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The Montgomery Cliffs
The Montgomery Cliffs

RPM USA

www.theMontgomeryCliffs.com

Release date: January 1, 2001

For those who believe that 2001 is the actual beginning of the new millennium, then the third album from The Montgomery Cliffs is not only the first rock record to come out in the new millennium, it's the first real rock and roll album. If you have a friend who digs The Smithereens or NRBQ, and bitches incessantly that there are no new bands doing the catchy, basic rock and roll thing, grab a copy of this disc, and make him promise to be your personal slave if he loves it. I strongly suspect you will never have to work another day in your life.

Like the bands mentioned above, the Cliffs are a splendid musical unit and have absorbed a lot of great music into their brainstems. The result is friendly, good time music. The Cliffs aren't obviously retro, like The Smithereens can be, and pack much more of punch than NRBQ, primarily due to the often mod-inspired bounce of the Joey Salvia-Dennis Carollo bass-and-drums tandem. The record has a great ballsy production sound, courtesy of Mr. Myracle Brah himself, Andy Bopp. Perhaps Bopp had some influence on "Only", a Joey Salvia composition that sounds like the Brah as performed by The Pursuit Of Happiness. But this yearning pop is only one of the many faces of The Montgomery Cliffs.

They dabble in a bit of country/early rock-and-roll stuff, like the loping "B-Side" and "Bad Karma", which ventures into the realm of Ben Vaughn and The Morrells. Like mid-tempo pop in an early-80's vein? Check out "Wednesday Girl". A slow, humorous lament with a hangdog, Peter Holsapple quality? Then "O.P.B." fits the bill nicely. And when the Cliffs rock, you will be rocked too. "Ambivalent", with ripping guitar work and singing from Wayne Thomas Kurz, is a big riff fest, while "Collagen Lips" zips along like a frat-rock Buzzcocks. And "She Said" has Graham Parker attitude in the verses, clever lyrics (sung by man who wrote 'em, Salvia), and a deceptively sweet chorus that nearly masks the demands of the titular lover. The Cliffs work up a good sweat, even though they make everything seem effortless. This is a must for your next powerpop party.

CORRECTION: Mike has learned that Joey Salvia did the lead vocal on "Ambivalent". Mike apologizes to Salvia, his family and friends, and the Montgomery Cliff estate.

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The Black Watch
Lime Green Girl

Saltwater

www.saltwaterrecords.com

This record is kind of The Black Watch's version of Michael Jackson's History, with nine brand new songs and seven songs culled from their first decade of recording. Fortunately, unlike the Jacko disaster, the old songs don't serve to make the new ones look sickly and unsubstantial. To the contrary, the combination of old and new material makes an excellent case that The Black Watch started out as top notch purveyors of sophisticated rock music, and continue to refine that approach in 2000.

John Andrew Frederick (guitar, piano, vocals) and J'Anna Jacoby (violin, viola, piano, lead guitar, vocals) have led various incarnations of the band, always supported by sympathetic rhythm sections (drummer Randy Leasure and bassist Darin Danford are in the starting lineup on the new tracks). So what do they sound like? The Black Watch seems to occupy a point somewhere between the literate pop of The Go-Betweens and early Lloyd Cole and slightly edgy indie rock like Those Bastard Souls and Small Factory, at times adding a powerful intensity on par with groups like The Catherine Wheel. Frederick sings the larger share of the lead vocals, with a baritone voice that comes off kind of like a more musical Mark Eitzel. Jacoby's vocals are likewise impressive, and she shines even more as a harmony singer, adding some sweetness to Frederick's sour.

It is Jacoby, however, who displays a bit of attitude on the driving "Cellophane", singing with a controlled anger. "Caroline" is a relatively bouncy number in the vein of some of Steve Wynn's solo material (of course, Wynn already has a tune called "Caroline"). Fredrick's pointed vocal gives Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could Read My Mind" a heretofore overlooked emotional undercurrent, and the band locks into a controlled but intense instrumental breakdown before the final chorus, guitars strumming furiously and Jacoby playing until her bow must have caught fire - simply breathtaking. This is one of a number of moments on the album where the band acheives a certain majesty.

It is the combination of precise songcraft and an ability to create a beautiful cacophony of guitars and strings that makes The Black Watch a very special group. When you can create songs like "Terrific" (one of the oldies) that marry a bassline that smacks of early-80's Cure with the stately punch of The Triffids, a listener can only surrender to the charms of the great sounds coming out of the speakers.

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Mike Shupp
The Key

Private Mind

www.mikeshupp.com

Even if I didn't like Mike Shupp's music, I'd be a fan, just because his name lends itself to great album titles. Try these on for size: Shupp And Jive, or Shupp 'Til You Drop, or "Turning Shuppanese". He could be the Greg Kihn of the new millennium!

Actually, Greg Kihn's unpretentious sound is not that far away from what you'll hear on The Key. Shupp's second album finds him plying a very straightforward brand of pop-rock that will appeal to fans of folks like Jim Basnight, The Plimsouls, Tommy Keene, Spooner and other artists from the 80's who appreciated the virtues of a biting guitar part married to an urgent melody. Produced by Shoes' Jeff Murphy, Shupp plays everything but the drums, where he is ably backed by Chris Zogby. The partnership with Murphy is appropriate, as a lot of Shupp's songs have a real Heartland feel, even though Shupp is based in the Eastern part of the country.

The level of craftsmanship is extremely high and matched by Shupp's commitment to the material. His voice is slightly sandpapery, which gives it an inherently attractive quality. Wisely, he resists the temptation to overemote. His tasteful guitar playing compliments his fine vocals. He knows when a lead guitar part should accompany the melody, but also knows when it can push the melody further. And the solos are as long as they need to be.

Many of the numbers tend towards the passionate side, such as fine slices of drama like "Keep Me Waiting", "Stranded" and "Waiting For Tomorrow". He balances these efforts with more light hearted fare, like "What Did You Mean" (great little lead guitar fills), and "Head On Straight", which reminded me of Will and The Bushmen and Robert Ellis Orrall. Shupp also does pensive well: "Don't Let Me See You This Way" floats in an acoustic jangle, like an old tune by The Sundays, and "Watching The Sun Go Down" is subtle and moving and ends the disc on a powerful note. The disc may not hit any extreme highs, but it is well stocked with above-average songs, and no clunkers.

OK, maybe my proposed punny album titles are a tradition that is thankfully ceased. But it's nice to hear someone like Mike Shupp to remind you how tuneful rock tunes are a tradition worth carrying on.

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