Dig ‘in: Mdou Moctar, Frank Turner, Stephen’s Shore, The Surly Bells
Check out what the No Wristbands team is listening to and what’s in our show calendars this month on our latest Dig ‘in.
INCOMING
Mdou Moctar – Funeral for Justice (Matador Records LP)
Although sparsely populated and generally poor, the Sahel region of Africa (the semi-arid zone between the Saharan desert and the lusher grasslands to the south) has had an outsized impact on music fans in the west for several decades, beginning with gifted Malian performers like Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate. But there’s arguably been no more dazzling a musician from the region than Niger-based, Tuareg guitarist-singer-songwriter Mdou Moctar, and his new album, Funeral for Justice, should only add to that perception. The pounding chords of the album-opening title track might sound like Moctar has shifted to a more mainstream “rock” sound, but this wonderful disc quickly leaps back into the swirling, mesmerizing, Sahel-style riffing and Hendrix-worthy fretwork that are Moctar’s hallmarks. “Imouhar” is a torrid groove sirocco lashed with Moctar’s pleading vocals and truly scalding lead guitar work. “Oh France” and “Tchinta” offer comparable whirlwinds of feverishly hypnotic grooves topped with plaintive, urgent singing that will relentlessly pull in any listener. But it’s arguably the more languid, laid-back moments on Funeral for Justice that showcase the real beauty of Moctar’s songwriting. “Takoba” and the more acoustic “Imajighen” and “Modern Slaves” offer little oases of calm, gliding by with a lilting, airy grace that’s both deeply lovely and rhythmically compelling. Every tune – fast or slow – is worth a listen simply for Moctar’s riveting, fuzz-flecked guitar fury. Overall, Funeral for Justice does an indelible job of showcasing Moctar’s universally appealing, multifaceted talent. -Rick Reger
Frank Turner - Undefeated (Xtra Mile Recordings LP)
This is the tenth album by Frank Turner. The 14 songs on Undefeated include a variety of styles. You’ve got some poppy rock sing-alongs with “Do One” and “Girl From the Record Shop.” There are some standard Frank Turner punk rock songs like “Never Mind The Back Problems” and “No Thank You For The Music.” And, at age 42, you’ve got some self-reflection going on here as Frank looks back in time. On “Ceasefire,” he considers what “fifteen-year-old Francis” would think about how things turned out and acknowledges the weight of those early expectations. “East Finchley” finds Frank lamenting a lost love and missed opportunity. And on the title track, “Undefeated,” Frank looks back on the twenty year battle and decides that the fight is not always about winning. “Survival adds up to something: independent, undefeated.” Some of the punk rockers will fit nicely into his setlist, but it will be interesting to see how the slower songs get featured. You can find out when he plays the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on May 31st. -Tom Novak
Stephen’s Shore – Neptune (Meritorio Records EP)
This somewhat mysterious Swedish quintet doesn’t release records often, and when it does, the releases tend to be short, three-to-four song EPs rather than full-length discs. That’s the case with their charming new opus, Neptune. If you have a weakness for chiming, jangly, 1960’s-style pop/rock, Stephen’s Shore is one of the best things to turn up since the 12-string Rickenbacker was invented. Lead track “Garden” is vintage Stephen’s Shore: ringing, Byrds-y guitar layers, sighing vocals and a propulsive groove, all suffused with the languid beauty of a Malibu sunset. The band’s sound is kind of a sweet spot between Byrds-style fretwork and the Beau Brummel’s pensive, faintly melancholy songcraft. “Lost & Found” is another gorgeous, reverb-soaked, midtempo rocker that wraps your ears in a cozy quilt of cascading guitar lines and twilight vocal harmonies. The final track, “Under the Pine” actually samples the ocean shoreline to set the mood for a more laid-back nocturnal stroll spangled with delicately echoing fretwork, feathery vocal lines and a couple of perfectly placed slide guitar ornaments that coalesce into a real gem of a song. Great stuff start to finish. -Rick Reger
The Surly Bells - Shangri-Nah (self-released LP)
When The Vertebrats announced their demise in 1982 following a spirited three year run atop Champaign-Urbana’s DIY rock scene, it hit hard for a legion of devoted fans who had relied on the band to stuff their social calendars with surefire dance parties. It’s why subsequent reunion performances by the group retained the aura of a united music community who could never shake loose of the feeling that what they experienced had been truly unique and life altering. It’s a legacy that the band is certainly proud of, but not one that they care to be forever defined by as Ken Draznik and Jim Wald explained on a recent No Wristbands podcast.
As the remaining midwesterners (guitarist Matt Brandabur and bassist Roy Axford now reside in California), Draznik and Wald reconvened over the years to create new music under the name The Surly Bells. Early recordings of the pair’s songs took place at John Richardson’s (a Champaign native) Drum Farm Studio in Menomonie, WI with Draznik laying down vocals backed by Richardson and a cadre of Nashville and Minneapolis studio musicians. Seeking something more intrinsically organic, they then paired with drummer Jeff Evans (B-Lovers/Turning Curious, The Jans Project) and multi-instrumentalist Todd Fletcher (June & the Exit Wounds, The Jans Project) for Shangri-Nah, named after the Urbana garage recording studio run by Matt Wenzel, who engineered and contributed musically to the proceedings.
The material is more reflective than some of the angst-ridden Vertebrats compositions, understandable considering the different life stages of the authors. The lead track, “A Certain Something,” comes ringing in with a “Glory-ous” (Television reference intended) guitar riff, endearing Draznik vocal turn and majestic backing chorus. “Mary Confectionary” follows jauntily, fulfilling a stated intent of “syllables that fit like a puzzle” for the English major behind its creation. Wald takes a turn on the mic for “Black Crow,” a Crazy Horse-like stomp with sinister undertones. “King of the Town” is a paean for the underdog/overachiever that utilizes Draznik’s propensity to weave storytelling with a rollicking hook. Shangri-Nah marks the final studio performance for the much beloved Jeff Evans, who passed on this past August and shined as a pivotal presence, much like The Vertebrats, to the pioneering C/U indie scene. -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Neutral Eye
Where: The Burlington / Directions
When: May 18, 8:00 PM
As much as I can gather, the trio of Christopher Clark, Eric Boyle and Matthew Clark lead a largely subterranean existence; surreptitiously practicing in a low ceilinged space they’ve dubbed the Crystal Coach House. Their Instagram page makes reference to “Weird Replacements from Chicago” and their rough-hewn sound certainly contains echoes of that distinctive ’80s twin cities era. This past December they took a stab at slightly elevating their profile by releasing fifty copies of a limited edition six-song cassette that they had self recorded on a Tascam 388 analog tape machine. The results indicate a good deal of potential, harnessing enough raw elements to form an impassioned-sounding record. Putting a public face to their music will be a good start in reaching more of an audience, and perhaps some adulation. -Bruce Novak
Vulgar Commons
Where: Cole’s Bar / Directions
When: May 26, 9:00 PM
If I were to map out the origin of influence for Vulgar Commons frontman Matt Shultz, I’d steer in the direction of NYC and the likes of Lou Reed, Richard Hell and Julian Casablancas. His songwriting explores the throes of existential crisis; not willing to settle but nevertheless grappling with the notion of remaining perpetually unsettled. His Chicago bandmates (Michael Deaton-guitar/keys, Alejandro Lechuga-bass/vocals & TJ Romack-drums) provide an adrenalized backing that leans into crunchy power riffs and punk-styled propulsion. Their 2022 Nicotine Fingers EP has enough of a variance component to keep things interesting throughout, ranging from the sprightly Strokes-like ballad “Premature Gomer” to the scorched earth number “That’s All.” Last year’s acoustic singles track, “Whatever Places We Call Ours,” suggests more diversity is in the making; a notion reinforced by the band describing it as “a little less Nicholas Cage and a little more Nick Cave.” -Bruce Novak
UNCOVERED
Weird Summer: Cry For The Moon (Office Records LP)
Weird Summer emerged during the second wave of Champaign-Urbana’s ’80s music scene that followed the demise of The Vertebrats. The band was fronted by vocalist/guitarist Bob Kimbell and featured bassist Rick Schattnik, guitarist Nick Rudd (B-Lovers/Turning Curious) and drummer Ken Golub (The Outnumbered). While Kimball’s cited influences were commonly attributed to ’60s rock and psychedelia (Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Love, Velvets), he also had a fondness for punk-inspired music; Weird Summer covered “The 15th” (Wire) on their Homer album and “That’s When I Reach For My Revolver” (Mission of Burma) and “Non-Alignment Pact” (Pere Ubu) would sometime surface in their live sets.
As a songwriter, Kimbell balanced romanticism and idealism with intriguing imagery to paint a picture that offered more than meets the eye. On Weird Summer’s debut album, Cry For The Moon (recorded over the time period of 1984-86 by Willie Wells), there’s a yearning unfulfilled, an itch that needs to be scratched. “Willow Weeps,” “She’s Got An Engine Down” and “A Knight These Days” are impassioned pleas to overcome emotional divides, punctuated in tone by Kimbell’s longing, silken voice. In “Pursuit of Happiness,” he taps into the lyrics of good friend Jack Logan: “Life and liberty and freedom / That’s something else / But where are they / when you need ’em? / “That’s how it goes.” The song is a pièce de résistance—confronting the illusion of the American Dream—as relevant today as when it was written some forty-some years ago. Weird Summer would go on to release three additional praiseworthy albums before calling it a wrap in the mid ’90s. Their catalog, while often overlooked, can’t be underestimated. -Bruce Novak
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: