Illinois Entertainer Record Store Day 2019 Guide

Band and Little Feat before erupting into a rowdy instrumental break recalling old mates The Beatles. Work-in-progress mixes represent nine of the album's 12 songs. In addition to nine tracks of alternate mixes, Wish You Were Here includes Evans’ buoy- ant “Queen of Darkness.” The bonus cut is a worthy addition with its chugging Chuck Berry rhythm and satisfying lyrical bite. – Jeff Elbel 8 Badfinger 9 Wish You Were Here AMERICAN FOOTBALL American Football (LP3) (Polyvinyl) After a 17 year gap making their sec- ond album, American Football gained near-legendary status as Midwestern Emo godfathers. Riding into parenthood on their 2nd album in three years, LP3 strips away the mystique an of their youth exposing flaws without tearing away the veneer that gained them legendary status as guardian angels of prairieland emo. By all accounts American Football are just regular guys without pretense. That does- n't wash off the mysteriousness of their personalities that only a few bands have been able to maintain, most notably 1981- 1983 era New Order. Chief songwriter Mike Kinsella is an everyman we all seem we've met at a youth soccer game, but with an angelic croon. His lyrics expose a darker side (“I blamed my father in my youth/Now as a father, I blame the booze") on "Uncomfortably Numb," shar- ing vocals with Paramore's Haley Williams. Normally Williams dominant vocal style would steal the show from the protagonist, but Kinsella insecurity shines in a bed of floating staccato guitar har- monics and Steve Lamos' haunting regi- mented drums. Surprisingly more female guest vocalists appear on LP3 including Land of Talk vocalist Elizabeth Powell, and Slowdive’s Rachel Goswell further the dueling female POV, especially on “I Can’t Feel You." AF leaves behind their emo 2k guitar attack on LP3 and employ a style more like Spirtualized behind Kinsella's and Steve Holmes floating gui- tars, pummeled by Jake Cupp's produc- tion, especially on "Silouettes." After 20 years American Football couldn't of planned it this way, but musical uneasi- ness never sounded so good. –David Gedge 9 Appearing 3/30 at Metro, Chicago. BADFINGER Badfinger Wish You Were Here (Real Goner) Thanks to an infamous case of mis- management and corporate enmity, these albums were reduced to third-rate status in rock's lexicon. These fresh reissues allow you to appreciate them for the gems they are. Badfinger (originally to be enti- tled For Love or Money) was the band's first release on Warner Brothers. Due largely to internal troubles at the band's former label, the album shipped a mere three months following Apple Records' release of Ass. Overlapping promotional efforts floundered, and both albums suffered. The band's deal at WB demanded a heavy workload, and development of Wish You Were Here was begun a mere two months following Badfinger's debut. When Badfinger manager Stan Polley abscond- ed with $100,000 of WB's money, the label sued the band members and scuttled Wish You Were Here by pulling it from shelves. Worst of all, ace songwriter Pete Ham took his own life roughly six months later due to despair over the band's problems. Aside from the staggering cost of a life, it's a terrible shame that these albums aren't better known. Both are brimming with melodies, tight harmonies, meaty rhythm guitar, and world-class pop hooks. Badfinger was often slighted by critics due to their close association with the Beatles, though Ham had long ago proven his chops with hits like "No Matter What" and "Baby Blue." Wish You Were Here includes a clutch of Ham's best work, from the charming fatherhood ode "Dennis" ("they look like weeds, but they're really flowers, and they'll soon be gone") to the amorous, George Harrison- like "Know One Knows." “Just a Chance” is a full-throttled rocker in the tradition of “No Matter What.” Joey Molland's Badfinger single "Love is Easy" further channels Harrison, revving the energy of "It's All Too Much," while the heavy psy- chedelia of "Give it Up" nods to Lennon. Ham and bassist Tom Evans collaborated on the shimmering folk of "Shine On." Bassist Tommy Evans channels The Band's "The Weight" on "Why Don't We Talk." Both albums have been augmented with bonus tracks. On the Badfinger CD, Tom Evans’ previously unreleased “Love is Easy” lopes along with echoes of The Band and Little Feat before erupting into a GARY HOEY Neon Highway Blues (Provougue) Boston-bred guitar virtuoso Gary Hoey is one of the hardest working bluesmen in the genre. On his 21st album, Neon Highway Blues, Hoey has crafted a collec- tion of 11 star-studded blues-rock tunes. Opener “Under the Rug” is an energetic start to the record and features the prodi- gious blues-rock guitar veteran, Eric Gales. The duo’s blazing, trade-off guitar solos sound natural and fluid, probably because they share similar influences. Hoey’s emo- tive, soulful vocals are equally impressive throughout the album. Hoey implements the slower, traditional blues playing style on tracks “Mercy of Love” featuring gui- tarist Josh Smith and “Don't Come Crying” featuring his son Ian Hoey. Hoey also shows off his rock/metal side with mon- strous riffing on “I Felt Alive,” blazing solos on “Damned if I Do,” featuring Texas axe-slinger Lance Lopez, and the Led Zeppelin-infused “Living the Highlife.” Hoey also impresses with his diverse style on a couple of instrumental compositions, including the hazy album closer and the title track. Neon Highway Blues is a well-bal- anced blues-rock hybrid that represents the newer modern breed of the blues guitar hero, while still paying homage to the past blues gods. - Kelley Simms 9 NOCTORUM The Afterlife (Schoolkids) As the brainchild of producer/key- boardist Dare Mason and guitarist/singer Marty Willson-Piper, Noctorum has always exceeded its classification as any- body’s side project. Now that Willson- Piper has severed longstanding ties with Australian psych-pop masters The Church, Noctorum’s fourth album The Afterlife can secure greater prominence as a worthy pri- mary project. Willson-Piper is a globetrot- ter, and these songs are peppered with global references from Tokyo to London even as others celebrate the comforts of hearth and home. The sparkling “Piccadilly Circus in the Rain” finds beau- ty and fascination among the mundane in its urban setting. Willson-Piper writes him- self, Mason and other loved ones into an endearing series of offhand vignettes dur- ing “In a Field Full of Sheep.” Willson- Piper’s tumbling guitar arpeggios and Mason’s thrumming piano are heightened by Richard Evans’ stately trumpet, echoing the British-ness of the Beatles’ “Penny Lane.” Mason’s arrangement for the lan- guid “The Moon Drips” nods to Spanish roots and arid Sergio Leone soundtracks. “Head On” carries the gumshoe cadence and mysterious mood of a spy thriller, with a furtively darting flute. Twelve-string gui- tar shimmers and chimes through the beguiling “Show,” while its melancholy Smiths-like coda asks, “What’s the use in us just pretending there could ever be a happy ending?” A sinewy lead snakes through “High Tide/Low Tide” like a dis- tant cousin to Starfish favorite “Reptile.” Willson-Piper lets his frenetic fingers fly during “A Girl with No Love,” finding the middle ground between Television’s slash- and-burn rock-jazz and the Cult’s elemen- tal thunder. The album is available in mul- tiple formats, crowned by a gorgeous gate- fold presentation on heavyweight vinyl. – Jeff Elbel 8 LANCE KING ReProgam (Nightmare) Iconic progressive metal shrieker Lance King (Pyramaze, Avian, Balance of Power) has just released his second solo album, ReProgram, through his label, Nightmare Records. Self-dubbed as “Celestial Metal,” the powerhouse vocalist and his killer guest musician band deliver 11 bombastic tracks spanning the progressive/power metal spectrum. The album's title track opener immediately kicks off with the catchy chorus while King’s impressive four-octave vocal range is on full display. From “Pointing Fingers”’s beautiful piano intro to “Technology”’s infectious chorus and energetic pace, to the Iron Maiden-ish melodies of “Reaction Formation,” to the almost 10-minute epic closer “A Mind at War,” King covers a lot of ground through- Continued on page 45 7

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