Chris Stamey kicks things off with The Beatles' "Hey Bulldog." Jody Stephens (of Big Star, Golden Smog) is on drums for this one. I've always had a lot of love for this song, perhaps in part because the very first Beatles album I ever got was the compilation Rock 'N' Roll Music Volume 2. I was eight years old, and this song was one of my favorites on it. Chris Stamey does an excellent job with it, adding a cool vocal part at the end, repeating "You can, you can, you can, you can." As much as I love The Beatles, I love The Kinks even more, and Chris Stamey delivers a wonderful rendition of "Waterloo Sunset." Making this track even more special is the presence of all four members of The dB's, along with the Serendipitous Family Singers, as well as Evan Atherton on trumpet and Seamus Kenney on trombone. This is a song that often gets in my head, and I find myself whistling it. It's on the Something Else album. "And I don't feel afraid/As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset/I am in paradise." This is such a good rendition, featuring some excellent guitar work. Peter Holsapple is on lead guitar, piano and vocals; Gene Holder is on bass; and Will Rigby is on drums, tambourine and vocals. This is one of my personal favorite tracks from this disc.
I need to listen to more stuff from The Left Banke. It wouldn't take much to own the band's complete catalogue, so when I have a few extra dollars (whenever that might be) I should make a couple of purchases. Chris Stamey chooses to cover that group's "Shadows Breaking Over My Head." Like the original recording, this version features strings. Jennifer Curtis is on violin and Josh Starmer is on cello. This track also features the incredibly talented Probyn Gregory on F horn, and Rachel Kiel on flute. This song seems a perfect choice for Chris Stamey, and he delivers a really good version. Chris then gets funky with a totally delightful rendition of The Sly And The Family Stone song "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)." This track is a whole lot of fun, and features some great stuff by Brian Dennis on guitar and bass. Crispin Cioe is on tenor saxophone and Arno Hecht is on trumpet. I love the way that trumpet sings toward the end, followed by a cool saxophone lead. There is a delicious energy to this track. Jon Wurster (of Superchunk) is on drums, and Rachel Kiel provides some backing vocal work. This is one of those rare songs that absolutely everyone loves. Seriously, have you ever met someone who didn't like it?
"Neon Rainbow" is a song I hadn't thought of in a long time. Usually when I think of The Box Tops, it's "The Letter" that is in my head, but this song is the other half of the title to that album. And, no, this isn't the track that features Alex Chilton. But it does feature Emily Frantz on harmony vocals, Laura Thomas on violin, and Wes Lachot on organ, and it features a particularly good vocal performance from Chris. There is something about this song that will make you feel good. "The city lights, the pretty lights/They can warm the coldest nights/All the people going places/Smiling with electric faces." That's followed by "Of Time And All She Brings To Mind," the first of three tracks written by Chris Stamey. It's a song that Chris Stamey originally included on his 1987 record It's Alright. This new version features Matt McMichaels on backing vocals, and Rob Ladd on drums. The song's opening lyrics certainly speak to us in these ridiculous times: "Confusion is the order here/You're not invited to be clear/So stop the struggle to explain." I love the lyrics to this song, particularly lines like "I think I know the questions you adore/But I can't ask them anymore" and "Take me in your arms again/The way you'd take a bitter pill." This new version is fantastic.
While all the covers so far have been pop and rock hits from the late 1960s, Chris Stamey goes in another musical direction with "Hernando's Hideaway," a song from the 1954 musical The Pajama Game, written by Jerry Ross and Richard Adler. And it ends up being another of the album's highlights. It is a total delight. Ridiculously fun. Wes Lachot is on piano, Rachel Kiel is on flute, and Rob Ladd is on drums and percussion, and all deliver wonderful work here. There is also some stellar work on guitar. The first time I listened to this album, I was sad when this track ended, and played it again immediately, and then again. Then we get the second of the album's songs written by Chris Stamey, "Where The Fun Is," which was originally the flip side to Chris' 1977 single "The Summer Sun." Alex Chilton produced the original version and played drums and guitar on it, but this is not the track that he appears on here. Mitch Easter plays drums on this track. Laura Thomas is on violin, and Rachel Kiel is on flute. It's an unusual song, and I like both versions. There is a bright pop energy to certain sections.
Chris then goes in another direction, choosing the jazz standard "Let's Get Lost," written by Jimmy McHugh and Frank Loesser. And while we're talking about Alex Chilton, I should mention here that he recorded this song for his 1993 album Clichés. This version by Chris Stamey is wonderful, and features some excellent stuff on guitar. In fact, that guitar lead makes getting lost sound perfect. "Let's get crossed/Off everybody's list/To celebrate this night we found each other/Oh, let's get lost." Rob Ladd is on drums. Another interesting choice is "At Last," and Chris Stamey puts his mark on it straight away, that instrumental introduction being different from what I've heard in other versions. He delivers some fantastic stuff on guitar here too. And what a cool vocal performance. Jennifer Curtis is on violin, Josh Starmer is on cello, Rachel Kiel is on flute, and Rob Ladd is on drums, all contributing to make this an outstanding rendition. "And life is like a song." Oh, yes!
"There's A Dream Around The Corner" is the final of the album's track written by Chris Stamey. It was originally included on A Brand-New Shade Of Blue. The pace is faster on this new version. And this is a perfect time to revisit this song, with lines like "Every day seems harder than the one that came before/But there's a dream around the corner/If you know what to look for" and "If you wake up in the night and wonder where you are." This new version is excellent. Matt Douglas is on clarinet, Rachel Kiel is on piccolo, and Rob Ladd is on drums. The album concludes with the track that features Alex Chilton on drums and guitar, a cover of "Ruby Tuesday," which is one of the best Rolling Stones songs. So, yeah, Chris returns to music from the late 1960s to wrap things up. The vocals to the original track were lost, but what was there has been restored, and Chris completed the track for this release. Rachel Kiel adds some nice work on recorder on this track. Don Dixon is on bowed acoustic bass, and Pat Sansome provides harmony vocals. It's great that this track was included, a wonderful ending to a special album.
CD Track List
- Hey Bulldog
- Waterloo Sunset
- Shadows Breaking Over My Head
- Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)
- Neon Rainbow
- Of Time And All She Brings To Mind
- Hernando's Hideaway
- Where The Fun Is
- Let's Get Lost
- At Last
- There's A Dream Around The Corner
- Ruby Tuesday
Modernism was released on June 19, 2026 through Flatiron Recordings, and is available on both CD and vinyl.
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