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| ROUGH STUFF - FAMOUS FRAMUS (May 2004) |
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| As on all five of his solo acoustic releases, Famous Framus really is playing solo. While he effortlessly accompanies himself on acoustic guitar and vocals, his harmonica playing is indeed "rough stuff" on these roots-rock compositions. Not satisfied to just get by with standard rhythmic strums on guitar, however rapidly played, he further retains his listeners� attention by injecting unpredictable spurts of melody. The first song, �Let�s Be Friends�, a plea for reconciliation that may or may not be a mockery of psychopathology (a la Steve Sinnicks), is delivered in an ironically upbeat manner, despite the violent incidents recounted in the former friendship. I interpreted the overall theme of these recordings to be that of human mortality - of making mistakes, being blindsided by fate, but then aiming for damage control when renewing one�s broken spirit. �The Other Side� is a dynamic flamenco-style ballad addressing the fear of losing a loved one and the unknown aspects of an afterlife (if any). It wavers back and forth in strength, with a delicate melody alternating with the anthemic chorus. This is one dude who isn�t afraid to say he�s afraid. �Prospect Avenue� marries grunge-rock and blues, bitterly describing a hardworking life invested in a dream that blows up in his face - �I�m just a simple guy, all I want to do is try and build a little life for my son and wife.� Kurt Cobain would have loved it. �Brand New Buzz� instills a bit of joy and hope, although the inspiration (a brand new song?) is not clearly explained. As he rapidly shimmies up and down the fretboard, he actually creates an audio-visual illusion of an airborne insect buzzing around a garden. Instrumentally, �Brand New Buzz� was the most enjoyable track for me, but I also liked the rollicking �Clich� Blues�. �Sanctify�, another rockin� Delta blues, is a collaborative effort between Famous Framus and Mitch Leblanc, who accompanies him on harmonica, along with Dave Gould on drums, in his electric performances. It�s a foot-stomper that ends with a medley of classic blues riffs. Despite his own considerable skills as a songwriter, Famous Framus covers Neil Young�s �Keep on Rockin� in the Free World�, an extra song tacked on at the end of this particular edition of the CD. Here it�s a �kindler, gentler� rendition that encourages the listener to ponder more seriously the actual outrage expressed in these lyrics. This new interpretation also eliminates the unintentional �party� feel of the original recording. |