History is brought to life in Jucifer’s new release L’Autrichienne. Instead sticking to same sound and concepts of their past two releases If Thine Enemy Hunger and I Name You Destroyer, Jucifer unveils their interpretation of the fall of Marie Antoinette. On top of this concept album, the duo Amber Valentine and Edgar Livengood also employ playing more instrustments than their basic drum and guitar setup. In what would be enough instruments for 12 piece band to play, Guitarist/Bassist/Singer Valentine is credited with playing timpani, piano, Hammond, violin, cello, mellotron, and knife sharpener. While Drummer Livengood also played piano, trumpet, trombone, and flute. This also marks a release where instead of recording and sequencing with Pro Tools, they instead record drums, bass, guitar, banjo, and vocals live to 2″ tape. The result of this does seem to add a bit more spontaneity and warmth to the music. Finally in a brilliant move, in place of the lyrics Jucifer opts to describe the historical context about what each song is about.
L’Autrichienne tells the story of Marie Antoinette in first person interpretation and opens with “Gunpowder,” an strong indie rocker about the King and Queen’s attempt to escape capture and begins the Queen’s descent that would ultimately lead her to the guillotine. Genre-wise Jucifer is like no other band in defying the genre that’s always been labeled to them. Without effort they go from indie (Gunpowder, Behind Every Great Man, Window - Where the Sea Falls Forever), bone crushing sludge metal and hardcore (Deficit, The Mountain, Procession a la Guillotine, Traitors, Armada) to ballads of betrayal and innocence (To the End, L’Autrichienne, Noyade).
Performance wise this is probably Jucifer’s most brilliant record yet in their career dating back to 1994. Amber Valentine once again shows total command of the guitar and renews my belief that she is her own peer (I absolutely think there’s no contest that she is a much better player than the one trick pony guitar playing of Jack White). Vocally, Valentine’s ability to transform from the sweet, sugary innocence of a young girl who happens to be a Queen and not fully understanding her current surroundings to the angry, bitter and spiteful mob that in the end calls for her head is just as seamless as the music, to make these interpretation even more poignant a handful of these songs are sung in French. Edgar Livengood is I believe the live embodiment of John Bonham as I have not heard or seen any one hit the drums as hard as Bonham does until I got I Name You Destroyer and saw them later on that tour. Also I enjoy listening to the rhythm of Livengood’s drums as specifically on the slower song it reminds me of the classic Swans albums Cop/Young God and Greed/Holy Money.
The only downside to this record is the hardcore influenced songs and this really just my one over problem with their albums in general. I have never like Valentine’s voice when playing hardcore as it just seems like a little too forced to go that deep and also Livengood’s drums are so heavy that they tend to dominate the mix and it gives the illusion that the two are out of sync. But other that this absolutely the most original work they’ve done yet and also that I’ve listen to in years. It reminds of when I was in high school, I had to do a presentation on Samuel Taylor Colridge and chose Rush’s Xanadu based off the same poem. So if your kid needs a presentation aid just get this CD and they’ll have both a great CD and something useful for history class. Now my interested in how they translate this to live performance as if you have not seen them live, you have not really seen Jucifer.
I’m currently listening to some new releases getting ready to do some reviews in next couple of weeks. So here’s my new release Top 5 and one classic:
Machine Head - The Blackening: So far on initial listen I think this probably by far the best album they’ve done yet.
Jucifer - L’Autrichienne: It’s shame that they are on a predominately metal label, because this one of the most interesting albums I’ve listen in awhile and Relaspse really only markets to metal fans. It’s hard to describe this record in a short blurb. But I will say this just to inflame you Jack White drones….Jucifer easily blows away the White Stripe wannbe crap Pixies/Blues drivel.
Dirtbombs - We Have You Surrounded: I think I like it but it’s no Ultraglide in Black, which was a fantastic record.
The Detroit Cobras - Tied and True: This is on par with everything else they’ve done but the did do a great version of one my all time favorite soul hits “Nothing But a Heartache”
Devil Doll - Return of Eve: A lot more blues and country than jazz on this one but so far I like it.
Classic:
Rollins Band - End of Silence Demo Sessions: EoS is still Rollins’ most significant release and although I like it, after listening to Demo Session, I’ve come to the conclusion that this is the version of EoS that should have been released. It’s a lot rougher, the songs a bit shorter, and the definitions of the instruments are a lot cleaner as the Imago release just sounded so glossed over.
Artist: Schlong
Album: Tumours
Label: Very Small Records
Year: 1995?
This week I present you with the hard find and quite excellent Tumours 7″ by Schlong, a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours in it’s entirety. It was released around 1995 on the long defunct Very Small Records.
I remember seeing these guys around that time in Albuquerque and the talent of these guys very impressive and a lot of fun as well. They also played a short set as their bluegrass punk alter-ego 3 Finger Spread and did an awesome version of Slayer’s Epidemic complete with a ukulele and a bango.
What set this record a part from most cover albums is that even though they were slightly mocking Fleetwood Mac, it sounds like they painstakingly listened to the original album over and over to make sure they got it right and that every song was recognizable. There are way too bands who do sloppy covers because either they need a filler or they think with their egos and try to make it their own.
Sadly Schlong broke up many years ago and most of the catalog as now out of print. Except for Punk Side Story, an awesome punk version of West Side Story.
I did a little mastering to the files because it’s from the 7″ and I played it a lot over the years, but I tried leave it as close to the original sound as possible.
What do you get when you have a psychobilly band of Danes with a penchant of Misfits-like macabre, a dash of crime noir and a lot of hate for Brett Michaels…
Rockabilly and it cousin psychobilly (a mix of punk and rockabilly) has been a lull over past couple of years. Few bands have been able to put consistent good output with the exception of The Reverend Horton Heat, Southern Culture on the Skids, and The Legendary Shack Shakers. Of late though, there does seem to be a couple of new bands ready to bring the scene back from the dead and this time they are led by women. One band is Devil Doll, led by Colleen Duffy, which crossovers rockabilly and swing, has been gaining momentum over the years in critical acclaim and a strong growing fan base. And the other and the focus of this review is Horrorpops, led by Patricia Day, who has taken psychobilly scene by storm and just released their third album, Kiss Kiss Kill Kill.
Formed in Copenhagen, Denmark in 1998, Horropops combined elements of The Misfits, The Cramps, the classic rockabilly sounds of the 50’s and 60’s, and made it something uniquely their own. The core members of the group consist of bassist/vocalist Patricia Day, whose prowess on the upright bass I believe rivals that of Horton Heat’s Jimbo Wallace and strong female-oriented lyrics and vocals remind me of Blondie and The Pretenders. Day’s co-founder and guitarist Kim Nekroman is no stranger to the rockabilly scene himself with his own band Nekromantix (founded in 1989 and put out a new record in 2007, Life is a Grave & I Dig It), and his guitar style harkens back to the orginal rockabilly guitarists of Carl Perkins, Bill Haley, and Link Wray. Finally drummer Niedermeier rounds out as the final core member of band and seamlessly plays off of Day’s riff’s where that at times the rhythm section reminds of again the classic Horton Heat line up of Wallace and Taz Bentley. On their first two records Hell Yeah and Bring It On!, they added a second guitarist (different one each release) and as result the band’s sound was firmly planted in the punk side of psychobilly.
However, with Kiss Kiss Kill Kill we see the Horrorpops down to it’s original trio and as result there is a sense of maturity to their song writing and exploring themes that they only flirted with on their previous releases. While they still bring their punk influences to the mix and lack of the wall of guitar actually adds more to their sound as it allows room for Nekroman to laydown catchy leads and twangs, Day’s riffs and triplets, and surprising additions such as string and horn arrangements. Kiss Kiss Kill Kill’s high points though make this probably their strongest album yet with tracks as the ska-influenced “MissFit”, Day’s shout out to women that it’s worth being a female and having an opinion:
I don’t always tread, dont always tread careful \ Yeah \ Most of the time I’m quite annoying \ I don’t \ Watch my mouth \ Don’t find an out in a fight! \ I can scream and shout and be a loud mouth! \ And I, I’m from the wrong side of the town \ Now proud \ On top of that I’m female! \ Nothing, nothing I say is adequate \ According to you I’m a MissFit! \ What made you my judge and juror?!
“Thelma and Louise” opens the album with Nekroman’s catchy guitar riff and Day’s undertoned vocals about how life should be lived just like the movie it’s named after. Which also introduces one of strongest elements of the album, the maturity of the lyrics and the infusion of crime noir themes such as “Highway 55″, “Kiss Kiss Kill Kill” and the aptly titled “Hitchcock Starlet.” You get the sense that they spent six months reading and watching crime noir stories to get the mood and the sense of danger lurking around every corner. And while as they it put themselves on the cover Kiss Kiss Kill Kill is “Twelve Tales About Love and Murder,” they still have fun as in the excellent track “Heading for the Disco” it’s light-hearted, the lyrics full of seething sarcasm, and something everyone can relate to as that we all have that one friend who still thinks 80’s cock rock still lives forever.
However this new stripped down sound does have its skippable moments such as “Boot2Boot”, which is back to pure punk fury but it seems rather flat and generic, and also “Everything Everything”, a ballad but one that never really develops into anything. The last couple tracks on the record are pretty much middle of road they don’t bring anything new to the table but they are catchy.
This is overall an outstanding record and it is easy to see they are clearly looking ahead and adding more to their already full sonic palette. I would recommend buying the CD over downloading as the cover artwork is a fantastic compliment to the theme of record itself. And trust me you’ll be buying Hell Yeah! and Bring It On! soon after getting this one.
Hopefully they be coming back to DC soon as I missed them they last time they came through with Horton Heat (I know, I know but hey I like them a lot too). Patricia Day VS Jimbo Wallace upright bass showdown - that would be well worth the price of admission.
What do you get when you have a psychobilly band of Danes with a penchant of Misfits-like macabre, a dash of crime noir and a lot of hate for Brett Michaels…