QUAKERS ON PROBATION – Every Living Thing

QOPQuakers on Probation is band comprised of father-son duo Daniel A. Craig and Daniel F. Craig, with bassist Graig Markel. Their self-titled disc is a release is given some weight by a helping hand from Larry Knechtel – a keyboardist and bassist, best known for being a member of Bread, as well as his session work with The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel and The Beach Boys. In theory, having such a heavyweight session man on hand (and one who’d worked with some of Quakers on Probation’s influences) should have gone a fair way towards making this a decent record.

The opening number ‘Pay It Forward’ starts things on the right foot with a warmish sounding number which has an allusion to Buffalo Springfield and late period Byrds and maybe even a touch of The Hollies. Despite hinting at these classic influences, it’s a reasonable track rather than a great one, due to a rather flat arrangement (bar Knechtel’s keyboard work, providing the warmth) and an even flatter vocal delivery. Some of the lyrics are also quite spiteful: “all the zeroes who were buried alive / or burned at the stake / they rose reincarnate in your madness / and jumped from your cake / like ghosts singing ‘happy birthday fucker’ as you reached for your heart attack / you said if you pay it forward, I say pay it all back”. Those lines have such a vitriolic tone – the kind which may have amused John Lennon – but such anger seems very misplaced here. Also, it’s obvious that most of Quakers on Probation’s budget was spent on this number, since it’s one of only a couple of tracks to feature a real drummer.

‘Your Favourite Song’ continues in a similar style, but there’s something about the arrangement which has a more modern feel. The acoustic shuffle is reminiscent of the slightly more country influenced material from Evan Dando’s 2003 solo debut ‘Baby I’m Bored’, with an appealing use of steel guitar. Slightly more upbeat, but still optimising the country-pop twang, ‘Marysville’ has the kind of user-friendliness of Lowen & Navarro or The BoDeans (albeit their poorer songs) – and really ought to have been the kind of material Quakers on Probation concentrated on, since it’s so obviously what they’re best at. Although very basic, the purely acoustic ‘Yard Sale’ is okay too, despite sounding like a poor man’s Simon & Garfunkel…if they lacked their beautiful two part harmonies.

With the okay tracks out of the way, most of the rest of this album is filled by truly awful casiotone material which sounds like songs written by spoilt thirteen year olds. ‘I Know a Woman’ is a keyboard pop number which features really disgusting, lazy song writing, twisted from a rather drippy poem by Theodore Roethke. Sung rather flatly over some rudimentary keyboards, it’s then made even worse by the use of a trumpet (credited to Billy Joe Huels) which sounds over-processed and not unlike syntheisized brass. Frankly, it smacks of a bedroom recording that someone’s family thinks is great – although that’s honestly no reason to force it upon the rest of the world.

The title track lowers the bar even farther, being a samba, complete with actual synthesized brass. I hope Quakers on Probation are going for kitsch…but even so, this sounds like a poor approximation of a church duo, playing something with the charm of a Carpenters cast-off. No better, the drum machine two-step of ‘Hollywood Walk of Fame’ sounds like a karaoke demo. While some harmonies attempt to lift it from the depths of its emptiness, it’s really, really horrible.

‘Lament For the Aging Rocker’ fares slightly better at first, since it features a twin acoustic guitar approach that’s simple yet familiar. It then takes a turn for the worse… With a high, off key vocal, Daniel F makes what he thinks are amusing remarks about classic rock stars not having the edge they once did (Sammy Hagar’s cruise control set permanently on 55, are Def Leppard deaf etc). The line “Do you think Ozzy will outlive Dio” instantly reminds us all that Dio is gone, and despite the supposedly fun intentions, it’s a song now steeped in sadness. Honestly though, since Quakers on Probation have such a fondness for bad song writing wrapped up in casiotone filth, should they really be making fun of anyone? If I were them, I certainly wouldn’t be mocking Axl Rose or Tommy Lee

Included as a bonus track, a cover of the 1974 Sammy Johns US hit ‘Chevy Van’ closes the album. It’s a fitting way to finish, since Sammy Johns’s original hit was produced by Larry Knechtel. The addition of guest vocalist Colin Spring improves things a great deal and the use of mandolin here, although predictable, has a great retro sound. Perhaps more importantly, by the song’s end, it’s immediately clear that ‘Chevy Van’ is much better than nearly all of Quakers on Probation’s self-written material…

Sadly, Larry Knechtel passed away during post production on this album. Since Larry played on The Beach Boys’ ‘Pet Sounds’, Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, various albums by The Monkees and Duane Eddy, among other things, this is such an unfitting epitaph…it’s probably up there with Orson Welles and his final film being  the animated ‘Transformers: The Movie’.

A couple of okay numbers aside, this is an appalling album – not falling too far short of being a terrible waste of plastic. …And to think, reading the band’s (self-written) press release, it actually sounds like something that you’d really want to listen to, with Quakers on Probation being likened to The Jayhawks and Wilco! I hope to Christ that Gary Louris and Jeff Tweedy never find out their fantastic reputation has been sullied in this way.

October 2010

VARIOUS ARTISTS – Everybody Likes a Good Rusty Trombone

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In 2009, the Florida ska-core band Out of Nothing broke up. Realising that over the course of five years they had played alongside lots of other great (mainly unsung) bands, their guitarist/vocalist Mark and drummer Ryan decided a release featuring some of these bands should be made available. The resulting self-financed disc ‘Everybody Likes a Good Rusty Trombone’ features 16 bands (many from Florida, but a few from farther afield) most of whom, as you’d expect, fit neatly into the ska/punk genre.

Baton Rouge outfit No Fuego are a punk band whom don’t quite fit into the skate or hardcore subgenres, but pack a bigger punch than many of the more commercial bands. What their song ‘The Struggle’ lacks in an instant hook, it makes up for with solid musicianship. The guitar work here is aggressive, though quite intricate. The hard edges are joined by bagpipes which add depth; though don’t be fooled into thinking that No Fuego are another band whose stock-in-trade consists of sub-par Pogues-for-punx type jigs in a Dropkick Murphys style. Judging by this track, they’re far more rooted in the punk field – and they’re all the better for it.

Billing themselves as “drunk rock”, the appropriately named A.A. Dropouts offer this compilation’s weakest track. ‘Drink Myself to Death’ is a sloppy acoustic demo recording which brings little in the way of anything memorable. While acoustic-based DIY bedroom punk isn’t exactly an unknown quantity (with bands such as The Ataris and Dashboard Confessional bringing it to larger audiences), this is quite hard to listen to. Still, amid the calypso style mid-section and maraca shaking, they sound like they’re having fun…I just wish it was just as much fun for those not involved.

The marvellously named Johnny Cakes & the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso are on hand to bring you some top-quality ska-punk. In ‘Commando’ they offer a song with a simple chorus and enough chops to stand with the best bands of a similar nature. During the intro, a big horn riff stands alone, filling the empty spaces and during the pre-chorus they create a great build-up. For the main chunk of the verses though, it’s Mikey OD’s rhythm guitar which is the driving force. Being a fan of Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Mustard Plug, I hear so much of their sound in Johnny Cakes…if you’re a Bosstones fan, you’ll probably want to hear more by these guys. (Be warned though, they may have a lot in common with those aforementioned ska-punk bands, but their debut album ‘Rise of the Pink Flamingoes’ features the kind of childish smut and vulgarity you’d find on a Guttermouth disc, so it’s not for the easily offended).

Any song title which mentions unity undoubtedly carries a strong Operation Ivy/Common Rider influence. The slightly ragged production for H1N1’s ‘Wha’ppened To Unity’ reinforces the OpIv feel, while lyrics about unity (naturally) “left over right” and anti-facism provide a good contrast to some of the more ‘fun’ bands featured here. H1N1 have their ideas sorted, it’s a case of “close but…” for these guys, since on the negative side, the chorus isn’t that strong and a sax solo is completely out of tune. For their song ‘Blindfold’, StickCityMafia display a huge set of ska chops – dominated by some very upfront rhythm guitar work, while the vocals have a slurred approach (another nod to Rancid, no doubt). Things turn noisier towards the end with a step away from ska, going further into punk, but StickCityMafia seems equally adept at both styles. Sadly, the band broke up in April 2010. They such great potential; who knows what they could’ve done with a higher budget and proper record label support?

Listing Minor Threat and Rancid among their influences, Georgia band The Erratics specialise in a very old school style shouty hardcore. Interestingly for a band so close to that end of punk, this track features guitar playing which stretches beyond the usual rhythmic bursts and even includes a solo. The Erratics won’t broaden your listening palette, but to think they would is missing the point! Speaking of Rancid, there’s an unavoidable influence from Tim Armstrong and co at the heart of Sobriety Starts Tomorrow’s sound. The meter of the vocal is very similar to classic Rancid, even if the delivery doesn’t ever lapse into Armstrong’s unmistakable slur. Bass player Seth has a very upfront style, though he doesn’t use it at the track’s expense. Sobriety Starts Tomorrow may not be the best band name, but don’t be put off – if this track is representative of their typical approach, they’re great.

I’m not entirely sure what Cryptorchid Chipmunk were attempting to achieve with their song ‘Exgirlfriend x’. It features a casio-tone verse, with bursts of hardcore punk noise, further discordance is added something which sounds like a melodica and electronic (possibly programmed) drums – all of which are then backed by the sound of the girlfriend whittering. It doesn’t even have a chorus. Despite all this, they certainly create an impression, which I’m sure is what they wanted all along.

Opening with a great bassline and some really punchy brass, The Long Johns brand of ska is polished and professional with a strong influence from the greatly missed Save Ferris. Vocalist Stephanie Summerbell has a great, expressive voice (somewhere between Save Ferris’s Monique Powell and Gwen Stefani in sound) and once that’s combined with the really tight musicianship from the rest of the band, the end result is about as good as the poppier end of ska-punk gets.

New Jersey’s The Best of The Worst are one of the best and most interesting bands on this comp. Their sound features elements of metal and hardcore punk intercut with really slick ska breaks. For ‘Sgt Beatdown’, the drums here are really solid – and when combined with the guitar down strokes, this gives the track a chug which has a proper sledgehammer approach. Their horns are well arranged and the ska elements provide fantastic contrast to the hardcore and it’s rare to find a band that’s so accomplished in both these contrasting styles. The track’s closing section features a fantastic hardcore sound, full of double bass pedals and hostility – and having fit all of their best musical traits into just over three and a half minutes, The Best of The Worst are hard to ignore. Not bad for a band who by their own admission formed as a joke.

One of the first things you’ll notice about Diversity Is An Old Wooden Ship is they certainly aren’t aren’t sky about using a big ‘whoah’ for a hook, since they shoehorn one in between each of the vocal lines. It’s an approach which certainly isn’t unwelcome though, especially in lieu of a chorus. The horn section is prominent, though slightly flat (not unlike those early Less Than Jake releases) and the vocals are of the standard punk variety. It’s not one of the compilation’s stand out numbers, though not a skipper by any means.

The Carry-ons are an Atlanta based band, and their track ‘The War is Over’ has a hard punk edge, with a slight skate influence. A strong chorus collides with a great vocal, and the band’s brash confidence keeps their performance buoyant. This has an instantly familiar feel – one which should appeal to fans of Pennywise and War Called Peace. However, their other tracks (streaming from The Carry-ons’ MySpace page) present a band with a broader sound – containing elements of ska and some sharper edges, although always retaining a knack for delivering a decent shout-along chorus. You’ll also find plenty of ‘whoooahs’ from Kicking Pandora, a straight-ahead punk band from Alabama with a slightly lo-fi sound. In just under two minutes, they hit hard with a great guitar riff and their unrelenting attitude.

For good quality, no nonsense ska, another Alabama band, Shut Up Travis more than delivers. Their featured track, ‘Four Letter Word’ has a summery vibe with plenty of brass. If you’re a fan of Reel Big Fish or Less Than Jake (the undisputed kings of the Florida ska-punk scene), these guys will appeal to you instantly. With good production and tight musicianship, I doubt that even signing with one of the great punk labels would change these guys at all.

From Tallahassee, Florida, comes Chilled Monkey Brains. Their contribution, ‘VBJ’, features a wall of guitars in an angry but not-quite-hardcore-punk style, underpinned by trombone and an old school keyboard which would make Greg Hawkes from The Cars raise an eyebrow. Each of the bands seven members sounds very accomplished and the production on this track is great. By the time you get settled into the song’s sledgehammer approach, CMB drop their metallic edges and launch into a really sharp ska break which shows a real tightness. ‘VBJ’ is polished without losing any of the necessary bite and has enough quirkiness to keep you coming back for more. Another recommended track.

…And since this compilation was put together by a couple of their members, ‘Everyone Likes a Good Rusty Trombone’ wouldn’t have been complete without a track from Pensacola’s Out of Nothing. ‘Tonight…You’ features a great bass line and some hard-hitting horns, but sadly, it has vocal which is buried in the mix. It’s certainly worth checking out for the horn work, though.

Everybody knows that picking up reasonably priced samplers is the best way to discover new punk bands. If you’ve been a fan of punk and ska music for as long as I have, it’s likely your collection includes a good number of them too. ‘Everybody Likes a Good Rusty Trombone’ is certainly one you ought to check out; while it’s a little and miss, there are enough good bands here to make it worthwhile – and by picking it up you’d be supporting a proper DIY release.

September 2010

‘Everyone Likes a Good Rusty Trombone’ can be purchased from any of the following myspace band links:

Shut Up Travis
No Fuego
H1N1
The Long Johns
Diversity Is An Old Wooden Ship
Johnny Cakes & The Four Horsemen of the Apocalyspo
Out of Nothing
Chilled Monkey Brains
The Best of the Worst
The Erratics
The Carry-Ons

ERIC CLAPTON – Clapton

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It’s funny isn’t it? For an artist who has always strived to be so closely associated with the blues, Eric Clapton seems to have spent a large part of his solo career exploring non-blues music. In the mid 70s he showed a fondness for reggae, in the late 70s country, and during the second half of the 80’s he achieved huge success in the adult rock/pop field. Granted, there’s always been some blues along the way (in the case of 1994’s ‘From The Cradle’ and 2004’s ‘Me and Mr Johnson’, he even managed to deliver a couple of albums devoted completely to the genre), but with such a broad musical palette, it’s difficult to pigeonhole Clapton as a blues musician, even though that’s what he so desperately craves.

For this, his nineteenth solo studio release, Clapton offers a mix of covers and a couple of newly written numbers (Clapton himself only contributing one track – and even then, it’s a co-write with producer and general right hand man, Doyle Bramhall). As expected, ‘Clapton’ (the album) features a few decent blues numbers and a couple of okay other tracks. Probably what you’re not expecting, though, is for so much of the disc to feature versions of jazz standards from the 30s and 40s.

A rendition of Lil’ Son Jackson’s ‘Travelin’ Alone’ opens the album with a blues workout where Clapton’s guitar duels (but gently) with the dirtier tone of Doyle Bramhall. The grumbling blues is punctuated by bursts of yelping Hammond Organ, courtesy of Walt Richmond. Meanwhile, Clapton’s vocal is okay, but lacks the soufulness of some of his past performances. It provides some decent opening bait, but that promise is quickly ushered aside by the arrival of the first of ‘Clapton’s easy listening numbers. A laid-back rendition of Hoagy Carmichael’s ‘Rockin’ Chair’ is led by gently brushed drums (subtly played by Abe Laboriel Jr), a piano (courtesy of Richmond, once again) and some really tasteful blues guitar played by Derek Trucks. While the lovely guitar work and piano flourishes have their moments, this is unchallenging even by Clapton’s standards. I may have been more forgiving had it closed this album, but to wheel this out as the second track?

A JJ Cale original, ‘River Runs Deep’ fares much better. While still rather easy on the ear, Cale’s style of roots music has a timeless quality, and hearing the man himself back Clapton is something always welcomed. While this track never pushes itself beyond twangy meandering, its six minutes never drags. The introspective warmth of the performance is given extra depth by the presence of sparingly used organ and brass. This could have easily found a home on Cale and Clapton’s ‘Road To Escondido’ release from 2006 and is almost guaranteed to please fans of that disc. Cale’s other contribution ‘Everything Will Be Alright’ is also one of the album’s best numbers. Busier than ‘River Runs Deep’, here, Clapton fronts a soulful number which features a smooth jazzy solo, a string section and horns, topped with Hammond Organ work from Paul Carrick. While it may not have the introspective spookiness of some of Cale’s best work, its classy arrangement makes this an album standout.

Irving Berlin’s much covered ‘How Deep Is The Ocean’ allows Clapton to deliver an easy, relaxed vocal against gentle orchestration and his hard-plucked acoustic guitar. As good as Clapton’s performance on this track may be, it’s not as good as his similar performance on Ray Charles’s ‘Hard Times’ (as featured on Clapton’s 1989 LP, ‘Journeyman’). Like ‘Rockin’ Chair’, I wouldn’t necessarily choose to listen to this if it weren’t part of a bigger mix of music, and while Clapton, no doubt, is playing music he enjoys, it’s possibly not going to be completely embraced by his huge fanbase.

A cover of ‘My Very Good Friend The Milkman’ (a tune best associated with Fats Waller) may have been given an air of New Orleans authentication by the presence of the legendary Allen Toussaint, but that – along with jazz man Wynton Marsalis guesting on trumpet – isn’t enough to save it’s three minute shuffling from being more than a bit bland. In a similar vein, Clapton’s treatment of Waller’s ‘When Somebody Thinks Your Wonderful’ just doesn’t sit right. While the music is tight, with Allen Toussaint’s piano work shining and the brass section really evoking the New Orleans jazz sound of the 1930s, hearing a fairly smooth voiced man from Surrey deliver the vocal just doesn’t seem right. I can imagine Dr John having a decent stab at this, but it’s not right for Clapton.

A solid rendition of Little Walter’s ‘Can’t Hold Out Much Longer’ brings this album a decent blues performance. It’s a number which features one of Clapton’s more classic sounding vocals, intercut with tiny bursts of his great blues guitar work. For this standard blues workout, he’s backed sparingly by Jim Keltner on drums, Willie Weeks on upright bass and Kim Wilson playing some dirty sounding blues harp, held together by Walt Richmond on the piano. Equally enjoyable, a run through of ‘That’s No Way To Get Along’ (originally by Memphis bluesman Robert Wilkins) is given a shake-up via a New Orleans influenced boogie. While this tune will be familiar to most people in its re-titled, bare-bones arrangement ‘Prodigal Son’ (as covered by The Rolling Stones in 1968), this rendition, featuring Clapton and JJ Cale in a vocal duet, is one of the album’s best numbers (isn’t it interesting that all three of this album’s most interesting numbers all feature Cale rather heavily, either in performance or song writing?). While Walt Richmond and Jim Keltner do a top job on piano and drums respectively, this busy arrangement is given extra charm by bluesman Derek Trucks guesting on slide guitar.

A duet with Sheryl Crow, ‘Diamonds Made From Rain’ is very slick. Both vocalists sound good together, though Clapton’s vocal dominates, rather surprisingly. The song itself is well written, but it’s rather ordinary arrangement means it doesn’t quite have the chops to make it a classic in either artists back catalogue. Clapton’s featured guitar solo has his trademark sound and is an equal match for his best late 80s work; it’s a comfort to know he can still play in such a way… Listening to huge chunks of ‘Clapton’, you could be forgiven for thinking he’d given up, having handed so much responsibility to his guest players.

The gentle acoustic blues of ‘Hard Time Blues’ allows Clapton to exercise the softer edges of his vocal style, but since the best guitar playing on the track comes from Doyle Bramhall’s timeless slide work, this seems to be another track which Clapton glides through on autopilot. A treatment of Snooky Prior’s ‘Judgement Day’ is presented here in an effortless rendition. While Clapton’s vocal is pleasing, it’s the counter melody from the backing vocal which lifts the piece. Clapton’s musical input here is negligible too, since most of the lead work comes courtesy of Kim Wilson’s harmonica.

The Clapton-Bramhall composition ‘Run Back To Your Side’ features a slight JJ Cale-esque feel (likely to please fans of Clapton’s classic 1974 outing ‘461 Ocean Boulevard’) as well as hints of Robert Johnson’s ‘If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day’. The whole band finds their groove – even Clapton himself sounds like he’s slipped on an old pair of shoes, musically speaking. A backing vocal from Nikka Costa, Lynn Mabry and Debra Parsons helps give this the kind of rousing send-off that Yvonne Elliman and Marcy Levy would have back in the old days.

Returning to similar territory as ‘Rockin’ Chair’, the jazz standard ‘Autumn Leaves’ closes the disc. While Clapton’s hushed baritone could be kindly described as pleasant, this song sounds like elevator music delivered by a tired old man. Granted, Clapton’s post-Derek and the Dominos career may not have always had much fire, but it has rarely sunk to this level of easy listening. He may be backed by a rather classy selection of hired hands, but that doesn’t make his renditions of the jazz standards any more interesting. Rather interestingly, the number of covers on this disc, coupled with a fondness for easy listening material calls to mind another 2010 release – a release from one of El Clappo’s closest peers – ‘Emotion and Commotion’ by Jeff Beck.

This album certainly brings plenty in the way of star performers, and ‘Clapton’ isn’t a really bad record by any means (and it’s certainly far better than the aforementioned Jeff Beck release). But, that said, it’s not great either – its gentle approach means most of it drifts past without making too much impact. Repeated listens uncover a few hidden depths, but it’s still one of Clapton’s most lightweight offerings.  It is generally not a record you will return to time and again, as you possibly will have done with some of EC’s classics.

Many Clapton die-hards will undoubtedly sing his praises and he may even bring in a few new listeners (especially those who enjoy easy vocal jazz). For most of Clapton’s more casual listeners, though, there are a good few of the man’s albums they need to check out before even considering acquiring this one.

October 2010

SALUTE – Heart Of The Machine

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In addition to his various solo releases, Mikael Erlandsson will be best known to melodic rock listeners for his involvement with Frontiers Records signings Last Autumn’s Dream. Not content with having those two prongs to his busy career, Erlandsson is also involved with a third project, Salute, where he performs alongside guitarist Martin Kronlund (who in 2010 played a big part in the fifth instalment of Tom Galley’s Phenomena project) and Gypsy Rose drummer Imre Daun.

‘Heart of the Machine’ is Salute’s second release and its eleven songs, as you’d expect, are heavily influenced by late eighties/early 90s melodic hard rock. While you’ll get no musical surprises, this album presents solid musicianship on a set of songs which were co-written by Bangalore Choir’s David Reece (although there are few songs here I wouldn’t have put my name to if I were him, since although the music is often decent enough, a good few of the lyrics are questionable).

‘Higher’ opens with a pounding riff undercut by a slab of keyboards, creating a sound that’s unmistakably European. Anchored by a rock solid bass line, it’s an opening number which instantly shows the power behind pairing of Erlandsson and Kronlund. Erlandsson’s vocals are assured and Kronlund’s solo work is equally confident. While the stomping approach of the opener shows power, it’s ‘Feed Your Hunger’ which really showcases Salute at their best. In a much lighter mood, (though remaining mid-paced) Kronlund’s rhythm guitar work presents itself in a classic staccato style which is coupled by a clean lead, creating something very effective. Erlandsson’s vocal is understated and melodic, beefed up by some great harmonies.

Also recommended listening is ‘I Will Be There’, a huge power ballad which really highlights Kronlund’s soaring guitar work. Erlandsson’s voice is very natural and very much suited to the soft keyboard accompaniment which opens the track. By the time the rest of the band joins the arrangement, Erlandsson steps things up a gear to deliver a performance both passionate and heartfelt. You can almost see him belting out his lines, with fist clenched and eyes closed!

The title cut features a few iffy lyrics and a horrible, unnecessarily gritty vocal performance. In terms of riffing, although Salute suits this slower, meatier style, you’ve already heard them doing something similar (and far better, too) during the opening number. An uptempo workout with a great hook, ‘A Falling Star’ helps make sense of why Erlandsson is well respected as a song writer in the melodic rock field (something I don’t always understand). The track has plenty of great vocal harmonies , which are put to especially good use on a bridge section, leading into a multi-layered solo from Kronlund.

‘In It For The Long Haul’ gives drummer Imre Daun a chance to play in a slightly more aggressive fashion – an opportunity not missed by Kronlund either, chiming in with both a decent riff and solo. However, this track has quite major faults: some of the lyrics about being “a warrior conquering fears” and a “soldier of fortune, always swinging a sword, never carrying a shield” echo the kind of clichéd, cringe worthy lyrics which grace Yngwie Malmsteen’s back catalogue. And surely someone should have told them that the chorus line isn’t pronounced ‘In it for the long howl’…? Just a thought. Since Erlandsson’s English pronunciation is perfect throughout the rest of this album, how did this “howler” get overlooked?

Also, while we’re on the subject of bad lyrics, ‘The Rock ‘n’ Roll Train’ is guaranteed to make you wince. Every line in this song is appalling. Clichés about a journey with no end in sight are bad enough, but it doesn’t stop there: it also includes references to hard drinking party animals and a woman with loose morals (including a thinly veiled reference to a vibrator). It’s all very poor…and then, use of the phrase “got me choo-choo-chooglin on down the line” makes it even worse. [Only John Fogerty gets away with the word chooglin’…and only then because Creedence Clearwater Revival is a classic, classic band].

‘Tearing Me Down’ features Kronlund in a quasi-aggressive mode, utilising a dirtier tone with an occasional horsey-noise. While he and Daun are clearly the driving force here, Erlandsson’s vocal performance is one of the album’s best. His slightly raspy delivery is well suited to the old school classic rock sound of this track; a sound reinforced by slabs of old style organ on the pre-chorus (albeit quite low in the mix).

While Salute’s big draw for most people will undoubtedly be the presence of Mikael Erlandsson, by the album’s end, it becomes clear that it’s Martin Kronlund who’s the real star. His guitar work is top-notch throughout, putting in his best performances even when the songs aren’t always very good. If you’re a fan of Last Autumn’s Dream, you’ll certainly want to check it out, but despite best intentions, ‘Heart of the Machine’ is a very hit and miss affair.

September 2010