STRAY CATS
40
Thirty years after their surprise breakthrough, neo-rockabilly champs The Stray Cats reunite for another go-round with a crisper, younger revision of hillbilly roots music. The Cats introduced this corner to Elvis Presley’s “Sun Sessions” which ranks as one of the greatest debuts of all time.
With their own first release, The Stray Cats attempted to replicate both the tough side of the young Elvis (“Rumble in Brighton” as “Good Rocking Tonight”) and Presley’s passionate side (“Stray Cat Strut” as “That’s All Right” revisited). Well, Sun Sessions’ hillbilly edge has been definitely smoothened in the modern studio yet the rockabilly twang remained the same as the Stray Cats rocked their way to the top in the new wave ‘80s.
The key to the Cats’ enduring appeal is guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer whose chops recall the mighty Scottie Moore, a favorite Elvis sideman. Add the fact that their sound went against the grain of a synth-driven decade and the Stray Cats became beloved outsiders in the pre-millennial music scene.
Titled ’40,’ the Cats’ post-millennium recording should reflect the maturity that comes with getting on with age and musical ability. But no sirree. Their new album snaps, twists and twangs like they never went away.
It only means that the trio of drummer Slim Jim Phantom, bassist Lee Rocker and ace guitarist Brian Setzer are steeped in the primordial traditions of rockabilly. Millennials and aficionados alike will be charmed to the bone by the toe-tapping Jerry Lee Lewis goodness of “Rock It Off” and “Cry Danger”. Something swell can still be said of the Marlboro Country reverb in “Desperado” and the “All Shook Up” frolic of “That’s Messed Up”.
It’s tempting to describe the album as a reminder of the classic sounds of Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and Chuck Berry. It’s better to say the ‘40’ album to be a stunning work in a time of diminishing returns from dumb going dumber pop idols.
BARONESS
Gold & Grey
Sludge metal isn’t something that quickly turns up on the lips of most heavy music fans. It probably has little to do with the stinky connotation of sludge and more with the subgenre’s tinnitus inducing cocktail of hardcore punk, grunge and progressive rock.
Furthermore, as originally conceived by bands like Mastodon, sludge metal has a Southern rock accent with its see-you-in-hell quirk. In previous color-themed albums (e.g. Red, Purple, Yellow & Green), the four piece ensemble Baroness based in Georgia, USA balanced feelings of joy with self-hatred by calibrating their metal assault to the intensity of the emotions they meant to impart.
On their latest recording, rumored to be the last of their color-coded releases, Baroness go full tilt on self-consuming immolation such that the song titles alone like “I’m Already Gone,” “Throw Me An Anchor” and the closer, “Pale Sun” already reveal a fixation with death. The proverbial ‘They looked into the void and the void looked back’ conjures the bleakness of “Gold & Grey”.
At 15 songs, it should be an excruciating descent into the abyss. Yet, God bless their creative souls, rather than chaotic, Baroness makes the journey beautifully bearable. The somber subject matter in “Tourniquet” is etched on a bed of uplifting grunge and dark Goth maneuvers. Laidback almost dreamy atmospherics permeate “Emmett Radiating Light” while “Broken Halo” gallops on a thrash-era Metallica crash and burn. Baroness simply mined the gold in them darn grey hills.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Oneroots /2019 Bulacan Compilation
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Tropical Diskoral Vol. 1
(Compilations offer s snapshot of the various facets of a music genre, a scene like punk and metal or a foretaste of what’s new in a record label. Unlike the single artist focus of a greatest hits release, a sampler is the quickest way to gain an appreciation of as many acts in one sitting.)
Then there’s the thrill of finding a gem or two in a hodgepodge of aspiring fresh talents. OneRoots/2019 is the first of series of collections featuring Bulacan-based artists. Given the proximity of the province to Metro Manila, it’s a safe bet to assume that urban contemporary OPM would be its guiding sound.
The blurb that accompanies the compilation says it reflects the diversity and blend envisioned by the founder of One Roots Records. He must have eclectic musical tastes since the 10 acts on the Bulacan sampler display an intelligent command of the nuances of hard rock and roots reggae. The featured music-makers mostly slide towards the indie side of OPM but without losing the appeal of ready for primetime adulation.
In “2000 Miles Away”, guitarist Archie Sanchez aspires for Wally Gonzales’s transcendence meshing post-rock and progressive tendencies on a shifting foundation of thundering grunge. Katrina’s “One Last Memory” starts on a folk rock note then goes dark along the way unsheathing a Gothic creepiness entwined in lyrics that go; “Just one more try and we will touch the sky.” Plumartin does reggae putting some spin on ‘buhay talangka’ while Ian Faundo brings a contemporary luster to old school ska formerly known as cumbachero. Ey’s Watawat rounds out the proceedings on a proto-nationalist roar for today’s battered and bloodied Pinoys.
Another new compilation, Tropical Diskoral Volume 1, is a project of Unos, a Filpina DJ/producer based in Belgium. She put out the album in time for this year’s Philippine Independence Day celebration in her adopted country.
The accompanying liner notes talk of a sonic investigation into new electronic music from the Philippines to the wider diaspora. The ‘new’ part is a bit a stretch because only the discofied shenanigans of Tarsius, the ethnic fusion of Like Animals and the post-punk collage of Ube Jam should sound fresh to pre-millennial electronica-fried eardrums of international audiences. Of course, the neo-soul voice of Lustbass and BP Valenzela’s throwback ‘50s croon come as a surprise too but only as natural contrasts to their prefab electronic settings. The next installment of Tropical Diskoral should be able to draw out equally interesting electronica outside of Imperial Manila’s indie circuit.