A quarter of a century ago, Grant Hart drummed for that fastest band on earth, Husker Du. His songs were packed strong melody lines, jagged hooks and could sear the skin off your face with their turbo-charged velocity. After the Huskers, he moved to lead guitar in the under-appreciated band Nova Mob before finally going solo.
These days he may not break any land speed records, but his ability to still come up with solid hooks and melodies compensate for this.
Raiding The Archives of Arcane Anthems
With his latest effort, the self-produced Hot Wax (on Grant's own Con D'Or Records), Hart ransacks sources like Little Steven’s Underground Garage and Lenny Kaye’s wondrous Nuggets compilation for inspiration. Like a true artist, he steals from a number of different classic underground 60s bands but still has the talent to turn their sturm and drang into his own.
For instance, the song “Barbara” feels inspired by the early Left Banke (of “Pretty Ballerina” fame). The opener scorches the room with 13th Floor Elevator's prime lunatic Roky Erickon’s flaming madness. The track “Charles Hollis Jones” borders on Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd observations of the human condition coupled, powered by pumping Farfisa goodness. The closer, “My Regrets,” recalls the power, glory and screaming guitars of the UK’s Creation.
Recorded in both his native Minneapolis as well as Montreal, Hart has assembled a band that can match him chop for chop. He employed members of the bands Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Rank Strangers and Silver Mt. Zion for accompaniment, and they are more than able to handle his heady mix of Patti Smith, rockabilly and penchant for Zen Buddhism and Greek mythology. More important, whatever style Hart decides one of this CD's nine tracks should be in, he has the personnel who can handle it.
Soundtrack for a Modern Day Be-In
As one can surmise, Hart has moved more towards raw psychedelia than the garage end of indy 60s rock. That doesn’t date him. Instead he packs enough passion and potency to keep the sound quite contemporary.
To make matters even more interesting, Hart is currently touring the greater Midwest and Eastern Canada in support of this release. If the live show is anything like the record, it should be one heck of a be-in.
In all, Hot Wax is as sweet as a sugar cube, but it has that little bit extra to make it a truly satisfying experience. File this one next to the Husker classic Zen Arcade.
Steve Fritz - A professional writer for nearly three decades, I've worked for a number of different organizations over that time. Currently I'm doing ...
