Page 30 - the NOISE MAY 2016 Edition

MUSic ReVieWS!
lil BOBBY & THe HORSeY HOUSe BANd
We Don’t Belong Together
emotional Response / Moone Records
Any Flagstaffians who have stuck around for a while now may remember Lil Bobby as the artist formerly known as Bobby Carlson. BC was responsible for many Flag-based musical diversions such as the sorely missed Feel Free, Ponies, Prime 8s, etc. Lil Bobby moved to Tucson a couple of years ago with a suitcase full of tunes and a headful of hope, but still pops up in Flag every now and then with the equally excellent wanda Junes and Hermanitos. yes, this boy can write some cracking pop tunes, and in this, his latest musical mutation, Lil Bobby has unquestionably hit gold, with all the stars lining up in his favor. The musicianship from the Phoenix-based Horsey House Band is playful and confident, trading in country-tinged themes, lap steels and acoustic wonderment. The production is charming also, with just enough tape hiss to prove beyond doubt the authenticity of analog recording. The icing on the cake is the breathtakingly effortless vocals of Lonna Kelley (Cherie Cherie, Giant sand etc), destined to melt the hearts of all who will hear this. The combination provides the perfect vehicle for Lil Bobby’s well-crafted songs. Already a contender for album of the year, the CD is available on Flagstaff-based emotional Response and cassette versions on Tempe-based Moone Records.
RHOdA dAKAR
Sings The Bodysnatchers
Vinyl Only Records
I assume because the Bodysnatchers were an all-female seven-piece competing with already established chart bound two-tone acts such as Madness, The specials and The (english) Beat, they were somehow overlooked, which is a huge shame, as the Bodysnatchers only managed two (brilliant, never reissued) seven-inches before dissolving into the watery chart bound sounds of The Belle stars. Rhoda Dakar, (lead singer in The Bodysnatchers), joined the special A.K.A. and sang on “Free nelson Mandela” and various other big european hits, including the harrowing tale of rape “The Boiler,” (go look it up and listen to it now if you have never heard it, and see how powerful and uncompromising pop music can be in the right hands). so, it is with glee I discovered this new LP of what would have comprised The Bodysnatchers LP, had they stuck around long enough to make one. The band consists of a couple of The specials, (Horace Gentleman and Lynval Golding), so you know from the get go you are in good company, and the production is straightforward and sympathetic. (Thank god this record wasn’t made in the 90s when the production could have easily wrecked the recordings!) And Rhoda’s vocals are of course, remarkable and have lost none of the fire and sparkle over the past 35 years. Grab a copy, and get yer dancing shoes on! Let’s do rocksteady!
eARTH GiRlS
Someone I’d Like To Know
Dirt Cult Records
High octane four-track seven-inch of breathless female fronted punkpop, the super catchy, very new york-ish late-70s punk vibe — It’s bubblegum, in the Ramones sense, polished and accomplished. The lead track is a two minute belter, with witty and biting lyrics (“If you insist on finishing my lines / at least get them right”), but all four tracks on this delightful seven-inch are winners. Released on the Portland, Oregon based Dirt Cult Records. well worth seeking out.
WRecKleSS eRic
America
Fire Records
Thank the heavens for misfits like Wreckless Eric, still banging away after all these years. The nomadic wreckless has bounced around in the underground wilderness for most of the past 30 years; he crashed, burned, sobered up and got his life back together after genuine european chart success in the early 80s. I imagine you may know his 1980 hit “whole wide world,” used in film soundtracks, adverts and the like. you must know it, it’s the greatest two-chord song ever written! sounds simple to write a two-chord song? well, just try! Part of wreckless’ immediate charm is the apparent simplicity on first listen. Don’t be fooled — his songs have always been well crafted and heartfelt, and on his first LP of new material in 12 years his voice sounds as spritely and passionate as ever. Lyrically there is much humor, in particular the lead track “America” where he delightfully sings about his own modest successes of “being in the lower reaches of the hit parade” and photo shoots wearing a jacket he “wouldn’t be seen dead in.” Before reassuring us he would “do it all again given half the chance.” Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another 12 years for a new wreckless LP!
|Beverley Napalm is reviving the music reviews this issue.
By BeVeRlY NAPAlM
music@thenoise.us
30 • MAY 2016 • the NOISE arts & news • thenoise.us