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Camper Van Beethoven Lives
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| Brian Dukes, Up & Coming Weekly, Sept. 15, 2004 |
September 15, 2004 |
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If there's nothing else to be said about President W. Bush's reign, the least that could be mentioned is that he polarized the music world. Love him or hate him, W. has a way of getting musicians up in arms. Such is the case with Camper Van Beethoven, and their latest release, New Roman Times - the first in nearly 15 years.
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Reuniting the original CVB lineup of David Lowery, Jonathan Segel, Victor Krummenacher, Greg Lisher and Chris Pederson, New Roman Times is a rock opera - literally. The conceptual album loosely tells the story of a Texas juvenile delinquent who joins an elite military unit - a choice Lowery made in order to express his anger with W.'s administration through the eyes of a soldier.
CVB formed in 1985 in Santa Cruz and helped give birth to the Indie Rock scene with such songs as "Take the Skinheads Bowling" and "Joe Stalin's Cadillac." It'd be no surprise if New Roman Times was a return, in some ways, to those days. However, it's a more mature, talented CVB that appears here. However, New Roman Times is filled with plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments and reality-bending lyrics.
While it takes a stretch of the imagination to digest New Roman Times, that doesn't take away from what it achieves. Creatively, New Roman Times is a rare effort that pays off with both artistic value and commercial plausibility.
BUDDY MILLER
Universal United House of Prayer
One part alt-country, one part southern gospel, and one part folk pop, Buddy Miller is a musician for all seasons, and nowhere is this more apparent than on his latest release, Universal United House of Prayer.
A slow burning affair, infused with both old and new spiritualism, but with both feet firmly planted in gospel sensibilities, Universal United House of Prayer ponders today's issues as seen through the eyes of a man on a mission to right things wrong using a "higher power" as his guide.
The 11 tracks on UUHoP contain covers of various artists, including Mark Heard's "Worry Too Much," and Bob Dylan's "With God On Our Side," which clocks in at an amazing nine minutes. There are, however, several original tunes that speak to the songwriting strength and performance of Miller and company. And, while this album is certainly spiritual, it's not what you'll hear marketed towards mainstream Christian audiences. The theme is one of soul - both the spiritual kind and the musical - and the CD addresses the human condition through tunes replete with mourning guitars, and angelic choruses.
I have to give Miller credit for tackling current day topics and infusing those discussions with a sense of the greater beyond. It doesn't hurt that Miller's songwriting skills are on par with Woody Guthrie and Emmylou Harris. If you're looking for music with a deeper meaning, minus the guilt, then give Universal United House of Prayer a spin.
TRICK JONES
Baby's Cry
Born Antron Jones, Trick Jones is a Lumberton local who started crooning at three. Apparently, the early start helped - Jones' debut CD, Baby's Cry, is a great mix of rap, R&B and soul that makes for a solid introduction of a local to the world at large.
For his part, Trick has a smooth, powerful voice that takes on each song as it comes along. However, I think he's holding back. For whatever reason, I felt like Trick had a hidden power source just waiting to explode. It's scary when someone can sound as good as they do and still have more to give. For the rest of the album, Jones has guest artists appear to spit rhymes, including DrewRama, D'Bury, Blac Smyth and Levia. It's a nice collaborative effort that helps shine the light on other local talents (and Fayetteville, surprisingly, has a lot of hip hop talent).
Musically, the album is more soul and R&B than hip hop, but that may just be because Jones' voice is rooted more deeply in those genres - more heart than heat, more soul than sorrow.
Among the highlights of the 12-track CD is the opener, "The Birthday Song," which has an infectious beat and fun flavor to it. It's a song that could easily be as anthemic as Will Smith's "Summertime," if pushed properly and marketed right.
Jones has a potential to go beyond these borders. His voice alone is reason enough to be a believer. Hopefully, he can fine tune his range and tap into that secret power source to really explode. Keep your eyes, or ears, on Trick Jones.
MOTORJUNKIE
Motorjunkie
Want eight shots of pure rock n' roll? Then you'll want to pick up Motorjunkie's self-titled CD, available at their shows or Musik Hut, or wherever you can beg, borrow, or steal one. Well, maybe not steal. How about borrow and burn?
Another great example of great music by locals for locals, Motorjunkie is a local rock band that borders on metal edges, but uses more driving, Godsmack-like riffs than anything. Or at least that was the impression I got after listening to "Stumble," the CD's opening track. That was quickly shattered with the second track "Ten Years," which slowed things down and showed the band's range. In fact, the band uses tempo changes quite often to keep things interesting all throughout the CD.
My favorite track, and I'd love to see them do this live, on the album was "Bigger Faster Louder." I can only imagine what effect the rapid-fire bassline has on crowds.
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©Up & Coming Magazine 2010
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