Views

In which our reviewer extols the virtues of sharp local bands

by Bob Gulla

The Eyesores

The fresh breezes are back, the calendar page reads "September," and the bands who hate crashing in stinky summer vans, will at last be hitting the road now that the heat's off their backs. Long live the records they'll support.

The Eyesores: May You Dine On the Reeds Made Bitter By the Piss of Drunkards (Tour Only Release)

Up from the noisy detritus of demi-legends the Amoebic Ensemble rises the more traditionally titled Eyesores, led by head Amoeba Alec Redfearn. Originally consisting of two basses and a percussionist, the sestet has now evolved into a more conventionally rock-based din, with two guitars, a string bass, percussion, lap steel and Redfearn's cheesy accordion, though that major structural alteration hasn't restricted the band to playing conventional material. The Eyesores bounce from country and gypsy to punk and Zappa-rock; May You Dine shatters into a million stylistic shards, never remaining in one place for too long, never letting on where any one song will take you next. A mandolin punctuates "The Warmest Coat," Middle Eastern nasal chanting interrupts "Defenseless," while Redfearn's accordion and a soaring guitar give "Sleeping" a pretty, Tejano-rock warmth. Amoebic fans won't be disappointed by the Eyesores' new palette of colors. It's a little brighter, yeah, even a little pastelly at points, but it's not less striking in a dark, drunken, disorderly kind of way.

The Eyesores are at the Met on Wednesday, September 8, with Godspeed, You Black Emperor! and Labradford in a P Squared Production.

The Indestructibles: 20 Penny Nail (Bib Records)

Writer, producer, lead Indestructible and former Jungle Dog Tom Kutcher knows as well as anyone that it's gotta be tough to write good ska. I mean, first of all, you've got just a few chords to work with and even fewer tempos. And let's be honest. Most of today's skavoovie grooves are a rehashing of the Skatalites, which was already rehashed in Second Wave Brit acts like the Specials, the Selecter, and the Beat, and again in the Third Wave acts like Save Ferris and Reel Big Fish. So to do it well, you've got to really love it, especially now that the tidal waves of popularity have subsided and the legions of fans who once donned bowling shirts and ska-danced the night away have now deserted to the asshole rock camp (Korn, Limp Bizkit). Anyway, Kutcher and company do love the groove and they prove it on their debut, the 10-song 20 Penny Nail. Songs like the loping "Perfect Order" and "Being Struck" have character without veering from the classic ska format, while "Dirty Pictures" revs up and kicks ass in a cool, ska-soul kinda way. Kutcher's not exactly the lyricist that the Specials' Lynval Golding was -- even if he does see fit to print his lyrics in the CD booklet -- so there's still some work to be done. But the Indestructibles deserve credit for keeping the ska flame lit even when no one needs the light.

Dead Flowers: Halcyon Days (self-released)

Anybody can pick up a guitar and strum through a batch of primitive chord changes. But, of the upstarts you can tell which ones really mean it, which ones have spent some serious time in their bedrooms listening to records. I don't want to be presumptuous, but I bet David Borges and Scot MacGillivray of Dead Flowers have logged some considerable hours absorbing the magical sounds of their collections. I'd also be willing to bet there are albums by U2, the Smiths, and Echo and the Bunnymen -- Borges's voice is a ringer for Ian McCulloch -- in that collection. What's it all mean? It means that the band has learned to write pop music from some good teachers; and their debut album, Halcyon Days, presents proof positive that Dead Flowers may be onto something. If the guitar playing is on the unschooled side, at least the melodies are memorable; if the vocals don't always stay in key, the emotion in Borges's vox lingers pleasantly. "Plastic Son" and "Day You Were Born," which features bassist Chris Francis, swing with conviction, while "It's Alright" cascades with fluid acoustic changes. Beyond its shortcomings, there's a feeling at the core of this record that really means something. And that's an admirable accomplishment at this, or any, level.

The Marlowes: Same Dog Barks (Red Eye Records)

On the surface, a rock band is a pop band is a garage band is a punk band is a rock band. The guitars crank, the singer finds some lyrics somewhere (ideally) in his heart, the drummer decides on a tempo and the bass player agrees, the producer points to the band, the red light goes on, and a rock song is born. But what seems like a boringly repetitious among those outside the business, is like mining for pure gold in the mountains of California to those of us inside. Bands who are devoted to finding that gold, search for songs the way the 49ers searched for nuggets. Bands like the Marlowes even come up with a few, as evidenced on their new disc Same Dog Barks. With two guitars, bass and drums, the Pawtucket quartet is limited to a traditional rock line-up, but they do their best to work creatively within it on songs like the industry paean "Is This What I Gave Up My Guitar For?" (with the key line, "Is this why I threw it all away?") and the roaring blues rock of "Why Didn't I Think of That?," in which the band explores the finer points of solid drumming, slightly distorted guitar, and some fine vocal harmonies on the chorus. Fans of straight-up rockers like the Del Fuegos and Paisley Underground outfits like Green on Red and Naked Prey will appreciate the Marlowes quest for golden pop nuggets, and so will you if you've got a few extra bucks. Find this band a producer to assist Jack Gauthier down at Lakewest and who knows what could happen?

Got some points of interest? Contact b_gulla@yahoo.com