Music reviews.

1. | HOUSTON LIFE JUNE | 65
LOCAL BAND THE MCKENZIES
Unfold, released in April 2008 and consists of
12 beautiful, powerfully written songs. The
meaty guitar chords and angst-driven lyrics
of “Fool” provide a nice contrast to “Spell’s”
sober dancing of piano keys and Digby’s soft,
ethereal voice, which creates a song that is
truly magical. Her playfully romantic “Say It
Again” receives plenty of air time and may
just be the song that gets listeners hooked;
however, the entire album is sure to leave one
feeling calm, composed and smiling. —LS
Bullet For My Valentine
Scream Aim Fire
Sony/BMG
Scream Aim Fire is either a disasterous
attempt by a Bristish metal band to sound as
Californian as possible, or a brilliant display
of a British band posing as a California band
posing as an English band.Whatever the
case, BFMV works itself around the genres
of metal, screamo, emo and power balladry
with smooth transitions and gas in the tank to
spare. The influence of the early 1980s thrash
scene—particularly Metallica before they went
AWOL—can be heard on the one-two punch
of the title track and “Eye of the Storm,”
as metallized harmonic guitars clear the
highway for chugging rhythms and melodic
yet hefty vocals. “Hearts Burst Into Fire” is
a gem that combines Scorpions-style Euro-
guitars and the Foo Fighters radio-ready rock
of thick choruses, translatable emotions and
tear-jerking window seances for broken-
hearted chicks. As with all immature bands,
they feel the need to “fuck it up” by adding
growling and other beastly noises. Scream
Aim Fire is a schizophrenic record that
has its share of meat and bones with some
challenging points. If Bullet could lose the
need to appeal to such a broad audience
and let the audience find them instead, they
could bury some of the tendencies to be
everything to everyone. —HA
Cory Morrow
Vagrants & Kings
Sustain Records
I will always have a soft spot in my heart for
Cory Morrow. Along with his buddy Pat
Green and the inestimable Robert Earl Keen,
those three gentlemen taught me in the late
‘90s—tainted from growing up listening to
’80s country—that country music was worth
something, that it could be tuneful, well-
written, and, above all, fun. And while the
idea of “good country music” might be an
oxymoron to some folks, what has always set
Texas Country apart from the songs Nashville
emits is that it represents this synthesis of ’70s
outlaw country, classic rock, blues and folk
that is unmatched by any other permutation
of the country ethos around the world.
So, though I welcomed the opportunity to
review Vagrants And Kings, Morrow’s first
studio release since 2005, and while it was
good to hear his voice again, I was sadly
underwhelmed. The same attributes that
typically drive Morrow’s music—a wry sense
of humor and a penchant for strong guitar-
driven songs—are present, but everything
feels a bit too muted and safe. There are some
great tracks here, including the imminently
danceable “All Said And Done,” a tribute to
his favorite country songs; “Lord,You Devil,”
a tongue-in-cheek look at the way life finds a
way to resolve itself through the strangest of
scenarios; and “Worth It,” the barn-burning
finale. But in the end, this is an average
album, at least compared to this singer-
songwriter’s previous body of work. —APN
Otep
The Ascension
Koch Records
Through all that estrogen-fueled guitar
fire, rarely has a fem-fronted band taken a
boot to the crotch of Slayer’s blood reign
with such an extreme political agenda.
For all the “I am woman, hear me roar”
ethos that was the riot grrrl doctrine, no
one ever really strapped on the armor …
until now. Of course, being a clenched-
fist lesbian probably helps, but Otep and
her band of male “underlings” deliver a
thousand pounds of napalm sounds. From
the opening gunfire of “Eet The Children,”
Otep Shamaya continues the onslaught that
garnered her last albums Sevas Tra and
House Of Secrets global metal kudos and
landed her on a steady road diet of Ozzfests
and the European Festival circuit. “March
of the Martyrs” and “Noose and Nail” are
sonic preachings to the disposable masses
that make up the nation—all sheep for
the slaughter with the ease of a signature
and a presidental seal. If anything renders
The Ascension powerless, it’s Shamaya’s
delivery, which embodies nuclear anguish
with a languid tone that floats from track
to track like poison lapsing the songs
together. However, the one track where her
inner Robert Smith comes forth properly
is the intimate “Perfectly Flawed”—like
Christina Aguilera with a metal overbite.
The Ascension may not deliver a lone primal
monster; it is a steady powder keg waiting
to go off. —JP
Underwear Wolves
WORDS ALMA VERDEJO PHOTO AHN V. VU
It’s not hard to find a band made up of the remnants of other bands.
What is difficult to find is a band that has learned from their past
trials—along with tribulations—and turned out a polished, well-
fronted group of musicians.
Turning from a duo to a full-fledged band within a span of nine months,
these twenty-somethings show off sensitive lyrics with a touch of rock
panache á la The Strokes or Weezer. Named after a lyric from The
Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby,” The McKenzies strive to bring about crazy
antics and mountainous energy to their shows.
Miguel Ponce and lead singer Jodie Gonzalez knew each other
from their former endeavor, local band “The Late Nights”—which
coincidentally birthed another band, The Factory Party. Ponce
often wondered what a solo career would be like but soon realized
that fellow singer, Gonzalez, could also add something else. “The
McKenzies has always been my solo acoustic thing,” says Ponce. “And
then she (Jodie) joined with me, and the original idea was to keep The
McKenzies acoustic and name this something else.” But it didn’t work
out that way; after all, Ponce was oft left wondering what a whole band
would sound like. That’s where bassist Pete Garza and drummer Matt
Garcia came in.
Their sound is a mixture of melodic and catchy tunes with the vibrance
of a show-stopping aura. “Actually, pop and garage and good indie,”
describes Garza. “Not watered down pop,” adds Ponce, also the
songwriter/guitarist. ”It’s like fast twang—like a little dirty.” A little
dirty is something they definitely encompass, with the band’s lively
personas transcending their shows.
Ponce, the brains behind the band, cites Buddy Holly, Weezer and Roy
Orbison as his main influences, indulging for a few moments on the
creative genius that is Orbison. “It’s like he totally rips it up,” Ponce
enthuses. This trademark enthusiasm resonates at their shows.
Each one opens them up to different fans, such as one of their recent
gigs at Austin’s Shady Grove, where the lead singer’s dog, Peabody,
revved up an audience of crawfish-eating, flip flop-wearing fans. At
another recent show at Houston’s The Mink, the band giggles about
something that was hurled to the stage, with Gonzalez convinced that
it was panties. “We get love for the drummer,” she jokes. “He’s kind of
the Romeo of the band … or the Juliet.”
The McKenzies play LunaFest on June 13 at Warehouse Live. Visit
myspace.com/themckenzies
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