Review Update: 1/11/05

The Black Maria -- Lead Us To Reason
Karl Broadie -- Nowhere Now Here
Character -- We Also Create False Promises
Dead Broke -- Three Broken Cuts (Demos)
Femme Fatality -- Never Had A Daddy
Folded Faces -- Demo
The Gena Rowlands Band -- …La Merde et Les Etoiles
Hoods/Freya -- Split
David McCormack And The Polaroids -- The Truth About Love
The ShakeDowns -- Self-Titled

The Black Maria -- Lead Us To Reason
Victory Records
I had high hopes (I had high apple pie in the sky hopes) for The Black Maria. Finally, a group comprised of accomplished emo pioneers from the nineties would usurp the mediocre Victory Records newbees, and at long last cutting edge, high quality emo music would take its rightful place in the spotlight, debut on the Billboard charts, or garner a Mountain Dew sponsored feature on MTV2. While The Black Maria’s first effort isn’t unlistenable, it is, very unfortunately, lackluster at best. Simply, they’re not doing anything that Jimmy Eat World, Hot Water Music, Hot Rod Circuit, and Glassjaw (all of whom obviously influenced this record) haven’t done before, better, without the $200 haircuts. These guys do manage to step it up with the unsettling, piano driven slowdriver “The Lines We Crossed.” This one manages to deliver an intensity akin to one of Nine Inch Nails brooding ballads. But again, this isn’t something that hasn’t been done before, slightly better, in 1989 (see: Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine, “Something I Can Never Had”). Sorry guys.
-Tim Anderl

Karl Broadie -- Nowhere Now Here
Laughing Outlaw Records
In the corner of my basement sits a pile of CDs, one-sheets, flashy press photos and press releases from bands and solo artists who are seeking review in the e-pages of this fanzine. Most of them aren’t worth the 0s and 1s that will ultimately comprise one or two sentences that I’ve crafted begrudgingly to describe their content. Karl Broadie’s album sat in that pile for a while. I’m noticing that he’s got a 2002 copyright on his songs so who knows how long it has been there. What a mistake that was. Nowhere Now Here is the kind of deep, unburdened and really special Americana (which is ironic since he was born in Scotland and currently resides in Australia) record that deserves to be discovered and played relentlessly. Broadie shows his roots, which dig into the mossy melodies once crafted by Dylan and the Band. He’s studied them and envied their genius (just like the Wilcos before him). But after listening to this album several times I’m also convinced that Broadie is just the rare kind of genius those dudes would study and envy too. That’s saying a lot.
-Tim Anderl

Character -- We Also Create False Promises
Fictitious Records
The six gentlemen that comprise Character deliver much of the same instrumental indie rock genius that made the kids go crazy for Tortoise in ’98. I’m not suggesting that this sort of sound is dated (could Can ever be dated?), but it is an acquired taste. If your pallet craves the meandering, sleepy genius of bands like The Six Parts Seven, then Character will satisfy your appetite for seamless musicianship and sonic experimentation. Expect this one to find an fanbase with fans of NPR and scenesters alike.
-Tim Anderl

Dead Broke -- Three Broken Cuts (Demos)
Self-released
Fans of true-black-and-blue, D.I.Y., American-made death metal keep and ear turned toward Dayton, Ohio. Dayton metal quintet Dead Broke have made significant-headway with their latest series of demo recordings. Heavier, riffier, and more poison tongued than their last offering, these three songs couldn’t sound more evil if they were the sounds of teeth gnashing pressed to sulfer-scented, blood-red vinyl. My favorite cut here, “Bound & Bloody” shows off the growing confidence of Dead Broke’s guitarists, the vocalist alternating his demonic growl with a Gollum-like hiss, and the agile and pummeling double bass work of DB’s man behind the skins. With Cephallic Carnage and Death as their touchstones, it shouldn’t be long before Century Media, Metal Blade or some label of the same ilk takes notice.
-Tim Anderl

Femme Fatality -- Never Had A Daddy
Collective Records
Ominous, but peppy synth-driven dance music made by dudes named Octavia and Monanani and who seem to take most of their cues from Dead or Alive and The Faint. Ridiculous? Yes. Original? Eh. Guilty pleasure? Absolutely. The aerobics instructor at my gym is going to love this.
-Tim Anderl

Folded Faces -- Demo
Self-released
At times like these it is really difficult to keep from dipping my pen in poison ink and getting medieval on these dudes asses. They let “the guy at all their shows” write their terrible publicity pitch letter (“They’ve made a lot of fans and the fans have begun to ask for the album…”) they sound like a cross between Rick Springfield, the Goo Goo Dolls, and Nickelback, and worst of all, one of the five songs here contains the following lyrics: “Jennifer Love Hewitt/I’ll buy you a Buick if you send me a letter some time,“ (on “Jennifer Love Hewitt”). While I personally don’t think these five songs are worth the CDR they’re burned on, these guys did include a list of twenty venues (in Florida and New York) where they’ve been fortunate enough to play. I guess we’ll give them props for that. Simply, they have a played-out, top forty friendly sound, and while there may just be a future for these guys in the mainstream, expect Bettawreckonize not to care very much when Wind Up releases their record.
-Tim Anderl

The Gena Rowlands Band -- …La Merde et Les Etoiles
Lujo Records
There’s no denying that Gena Rowlands Band frontman Bob Massey is a guitar virtuoso in league with Karate-frontman, solo-artist Geoff Farina, and who also has the lyrical panache of a Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters) or Tim Kasher (The Good Life). The only real sizeable roadblock between GRB and an honorable mention on my “Best of 2005” list is the fact that his voice lacks the distinction and panache of the men I mentioned earlier. Don’t get me wrong, Massey has a perfectly acceptable tenor voice and I might not mind him as one of the main male leads in an off-Broadway version of Rent. But, I’m not just not ready to make him my favorite indie chamber pop singer songwriter just yet.
-Tim Anderl

Hoods/Freya -- Split
Victory Records
Dear Victory, the first four songs on Hoods portion of this split contain lyrics like, “Here for the fashion, not for the show/I’m going to beat you, stab you, kill you” (“The Only Good Thief”) and “In this time of hatred, I choose loneliness/And the pain that I feel inside makes me want to kill you” (“I Own You”). If you think I’m going to critique these dudes in any way, shape or form, you’ve greatly underestimated the value I place on self-preservation. Freya, who are apparently this split’s sweethearts simply because they’re not threatening to kill or stab anyone, straddle the fence between metal and hardcore with the extreme grace that only true veterans can. On one side of the fence are bands like Hatebreed, while Motorhead waits on the other. Freya is in the middle with bloody knuckles because they absolutely kill it on “Immortal Beloved” and “Prey To The Gods Of War.”
-Tim Anderl

David McCormack And The Polaroids -- The Truth About Love
Laughing Outlaw Records
Rather than settle on one style, McCormack and his Polaroids prefer to run all their influences through a blender and see what rises to the top; admirable, but risky. Musically, the first track, “The Truth About Love” has a Achtung Baby-era U2 feel to it. David McCormack warbles in and out sounding a lot like Michael Stipe with a two-pack a day habit. On others they sound like Cheap Trick doing Flaming Lips (“Who Can It Be?”) or Jimmy Buffet doing Supergrass (“Woolloomooloo Sunset”). There’s no denying that McCormack and his band have a knack for pop music. In fact, he has a pretty diverse pallet he seems to be working from; 60s psyche rock (though on “Lonely” they sound more like Flying Burrito Brothers-style Americana/country rock), late 70s brit pop (Elvis Costello most noteably), late 70s early 80s glam rock (especially the Bowie-esque “Liquor Store), and 90s era modern rock (“Who Could You Love?” sounds a lot like Cracker). Less than half the time the end product veers from a chocolate/peanut butter-style combination of elements to one that is more like sardines and ice cream. To sum it up, this is an intriguing experiment that resulted in a record that’s not half bad.
-Tim Anderl

The ShakeDowns -- Self-Titled
VMS/Morphius Records
In the tradition of bands like The Makers, Rocket From The Crypt and The New Bomb Turks, The ShakeDowns are just a good, no-nonsense, punk rock band with very rock and roll tendencies. What’s not to like? Hailing from the same city that brought us both Delta 72 and The Carlsonics (Washington, D.C.), I imagine this sort of sound/band is a crowd-wining recipe for success. Yep, I think that sums it up.
-Tim Anderl