Is Shakey Graves a
great name for a country singer or what? The Austin-bred Graves was actually
born Alejandro Rose-Garcia, but the stage handle fits like a glove. Check out
his most recent release, And the War Came (Dualtone Music).
These days about the only difference between country music and rock is the
twang, but Graves further obliterates that blurry line. There are a surprising
number of stylistic shifts on the record. "Pansy Waltz" unfolds with
clipped vocals akin to a poetry slam tempo; "Only Son" has the dreamy
sonic feel of acid folk; and "Perfect Parts" has a buzzy grunge vibe.
Some singers are smooth with hard edges, but Graves is the opposite. His voice
is robust and husky, yet capable of delicacy when the mood strikes—which is
only occasionally. Most of the songs on this album are about doomed
relationships and pain, but of the variety tempered by passion, hope, and a
refusal to let set-backs turn into beat-me-downs. The morning after in
"Hard Wired," for instance, reveals a doomed relationship in full
light: Well you are as you came/Mostly
blessin' cocaine/Just a match begging for fire, but it was still a helluva
night! In keeping with the themes of attract/retreat, many of the songs are
duets with Esme Patterson, whose lovely voice provides grace to Graves' grit. When
you hear lines like, Well, I've never
seen life as a chore/Or a treasure to find/I've read the news, abused the
booze/And often wondered why you are hearing what country music does best:
offering a velvet fist. Take a listen and you'll know why the mayor of Austin
once declared a Shakey Graves Day. {Noted: The link on "Perfect Parts" is acoustic, not electric.}
Steve Forbert is
a certified road warrior that lots of people remember for his 1980 hit
"Romeo." That one was something of a fluke; Forbert writes a lot of
songs with solid hooks, but he isn't really a pop charts kind of guy. His voice
is too unusual for the gleam and generic sparkle of Top 40–too much smoke,
quaver, and growly bottom, especially now that he's turned 60. His new record, Compromised
(Rock Ridge Music) is his 16th studio release to go along
with a passel of compilations and website-only recordings. Despite the title,
most of the songs are about change as a natural life progression rather than
something with which one must settle. The record reunites Forbert with John
Simon, who produced his second record back in 1979. It also places Forbert at
the front of a band, which allows for bigger arrangements. "Big Comeuppance" has very cool brassy blues horn from Kami Lyle that makes the
song reminiscent of Dr. John back when he tempered his jazz-soaked offerings
with accessible pop hooks. Another winner is "Rollin Home to Someone You
Love," whose memorable bass lines perfectly supplement the song's
working-class feel. Joey Spampinato's bass also anchors "Devil (Here She
Comes)," a classic tale of moving deliberately toward the Siren's flame
knowing full well that you're going to get scorched. This is a fine release
from Forbert, with a few reservations. The wear and tear on his voice is
starting to show, so don't expect it to be 1980 all over again. On a more
substantive note, three of the songs are labeled as "Americana"
versions of earlier tracks. Forbert's version of Americana is mainly to slow the
bass and tempo, which I found more gimmicky than effective. That's also what I
thought of the speeded up cover of "Send in the Clowns," and Forbert's
thinly veiled appropriation of the hook from The Who's "Baba Riley"
on "Whatever Man." 
The Peach Kings are
the LA-Based duo of Paige Wood and Steven Dies. Their most recent release, Mojo
Thunder (Mophonics), is probably illegal in the Bible Belt. It's a heavy
breathing rock and roll EP that blends Wood's sultry voice with Dies'
hard-edged guitar. The half-sung/half-spoken word "Hold On" is like
Barry White on acid and the title track uses a surf guitar meets swamp rock
arrangement to front vocals such as Fell
you coming on harder now sugar/Puttin' on your push/Push…. Somehow I don't
think Wood is singing about her partner's brilliant defense of Schopenhauer's
critique of Kant's view of the noumenal. Sexy, dark, and slightly ominous—think
dashes of the Velvet Underground and P.J. Harvey. 
Darlingside has
just released a new CD titled Birds Say (!KZ
Records) that demonstrates the quartet's evolution from a group of Williams
College students messing with folk, rock, and bluegrass into one featuring a
complex interweaving of melodic, ambient, and transcendent sounds. Check out
"The Ancestor," which invokes the drenched sounds quality of a band such
as Snow Patrol. Its gorgeous harmonies and tight instrumentation make it sound
at once sunny and enigmatic.
Austin singer/songwriter David Ramirez has a new release, Fables (Sweetworld), which is great news. By
his own admission, Ramirez smacked into writers' block after his 2013 EP The Rooster. "Rock and a Hard Place,"
a featured video from Fables is
reason enough for cheer. Ramirez tends not to be fancy—just thoughtful songs,
solid guitar, and a soulful voice that exudes an honesty embedded in
simplicity.
Rob Weir
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