Manraze - Lock, Stock & Barrel

Manraze got its start in 2004 when Def Leppard’s Phil Collen had some song ideas that didn’t fit that band, and contacted his former Girl bandmate Simon Laffy.  They started writing some songs together, and since Phil liked the dynamic of a three-piece, they decided to contact Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook to round out the band.  Several years later, in 2008, they released their debut album Surreal, which was followed by album number two, PunkFunkRootsRock in 2011.  Now, with the release of the five CD box set Lock, Stock and Barrel, those two albums have been compiled along with three discs of bonus tracks consisting of live and acoustic cuts, instrumentals and rarities.  

Surreal explodes right out the gate with the angsty, fast-paced punk of “This Is,” followed by the high energy rocker “Turn It Up.”  They then switch things up on “Runnin’ Me Up,” a more laid-back rock song with a hypnotic reggae groove.  “Every Second of Every Day” is up next and is rock with a hooky pop edge that’s not so unlike Def Leppard, as is “Low,” which has come really great guitar work from Collen.  With a taut, swirling groove, “Spinning Out” finds them changing things up once again, with a dirty, almost grungy, sound.  Mixing hard rock with a reggae groove, “Can’t Find My Own Way,” is often strongly reminiscent of The Police’s “Can’t Stand Losing You,” while “Skin Crawl” is a hook heavy, hard rock cut, but with a darker, gritty groove.  The upbeat rock of “Connected To You” has a very infectious, bouncy and upbeat groove and “Halo” has a similar vibe, but with a hint of glam.  Although the high energy rock with a punk edge of “It’s Entertainment” shows some promise, it’s quite repetitive and falls short of the album’s remaining tracks.  Thankfully they turn that around quickly on the closing cut, “Shadow Man,” a dark and moody rocker that is an album highlight.  Quite an impressive release that draws on the influences of their bands, but has a sound all its own.  

The somewhat aptly titled second album PunkFunkRootsRock opens with “Over My Dead Body,” which starts off sounding like old school Alice Cooper or KISS with Collen doing his best Gene Simmons on vocals, before shifting into more of a punky, glam rocker complete with singalong choruses and handclaps.  Continuing in a more experimental direction, including Collen’s effects-laden vocals, “I C U In Everything” sticks to the darker sounding side of things, but gives it an interesting modern rock twist.  They slow things down on “All I Wanna Do,” a poppier track with a laid-back bluesy groove and a sexy, slinky shuffle, while the reggae beat of “Closer To Me” once again brings to mind The Police.  The influence of Collen’s other band can definitely be heard on several tracks including “Lie Lies All Lies”, a rawer tune with a hint of punk attitude, “Dreamland,” a fun rocker with the tighter sound of a three-piece, and “Get Action,” which is Def Leppard through and through all the way down to the title.  They slow things down again on “Edge Of The World,” a slower, dreamy track with a hint of psychedelia, and also throw in a cover of Hendrix’s “Fire,” which is a good version, but doesn’t really add anything to the song to make it stand out.  With its high-octane drive and some great guitar work from Collen, “I, Superbiker” is a raw, adrenaline fueled rocker that to me is the standout track on the album.  Unfortunately it is followed by “Bittersweet,” one of the weaker tracks here that comes across like a Foo Fighters outtake.  They close the album out with the “Dog Bite,” a really strong hard driving rock instrumental with a catchy groove that showcases the musicianship of all three.

As for the three discs of bonus tracks, they start off with one containing eleven instrumentals.  With nine of these coming from songs on the two albums and the vocal versions of the other two appearing as a bonus track on disc five, it’s doubtful that this disc is going to be anybody’s go to.  As for the final two discs, that is a completely different story.  Disc four is titled “Live & Unplugged” and kicks off with nine live cuts recorded at three different venues.  The band is tight and on fire on these tracks, often giving them a kick in the pants compared to the album versions (check out the two performances of “This Is”).  The remaining six cuts are acoustic takes that show they are just as successful going the other direction, including a great version of “Halo” that incorporates a snippet of Al Green’s “Take Me To The River” and an incredibly soulful take on “All I Wanna Do.”  The final disc is Unreleased and Unleashed and actually contains some of the most diverse tracks in the collection.  First up are a couple non-album singles, both containing some outstanding guest backing vocals from gospel singer Debbi Blackwell-Cook.  “I Surrender” is a midtempo track with a bit of a Def Leppard feel, but really set apart with her vocals, while “Take On The World” (the main song in the movie I, Superbiker II - The Showdown, about the British Superbike racing championship) is really cool high energy, foot stomping rocker mixed with a dance beat.  The other unreleased songs here are “Immaculate,” a dark, really heavy instrumental that has a movie soundtrack vibe and a bit of an industrial influence and “Original Sin,” a really strong, gritty rocker with a darker side.  The remaining tracks are a Deep Dub instrumental version of “Turn It Up,” that turns it on its head and sounds nothing like the original, a heavy dance mix version of “Halo,” a dark, electro-industrial mix of “Skin Crawl” and club dance remixes of “Low” and “Get Up.”  All of them put a nice spin on the original and are well worth a listen.  While it's quite possible that Manraze fell under the radar of alot of people, which is surprising with the musical lineage of its members, Lock, Stock & Barrel is the perfect way to correct that in one nice five CD package. 

(HNE Recordings)

The 69 Eyes - I Survive EP

For the past thirty-seven years, and amazingly with only one lineup change all the way back in 1982, Finland's The 69 Eyes have continuously cranked out their own brand of what has been called "goth 'n roll."  Now with the release of their new EP I Survive they are back at it again, with another collection that meshes elements of goth (especially due to Jyrki 69's distinctive deep goth vocals), rock, sleaze and glam.  The EP opens with the title track, which features a guest appearance from guitarist Steve Stevens (Billy Idol) and is an infectious, rocking anthem with great singalong choruses.  Next up is a cover of the Thin Lizzy classic "Cold Sweat," and while it isn't too far removed musically from the original, the vocals really give it their own spin.  Loaded with some great guitar work, "In The Misery" is a straight-ahead hard rocker that brings to mind The Cult in the Sonic Temple era.  With former Monster Magnet and The Atomic Bitchwax guitarist Ed Rundell guesting, "Devil's Rose" closes out the album and does a great job of showing their darker and dirtier side.  Whether you are a seasoned fan or this is your introduction, I Survive is a great addition to your collection. 

(Black II Black Records)

  

Adrian Belew - The Atlantic Years 1989 – 1992 

Adrian Belew’s early career kicked into gear when he started playing with Frank Zappa followed by working with the likes of David Bowie, Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club.  In the ensuing years he recorded the first three of his albums with King Crimson, released three solo albums and two with his band The Bears.  At this point he focused again on his solo career, resulting in three more albums, all of which were were released on Atlantic Records, and brings us to the three CD Box Set The Atlantic Years 1989 - 1992.

The first of these releases was Mr. Music Head, which was an all-digital release that found him playing all the instruments with the exception of Mike Barnett playing bass on two cuts.  The album’s opening track “Oh Daddy,” is a really fun duet with his then eleven-year-old daughter Audie that reached number five on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks.  It’s a super catchy pop tune with humorous lyrics where she asks questions about when he will be rich and famous.  Some of the other highlights include the lighthearted pop of “One Of These Days”, “Coconuts,” a percussion heavy track full of twangy guitar, the bouncy, piano-driven “Bad Days,” the experimental blues of “Bumpity Bump” and the intriguing yet gorgeous, everchanging, stripped down “1967.”  While the majority of the album shows a poppier, albeit offbeat, side to Belew, there is still plenty of experimentation on tracks like “Peaceable Kingdom,” “Hot Zoo” and “Cruelty To Animals” (this track was originally only found on the CD version).  

While he was working on the follow-up album, Young Lions, Belew joined Bowie as musical director and guitarist on his Sound+Vision tour.  That resulted in Bowie co-writing and singing lead on two of that album’s tracks, including “Pretty Pink Rose,” which hit number two on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the US.  It’s a catchy tune with a rock edge that’s not so unlike his work around that time with Tin Machine.  The other Bowie contribution is “Gunman,” a hard driving track with a tense vocal performance and some really creative guitar work from Belew.  Other standout tracks include “Looking For A U.F.O.,” a fun little tune that sounds like ELO crossed with Motown, “Men In Helicopters,” a quirky, yet very catchy, pop tune with a strong environmental warning (another hit, reaching seventeen on the US Modern Rock chart), the laid-back, jazzy “Phone Call From The Moon” and “I Am What I Am,” somewhat of an instrumental that really showcases his guitar playing and incorporates taped excerpts of sermons from Nashvile radio evangelist Prophet Omega.  The album also contains a couple of covers with a reworked version of “Heartbeat,” a song he originally released with King Crimson, which has a similar vibe to that version, but is a little more stripped down with more of a pop feel, and a fairly faithful version of The Traveling Wilburies’ “Not Alone Anymore,” that was a tribute to Roy Orbison.  Also included on this disc are a couple of bonus tracks that were originally released on the “Pretty Pink Rose” maxi single.  “Shoe Salesman” is a nice little acoustic guitar and vocal track with some witty, pun-filled lyrics and “Neptune Pool” is a gorgeous, dream-like instrumental that sounds like it could be a movie score.  

Inner Revolution was Belew’s final album for Atlantic and often shows the influence pop music had on him and his affinity for more pop influenced hooks.  The album open with the title track, which is a more straight-on rock song with some strong pop sensibilities.  The midtempo “This Is What I Believe In,” is reflective of his work with King Crimson and really showcases his impressive guitar work.  The pop really shows itself on the next two tracks with “Standing In The Shadow,” which has an edgier side with distorted guitars and vocals and “Big Blue Sun,” a super catchy tune that, along with “Birds,” is strongly reminiscent of ELO.  Further mining the pop world, the bouncy, upbeat “I’d Rather Be Right Here” is a bit reminiscent of George Harrison’s version of “I’ve Got My Mind Set On You,” while “The War In the Gulf Between Us” sounds a bit like Squeeze.  The diversity of pop music and bands that influenced him can be heard in tracks like “I Walk Alone,” which finds him once again channeling Roy Orbison, the upbeat Beatles-esque “Everything” and “Heaven’s Bed,” with its XTC sounding quirkiness.  The album closes out with “Member Of The Tribe,” a more classic upbeat rock and roll tune that again showcases his innovative guitar work.  Although definitely not without its unique quirkiness, this era of Belew's contained some of his most accessible music and make for a really fun listen.  

(Esoteric Recordings)

Dark River Darling - Everywhere But Here

Everywhere But Here is the debut release from Dark River Darling, alter ego of Erin Royer.  It is an album full of tracks largely rooted in mountain folk and bluegrass but mixed with a variety of other styles and instrumentation, along with Royer's distinctive vocals.  In addition to the more traditional instruments, the notable use of horns (flugelhorn and trumpet) on almost every song, is a touch that really makes the album stand out. “Spirit & Ash” gets the album started and is a laid-back, haunting and mystical track with an interesting chorus with vocals that twist and turn in quite an interesting way.  The more traditional folk tune “The Ballad Of Josephine and Josephine” tells the tale of two women in love who can’t be together and end up living separate lives.  The musicianship on this one is great, with some fantastic banjo from Royer and an interesting vocal deliver that has a rushed feel to it, sounding almost like there are more words than should fit, which gives it a sense of tension.  Next up is “I’ve Been Riding With The Ghost,” written by the late Jason Molina for his project Songs:Ohio and the first of two covers here.  They do a brilliant job of conveying the sadness of his lyrics through the music and give the song a cinematic quality through a folk filter.  “Cross Country Baggage” is a wistful and dreamy folk tune with a hint of psychedelia, enhanced beautifully with the horns, and “Pomegranate Gin” is a gentle, laid-back acoustic tune with some great harmonies.  The band kicks things into high gear on “Dirty Dog Blues,” a gritty, bluesy bluegrass rocker with some stellar banjo and slide guitar from Royer and Gena Lanette, respectively.  With a galloping beat and more outstanding banjo, “Merry Maggie” sounds like a classic mountain folk song that if you didn’t know better, you would think it had been around forever.  “Sarah” is another great mountain folk track and does a great job of showcasing the band with everyone getting a chance to stretch out on instrumental passages.  They close the album with Lucinda Williams’ “Blue” and while the arrangement hearkens back to the original, instrumentally it’s rootsier with more reliance on banjo and fiddle.  Everywhere But Here is a very refreshing listen and well worth checking out.  

 (Guernsey Beat Records / Dark River Darling)