MUSIC
Section By Jeb D.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
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Yeah, he’s even older than I am, and can come off as an old-school rock n roll cliche onstage, but Petty’s also the kind of standup guy who thinks about his fans, and isn’t prepared to take shit from corporations or lawyers. I guarantee that Reprise would have loved for him to deliver a whole set of “Refugee” and “Listen To Her Heart” soundalikes, but Petty seems to have been caught up in the rootsier, down-home sound of his recent Mudcrutch reunion album, and Mojo‘s a nice reminder that he grew up listening to not only The Byrds and The Hollies, but the Stones, Animals, and Allmans. Bluesy guitar pervades the album, rather than pop jangle, and if Mike Campbell remains one of the most underrated guitarists in rock, keyboardist Ben Tench really shines, varying the song textures. I’ll grant you it’s not quite as consistently hooky as Petty’s been in the past, but overall, I’d call it his best since Wildflowers. And the album opener is about Thomas Jefferson’s affair with a slave woman: now that’s rock n roll.
Antifogmatic 
The Punch Brothers
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Traditional instrumentation is never a barrier to good contemporary thinking, or intriguing songwriting. Two albums in, I already find this band at least as satisfying as Nickel Creek. From the frenzied breakdown that kicks off “Don’t Need No” to the wry fuckup’s confession of “Next To The Trash,” the album matches instrumental mastery with verbal wit, culminating in the lovely benediction of “This Is The Song (Good Luck).” And just so you don’t think they’ve forgotten where all this stuff came from, they can tell you everything you need to know about “Rye Whiskey.” There’s also a “deluxe edition”: a bonus CD of instrumentals, plus a live DVD, which I haven’t seen, but I’d strongly suspect it’s worth the few extra bucks.
Something For Everybody
Devo
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Given that they’ve spent a couple of decades goofing around with kids’ music and soundtrack projects, we might have expected these guys to make their “comeback” a quick cash-in, all synthy nostalgia. And musically, that’s not entirely unfair: the sound is familiar, with lashings of “Whip It” and “Jocko Homo” among the dance beats and warped guitar. What’s a bit of a surprise, actually, is the acuity with which their view of “de-volution” continues to be deployed three decades on, and given the current state of things, who can argue with them? Song after song paints a picture of a world where herky-jerky dance rhythms might be the only relief from a well-earned paranoia. In my particular favorite, “Don’t Shoot Me (I’m A Man)”, our hybrid-driving narrator is constantly trying to to the right thing, but finds himself targeted by the institutions he’d always thought would protect him, and he goes out on a cheerful chorus of “Don’t tase me, man!” Are we not men? Sadly, we are.
Renmin Park
Cowboy Junkies
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Given the seemingly unending flood of “comeback” albums so far this year, I’m pleasantly surprised that Michael Timmins and company are reaching somewhat out of their comfort zone for this Chinese-inspired song cycle about romance (there’s even real Chinese people on it!). Only “somewhat,” though: for every “Sir Francis Bacon At The Net” or “A Walk In The Park” that perks things up, there’s an “I Cannot Sit Sadly By Your Side”– which actually does precisely that, drifting limply out of your headphones, just like the half dozen or so albums that preceded this one. But if Margo Timmins is your drug of choice, she’s in prime seductive mode.
Other Noteworthy 6/15 Releases
Elvin Bishop, Red Dog Speaks. Bishop’s a gen-u-wine hard-livin’ bluesman, whose life has seen more than its share of downturn and tragedy, and unlike a lot of his contemporaries, he knows how to put every ounce of that into his playing. If downhome slide is your thing, dig in.
UNKLE, Where Did the Night Fall. The original “it’s not a group it’s a collective” has now released four albums in three different decades, so points for consistency. There’s a kind of a facelessness to it, though, with so many “guest” writers/performers, and for all that, it’s Lavelle’s “Ablivion” that provides the post-80’s comfort food.
We Are Scientists, Barbara. Bright, cheerful, smart, and danceable when you’re in the mood, kinda dull when you’re not. But the lyric sheet always makes good reading.
Steve Cropper and Felix Cavaliere, Midnight Flyer. Second helping of soul revival from two masters of the genre: down and gritty, then smooth and easy.
Rasputina, Sister Kinderhook. I love the fact that this rock and roll cello band is ongoing and organic: you start by thinking they probably had all the rock and roll cello players in the first place, but every time they lose one they find another. The songs? Spooky Victoriana. But, oh those cellos.
The Gaslight Anthem, American Slang. There’s nothing wrong with modeling your band on Bruce and the E Streeters. But if you’re The Hold Steady, you can transcend that influence by having a quirky original like Craig Finn in charge. These guys manage a catchy, listenable homage, but the quirk and originality are in short supply.
Pernice Brothers, Goodbye Killer. Brainy pop with occasional doses of power.
Chris Isaak, Live at the Fillmore. Sometimes Ricky Nelson, sometimes Tony Bennett, sometimes Brian Setzer…. His early, more rocking, albums remain my favorites, but the self-deprecating wit that made The Chris Isaak show such a subversive delight is always on display in the guy’s audience interaction. Plus, he sings real good, and his band is ace.
Steve Miller Band, Bingo! Lotta white blues out there this week. Most of the covers here aren’t exactly inspired choices (“Rock Me Baby,” “Let The Good Times Roll,” etc.). Back in the day, Miller balanced Boz Scaggs’ smoothy tendencies with his own particular quirkiness, which is not much on display this time. The result is smooth AOR blues just like Clapton used to make.
Sherie Rene Scott, Everyday Rapture. I know, you really don’t want to listen to a Broadway cast album about “a young woman’s psycho-sexual spiritual journey,” but when the show includes songs originally done by U2, The Supremes, Judy Garland, The Band, and Mister Rogers… at the very least, you might find it useful next time you’re assembling a playlist of “Covers From Hell.”
Suzanne Vega, Close-Up Vol. 1, Love Songs. Good NPR girl that she is, Vega is spending the next couple of years recycling, with a series of thematically-arranged albums, re-recording her old songs, stripped down to mostly just her voice and guitar. Putting aside the question of whether this smacks more of hubris or desperation, she is a pretty good songwriter, but one of the reasons that her best-known stuff was heavy on the production is that she’s kind of an indifferent singer.
Sarah McLachlan, Laws Of Illusion. Get ready for Lilith Fair.
Foghat, Last Train Home. Foghat? No, seriously… Foghat?