LONG ISLAND WEEKLY - ANTON COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS - SEPTEMBER 3 - 9, 2014 5A Garland Jeffreys, Afghan Whigs & Ryo Tanaka Rumor has it a Ryo Tanaka Project album may be in the works at some point next year, but until we hear more, Check It Out readers will just have to satisfy their hunger with a pair of Manhattan live dates to debut the new material, both scheduled at the Check it out! beginning of the year. DAVE The premiere will be at Shrine (2271 GIL DE RUBIO Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd.) on January 6, followed by an appearance on January 27 at Silvana (300 W. 116th Garland Jeffreys: Drinking St.). Deep From His Truth Serum The Black Keys: Garland Jeffreys —Truth Serum (Luna Park) — There was a point Two Man Gang Turn Blue when Garland Jeffreys was banging The Black Keys —Turn Blue out a string of solid albums in the late (Nonesuch) — For the Black Keys, ’70s/early’80s when he was part of the who’ve been inextricably linked with class of urban singer-songwriters with the White Stripes due to the pair of a distinct New York City swagger that band’s two-people lineups, success included Ian Hunter, Graham Parker has not only earned them arena and longtime friend Lou Reed. The headlining status, but scorn from the past two decades found the Brooklyn hipster contingent of its fan base. native and his wife raising a kid while While the early days found the Jeffreys stepped away from the studio. Akron duo dabbling in a lo-fi Delta With his daughter on the brink of blues sound partly inspired by Fat college, the Syracuse University alum Possum artists like R.L. Burnside put out new music in the form of Afghan Whigs: Grunge-Era Local Boy (By Way Of Japan) and Junior Kimbrough (both of 2011’s most excellent The King of In whom they covered), further down Between, his first domestically released R&B Revivalists Return Spotlight on the local scene — We last mentioned drummer / percus- the road found collaborations with studio album in nearly two decades. Afghan Whigs — Do To the Beast producers like Tchad Blake and Thankfully, he didn’t wait too long for a (Sub Pop) — Long the darlings of the sionist Ryo Tanaka in our write-up of the international Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton. The follow-up and clearly the inspiration of indie rock set, Afghan Whigs reunited Black Keys evolved, song placement making new music has done wonders for its first album in 16 years. Oftentimes quasi-super- group Von Voigt. in commercials and film soundtrack for Jeffreys onTruth Serum. lumped in with the grunge music due blossomed, and early followers to its association with Seattle-based Apparently not As has been the case throughout his became disenchanted. career, the biracial singer-songwriter Sub Pop, (who the Whigs have returned content to let so Expect more of the same as the has always cast his stylistic net wide to for this comeback), the band in fact much as a day Keys returned to the production well and it’s no different on these 10 songs. hails from Cincinnati. Furthermore, go by without with Danger Mouse overseeing the The opening cut is a title track steeped tortured frontman Greg Dulli looked some form of band’s recently released eighth studio in the loping blues and wailing harp of more towards R&B for his muse versus musical output, album. With Dan Auerbach’s recent vintage Chicago blues, setting the table the hardcore punk and hard rock Tanaka has since divorce occurring around the album’s for his being a soothsayer throughout of his Pacific Northwest peers. And formed the Ryo recording, Turn Blue has lots of sonic the remainder of this record, whether while founding member/guitarist Rick Ryo Tanaka Tanaka Project, nuance to sift through. Starting with it’s the organ-fueled “Colorblind Love” McCollum wound up sitting out the a 3-piece, jazz-tinged vehicle to where he muses, “Colorblind love/ sessions for the band’s seventh studio the airy near-seven minute opener showcase his considerable chops as a “Weight of Love” and its yowling It’s what I’ve been dreaming of/Fits album, the Whigs don’t disappoint. composer and bandleader, in addition like a hand in glove/Ain’t no dream There’s a nervous angst infusing all guitar and airy keys, images of Crazy to his skills on the skins. Horse and Pink Floyd dance around like colorblind love” or the stripped- ten of these songs whether it’s Dulli Tanaka is a relatively recent arrival down “Revolution of the Mind,” which crying out that “I’m over you” while before Auerbach sings his first lyric on the New York City scene, but his nearly two minutes in. is reminiscent of his old buddy Bob intriguing Middle Eastern-flavored nu- pedigree is extensive, having begun Marley’s “Redemption Song.” ances permeate the jittery “Matamoros” Slinky rhythms also abound his career in his teens, and playing whether it’s throughout the sinewy Elsewhere, Jeffreys delves into or cleverly finds his younger self paying with award winning Japanese artists reggae once again with the chugging him a visit on his deathbed that’s at the title cut goosed along by the gospel such as Fusanosuke Kondo, Godiego “Dragons to Slay,” preaches peace crux of the cleverly dour “Lost in the harmonies of Nashville’s McCrary and Rina Aiuchi. Tanaka formed in the Bonnie Raitt-meets-Bruce Woods.” Elsewhere, the Afghan Whigs’ Sisters, the rumbling “10 Lovers” Springsteen gem that is “Any Rain” love of soul is never far away whether it’s Spica in 2003, with whom he released and its P-Funky synth runs or the and gets wistful on the melancholy the castanets/bass drum intro adorning several albums and toured Japan stomping “Year in Review.” It all and touching “Ship of Fools.” Most the Phil Spector-ish “Algiers” while repeatedly until 2010. ends with closer “Gotta Get Away,” impressive is the thumping “Collide neo-soul crooner Van Hunt punctuates Not many artists have the stones a sing-a-long rocker that jangles, the Generations,” redolent with the melancholy “It Kills.” to exit a somewhat successful is punctuated by a tight fuzz guitar Hendrix-like riffing, a thunderous beat Also pumping in plenty of six-string at- project to pursue further education, solo punctuated by a slide and rides and Jeffreys calling out to daughter mospherics are a number of other guests and in so doing, reinvent them- a squiggly keyboard riff that causes Savannah amid the cries of “Daddy’s including Usher musical director Johnny selves, but this is exactly the sort of plenty of involuntary toe tapping. little girl” and “crash the generation.” “Natural” Najera and Alain Johannes of move that brought Tanaka stateside. While the purists may mutter “sell It all winds up being a gorgeous Queens of the Stone Age/Arctic Monkeys Attending Berklee from 2010-2013, out” while moping about in their mosaic of music that shows the fame. Purists may howl at the absence of Tanaka graduated Summa Cum trucker’s caps and skinny jeans, septuagenarian rocker still has plenty McCollum, but the Whigs have managed Laude and promptly made a bee line Auerbach and Carney earn kudos for left to say in his golden years. to return without missing a beat. for NYC. trying to evolve.