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CRAWDADDY-O
Crawdaddy-O
--Dave McElfresh
FELLS
The Fells EP
YOU NO LONGER have to pity Norman Fell, the character actor who'll be remembered by a generation only for his work as Mr. Roper for a few seasons' worth of the satanic sitcom Three's Company. (More discerning oldsters instead recall the sour but infinitely patient Fell for his fine appearances in such classic movies as Bullitt, Catch-22, and C.H.U.D. II.) Tucson's own The Fells, a high-octane quartet, splatter the air in spirited homage to the man who, by leaving Three's Company, single-handedly reversed Don Knotts' flagging fortunes--a long story, that, and scarcely fit for family consumption. Borrowing merrily from '60s garage, early Britpunk, and The Ramones, guitarist-songwriters Heath Heemsbergen and Jeff Glave, anchored by Rob Alper's drumming and Rob Yazzie's bass, churn up raving little ditties like "Do the Dance," "Get Uptight," "It's Not Alright," and the anthemic "You're Making Me Sick," which at 3:16 seems like a rock opera when measured against the disc's other tunes, most of which clock in at a couple of minutes. It's all good stuff, full of angst and repudiation, true to the band's namesake. Give it a listen. --Gregory McNamee
CHRIS MORRISON
Bargain Town
GOD BLESS CHRIS Morrison. Tucson's resident troubadour has never been afraid to wear his influences on his sleeve or lay bare his soul for all to hear. Bargain Town collects 30 songs and instrumental snippets with Morrison writing, playing and singing everything. Combining candid, unabashedly romantic lyrics with a strong Brit-Pop sensibility, Morrison turns in a selection of engaging tunes backed by either aggressive acoustic strumming or Bob Mould- like symphonies of guitar distortion. Throughout Bargain Town the spirit of England is always evident, Morrison's obviously an anglophile and strands of British pop weave through the disc, bringing to mind the psychedelic hooks of the Kinks, the eccentric musings of Syd Barrett and the town caller proclamations of Billy Bragg. Lyrically, Morrison's at his best when he avoids literal descriptions of his own experiences and instead turns his skewed gaze on other subjects. He has a flair for creating a mood and telling a story with a canny eye for detail and a wry sense of humor. Bargain Town succeeds most when he turns the humor on; we hope future releases continue in this vein. --Sean Murphy |
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THE BEST JAZZ balances tradition with new direction, as this Tucson
bunch knows. None of that nostalgic, jive-ass pizza parlor music
for these guys--they mix New Orleans marching band sounds with
their own writing style, sounding a bit like The Dirty Dozen Brass
Band here, a bit like Lester Bowie there, and no one else the
rest of the time. It's all party music, as you might guess from
song titles like "Cactus Profilactus" and "Marco's
Got A Brand New Bag," the latter sounding like a bagpipe
quartet. ("Green Grass" is a mix of the Mickey Mouse
theme with "Yakety Sax"). Even your folks will like
this CD (but don't hold that against them). If they get a little
further out next time around, they could stir up some major label
attention for themselves.