Moroni's Review of The Reiver's "Second Story"

As a teen, I spent a few Spring Breaks going to see a friend who lived outside of Austin, Texas.  The thing I liked about Austin was that it had a personality all of it's own.  In 1986, my friend Matt introduced me to a local band called Zeitgeist.  I liked them so much that I went and bought the cassette, which I still have.

Zeitgeist was a lot like the Austin I came to know, walking evenings down Sixth Street.  The singer, John Croslin, sang with a Texas twang with Kim Longacre's powerful voice echoing in the background.  They were down home, earthy, and yet hip.  I took this cassette home to Arizona with me and fell in love with it.

There is a distinct memory of getting ready for school in 1986, and I had Zeitgeist playing.  My dad came into  my room and listened for a bit, and then he started to laugh.  Zeitgeist was doing a rendition of Willie Nelson's "Blue Eyes".  He was laughing to see that the weird pop bands that I was listening to in the '80s were paying homage to the country music he listened to in his younger years.  I think Zeitgeist was paying homage to the rolling hills they haled from, as evidenced in the song "Hill Country Theme."

Zeitgeist was definitely part of the multifaceted soundtrack of my youth "Araby", "Legendary Man", "Freight Train Rain"...  The quality of the recordings was not that great.  This was in the Age of Analog, before music was digital.  But it gave it a gritty feel.  It added to the Americana vibe of this album.

The story goes that Zeitgeist was sued by a movie company that owned the film rights to that name, and so they changed their name to "The Reivers", after a Faulkner novel.  Their sophomore release - "Saturday" - came out in 1987.  They had honed their skills, and the engineering was better on this album.  This album truly became iconic to me.  I used to teach my four year-old brother lyrics to this song so that he could sing along with me.  "Electra", "In Your Eyes", Secretariat", Ragamuffin Man" - these songs came to define what I loosely have come term as "My Type Of Music".

They released a couple of albums after that that didn't quite have the same flare, and they broke up in 1991.

Since then, I have downloaded the digitally re-mastered "Translate Slowly", and I have searched desperately for "Saturday" in digital format.  But sadly, it is nowhere to be found.  I just ordered a CD copy from Amazon, and I am happily awaiting it's arrival.  John Croslin did not disappear from the music scene, but when on to produce such acts like Austin's Spoon.

Imagine my surprise when I learned that the Reivers reformed and are releasing their first new album in twenty-two years.  I downloaded "Second Story", and the first song, "All Drunks Say Amen" played.  I was relieved to hear this band back in form.  Kim Longacre's voice dominates the song, with John Croslin's twang singing backing vocals.

The album is very pleasant.  There are some funky songs like "Liar" and "Jo and Joe".  There are some rocking tunes like "When She Sings", "Setting Son", and "Back At You".  But my favorites are the ballads that they sing together like "Please Don't Worry".

This album will never be as iconic and moving for me as "Translate Slowly" or "Saturday".  And yet I am comforted by this album.  It is like having an old friend come back in your life, and you don't want them to leave again.

Moroni's Review of Tones on Tail's "Weird Pop"

The thing about punk in the 1970s - it was a reaction to all of the artsy rock around at the time.  Rock had become grandiose with feathered hair, silk leotards, rock operas, songs that lasted ten minutes, drum solos that showcased skill.  Punk was a reaction to this - a remembrance that rock was supposed to be rebellious and fun.  The "one-two-three-four" songs of the Ramones that lasted two minutes, songs stripped down to the bare minimum, and played sloppily.

So it is ironic that many of the post-punk bands of the 80's, bands that came right out of the British punk scene of the 70s, bands like PiL and Tones on Tail took upon an arsty quality.  Listening to Tones on Tail's only album, "Pop", released in 1984, I could very well believe that it is Pink Floyd.

Tones on Tail was a side project belonging to Daniel Ash of Bauhaus (whom I retro-reviewed here).  In his spare time, he would record singles and EPs along with one of Bauhaus' roadies.  When Bauhaus broke up in 1983, Tones on Tail became Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskin's full-time project.  They released only one album and then morphed into Love & Rockets.

Clubbing in the mid-80s was an interesting experience.  In the late 80's, it was all about house music, techno, and New Beat.  But in the mid-80s, the clubs played things like the ubiquitous "Blue Monday" by New Order, anything by the Cure, "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by Bauhaus, as well as "Go!" and "Christian Says" by Tones on Tail.  Any song with the word "vampire" in it was going to appeal to the gothic crowd.  I heard these songs pretty much every night.

As a teen, I had a beat-up cassette recording of Tones on Tail's only album, "Pop".  I listened to it all the time.  The lamentful "Lions", the heavy percussion of "War", the psychedelic chants of "Slender Fungus", the surrealistic jazz of "Movement of Fear", the acoustic "Real Life", the ambient electronica of "Rain", and (my favorite) the infectious yet discordant rhythm guitar of "The Never Never (Is Forever).  And the lyrics:  "Down for you is up."  All of these songs were an important part of my youth, and I can still sing along with every song.  After having listened to these songs as an adult, I can honestly say that "Pop" is one of the best yet sadly forgotten rock records of all time.

I had not owned any music by Tones on Tail since my cassette tape disintegrated in some box in storage.  So I thought that I would download their 2011 compilation, "Weird Pop".  It has the whole "Pop" album, minus two songs.  It also has a collection of their singles like "Go!", "Christian Says", "Burning Skies", and an awesome gothic version of Elvis's "Heartbreak Hotel".

So where does this music sit with me?  I have downloaded quite a bit of music lately, and the only album that I keep listening to over and over right now is "Weird Pop" by Tones on Tail.  As my ex-wife would say, "It is genius."  Enough said.

Moroni's Review of My Chemical Romance's "Conventional Weapons"

I have a memory of going to see New Order in concert in 1989.  (New Order was okay.  The opening band - Throwing Muses - was great.  But that's another story.)  It was an outdoor arena, and we sat on the grass, waiting for the show to start in the crepuscular light.  People watching is always fun.  We looked at all the young kids with their massive black hair, sprayed up in homage to Robert Smith, dressed in black even though it was a hot summer day.

"Remember when we used to dress like that?" we laughed.

Because 1986 was such a long time ago to us.  I was nineteen.  What was I wearing then?  I had toned it down to jeans, tees, and a pair of Docs that didn't fit me that well.  But, to me, the whole "The Cure"/ gothic thing had evolved into something contrived.  It was now fashionable instead of rebellious.

Jump to the mid 2000s, and the "emo" thing is in full swing.  It was all about sad teens wearing skinny jeans with hair in their eyes.  You would think that I would relate to it, given my past, but I couldn't understand it.  It seemed trendy, too fashionable.

There are a couple of things you should know about me:

1)  If there is a lot of hype about something, I probably hate it.  I don't know why.  I think it is a mark of my generation.

2)  I live very isolated, and so I am not exposed to too much hype.  Therefore, I formulate a lot of my own opinions on things.

I knew who My Chemical Romance was, and I knew that they were associated with the "emo" scene.  I had never heard their music, but I had seen their pictures in magazines and hated them.  I don't remember what happened that changed my mind.  I remember making a road trip back from Utah and stopping by a K-Mart and buying something to listen to.  It was "Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge".

I was blown away.  I don't know what emo is, don't care.  This was punk.  Beautifully-crafted punk-pop songs - angry, bitter, ironic.  There wasn't a song on the album that I didn't love.  Shortly afterwards, I purchased "The Black Parade".  It was a little less punk, but it was still awesome rock.  They showed that they were growing as musicians.

When their fourth album - "Danger Days" - came out, I was sorely disappointed.  There were a few good songs on it.  It was a glitzy concept album.  There were a few good songs on it, but it was too radio friendly.  I hate to say it, but - one word - sellout.

Their fifth album is an unusual project.  It is called "Conventional Weapons".  It is the album that they recorded to follow up "The Black Parade", but they scrapped it and recorded "Danger Days" instead.  I wish that they had stuck with "Conventional Weapons" instead.  It is a much better album.

They released "Conventional Weapons" in a very unusual fashion - over most of 2012 and the beginning of 2013, they released the album two songs at a time as EPs labeled "Number One" or "Number Two", etc.  As strange as it appears at first, it is actually a very clever thing to do in this age of digital downloads.  Whereas I am old-fashioned and like to get whole albums at a time, I don't think that most people really download albums any more.  They just download singles, or they download the songs they like, disregarding the rest of the album.  The concept album is becoming a thing of the past, which accounts for the genius of "Conventional Weapons".  Each two-song EP is a concept in itself, each EP sounding different than the other.

For instance, "Number One" starts out with a song called "Boy Division".  This is straight-up punk, and I breathed a sigh of relief to see My Chemical Romance" getting back to form - sort of.  The next song is "Tomorrow's Money" is equally angry and rocking.

Then you jump to "Number Two", and the songs - "Ambulance" and "Gun." are infectious punk-pop songs that will have you bobbing up and down.  The songs on "Number Three" are their soft ballads - "The World is Ugly" and "The Light Behind Your Eyes".  "Number Three" is my favorite, because MCR is doing what they do best, which is to speak to those suffering from teenage angst.  Who knew that a man could suffer from teenage angst in his forties?  But guess what - you can.

"Number Four" - with its songs "Kiss the Ring" and "Make Room!!!!" - is the metal EP, reminiscent of AC/DC.  The latter song contains references from "Na Na Na (Na Na Na)", which was the best song off of their last album.  "Number Five" has the only songs which could be considered emo - which is power rock with strong emotional chords.  The songs - "Surrender the Night" and "Burn Bright" are both reminiscent of "Famous Last Words", which is a very important song to me.

All in all, this is an excellent rock album and an example of why My Chemical Romance remains one of my favorite bands of all time.

Moroni's Retro-Review of Bauhaus

For this review, I am reviewing two albums by Bauhaus - "Crackle" and "In The Flat Field".

Bauhaus was a very important band for me in my teen years.  Yes, I read Anne Rice.  Yes, I dressed in black and wore eyeliner.  But by the time I started listening to Bauhaus, they had been broken up for three years.  My first exposure to them was in the 1983 movie "The Hunger" (directed by the late Tony Scott) with David Bowie, Susan Sarandon, and the beautiful Catherine Deneuve.  Decades before "Twilight", this was the vampire movie for hipsters.  I used to watch it and count how many cigarettes the actors smoked during the course of the film.  The film starts in a dimly-lit, New York nightclub.  Peter Murphy is singing "Bela Lugosi's Dead" from inside of a cage.  His fine features are pale, and his black hair is spiked.  His intense eyes are darkly outlined with eyeliner.  He looks positively evil, just like a vampire should look.  From then on, I was hooked.

Bauhaus - on their short run from 1978 to 1983 - created gothic before there was even such a thing.  Through the rest of the 80's, many bands tried to mimic their sound.  Scratchy, tinkling guitars, strong bass lines, and the deep, quavering voice of Peter Murphy.  When you think of gothic, you invariably must describe the sound of Bauhaus.  They invented the sound.  There would never have been a Marilyn Manson if there wasn't a Bauhaus.  They sound dark, like being trapped in a fever dream.

As important as Bauhaus was in my youth, I realized that now, as an adult, I have none of their music. So I decided to download "Crackle", which is greatest hits compilation released in 1998.  It has some real gems, well-known hits like "Bela Lugosi's Dead", their cover of David Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust", "Burning From the Inside", and "She's In Parties", as well as several songs from their debut album, "In the Flat Field".  But I was dissatisfied with this compilation.  It wasn't until I listened to this collection that I realized that most of the Bauhaus songs that I know and love are found on their 1980 debut album - "In the Flat Field".

So a few days later, I downloaded this album.  From the first refrains, I was singing along,  even though I hadn't listened to this record in over twenty years.  Importantly, their first album was released on 4AD, which is one of my favorite labels.  All subsequent records were released on Beggar's Banquet.

The first songs - "Dark Entries" and "Double Dare" - had me bobbing my head.  The third song is the title song and has such inspiring lyrics as:

"Ying and yang lumber punch

Go taste a tart then eat my lunch

And force my slender thin and lean

In this solemn place of fill wedding dreams

Of back matted lace, of pregnant cows

As life maps out onto my brow

The card is lowered in index turn

Into my filing cabinet hemispheres burn"

Other favorite are the mellow and haunting "The Spy in the Cab", the funky "St. Vitus Dance".  There is a moment in "Stigmata Martyr" where Peter Murphy is screaming in Latin.  That little bit there represents all of teen rebellion encapsulated in one verse.  Other favorites are  the T. Rex cover "Telegram Sam" and "Terror Couple Kill Colonel".

Bauhaus defined in a way that today's music can't.  It has been refreshing to take this trip down memory lane.

Moroni's Review of Wild Nothing's "Nocturne"

I downloaded Wild Nothing's debut album "Nocturne" for no reason other than I liked their name.  I was looking to expose myself to new music.  One evening, my ex-wife Temple came over to my house to browse through my new downloads.  I played her Wild Nothing.

After listening to only a few bars, she turned to me and said, "They sound like one of those 80's bands that you listen to."

I had to give a deep sigh.  She was totally right.  They have a mellow, languid sound.  This is hair-in-your-face, shoegaze dream pop at it's best.  There is a little Jesus & Mary Chain.  There is some New Order there, or rather, Joy Division.  But mostly I hear Stone Roses.

My favorite tune on the album is the opener, "Shadow".It is a pleasant jangle pop song accented with an acoustic guitar.  Jack Tatum's voice is breathy and soft, almost shy.  The record blends into the second track, "Midnight Song".  I try to come up with descriptions of this song, but I'm sorry.  I keep thinking of Stone Roses, especially since that band will play a reunion show at this year's Coachella.  Some songs like "Through the Grass" and "Paradise" are electronically driven.

This album is beautiful and subtle like a spring breeze blowing over grass.  Yes, it will stir you, but it is not strong enough to grab you.  It is good music to have going in the background.  What I want is music that will knock me on my back and roll me over.  I am glad to have found this band, but it does not have the force that I need and require.

Gathering For Zion Festival 2015

I am pleased to announce the Gathering For Zion Festival in Gallatin, Missouri in June, 2015.  I will be there.  Will you?





















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Moroni's Retro-Review of Alice in Chain's "Jar of Flies"

I have to admit - I missed the whole grunge thing.  I was present in the '80s for the whole gothic/ birth-of-alternative thing.  There is even a memory in high school history class where I predicted a war that would lead to another counter culture movement, and I remembered one of the cheerleaders laughed at me.  But by the time Lollapalooza rolled around in the early '90s I was on hiatus.  So where was I?

After spending a stint in my teen years trying to invent myself as a beatnik, a hippie, a punk, a goth, a raver (complete with experiments with various substances), I swung to the opposite end of the spectrum, and I tried to re-invent myself as a pious fundamentalist Mormon.  In so doing, I forswore music.  I took milk crates full of vinyl and cassettes to the local record shop and sold them.  And those that I couldn't sell, I gave away in an effort to rewrite myself.

So I missed the whole grunge thing.  I was aware of it, but not really into it.  I knew who Alice in Chains were.  I have a specific memory of going to the record shop in West Valley City, Utah on a mission to buy the new Xymox album and seeing the poster for "Dirt" and kind of tripping out on the cover with the dead girl half-buried in the soil.  But I had never listened to them.

Eventually, I realized that I was mistaken trying to reinvent myself.  Yes, I am a Mormon fundamentalist, but I am much more than that.  The kid that wore guyliner and spiked his hair with egg whites, the kid who questioned authority, and strove to be different.  That kid will always be a part of me.  I am both people at once.

So it was around 1994 that I started to introduce music back into my life.  The Cranberries.  Live.  Alice in Chains.  It was like I was discovering who I was again.  To this day, I occasionally fall under criticism from other Mormon fundamentalists, because of my love of rock music.  But this is who I am.  This is who I have always been.  In my adulthood, I know who I am and where I stand with God, and I have a hard time believing that I will be judged harshly by a God just because I listen to Alice in Chains.

By the time I rediscovered myself, I was already married to Martha, and with a baby who we called Sophie.  I only owned "Jar of Flies" - the eponymous EP by Alice in Chains - on cassette.  So, every now and then, as money permits, I download digital copies of music that meant so much to me back then.  I find it funny that I am sometimes less nostalgic for the music of my teen years than I am for the music of my newlywed days.

Back then, life was new.  I looked forward to the future with anticipation of what would happen.  My whole life was before me.  I lacked the illusory permanence of my teen years, and I lacked the jaded disappointment of middle age.  There was never another time of hope as during that time.

And Alice in Chain's "Jar of Flies" was a part of the soundtrack of that magical time.

I still remember the first time I heard it.  I went to Cottonwood, Arizona to see my friend Steve's band play.  Matt was warming up on the bass and was playing along with "Rotten Apple".  I was impressed by the song so much that I went out and bought a used copy from Bookman's in Mesa.

The entire EP has that effect on me.  I have since gone back added other Alice in Chains albums to my collection.  But none of them stir my emotions like this EP does.

And ultimately, isn't that the purpose of music?  To stir the soul?