www.onefinalnote.com/reviews/v/various-artists/no-w-now.asp
There's a comedy routine, several pop tunes, some free jazz solos, electronica, excerpts from stupid presidential remarks, you name it. The contents vary a good bit as to the quality department also. The only thing the pieces seem to have in common is that the creator of each do(es)n't like President Bush and would prefer that he not be re-elected. In fact, all proceeds from sales of the recording reportedly go to a non-profit anti-war group called "Not in Our Name". R Ruzow's Subterraneans, "Study War No More" consists of Roger Ruzow's trumpet, Neil Starkey's double bass, and Jamie Shepard's drums in a pleasant rendition of this old warhorse. I actually hear more of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen"--but I suppose the idea is pretty much the same. Boys Suck, "My Country" is a folkrock, strumming tune with the steady refrain, "I will not die for my country, no, I will not die for my country". It's OK in its tuneful, self-centered way, and I suppose there are many prospective listeners who will be unable not to admire anybody who's so proud and unstinting in his unwillingness to die for his homeland, but for some reason the song reminds me a bit too much of the theme to Friends. I can't imagine even those who like this tune wanting to hear it more than once, but unlike "Post War Guilt Song" it's not bad once. Jason Smart, drums), "The March of the Fourth Reich" is a cute electric strut in which what sounds like a distorted lead guitar turns out some enjoyable and angular funk with this kicking rhythm section. No guitarist is credited though, so I guess one of the three regular members of the band did some overdubbing. Elliott Sharp's "These Days" is the first piece of substantial quality on the disc. Sharp plays steel guitar and laptop, and the result is omnious, grating and wonderful. Newpoetic (Adrian Wagner)--"Illuminated" consists of a moody pulse track of what I think is English horn, synth, piano and drum machine in accompaniment to some excerpts from Bush speeches. I remember hearing a similar track of Reagan foolishness (something about "a can of poisoned meat") during the 1980s. And God knows our illustrious leader has given us more than ample material to goof on in the last three-plus years. Scott Rosenberg's "Rhrr" is a brief growling solo screed on baritone sax. There's no question that Scott is pissed off about various administration officials and/or actions. White Out (Tom Surgal & Lin Culbertson)--"Let Running Dog Imperialists Lie" sounds like a keyboard and percussion cut from Sun Ra's Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy or Solar Myth Approach. Tons of reverb, twangy and ringing patches, and the merciless battering of toms. Brady Sansone's "There's No W in President" is another excursion into the excavation of Bush sound clips and the composing of accompaniments thereto. Sansone also applies some Reichian loops to the Bushspeak. I don't really know what it's about, but I like the plucky, Britrock feel. Jack Wright's "There's No Music Like No Music" is a solo soprano sax improv. It's well done, and I like many of the sounds, but at eight minutes, it probably goes on a bit too long for this sort of compilation. Threat Language's "Hey George" is a simple pop rock tune that not only opens with a chant begging for a "regime change" but goes the extra mile in creating an atmosphere of constructive change by including lots of phrases with multiple obscenities, like "Stop fucking up our world, you son of a bitch!" The rhymes may be strained, but the vocalists seem to me to pronounce all the naughty words correctly and with abundant elan. The piece is a glum dirge that might be boring if it were longer (especially since everybody seems to be playing the same part in a "that-thar lone-cowpoke done died" ballad), but it's pretty short. Eric Weddle, electronics) "Gob Wee Shrub" is only about three-and-a-half minutes long, and, with its sound check-style opening, it doesn't really get going until it's nearly half over. But Bivin's crinkly guitar scribbling and Belcher's tenor climax makes you wish it were longer. At over ten minutes in duration, Pauline Oliveros' "A Poem of Change" is the cornerstone of this release. As one might expect from the meditative Oliveros, the piece isn't at all snarky or wise-assed. ") that you may want to rip your ears out of your head with locking needlenose pliars. The sounds she interweaves, however--particularly the thunderclaps, sirens and machine gun fire--are well chosen and surprisingly velvety. So if you can tune out Ms Oliveros' whispering chant of "Change--Change--Change" that softly badgers Mr Bush and his insufficiently enlightened cronies throughout the piece (and you don't mind a bit of flower-child innocence from a bygone era), it goes down pretty easy. Lea Jones--"Turkeys in Texas" is another solo country folk offering. A pinch of Gordon Lightfoot, a splash of James Taylor and a sprinkle of Loudon Wainright III. The melody's catchy (if not entirely original) and there's also a repeated sample of a bunch of real live turkeys gobbling for all they're worth. OK, now you know what these bunch of hip musicians are thinking, electoral college-wise.
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