Fred Thomas Changer, Various Artists Agrim Agadez
Fred Thomas
Changer
(Polyvinyl)
We’ve all had moments when our lips just didn’t seem fast enough to speak all the words we want or need to say, like perhaps reporting a horrible accident that just happened or enthusiastically and effusively expressing gratitude for a perfect, unexpected gift or even competing in a speed-talking contest.
These kind of gushing, firehose streams of words characterize one of Fred Thomas’ lyrical approaches, which are applied to a variety of emotional situations and personal stories on his latest solo album Changer.
As Thomas, best known as the front man for the nostalgic pop band Saturday Looks Good to Me, sings on the track “Voiceover,” he’s trying to “scratch through to the immaculate core” of rare, ecstatic emotions surrounded by the more mundane coatings. He goes through crappy jobs, sells plasma and has tragically disappointing tours, but Thomas is seemingly more concerned on Changer with reporting emotions rather than seeking sympathy; the notable “Brickwall” grapples with the watering-down of friendships as one grows older, with subjects being “like a postcard that they can hang” to unavailable friends.
Changer often has the spark of punk without being limited to its structural constraints, and Thomas demonstrates here his knack for breathlessly articulating small moments with his own homegrown lyrical aesthetic that’s fine with cramming extra syllables into a space.
Thomas feels untethered to a specific musical time or place in history here, blasting through throbbing rock chords on “Misremembered” or chiming pop guitar notes on “Reactionary.”
Toward the end of the album, he changes direction by using electronics on “Echolocation” with horn flourishes followed by two palate-cleansing instrumentals that function as a sort of cool-down period.
Perhaps the couplet that could summarize Thomas’ state on Changer comes from “2008”: “When everything is paper thin you just have to adapt / You learn how to breathe slowly and move on fast.” Always prolific with a brisk, outpouring style, Thomas doesn’t need to wait for people to catch up with him, although it’s easy to disregard the destination.
After calling his twenties a “controlled burn” that is finally extinguished, he hasn’t slowed down, with more now in his mind than ever that’s rattling around, but, as he reveals, “you still need some place to go.”
Various Artists
Agrim Agadez
(Sahelsounds)
It’s mind-boggling to think that in its history, the government of the west African nation Niger had banned guitar-playing among the nomadic Tuareg people, since it was considered to be a symbol for the insurgency.
Today, the guitar is a ubiquitous instrument in Niger, in acoustic or electric incarnations, and it’s heard in music made for all purposes, from the political to the recreational and the celebratory, in events such as weddings.
The new collection Agrim Agadez, compiled by Sahelsounds label founder Christopher Kirkley using his high-quality field recordings made between 2012 and 2015, focuses on the guitar in makeshift recording environments across Niger, and it serves as a great introduction to various strains of Sahel guitar music as well as being a fascinating document for the already-initiated.
Perhaps the most recognizable name here is Mdou Moctar, known as the lead actor and musician of the Purple Rain-inspired film Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai, and his nimble, precise acoustic guitar playing is warm and oozing with expression.
Another high point of Agrim Agadez is “C’est La Vie” by Mohamed Karzo, which has an understated beauty; it takes its time to gently work its magic, with a touching vocal delivery that manages to be simultaneously raw and tender.
The oddball track on the album is a rendition of “Hey Joe” that is clearly inspired by Jimi Hendrix’s version, with a rough, fuzzed-out electric guitar; while an honest glimpse, it sounds like something banged out in a basement rehearsal for a young garage-rock band.
If there’s a common thread in Agrim Agadez, it’s the ability of the musicians to conjure an entrancing groove, often with basic melodic lines that are decorated with swift note-ornaments; they may be joined by simple hand-struck drum beats or handclaps, and playful call-and-response exchanges help sustain the momentum.