Eric Bachmann
To The Races
Saddle Creek
2006
Rating: 8 thoroughbred fillies out of 10
This is an album of changes…an album where Eric Bachmann dropped the Crooked Fingers band name and elected to record under his own moniker. Actually, he has actually done this one other time, recording the film score for “Ball of Wax” - but that material was much closer to his mid-90s side project Barry Black than what he has been putting out as Crooked Fingers over the last few years. It was also a change in record labels, moving his outfit from Merge Records over to the “Connor Oberst & family” stable of Saddle Creek. But musically…the changes are minimal at best. This album is a little sparser than the last few – many of the tracks here are just the man himself strumming and singing, and then occasionally a cello or violin or some backing female vocals will get inserted into the tracks. And these changes are perfectly fine with me – the major selling points of anything Bachmann is involved with is his strong songwriting and his Neil Diamond-like vocals – everything else is just a bonus. The songs contained in “To the Races” are as strong as anything he has put out to date: “Carrboro Woman” and “So Long Savannah” will be instant favorites to most anyone who gives this a listen. If I had to lodge a complaint at all, it would be that the album is just too damn short - at around 35 minutes long, it feels like it is over before it really gets going. Still, any fan of Bachmann’s output these last few years under the name Crooked Fingers would be a fool not to rush out and get this album, a high contender for one of my favorites of the year.
Beep Beep
Business Casual
Saddle Creek
2004
Rating: 7 korg keyboards out of 10
It’s pretty obvious to all out there the 80’s revival that has been sweeping music the last few years has some staying power…but for all the crap bands that have come from the rehashing (way too many to mention), a decent group slinks out amongst the rubble. It is at this point that I present to you Beep Beep, a fine purveyor of dance rock coming straight out of the Midwest (Omaha, NE to be exact). Featuring one of the members of The Faint,you're going to want to compare the two groups, even if they aren't really similar. If you think more along the lines of spazzier outfits like The Seconds, The Ex-Models, Whirlwind Heat, or Dance Disaster Movement, you’ll have a much better idea of what’s in store. Additionally, there’s a heavier Fugazi-like bent that runs through many of their songs and the vocals on occasion sound like a weird amalgam of Craig Wedren (Shudder to Think) and Ian Svenonius (Nation of Ulysses), thereby making the Dischord triumvirate comparison complete. Definitely an auspicious debut and a good listen, proving yet again that a rehash isn’t necessarily a bad thing when it’s done well.
Cursive
The Ugly Organ
Saddle Creek
2003
Rating: 7 handwriting samples out of 10
I didn’t think it was possible for Cursive to adequately follow up the genius that was their last full length "Domestica". But "The Ugly Organ", while not better than it’s predecessor, is damn close to being as good as it. Like the previous record, this too is a concept album - instead of exploring the trials and tribulations of a failed marriage, it follows our protagonist down the trail a little farther and watches him struggle through life a single man again. I’m usually the sort who pays more attention to the music than the lyrics of a song, but I’ll be damned if the words presented here don’t prick up my ears and make me listen a little more closely. It should also be noted that since the last album, Cursive has added a cellist to the mix which gives many of the songs a unique twist from what you might have previously expected from the band, at times almost sounding like someone infused the group with a little Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Well worth a listen.
