It's been years and years since rock music was still important and had great relevance. Artists were not pop bunnies who sang with computer voices, but stars with guitars, poets, explainers of the world.
Today it is time to celebrate Grant Lee Buffalos Masterpiece "Mighty Joe Moon".
No experiments. The second work by the trio from Los Angeles also shines with the same virtues that made last year's debut "Fuzzy" stand out from the flood of releases: with its mainstay firmly based on country and folk, singer and guitarist Grant Lee Phillips, bassman Paul Kimble and drummer bathed Joey Peters gives her a leg up in wild fuzz orgies.
Since then, REM's Michael Stipe has called GLB his favorite band, and Pearl Jam hired the newcomers as the opening act for their '93 US tour. After such a debut, it's no wonder: the thirteen new pieces from "Mighty Joe Moon" are a continuation of "Fuzzy" with exactly the same means. The acoustic guitar is sometimes plucked with foam, sometimes hit painfully, the drums just sound like they are being played with a brush, only to suddenly tip over into a stuttering staccato.
In addition, singer Phillips' voice, more reminiscent of David Byrne's nervous organ than Neil Young's soft whimpers, and compositions that are consistently more oriented towards Calvin Russell than REM. The progress is unmistakable. In contrast to "Fuzzy", "Mighty Joe Moon" is a piece of music as if it were all of a piece. From the opener "Lonestar Song" to the central "Its The Life", in which a picking guitar takes a melancholic assessment of a wasted life, to "Rock Of Ages", the second GLB album sneaks up as if from ambush - unobtrusively . Irresistible.
In the stylistic brew of go-go bar music, country ballads and grunge elements, no note is too much. Every note fits, every harmony develops exactly the intended effect. Supported by guitar, bass and drums, the three Californians whirl under their dreamy melodies, sometimes volcanic noise eruptions, sometimes a squeaky little harmonica.
Sometimes a cello, a melting slide guitar or a banjo also provide variety. But "Mighty Joe Moon", produced by bassist Paul Kimble, never seems overloaded, always remains a transparent accompaniment for band leader Phillips, who looks like a mustache but develops an almost hypnotic power with his singing, which oscillates between whispers and screams.
No choirs, no keyboards, hardly any overdubs. Foregoing all studio gimmicks, Grant Lee Buffalo conjure up folk rock to perfection with ten strings, two drumsticks and one voice...
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