|
02 August 2005 |
Blues Explosion Damage - (Sanctuary) Jon Spencer is still telling us, at every opportunity, "here comes the blues explosion, baby!", "we gonna get on down now", and all that sort of stuff but hey, he's been saying it better and better these days. Plastic Fang was a big turnaround in that it offered actual "tunes" rather than putting grooves in overdrive. Prior works, with the exception of Now I Got Worry, relied heavily on making music that gets you shaking your hips and that ain't a bad thing. The (now) Blues Explosion is largely about bein' down and dirty, baby, and that's a "feeling" more than anything. Lots of the music made by Blues Explosion makes you "feel" good. The band must've felt that well running dry, though - or at least had the desire to experiment with structures a little more conventional. Sure, the lyrics here are a wonderfully pointless as ever (yes, I said "wonderfully"), but many songs here have beginnings, middles, and endings. As proven with Plastic Fang, the band can do this extremely well while maintaining the excitement they generate. They prove it right out of the gate with the title track's statement of purpose and Russell Simins drum madness, and continues with the should-be-a-massive-hit "Burn It Off" - a great shoutalong that cannot be heard at anything less than full volume. "Crunchy" functions in much the same way, just with a slower and more soulful sound taking hold here. And things get pretty darn funky on "Hot Gossip", making the most of Chuck D.'s guest appearance working side by side with some great guitar from Spencer and Judah Bauer. "Spoiled" is probably the biggest eye-opener here. Guest Martina Topley-Bird adds much to the song with her vocal on one of the bands more slow-and-steady numbers. You could even call this one "pretty". Throughout different producers and guest stars (only a couple songs are delivered with the three that make up the renamed Blues Explosion), the band maintains the vibe they're known for. "Fed Up And Low Down" is one of the only holdovers from earlier days, and therefore another argument that Funk Explosion would be a more accurate moniker. Then again, maybe Rockabilly Explosion ("Rattling"). Or perhaps Blaxploitation Instrumental Soundtrack Explosion ("Rivals"). The only thing hampering such diversity is that the producer's roundtable at work here makes Damage sound less consistent than it should. Blues Explosion CD's aren't the sort of thing that you can listen to at any ol' time, but Damage is a complete package that extends beyond the sampled bleeps in the band's past. You can't say it better than with guitars (why try when Spencer and Bauer are so capable?). Oh yeah, one more thing: BLUES EXPLOSION!!! BLUES EXPLOSION!!! YEAH, BABY!!! BLUES EXPLOSION!!!!
7.5
|
