accordian

Take A Polka Doted Waltz Through The Cuban Country, With Some Rock and Jazz, Man (The Mavericks, Brand New Day review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

I think some of my favourite things about listening to music are when you can stumble across something you like but can’t believe that you didn’t already know about it. Or to put it another way, when you reconnect with music that you forgot you were a fan of.

 

The Mavericks – Brand New Day
released March 31, 2017
******* 8/10

The Mavericks have been making offbeat country music for just over 20 years, and that’s taking into account the break they took between 2005-2011! Known for their eclectic sound that combines latin and rockabilly influences. I first heard about them back in the 1990s, when I was still voluntold to listen to the country station in my parents house. Remember Here Comes the Rain and All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down? This is sound of The Mavericks that I still remember sitting in my parents faux wood panel station wagon.

But that doesn’t mean the ninth outing for these guys is out of sync with this generation.

There are high standards in place here.

The opening track Rolling Along reminds me of Ukrainian mountain music and features its share of accordion harmonies. A callback to their early work and very peppy to boot, also it’s about drugs. Just in case that wasn’t obvious. Quickly changing pace for the title track, The Mavericks present us with a more somber tone on Brand New Day, its upbeat though, and features some excellent caterwauling from Miami born Raul Malo. Then we get to hear some horns on Easy as It Seems, which is surprisingly easy going with its message of musical sambas from the 50s.

Then again, that sound does continue through on the next song I Think of You, and later with Ride With Me and closing track For the Ages, but the mixing in of early pop, jazz and true bread and butter are what they are known for. It’s comforting to see a group caring the torch along, without dragging it on the floor.

Staying true to their sound has always been important for The Mavericks, and I think that’s why they choose time and time again to stay independent, nobody messes with the production. They have fun with their music and it comes through – listen to Goodnight Waltz and tell me you don’t think of lounge singers, spaghetti, and cocktails. But with a country twang to it.

This music does not fit into any particular genre. I chose country as the prefacing statement because that’s where I heard it first in my youth, but this music reminds me of so many different things at any given moment, that they are eclectic is the really the best way to put it.

It never reaches a point where I’m listening and re-listening to the lyrics or pausing to reflect on ideas within, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worthwhile.

Mavericks indeed.

 

theories Summarized

Do you want to take a trip through Americana, post-war and pre-war? Well this is your ticket and I wish you well on your journey, I think there is something of a history lesson and a demonstration that it all comes full circle when we listen to music.

An unorthodox or independent-minded person. The definition of a maverick. These gentlemen fit the bill, and that’s my theory for why they have staying power, not because there is something brand new here, but because they are inclusive and adventurous.

Tim!

Coatcheck (Kongos, Egomaniac review)

Posted on by Tim Kuefler

I always hated going to bars where I had to check my coat. Why the hell would I remove my jacket when I was struggling artist/student with minimal funds. Besides that coat check was worth half a pint of beer and I was just teeming with ideas to share with my fellow classmates.

The alcohol was a great way to release those thoughts and flood the room with my all-important vision for the art world and ideation of global citizenship.

I had something of an inflated ego and should’ve just played along with the group dynamic instead.

 

 

 

Kongos – Egomaniac
released June 10, 2016
******** 8/10

Egomaniac

Kongos are a band of brothers, quite literally – Comprised of South-African-Americans Johnny (accordion, keyboards, vocals), Jesse (drums, percussion, vocals), Daniel (guitar, vocals), and Dylan Kongos (bass guitar, lap slide guitar, vocals). Yeah, it’s not just a cool band name, it’s their legitimate surname too.

The brothers grew up in both London and South Africa, but have lived and worked on their art in their established hometown of Arizona since the mid 1990s.

The album starts off quite strong with Take It From Me, already a verifiable single with accompanying music video and that sweet sweet alt rock, hard rock, kwaito combo. You know, the sound that made Kongos a household name throughout Canada a couple of years ago, and which let them taste the Billboard charts of the United States too?

Now if you’ve heard their most popular song Come With Me Now, which came from the preceding album Lunatic, and I seriously doubt you haven’t, you’ll know that there was a very strong kwaito sound back then, that featured accordion and steel guitar, and made that track really cool and adaptive.

Fast forward to today, and first impressions from me were that I really dug the album almost immediately, and a lot of it had to with the lyrics, and harmonies between the brothers shared frontman duties. Autocorrect and Birds Do It stand out quite excellently in the lyrics department.

And Autocorrect reminds me of a July Talk song, which ain’t a bad thing at all.

In the grand scheme of life, it seems to be the case that Kongos are maturing into their strengths and broadening their interests so that they can deliver a more distinguished product. After all, Egomaniac is a concept album about the challenges of egomania. Again they accomplish this and more, drifting between synthesizers, ballads, accordion, bass, and some really sweet hooks. But that might be a byproduct of what happens when you tour with arena rock heroes like AWOLNATION, Imagine Dragons, and Kings of Leon.

It’s odd because I keep struggling with the words to explain how I feel about this album, but I truly do think it’s really cool – that they are capable of producing slower paced songs too, with proper attention given to each track, no matter what the song’s intent and focus, is a demonstration of their staying power.

2 In The Morning opens with what sounds like an edgier version of Brandon Flowers, and while I’m not sure if it’s Danny Kongos voice we hear, it’s quite good and attributed to him. Hey You, Yeah You also has that The Killers vibe to it.

It’s a rare treat when you find a band so self-aware of their strengths and particular voice, and I know I’ve written these words before, but this album is best served as a whole rather than as a sum of its songs.

And that is why Egomaniac won’t receive rave reviews from every critic and his mother – There are no stellar solos or catchy choruses here. But if you’re a fan of the band of brothers, you’ll shred your ego and hope in the trenches with ’em.

 

 

 

If only I had a checked my ego at the door, and had three other brothers with identical talents, I could be part of the Kueflers, an all-Canadian band of visual artists. Wait, I’m doing it again, getting lost in the ego. Gotta stay ground and enjoy the moment.

But that could just be a theory.

Tim!