WACO BROTHERS
Electric Waco Chair
(Bloodshot Records)
*
***

Jon Langford, the smirking, socialist, smartypants Brit who graces nearly every Bloodshot Records offering in one capacity or another, is back with his inspired roots-rockin' combo. Combining the restless anger of a disenfranchised working stiff from Nashville (before the city became a corporate theme park) with the super-genius shenanigans of a punk-rock wordsmith, these boozy boys spit out country anthems for bitter grownups, songs that beg to be played with the volume cranked. And when your yuppie neighbor bangs on the ceiling with a broom, you can twist the dial even higher and let the Waco Brothers tell him where to go. TAMARA PARIS

 

LIVING DAYLIGHTS
Electric Rosary
(Liquid City)
***

Seattle's Living Daylights may leaven their jazz with Ashkenazi (Eastern European Jewish) musical influences, but don't buy the album expecting them to sound like John Zorn's Masada. Where Zorn leads his group into honking, squealing abstraction, saxophonist Jessica Lurie keeps Living Daylights moving impressively along the groove. The trio's electric sound could stand to be a little more abrasive at times, but the improvisation is textured enough to save it (local badass Bill Frisell plays guitar on half the tracks), while Lurie's refined alto and the in-the-pocket bass and drums of the rhythm section provide more than enough egg white to hold this matzo together. Living Daylights may be from Seattle, but this, their third album, proves they're ready to take on the broader jazz nation. NATHAN THORNBURGH

For those who like it live, Living Daylights are having a CD-release party Fri Sept 8 at Sit & Spin. See listings.

 

REX HOBART AND THE MISERY BOYS
The Spectacular Sadness of....
(Bloodshot Records)
*
**

If Rex Hobart pours any more whiskey into his heart, it's just gonna run outta that big ol' hole and stain the barstool where he's been hunkered since his gold-diggin' lady friend hit the road. With songs of woe like "I'm Not Drunk Enough to Say I Love You" and "I'll Forget Her or Die Crying," Hobart has summoned the guiding spirits of Buck Owens, Merle Haggard, and George Jones to create a classic country sound. His stunned and rumbling voice perfectly conjures up the hurtin' that can only be cured with medicine--the kind that comes in a cold can. TAMARA PARIS

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Jazz on the Latin Side All-Stars Vol. 1
(Cubop)
****

Years before Middle America had ever heard of Ricky Martin or the other figureheads of the commercial "Latin explosion," conguero Poncho Sanchez was working nightclubs throughout the country with a half Chicano, half non-Latino band that explored the common energy of Latin percussion and jazz improvisation. His style and skill resonated with an entire generation of Mexican Americans, who have grown up to be some bitchin' players. Cubop's Jazz on the Latin Side All-Stars, a live recording of a predominately Chicano group of heavyweight L.A. musicians, makes the best case I've heard yet for Latin music's continuing influence in American culture. In the perfect world of this album, the density of jazz is countered by the natural pulse of Latin rhythms, while the primary colors that usually paint Latin solos are given multiple shadings in a jazz context. Buy it for a glimpse into the next big thing. NATHAN THORNBURGH

 

BRANFORD MARSALIS QUARTET
Contemporary Jazz
(Columbia)
***

By giving his CD a sweeping title like Contemporary Jazz, Branford Marsalis warns the listener that the album's music will be broad-ranging and perhaps encyclopedic, like a State of the Union address. His music does betray a broad range of influences, from post-bop to gospel. Marsalis' success, however, lies in his ability as a horn player to rope such influences into a tight unity--a focus reinforced by the fact that he plays only tenor and no soprano. His tenor sound, as those who saw him at the King Cat last year can attest, saves itself from becoming dizzy and elitist through pure physicality. Here too, the large notes and muscular sheets of sound force listeners to follow Marsalis, to subjugate their own mental space to his dominance. In an album where Marsalis could have come off professorial, he wins by being his same sublimely brutish self. NATHAN THORNBURGH



IN STORES 9/5

by Kris Adams

Pearl Jam, Live Bootlegs (Epic) Twenty-eight live double-CDs from Pearl Jam's recent European tour, available on their website.

Brian Wilson, Brian Wilson (Rhino Records/Warner Archives) The reissue of this Beach Boy's 1988 solo album includes 15 bonus cuts.

Ryan Adams, Heartbreaker (Bloodshot) Twelve "heartbreakers" from the Whiskeytown frontman.

Martha Stewart, Spooky, Scary Sounds for Halloween (Rhino) I'd be impressed if Martha made all these noises herself.

C-Murder, Trapped in Crime (No Limit) The third album from Master P's youngest brother.

Bettie Serveert, Private Suit (Parasol) Holland's greatest rock and roll export.

Mojave 3, Excuses for Travelers (Beggars Banquet/4AD) Mojave 3 were really great when they were Slowdive. Now they sound like watered-down Neil Young.

Madison Avenue, Madison Avenue (Columbia) If you don't buy this Australian duo's album, it'll be your ass on the barbie!

Man... or Astro-Man?, A Spectrum of Infinite Scale (Touch & Go) Spacey, schticky, punk-based wonderment.

Josie, Unkunvenshunal Girl (Qwest/ Warner Bros) Hukt on foniks wirkt fer her.

Trans Am, Red Line (Thrill Jockey) Vroom! Vroom! Vroooom! Innovative, inventive, and boring.

The Black Heart Procession, 3 (Touch & Go) Melancholic and infinitely gorgeous.

No Question, No Question (Ruffnation/ Warner Bros.) Another four-man vocal combo from Philadelphia. No questions necessary.