Paul Cox spends a lot of time on the internet…too much time. When not writing pornographic You Can’t Do That on Television fan fiction, he can be found at his weblog The Rub. He lives in Nashville and would have probably been a real scenester a few years ago, but now he’s approaching 30. Do not mourn for him, though. He hates that.
Genesis – A Trick of the Trail [Something Old]
When Peter Gabriel relieved himself of his obligations to Genesis, many thought the band would fold. Surprisingly, they came back only months later with “A Trick of the Tail”, their most muscular album since 1972’s “Foxtrot” and the first to move Phil Collins from behind his ridiculously large drum kit into the equally large shoes Gabriel had left to fill. People who’ve only heard Collins’ solo material or the Genesis records from 1980 onward would be surprised to find that, in 1976, Collins could muster up quite a menacing howl. The epic “Robbery, Assault and Battery” is one of the best songs to come out of the entire prog-rock movement, and one of the last times a Genesis release could never be mistaken for M.O.R. pop.
Dave Attell – Skanks for the Memories [Something New]
Short bit comics are a thing of the past. Lenny Bruce and George Carlin killed them. Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor kicked them just to make sure they were dead. At some point, quick jokes were replaced by drawn-out routines which seemed to take some of the spontaneity out of the best comedy records. “Skanks for the Memories” moves along at a rapid pace, stopping only long enough between bursts of uproarious laughter to make good and certain you’ve been in some way offended. One art Attell has mastered is misdirection. The segues between themes almost always move in ways you least expect. Dave Attell is picking up where Redd Foxx (the king of the short bit) left off. It’s records like this your parents warned you about.
The Sleepy Jackson Lovers [Something Really New]
When was the last time Australia gave us something we really wanted? Yeah, okay…we got the new, improved Kylie Minogue last year. But when was the last time Australia shipped over a new rock band worth your attention? I can’t remember either. “Lovers,” already released abroad a couple months ago, shows up in the States next Tuesday courtesy of Astralwerks. When they’re not re-imagining the early solo work of George Harrison, they’re churning out some of the best self-consciously stylized and thumping three-piece thunder since Supergrass’ “I Should Coco.” The sooner you buy “Lovers,” the sooner you can hold it over your friends’ heads that you knew about them a whole three weeks before anyone else in your circle. Believe me…when the end of the year rolls around, this album is going to be occupying the available “dark horse” slots on best-of lists all over the place.