Bob Dylan
Love and Theft
by Dan Carlin
As unexpectedly as the metallic modernity of Time Out of Mind comes the affable nostalgia of Love and Theft, Bob Dylan’s growling, soulful homage to the roots of American rock music.
Dylan has traversed as much musical territory as any songwriter in the history of the craft, and in a sense, he’s come full circle with Love and Theft. The deliberately sparse Woody Guthrie emulations that marked his early work bear the earnest warble of a young idealist. On his new album, he’s gone even farther back in down-home Americana, now returning with a hearty rasp fitting to the material.
About half of Love and Theft sounds like it came off of 78 rpm records dug out of dirt-covered crates. Yawning Dobro guitars, heehaw drum beats, and earthy production are like the crinkle and yellow tint that give old documents that genuinely worn look.
On “Bye and Bye” Dylan mixes the delightful sway of 40s slow swing with 60s blues organ into a pleasantly geriatric piece of musical nostalgia. And he seems to be temporarily fascinated by this mood, pursuing it throughout the album on tracks like “Moonlight,” “Floater,” and “Bye and Bye.” He even throws in a jump blues track in “Summer Days.”
The other half of the album is a hodge-podge that recalls and combines various phases of Dylan’s monumental career. The album’s opener, “Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum” harkens back to classic Dylan road-trip epics like “Bob Dylan’s 115th Dream,” and “On the Road Again,” while the contemplative vocals and glassy production of “Mississippi” produce a richer, infinitely more enjoyable version of the sound he was going for in the 80s “saved” albums (which was already evident on Time Out of Mind).
The only rub is that, in the end, we don’t care what Dylan is talking about like we used to. This state of affairs doesn’t make Dylan a lesser songwriter, but it just means that we can’t listen to him expecting to hear the prophet of a generation. This is good music, but it’s not the music of our times.
*** 1/2
Prime STH
Underneath the Surface
by Evan Heigert
For those of us who thought that the American music scene couldn’t possibly be more choked with Creed-like metal, Prime STH proves there’s room for one more. Make no mistake, though, this is not just another cookie-cutter band. In fact Prime STH was formed almost five years before the Creed boys even hooked up. And besides hitting the right spot with their hot, guitar-based rhythms, this band is the epitome of the classic rags-to-riches story that is so rare in our era of corporately-engineered hit bands.
Prime STH typifies the American teenage rock band making it big, yet the four members grew up in Sweden. In fact, the `STH’ in the band’s name refers to their old haunt, Stockholm. The four rock-lovers, Noa, Martin, Kaz, and Jspr grew up in Sweden, bound by their outsider status as children of Bohemian parents, and when they were only 12 years old, they came together to form Prime.
Over the next several years the guys honed their musical skills and their English. Soon they had a huge following in a country that is an infamously hard sell for anything other than rap or techno. Realizing that they were essentially an American-sounding band, the group signed onto Reprise Records and moved to Los Angeles in 1999 to record their debut album Underneath the Surface, which was released in June of this year.
No one would deny that Prime’s sound has a lot in common with Creed, but this is not the extent of the rhythm. Much of their guitar-heavy-yet-upbeat sound has a distinct sonic connection to the great grunge-rock bands of the `90s, especially Bush and Nirvana.
The obvious standout track on the band’s debut is “I’m Stupid (Don’t Worry `Bout Me).” Introduced by Noa’s smooth, come hither vocals and a simple guitar riff, the song slowly builds to the all-out chorus of the whole band singing, “‘Cause if I can’t make you love me, you’re out of reasons to stay.” The song reverberates back and forth between a heavy rock anthem and a soft rock love song. The union is beautiful and prepares the listener for the host of sounds yet to come.
Another hot track is “Even the Score (No One Else).” The song brings the listener back to the glory days of Bush with a simple, but beautiful guitar beat similar to Bush’s “Comedown.” Other notable tracks include “Believe” and “In My Head.”
This is a hot CD and it’s already garnered a great amount of listener appreciation.
Beyond the band’s catchy, guitar-strong, made-for-radio singles, the band’s true attraction is in its legitimacy. Prime STH is not an MTV concoction or even a big name band grubbing for radio play, they’re just your typical Bohemian-bred, Swedish born, American transplanted rock band, and they’re on their way.
*** 1/2
Randy
Human Atom Bombs
by Dan Carlin
There isn’t an insincere note struck on The Human Atom Bombs. It’s a straight-on, raucous celebration of the joy of the three-chord pop-punk progression, and it’s executed with infectious energy and a delightful attention to melody.
This Swedish-based quartet, who is currently touring with underground punk legends Propaghandi, doesn’t try to do anything extraordinary on their third album, they just want to have fun.
Slipping their political statements into cheerful odes to equality like “Karl Marx and History,” “Proletarian Hop,” and “Whose side are you on?”, and angry dissonance completely out of the musical picture, Randy instead celebrates fraternal good fun (“Summer of Bros”) and maximum rock and roll (“Chicken Shack” and “Rockin’ Pneumonia And the Punk Rock Flu”).
Crunching, joyous chords dominate, and the manic energy of a live show pervades the performances. And even while tunefulness remains a constant throughout their songs, Randy never sacrifices an inch of their raw punk stance for lame pop constructs.
***
Flashback: 1973
Bob Marley and the Wailers
Catch a Fire
by Taylor Upchurch
“Stop the Train,” the fourth song from the legendary Catch a Fire, is better than just about any song out there in the great discography in the sky. Its rhythm, vocal harmonies, and mellow organs all meld with the poignant metaphor: “Stop that train, I’m leaving.” It’s written and sung by Peter Tosh, and it paints the frustration in Jamaica, Tosh’s homeland.
And the message hasn’t grown obsolete. Apply the lyrics to the turmoil in Afghanistan for just one example-“Some livin’ big, but the most are livin’ small / They just can’t find no food at all”-and the value of a political statement in music as a constant across generations is clear. This is Tosh at his headiest, catchiest, and most sorrowful.
With all this in mind, remember that Peter Tosh was the second banana of the Wailers. He was their Lou Gehrig, their Ed McMahon, their DJ Jazzy Jeff if you will.
That’s how good the Wailers were, and that’s how good Catch a Fire is. Every one of the nine songs oozes unbridled harmony and emotion. (And the Jamaican version of the album, released as half of the newly reissued deluxe edition, is even more earthy and soulful, if that’s possible, plus it has two more songs.) If they’d had a one-track mind, the Wailers’ political pleas would have gone unnoticed from listener overload, but instead we get the classic “Stir It Up,” the joyous “Baby We’ve Got a Date” and the self-explanatory “Kinky Reggae.” Oh yes, Marley could pen a song or two back in his day.
The bottom line is simple: before Marley, reggae was good for the occasional jokey novelty hit single, sort of like the Macarena or the Electric Slide. After Marley, reggae got its own section in music stores worldwide. Millions awoke to the oppressive goings-on in his home country, and the world’s musical pallete added another color. You can’t really top that.
Doomed Album of the Week:
The Coup
Party Music
by Taylor Upchurch
Talk about bad timing. The cult Oakland rap duo had slated this as the cover art for their new album Party Music, due out in mid November. Needless to say, neither the musicians nor Dogday Records, who is releasing the album, has any desire to keep the cover as is.
While the group has been known for provocative album titles like Genocide and Juice, Kill My Landlord, and Steal this Album, most would agree that support of terrorism is not what the doctor ordered for healthy record sales.