UFO - The Visitor

Anyone who has ever loved the sound of a crushing electric riff, a perfect melody, a rousing chorus, rough-hewn, soulful vocals, or a guitar solo so freaking fast and dynamic that it makes your eyeballs water, needs no introduction to UFO. After 40 years in the business, these crazy brits have earned their place in the honored halls of rock and roll, both for their music and their mad antics. So let's cut to the chase shall we.

The Visitor is, without a doubt, the best UFO album since the band reformed with Vinnie Moore for You Are Here, which was the best UFO album since the short-lived Schenker reunion Walk On Water, which in turn was the best UFO album since the vastly under-rated Paul "Tonka" Chapman days. You want it shorter than that? The Visitor is one great rock and roll record, and it deserves to climb right up there near the top of UFO's vast cannon of great albums. No matter how you cut it, this is the comeback, classic rock album of year.

Yep, that's saying something.

I've read in a few sites about the staggering return of "Black Sabbath," with the new Heaven and Hell album, sounding old and tired, berefit of ideas or enough muscle to power the chops they did muster. There's none of that here. Reinvigorated since the joining of Moore, UFO sound positively re-energized here, like they've somehow unlocked the code and opened the fricking rock-and-roll fountain of youth. Bustling with energy, punch, and verve. Ready to rock the shit outta you or kick your face in. You choose which.

The jump in adrenaline is evident from the very first track. "Saving Me," kicks off with some beautifully played, loose-strung swampy blues acoustic guitar, mining the same bluesy rock vibe that UFO have explored so successfully in the past on songs like "Train Train," or more recently on both of the Mogg/Way albums. Think of this song following in the same vein, and from there I promise you, I will make no more references to UFO songs of the past. It's the easiest thing to do, refer back to some song on Lights Out or Obsession for reference, but the truth is, this album is so strong it should be the point of reference for future albums. Mogg's voice layers on top of the guitar at around the 30 second mark, sounding more textured, more soulful, more plaintive than in recent memory, and when the band kicks in about one minute in. . . there's hell to pay. This is full-on charging UFO, crushing riffs held together tightly by an instantly catchy melody, all leading up to that chorus that will just lift you right outta your chair and in this case, thank God for salvation.

Moore's guitar work is dead on, instantly making you forget old "what's-his-name" who used to supply the guitar chops. Moore is a shredder in the best sense of the word, and most importantly, fully adept at melody. When he wants to bust out, he can wail into a jaw dropping solo, notes flying faster than spit flying from an auction barker's mouth. Then he can drop into a perfect acoustic passage, shoot off some harmonics or crush your cerebellum with the strength of his riffs. Moore's tone isn't so much reminiscent of Schenker as it is more indicative of the classic UFO sound, and yes, the band has been around long enough to declare that they have a sound all their own. God bless em.

UFO without Schenker was always a dicey affair (except for the previously mentioned Chapman years) because Mogg needs that guitar energy to set his songs ablaze. At the same time, Schenker showed us with his solo career that he needed Mogg's sense of craft and melody to create a memorable tune. It was that combative chemistry that always fueled the band's best work, and with Moore in place, Mogg seems once and for all to have found that perfect foil. Power and melody. Sizzling chops and structure. Perfect. Absolutely fucking perfect.

"On the Waterfront," cruises out with a mid-tempo modified blues riff with a mid-section and chorus of shear perfection. Easily on par with the best of their melodic material. Then, lest you think the boys are getting soft in their later years, "Hell Driver," tears out as fierce and mean as they've been in years. Play this one live and it woulda fit comfortably on their classic Strangers in the Night. Mogg sounds great, reminding us once and for all that he's always been one of rock's most unheralded vocalists. Moore's tone is dead-on, and I'll tell you, the return of "no neck" Andy Parker on the drums seems to be the final ingredient necessary to drive these chaps over the top. The only ingredient missing was the presence of legendary bass player, Pete Way, who had to miss the recording as he's battling liver disease. Pete, our prayers are with you, brother!

"Stop Breaking Down," follows next, absolutely classic UFO. Big chords start it off amongst the pounding of Parker's drums, slight technical flourishes embellishing the end, then the whole thing explodes into a melodic guitar solo intro that could make a grown man cry. Paul Raymond's work, always the glue that held the band together, fills in here, leading the track into perfect hard rock territory. Melodic rock for the ages, by one of the bands to first create the genre. Power and beauty all wrapped up into one track. A future classic UFO song, one that our children will one day ask us if we remember it when it first came out. "Rock Ready," jumps right back into the Mississippi swamp, while "Living Proof," nails a down-and-dirty mutated, menacing blues number. Another standout track, Mogg sounds positively charged here.

And the album continues from there all the way to "Stranger in Town," a terrorizer of a closer, sounding mean and pissed and ready to knock your teeth in. Moore comes up with a closed-fist attack of a riff, the band is tight as the glue holding Donald Trumps toupee in place, and Mogg proves once and for all that he's lost none of his fight or passion. Another brand new, fresh burst of classic UFO. Building upon their past, not revisiting it.

For all those naysayers out there who claim that UFO haven't unleashed a great album since Walk On Water, open your ears. There's some serious rock and roll happening on the UFO mothership, and fortunately for us, the boys are bringing it right on down to this planet.

Misty green and blue forever.

--Racer

Buy here: The Visitor


More good new. UFO are going to tour supporting the new album, and I'll be there. Just check out the dates below. If you want to find me, I'll be the one pressed up against the stage at the Independent in San Francisco, begging for a chance to go back and interview the band for a Ripple feature. If you are a fan of the classic UFO, or just a fan of dynamite hard rock, you won't want to miss this one either. I'll see you there.

UFO Tour Dates:

10/02/2009 Jaxx - Springfield, VA
10/03/2009 Tangiers - Akron, OH
10/07/2009 The Rex - Pittsburgh, PA
10/08/2009 The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY
10/09/2009 Starland Ballroom - Sayreville, NJ
10/10/2009 BB Kings - New York, NY
10/15/2009 Ameristar Casino - St. Charles, MO
10/16/2009 House Of Blues - Chicago, IL
10/17/2009 Medina Ballroom - Hamel, MN
10/21/2009 The Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CA
10/22/2009 The Brixton - Redondo Beach, CA
10/23/2009 The Coach House - San Juan Capistrano, CA
10/24/2009 Boulder Station Casino - Las Vegas, NV

10/25/2009 Majestic Ventura Theater - Ventura, CA
10/27/2009 Key Club - West Hollywood, CA
10/28/2009 The Fat Cat - Modesto, CA
10/29/2009 Aladdin Theatre - Portland, OR
10/30/2009 Neumos - Seattle, WA

11/01/2009 The Independent - San Francisco, CA

Ripple Music Crashes the Charts with First Hit Song! - Sky Parade Breaks into the Indy Top 20

KEXP Top 20 song, “I Should be Coming Up (But I Keep Coming Down) by Sky Parade featured with Grand Atlantic on this split 7” of psychedelic pop perfection.
                                      
Just in time for their World tour in support of their Top 20 KEXP song, the heady, trance-inducing psychedelic pop of Sky Parade is on full display with their highly infectious tune, “I Should Be Coming Up (But I Keep Coming Down)”.  Produced by the Dandy Warhol’s Courtney Taylor and released in hot anticipation of their upcoming World Tour, "I Should Be Coming Up (But I Keep Coming Down)" has been lighting up the switchboard where the single has already climbed to number 20 on the KEXP Radio Chart and the Top 10 on KKBB.  

Check out the video and hear the song that’s tearing up the LA clubs right now.




The split single will be available world-wide from the bands on tour and through www.ripple-music.com



"A joyride of dense, churning guitars that sounds like Primal Scream getting Spiritualized!" – L.A. Times

"Sky Parade have found Psych-rock's sweet spot" -- Buzz Bands LA

"Hook-laden genius" -- 90.3 FM

"KKBB Top 10 single!" -- KKBB

"Quite simply, this is a prime slice of psychedelic pop that you can dance to." Terrascope UK

Annihilator - Total Annihilation

0510 hours.  Near total darkness only broken when the low lying clouds part enough to allow a sliver of moonlight.  My combat team is currently reconnoitering any activity on the other side of the US/Canadian border from a fortified position located in Peace Arch State Park outside of Blaine, Washington.  Our mission is simple.  We are to prevent any incursion on US soil by enemy combatants intent on capturing the hearts and minds of our citizenry.  I lay my night vision goggles down to receive a new scouting report over my secure radio.

“Lieutenant Penfold, do you copy sir?”
“This is Penfold.  Did you see anything Sergeant?”
“No sir, it’s as quiet as a tomb out here.  I think we’re in the wrong spot.”
“Stow that talk Sergeant!  We know that they’re out there.  Keep on your toes.  They’ll make their presence felt soon enough.”
“Yes sir.”

Outside of my men themselves, two other battlefield monitoring systems were being utilized to ensure that we would not be taken by surprise.  Highly sensitive motion and noise detectors were staked out in a line along the border.  Also a predator drone circled in orbit high above our position ready to relay real-time visuals at a moments notice.  This is our turf, and we’re not giving it up without a fight.

Hold on a second.  You’re probably wondering what led to the deployment of troops along a previously peaceful border.  Understandable.  Exactly one week ago Intelligence discovered a download code included in a disturbingly titled email sent to hundreds, if not thousands, of unsuspecting Americans.  The email was ominously titled ‘Your Annihilation is Coming!’ and the included code provided access to a greatest hits package by the Canadian band Annihilator called Total Annihilation.  Upon listening to the contents of this music download, our highly trained intelligence specialists immediately understood the havoc these songs would wreak if let loose among this country’s metal loving population.  The President was briefed on the situation, the overall alert level was raised to Defcon 2, and my combat team was assembled and airlifted to the most likely combat zone; Washington state (the band calls neighboring Vancouver home).

Annihilator is a thrash metal band.  Wait, scratch that.  Annihilator is an exceptional thrash metal band.  When I first listened to Total Annihilation I was impressed by the variety of songs on offer.  While it is true that there were no ballads, indeed nothing even close (and would that really be appropriate for a band named Annihilator?), the song structures were different enough to easily tell the songs apart (something other thrash bands I’ve come across can’t claim).  More impressive however was the fact that I found myself fondly humming a couple of the tunes in my head after only two listens.  Yes sir, they certainly know how to churn out a memorable little ditty.

The album begins with two songs off of the band’s most recent album.  “The Trend” starts things off in the right way with an intricate instrumental introduction complete with ripping guitar solo that leads into the song proper.  “Ambush” on the other hand wastes no time before going for the jugular, with the band immediately hitting the hyper speed riffing button.  This song reminds of Slayer in all the right ways.  Other lightning fast songs such as “Battered”, “Ultra-Motion”, and “Ultraparanoia” that arrive later on in the compilation are guaranteed to give you whiplash with the fantastic guitar dexterity delivering all you can ask for in the notes per minute department.

If pure speed is not your thing however, fear not.  Annihilator also has a strong complement of songs that while also fast, don’t rely on that aspect to be memorable.  Take “Refresh the Demon” for instance.  Someone off the street would be forgiven if they thought they were listening to a lost Primus recording for the first thirty seconds before the thrash element kicks in.  “Back to the Palace” punctuates its modern thrash with passages that sound like they belong on a classic NWOBHM album.  Plumbing the same vein, “Second to None” at times sounds like an Iron Maiden recording.  “The Ritual”, perhaps my overall favorite song here, is built around the strongest groove on the album and features a fantastic sing-along chorus.

Look, I’ll be totally honest.  I’ve been listening to a lot of thrash metal recently, some of which quite frankly has been great.  Annihilator is the best band of the bunch, hands down.  Discovering bands like Annihilator that I was previously unaware of is the best and worst part of being associated with The Ripple Effect.  It’s the best in that I have found a new band I can be enthused about.  It’s the worst in that I am upset with myself for not knowing about this band till now.  Ah, well.  Time to order some albums.

0625 hours.  The light of dawn is just beginning to disseminate through the rural landscape.  Although the arrival of sunlight generally brings some measure of comfort with it, today was different.  An increasing sense of dread and paranoia falls over my team to go along with the increased visibility granted by the light.  At this point the message we were waiting for comes over the radio.  “Team Penfold, be advised.  The enemy is advancing on your position.  Estimate two minutes to first contact.”

One tense minute passes.  Something is very wrong.  The predator drone can not detect any incoming heat sources indicating an advancing human enemy.  A low din begins to build in the air.  My team and I see the tops of trees in the distance being ruffled as if by heavy vehicles brushing them aside while they pass.  Still no actual visuals and nothing from the drone feed.  The din grows louder.  What is happening?  Ear-piercing alarms begin going off on each and every detector.

“Lieutenant Penfold, what is this sir?  They should be right on top of us!”

Near panic sets in as I realize what is actually happening.  “Dear God, it’s riffs.  They’re attacking with a wall of riffs!?!?  Everybody get down!  Cover your ears!”

Unfortunately my orders did not reach everyone in time.  Too many good soldiers became Annihilator fans that day.  Too many.  If you think you can resist the allure of Total Annihilation, point your browser to http://www.earache.com/totalannihilation/ and download the album for free.  Good luck citizen.



-- Penfold

Oasis - Time Flies: 1994-2009

Every generation has a band that defines their era. Fortunately for my generation, Oasis is that band. Some might argue Radiohead clearly defined the 1990s, while others might say Pearl Jam, Nirvana or even a different band. Only Oasis has consistently remained remarkable all throughout their career thanks largely due to their amazing songwriting capabilities. The early 1990s saw the emergence of alternative and grunge music as mainstream music. When grunge and Nirvana disappeared, Oasis was one band ready to take the torch.
            Could it really be 15 years ago when I was first introduced to Oasis? As the name of their new singles compilation, Time Flies:1994 -2009, implies, that’s true. Looking at those words on the screen I am still shocked it has been that long. Still, Oasis remains one of the most talented rock n’ roll bands around.
            The album celebrates Oasis’ entire body of work. Oasis has sold over 70 million records worldwide and their legacy still remains strong even after Noel Gallagher left the band in August 2009. Beginning with their debut single “Supersonic” to the final track “Falling Down,” the album is jam-packed with 26 irresistible singles.
            Music was revitalized readily by two brothers named Liam and Noel Gallagher in the early 1990s. Oasis breathed fresh air into the music industry and gave birth to Brit pop. Although they despise the term, like the Beatles during the British Invasion of the 1960s, Oasis opened the door for other British pop bands during the mid to late 1990s. Their presence helped open the door for future European pop bands to cross over into America. Magnetic, majestic and mesmerizing, they sold millions of records to become one of the best pop bands in the world.
            Listening to their music now I can’t help, but get taken back to when I first heard that particular song when I listen to the album. Their breakthrough song, “Wonderwall” is arguably my favorite song, but more importantly, the song that introduced me to Oasis. From the moment the song begins I am immediately transported back in time to fall 1995. Oh, what a feeling! How many bands have that ability?
            Unlike most contemporary compilations, Time Flies, is an engaging, entertaining and eclectic album that comes across as a concert set list instead of  “a greatest hits album.”  Energized by memory filled tracks like “Supersonic,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Lyla,” “Live Forever,” etc. this is a definitive album every 1990s music aficionado should own. Call me crazy, but this is a must own album.
            Time Flies does include two previously unreleased tracks “Lord Don’t Slow Me Down” (2007) and “Whatever” (1994), but for Oasis haters, they will criticize it’s mostly “A” side tracks and misses what the Stop the Clocks album accomplished by having more obscure/ “B-side” tracks. Sure, that’s true, but not everyone is interested in bootleg and/or obscure songs. If you’re an Oasis fan this is a must own for your collection.

-- Mr Brownstone

 Buy here: Time Flies...1994-2009 (2 CD)

Jet Black Berries - Postmodern Ghosts

I remember the light the most.

There I was, late night, burning the midnight oil in the Ripple office.  Reviews to write, press releases to ready, new releases to schedule.  Sofi, as always, took her place in her bed to my right, snuggled in amongst the brimming stack of vinyl.  But I had no time to dig into that enticing vinyl buffet.  Ripple work called to me.  An eerie silence tingled my neck.

And then the light came.

Consciousness lost in a second, I awoke, no longer at my desk.  The room looked vaguely familiar to me, a place from a distant memory. Rising from my desk, I spun, disoriented, searching for a clue.  The familiar call letters KSPC FM blazoned on the wall across, separated from me by a thick layer of glass.  Lights flashed in chaotic rhythms, engulfing the switches, knobs and buttons on the mixing board at my hands.  A vinyl record spun to my right, pumping the room with moody, atmospheric, neo-gothic psychedelia.  Somehow, in some unspeakable way, I’d been transported through time.  Inexplicably, it was 1984 again.

And the record spinning was the Jet Black Berries.

Bursting onto the scene in the mid-eighties, the Jet Black Berries were part of the amazing stable of artists attached to the Enigma/Restless label.  The Cramps, TSOL, Tex and the Horseheads, 45 Grave, Green on Red, The Leaving Trains, The Pandoras, Redd Cross, Get Smart.  Talk about a label that had tapped into a sound, Enigma produced some of the all-time best American dark psychedelia ever released.  One band after another, there seemed to be no end to their talent.  And on that essential Enigma Variations volume I album, The Jet Black Berries ranked with the best. 

Blending a river of never-ending hooks to their blackened atmosphere and a touch of cowboy/western punk, the JBB released three albums in the mid-late 80’s, and contributed a standout track to the classic horror shtick sound track, Return of the Living Dead.  Then, like their zombie brethren, they disappeared.

Until now.

As I rose from the desk in my 1984 radio station, I noticed something was different. The JBB spinning wasn’t Sundown on Venus or the soon to be released underground classic, Desperate Fires.  The sound was familiar, but different.  Hauntingly pulling at a memory, but inspiring in entirely new ways.  Ringing of the past, but powered by the energy of the future.

This wasn’t 1984; it was present day and the Jet Black Berries were back and better than ever with a brand new album,Postmodern Ghosts.  Reuniting four original members of the band with newcomer singer/guitarist, Johnny Cummings, the JBB had risen from the ether, back to lurk amongst the living.  And what an album they’ve put out!

You don’t have to be familiar with JBB’s original incarnation to jump right in with the start of this album.  Following a haunting synth and church bell opening, “God with A Gun,” literally erupts from the speakers in searing post-punk psychedelic glory.  Riding a guitar passage reminiscent of The Chameleons, “Don’t Fall,” this just may be my track of the year.  An outburst decrying people who use religion as an excuse to commit acts of barbarism, “God with a Gun,” isn’t just a great pop song, it’s potent.  “Are you sure this is a song you’re ready to sing/if God with a Gun is love, let’s make him king” Johnny sings over a rampaging, bass-heavy, chiming soundscape.  Guitars swirl and churn in glittering rivers of texture.  Dig that mid-song bass breakdown, the maniacal run across the toms in the post-chorus bridge, the layered harmony vocals, the subtle escalation of pace until the song explodes into that raise-your-hands-in-the-air-and-sing-along-at-the-top-of-your-lungs chorus.  I mean seriously, talk about a chorus that can elevate you to that place.  That special place where the world around you dissipates and the music enveloping you is all that remains.

But Postmodern Ghosts is no one song wonder.  “Ominous” tells the tale of the odd things that happen, the murder and mayhem, that somehow is still a part of the human psyche . . . unstoppable . . . always ready to re-emerge . . . an ominous presence.   Now take that message and wrap it up in a post-Church or later day Echo and the Bunnymen vibe of pulsating bass, rising and falling, swirling guitars and you’ll find one of the catchier songs to penetrate your consciousness in sometime.   “Pipes of Pan,” takes this Church influence one step further in a rousing, keyboard swept pumper.   Johnny even sounds a touch like Steven Kilbey here, singing deep in his range.

Throughout, the sound of the original JBB’s is as refreshing as that breath of yesterday.  Roy Stein’s drumming is solid and penetrating, Chris Yockel’s guitar shimmers and sparkles, Mark Schwartz’s keyboards lay down the atmosphere, and Gary Trainer, the main songwriter, drives the whole thing from the back of the bus with his unrelenting, swooping bass.  And the new kid, Johnny Cummings is a revelation, fitting into the mix seamlessly.  “Welcome to My World,” is another dark psych masterpiece, slow and inviting at times, vicious and intoxicating the next.  “Psychic Children of Doom” shows these cats haven’t lost the tongue-in-cheek horror attitude that landed them on the Living Dead soundtrack, and they attach this “postmodern ghosts on the radio,” vibe to a jaunty, muscular rocker.  “Invocation” rides an Echo and Bunnymen bass line through swirling mists of tension and mood.   “Garden of Delight,” has to be the next single off the album, so effectively mining the still-sparkling Paisley Underground-vibe of yore, married to a hyped-up sound of crashing guitars and smashing drums.  Catchy as fuck.

Then there’s “They Walk Among You,” a remade classic from the Sundown on Venus bonus album.  Digging into their quasi-cowpunk roots, “They Walk Among You,” is without a doubt the greatest zombie-epic ever penned and performed in song.  How this song has avoided being used in a zombie film soundtrack defies all logic and thought.  With zombies as hot as vampires these days, I will make it my personal mission to get this song included on some major motion picture.  Somewhere.

With the final pulse of the closing punkish rocker, “American Survival” still ringing in my ears, I watched as the radio control panel before me faded away.  I re-emerged in 2010, the new JBB album still spinning in my player.

The past is gone, the present is here, the future awaits.  And it’s all good.


--Racer

Buy here:  Postmodern Ghosts


http://www.myspace.com/jetblackberries

Musical Martyrs - The Vilified Albums - REM - New Adventures in Hi-Fi

Without knowing me, REM did me a favor during their performance at the Greek Theater in Berkeley in June of 2008.  When Mike Mills' fingers first hit the piano, I’m sure most of the audience thought they were hearing “Night Swimming”, but instead the band transitioned into “Electrolite”, the last track on New Adventures in Hi-Fi, their 1996 release which is not on the list of favorite REM albums of anyone I know.   It made me remember that I had never listened much to that album, so I put the CD in my car and listened to it every day to and from work.   For four months.

 I suspect that many REM followers did what I did when New Adventures first came out.  Unimpressed by the dull , trite title, I listened to the first track, “How the West Won and Where It Got Us,” and thought, “Interesting, but doesn’t get my blood flowing the way that ‘Radio Free Europe’, ‘Begin the Begin’, ‘Finest Worksong’, ‘Radio Song’, or even ‘What’s the Frequency, Kenneth’ did to start other great albums,” and I never invested myself in the rest of the album.

Enormous, huge mistake.  After the articulate, contemplative opening track strikes its abrupt final chord, Michael Stipe hits full force with “The Wake-Up Bomb”, a seething first-person portrayal of a power-mongering idiot, and with that begins the most powerful five-song sequence on any REM album, and arguably any album ever.  After the nauseating protagonist in “Bomb” throws up at the sight of what he’s done (did Reagan or Bush ever do that?), Stipe becomes a simpleton contemplating Jesus in “New Test Leper”, a reflection which segues elegantly to the ocean, where we surrender, if we allow it to draw us in, to “Undertow”.

Before “Undertow”, the only song that ever really scared the shit out of me was The Replacements’ “The Ledge”, off their 1987 “Pleased to Meet Me”, in which Paul Westerberg dares us to stop him from jumping in a harrowing drama that ends with him taking the leap.  In “Undertow”, Michael Stipe is drowning, matter-of-factly, facing his fate head on, and it’s friggin’ terrifying.  Peter Buck’s guitar crashes over Mike Mills' undulated base tones to create the deadly waves, and the scene ends with Buck's reverberating nerve-rattling ripple effects.

Not done, Stipe then goes for the jugular with “E-Bow the Letter”, the rock equivalent of a William Faulkner novel.  Stipe uncorks a rambling stream-of-consciousness letter to a woman who has left him a shipwrecked shell of a man.  Patty Smith’s haunting soul-splitting back-up lyrics by themselves would justify putting her in the rock-and-roll hall of fame.  REM has recorded some devastating songs; “Country Feedback” and “Let Me In” come immediately to mind, but “E-Bow” is as good as any of them.

Drummer Bill Berry takes over on the next track, “Leave”.   He leads us in with a simple one-minute acoustic riff, and then, after a moment silence, launches a synthesizer sequence packing the power of a helicopter propeller while Buck takes over the initial riff on the electric guitar.  It’s a mind-blowing combination, and Stipe’s lyrics are just powerful enough to stand up and complete the track.

The brilliance dims after that, but only slightly.  “Departure” is a travel itinerary on crank, while “Bittersweet Me” is another indication that Michael was working out some serious relationship issues in the studio.  “Be Mine” and “Zither” are both fine examples of REM’s quirky whimsies, between which “Binky the Doormat” (one of the great song titles ever) portrays a high-society loser.  “So Fast, So Numb” is a so-urgent so-desperate attempt to save a relationship, and “Low Desert” narrates a remote incident with the harsh sharp lines of an Edward Hopper painting.

That leads us back to “Electrolite”.  Anyone who imagines, “I’m Jimmy Dean, I’m Steve McQueen”, and wants the fitting conclusion to that date you’ve been trying to get forever, should whip this out end of the evening.  “You are the star tonight, the sun electric out of sight, your light eclipsed the moon tonight.  Electrolite.  You’re out of sight.”  A perfect closure to one of the best works from one of the supergroups of our, or any, generation.  I'm sure there are many who figured this out 14 years ago, but if you put New Adventures in Hi-Fi away, listen to it again.  And again.  It's a ride worth taking.


-- Birdman



Buy here: New Adventures in Hi-Fi

The Delgado Brothers - Learn To Fly

Los Angeles jazz, rock and blues jams are frequently heavily infused with latin percussion; Carlos Santana, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Alvin Lee guitar licks; George Duke, Willie Dixon, Berry Oakley and James Johnson bass runs; and horns. Oh yes, the horns. Although they rarely take the lead, they act as point and counter-point. Quick blasts of power followed by torrents of blues guitar licks. When the music slows an Angeleno mestizo Eagles sound – a mixture of country, blues, folk and rock - predominates. And, of course, all of it is layered in an often hypnotic blues, country or latin-tinged rhythm punctuated by lead and background vocals. That summarizes The Delgado Brothers and the contents of their September 2009 release, Learn to Fly.

The Delgado Brothers are actually brothers. Bob plays bass. Joey sings and plays guitar and Steve sings and plays drums. The brothers add David Kelley on keyboards and Vincent Bisetti on percussion and drums to round out the working band. For Learn to Fly the boys also called in Tower of Power trumpeter Lee Thornberg to write the horn arrangements and play trumpet, flugel, French horn and valve trombone along with saxophonist Paulie Cerra and trombonist Arturo Velasco. Hawthorne, CA slide guitarist Dave Melton was brought in to assist on one track "Be The One." Ramon Bands and Ray Solis add latin percussion. As a special treat The Chambers Brothers provide background vocals on the track If The World.

The first track on the album is "Learn to Fly." Santana-esqe guitar riffs waif over driving latin smooth jazz rhythms backed by mellow horns and fronted by Steve Delgado’s vocals with the help of his brother Joey. Next up, an up tempo funk blues piece called "I Wanna Know" sung by Steve with the help of San Pedro blues goddess Sherry Pruitt. "I Wanna Know" contains some incredibly tasty guitar work by Joey. Steve slows the tempo down with "In Time," a song executed in a manner reminiscent of the early Ten Years After song "Let The Sky Fall." Those incredible Santana-like guitar licks and latin rhythms return in the track "Man Without A Plan."

The song "Be The One" is radio candy. Think vintage Doobie Brothers, Little River Band or Little Feat. Then comes a funk-inspired blues bass-laden dance tune Melissa with its "What Is Hip?"-like Tower of Power horn arrangement and counter-vocals. The brothers back it down a notch with the slow blues number "If The World." The Chambers Brothers’ background vocals help turn it into a soulful, gut-wrenching mood piece. Then it is time to visit Louisiana with the catchy New Orleans jazz Hand Jive number "Lafayette." A country blues love song "Our Love Is Complete" follows on the heels of the trip to the bayou. The album moves on to Motown with "All I Have," returns to the West Coast with "All About The Love," a folksy jazz alternative rock crossover song, and concludes with"Oh Brother," an autobiographical tear-jerker of a ballad about brotherly love.

For 30 years The Delgado Brothers have been living and playing in Los Angeles. Their sound is clean, clear and distinctly Angeleno – a fusion of all the pop, jazz and rock music styles that, over the years, have come to record in LA. With a distinctive mixture of styles, and east Los Angeles latin-tinged rhythms, The Delgado Brothers capture in their music the demographic mix of the Southland and they might just capture you.

- Old School

Buy here: Learn To Fly

Ripple News - Rachael and The Ripple Effect Team-up to Offer Free Download of New Single

It wasn't that long ago that we told all you waveriders about a dynamite new band, Rachael, coming from the post-punk underground in Poland. Rachael's first release, I Bet You Like Drugs Instead of Sex, positively brimmed with confident energy, churning its tone of fuzzed out guitars and male and female counter vocals into an effortless siren of agit-pop.

Well, seems the Rachael folks are at it again, and this time they're releasing their moody new single for free through the Ripple Effect.

Click onto the links below and lose yourself in the trippy, neo-psychedelic vibe of "Watchsick." The song shows a tremendous leap forward in the band's growth, layering in swriling textures that flit and flicker like incense smoke. But don't go thinking the band have gone soft, the whole song is wrapped up in a dark malevolence, and spiked with charging guitars and true punk energy.

But stop listening to me tell you about it, download it for free and send us your thoughts.


http://www.mediafire.com/?uou3oz4gkgc
http://www.zshare.net/download/6842516529c2cd2c/

Rachael's myspace: www.myspace.com/rachaelband