Dirty Fonzy - Here We Go Again

Artist: Dirty Fonzy

Album: Here We Go Again

Label: Enragé Productions

France's Dirty Fonzy immediately resembles a pretty standard streetpunk band - in the vein of Hellcat Records staples Rancid, Time Again, and Left Alone.  But after a few tracks Dirty Fonzy reveal a breadth of influences ranging from third wave ska and traditional reggae, to pop punk and country.  

On their latest album, 2008's generically titled Here We Go Again, the band maintains coherence by building their sound around a firm streetpunk core.  Much like Rancid, the inherent contrast between Dirty Fonzy's two lead vocalists, Johnny Guiltare and Angelo Papas, pleasantly compliments each another.  One has a sloppy "raspyness" much like Tim Armstrong, while the other has a clearer, angrier shout.  The two trade off from chorus to verse, and from line to line, much like their contemporaries, producing memorable sing along street punk anthems and calls to arms.  While obviously not intensional, their French accent helps further differentiate Dirty Fonzy from their North American peers, and while clearly evident, it never hurts a track's listenability or impedes lyric comprehension.

Most tracks have underlying punk rock guitars and fairly bouncy melodies.  But thanks to various cross genre flourishes, every track feels fresh despite sharing a familiar sound.  Tracks like "Radio No. 1" keep things simple but effective by only adding a few trumpet blasts during the beginning of the chorus.  "Loaded Guns" slows things down to traditional reggae tempos and ditches their trumpets after the song's intro.  The similarly reggae influenced "Bad Boy" distances itself from "Loaded Guns" by incorporating a humming background organ and retaining trumpets throughout the entire track.  About half of the album subscribes to very simple guitar driven songs, but because these minimalist tracks each employ different degrees of pop, punk, and rock, the tracks retain distinct personalities.

Content-wise, the band defines itself with playful lyrics about less than revolutionary social issues ranging from personal relationships to government oppression.  Fittingly, the reggae influenced tracks have the heaviest political overtones, with "Loaded Guns" directly referencing Sri Lanka's war torn political instability.

While not as daring or infectiously executed as genre mashing masters Saint Alvia, Dirty Fonzy knows how to stay coherent while drawing upon various influences - and make a pretty solid street punk album in the process.

Frank Turner - Love Ire & Song

Artist: Frank Turner

Album: Love Ire & Song

Label: Arbor Records Ltd.

In 2006, Frank Turner, the former frontman of hardcore outfit Million Dead, released his first solo record.  Contrary to Million Dead's rough style, Turner began pursuing musicianship through folk tunes.  His first release, Sleep is for the Weak, displayed Turner's quiet, reserved side.  In many ways he sounded like a younger, less angry Billy Bragg.   But while deeply compassionate, the frequency of his quiet love ballads pushed the album dangerously close to generic folk-pop territory.  But thankfully a handful of bouncier, more punk influenced tracks (musically and lyrically) saved the album from mediocrity.  For his follow-up, Love Ire & Song, Frank Turner sings about what he knows, with a delivery that sounds more intuitive than ever.

Despite not being of aged character, Turner's album feels like a reflective piece.  The opening track, "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous" describes a lively music scene in a far from glamorous setting.  He describes a smiling group of friends sitting in a South Hampton bistro, all with varying musical backgrounds and talents - some are gifted poets, some are great vocalists, and others hold undefinable yet essential roles.  Yet, every one of them has a passion for their work.  Thirteen tracks later he concludes the album by frowning on those who hold out for fame and fortune - the type who only care about the end result.  The contrast effectively conveys (while admittedly sounding cliche) how in life the journey is more meaningful than the destination.  Based on the level of detail and optimism in a song about never quite making it, Frank Turner has enjoyed every moment of his career, and rather than dismissing his five years as part of Million Dead, he concedes that without his early career he wouldn't have anything to sing about.  Right from the opening track Frank Turner reveals a rare passion and self awareness that makes what follows both entertaining and captivating.

While slow, generic love ballads bogged down his debut, witty, upbeat and introspective tunes guide Love Ire & Song.  In redefining himself, Turner draws more heavily on his punk-rock past.  On songs like "Photosynthesis" Turner resembles a combination of Tom Gabel (Against Me!) and Billy Bragg, finding a vocal and lyrical middle ground.  Vocally he has a rougher edge than Bragg, and rather than sounding as gruff as Gabel, he simply channels Gabel's passion (which says quite a lot).  In songs like the title track, "Love Ire & Song," Turner keeps optimism despite realizations about how as one grows older, living by punkrock values and ideals grow less realistic.  "Substitute" finds Turner writing his most notable love ballad to date, which again, reaches such status by employing a bouncier tempo and exploring "love" through its relationship with music.  As previously mentioned, both songs retain a sense of believability and sincerity because of Turner's meticulous attention to detail and references to his past.  Unfortunately Turner has yet to completely ditch his dull love ballads ("A Love Worth Keeping" comes to mind), but thankfully the snoozers are few and far between.

With Love Ire & Song Frank Turner provides an easily accessible brit-folk album.  His quick wit and cynical optimism provides for great entertainment, guaranteed to make listeners smile  and think.

The Scourge of River City - The Scourge of River City

Artist: The Scourge of River City

Album: Self Titled

Label: Cherry Bomb Recordings

I always try avoiding comparisons to Tiger Army when reviewing psychobilly albums.  It's not that, like many psychobilly purists, I think ill of Tiger Army (quite the opposite in fact), but that very few psychobilly acts present comparable characteristics.  But with the UK's The Scourge of River City's self titled debut, the occasion has finally surfaced.

Although the band doesn't reference Tiger Army in their bio, the combination of Davey Havoc-esque vocals, an echoey but not overpowering double bass, and a speedy punk guitarist  makes the comparison unavoidable.  Much like Tiger Army, The Scourge of River City even has a distinct country essence apparent when they slow things down.  Specifically, the album's quietest tune, "Heart's Horizon," emits a country quality identical to Tiger Army's Morrisey influenced "Where the Moss Slowly Grows."  Lead vocalist "Greg" isn't without his own distinct qualities though.  For example, in songs like "Shipwreck" he often follows his smooth quivering croon by roughly screaming out a few lines.  The effect makes the tracks feel slightly less polished - a technique nicely matching the sections of frantic punk guitaring.  For that matter, the band certainly leans more heavily on rock influences than Tiger Army as well.  The band cites Queens of the Stone Age and The Smiths as  influences.  But for me, such influences only really surfaced after closely listening to various instrumental bridges in songs like "Fall From Grace."  Yet it's a nice touch and helps distinguish the band from the already overmentiomed Tiger Army.

As a whole, The Scourge of Fiver City's debut album sounds coherent and well composed.  But more importantly, I always get quite excited upon hearing this type of psychobilly from Europe.  Far too many psychobilly acts around the UK find themselves unwilling to draw upon their American counterparts in fear of being branded "American" psychobilly - a derogatory term used for discrediting less conventional acts.  Consequently, despite the stream of consistently strong traditional psychobilly flowing out of Europe, the region hasn't seen a lot of intra-genre growth.  Hopefully the emergence of The Scourge of River City represents greater trends and a sign of psychobilly bands moving toward accepting their overseas counterparts.

Slim Cessna's Auto Club - Cipher

Artist: Slim Cessna's Auto Club

Album: Cipher

Label: Alternative Tentacles

Denver’s Slim Cessna’s Auto Club has been around for a while now, but their 2008 album, Cipher, is my first introduction to the group. I first ran across Cipher after finding it on another blogger’s best of 2008 list, and after a few listens I can’t help but think it might have made my top 20 if I had known about it sooner.

SCAC best falls into that barely existent genre of “gothic country.” Songs range from moody acoustic outings to rock-inspired tracks, to lazy banjo ditties. Still other times SCAC sounds like a full on gospel experience.  SCAC plays to the genre’s strengths by taking the listener on an ideological faith based journey. While most songs have some degree of upbeatness to their melodies, the subject matter is anything but cheery. The songs have an apocalyptic Christian outlook reminiscent of the medieval Church. When SCAC sings about God, they reference an angry Father, and preach harsh earthly punishment for those straying from the flock. Further adding to the band’s allure is the fact that SCAC exists in a self-aware world rich with multi-dimensional reoccurring characters.

In Cipher, the band’s frontman, “Slim,” seems to be struggling keeping his band of followers – played by his co-vocalist Munley and various other backups – from losing their devotion to the Church. Four minimalist chants (done in a near aucapella style) about bracing one’s faith reoccur throughout the album. As a testament to the band’s attention to detail, the tempo and urgency of the different chants echo Slim’s success at keeping his friends in line. Not every song features strong Christian overtones, but many songs have multiple layers of meanings – a reality suited to the album’s name. For example, after the opening chant the band opens the album with the bouncy piano driven song “This Land is Our Land Redux.” On their own, the lyrics “let’s make this our land” could mean anything, but upon considering the album’s context, revisiting the song reveals Slim’s forceful agenda of spreading God’s Word.

Other songs, like “Children of the Lord” are more explicit at outlining Slim’s philosophies. Slim sings “I found a list here/in my pocket today/it lists bad doing/deeds and crimes with applicable names… it’s a census in a way/it lists his name and her name and his name and her name and the way we all must pay,” and later escalates his urgency as he sings “we’re long on damnation and short on salvation.” Lyrics like these establish Slim as a forceful agent of the Church, but songs like “Scac 101” develop Slim as more than an eccentric preacher. Slim’s conversation with Munley (framed from Munley’s point of view) has an underlying benevolence, reminiscent of the well-intentioned missionaries sent to the “New World” during the 1700s.

Throughout the album Slim tries reflecting and coping with his failure to impose the Church on all he comes in contact with. In an interesting reflective piece, “Everyone is Guilty #2,” Slim looks back at his views in “Children of the Lord” with the realization that forceful conversion may have flaws, and may in fact not be an effective means of transfering his love for Jesus to newcomers.

I could go on forever deconstructing Cipher, but if I wanted to do that I should be writing an essay. What I’m trying to convey in my review is that Cipher offers one of the most thematically bound, character driven, and self aware album’s I’ve ever heard. There are various levels of meaning within each song, and innumerable connections throughout the album. Even with the album in heavy rotation for weeks I’m still just scratching the surface.