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2008-02-01

by Don Simpson

Capsule Reviews: Cat Power, Jack Penate and Times New Viking

Summary

A new batch of covers, skankin’ skiffle and fuzzed-out noise

Article

Cat Power – Jukebox

Opening with a dirty blues, heavy on the low-end (with the help of her friendly neighborhood backing band – The Dirty Delta Blues band) rendition of “New York, New York” (originally written by John Kander and Fred Ebb); Cat Power (nee Charlyn “Chan” Marshall) rips Martin Scorsese’s New York, New York theme song from Liza Minnelli’s (its previous owner) grasp. Cat Power also opts not to utilize another predecessor’s infamous additional lyrical superlative of “A-number-one” as if the Ol’ Blue Eyes version never even existed. Void of Minnelli and Sinatra’s bombastic prowess, Cat Power’s lackadaisical vocal delivery resonates with the bitter irony that – in the Miami resident’s opinion – perhaps New York might not be the bees’ knees after all. Cat Power next turns to Hank Williams’ 2-chord, simple and sparse “Ramblin’ Man” for her atmospheric and dense second track, “Rambling (Wo)man.” It isn’t as out there as the Residents’ cover from Stars and Hank Forever, but Cat Power’s take bares little resemblance to the original Williams B-side to "Take These Chains from My Heart" nonetheless.

Even if totally unfamiliar with Cat Power’s first covers album – The Covers Record (2000) – it should be obvious by the end of the second track of Jukebox that Cat Power’s inner Derrida has absolutely no intention of replicating the original masters. Heck, she covers her own material – “Metal Heart” – with the very same pertinacious desire to create something new. Most of the notes and lyrics remain unscathed, as if transcribed directly from the original sheet music; yet the performances of the versions on Jukebox bare little or no resemblance to the originals – they all sound like Cat Power originals. That said – I’m in whole-hearted agreement with this approach to covers. If you want to hear the original, why don’t you just download it from I-Tunes?

Jukebox is Cat Power’s second album dominated by covers (“Song to Bobby” being the only original); it follows her sixth album of originals – 2006’s critically acclaimed (debuted at #34 on the Billboard 200 and won the 2006 Shortlist Music Prize), and aptly named, The Greatest (Cat Power’s first album to include no covers). In addition to this new album, Cat Power has set her sights for the glory of the silver screen making her acting debut in Wong Kar Wai’s My Blueberry Nights (the opening night film at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival). If she can make it there, she can make it anywhere…

Jack Peñate – Matinée

Like an undiscovered gem from Stiff Records’ back-catalogue, 23-year-old Jack Peñate’s (pronounced pen-yaa-tey) hyper-bouncing hybrid of 70s pop-punk, ska, rockabilly and new wave is not a far toss from Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Wreckless Eric. An energetic mix of soulful yet ever-so-happy songwriting, Matinée’s seemingly self-deprecating confessionals overflow with a naïve starry-eyed notion of love.

The English-born (and one-eighth Spanish) Peñate is a U.K. pop star (primarily with the teeny-bopper sect) looking to make some headway on this side of the pond. Following in the “singer-songwriter” footsteps of David Gray, Damien Rice and Glen Hansard (The Frames); Peñate’s songs are impeccably scribed (writing being in Peñate’s genes – he is a grandson of the English Modernist author Mervyn Peake) and his skiffling guitar is ever-so-annoyingly catchy. “Spit At Stars” – the second single released by Peñate in the U.K. and the opener of Matinée – finds Peñate’s punchy, hook-drenched songcraft at its most deft. Peñate loses my interest altogether, however, when he chooses to tone his hyperactive ass down during over-saccharine ballads (“Learning Lines” and “My Yvonne”).

His vocal wail has been compared to Kevin Rowland of Dexys Midnight Runners (“You haven’t seen the last of them!” – Homer Simpson) and his shirts to Noel Edmonds (host of Channel 4’s Deal or No Deal). With an eccentric performance style that has been described by NME as “unbelievably crazy-ass,” Peñate by all accounts is a sight to behold.

Times New Viking – Rip It Off

Originating from Philadelphia’s propagators of lo-fi noise Siltbreeze records (former safe haven for Guided by Voices, Dead C. and Sebadoh), Times New Viking have found their way onto Matador Records in time for the release of their third LP, Rip It Off. From the get go, I got the foggy notion that this latest ride down the gravelly lo-fi highway irreverently paved by garage rockers TNV would be a challenging affair at the very least. Akin to early-Guided by Voices; the Columbus, Ohio trio of drummer/vocalist Adam Elliot, keyboardist/vocalist Beth Murphy and guitarist Jared Phillips utilize the poorest possible recording techniques in order to cleverly bury their true pop sensibilities serving in complete contradiction to (and as comment on) the over-produced world of music that surrounds them.

Rip It Off begs not to be critiqued on song composition or musicianship, but rather on just how muddled the production can sound. If that’s the case – TNV deserves the highest of praise as they showcase an innate ability to record music with as much muddy distortion as humanly possible. It is as if every knob they could find in the “studio” (I imagine it to be a cement cell) was turned up to 11, the microphone (I doubt they used more than one) is total shite and the cassette tape (this ain’t no digital) on which they recorded proverbially melts before our very ears. However, the arcane and torturous tedium in inflicting this lo-fi-ness upon the listener is frustrating beyond all measure. Muffled under the hiss, crackle and fuzz there is a slight glimmer of solid gold pop; unfortunately, no matter how advanced the noise reduction mechanisms on your highfalutin hi-fi, there ain’t no unearthing the nuggets from this buried treasure. Savvy?