KNUCKLEHEAD - REVIEWS
Kweevak.com
Knucklehead is the fifth release from Crazy Mary an eclectic band based out of New York City. Crazy as it sounds the band members meet and formed through various jobs at the Bronx Zoo. I don't know if there is a song about it but diversity is the signature style of the group. It is very hard to categorize Crazy Mary as their unique music is a mix of garage band, retro, 90's psychedelic and synthetic sounds. There are also traces of pop, rock, British and possible alternative. Their songs are an exotic mix of electronics, spacey guitars and funky beats. On this collection they are joined by avant-garde violinist Walter Steding and the New York Horns, thus giving their assorted tunes even more variety. This thirteen-track collection features both male and female vocals. 'Brian Jones' is a pert tribute to Jones. The track incorporates funky electronic sounds with subtle sampling of 'Please Go Home' by The Stones. It is a creative mix of alternative sounds and classic rock. 'Land of Jagged Mountains' features Charles Kibel playing electric sitar giving this track a spacey Middle Eastern feel. Sophia Jackson on vocals and finger cymbals is hypnotic. Creative beats, sharp guitars and the violin complete the scene. It is followed by 'Still Water', which has an energetic blues vibe thanks to organ tones, cool beats, slide guitar and the harmonica. Crazy Mary is zany and fun and they cover a wide range of sounds on their latest release Knucklehead!
ALL MUSIC GUIDE
AMG REVIEW: When it comes to music, the term "self-indulgent" can easily be used in a derogatory fashion. But self-indulgence isn't necessarily a bad thing; in fact, it can actually be a plus if the artist's creativity is at a high level. Jazz great Ornette Coleman, for example, can be very self-indulgent, but he's so imaginative that his excesses can be forgiven—or even enjoyed. The term "self-indulgent" easily describes Crazy Mary's Knucklehead, which is every bit as goofy, bizarre, quirky and eccentric as their previous release, Burning Into the Spirit World. It's also memorable and highly creative; Knucklehead is self-indulgent in the good sense. Drawing on influences that range from Frank Zappa to the B-52s to all kinds of ‘60s music, Crazy Mary provides alternative rock that is off-center yet oddly infectious. The New Yorkers' appreciation of ‘60s music (everything from psychedelic rock to the girl group sound to Memphis soul) is strong, but tracks like "Brian Jones" (an ode to the late Rolling Stones guitarist, who died in 1969), "Invisible" and the Stax-tinged "When the Shit Hits the Fan" don't sound dated—Knucklehead is still a product of the post-‘80s alternative rock world. Crazy Mary knows how to combine influences from different eras, and they also know how to be totally unpredictable without sounding confused or unfocused. The band will bring a strong Middle Eastern influence to "Land of Jagged Mountains" only to turn around and acknowledge blues-rock on the 12-bar "Still Water", and whatever they do, Crazy Mary has no problem being distinctive and recognizable. Knucklehead is an appealing addition to the New Yorkers' catalog—excesses and all.
Cosmik Debris
Knucklehead is Crazy Mary's fifth album, a landmark achievement for any indie band. Actually, it's a landmark that most indie bands are better off never achieving, since so many of them seem to run out of ideas somewhere around track four of their second release. That's hardly the case here, though. Knucklehead is, among many other things, Crazy Mary's coronation as the kings (and queen) of creativity.
I haven't always loved everything about every Crazy Mary release, but that's really part of their charm. They take real chances on every album, mixing and matching genres and playing on a musical tightrope stretched between genius and failure. Sometimes they end up closer to one end of the rope than the other, but when you're constantly exploring new territory a few false leads are bound to come along. What they do well they do so well that simply repeating their most successful ideas a dozen times on a single disc would give them the kind of cohesive, polished effort that the dull normals of the world crave. Crazy Mary is rarely normal, and never dull.
This time around they call on help from avant garde violinist Walter Steding, mandolinist Jason Spittle and the The New York Horns brass and reeds unit. Thus fortified, they attack everything from the flower power pop of "Let's All Have A Party" to "When The Shit Hits The Fan" with a hint of Memphis soul, from the Ali Baba on hash mood of "Land Of The Jagged Mountains" to the 12 bar blues of "Still Water," with stops along the way at points familiar and points found somewhere past the 'here be dragons' markings on the mainstream musical map. In other words, the music is all over the place, but you'll want to visit all of the places it's over.
Over the course of five albums, Crazy Mary has progressed from an "I wonder what they're up to this time?" band to a "I can't wait to hear what they do next!" band. They keep moving, sometimes forward, sometimes sideways, sometimes in directions uncharted, and if there's a spark of adventure in your soul, you'll want to follow along.
KOSMICBLUES
The prolific NYC quartet Crazy Mary hits their stride with this collection of offbeat musical fun and games. Equally adept at styles from rock to soul to Middle Eastern fusion, and most anything in between, Crazy Mary's skewed take on the world is sure to put a smile on your face. "When the Shit Hits the Fan" and "Designer Dog" are among the standout tracks… you'll have a good time picking your own faves. Recommended for anyone who likes a little Zappa with their Residents, or vice versa.
1340 MAGAZINE
While touted as the "original NYC garage music," Crazy Mary is anything but a typical garage band. Intentional and original, it will be hard to describe them for anyone who has not heard them. Knucklehead is a culmination of years of paying their dues and keeping their day jobs.
Let’s attempt to describe the sound. There is something fascinating about the overall sound. Lock the B-52’s and They Might Giants in a room with punk/grunge garage band out of some college town and do not let them out until they can agree on something. Maybe that’s a good image. Maybe. Title track, "Knucklehead," maybe reveals a little of each of us if we’re honest. That person lurks inside us all.
Overall, there is some genius inevitably in the eccentricities of this music. Bring some vocals to the front and I might buy it wholeheartedly. College DJ’s need to get their hands on this kookiness.
LEFT OFF THE DIAL
Knucklehead is the fifth release from this New York City based band, and throughout this record, they never stray too far from the basic garage rock that the city has always been known for. All of the major influences are accounted for; from the Velvets and the Ramones to Blondie and the Talking Heads – it’s not necessarily a potpourri of different sounds, but the band obviously knows what the sound they are shooting for.
Although Sophia Jackson handles vocal duties on each track, Crazy Mary shy away from her taking lead vocalist duties – nearly every song features Jackson singing along with either George Kerezman or Charles Kibel – together creating a chant-like sound that goes against the often cliché aspects of the woman-fronted rock band. The instruments are pretty minimal throughout: your basic drums and guitars are fleshed out with organ and violin. The first half of the disc is the strongest, with my favorite track being "Brian Jones," an ode to the Rolling Stone, where Jackson’s detached vocals recall Nico at her finest. This is followed by "Let’s All Have A Party," which continues the Velvet Underground feel, and made me immediately think of "Who Loves The Sun." "When The Shit Hits The Fan" is a funk-inspired workout featuring the New York Horns, and "Land Of Jagged Mountains" features sitar and violin, carrying a distinct Indian feel.
DREAM FORGE
Punk Rock. Metal, always metal. Jazz. Electro-blonde kiddie pop gives way to a young woman who rediscovers playing her own guitar and -- gasp! -- helps in the writing of the songs she’s actually going to sing. A movie that’s a white bread, retro ‘60's sex comedy is the talk of the town (outside the X-2 Matrix).
And now the biggest buzz around the N.Y. "scene" is a 1920's style burlesque called Ixion, and performs a Greek myth to ragtime music and gutbucket blues. It is in this context, this mire of slop we call culture and entertainment that we have view Crazy Mary’s latest, Knucklehead.
There’s retro and there’s retro. Biting a past musical style is all there seems to be left, though I’ll never say never. Some just use this as an excuse for creative laziness and lack of imagination. Others are curious. Crazy Mary has had their own musical journey; from the raw psychedelia of Velvet Underground and Cramps influenced debut record Passion Pit and the following She Comes In Waves, through the twisted, MDA-drenched re-mix record Astronaut Dub, all the way to Burning Into The Spirit World, where they hit their stride with a focused, powerful, and original sound. I dare say, musical maturity that doesn’t rust and creak at the hinges is a welcome change. Call this, their most recent, and possibly last, recording, their own "Exile on Main Street." It’s just as exploratory (in it’s own context), even more so; it also codifies and integrates their musical story this far. While the Stones explored the blues, Crazy Mary uses the past thirty years of rock in all its phases and permutations to draw from. It’s a deep well and the Crazies, in defiance of the aesthetic of the bland product.
From the first notes of the first song, "Invisible," you know that they’re coming’ high and tight with their fastball. Special guest violinist Walter Steding, starts with a flowery intro of a line warped by echo. The band kicks into a hard rock groove, circa 1973. And the lyrics are darker than most on the previous record, the visionary "Burn Into The Spirit World." It’s not just in the incessant, dissonant angst of the guitar chords or the burnt-grass fiddle, but the lyrics that convey a grim, existential view of "the thousand pin pricks" (read "The Revolution of Everyday Life" by Raoul Vanegiem) of the modern life: "Off to work, I’m runnin’ late, the scene’s the same, just change the date . . . My job it sucks I waste the day, I’m trapped because I need the pay/ broken dreams they shadow light, the mirror smashed upon my stripe / pick up the pieces falling down, I cut my feet my hands are bound/ I pictured things so differently, it’s not how it’s supposed to be." But theirs is not the darkness of grunge band heroin chic or fashionable paralysis. By the end of the song they’re screaming in anger at the post-911, post prosperity that is the new New York, after the touchy-feely moments passed and grim reality shoved us back into our isolated lives of quiet desperation. "I am not invisible / I am not invisible / so stop lookin’ through me like I’m not even there." There’s more, like the conga drum brake at the end of the song and the added tag at the end of the song, but I don’t want to spoil it for you.
They still have visions, too, of how things should be, which is refreshing considering the de rigeur bleating of the screed of hopelessness that all so-called indie bands have indulged in for, like, what, twenty years now? Jeez! "I Wake Up Dreaming" comes from the burning land of the spirit, like a shaman’s vision. But of course it’s the shamanism of the average person in everyday life. From the easy rock beat to the rising, open guitar chords to the soaring vocals of singer Sophia Jackson and the late George Kerezman, this is the sound of yearning behind the innocent dreams of 60's rock. " I see the moon stand in the summer sky at night I go to the sound by sea the north star burning I dream of a perfect world a clear blue sky and grass and tress I dream of sunrise . . . reflecting off of a sparkling sea / I wake up dreaming / I wake up dreaming / I see the drums and bass they dance the night away/ they look about the room for someone they can play/ I dream of perfect world of laughing children playing games / a world of summer breezes where the countries have no names / I wake up dreaming . . ." Of course, being New Yawkers, they are grounded in concrete-and-steel reality. "Some day the dream will end and all this will be gone / I mourn the dream but time will end and life will carry on /my face is in the mirror and the mirror’s in my face and then my face just disappears without a trace." But just like the visionary artists they are, they pursue, or at least, celebrate the dream. "I dream of a perfect world of music playing everywhere a world where people live there lives and never have a care I wake up dreaming." The music, the subject, how the lyrical story unfolds are perfectly matched, providing a lesson on how rock and pop are properly done.
Another cut, "Angel in Disguise, "also provides a lesson in song craft. It has that unmistakable Crazy Mary groove. Like bands in the hey day of rock used the blues and R&B to fuel their white-boy bands, Crazy Mary creates a feel and sound that underlie their clever adaptations of rock styles. Call it psychedelic grunge funk. It indie-rocks a little, with a lurching hunk of soulful fatback. And like the best rock songs they take something low down, like the moment of horny, turned on chemistry and celebrate that transcendental aspect at the core of the moment. "She moves like an angel in disguise / like a vision from heaven she dances in front of my eyes / / she’s swinging and swaying she’s up and she’s down / when she’s standing before me my heart starts to pound
They follow this up by sailing along on the psychedelic sleigh ride with "Land of the Jagged Mountains," an eastern/Mid eastern 60's style hippie rocker, with great violin and guitarist Charles Kibbel on electric sitar, and singer Sophie Jackson adding finger cymbals. These little touches of texture and atmosphere show the extra touches that elevate songs from okay to great, a sign of musical maturity and depth.
"Still Water" is a rolling stone of a rockin’ blues number. It’s as straight forward as Keith Richards would have played it back in the day. Somebody’s been listening to Albert King and Dwayne Allman’s slide guitar work.
In what, given the depth of this band’s music and the receding hairlines, is clearly influenced by vintage rock novelty silliness, i.e., Bonzo Dog Band, Mothers of Invention - they follow up the low down blues with "Designer Dog" an ode to women’s best friend and a diss on trendy New York doggy culture. "Don’t want no designer dog / I’ll take a big ole mutt any day . . . to a big ole mutt us okay" sung, of course, to a childlike calypso folk-rock tune. Silly but fun, an urban folk song of the absurd NYC dog culture.
The coaster rolls down and over in another direction, back into the Crazy Mary land of dark pop psychedelia, with "Duck and Cover" another song that, like great rock in the past, especially the 60's reacts to modern political times. "Bombs are falling down/ falling on my brother / gotta run and hide / hit the deck and cover / running out of town /gotta find my lover / bombs are falling down / falling on my lover / Duck and cover run for your life / me and my sweet lover are out last night / Another terror warning / gotta find some shelter . . ." These words are sung in boy-girl harmony over an slow, crazy rock funk groove, with a big horn section blazing on the chorus, over a synched up guitar-bass-drums machine of a rhythm section.
In what at first seems like a throw off number, one that is a homage to the vintage weirdness of Zappa or the Fugs there’s "Nick Not Talking," a one minute indulgence, but only is the perfect ending to Knucklehead, a lurching, signature guitar and rhythm groove, the distinctness of this band. And, like the Fat Albert Show, you have fun and learn something, too. Did you know that the Pledge of Allegiance was written by a flag company? Recite it with a bad German accent. Chilling, no? The future of the band is in question. The recent death of their wonderful bass player / organist George Kerezman has no doubt left a hole in their hearts. This reviewer wishes them the best and hope that Crazy Mary can continue to truly represent New York’s rock underground. Tune into their website www.crazymary.com and get rockin’.
Past and Present Webzine
Now, here are two of the newest releases from this New York band that has released three other albums prior to these, and … I think the band-members will be glad to hear that I think that they have brilliantly many ideas to work with, and that they’re extremely original in their approach… If you’re looking for something a little different from what you’ve been spoon-fed through the radio lately, I’d advise you to get Crazy Mary’s newest album Knucklehead – it’s a great trip through some very cool 60’s inspired psychedelic Zappa-like tunes mixed with the alternative rock of today, heavy on guitars, organs and violins.
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