 Concrete Blonde I wish I were one of those goth vampire people, because I'd love to give this album the highest possible rating. I loved Concrete Blonde back in the day and still think they're a hugely underrated band. Johnette Napolitano is one of the best rock singers ever, and the band was undoubtedly in their own class. Surely Bloodletting is an all-time classic to a lot of people (for most of whom Interview With a Vampire is also an all-time classic), and to me it's a classic of sorts, though in a reviewing capacity I can't deny the "album track" quotient here. I mean, I've listened to this album a lot and I couldn't tell you how "I Need a Hero" or "The Beast" goes. But the strong songs are unbelievably strong. This was the album Concrete Blonde was born to make, and it finds them at the peak of inspiration. Still, I can't say every song is great, though the great ones are extremely great. And the reverb is kind of out of control. Even so, I'd highly recommend this as one of the best alt-rock albums to come out of the early 90s (it was released in '90). If they had released it four years later I bet they'd have been huge. Hence they will always be underrated. They were simply a band that peaked too soon. The band's sound isn't too far off from Heart, but with a bit more LA slickness and a bit less testosterone. Heart, testosterone? Well, I am speaking comparatively. Concrete Blonde was always a bit more feminine, a bit more consciously erotic, and a bit less ball-rockin' than, say, "Crazy on You." Which is not to say they couldn't rock, as on the magnificent and punkily concise "The Sky is a Poisonous Garden." But where Concrete Blonde was really comfortable were the more slinky and vampiric songs like "The Darkening of the Light" and "Bloodletting." Their sound was a cross between the energetic pop/rock of Blondie and the moody edge of Bauhaus, with Johnette's bass and James Mankey's guitars covering a lot of ground without getting wanky. The pop songs on the album are very tight and very strong (like my personal trainer/lover), especially the very poppy but heartbreaking alcohol drama "Joey" and the perhaps overproduced "Lullabye." Several of the other songs have an "LA band with something to prove" kick that isn't exactly magic ("Days and Days," "Caroline") but the band is tight and Johnette's voice makes virtually anything it sings interesting. The track listing actually brightens as it moves from side A to side B, which is unusual. The album begins with the Lestat-y title track and doesn't seem to hit a major chord until maybe track 8. I must admit, "Joey" gets me every time, and that alone is enough reason for this album to exist. "And when you said I scared you, well I guess you scared me too." Man, that truly chills me to the codependent core. "Tomorrow, Wendy," the epic (also underrated) Andy Prieboy song, is given a definitive reading here to close the disc – again, perhaps a bit on the slick side but it's an amazing song and Johnette sings exquisitely. It's been a long time since I've last heard this CD, and I'm finding quite a bit less emotional attachment to it than I would have claimed ten years ago. I guess that's part of "growing up," as granddad said when he realized he no longer liked Tommy Dorsey as much as he used to. But I love an underdog and will continue to wave the Concrete Blonde flag anyway. Maybe they will reissue this album with a brilliant box and "new liner notes." Then I could give it the higher rating I'd love to, since I'm so reissue-obsessed that I can actually appreciate albums better once they've been reissued. Until then, I'll have to admit it's a gem and a sleeper – but not a masterpiece.
Review by Joe Panda |