By HELEN A.S. POPKIN, BRIAN ORLOFF and WADE TATANGELO
Published May 11, 2003
YEAH YEAH YEAHS, FEVER TO TELL (INTERSCOPE): Did I just huff down too many Reese's Pieces with my Diet Pepsi, or am I really liking this new Yeah Yeah Yeahs record Fever to Tell?
Don't get me wrong; I still believe the Yeahs are another case of New York City fashion over form. But the Yeahs' first LP has something we can all respect: It doesn't take itself too seriously. Sassy vocalist Karen O. sings and squawks through that faux low-fi vocal filter the Strokes made so annoying, and "junk guitarist" Nick Zinner gets a little lead-footed on the distortion pedal. But you don't need a sugar high to love screeching and hopping along to limited-lyric songs like Rich ("I'm Rich! Rich! Rich! Rich!") and Man ("I got a man who makes me wanna kill!"). The Yeahs are pretty okay - just stop comparing them to Blondie. B.
- HELEN A.S. POPKIN, Times correspondent
DETROIT COBRAS, SEVEN EASY PIECES (ROUGH TRADE) The Detroit Cobras may be a cover band, but as Garage Rock legend and Lyres frontman Jeff "Monoman" Connelly points out, "They have record collector geniuses in that band!"
The Cobras' third release, Seven Easy Pieces, rocks solid with more obscure R&B caterwauls you've never heard (but totally need to). One of the front runners in the Detroit scene, the Cobras have honed their down-and-dirty rock essentials to a vicious point. Singer Rachel Nagy belts gut-wrenchers Heartbeat and Silver & Gold in a smoky growl so fierce she owns them. And the sexy-mean Ya Ya Ya (Looking for My Baby) inspires weird dreams for days. Gospel rocker 99 And A Half Just Won't Do is so steamy that, as Nagy says, "If you don't find the Lord, at least you'll learn to count." A.
FICTION PLANE, EVERYTHING WILL NEVER BE OK (MCA RECORDS): Add Joe Sumner to the list of musically successful rock star progeny. Sumner, Sting's son, tries to hide his famous father, but his rocking new-wave affinities give him away. Sumner's a second generation King of Pain, with a voice that recalls Dad's Police days with chilling accuracy.
Fiction Plane's music masks loneliness with a recklessness ignorance. It's as if Sumner's daddy and privileged upbringing afford him access to an exclusive club; we're privy only to furtive glances. And that makes us want this music so much.
In spite of it all, Everything Will Never Be OK is delightful. Deliciously blase,unpretentiously rocking, Hate finds Sumner wailing over an anthemic (think U2) riff, singing, "We're cool/ we're different/ and we hate things/ we hate people" with an air of sophistication that's undeniably British. Cigarette rattles with a manic, adolescent energy, later turning vituperative.
Sweet guitars belie the meaty subject of I Wish I Would Die, but the song succeeds because of Sumner's tormented vocals. Fallow decelerates a bit, settling for a cozy mid-tempo beat. A-
- BRIAN ORLOFF, Times correspondent
KELLY JOE PHELPS, SLINGSHOT PROFESSIONAL (RYCODISC) Singer/songwriter and gifted guitarist Kelly Joe Phelps' latest release, Slingshot Professional, is bereft of big guitar hooks and catchy choruses. Instead, Phelps' acoustic guitar is fleshed out by strategically placed string instruments and delicately handled percussion, massaged by balmy keyboards.
Throughout the disc, Phelps lends his husky vocals to consistently heartfelt observations. His serious words are sung in hushed tones across a subdued soundscape. The album is a sublime exercise in subtlety. It's the kind of disc that won't draw you in from across the room, but once it has your attention you'll lean toward the speakers. It's an excellent example of diversified, well-executed modern blues and Phelps' strongest effort to date. A
