Reviews of: Tin Men - Super Great Music For Modern Lovers
Tin Men With Heart
Super Great Music For Modern Lovers
Best Of New Orleans
By Scott Jordan - GambitWeekly
On the surface, Tin Men appears to be one of those casual hybrid New Orleans bands. You
know the type: its members play in approximately 14 other bands, but once a month or so
they get together for some low-pressure jamming and musical wisecracking. Then their side
project slowly fades away like gig fliers on telephone poles.
Guitarist/vocalist Alex McMurray, sousaphonist Matt Perrine and washboardist Washboard
Chaz play in roughly 10 other bands, but it'll be a damn shame if their collaborative
effort Tin Men falls by the wayside. Their new CD, Super Great Music for Modern Lovers, is
one of the most engaging New Orleans albums in recent memory and an instance of the sum
being more than its formidable parts.
The sound of Super Great Music for Modern Lovers is an American music panorama, ranging
from '30s-era swing (Fats Waller's "Lulu's Back in Town") and jug band classics
("Cocaine Habit Blues"), '50s-era Sun Ra (the doo-wop-ish "Dreaming"),
'60s Bob Dylan rock ("Mixed Up Confusion") to '70s R&B ("Function at
the Junction"). Add in six McMurray originals and one new song each from Perrine and
Chaz, and you've got a diverse musical buffet.
Tin Men's CD is McMurray's finest hour -- and I previously never gave him the time of day.
His manic musical personality can be a handful, and while other observers have praised his
Tom Waits-in-New Orleans persona and twisted, often cynical lyrics, his vocals usually
strike me as affected and his lyrics bitter.
But McMurray has a superb trilogy of sorts early in the album with three originals titled
"Drunk & In Love," "Still Drunk" and "Useless Without
You." The subject matter's familiar territory for him, and similar past McMurray
compositions chronicled miserable losers with a sneering delivery. However, the hapless
protagonists of these new songs are lovable losers about whom McMurray sings with gleeful
affection and -- gasp -- even tenderness. "Still Drunk" is a four-minute
comedy/drama, featuring a hilarious spoken-word skit intro featuring local songbird Debbie
Davis trying to rouse the inebriated musician for a promised trip to the zoo. From there
it turns into a devastating ballad with McMurray singing brilliant bleary-eyed lines such
as, "I would be lying to you if I said I'd never lie to you." In the hands of
the right contemporary-country hat act, it might even be a hit.
McMurray's notorious stage antics -- remember when he announced at the 1998 Big Easy
Awards that he couldn't wait to stick his d--k in the mashed potatoes? -- have sometimes
overshadowed the fact that he's blossomed into one hell of a guitar player. His six-string
work throughout the album swings ferociously, and on the vintage jazz material, McMurray's
fast strumming and tone approximates the pitch of a banjo. Elsewhere, he blasts out a
meaty rock lead and solo on "Function at the Junction," and incorporates island
rhythms into "You Can Be Sure if It's Cabral."
McMurray might be the de facto frontman since he handles the guitar work and bulk of the
vocals, but Perrine and Chaz are perfect foils and every bit his equal in the band.
Perrine continues to prove he's one of the best brass men in New Orleans; his deep bass
rumblings on "Function at the Junction" thunder like an elephant, and his
frantic, squalling outbursts on "Cocaine Habit Blues" captures the song's
inspiration. Chaz is similarly dazzling; his craggy, laconic vocal style is suited for the
Irving Berlin song "He Ain't Got Rhythm," and his skittering spoon work and solo
break on the Perrine instrumental "Wherever Yer at Blues" sounds like a Savion
Glover tap-dance.
Chaz's secret weapon, oddly enough, is a short-order cook's counter bell. At the most
unexpected times on the album, the groove is punctuated with "ding!s" that
simultaneously evoke 1950s diners and the modern catch phrase "Cha-ching!" It's
used to perfection in Chaz's lament "Working in a Restaurant," where the
timeless theme and harried beat would sound perfectly at home in a Marx Brothers movie.
Only one minor complaint: Super Great Music for Modern Lovers could have benefited from
some editing. "You Can Be Sure if it's Cabral" is a tossed-off inside joke
paying homage to the Iguanas' Joe Cabral, and McMurray's "Location, Location,
Location," despite deftly namechecking such local watering holes as Markey's Bar,
feels labored over. But maybe it's ultimately a plus that this band is working hard enough
to have a surplus of material -- McMurray, Perrine and Chaz have proved their Tin Men has
a heart that deserves a full-time beat.
Email music news to Scott Jordan at scottj@gambitweekly.com.
Original page - Best
Of New Orleans
The Year in Music - 10 Favorite Albums of the Year
Super Great Music For Modern Lovers
Gambit Weekly
Best Of New Orleans GambitWeekly
Our
regular music contributors for 2003 weigh in with their 10 favorite albums of the year.
"The Tin Men's Super Great Music for Modern Lovers features a cool rhythm section
and strong songwriting."
"Tin Men, Super Great Music for Modern Lovers (Independent) -- Rubboard/percussion wizard Chaz and sousaphonist Matt Perrine make one of the coolest rhythm sections around; props also to singer/songwriter/guitarist Alex McMurray for his best batch of original songs yet. "