 GOD
FIRES MAN
A Billion Balconies Facing The Sun
(De Goot)
I've been a fan of Arty Shepherd since he was
a high-school kid playing in bad Long Island
hardcore bands. But Errortype:11 changed all
that, establishing him as an indie artist to
reckon with. After ET:11, Arty formed Instruction,
who signed to Geffen and seemed poised for stardom;
but corporate indifference and ineptitude doomed
that project. Now Arty (along with Garrison/Instruction
guitarist Joe Grillo, Into Another's Drew Thomas
on drums, and bassist John Wilkinson) returns
with God Fires Man. In some ways, it's a logical
extension of what he was doing in Instruction:
Big classic rock anthems with a massive, almost
claustrophobic guitar sound, monster drums,
and Arty's impassioned vocals firing off epic
broadsides against the injustices and indignities
of modern life. Think of Smashing Pumpkins at
their most anthemic but with less annoying vocals.
Fifteen years ago, this music would have been
competing with bands like the Pumpkins and Soundgarden
for heavy rotation on alternative radio. I'm
not sure exactly where it fits into 2008; it
doesn't sound dated but it does seem to come
from a different time, back before the poobahs
of indie-rock decreed that a mantle of humility
and irony was required for any sort of critical
acceptance. As Arty would say, fuck that; crank
this to 11, and make believe that gas is still
a buck a gallon, MTV still plays videos, and
rock bands aren't afraid to rock. -
Jim Testa (myspace.com/godfiresman)
GAY FOR JOHNNY DEPP - The Politics Of Cruelty
(Captains Of Industry)
This is Arty Shepherd again, pulling a rather
elaborate joke on the British music press. I can't
really imagine anything else this might be. The
CD is getting very little American distribution,
but the British music press has been going ga-ga
over it, and the band recently returned from a
sold out UK tour. Arty goes by the name Sid Jagger;
there's a stark b&w photo of a shirtless man
in a kabuki mask writhing on the CD sleeve. The
music? Well, it's virtually unlistenable shards
of noisecore and screeching vocals in one and
two minute bursts of insanity. The best part of
the whole thing are the song titles: "Belief
In God Is So Adorable," "To The Alcoholics:
Life IS Depressing." "It's meant to
annoy you, Jim," Arty told me. Mission accomplished,
Arty.
 TEXTBOOK
- Boxing Day Massacre (Rookie Recordings/Boss
Tuneage)
A quick listen to this veteran
Chicago band's fourth full-length and it sounds
like power-pop. There's clean guitars, big chunky
chords, and an engaging, energetic lead singer
buoyed by harmony vocals and keyboards (sometimes
a warm Hammond organ, sometimes a fizzy synth.)
But listen a little closer and you'll realize
that it's not all lollipops and rainbows; there's
a bittersweet wistfulness if not outright resignation
about the futility of love in Textbook's "pop"
love songs. Superchunk comes to mind as a prime
comparison, although some of the band's sounds
also mine the retro grooves of the Eighties
"paisley underground." Textbook mimes
the catchiness and upbeat tempos of garagey
power-pop, but it's deceptive: From the yearning
of "Desperation Fee" to the brusque
rejection of "Walking Out On You,"
these are not songs you want to throw on the
next mix-CD you burn for your girlfriend. Not
unless you're looking to dump her. - Jim Testa
( myspace.com/textbookmusic)
back to jerseybeat.com l back
to top |
