Resist. Revolt. Reclaim.
SADAHARU
(CI )
That's right, the revolution will not be televised — it's coming from Amish Country. At least that's what Lancaster, Pa., post-hardcore quartet Sadaharu has planned. Its excellent new album — Resist. Revolt. Reclaim. — boasts a wonderfully rebellious title and all the markings of a masterful modern-day protest disc: serrated guitars, whiplash rhythms, apocalyptical electronic flourishes and larynx-shredding vocals calling for an unholy uprising.
"This is not a protest song," go the lyrics by co-frontman Jeff Briel. "It's a wake-up call, not a sing-along."
That ditty's titled "A Change to the Status-Quo Is Not Only Long Overdue, But Requisite." The album's opening track calls for "Gunpowder, Treason and Plot." Track four explains "This Is Less a Protest of What Is, Than a Celebration of What's to Come."
These boys aren't protesting; they're calling for unbridled upheaval. Disorder in the court. Widespread turmoil. Mass mayhem. Anarchy, anyone?
But the band's extreme politics aren't the only thing that makes this album kick ass like a hopped-up Chuck Norris. Anyone can play loud and bitch about The Man. Sadaharu makes rioting in the streets sound more fun than a night with two hookers and an 8-ball.
Named after a legendary Japanese home-run hitter, Sadaharu brings the funk. Well, sorta. In a Rage Against the Machine kinda way. Actually, in a more distinct way than just about any other act around. Sadaharu's aural assault is unmerciful, a shock-and-awe carpet-bomb job designed for utter annihilation.
But buried just beneath the hail of bullets and ballistic missiles lie subtle hooks that ensnare the listener. Digital special effects grab hold at all the right places, adding texture to the barrage of howled slogans and sinister guitar forays — creating a sonically diverse onslaught that's at once smart, primal and exhilarating. (Sadaharu performs Fri., Dec. 7, at the Orpheum, Ybor City. For more info, see Music Week p. 50.) 4 stars —Wade Tatangelo
Dirt Farmer
LEVON HELM
(Vanguard)
This album was never supposed to have happened. After his recovery from throat cancer, Levon Helm said his "sangin'" days were over. Apparently his recovery went better than expected. Helm — whose gloriously raspy pipes were such a crucial element of the unique sound of The Band — takes to the mic again on Dirt Farmer, a collection of rough-hewn mountain music, Cajun waltzes, rural blues and ragged folk. His daughter Amy adds loose harmonies, and the rhythm tracks are built around fiddles, acoustic guitars, mandolins, accordions and Helm's pliable drumming. His voice is missing the easy bravado of the pre-cancer period; it's more strained and a bit thinner, but retains the deep Southern authenticity that's been Helm's trademark for decades. It's heartening to see this American treasure back in the game, making music with grit, humor and charm. 3.5 stars —Eric Snider
Live From the Ruhr Triennale
CHIP TAYLOR & CARRIE RODRIGUEZ
(Train Wreck )
One of the strangest characters on the alt-country scene, Chip Taylor penned such classics as "Wild Thing," "Angel of the Morning" and "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)" before quitting the music biz in the mid-1970s to be a professional gambler. Born John Wesley Voight, he's the younger brother of actor Jon Voight. Taylor returned to music in the 1990s, and in 2001 began a fruitful collaboration with young singer/fiddler Carrie Rodriguez.
This live set is culled from two shows at a German festival held in October 2005. The legendary singer/songwriter and his sweet-voiced accomplice are backed by an all-star band featuring guitar god Bill Frisell. Taylor and Rodriguez alternate lead vocals and offer warm harmonies on Taylor-penned ballads like the poignant "Let's Leave This Town," the title track of the duo's 2002 debut album.
Although the recent Taylor originals are mostly strong, the covers are what make this live disc so charming. The harmonies on Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again" are emotive and gripping, while the ace band sounds like it's having a blast reworking uptempo numbers like Johnny Cash's "Big River" and Chuck Berry's "Maybellene." Most important, Taylor and Rodriguez give "Angel of the Morning" the sensitive reading it deserves, offering a rendition that truly eclipses Juice Newton's fluff job. The disc closes with a slowed-down and sexed-up version of "Wild Thing," featuring a fierce guitar solo by Buddy Miller. 3.5 stars —WT
This article appears in Dec 5-11, 2007.