Zulu's breakthrough

Plus, Dub Squad, and Arab On Radar

by Michael Caito

Arab on Radar

With five years under their belt Foxtrot Zulu have stayed the course, using the time to figure out where they've been and where they're heading. Given the strength of their third LP, its title, Frozen In Time (Phoenix Rising), may be misleading, since for the bulk of the band's existence they were anything but frozen, hopscotching among genres and eras without fitting comfortably in any of them.

So it was with a fair amount of trepidation that this Kingston-based septet's latest CD hit the stereo. And 40 minutes later it was good to report that the band have finally made confidence in themselves translate on record. Blurring images between roots-rock and a contemporary jam band's affinity for expansiveness, the Zulu crew prove the third's a charm on their debut for the nascent Manhattan-based label (which isn't affiliated with the Phoenix you're reading). And while never earth-shaking in originality, Foxtrot Zulu have penned a set of songs which mainly avoid mushing together like identically oozy baked beans on a plate. It's smooth without that word's usual pejorative meaning. The brass, led by Jeff Light on trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone (and harmonica), kick the flavor up a notch, and are critical to the featured composition's vibe instead of just decorating with cutesy intro and outros. Thus Light and Terryston ("T.K.") Chwan Kyan add depth, notably on "The Day the Moon Crashed to the Ground."

Singer/rhythm guitarist Nate Edmunds knows his vocal limits and acts reasonably, a la Dave Matthews, allowing percussionists space to operate, and Paul Miller (percussion) and Jeff Roberge (drums) do their part by not overplaying, a rare treat in this realm. The fact that none of the seven members performed in other bands either before or after forming this outfit attests to their tenacity, and also makes it very difficult to draw comparisons with other bands, even if I thought that doing that ever serves any purpose. Gorgeously produced in Woodstock's Dreamland and Unique in NYC, Foxtrot Zulu's similarity to the Agents is worth mentioning in that both bands took a while to gel. More than most bands' entire life cycle, in fact. But once that happens it will silence longtime naysayers, reinvigorate disaffected fans whose patience had worn thin and, importantly, usher a new crowd into the Zulu scene just as a brief Northeast tour gains steam. They are also prepped to tour with Jambands.com 99; info at www.foxtrotzulu.com.
Foxtrot Zulu play at the Century Lounge on Saturday, May 8.

Dub Squad (12-song indie CD)
Maasai alum Tony Blackett (a.k.a. T Black) sings and mans keyboards on this thoroughly enjoyable reggae offering which nevertheless took a while to sink in. Listening too hard to reggae is an exercise in futility, since its premise, more so than many musical styles, is often the visceral stuff embedded deep within the listener's subconscious. When it's happening it's undeniable, and with a loose-limbed fluency and fluidity Blackett and Co. nail it. Take your pick as far as choice tracks; the opening "Reggae Circuit" starts the disc with probably the most urgent beat, proffering the band's duty-bound sense of dedication to gigging life. "Dready Come Forward," "One Love Jamdown" and "Revolution" got into my head faster than the rest, but they all ended up staying for a while, and it became difficult to turn it off before it was through. So try this one on and make some new friends. Cool stuff.
Dub Squad play the Ocean Mist May 10 with Toots & the Maytals.

Arab On Radar: Rough Day At the Orifice (Op Pop Pop 9-song CD)
Screeching squealing barking leg-humping guttural yelpings and string abuse from the jarring Providence-based Arabs, following a less-chaotic single and debut LP and preceding their next on Load. Fuckin' A, this is a tough sell, even given this reviewer's admiration of the frenzied aural alchemy which Lightning Bolt, Pleasurehorse and Six Finger Satellite have thrust like rusty forks into the gizzards of self-satisfied rockers over the past few years. While the lyrical focus never strays from disturbing images of insertion and mutilation of various reproductive organs and furniture, the backing instruments are perhaps even more disturbed, a cartoonish spoof of (or tribute to, I can't tell) any number of experimental noise outfits. To simplify: this record made me wanna go step on a kitten. Despite it's utero-centricity, it's about as arousing as NASCAR and as ultimately useful as reading the DallasJo for things to do. Only for the most uncompromising of you noise enthusiasts. A new high. Or low. And good luck to ya.
Arab On Radar play their record release party on May 13 at the Living Room.

STARS & BARS. String Builder, comprised Alec and Joel Thibodeau, have just left Providence on an ambitious and unique national tour. Traveling exclusively by Greyhound, the brothers, whose new single on Minnesotan label Grimsey is spectacular, will not only perform, but are using this opportunity to document American culture as we whirl towards the century's end. So in 25 cities, visited in a roughly clockwise fashion, Alec and Joel will be doing some travel writing, photography and using audio interviews and recordings for the project, dubbed From the Curb, with an eye towards editing the final product into a gallery exhibit to go up in later summer. In such capable hands I'm sure the end product will lend some much-needed perspective to the boatload of inane commentary on the State of the Union circa 1999. They're reachable through e-mail on the road at stringbuilder@yahoo. com, but meanwhile go find that 7" single, one of the tastiest releases of the year to date.

Congrats to the Rhode Island Philharmonic on another fine Classical Series season, one which wraps up in style with an all-French program Saturday at Vets, led by Larry Rachleff and featuring cellist Colin Carr. Miss this and you'll have to wait till fall. Onwards.

Canadian popsters Moxy Früvous join Mark Cutler on Friday at the Met, and in the same place on Sunday there's a benefit called "Save Fort Thunder" featuring Toss Offs, F*ckhead Five and more. On Saturday, The Slip hit the Living Room, and '80s musicvid queen Dale Bozzio joins Missing Persons at the Station.