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The Charlatans (UK)
Wonderland

MCA Records
www.thecharlatans.net

Released Fall, 2001

Proof Yet Again: They Have Surpassed Their Roots

Mention the Charlatans and it's very likely you'll be met with either blank stares, or perhaps a statement like "Oh yeah, that band from England with the Hammond organ player. Whatever happened to them?" on this side of that puddle known as the Atlantic Ocean.

It's a terrible, terrible shame that all but the hardcore fans of the band in the US have forgotten them. A decade on the heels of Madchester Baggy, which they helped usher in, along with the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, the Charlatans have grown up into a band that rivals the Rolling Stones, from say 1976 to around 1982. This is not hyperbole, it's a simple fact. There is no band on the planet currently able to capture this kind of street-wise, soul-tinged, tough rock and roll.

They may have been a darling Brit-pop dance band, from Manchester, in their baggy clothes with their fringes hanging in their eyes, but that's all behind them now. They are the only band who survived that scene largely intact and continued to branch out artistically. *Wonderland* is mind-boggling when compared to their earlier output, especially the first three albums. To quote them outright: "Don't need a gun to blow my mind".

I'll admit I approached this record with a lot of hesitation. I never cared much for their last album, and that was hard for me, because I truly love them, and have for ages. This CD traveled around with me unplayed for days and days. Imagine the joyous surprise on my face when I finally got the nerve to slide it into the player and got on one of my "omigawd"-chin-scraping-the-floor numbers.

The Charlatans have always possessed a great deal of swaggering sex appeal, and not necessarily from a visual perspective (although some plucky female fans will, doubtless, point out that Tim Burgess is a sex god, what with that face and those lips). They have no problem rolling out their brand of all things roguish for display here: the first three tracks are fairly dripping with that previously mentioned swaggering sex appeal. "Judas", the second song of the set, has so memorable and infectious a chorus that it begs to be played repeatedly, and if that doesn't work, it'll stay stuck in your brain cells indefinitely anyway, so it won't matter. That the Charlatans manage to pull this all off without ever uttering one suggestive sentence only makes them that much more fun. It's their vibe, the way they groove---it's been that way since day one, and happily, they haven't lost it. Between "Judas" and "Love Is the Key", you're in for the joyride of your life.

"I Just Can't Get Over Losing You" sends a reprisal of the old days, Hammond organ and all. (Their original keyboardist, Rob Collins, died several years ago; he's been replaced by Tony Rogers). As is typical of the band, there are brilliant dance tunes here, like the instrumental "The Bell and The Butterfly" and "Is It In You?", along with those three lead tracks and the aforementioned "I Just Can't Get Over Losing You". They've done a lot of work in the past with the Chemical Brothers doing remixes of singles that were already steady on their own grooves without a new workout. This must've been a cakewalk for them.

What's most interesting on Wonderland is the inclusion of real and pretty ballads, notably the soulful "A Man Needs To Be Told" and the altogether gorgeous "If I Fall", easily the prettiest song the Charlatans have ever produced. The second most interesting thing is the inclusion of a female backing vocalist on several tracks, which lends a great deal of texture and depth to the record.

Overall, a stunner. Wonderland is fluid and nearly flawless. It showcases the Charlatans as a very, very good, world-class rock and roll band who've matured incredibly well, and deserve far more attention than they get. Grade A+. It'll make my top five for the year.

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Ken Stringfellow
Touched

Manifesto Records, Inc.
www.kenstringfellow.com

Released Fall, 2001

Tongue-tied and Speechless...

I've had a copy of this since last spring. I had a recording of a demo of a demo, or some such third stringer or another. Half the songs didn't have titles on the copy I've had (illegitamately) in my hot little hands, so I never bothered to say much about it to anyone for fear of unspeakable repercussions.

I became tongue-tied and speechless anyway, over the second track, which now has a title. "This One's On You" sounds like a church hymn and finds Mr. Stringfellow (also known as just plain old Ken to Posies' fans around the globe) in the finest vocal form of his career. Ever. It is gut-wrenching, heart-rending, and transfixing. Begging for repetitive play so it can be soaked up and wallowed in. The organ is mesmerizing, his voice, layers of velvet atop this sad tale of what may be equal parts hope and regret.

Additionally, as if this weren't enough heartbreak, two songs he formerly recorded as Saltine make an appearance: a not-much-changed presentation of "Find Yourself Alone" and a sobered up and stripped down version of "Reveal Love", two songs I've always considered real wrist slashers anyway. The latter finds Stringfellow hitting high notes, a skill in which he possesses such proficiency that after a decade of hearing him do it, it's still able to raise hairs on the backs of necks and send a million chills down a thousand spines. "Reveal Love" is likely the saddest song Stringfellow's ever penned anyway, and the way he pulls it off here could make a rock shed tears.

In short, this guy can sing. He does it again in the following track, "Uniforms"---sending his voice impossibly up into the atmosphere without error. "Fireflies" is another spectacular song, in which Ken showcases his stunning, gorgeous vocal form. Let's just forget the track by track scoreboard: there simply are no misses in this collection. "The Lover's Hymn" ties the thing together, the next to the last song to the second song and everything in between, with "Down Like Me", the opener, and "Here's To The Future", the closing number, bolstering it with pedal steel laden Byrds-esque country-tinged pop and a mostly acoustic outing punctuated by sweeping orchestration, respectively.

Is there anything bad about it? No. Sincerely, it's an astounding collection of material which finds Ken Stringfellow in wonderful form, both as a vocalist and as a writer. Any songs that aren't quite up to snuff are rescued by that angelic set of pipes. Very strong recommendations to everyone.

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Motorpsycho
Phanerothyme

Stickman Records
www.motorpsycho.fix.no

Released Fall, 2001

What Say We All Go On A Little Trip?

Every time this is played, I end up grinning ear to ear. Sometimes I even laugh. Not because it's funny, but because it's like finding something I lost a long time ago. This record is majorly retro, straddling the fine line between sunny bubblegum pop and acid-drenched outings into psychedelia.
I don't know much about this band, except that they hail from Norway and they used to be a hair metal band, if their debut is any indication. 2000's *Let Them Eat Cake* saw them take a turn toward headier business, and Phanerothyme finds them sounding for all the world like a jumbled (yet ultimately easier to take) dose of Yes and Traffic crossed with the Doors.

This is *not* a bad thing. They do get a bit jammy from time to time (think of Chris Wood's furious flute solos with Traffic, or Ray Manzarek's keyboard solo from "Light My Fire"), yet Motorpsycho seem capable of maintaining cohesion rather than creating musical chaos (which would lead, necessarily, to musical suicide). And most of this controlled mayhem is best demonstrated on track five, "Go To California", with its refrains of "you can have kisses by the millions" and "get up, go to California, go to where the skies are blue". Undoubtedly penned during the long, dark winter Scandinavian days.

It doesn't matter that they jam or spin off on wild musical tangents, because the jams are grandly orchestral, and stunningly arranged. This song is so brilliant that it makes the rest of the album sound a bit anti-climactic.

It simply has something both new and also very familiar: the influences are on display, but the song belongs firmly to the present. "Bedroom Eyes" is softly spun, verging on folk music with its acoustic guitar, while "B.S." shows off more flute and horn noodling and "For Free" is a hard-rocker. The actual power pop here is found on "The Slow Phaseout", with its horn studded chorus of "why do you do the things you do?" and "Blindfolded", awash in luscious strings and windwoods. There are few times when Phanerothyme loses its momentum, thankfully. It is nearly perfect. The only problem is that it has begun to make me think I ought to go out and purchase a copy of Traffic's *John Barleycorn Must Die* on CD so I can see if my memory is playing tricks on me. (It could be worse---I could be citing "Berkshire Poppies" rather than "Freedom Rider").

Recommended unabashedly for fans of late '60s/early '70s jazz influenced prog rock and those individuals who think recordings and recreational chemicals are the same thing. Gets a strong headphone alert, too.

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