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Soundcheck
Donnybrook, the Cringe, Illustrious Day, and more
BY BOB GULLA

Herein lie a bunch of EPs I’ve received over the last few months that are in dire need of some attention. I’ll be tackling a lot more music over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Donnybrook: The EP (Six-song EP, Donnybrookbrew.com)

Zounds! The Donnybrook machine is newly greased and ready to rock and roll. Billed as a change of direction, the new disc is indeed that. It’s less tribal, less brutal, more refined, more tactile. More Deftones than Slipknot, more in tune with what’s happening in today’s commercial metal scene and less marginalized. This shift is a good thing. Bands can’t hide in the chilly shadows of the underground scene forever. Sooner or later it’s time to emerge. Either that or dwell in hopeless obscurity (which, admittedly, isn’t always a bad place to be). And Donnybrook, fresh off their terrible car accident earlier in the year, has indeed decided to do the former.

Produced by Johnny K, a classy hard-rock guru who has worked with eminent loud bands like Disturbed, Soil, and Machine Head, The EP is stunningly powerful, with songs that grow and move and build and crash, songs that begin with quiet comfort and swell until they explode. The dynamics here are superior, especially on "A Whisper’s Decline," which sounds like the Chili Peppers crossed with Dave Matthews (!). It gains heft as it goes, fortunately, and the pay-off is big. "Time and Gravity" is another song with a big finish, courtesy of a massive Jerry Cantrell-ish hook as the track stampedes home. On "Snake Tank of Eden," the band employs dark and unorthodox vocal and harmony lines to enrich their neo-psychedelic metallic rock, while the closing "Narcotic" resonates with lush guitar work, melodic vocals, and chunky hooks. This is not the stomping, monosyllabic Donnybrook of old — though they were certainly better at that primitive approach than most. Instead, we have a potent, polished, and incredibly gifted band that is indeed ready to break on through to the other side. Great stuff, with an astonishing upside.

The Cringe: Pathos of Glory (Five-song EP)

Not the punky sound I expected, the Cringe has more of a ’60s psyche-garage feel, with fuzzed-out guitars and echoing, vintage production. It actually reminds me of some much-loved Aussie bands from a while back like the Scientists or the Lime Spiders — tough groups with a tough sound, unconcerned with obvious hooks or, for that matter, conventional verse and chorus structures. The band’s knack for adventure makes this 18-minute EP a bold, creative statement and a fine place to establish a truly unique artistic aesthetic. The searing "Three Minute Goodbye" and the neo-Cramps "Black Girl, Blonde Hair" are nothing if not original, especially locally, and the freshness comes off like a cool shower. Invigorating.

Only the closing, lighter-waving "One Hour of the Day," with its dark acoustic riff, slows the disc down as it fades out. This one, as sinister as it is in a Days of the New sort of way, would have been better off near the middle of the sequence or eliminated altogether. The band obviously finds great joy in bashing away, in the penetrating and propulsive riffs of heavy acid rock, which you thankfully find in abundance elsewhere on Pathos of Glory.

Illustrious Day: Tied (Three-song EP, www.illustriousday.com)

Jackie and Jim O’Brien and company are back with Tied, a new three-songer which demonstrates tremendous artistic growth since their last release. The band’s pop sound, pivoting on Jackie’s childlike/Jane Siberry-like voice and Jim’s rhythmic guitars, is full of pleasant melodic turns and strong performances. The lead/title song demands a lot from Jackie’s voice, perhaps too much, but she’s nearly up to the task as she repeats, "Tied, my hands are tied . . ." in a soaring key. "Out of the Blue" is closer to her range, and the song wins as a result. The disc closes with the pretty "Still Believe," an elegantly arranged pop song with just the right touches in just the right places.

Nicely recorded and mixed at Nu-Zu Studio in Seekonk and mastered at the top-notch M-Works facility up in Cambridge, Tied edges Illustrious Day closer to that holy grail of a record deal. I’d like to see Jackie toughen up a little vocally, and attack her songs rather than let her voice passively adhere to the acoustic sound’s delicate contours. But her instrument is so sweet it’s hard to quibble.

GOODCAUSE. There’s a benefit for the Make-A-Wish Foundation tonight (Thursday the 15th) at the Met Café featuring a couple of Boston acts (Bleu and Chauncey) and a couple of Rhode Island acts (the Complaints and the Becky Chace Band). We know it’s a tough time to be thinking of a cause other than the Station tragedy, but the Make-A-Wish Foundation is a very worthy charity that makes a huge difference in the lives of the kids it touches.

For the past 11 years, the MAWF has been fulfilling the desires of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions, enriching their human experience with hope, happiness, and strength. The organization’s goal is to meet the needs of every child in Rhode Island who is eligible for their services. But the average cost of a wish is $5400, so events like the Met fund-raiser are essential to make dreams come true for these kids.

It’s officially billed as the first annual area benefit concert and the night promises to be interesting. Two raffles will include signed collectibles from the likes of Tori Amos, John Mayer, and Wyclef Jean. There will be PawSox tix and other gift certificates to give away. All proceeds will benefit the MAWF of Rhode Island. The all-ages show begins at 8 p.m., the doors are at 7, and tickets are $10.

Wandering Eye. Composer/saxophonist Oliver Lake, co-founder of the World Saxophone Quartet, will present a special jazz gig at AS220 on Friday (the 16th). The show, which is supported by the VMAArts &Cultural Center and Rhode Island College, and funded by the New England Foundation for the Arts, the Rhode Island Foundation, the Rhode Island State Council On the Arts, and private donations, also features saxophonist Dan Moretti, who helped organize the event and assemble the musicians — Tim Ray on piano, Dave Zinno on bass, and Take Toriyama on drums. The 8 p.m. set will feature compositions by Moretti, other local writers, and Lake; the 9:30 program will showcase music by Lake. Tickets are $12. Call 831-9327.

ZOX will headline at Lupo’s on Friday as part of their 50-plus date spring college/club tour. Virginia Coalition, holiday., and Slik Willy share the bill; ZOX is scheduled to hit the stage at 11. The show is all-ages, admission is $7, and doors open at 8. For more information, go to www.lupos.com or www.zoxband.com.

The Jason Colonies Band has a new guitar player and a bunch of new music to go along with a nice string of gigs, the latest of which is Friday at the Ocean Mist.

Slugworth enters the studio for the first time next month with its new lineup of Jay Quinn and Mark Ray accompanying Satyr on guitar. The trio will attempt to follow-up the rock juggernaut known as Elevate. They will be headed over to Danger to cut five songs for a disc tentatively titled 45 Gallup. According to Satyr, the new sound is leaner with a more muscular attack: "We’ve been listening to a lot of Queens of the Stone Age."

E-mail me with music news at big.daddy1@cox.net


Issue Date: May 16 - 22, 2003
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