Kerry Chicoine
Reviews:
March,
2005

Scroll down for the latest from Jensen Bell and Aguafantastica

Jensen Bell
Modern Dating Tips

(JB Standard Media)

jensenbell.com

The debut album by long-time Los Angeles musician/songwriter Jensen Bell -- called Modern Dating Tips, incidentally - will be, in all likelihood, an instant classic in the oft-uninspired power-pop genre. Fans of the Three B's - Fountains of Wayne, Owsley, and Teenage Fanclub - will certainly find the music comprising Modern Dating Tipsto be thoroughly entertaining - if not downright comforting -- for all of the hallmarks of classic power-pop are present and accounted for: jangling 12-string guitars, effervescent vocal melodies, and lots of lovely, layered background vocal harmonies, all driven by a pulsing backbeat. To call it "catchy" would be an understatement; to call it "inspired" would be much closer to the truth.

Jensen Bell has had a long history of hands-on involvement in the Los Angeles power-pop scene, having formed the buzz-band The Bell Starlings (featuring the everywhere-at-once Robbie Rist on bass and former Muff Jim Laspesa on drums) during the heyday of the Bubblegum Crisis/Poptopia madness of the mid-1990's, and writing, recording, touring, and performing with several notable bands (including The Rails and Chuck E. Weiss, among others), with varying degrees of success and recognition. Tours in Europe, miscellaneous recording projects -- even a stint as a music instructor -- kept Jensen Bell busy in the ensuing years, yet he remained artistically unfulfilled, nurturing an unrelenting desire to write The Great Power Pop Album he knew was lurking somewhere deep inside.

That album, waiters and gentlemen, is finally here.

Over much of the past two years, Bell conceived and recorded Modern Dating Tips at the now-legendary Lincoln Lounge in Venice, California, engineered and co-produced with behind-the-scenes maestro Steve Refling (Cockeyed Ghost, Receiver, The Negro Problem). The album is a triumph of melodic imagination, confidently staying well within the established guidelines of post-Beatles power-pop, yet embellishing these admittedly simplistic art-form limitations with interesting, unexpected chord progressions and great leaps of melody, performed with passion, inspiration, and complete finesse.

The album is a song-cycle of sorts (okay, call it a "concept" album) detailing the finer aspects of the trials and tribulations of dating. Lyrically, Bell really reaches out and takes chances, as some of the scenarios detailed on Modern Dating Tips are quite personal and revealingly intimate. Most people will easily relate to the feelings - which can range from crippling confusion to sky-spiraling exhilaration -- that often go hand-in-hand when attempting a connection with the object of one's desire. It makes for quite an interesting listening experience, with Bell never taking a heavy-handed approach, instead letting his well-crafted lyrics speak for themselves.

Some of the musical highlights in this collection of stand-out tracks include the Matthew Sweet-esque opener "Asking You Out", the humorously upbeat duet "Happy Chocolate" with main Muff Kim Shattuck, and the pistol-whipping "Possible Jane Situation", with its' clever lyrics and relentlessly jangling guitar hooks (and killer bass-line courtesy of monster musician Robbie Rist). Mention must be made of the gorgeous album closer, the magnificent McCartney-esque "Love Stained Eyes". Sounding like a long-lost George Martin Revolver-era production, "Love Stained Eyes" details the all-too-commonplace reality of a relationship doomed to failure. A gorgeous string arrangement paints a musical picture of regret and melancholy, mirroring the sadness and longing echoed in the lyrics; underneath, a plaintive piano melody provides a foundation for Bell's evocative, yearning vocals. Truly a spine-chilling moment, one of many to be found within this album.

All in all, Modern Dating Tips is an amazingly cohesive musical and lyrical debut, one that proves this emerging artist not only has a comprehensive grasp of the melodic rock idiom, but is also uniquely able to imprint his own original spin on the genre. Four out of five dentists.

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Aguafantastica
Quasar Flashing Dawn

(SMiLE Records)

www.aguafantastica.com

Aguafantastica is not your average rock band.

The brainchild of accomplished multi-instrumentalist/musical savant Dan West, Aguafantastica was formed in 1998 with the grandiose ambition of "spanning the infinite reaches of music", a lofty goal under any circumstances, and one especially relevant in these days of pre-packaged pap and flavor-of-the-millisecond teeny boppers masquerading as musicians.

In other words: the only rule is there are no rules.

With their sophomore release Quasar Flashing Dawn (released November, 2004 on SMiLE Records), Aguafantastica sets an unsurpassed standard of musical excellence, in the process establishing themselves as one of the premire bands to watch in the smoldering wreckage that passes for the music scene in Hollywood circa 2005.

The band - comprised of West (vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion, and assorted exotic instruments), Willy Bongiovanni (bass), Cari Ann Craig (flute), Andy Duncan (trumpet), and Mitch Leslie (drums) - executes West's often-intricate compositions with panache and flair, with each member contributing substantially to the unique essence of the material. All seasoned music veterans, Aguafantastica are the definition of tight - no fledgling musicians here - and the band takes no prisoners when it comes to commandeering either the stage (check the website listed above for one of their frequent LA-area gigs) or the recording studio.

West's compositions boldly - often ingeniously -- blend elements of hard rock, melodic pop, classic '70's soul, electronica, and even a touch of Dixieland jazz, in new and tantalizing ways, with delightfully satisfying results. Tossing aside trite clichés in favor of an almost solipsistic musical approach, the music comprising Quasar Flashing Dawn dazzles the listener with its many unexpected twists and turns, yet remains comfortably - reassuringly -- grounded in a solid core of melody. Fans of the heavy guitar-crunch of Foo Fighters, the melodic invention of Todd Rundgren, the lyrical stance of Stew and The Negro Problem, and the vocal harmonies of Crosby, Stills and Nash, will find a treasure-trove of memorable tunes for the taking.

From the hard-hitting crunch-pop of the album opener "Old Fashion" (sounding like a long-lost Dave Grohl masterpiece) to the psychedelic childhood ruminations of "Sad Pickles" (an interesting and slyly humorous take on the "boy and his dog" theme), to the expresso-smooth Brazil 66-esque melodic pop of "Hungry Melena" (with its jazzy flute line decorating the song like icing on so much leftover wedding cake), Quasar Flashing Dawn reveals itself to be, essentially, a non-stop melodic barrage, a flurry of memorable hooks, a veritable blizzard of harmonic bliss.

Not only does the album start out extremely strong - it gets better as it progresses. In fact, some of the most intriguing work comes towards the end of the record: the oh-so-dreamy "Everything You Wouldn't Do Twice" (featuring an incredible vocal performance by West), the Tin Pan Alley stomp of the Cole Porter-esque "Emaciated Dreamer" (a showcase for the band's considerable musical chops), and the album's closing epic, the meandering-like-a-river "Silicon". In today's "we've got eighty minutes on a blank CD, so why not throw in the garbage disposal?" mentality, Aguafantastica instead opt for a more disciplined approach, favoring quality over quantity -- yet still, the album clocks in at just over an hour's worth of prime A-list material -- no filler here folks, move along.

Aguafantastica obviously relish taking chances with their music, and the band's collective vision shimmers like a beacon on a stormy sea. Nothing less than ambitious, Quasar Flashing Dawn portends great things for the future of the band and their fans, for West seems driven to compose nothing if not extraordinary material, and the band appears gleefully willing -- and more than capable -- of helping him realize his unique musical vision. On a scale of aphids to termites, I'll give this one a butterfly.

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