Other Lives Releases Tamer Animals; Spotlight On "For 12"

Coastal snobs such as myself might marvel at how exquisite music such as Other Lives' "For 12" can originate in Stillwater, OK... until we remember that those dreamland darlings, The Flaming Lips, hail from dust bowl country, as well.

It's amazingly convenient how one can include music/video clips in reviews nowadays, as a critic would be hard-pressed to adequately describe the beauty-benchmark attained in Other Lives' new album, Tamer Animals (USA-May 10, TBD Records).  Their approach is sometimes dubbed as "chamber folk," which covers about half of it — and any band who features a cellist and violinist earns double coupons in my book.

The band was doubtlessly inspired by a multitude of more modern forces in making their second record, but the production style traces back to the 1960s CBS studios that transformed Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel... an approach that has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years.  Additionally, "For 12"'s reverb and atmosphere suggests a subliminal nod to Lee Hazlewood's genius... but perhaps that's just my imagination.  Certainly, this is the sort of disc that prompts the mind to wander.

Other Lives could go toe-to-toe with the (justifiably) vaunted Fleet Foxes, but this isn't a competition.  We should just be thankful, in these often ugly times, that such pursuits of beauty and perfection are still being successfully engaged.

(note: I included a live clip of "For 12" along with the studio version, for the amateur video from Norman, OK certainly captures the group's mesmerizing onstage magic.)  - Steve Stav

The Icicle Works - Hollow Horse video

At last!  The beyond-bizarre video for The Icicle Works' "Hollow Horse" is on YouTube!

"We'll be as we are / when all the fools who doubt us fade away...."  few songwriters of frontman Ian McNabb's heyday matched his passion and penchant for Romantic themes.  From its 12-string, Byrds ripoff-riffs to drummer Chris Sharrock's superb drumming, "Hollow Horse" is one of my favorite Icicle Works tracks.  From 1984's A Small Price of a Bicycle, the song was one of the first in a brilliant, post- "Whisper To A Scream" singles that found about as much airplay in the U.S. as those released from their fantastic debut album.... i.e., not a whole lot.

Sadly, another 1980s music-biz mystery that will remain an enigma.

The Icicle Works will begin a 30th Anniversary UK tour in April.

I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House's Doghouse Blues

Tucked amongst the farmland scattered somewhere between Seattle and Bellingham, The Doghouse is the closest thing the area has to an old-fashioned roadhouse. The invitation-only, private parties held on an expansive property happen only a couple of times a year — special events, indeed. Fittingly, the wild Doghouse — the property's large, stage-equipped shack — hosted a reunion of Portland's infamously wild-and-woolly   one frigid Saturday night in March.

Around bonfires and kindly supplied heaters, numb hands held Pabst and Jack Daniels as the band's diehard fans waited for their turn at bat inside the Doghouse — which is about the size of a three-car garage. And there was a lot of diehard fans, from far and wide; I heard a rumor that someone had arrived from Nevada. SOB had played Dante's in Portland the night before, but one show was obviously not going to satisfy the group's still-loyal subjects in their former, far-reaching kingdom.

When I eased the Dodge Dart into the field-turned-crowded parking lot around nine, the party had been going on for quite some time, and a number of bands had already played. I sat with the guys and talked about everything but music, catching up on the three years that had passed since they last played a show. It seemed that nothing had changed, really. Bassist and deep thinker Mole Harris was still frozen in time, eternally 17. Drummer "Flapjack" Texas regaled us with a hilarious, bawdy story from his college baseball days. "Handsome" Jon Burbank was still baby-faced, and as nice a guy as a guitar monster could be. David Lipkind still resembled a super hero-musician-genius waiting for the release of stored-up energy that playing his harmonica brings. And brawler-turned-poet Michael Damron... Mike D seemed a bit older, a bit wiser, simultaneously stronger and more fatigued after three years of going solo.

Then the Doghouse beckoned, the bonfire-circle evaporated, and five oh-so-talented men transformed into a band one more time. Heavy coats were shrugged off, guitars were plugged in, a bottle of Maker's Mark was opened. A familiar, darkly joyous surge of dirty sonic power that we had all missed so terribly was unleashed.

It was so good to hear it again.

Click here to view an exclusive photo gallery of the reunion show.

Kid Creole & The Coconuts' Lifeboat Party

Embracing War-era music, August Darnall (aka Kid Creole) was a man ahead of his time. Commanding a stage filled with horns, rhythm and scantily dressed backup singers, the frontman's frenetic act pre-dated the swing-craze revival by almost 20 years.

And man, was it cool.  Cool – and unusual – enough to garner occasional airplay on Seattle's alternative music stations in the early 80s. An even more occasional appearances on MTV prompted more attention from American suburbia, though I have a hunch that Kid Creole's street popularity peaked on the East Coast and in Europe.

"Endicott," "Annie, I'm Not Your Daddy," "My Male Curiosity," "Caroline Was a Dropout," "Stool Pigeon"... the mix of funky R&B with Cab Calloway, 1940s jumpin' jive was irresistible, and reportedly was on Prince's turntable quite frequently. Though I had heard him on the radio, I first saw Kid Creole in action in the film Against All Odds, in a nightclub scene performing "Lifeboat Party." I was hooked, as the full Kid Creole experience combines the audio with the visual.

This live version of "Lifeboat Party" (seen above) is from 1985's Leisure Tour.

As we all know, sometimes an artist is too hip, too cool, too influential to reach the heights that their successors do, and such was the case with Kid Creole. Stuck somewhere on the dial alongside the Human League and Cyndi Lauper back in the day, the impresario was alone on a funky island of panama hats and wide silk ties. However, he never really left the room – Darnall and his Coconuts still perform occasionally, and an anthology was released in '09.

I've built my dreams around you

A tale of a stormy relationship between a woman and her eternally drunken louse of a lover, sung by a songbird princess and an infamously inebriated musical genius.

With such unusual subject matter, "Fairytale of New York" nonetheless became an instant Christmas staple 22 years ago. Captured on tape and film reel, this unlikely-yet-classic romance — with the Irish experience in America as a backdrop — has charmed millions on both sides of the Pond, including many who normally wouldn't include Pogues or Kirsty MacColl records in their cabinet.

And, as with the best Irish songs, one doesn't have to hail from the Emerald Isle to shed a tear over it.

One rare gem I've discovered this December is "The Story of... Fairytale of New York", a BBC documentary about both the song and equally epic video that helped catapult it up the charts at Christmas, 1987.

An all-encompassing study of the "Fairytale" phenomenon, the 2005 film is first-rate and faultless. It's centerpiece is bringing the Pogues together, for the first time, in the studio where their masterpiece album If I Should Fall With Grace From God was recorded. Around commentary from the band (if you wondered, in 1987, what Shane MacGowan would look like if he lived to the 21st century — here's your chance), the filmmakers weave the song's unusual origins, some interesting early footage of both the Pogues and MacColl, and inspired commentary by the likes of Nick Cave and Jools Holland. Famed producer Steve Lillywhite, MacColl's husband at the time, shows how the song was constructed while band members reminisce.

And, of course, there's the video. The documentary thoroughly examines the amazing clip, with recollections by actor Matt Dillon, set extras and members of the NYPD Pipe Band filling in for the fictitious "NYPD Choir."

Fittingly, this film honors the late, great Kirsty MacColl; in the wake of her untimely death in 2000, "Fairytale" has become her greatest musical legacy; "The Story of..." captures many sobering moments of remembrance from her family, friends and fans.

For Pogues/MacColl fans or for those who merely enjoy the song, "The Story of... Fairytale of New York" is a poignant must-see, particularly at this time of year. It's never been released on home video, but someone has painstakingly posted the hour-long documentary in six, high-quality segments on YouTube. So please steal ten minutes here and there and watch it, you'll thank me later.

Josie Cotton Meets The Ventures

A number of guest vocalists have dropped into the Ventures' world for a song or two over the years, but Josie "Johnny Are You Queer?" Cotton? Check this rare clip out, and you'll see it's not such a stretch.

After flourishing in the Japanese market in the 1970s, the Ventures enjoyed a lasting Stateside comeback that began in the early 80s, partly due to some inspired musicians paying tribute, either in the press or on record. Suddenly, surf music and twangy guitars were back. For example, the flip side of the Go-Go's "Our Lips Our Sealed" single, "Surfin' and Spyin'," was written as an homage to the band.

And then came Josie. After finding this 1985 performance of "Secret Agent Man" by accident on YouTube (looking for Cotton videos), I rang up Ventures co-founder/bandleader Don Wilson in hopes that he remembered some details about his encounter with the super-sexy New Wave icon.

"Of course I remember her," Wilson said, laughing. "It was love at first sight -- she was gorgeous, and that leather outfit..."

Wilson explained that the performance was part of a Japanese-produced special/documentary, filmed in NYC, that paired an eclectic array of Ventures admirers with the band onstage. Also featured were the Doors' Robby Krieger, Chris Spedding, Peter Frampton, David Johansen, the Doobie Brothers' Jeff Baxter, the Raybeats, Rick Derringer and Max Weinberg. According to Wilson, Cyndi Lauper was scheduled to appear, but when she couldn't make the gig, Cotton jumped in.

"And (Cotton) was great, she did a fabulous job, I think... great voice," Wilson added.

The special was never aired in the U.S., but is now available on DVD at The Ventures official website.

The Ventures -- who are about to celebrate an astounding 51st anniversary -- will perform at the Brian Setzer Orchestra's Christmas Rocks! Extravaganza, Dec. 17-18, at Universal City's Gibson Amphitheater.

Every dog will have his day

You could conceivably separate pop-music listeners into two camps: those who have never heard a Paul Kelly album, and Paul Kelly fans. Perhaps I occupy some skewed plane of existence, but I've never heard anyone say a bad thing about the man or his music.

Five, 15, 25 years ago, one common complaint among this legendary Australian pub-rocker/country balladeer/epic storyteller's admirers was his near-absence from American airwaves. While Down Under acts such as Crowded House, INXS and Midnight Oil made various degrees of headway in the States in the 80s and 90s, others — including the Hoodoo Gurus, Hunters & Collectors and Australia's lyrical king, Paul Kelly — were more or less left behind. Oh, there was an occasional video to be caught, and singles heard once or twice on the radio — these wonderful, seemingly rare jewels that prompted thorough searches of record stores.

Nowadays I think Kelly's overseas audience is quite satisfied to keep their little secret to themselves. They keep up with the songwriter's consistently fabulous CD output, and pull a few more fans into the fold with them when Kelly tours abroad every few years.

On observance of Kelly's 30-year anniversary as a solo artist, Famed Australian radio station Triple J hosted two all-star concert nights of tribute on Nov. 13 & 14. I thought I'd do my part by "hosting" one of Paul Kelly & the Messengers' (then named "the Coloured Girls") early videos.

"Before Too Long" was a breakthrough hit for him in 1986, and was the first Kelly single I heard. I remember going down to the store that day to buy the album, Gossip; I literally wore it out.

Happy Anniversary, Mr. Kelly, and may you have 30 more years of songwriting ahead of you.

What made it special, made it dangerous

The term "genius" has been liberally applied to all sorts of musicians over the years, but in the case of teenaged prodigy-turned singer/Fairlight synthesizer goddess-dancer-composer Kate Bush, "genius" is a very appropriate description.

For many (including myself), the best example of Bush's genius, to date, was 1985's Hounds of Love.  Always known for her multi-media presentations, Bush offered several promotional videos for this exquisite album, topped by the short film for "Cloudbusting."

"Cloudbusting" was about controversial psychoanalyst/inventor Wilhelm Reich, one of the more unusual and tragic figures of the 20th century's intellectual world. Like the song, the video is an encapsulation of some of Peter Reich's thoughts of his father, published in the 1973 biography A Book of Dreams.

I can't imagine how much Cloudbusting cost to film — but remember, this was the 80s, and labels were tossing money with shovels. Donald Sutherland, in hindsight, was the only choice for the role of Reich; amazing. If this looks like a snippet of a Terry Gilliam film, it's because Gilliam collaborated with Ms. Bush in conceiving it; additionally, Cloudbusting was directed by Julian Doyle, who worked on Brazil.

Accomplishing the rare feat of  matching the beauty of the song it promotes, Cloudbusting deserves some sort of honorary Oscar for one of the most gorgeous, best-crafted music videos ever made.

"YouTube Friday" debuts with the Lonely H

Beginning today (knock on wood), I'll select a music video or film clip for contemplation, discussion and sheer enjoyment to pass the time on the most anxious of workdays.

First up, the music video for "The Singer" by the Lonely H, viewed above.

The Lonely H are near the top of a list of fantastic Seattle-area artists who deserve their Big Break. Out of the peninsula town of Port Angeles and now residing in Seattle proper (at last check, most or all of them were UW students), this band frequently falls under the "Too good to be true" assumption. However, they wind up proving themselves to be both too good and very true every time.

The group has recorded three albums, and its oldest member is 21. They are frequently dubbed a "young CSNY" or "young Allmans," and that has some merit. However, the Lonely H's sound is not an affectation developed by listening to "Wooden Ships" over and over; though the group is very familiar with the Woodstock generation's music, their songwriting is obviously organic and original.

And the long hair, sideburns and late-Byrds clothing? Also genuine, not a gimmick. Some of the most surprising things develop out on the Northwest coast, many miles and many trends away from Los Angeles and New York. Oh, they're aware of their image, and acknowledge it in an "aw-shucks" sort of way. Sometimes to unusual success. These talented young men — nice guys, all — told me once about a sightseeing jaunt, in full regalia, through SF's Golden Gate Park. A guy came running — not sauntering, but running — up to them from across the lawn, wanting to sell the band some pot. They respectfully declined, but I got the feeling they regarded the incident as a badge of honor.

If I were engineering their near future — and, no doubt some are — I would suggest skipping the natural urge to relocate to LA. Instead, the Lonely H should do a late-60s Beach Boys and spend some time in Europe — Holland? — next summer. Now, that would be a great, genuine environment for recording the next record.

"The Singer" is the Lonely H's most recent video, released this summer to coincide with a U.S. tour.  This beautiful song represents the "easygoing" side of their sonic duality. To hear a more rockin' offering, check out their video/single from last year, "For Barbara."