mok and friends Bob Giusti, Em Torrey, Jim Olson, Matt Egan on piano, John Amitrano and TBuck on added bass, Klem guesting on sax, Mark Hoffman on pedal steel, Eric Fontana on guitar, and Bob Gillespie on drums. These six won't appear on Skylolo but include a reworking of the unforgettable Schemers track "Valley of Love" plus "Mortician's Blues," "Dirty Town" and more.

SHOWS. Weekend pix include the Agents at the Met Friday, Dave Howard and the High Rollers plus Radio Kings at the Call, plus Combustible Edison next door at the Century Lounge. On Saturday, ? & the Mysterians/Lyres/Swingin' Neckbreakers/Mr. Rogers Project hit the Met while Six Finger Satellite/Pleasure Horse (with Sean from Landed) assault the Safari. Sunday at the Met includes Arson Family, Violent Anal Death and more.

UNLIKE THE PATRIOTS, HE COULD SCORE.Czech violist/ conductor/composer Antonin Dvorák was bummed and homesick after settling stateside in the 1890s, and he somehow incorporated that feeling into the glorious rise of early American folksongs/spirituals like "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," giving us his provocative ninth symphony, part of Saturday's Philharmonic program titled Made In America. Quoth Dvorak (though he later backpedaled a bit): "I am convinced that the future music of this country must be founded on what are called Negro melodies. They are the folk songs of America, and your composers must turn to them." Violinist Elmar Oliveira is guest soloist, and works by Charles Ives and Samuel Barber complete the orchestra's impressive, mostly-homegrown menu.