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POSTER CHILDREN Grand Bargain !
( Lotuspool )
The current political-social climate has inspired many artists to add their voices to the din : so enter Poster Children , the darlings of the Champaign-Urbana alternative music scene since the late 1980s . The band has always been socially conscious and now , nearly 15 years since their last album , they prove to be again on Grand Bargain . In the title track , in the band ’ s vintage post-punk style , singer Rick Valentin points out , “ In the land of the free market and the home of the wage slave / It ’ s not the robots you need to worry about , it ’ s the corporate humans .” “ World ’ s Insane ” tries to rally hope in the face of confounding events (“ We are standing upright in a world turned upside down / We have got to stick together / We have got to stand our ground ”). With a slower rocking tempo , “ Devil And The Gun ” takes a more pessimistic approach (“ Find a quiet place for the ones you love / There ’ s no escape from the devil with the gun ”). Valentin ’ s urgent vocals seem to hit a manic crescendo in “ Brand New Country ”: “ Who are these strangers who let all these heretics in ? / Where are the heroes ? And where are the true citizens ? / I think it ’ s time this experiment came to an end .” Issues aside , the band is at its musical best when vocal harmonies between Valentin and bassist Rose Marshack are featured , as on “ Lucky Ones ,” a brooding , pure pop rock track , and on “ Hippy Hills ,” an upbeat , nostalgic trip to childhood that has the duet singing : “ The best years of our lives / I ’ m going home / The way things never were .” Appearing 6 / 29 at Lincoln Hall , Chicago
– Jason Scales
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THE FOREIGN FILMS The Record Collector
( Factor )
This premium-grade 3-LP set collects a long-gestating epic from the mind of Hamilton , Ontario power-pop architect Bill Majoros and his crafty cohorts in the Foreign Films . “ Shadow in the Light ” leads the charge with youthful memories and pop savvy . “ The Sun Will Shine Again ” draws threads to the glorious descent of Mott the Hoople ’ s “ All the Young Dudes ” and mid-tempo , harmonyladen ELO ballads like “ Can ’ t Get it Out of My Head ,” all anchored by a rhythmic nod to Queen ’ s “ We Will Rock You .” “ Junior Astronomer ’ s Club ” adds psychedelic
flourishes like sitar drone and spacefaring guitar leads alongside xylophone and elegant strings , adding the Beatles , Jellyfish , and Frank Zappa to the growing recommend-if-you-like roster . The Princely funk-pop of “ The Record Collector ” describes a girl who captures her emotions in the songs she spins , leaving her somewhat hindered when trying to connect with the present . The crashing “ Broken Dreamers ” and “ State of the Art ” echo the Memphis chime of Big Star and southern jangle of R . E . M . The dubiously titled “ Lucky Streak ” is a theme song awaiting the perfect spy movie . “ Teardrop Town ” is a slinky film-noir vignette casting familiar streets as an alluring but deadly siren , sung as a duet between Majoros and Kori Pop . All of these highlights merely describe the set ’ s first platter . The Record Collector ’ s package includes the short story “ Emily Blue and the Star on the Moon ,” revealing the thoughts of the character at the heart of the songs . Although isolated , Emily ’ s inner life and sense of wonder at everyday beauty sustain her . LP 2 chronicles Emily ’ s hopeful “ A Letter ( To Our Future Selves ).” “ Northern Love Song ” recalls the Beatles ’ “ Getting Better ,” fusing George Martin ’ s heart-swelling string arrangements with Phil Spector ’ s wall of sound and a nimble Brian May-styled guitar solo . LP 3 picks up with Emily as a young woman in Fall of the Summer Heart . Chapters including “ You Were My Summer Sun ” and “ The Loneliest Night ” tap Majoros ’ affinity for the Beach Boys , Burt Bacharach , Moody Blues and Zombies as they recall the bitter and the sweet of summer romance . Carl Jennings ’ bass during “ Emily ’ s Dream Sequence ” nods to Marvin Gaye ’ s “ Inner City Blues .” The thrills culminate in the
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side-long “ Fall of the Summer Heart ,” a pop symphony in eight movements . Like the delicate “ Girl by the River ,” the songcycle mourns a loss while celebrating its memory . In summary , this ambitious work offers a charming and evocative trip for hours of escape and a devoted love letter to the golden age of pop radio and bedroom turntables . ( theforeignfilms . com ).
– Jeff Elbel
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THE DAMNED Evil Spirits
( Search And Destroy / Spinefarm )
The Damned return with the worthy Evil Spirits , the punk rock progenitors ’ first album in ten years . The album launches with the headlong gallop of “ Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow ,” as Captain Sensible ’ s echoey surf-pop guitar licks and slashing power chords rush alongside singer Dave Vanian ’ s portentous , gothic baritone and a message of purposeful determination . The charging energy recalls the band ’ s cover of Love ’ s “ Alone Again Or ” from 1986 ’ s Anything . The band gets topical on the stomper “ We ’ re So Nice ,” which twists the Beatles ’ “ Day Tripper ” riff into a demented shape and features a majestic ‘ 60s psych-pop choir . Vanian snarls the song ’ s cheeky but withering appraisal of imperialism and interventionist policies by major Western powers . “ Look Left ” makes further criticism of prevailing social attitudes . The band ’ s humor is also evident throughout the album , and at the forefront of songs like the Devo-ish “ Procrastination .” “ My time is precious , I need to hoard it ,” sings Vanian . Sensible ’ s guitars slash and sting during title cut “ Evil Spirits ” while Pinch and returning bassist Paul Gray spar in frenetic rhythm in a hyper-caffeinated reinvention of the Who ’ s “ I Can See for Miles .” Oxymoron ’ s keyboards fill the relentless and desperate “ Shadow Evocation ” with orchestral flair , while Vanian sings as a character trying vainly to outrun the pace of time . Gray ’ s bass lends “ Sonar Deceit ” a bounce and swing akin to the Jam ’ s “ A Town Called Malice ,” and Sensible ’ s lyric spins a crooked fantasy hinged upon man ’ s tampering with the balance of nature . Pinch plays a punishing Motörhead beat against the 12-string jangle of “ The Daily Liar .” During the song ’ s rapturous instrumental section , Sensible ’ s stinging solo , Oxymoron ’ s whirling organ , and Gray ’ s rambling bass all duel in a space-jam freakout a la Steppenwolf ’ s “ Magic Carpet Ride ” or a particularly snarky retelling of the Monkees ’ “ Pleasant Valley Sunday .” David Bowie producer Tony Visconti helps steer songs like drummer Pinch ’ s spiky “ Devil in Disguise ” in the direction of the band ’ s early glam and punk peaks . Ultimately , it sounds like Evil Spirits was
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wicked fun to create , making this an album that fans of 1977 ’ s Damned Damned Damned or 1979 ’ s Machine Gun Etiquette should find easy to love .
– Jeff Elbel
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ELVIS PRESLEY The Searcher
( RCA / Legacy )
This release comes in different formats including an 18-track vinyl album of studio hits , live recordings , and alternate versions featured in the HBO documentary Elvis Presley : The Searcher that premiered in April . A deluxe three-CD box includes 55 Presley recordings on two discs , and an additional set of soundtrack compositions and hand-picked tracks by fan and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready , whose carefully curated selections reveal Presley ’ s own influences . Vintage cuts including Arthur “ Big Boy ” Cruddup ’ s rollicking “ That ’ s All Right ” and Bill Monroe ’ s bluegrass “ Blue Moon of Kentucky ” reveal the roots behind Elvis ’ chart-scaling versions . Other tracks like Howlin ’ Wolf ’ s “ Smokestack Lightning ” trace the King of Rock and Roll ’ s foundation to the blues . The set is revealing but not definitive ; Big Mama Thornton ’ s “ Hound Dog ” is notably absent from the source tracks , although Elvis ’ version is present . In any case , this isn ’ t meant to be a greatest hits collection . Elvis standards including “ Heartbreak Hotel ” raise goosebumps , but the goal is to describe Presley ’ s journey , discovering rich musical terrain while adapting and innovating to find his own voice . Undeniably , the music Presley found rippled through decades of music . The Orlons ’ sparkling “ Heartbreak Hotel ” takes the song from Memphis to Motown . Presley ’ s take on polka “ Wooden Heart ” ( the “ Blue Christmas ” B-side is sung in English and German ) echoes later in a roots-based interpretation by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers recorded circa 1994 ’ s Wildflowers . The documentary and this collection give witness to Presley as a restless artist who has lost something , wondering whether he can find it in a song .
– Jeff Elbel
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JEFF BECK Still on The Run : The Jeff Beck Story
( Eagle Rock DVD )
Guitars and cars ; the two things that best sum up the life of legendary British blues / rock guitarist Jeff Beck . From the Yardbirds , to the Jeff Beck Group ( featuring Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood ), to his power trio Beck , Bogart and Appice , to his instrumental solo albums , Beck possesses a massive musical vocabulary . His unique style and complex technique is untouchable . Armed with his fine-tuned Fender
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32 illinoisentertainer . com july 2018 |