The Del-Lords are all
about straight-ahead good rock music. That’s what they were about back in the
1980s when they formed, and that’s what they’re about now in 2013 after
re-forming. I first popped in their new disc, Elvis Club, while I was doing my taxes, and it put me in the right
frame of mind to deal with that stuff. I had to stop work occasionally, of
course, to dance around (like to “Damaged”), or just to enjoy a lyric.
Elvis Club is the band’s first new album since 1990. It’s hard to
believe it’s been that long. That was the year I graduated from high school.
That was fucking ages ago. Well, you
wouldn’t know by this collection of tunes that they’d taken any time off. (And
actually, they did release an EP a couple of years ago. Titled Under Construction, it includes rough mixes of several songs that appear on this release.)
The new CD features three
of the four original members: Scott Kempner, Eric Ambel, and Frank Funaro. Original
bass player Manny Caiati was
unable to stay with the band after a short tour in Spain, and so there are
actually four different bass players on this recording – Michael DuClos, Keith
Christopher, Jason Mercer and Steve Almaas. DuClos is now the official bass
player for the band. He also provides some harmony vocals on this album.
Elvis Club features mostly original songs, written or co-written by
Scott Kempner. There is just one cover, Neil Young’s “Southern Pacific,” which
ends the album. And though this album is rock, it does not have anything like a
generic feel. For example, “Flying” has a bit of a folk flavor, particularly in
the way the harmonica is played (that’s Nate Schweber on harmonica). “All Of My
Life” has good, slower groove. And “Everyday” has a somewhat brighter pop feel
(I like the lines, “And I’m walking just
a little south of Heaven/Everyday that I’m with you”). “You Can Make A
Mistake One Time” has a heavier blues guitar riff. And there is definitely a
sense of humor to some of these tracks, like in these lines from “Princess”: “I bit the apple/I bit the snake/I bit
Eve/Maybe that was my mistake.”
Elvis Club opens with “When The Drugs Kick In,” a humorous rock
tune that starts, “I was right in the
middle of a big idea/I forgot everything right then and there.” I love that
the band responds with the title after each of those lines, giving the song a
touch of a classic, happy pop tune, which is in delightful juxtaposition with
what they’re saying. There are some really good lines in this song, like “Now I’m
an uncast vote in a fixed election” and “I’m a part time lover, a full time ghost.” Nice, right? This is one
of my favorites from this release.
“Chicks, Man!” is a fun
tune with a steady beat and some interesting, amusing lyrics including the exclamation
of “Chicks, man!” delivered almost like
an oath, kind of like a summing of the situation with a simple (somewhat
dismissive) statement. The lyrics come at you as from someone working things
out as he goes. Like in these lines: “Now,
everything is nothing, and, nothing ain’t worth shit/Hey, I could do the math
too, I figured it’s time to quit/So I looked in the mirror, but there was no
one there/Division and subtraction, I was cut in half/Or maybe a third – or
half.” It’s that addition of “or half”
that makes me love those lines. And check out these: “Hey, I forgot to tell the story/Yeah, we fell in love and lust/Blah
blah blah, it was great, blah blah blah it sucked.” Here it’s the “blah blah blah” that really wins me
over. I love this song.
“Me And The Lord Blues”
is a great rock tune that immediately gets its hooks into you. Man, I love the
guitar on this track – it really drives the tune, though at times it seems to
overpower the vocals. Check out that short lead section. This is the kind of
song you want to see the band perform at some outdoor venue in summer.
The band follows “Me And
The Lord” with a sweeter, soft tune titled “Letter (Unmailed).” This is a love
song from a man to his beloved, with promises and protestations of love and
loyalty, such as “I would swim a raging
sea/If you were in some foreign land” and “I’ll stand by you when you’re tall and strong, weak and uninspired.”
“Damaged” is a very
catchy country rock number, in which they sing, “We’re damaged, damaged/Let’s fall in love.” That’s a great, funny,
and terribly honest line. It’s a love song for those of us who are a bit older,
and have been hurt by experience. You can’t help but love this tune. “We’re damaged, baby, ain’t that
great/Damaged, by the time we’re born, it’s already too late.” And here is
another example of their sense of humor: “We
can get married, settle down, have a kid/And do the same great job our folks
did.” There is some really good
stuff on lead guitar too, and then a nice section by Rob Arthur joining the
band on piano. This is another of this album’s highlights.
CD Track List
- When The Drugs Kick In
- Princess
- Chicks, Man!
- Flying
- All Of My Life
- Everyday
- Me And The Lord Blues
- Letter (Unmailed)
- Damaged
- You Can Make A Mistake One Time
- Silverlake
- Southern Pacific
Elvis Club is scheduled to be released May 14, 2013 on Lakeside
Lounge Records, GB Music through RED Distribution.
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