Yeah Yeah Yeahs
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(New Releases from page 33) 57 Yeahs discover a pocket of sounds they probably never knew they were carrying around. 26, 2006 GOLDMINE #674 www.goldminemag.com • May few low-key Denham vocals on the set (“Listen Up” is an Note: This release is also available on LP. equally witty piece of vocal business). “Dyna Moe” — Michael Gallucci swings thanks to Denham’s supple, mile-wide organ riffs and Bryan Sutton’s fretwork, while Al Anderson turns up A TRIGGERING MYTH on an imaginative treatment of “When Johnny Comes The Remedy Of Abstraction Marching Home.” The Lasers Edge (LE 1044) Denham wanted to make a record recalling those classic Blue Note and Prestige sets of decades long past, The duo known as A Triggering Myth may make and he has succeeded. This is no museum piece, just in- some of modern prog’s most intriguing instrumental the-pocket jazz that percolates and breathes and feels records these days, but they don’t do it alone. For their resoundingly good — precisely the way Denham’s sixth album, The Remedy Of Abstraction, keyboardist heroes did it. Tim Drumheller and keyboardist/acoustic guitarist Rick — Bill Dahl Eddy enlisted the members of the exploratory jazz-rock trio McGill Manring Stevens (guitarist Scott McGill, YEAH YEAH YEAHS bassist Michael Manring, and drummer Vic Stevens), as Show Your Bones well as violinist Akihisa Tsuboy from the Japanese Interscope (B0006337) fusion band KBB. The result is an album that fans of Happy The Man and Soft Machine — and those who There’s this sound on Show Your Bones, Yeah Yeah simply enjoy challenging, moody music — should hear. Yeahs’ second album, that says they have something to All nine songs on The Remedy Of Abstraction were live up to. It says something’s bigger than them and that composed by Drumheller and Eddy, but the presence of there’s an obligation to follow it wherever it leads. That their guests resounds in songs such as the jazzy and something is “Maps,” the breakout single from the NYC slightly disjointed opener “Now That My House Has trio’s 2003 debut, Fever To Tell. The unexpected MTV Burned Down, I Have A Beautiful View Of The Moon,” Total Request Live hit and prom-time plead clicked with the jarring intensity of the equally oddly titled “When indie hipsters (who’ve lauded the band ever since its Emily Dickinson Learned To Lunge” and the guitar self-titled 2001 EP) and iPod-packing teens. Who can freak-show that is “Shakespeare’s Strippers.” blame them? With Nick Zinner’s guitar jingle-jangling Meanwhile, Tsuboy shines with electrifying solos on and Karen O’s yelp turned down to breathy vulnerabili- “Not Even Wrong” and the title track. The folksy fusion ty, “Maps” is irresistible. of that song gives way to elegant acoustic guitars and Apparently, Yeah Yeah Yeahs feel that way too, since piano solos on “Her Softening Sorrow,” spacey synths half of Show Your Bones digs around for a follow-up. The Courtesy of Interscope/by Aliya Naumoff on the brief “Rudyard’s Raging Natural” and majestic lo-fi dissonance of Fever To Tell is expanded here to meanderings on “The Last Resort.” Renowned cover include pop conventions such as handclaps (“Way Yeah Yeah Yeahs artist Travis Smith’s evocative imagery of a burning Out”) and sweeping choruses, which make the cliff- home with a human silhouette in the doorway height- scaling “Dudley” sound like a lost new-wave relic. ens the drama of this subtle yet powerful disc. Yet, they haven’t quite abandoned their old sound. the songs, and we still have no idea what she’s talking Drumheller and Eddy deserve credit for advancing a The jagged discord of “Phenomena” and the way Karen about most of the time (she writes like her brain’s oper- sound that blurs the boundaries of contemporary jazz, O plays around with repetition on “Cheated Hearts” are ating at twice the speed of her hands, which can’t keep classical, rock, fusion and electronic music. down-home comforts, in a broken-glass-in-the-meat- up and omits verbs and other adjoining words here and — Michael Popke loaf kinda way. Karen O still howls her way through half there). Searching for another “Maps,” The Yeah Yeah (DVD Reviews from page 36) have made sure that Lynott’s real legacy, gated instead to brief snippets between ed with easygoing atmospheres, which his music, remains very much alive. narration and interviews. explains why the 60-minute show con- — Conrad L. Stinnett The extras include a quiz and discog- tains a nine-song set list. But that list Gorham, and Eric Bell. This isn’t a raphy, but that doesn’t provide much spans the years, from a couple of early morose gathering but rather a hard-rock- SMALL FACES more meat to this rather lean dish. hits to numbers off their most recent ing celebration. Even Thin Lizzy without Under Review Enjoyable, yes, but essential only for Committed album. Lynott’s singing and bass playing are still Chrome Dreams (CVIS395) those whose collection must be complete. Third World had freshened up their hard to beat, and this set certainly does — Jo-Ann Greene sound along the way via infusions of con- justice to the band’s durable catalog. Small Faces’ Under Review has the look temporary stylings, from the toasting that Moore does a credible job of handling and feel of a TV documentary, a bit like THIRD WORLD fuels “Reggae Ambassador” to the com- vocal chores, while Noyce’s bass work VH1’s Behind The Music, albeit Anglicized. Music Hall In Concert pulsively danceable beats that fire up their provides a great example of his own rock- Thus, unlike Behind’s rather sensational- Uncut/Music Video Distributors (225) 1978 smash, “Now That We’ve Found ing style, while incorporating appropri- ized breathless style, Review employs Love.” Funky rhythms, blazing lead gui- ate references to Lynott. “Jailbreak,” “The extremely knowledgeable friends and vet- Celebrating two decades of making tar, thundering drum solos, sumptuous Boys Are Back In Town” and “Black eran music journalists to intelligently the world a happier place through reggae R&B — the band offered it all up here, Rose” never sounded so good. Moore and explore Small Faces’ career, milieu, influ- music, in 1993 Third World embarked even, courtesy of the phenomenally tal- the other guitarists pull out the stops and ences and music, all bringing with them a on a global tour and were captured on ented Cat Coore, a reggae concerto for provide some amazing axe-work decided note of authority to the project. film on stage in Europe near the begin- cello, which cheekily employs the melody throughout the night. The closing num- For hard-core fans, however, there’s lit- ning of the excursion. from Chaka Demus & Pliers’ current ber, Moore’s “Parisienne Walkways,” has tle new said here. The Small Faces’ story Although the original band members dancehall smash “Murder She Wrote.” been covered by Lynott, as well as ELP’s is well-substantiated, with little dispute to emerged from Jamaica’s reggae scene, Twenty years in and World’s irre- Greg Lake, but has never been done as be found in the band’s comet-like career. Third World immediately removed them- sistible music and uplifting messages of well as here and is a powerful conclusion The interest then lies in the rare footage selves from that scene, preferring to peace, love and unity continued to bring to a night of good music and superb that’s sprinkled throughout the documen- stand alone and aloof, a stance they rein- sell-out crowds to their feet. More impor- musicianship. Aside from Gorham, mem- tary, which includes a plethora of live per- forced by their unique sound, a heady tant, however, their love of the music and bers of the current Thin Lizzy are con- formances pulled from the archives of blend of reggae, rock and funk, all of performing hadn’t faded a bit, and their spicuously absent here, but they aren’t German television. But if that’s the plus, which is on show here. joy in bringing reggae to the people missed. While a statue may now be part it’s also the minus, because none of this Even at their most exhilarating, remained absolutely infectious. of the Dublin scene, Moore and company fascinating footage is shown in full, rele- World’s songs have always been permeat- — Jo-Ann Greene.