We've got quite a backlog of CDs we've never gotten around to, so
we're going to try to chip away at the pile with this regular feature.
The plan: to take a few at a time and play each CD for as long as I can
stand it.
Peter Wolf Crier
Inter-Be (Jagjaguwar)
Not to be confused with the excellent new record from former J. Geils Band leader Peter Wolf, this Minneapolis-based duo successfully effervesces a quirkiness that never flutters into the ether of meaningless irony. Setting aside the various other bands they have performed in recently, Peter Pisano (of The Wars of 1812) enlisted the help of Brian Moen to flesh out the ideas that he had already put to paper. This album is a raw, lo-fi, less evolution-intensive alternative to the extremely solid Low Anthem record that captured so many critical hearts last year. Surging from fuzzy to melodic and quiet to loud with a cohesive beauty and ease, Inter-Be is strong enough to make these guys turn Peter Wolf Crier into their prime gigs--instead of something on the side.
I made it: 30 seconds into track 7, "Demo 1."
Ratt
Infestation (Road Runner)
Thanks to the same label that last week brought us Meat Loaf's
unsuccessful trip down memory lane, we see that Ratt is back.
Infestation is a decadent and entertaining effort that proves Stephen
Pearcy and Warren DeMartini didn't leave any glam or spandex behind at
whichever retirement home they've been living at for the last several
years. Immediately boasting a return to their early 1980s aerosol-dispensed
heyday, the metal forerunners deftly stride a studded and spiked line
that lies between revisiting the glory days that have long been gone and
reveling unpretentiously in what is seemingly the only thing they
really know how to do--play "Round and Round," the song that made them
famous, over and over again. Sure, the new songs have different titles
and even have different lyrics, but those minor details do little to
disguise what's really going on here, even if it is pretty damn
entertaining.
I made it: 1:10 into track 4, "Look Out Below."
Mike Stinson
The Jukebox In Your Heart (Stag Records)
Rounding out a rather successful week here in the mailroom, we have the
new disc from Houston (by way of SoCal) honky-tonk hero Mike Stinson.
Stinson's insanely enjoyable third album was helped along by an insanely
talented bunch, including Austin's Jesse Dayton and the criminally
underappreciated Jim Laudedale. Stinson has always had a penchant for
bringing the neon-lit sounds of the past into the present while
maintaining their luster and preventing the retro vibes of each tune
from gathering layers of dust. Mixing classic country subject matter like booze and heartache with
beautiful, weeping ribbons of pedal steel magic, Stinson has crafted a
true, hardwood-tested drinking album here. But, be forewarned, for anyone
listening to this record while imbibing and also sharing some of the
tragic emotional circumstances as the songs themselves, lock the door
and hide the keys. It'll be a long, sad night.
I made it to: Track 8,
"Beauty Queen Eyes."
