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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v04n20)
Rick On The Records - by Rick Zeigler
posted: Oct. 05, 2007

Rick on the Records header

MYSTIKOS QUINTET-THE SECOND RECORD ALBUM
Local musician Greg Rode has finally delivered his second album under his Mystikos Quintet moniker. And again, he shows why he is one of Indy's most talented and inventive musical artists. The Second Record Album consists of twelve songs of jazzy electronica/techno, superbly crafted and executed. Relying both on live musicians and sampled pieces recorded with these musicians, Rode fashions a superbly funky and warm vibe that both soothes and uplifts simultaneously. Album opener "Heat Is Not Made Of Tiny Hot Things" (great title) starts with a hi-hat beat, chicken-scratch guitar, a funky bass line, and then settles into a nice subtle drum groove. After the groove is established, keyboards and horns come in over the top to provide the hooks and melodies. "Empty Chicago" follows in a Deodato-like vein, with beautiful flute and Wes Montgomery-like guitar improvisations providing wonderful highlights. The album continues, throwing in Jimmy Smith-style keyboards, wah-wah guitars, trumpet, flugelhorn and more flute licks, and whatever else Rode needs to get his groove going (even handclaps). For change-ups, there are a few vocal parts and track 10 has a nice middle-eastern flavor to it. Throughout, Rode provides keyboard work that is varied from song to song, sounding like a number of different players rather than the stylings of one man. Recorded in Broad Ripple at the Devil's Workshop, the sound quality is superb and the overall feel never relents. Word has it that Rode is working on putting together a live show. Keep your eyes peeled. For now, this wonderful disc will have to suffice.

AGAINST ME-NEW WAVE
The sixties were full of bands putting forth lyrics with pointed political content. Given that rock music at the time was part of a "counter-culture" movement (believe it, it used to be so), such lyrical ambitions fit perfectly with the times. As the music business slowly wiped out the counter-culture connections of rock, political lyricism has become less about "changing the world" or even making people think, and now focuses more on simple finger-pointing at the "bad guys" (think any song about Bush). Against Me, like the Clash before them, take a different approach. They point the finger at themselves as well as the larger world, emphasizing how in a culture without a "counter," one needs to critique one's own attitudes and positions in addition to critiquing what goes on outside. After a series of indie-label releases, New Wave takes this approach to the major label arena. Thankfully, none of the groups intelligence or power has been compromised in the process. Full of buzz-saw guitars and uplifting anthems with radio-friendly choruses (which will never be heard on the radio), and produced by Butch Vig (of Nevermind fame), songwriter Tom Gabel continues to put forth witty asides (e.g., "all the tastemakers drinking from the same glass"). But Gabel's main talent is focusing each song on a larger theme (the difficulty of establishing individual connection in a consumerised world, war, the corporate nature of music culture, etc.) and then exploring each theme without giving the message that "if only WE were in charge/made the decisions, things would be great". For instance, in "Americans Abroad," Gabel decries the Americanization of foreign cultures, but then pegs his group's own appearances in these cultures as being not dissimilar to, say, the presence of McDonald's ("We're Americans abroad, I just can't help thinking there's a comparison. While I hope I'm not like them, I'm not so sure."). In "White People For Peace," the chorus echoes, "Protest songs in response to military aggression. Protest songs to try and stop the soldier's guns," but the underlying current of the song is that, while such protest is necessary, protest songs do not stop the battle from raging on. Even more personally, in "Stop," the band puts forth the message that people need to reflect on what is truly important to them and then act on it but this is done in the context of a song about the band itself having a hard time doing exactly that when confronting the demands of the music industry. Even when finger-pointing is engaged in, it is done as a plea rather than as a condemnation (e.g., in "Piss and Vinegar": "The stage is not a pedestal. I don't think you're bad people, I just think that your aesthetic is horrible. . . .A little less professional a little more upfront and confrontational"). While the music is excellent, it is the lyricism of the songs that make this album special. So if you miss intelligent political commentary in rock, here you go.



Rick Zeigler, along with his wife, Jeanne, owns Indy CD and Vinyl at 806 Broad Ripple Avenue. Back in his musician days, his band opened for the likes of U2, XTC, Gang Of Four, The Pretenders, Los Lobos, and, um, Flock Of Seagulls, among others. You can read all of Rick's reviews at www.indycdandvinyl.com. Email your music questions and comments to rick@BroadRippleGazette.com




rick@broadripplegazette.com
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