Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Bhindi Bhagee
From 2001's Global a Go-Go
Joe Strummer's solo stuff really amazes me. It's as if he took every style of music he ever enjoyed, put it in a blender and then shared the results with us lucky mortals. "Global A Go-Go" is a considerably more muted release than his 2003 swan song "Streetcore" but it is still a very entertaining record. A very smooth and relaxed feeling pours out of this record. There is a line towards the middle of the song where a man walking asks Joe "what's your music like?" It strikes me that Mr. Strummer may have written this song simply for this line, where he lists just about every genre of music ever recorded and describes himself as that. That's true punk rock man, just taking chances and if he wanted to release a slightly dancy reggae song then god damnitt he is Joe freakin Strummer, he'll do what he wants. If you are not familiar with the Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros records I recommend you start with Streetcore, but then I demand that you listen to them all. It almost makes you feel like you are part of an important part of musical history...where an aging rocker was finding his niche. Long Live Strummer.
The Tossers - A Fine Lass You Are
from 2008's A Fine Spring Evening
What begins as a rather sweet love song sung by a wine sodden lead singer very quickly turns into one of the more unique love songs I've ever heard. As early as the 1st verse Mr. T. Duggins is inviting his girl to his Uncle's Wake?! This tune has a great swinging beat and Duggins' rambles on and eventually comes to the point of the song "I will break anyone's goddamn neck, If I hear that they cross you or broke your respect" Now that's love. Right? Anyway, this song is a true Tossers classic, complete with a crazy tempo change/breakdown which is preceded by either a Gaelic verse...or a drunken verse. Difficult to say. But the Tossers will forever keep cranking out great tracks like this, and be happy doing it. I reviewed this record in full earlier, but it deserves another listen. Who else ends a song just bellowing "Chicago!...."Elvis Costello - Sulphur to Sugarcane
from 2009's Secret, Profane and Sugarcane
Elvis Costello has to be the most productive musician ever. He just keeps cranking out the records. His 2009 release is a pretty cool one. This record is a sort of folksy / bluegrass / Costelloish sound. He has been flirting with the more twangy sound as of late, most notably on 2004's The Delivery Man. He seems to have embraced the stringed instruments here and put together an impressive band to lay down these 13 tracks. The pseudo title track "Sulphur to Sugarcane" could be an Elvis Costello song from 1977...just without any drums and the addition of slide guitar and banjos. What I'm getting at is that Elvis has made his own country record here and this song is the perfect example of him doing it his way. It tells a humorous story with a word count and rhyme scheme that sort of get lost for a minute, but still is a really great song. Big D and the Kid's Table - Not Fuckin' Around
From 2009's Fluent in Stroll
This is a song that could easily receive tons of radio airplay and actually be a chartworthy single for this hard working band. There's only one problem, the title has the word "fuck" in it. And so does the chorus...and most of the song. Unlike rap music's "radio edits" I don't think "I'm not messing around" would make for a song as entertaining. Anyway, this song is awesome. Basically this guy's girlfriend accuses him of cheating and he goes above and beyond (in song form) to prove he is faithful. Including the awesome opening line where he is stranded on an island with 6 million girls, but instead of any infidelity, he resorts to carpentry and has the girls build a "kick ass sailboat" to get back to his woman. This is a song with a great sense of humor and a heartwarming bottom line. He really digs his chick, and I'm glad that there are still bands around with the balls to write a cute love song and insert nearly 20 "F-Words" into it. Well Done Boys...
Chuck Ragan & Austin Lucas - The Light
from 2008's Bristle Ridge
Ok, so anyone who has read this blog before knows I have a little Man Crush on Chuck Ragan. He is just a cool dude, who is playing exactly the music he wants to play. I love his solo stuff, and would venture to say his post-Hot Water Music period is probably more enjoyable for me. This particular release...a joint venture with Austin Lucas is rather interesting with both artists sharing the writing and performing spotlight. This song starts with a harmonica and the boys proceed to take turns swapping verses with Lucas' high and wavering twang of a voice perfectly melting into Ragan's gravel filled roar. (that is a hell of a sentence I just wrote) The song tells a tale of what appears to be a man convincing his girl that they can make it through these tough times. The highlight of the song for me is the last time the chorus comes through and Ragan and Lucas have been sort of harmonizing and the higher pitched Austin Lucas lets loose for a brief period and allows his voice to push above Ragan's with the line "Seen times that are rough and we shined, like a lantern in the darkest coal mine." Odds are very high that neither of these gentlemen have ever worked in a coal mine, but with a line like that sung with the conviction the two artists have, you can picture it. Get this album now, whether you like punk rock, country, alt-country...whatever the hell you want to call it. Music is Music, and this is some of the best your likely to hear.NOFX - Eddie, Bruce and Paul
from 2009's Coaster / Frisbee
Leave it to NOFX to have the best guitar work they have ever recorded on a joke song about the break up of Iron Maiden. This is a hell of a ridiculous concept for a song, but it sure is fun to listen to. It's like Fat Mike's mini rock opera about a band breaking up due to substance abuse. "Kudos to Paul - Fuck You Bruce. How you spossda Rock and Roll without substance
abuse" I think that maybe a bit of the epic tale of Iron Maiden hit home with the members of NOFX. As anyone who has seen their Backstage tour show when it was on TV can tell you, (or anyone who has seen them live, or even just listened to their lyrics...) these guys are a hard living bunch. Regardless, this is a cool tune, and I'm not exaggerating about it probably being the best guitar work they ever recorded. I own every NOFX album and I have not recently given every single track a good listen, but I think this could be El Hefe and Eric Melvin's crowning achievement.
There you have it. Not a Bad list...if I do say so myself.
