Album of the Moment - Fu Manchu's "The Action is Go"

Some music collections are ever-changing, as tastes change or trends come and go.  Most people have short attention spans when it comes to music, save for a handful of favorite bands/artists, a few favorite songs, or perhaps a lone favorite album that they have an emotional connection to.  I, on the other hand, have a largely static collection that merely grows with my ever-expanding tastes and with time.  If I don't like a CD I don't generally get rid of it unless I'm hard up for cash, and that has only happened a couple times.  In 2004, I was hard up enough for cash that I ended up selling off some 200 of my then 600-CD collection.  Shame, really, as many of the CDs I sold off were excellent, and a couple of them will cost me a pretty penny to replace at some point.  One of the discs I regretted selling for so long was Fu Manchu's 1997 gem "The Action is Go".  It's still the only Fu Manchu release I ever owned, but only because I was afraid perhaps their other material wouldn't match up to this album.

So I recently re-purchased this, still sealed for just under six bucks, which I thought was a fantastic deal.  Listening to this again, it's as engaging and enjoyable as I remember it.  Fuzzed out guitar tone that belies the heaviness of the whole thing with driving riffs in some songs, while others have this lackadaisical tempo and tone to them that it feels like just a bunch of guys chilling out while rocking out.  Their music is deceptively simple, in many respects.  Lots of riff repetition, choruses that repeat themselves, or key bits in each song that are easily grasped hooks you can sink your teeth into.  There's a sense of dynamics at work here, however, that is perhaps less obvious at first, or on casual listens.  It's not quite as immediate as the loud-soft dynamic that Nirvana perfected, but along those lines.  Fu Manchu makes their shift in dynamics less polarized, so they don't appear to be quite as "dynamic" in nature.  But rest assured, these guys know what they're doing - they know exactly the kind of song they're writing when they've sparked your interest just enough to reel you in completely by the time the slightly more muscular chorus kicks in and you're tunelessly singing along.

The thing about Fu Manchu is that it's a formula that shouldn't necessarily work but does.  Vocally, this stuff is fairly a-tonal.  Not all of it, but I've heard hardcore punk bands with more melodic sensibility in the vocal lines than this stuff.  But Scott Hill's semi-sung, semi-yelled vocals have a sort of charm to them, so they're engaging nonetheless.  The fuzz guitar tone is fantastic, and though this band belongs to the "stoner rock" genre based on their style, the lyrics of this album belie any substance references in the lyrics, and musically they owe as much to early hardcore punk as they do to Black Sabbath or Candlemass.  It's an interesting marriage of the sedate and the energetic elements of the styles they converge which makes their sound vital.

In any event, I'm glad to finally have this CD back in my collection, and will be on the lookout for a vinyl version.  I'm also interested in scoring a European copy, since that release had 2 bonus tracks which don't appear on the North American release.  This has been spinning in my van's stereo for the last week and will continue to do so for a short while until I move on to other things, but like an old friend coming to visit after years of being away, this album is a welcome visitor to my CD player once again.

Eisley - The Valley (2011)

You have to admire the persistence of artists, especially those who were born to be so.  Many a musician well past their so-called prime have been accused of being washed-up, has-been players who shouldn't even be out embarrassing themselves on the club circuit, let alone trying to recapture their "glory days".  Other musicians get out there and make great music but fail to make an impact and quit out of sheer frustration due to the lack of recognition of their art.  But for those who were truly made to be musicians, it's difficult for them to get out of the craft, even when life comes at them from all sides and makes things more "interesting" than they might be used to.  This is when the rubber meets the road, and when only the strong survive.

The difficulty and drama Eisley experienced from 2007 forward has been well documented, so I won't write a book here about the events that caused the band's 3rd studio full-length release to be so delayed since 2007's "Combinations" album, the release that was to catapult the band into super-stardom (in indie-pop terms, anyway), and get Eisley the recognition they so rightfully deserve as one of the reigning female-fronted bands of this style.  Sadly, though "Combinations" did raise their profile somewhat, it failed to garner the band the fame and record sales that the record company was probably hoping for, and as a result, the relationship between Eisley and Warner Bros was likely tenuous prior to the end of their contract came up in 2010.  Add the personal tragedies and drama within the ranks of the band, and it's easy to see why it took nearly 3 years between writing and recording to finally get their 3rd album out to the fans.

One thing that must be said about Eisley is that they certainly know who they are.  While the band's sound has shifted away from the slightly more obtuse indie-pop of earlier efforts to a much more radio-ready version of their sound, it's still immediately recognizable as Eisley, in part due to the consistency of their material, but also the lovely voices of the DuPree sisters and their effortless delivery (despite their assertions to the contrary).  The band still combines a somewhat tough (for indie-pop, anyway) guitar delivery with delicious vocal harmonies, acoustic and mellow passages, perfect pop melodies, and tight instrumentation.  What has changed since the earlier releases is that they have a much more "focused" sound, than they did early on.  Some songs lean more toward the melancholy while others are more "up" or happy sounding, but nothing sounds too far from a middle ground that vacillates between "hopeful yet pensive" and "sad but optimistic".

Guitar is just right for this kind of music - the sort of tightly played, yet slightly lazy rhythm playing that embodies what makes this kind of music so much fun to listen to.  It's deceptively simple, the kind of thing that might give an aspiring musician (who's also a fan) the impression that they could run up on stage and join in with the band and jam out.  At the same time, it's also concise in its presentation, well executed and content to be an integral part of the instrumentation, but not overbearing in the mix.  Piano and keyboard work is excellent as always, with Stacy's playing on this album reflecting an almost "bouncy" quality that keeps the mood light, even in the more somber songs.  Bass guitar sounds good alongside the guitars and drums, and is well played, though as expected with this style, not flashy or doing anything overly complicated.  Drum work is competent and well suited to the material, with the appropriate level of weight when needed, and more dynamic when the songs call for it.  The additional orchestral flourishes (such as is found in "Kind", for example) are a nice touch, and sound great in context with the material.  As always, vocally the material is a delight.  While Chauntelle maintains that her vocals aren't her strength, I personally feel all 3 sisters sound fantastic, and that perhaps that imperfection is part of the charm of the overall vocal sound - there's a certain feeling present in a voice that isn't classically trained that you just don't get from vocalists who are trained to avoid certain personal inflections or inclinations.

I've been listening to this album pretty solid for months now, and I think it's a strong release.  One understands the context of the lyrics better when having some knowledge of the events leading up to the album's release, which isn't necessary for interpreting them, but certainly gives the listener the upper hand.  The album's penchant for lyrics dwelling on broken or lost love is both a strength and a weakness, in that the common theme works well, but by the end of the album it can be a bit too much drama.  After all, how many songs can one write about the dissolution of a marriage and love relationship before they've said everything that can or needs to be said about the subject?  Still, that's only a minor criticism, as there's enough depth and breadth to the songs that the subject matter isn't entirely stale by disc's end.  I do miss the more obtuse lyrics of some of the earlier releases, and I also miss the more broad scope of material as well.  This album, as I said, is very focused in sound.  Don't expect to hear a "Marvelous Things" or "Lost at Sea" here, because you won't.  There's far more "Telescope Eyes", "Invasion", or perhaps "Golly Sandra" in the material here.  One of the things that initially attracted me to the band was the sort of weird vibe that "Marvelous Things" and its video had.  That's not what made me stay hooked, however - it was the vocal harmonies and the combination of songs that were incredibly tuneful and memorable all at once.  So while the band has in some ways "lost their innocence", they still have the memorable and tuneful material in droves, so a record like this is infinitely listenable.  I guess the best way to say it is this: this isn't my favorite Eisley release, but I consider it a triumphant return for a band that was in the throes of personal tragedy, and certainly a record that any fan of Eisley should eat up without hesitation.  Fans of indie-pop in general undoubtedly already know of this album, and likely already have it in their collection.  If you're just getting into the style, I'd recommend getting "Room Noises" first, if only to see the range of the band before delving into either "Combinations" or this platter.  Otherwise, I have no reservations recommending this strongly.

82/100

Artist Spotlight - Mad At The World

It may seem old-fashioned or even kind of goofy now, but the expression "mad at the world" was at one point a perfectly reasonable thing to say when you were frustrated.  Nowadays it's all f-bombs and histrionics, with everyone scrambling to outdo everyone else's expressions of frustration and anguish.  But you don't have to scream at the top of your lungs to be heard, nor do you need to pepper lyrics with expletives to get the attention of those who might benefit from your stated position and/or message.  It helps sometimes, but taking the high road is usually the best way of communicating these things to your audience, because in the long run, the short-lived attention getting techniques may only serve to later alienate the audience as they age, so the impact you may have once had will be lost.  Avoiding these kinds of pitfalls will ensure a more lasting, positive impact on the crowd who may be listening to you.

Such is the case with Mad At The World, who came out in the late 1980's with a new sound (for "Christian music" anyway), a bit of a fresh perspective, and a decidedly intelligent lyrical bent that expressed the disenfranchisement and detachment some people felt with the world at large, in a way that would have both immediate impact, as well as leaving a lasting impression.  In the years that followed, MATW (as they shall heretofore be known) changed their game (more than once) and took on dark subject matter from a vantage point of exposing those things and shining upon them with truth and light so as to warn listeners of societal and spiritual pitfalls, as well as being frank about things that some folks weren't entirely comfortable being frank about.  It is this blatant honesty and vulnerability that made MATW so endearing to listeners, and why so many years later they are still held in such high regard.  The fact that their music (regardless of what genre they were taking on) is great certainly helps as well.

MATW started out in 1987 when Roger Rose began composing music and recorded a demo tape that landed in the hands of a Frontline Records executive.  Roger's tape was impressive enough to garner him a record deal, and he then set out recording the eponymous debut album with younger brother Randy, and guitarist/bassist Mike Pendleton in tow on several tracks.  Initially, the style was a very Depeche Mode-esque synth/dance pop with a melancholy bent and a very serious lyrical direction.  This was not to be bubble gum pop music, but real thoughtful pop with weight and meaning to it.  The debut was released in 1987 to critical acclaim among the CCM press, and fans of the synthpop style ate it up.  The 2nd release, "Flowers in the Rain", saw the group incorporating more traditional instrumentation beyond the synthpop base they started out with, so there were more drums and guitar on the record, as well as more rock-oriented songs and arrangements than before.  Indeed, the last track on the album "Dancing On Your Grave" (with the first lead vocal by Randy Rose) signaled the coming change to a more hard rock direction.


The 3rd release, 1990's "Seasons of Love", showed the band shifting entirely toward an alternative/hard rock style, complete with an acoustic ballad, several hard rocking tracks, and more blues-influenced arrangements.  This album also included 2 tracks with Randy on vocals, giving him more opportunities to show his talent as not only the band's drummer, but also as a vocalist with a decidedly grittier approach than Roger's more smooth vocal sound.  The 4th album, "Boomerang" (1991) took the hard rock sound full-on, sporting even harder tracks and more straight-ahead rock arrangements than ever before.  This album included more tracks with Randy on vocals, and the band's most controversial track, "Isn't Sex a Wonderful Thing?", which posed the question that if God created sex, shouldn't it be a wonderful thing?  Unfortunately, as the lyrics explore, it's not always wonderful when used out of the context of a marriage relationship, as the examples of misuse of sex provided by the song will attest to.  1992 saw the band's 5th album "Through the Forest", often considered the best by fans of the group.  This saw a continuation of the alternative hard rock sound from the previous 2 albums, but had an overall darker tone with punchier songs and arrangements, as well as material that was a bit more exploratory in nature with other stylistic elements included for great effect.  One particular highlight was "M.A.T.W. (Reprise)" which was a driving hard rock remake of the band's eponymous track from the debut album.  The final track on the album, "If I Can Dream" is a cover  of an Elvis song, and a stylistic departure from the rest of the material, signalling another change in direction.  Also departing were Mike Pendleton and guitarist Brent Gordon.


"The Ferris Wheel", released in 1993, saw the band moving away from the hard rock of the previous 3 releases into a more alternative pop-rock (or power-pop) direction, concentrating less on muscular guitar-driven songs and more on pop and rock arrangements, with a decidedly less "tough" sound, reminiscent of mid-period Beatles music in many respects.  While Randy continued to explore a heavier hard rock/metal sound in his band Rose, he was lock-step in MATW with more mellow tunes on this disc as well that he wrote and sang.  Randy also brought in 2 members of his solo band, Ben Jacobs on guitar and Mike Link on bass to round out the line-up.  Coming some 2 years after that was the band's final studio album, "The Dreamland Cafe", which featured an even greater emphasis on Beatlesque power-pop than before, as well as tinges of light psychedelia.  Some of the material, according to interviews, was played entirely by Roger Rose.    Though this was the last studio album the band recorded, they remained active in some fashion until 1998 when they officially called it quits.  Randy continued making solo music for a time (under the new Mothership moniker), and Roger disappeared from the music industry limelight.  1998 also saw the release of "World History", a somewhat uneven compilation album of tracks from the band's 1st 6 albums - curiously, their final album is not represented on the release at all.  Also curious is that the compilation steers toward the more mellow side of the band, though a couple harder rock tracks are included, rather than exploring all facets of the band's sound.


The band's impact is difficult to quantify, because they were a small fish in a small pond, in the sense that they didn't sell a lot of albums, and were probably more critical darlings than a band with a large fanbase.  Still, their influence can be heard throughout popular Christian music over the following decade and then some.  Synthpop duo House Of Wires covered the song "Mad At The World" on their 2nd album "Monogamy", and many bands from a number of genres have expressed both respect for and love of the music of MATW.  Some other bands respect what MATW accomplished musically and lyrically, even if they aren't necessarily fans of MATW's music.  Either way, Roger and Randy Rose (and the other various members of MATW through the years) have made an impact on the rock music world with their songs and their hearts worn decidedly on their sleeves.  I salute MATW for their creative approach, their lack of fear in changing things up when they felt called to do so, and for the wealth of great music they have released.