May 08, 2009 - CAMP Sound

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth

CAMP Sound

Here is a 28 minute, French-Rock concept album that has officially reached our shores in non-import form. Rather than sing, Serge mostly speaks slowly in his smoky, confident voice. Here is a Lolita-esque story that begins with a middle-aged cad running his Rolls (among other things) into a guileless teen-aged Raggedy Ann and which ends in tragedy. Here is a rare gem: an orchestrated album that never cloys but rather improves on Gainsbourg's lecherous conceit. Jean-Claude Vannier's direction is the sweetener added to Serge's bitter storyline. The end result is a precious jewel which begs the listener to return to its sound, rather than its plot.

Black Lips 200 Million Thousand [Vice]

I can't say I love the Black Lips, yet I can't regard their haughty attitude as a case of insecurity either. I am however taken by their tenacity to perform in countries un-adorned with rock 'n roll bands, let alone a homosexual "flower punk" (their description, not mine) band. They fled India for the response to their onstage kissinga normal feature in their typically off-kilter, rambunctious live show. They've cleaned their sound up a bit from their original distorted miasma, and seem to care more about writing decent songs. Yet, when they tackle a subject as lurid as that of Josef Fritzl, they deliver like a cheap Halloween record. Most troubling is that the concepts behind their songs are more intriguing than the songs themselves.

Menya The Ol' Reach-Around [No Label]

These two NYU students, known respectively as Coco Dame and Good Goose provide a 20 minute extended play which is half electronica/rap and the other electronica/pop. You can guess which three are lascivious, base and raw and which are reflective, emotional and tender. All six are catchy as hell.

Menya Puss Coital [No Label]

Coco Dame's sodden desires and raps were balanced by the yearning and sensitive pop numbers on their first ep. Here, the floodgates have opened and the raps are even more nasty, the electronica is louder and faster, and its less pleasurable in some way, but still worth the listen. I'm sure this is not a first in pop music, but Coco Dame, who raps and sings in earnest about her desires for other women, sounds like the real deal when she tells all the Philly Gurls she wants to eat their cheese steak. myspace.com/menyamusic

Cadillac Records - Music From the Motion Picture [Music World Music/Columbia]

If I wanted to hear "At Last," I'd listen to Etta James. Ditto for Mos Def failing at Chuck Berry. The new originals are tame and also fail as a tepid nostalgia trip.

LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 19, No. 05 May 22, 2009