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The Red Krayola
"Hazel"
(Drag City)
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few bands in rock defy interpretation as thoroughly as The Red Krayola. From the orchestra-long list of contributors on "Hazel" to its arcane cover art, obscure song titles and the music itself, a seam-filled blend of synth, rock, jazz, spoken word, pop, rap and the kitchen sink, this latest release by Mayo Thompson's quarter-century old art-rock band is as challenging as it is rewarding, as inane as it is bold. Whether or not you think this is a good thing depends on how adventurous you are as a listener. Before Gastr del Sol's David Grubbs (another "Hazel" collaborator) brought the band to the attention of the Chicago-based label Drag City in 1994, The Red Krayola's output was sporadic — a record or two every 10 years, with a Thompson solo project tossed in for good measure. The small Midwestern indie label proved a congenial home for inveterate outsider Thompson: since joining Drag City, the group has released, in addition to "Hazel," an eponymous album, the EP "Amor and Language" and a re-release of Thompson's 1970 solo outing "Corky's Debt to His Father." Think of a fine glass of wine with bits of cork floating in it. Think of a yellow Citroen 2CV clattering down a washboard dirt road in southern France on those frail narrow tires. Think of a drunk spouting inspired poetry while clinging to a rusty lamppost for support on a rainy night. In "Hazel's" world, perfection is uninteresting, beauty resides in details, only surprises can be expected, romanticism is not dead, and maturity beats youth and a bad goatee. While at times the songs on "Hazel" are imbued with pop resonance — such as the undeniable hooks and rap synth stylings of opener "I'm So Blasé," the catchy refrain to "Another Song, Another Satan" and the folksy guitar work that graces several songs on the record — nothing is as obvious as it seems. Each of the memories evoked by the songs on "Hazel" is subverted by an equal and opposite musical non sequitur. These rebel phrases take the form of rambling monologues, distorted sonic outbursts, off-key singing, odd time changes, random drum breaks and tempo meanderings. All of this, of course, would be most uninteresting if not for Thompson's tenacious, if ramshackle, sense of composition. Listen to the way the horn, drum and piano parts play off the song's vocals in the short, sweet closing track, "Serenade," and you'll get a good sense of his masterful touch. As any guitar-playing fan of Pavement (Neil Young and Bob Dylan work here, too) who's ever tried to play like Pavement knows, playing sloppy well is just as hard as playing clean well, and Thompson has perfected the style. — Joe Rosenthal Joe Rosenthal is an associate music editor for Prodigy Music Services. All titles may not be immediately available.
Friday Dec. 13: Cecilia Bartoli "Chant d'Amour: Mélodies Françaises" |