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CHUD Album of the Month: The Gun Club and Why?

post #1 of 26
11/20/09 at 2:00pm
Thread Starter 
The Gun Club: Miami (1982)



Punk Blues from former Blondie fan-club president Jeffrey Lee Pierce's and his band. The Gun Club is one of those forgotten post-punk bands that shoulda/coulda been huge. Their second album, Miami, was produced by Blondie's Chris Stein and features back-up vocals from Debbie Harry herself (credited as DH Lawrence Jr). It doesn't seem like genres like punk and blues would go together, but the sounds merge so well on this album that I often forget to notice.

Why?: Alopecia (2008)



A winning example of how hip hop can be incorporated into folk, pop and rock. When Why? released his (their?) third album last year, I listened to it, admired some of its lyrics and pop song craft, but couldn't get into it. I'm not really sure I'd call it a grower because the album is so immediate. The lyrics overwhelm you with their sheer density right off the bat. And yet, as time went on I found that I kept coming back to it. Yoni Wolf's nasally delivery may turn some people on, but there's a lot to love her, and the one thing the rush of referential lyrics might force you to forget is the beauty of the music, especially on songs like Fatalist Palmistry. The more you listen, the more you discover.
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post #2 of 26
11/20/09 at 2:13pm
That Gun Club album is fantastic, from what I recall. I don't even know if it's one of the ones I ripped to my HD or if it's somewhere back at my parents' place.

I'll look for it and grab the Alopecia album and weigh in. Good picks!
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post #3 of 26
11/20/09 at 2:19pm
I'll get right on them.
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post #4 of 26
11/20/09 at 2:23pm
I have no clue what these album are.

And I'll get to them, but the Why? cover is mesmerizing.
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post #5 of 26
11/20/09 at 2:33pm
Thread Starter 
As I said in my main thread, it was tough to pick two albums. I had a list of twenty that included some of my absolute favorites. Since a big part of the trend of everyone's picks so far seems to be a certain amount of genre fusion, I decided to go in that direction as well. Hope you guys like them, but don't hold back if you don't. I can take it!
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post #6 of 26
11/20/09 at 2:44pm
Cool. One album I know well, one I've never heard.
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post #7 of 26
11/20/09 at 2:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeb View Post
Cool. One album I know well, one I've never heard.
Me, too, but I suspect that the albums are reversed. Love that Why? album and have always meant to get some stuff by the Gun Club.

(I've also - seemingly always - meant to post on the last four albums.)
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post #8 of 26
11/20/09 at 6:31pm
Great picks. I'm only familiar with the first Gun Club album, Fire of Love, but it's great. And I've never heard of Why? And like Dave I'm way behind on the last few threads.
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post #9 of 26
11/20/09 at 9:19pm
It goes without saying that "Fire of Love" is one of those albums that everyone on Earth should own, but "Miami" is a pretty great and underappreciated follow-up. The local college radio station uses the opening of "Brother and Sister" as the theme music for it's weekly punk/post-punk show. That live Gun Club DVD they released a couple of years ago is pretty good too, even if Jeffrey is clearly coked out of his mind for the entire performance.
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post #10 of 26
11/20/09 at 9:41pm
Yeah, I'm not a big hardcore fan, but Gun Club always seemed like one of the more interesting bands to come out of the LA scene in the early 80's. A bit like an American Birthday Party, although considerably less severe and more accessible. I suspect Jack White and Jon Spencer are big fans.
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post #11 of 26
11/21/09 at 12:38am
Alopecia is definitely Why?'s best studio album to date. Not to knock Elephant Eyelash, but Alopecia was a lot more focused and the addition of Mark Erickson and Andrew Border help round the band out.
Interestingly enough, I'm a big fan of the live album they put out after Alopecia came out, which combined most of the good songs from this and Elephant Eyelash. If you get the chance to check it out, I'd recommend you do.
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post #12 of 26
11/21/09 at 8:25pm
I gave Miami a quick listen last night, not enough for a detailed critique. On first impression it's good but short of great, a little less driving than Fire of Love and a really shitty mix robs it of urgency. As a songwriter I don't think Jeffrey Lee Pierce was quite in Nick Cave's class (only a handful are) but he wasn't bad. If you can get past the thin tones there's some fun guitar work here as well. I was reminded a bit of 'Darklands' era Jesus and Mary Chain and the softer,bluesier side of The Doors (think 'Indian Summer'). Good music to drink alone to.
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post #13 of 26
11/21/09 at 11:51pm
The Gun Club: Miami

I didn't really find this memorable at all, the droning guitars and thin production just didn't click with me, I think the only track I kinda liked was their cover of 'Run through the jungle', after listening to the rest of the album I'd be hard pressed to recall any of the songs, they just didn't stand out at all to me.

Why?: Alopecia

I liked this alot more, the hybrid of folk and hip-hop is interesting, it felt like a combination of Weezer with hip-hop's production. 'A sky for shoeing horses under' and 'Simeon's Dilemma' are the standout's to me.
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post #14 of 26
11/22/09 at 3:25am
I'm listening to Miami and Fire of Love back to back and frankly it's almost like comparing The Beatles and The Monkees. Fire of Love is so much more immediate; songs like 'Sex Beat', 'Jack on Fire' and 'She's Like Heroin To Me' seem iconic, nothing on 'Miami' does. It's not a bad album, I guess, but it's so far below its predecessor.
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post #15 of 26
11/24/09 at 3:43pm
Thread Starter 
I love Fire of Love, but I love Miami more. A lot of people complain about the production and mix, but I have a copy on vinyl and I think it sounds great (although a lot of people complained when it was originally released on vinyl too). As for songs, I think its a little front loaded, but "iconic" isn't something I really look for when it comes to songs. And I prefer Carry Home to any song on Fire of Love, even Sex Beat...which is probably considered their best song.
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post #16 of 26
11/29/09 at 2:25am
Sorry if I was dismissive before Parker, I've given 'Miami' a few more listens and it is definitely growing on me. 'Carry Home' and 'Brother and Sister' are highlights for me. I've only just had a chance to listen to 'Alopecia' today. It's an intriguing album for sure. I'm not sure how I feel about the vocals or lyrics yet but the production and arrangements are terrific. I'll have to give this one a bit more thought.
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post #17 of 26
11/29/09 at 12:57pm
Thread Starter 
Glad its growing on you!

I know Why?'s vocals are going to be a deal breaker for some folks, and I totally understand the reason. I happen to love the lyrics but the silent hero of that album is the production. It keeps you coming back for more.
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post #18 of 26
12/2/09 at 1:42pm
Just posting an apology in the current AOM threads: just haven't had anything like an opportunity lately to sit down and give them proper listens, and since my choices got so much great response, I feel downright guilty not extending the same courtesy to everyone.

Once a few things in life get sorted out, I promise I'll try to get back in the swing of it.
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post #19 of 26
12/2/09 at 2:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parker View Post
I know Why?'s vocals are going to be a deal breaker for some folks, and I totally understand the reason. I happen to love the lyrics but the silent hero of that album is the production. It keeps you coming back for more.
Yeah, I'm finding that I'm having a real problem with the vocals. It reminds me of Cake, and not in a good way. The music itself is pretty interesting, and I admire many aspects of the production, but those vocals kill it for me. I am not the target audience for this style of music, though.

I'm liking the album by The Gun Club much more. I need to listen to it a few more times before I commit to a response on it, but I'm kinda digging it.
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post #20 of 26
12/2/09 at 3:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post
Yeah, I'm finding that I'm having a real problem with the vocals. It reminds me of Cake, and not in a good way. The music itself is pretty interesting, and I admire many aspects of the production, but those vocals kill it for me. I am not the target audience for this style of music, though.
I haven't listened to tons of Cake, but the critical difference to me is that their singer generally seems to be going for deadpan humor, while Yoni Wolf of Why? just sort of naturally sings that way, and any humor is there to undercut the sadness that drives most of the songs.

When I first heard Wolf, I thought he sounded more like Eef Barzelay from Clem Snide or John Linnell from They Might Be Giants. With more emotional problems.
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post #21 of 26
12/2/09 at 3:26pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
I haven't listened to tons of Cake, but the critical difference to me is that their singer generally seems to be going for deadpan humor, while Yoni Wolf of Why? just sort of naturally sings that way, and any humor is there to undercut the sadness that drives most of the songs.

When I first heard Wolf, I thought he sounded more like Eef Barzelay from Clem Snide or John Linnell from They Might Be Giants. With more emotional problems.
For me, it's that ironic non-singing voice that I don't care for, not the content itself. You are probably correct on the motivation behind the 'humor', but it doesn't really matter to me. It's just not my bag.
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post #22 of 26
12/2/09 at 3:34pm
The Why? album is interesting, but the only song I find myself drawn to is The Hollows and that's because that's the one song where the lead singers voice seems to be in on the joke so to speak. Their's a brutal, sardonic streak to that song which really matches the vocals for me and doesn't seem to really occur anywhere else on the album. In actuality the rawness of that one song in particular, the entire fuck it lets just do some shit mentality which seems to dictate its style, really reminded me of a few post-punk bands, and the singers angry, blatant, drawl sort of fits in to that.

Haven't a tough time with Gun Club, I know I SHOULD like it, but I can't.
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post #23 of 26
12/2/09 at 3:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Judas Booth View Post
For me, it's that ironic non-singing voice that I don't care for, not the content itself. You are probably correct on the motivation behind the 'humor', but it doesn't really matter to me. It's just not my bag.
The thing is I don't think it's ironic. It probably doesn't make it any more palatable for anyone who doesn't like it, but I think it's the midway point he found between a hip-hop delivery and a more melodic rock one, not just affectation for affectation's sake (which is how I always heard Cake).
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post #24 of 26
12/2/09 at 7:30pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I don't think he's going for irony either. In fact, most of the songs sound devastatingly personal about anything from relationships to questions of faith and existence. Some of the lines attempt at being clever and there might be some humor in there, but I don't think you're supposed to listen to it and think that just because the guy is (sometimes) rapping in a deadpan style means he doesn't mean what he's saying

Lets put it this way. If Why? ever remade "I Will Survive," they would MEAN what they were singing/rapping...and they'd probably but a question mark at the end of the title to match their name. While as with Cake, it was just one big ironic joke.
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post #25 of 26
12/3/09 at 10:40pm
I'm really getting to like 'Alopecia', and I don't think Wolf is joking around for a second. I had a similar reaction on first exposure to Of Montreal's 'Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?'. It almost felt like camp to me. It took a few listens to realize what a devastating album it really is.

By the way, awesome picks Parker. Thank you.
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post #26 of 26
2/5/10 at 1:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Parker View Post
Glad its growing on you!

I know Why?'s vocals are going to be a deal breaker for some folks, and I totally understand the reason. I happen to love the lyrics but the silent hero of that album is the production. It keeps you coming back for more.
YES! The Why? album is owning me in a big way. I'm getting aural orgasms listening to it. The production's primal. I never got into Gorillaz, but Why? is the perfect substitute.

Not as enthusiastic about The Gun Club disc, though it really starts to pick up some steam with 'Texas Serenade'. Those vocal harmonies are glorious. Ditto with 'Watermelon Man'. Holy shit. Love that tune. In fact, pretty much all of the second half destroys the opening sprawl.

You did good, Parker. The songwriting on both of these are fan-fuckin-tastic.
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