Prime cuts

More steak than sizzle from the Mockingbirds, Immune, and more

by Bob Gulla

The Mockingbirds

In this installment of reviews, some old dogs learn new tricks, while some young pups come bounding on the scene with impressive licks of their own.

The Mockingbirds: Work Yourself to the Middle Class (The Loops Collection)

The Mockingbirds, the Phoenix's trophy winner for Best New Local Act, finally have a disc to call their own. Heather Rose, Ken Cardoso, Kevin Berard, and Mike Sullivan have worked long and hard to get this thing in the hands of fans and, dare we say, the wait's been worth it. Powered by a slightly vintage new wave sound ala the Go-Gos ("Even Cowgirls Get the Blues") or even old school Elvis Costello ("Hey Deana"), the Mockingbirds make good on their award with a consistently impressive 10-song disc. Recorded at Newcastle Sound, engineered by Randy Hunicke, and mastered by Christine Lilley over at Celebration Sounds, the album sounds excellent, too, with Rose's vocals pushed a-way up in the mix and guitarist Cardoso's mighty riffs right behind her. Songs like the acoustic "Black Crow" and the high-energy "Pusherman" make for good back to back listening, as do the stomping Clash-style rocker "Valley Girl (Part II)" and the pretty yet potent "Dumbest Mofo."

Four years in the making, Work Yourself to the Middle Class reflects the results of a band willing to wait, willing to nurture their own sound, eager to record but patient enough to bide time while money and opportunity catch up to their considerable ambition. That patience pays off in a huge way on the new album. Here's hoping it does the trick.

The Mockingbirds will be at the Blackstone on Friday, August 25.

Immune: Somewhere In the Middle (five-song CD, www.immuneri.com)

A little over a year after forming, Robert Schulze and his band Immune are finally on the map with their debut six-song EP, Somewhere In the Middle, a resonant hodge-podge of electro-acoustic rock. Schulze, with singer/bassist Christian Deziel and drummer Patrick O'Shea, have come a long way since those humble beginnings, arriving at a point, the present, where they could make significant impact on the regional scene. In fact, they've already chipped away nationally, with some of their music being used as a backdrop for the new season of MTV's The Real World.

Though I don't have studio details of these sessions, the recording is actually decent, with Schulze's vocal tracks the only aspect that suffers from less-than-decent sound. Songs like "Blinded By Nothing" and "Triggerfinger," powered by the aggressive strum of an acoustic guitar, make good impact, recalling the melodic efforts of a band like Guster, while Immune's more amplified tunes roar with ambition. "Half Made Whole," in particular, kicks in after four minutes with a heartening, Buffalo Tom-style riff.

With a lot to get off his chest, Schulze doesn't leave much room for his band to stretch out. He always seems to be singing, which to a degree hampers the longevity of the disc. On a full-length basis, he'll have to back off a bit and let the tunes breathe. That said, I've got no other qualms. There's some serious promise here. Let's hope they stay together long enough and improve well enough to see it happen.

M-80: Don't Take It Away (14-song CD, www.m80punk.com)

Straight out of the All/Pennywise/ Descendents school of West Coast punk rock comes Kingston's own M-80, an old school bunch that keeps the punk fires burning brightly right here Down East. But this isn't any old cheesy throwback. Don't Take It Away rocks the house with an excellent combination of aggression and entertainment, hooks and riffs, moshable fun and singalong muscle.

Songs like "Sick" and "Something Better" may address the same old punk themes -- it wouldn't be punk if they didn't sing about frustration, et al -- but M-80 treat them with such a fresh approach to melody that it sounds new again. (Listen to the title cut and tell me you've heard a punk rock guitarist lean into a frenetic neo-ska line like Jeff Hanks does here.) And speaking of ska, you get a flavor of it on the angry "Black Belt," which layers the dueling voices of Christian Blaney and Dave Ladin over a great Hanks melody line.

There's lots to get excited about here. It's not simply the bootstomping, sturm und drang approach to punk rock, although some of that surely exists. The melodies are huge, the performances passionate, and the recording, done at Sound Station 7 with Sampson Records magnate Keith Souza, is exceptional. Congratulations to M-80 for taking something old and making it sound new again.

JP Jones: Back to Jerusalem (Vision Company Records)

With five discs out in three years, Newport's JP Jones has been a busy guy. Last spring he released the dark and effective Ashes, and this summer he follows that up with the somewhat brighter effort Back to Jerusalem, a dozen songs reflecting Jones' eclectic approach to the folk idiom.

It doesn't take long to understand that Jones would prefer not to be included in the current batch of acoustic singer-songwriters, though he can write with the best of them. Songs like "Red Hot Blue," the upbeat "Already Been Thru It," and the the violin and fretless bass ballad "Getting Your Way" demonstrate Jones's far-flung stylistic affinities. Throw in country blues, samba and a tinge of reggae and you're beginning to see the kaleidoscopic approach to acoustic music that JP Jones prides himself on.

The irony of all this versatility is that it diffuses the writer's impact. If Jones were slightly more focused, his discs would be that much more powerful. His eclecticism ends up both a blessing and a curse. Too little of it, and the artist shrivels, too much of it and he drowns in a blurry sea of styles, not knowing which direction to go or which is most effective in front of an audience. Beyond that, Jones is a gifted artist and writer who deserves wider recognition on the New England coffeehouse circuit.

Humbuck Squash (3-song CD EP, www.humbucksquash.com)

Five years together, Humbuck Squash has refined their post-punk rock sound down to two or three touchstones. The first and most readily indentifiable is Sonic Youth. With their droning, bee-swarm guitar sound and unfocused propulsion, you can tell they revere the Thurston/Renaldo/Gordon sonic axis with all their hearts. The next style-pillar is Nirvana. Though they don't come close to the melodic core of a Kurt Cobain, they still lust after his same tough dynamic and riled up persona. There's also a touch of neo-goth rock, but I think that may come from Jason Pacheco's plaintive, tooth-pulling vocals.

The EP in my hands, three songs in 10 minutes, provides a pretty good cross-section of the Fall River band's tuneage. Pacheco, along with bass/ Moog-ie Eric Baylies and drummer Henry Chandanais, pursues a visceral, well-intentioned noise, high on emotional soul and low on precision. Pacheco's a decent guitar player who knows how to find a distinct sound, but his vocals are so untrained that it throws that sound slightly off-balance. Still, a good, emotive effort.

Bob Gulla can be reached at b_gulla@yahoo.com.