The Local Strangers, Complete Catalog
If you're unaware of the
Seattle-based Local Strangers fronted by Aubrey Zoli and Matt Hart, you’ve got
a treat in store. They are often classified as Americana, which in their case
means they’re a bit of everything. TLS has released their back catalogue
material. There's lots to sample and if you don’t find something to love, you
just don’t like music. “Hunted by Ghosts” has a sufficiently spooky feel with a
melody that's sort of string band-meets-small combo. The operative phrase is
“sort of,” because Zoli and Hart run the acoustic gamut; when they meld with
their touring band, they also tilt the rock and folk rock machines. “Devil and a Stiff Drink” is a "sort of" country rock badass song, but “Mr.
Blackberry” is a handclap ditty that could be something from the 1940s filtered
through electric noise that skirts cacophony. Zoli is bold and in command on “Chasethe Battle,” which evokes the pretty to let-‘er-rip style of Maura Kennedy. On
“Uptown,” Hart takes the lead on an impressive song that’s and indie rock/folk
hybrid. Listen to the white keys on that one. What else? How about the
harmonies and folk gospel feel of “Daniel,” a community sing-along in real
time? The acid surf guitar intro
to “Red Dress” also sounds like it’s borrowed from another time, though its
chorus is now. “Always Me” is a shitkicker, but there's also the emotional “Letter
to My Love,” complete with cello and horns. This is a wonderful ensemble and
Audrey Zoli is the real deal. ★★★★
Kristina Murray, Southern
Ambrosia
Kristina Murray writes new
songs in classic country and Southern rock style. Her alto, slightly nasal
voice is evocative of Nanci Griffith, as is her flair for pastoral tracks such
as “Strong Blood” and “Pink Azaleas,” the last a collection of nostalgic
childhood memories. She can also spin a good story, as she does in “Ballad of
Angel and Donnie,” which was inspired by reading of the meth bust of two folks
living on the razor’s edge. The project’s attention-grabber, “Made in America,”
features cool guitar hooks and is about another life-on-the-margins character that
grew up fighting, drinking, praying, and scrapping by. ★★★
VanWyck, An
Average Woman
This one is tough to
evaluate. Christien VanWyck is a Dutch singer whose 11-track An Average Woman is so moody that I
immediately thought of Leonard Cohen. When I sought information on her, it
turned out everyone else has also made the Cohen (and Laura Marling) connection.
The multiple threads of the title track lie with hearing of a teen girl’s
suicide, discussing acceptance with a therapist friend, and reading a novel
about a girl’s disappearance and her parents’ inability to describe her to the
police because she was so “average.” It's also an ironic opener, as most of the
album spotlights strong women. For instance, if you know Titian’s masterpiece
“The Rape of Europa,” you can imagine VanWyck’s take on “Europa Escapes.” But
the rub is that each track track on this album has the same pace: slow. “Europa
Escapes” at least has some reverb guitar, but that's as close as we get to a
pace change. I admired VanWyck’s lyrics and voice, but the arrangements make it
difficult to differentiate one song from another. You know–a lot like Leonard
Cohen’s early work. Try tracks such as the echoing “Red River Girl,” the
soulful “Don't Talk to the Captain,” and her amazing small voice catch in “By the Oak
Tree.” I yearned for more moments
such as these. ★★½
Rupa and the April Fishes, Growing Upward
If this band name perplexes
you, Rupa Marya fronts a six-piece band and April Fishes is a translation of
the French les poissons d'avril, a
French April 1 prank of sticking paper fish on the back of unsuspecting victims.
Rupa is a Bay Area fireball who sings in English, French, Spanish, and Hindi.
Her eclectic band is often dubbed "global alternative" as it's a mix
of jazz, rock, and chanson, with
splashes of reggae and punk. I've heard this band and admire much of what they
do, but was underwhelmed by Growing
Upward. "Where You From" is emblematic; the recording balance isn't loud but still feels overstuffed. Ditto "Water Song," which as so much drone-like ambience
that it flattens Marya's vocals. "Yelamu (We Are Still Here)" throws
everything but the kitchen sink at you: chants, background lead vocals,
trumpet, snippets of a newscast, and Guillermo Gomez Peña reading a human
rights declaration. Nice idea, but it gets in its own way. This album is much
stronger when it keeps things simple, as in the Caribbean-meets-Cajun "Ena Mena Deeka," which is like a washboard song without the namesake
percussion. "Frontline" is also a good song. It has oomph of R and
B and sexy trumpet that supplements Rupa's swaying rhythms. Throughout the
album I wanted more Rupa and less of the mess. ★★
Noaccordion, Surrender
An old joke holds there is
no form of music that can't be improved by the deletion of an accordion. Polka,
Celtic, and Cajun bands would disagree. So would Onah Indigo, the Bay Area
performance artist who spearheads the Noaccordion project. "Project"
is indeed the best way to describe Indigo's vision. The "no" part of
her music reminded me of Japanese "noh" theater in that it is
grounded, minimalist, and exotic to those who've never before encountered it.
Indigo's "Surrender" evolved
from Indigo's recovery from intense back pain. The squeezebox can be hard on
backs, and apparently she had plenty of time to think. Noaccordion–and Indigo does play one, as well as keys–is performance
art merged with bold experimentation and musical pastiche. "Goodness RiseAgain" features trumpet, plus the reggae/funk vocals of Spencer Garret
Burton; yet in "Grow" we hear Indigo reaching into operatic range. In
"Another Way," heavy drone-like bass sets a Gothic foundation for
accordion parading as fiddle. "Quick Time" is ironically named. It
would invoke descriptors such as funereal and elegiac were it not for the beat
box percussion. "Lessons" has been labeled "glitch hop,"
and that's a pretty good handle. The final track, "Allies," is piano,
bass, bang-the-can percussion, and buried wraithlike vocals, but also makes us
feel that Indigo has found simpatico peeps. This project strikes me as a more
successful venture onto turf upon which Rupa Marya stumbled. I warn you,
though, that Noaccordion is not for everyone. It's decidedly a walk on the unorthodox
side. Check out the official video for "Trouble" (not on the album)
and you'll see what I mean. ★★★½
Rob Weir
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