After taking a trip through the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Marty Stuart �Sparkle and Twang� exhibit in the Tennessee State Museum last week, I have been struck with the desire to better display some of the memorabilia I own.
I have been looking for an inexpensive Tele to put on my wall as part of some other decorations like a few prized Hatch Show Prints. I really wasn’t willing to pay full price for a full-sized Tele that would just hang on the wall. I also wasn’t sure I wanted to take up that much space on my home office wall.
Now I have found a solution: The die-cast replica.
These guitars are 1:3 scale with wood necks and die-cast bodies (which look like wood and lend weight to make it feel "lifelike"). These aren’t just little statue-like knock-offs; these are fully to scale with movable and realistic looking parts. Measuring out at about 12 inches long and 5 inches wide they don�t take up the space of their full-sized counterparts.
GMP Diecast, the manufacturers of these great little pieces, has been making high-end diecast replicas of everything from military planes to vintage dragsters. Currently available are replicas or the Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster and Jazz Basses (in a few finishes) and a replica amplifier series is planned for the future.
Get more info here: http://www.myspace.com/fenderreplicas
Jun
18
2007
Category : Reviews
Jun
06
2007
Category : Reviews
Moroux’s vocals sound at best like a male version of Neko Case over smoky country noir arrangements. At times the arrangements become a lot more folky, but mostly the 16 credited musicians (a small orchestra) often leave the songs in a haze. The often ethereal 80s production of Justin Tocket sounds out of place.
The leadoff track �Cincinnati� blends atmospheric keyboard with at times obtuse lyrics. The chorus sings out, �In Cincinnati / I�ll be your daddy / Burn the house down . . . � It seems that the Daniel Lanoisesque production on this track only serves to obscure the track more.
The next song sounds much more like a Neko Case�s country noir. �R Bar� has vocals that sound like they�re trying desperately to fill up the open spaces of the song. The expansive production is interesting but sounds like its stuck in the 80s at times. An interesting distraction, the track still suffers from a bit overproduced, stale sound.
The better tracks on the album tend to push Moroux�s lyrics right out front. In �Vino Maliero,� the sound maintains a folk simplicity with fiddles and direct instrumentation that cuts much deeper than many of muddier production tracks. In a similar vein, �For Kali� manages to place both fiddle and Moroux�s vocals bare enough to let them breathe. The delicate mandolin picking paces the narrative nicely here as well.
On �Blow Away,� the transformation to country from pop-production continues and the noir scene builds proportionally. Moroux�s lyrics already seem more assured. The shuffle skips along and the arrangement matches Moroux�s pipes. It�s a tune that subtly fades between electric and acoustic. Although rather obscure, his lyrical detail improves on this song: �With napalm and with pills / with drinking to my fill.� The song feels like a country road ballad.
At times, Moroux�s vocals seem so overly emphasized as to take away from the stark power of the compositions. The album at times seems too vocally centered, when the tunes just need to be sung. On the closer, �Air Change� Moroux sings a nice harmony part vocals drowning out any backing sound. At other times, Moroux shows the grittier side of his voice, which seems to fit more with the subject matter and more live production. With simpler less ornate production, Moroux�s stark oeuvre should pack a more potent punch next time around.
Jeff McMahon is a graduate student in the Boston area. He loves organic music of any sort and has enough instruments to create a one-man bluegrass band (if he had the chops). He loves to jam out to his favorite tunes and writes a little poetry as well.
Jun
01
2007
Cameron�s voice lies somewhere between the childish croon of Sara Watkins and Patty Griffin�s powerful pipes, it can carry both ballads and the more up-tempo numbers. Her tune �Cars, Trucks, and Motorbikes� starts at a whisper and then builds into a driving country-rock tune with layered guitars from Russell Cook and Evans.
Russell�s songs blend a bit more with the country blues tradition, especially on the minor-key finger-picked �Jody Grinder.� The song accentuates the cadences with subtle brushed percussion. Joseph Evans really gets a chance to stretch out with two solos. The lyrics tell the story of a chance encounter with country girl. Russell�s tenor croons �was loud upon my ear the sound of flesh and bone on steel / and it barely warmed the ground where the grinders blood did spill.� The tragic song cuts to the bone.
For all the album�s diversity within the bounds of acoustic music, it is not without missteps. Russell�s tune �Genuine Dixie Man� feels a bit too chummy, almost mocking the style that has succeeded so well on the rest of the album. �C�mon everybody, all down the line, can�t you see those moonlight shadows cast upon the Georgia pines� and then �you can give me Tennessee, Alabama, Carolina, Ken-tuck-ee� is beyond clich� and almost inane.
Cameron�s tune �Straight Blade� starts as a parlor-esque Jazz tune and then turns into yet another showcase for Joseph Evans brilliant picking. Russell�s �Can�t Stand the Heartache� once again fuses the precision of the bluegrass with a bluesy minor-chord progression.
When the other songs seem weak on vocals, the precise musicianship pulls them through. The record offers something new with each spin. Russell�s tune �So Hard� starts as a solo country-waltz in the verse with female accompanying harmonies. After the second chorus the resophonic guitar and the chime slides over to accentuate the pivotal notes. The chime comes back to the recurring chorus that although repetitive somehow seems different each time.
At fourteen tracks the album may seem overstuffed but at 43 minutes the record has just enough time to develop. I�ve never been of the philosophy that bands should fashion an album with 10 even tracks and stop there. The best albums have a few tracks that jump out after the first few listens and then a few more tracks that you come across after more listen, and then the last tracks that really make you work for your money.
Yes the Gillian Welch comparisons are inevitable but the sound is much less spare and the arrangements fuller. The songs are strong enough to stand on a singer/songwriter album and the arrangements seem both set firmly within bluegrass but also simultaneously breaking it�s rules. You can just tap your feet or pour over the lyrics and you�ll find Appalachia alive at the Melting Pot when the Giants are on the stage.
Jeff McMahon is a graduate student in the Boston area. He loves organic music of any sort and has enough instruments to create a one-man bluegrass band (if he had the chops). He loves to jam out to his favorite tunes and writes a little poetry as well.