| Issue
#87s
Jul.'06
The first time I had a Guinness was at a
Black 47 show.
It was 1993 and the NYC Irish rockers were playing Irish clubs to
promote their first
release. It seemed that everyone in the club was Irish and drinking
Guinness. Being a beer
lover, I of course ordered a Guinness on tap. But drinking it was tough
- too bitter to
these Italian taste buds, too heavy for enjoyment, too filling to be
able to drink your
fill. Nope, this Guinness was not to my beer likings.
Fast forward to the present and except for
the hot mid-summer months, Guinness is all I
drink on tap. When I go to my favorite pub, Café 9 in New
Haven, CT,
the bartenders
automatically draw me a pint without asking,
“What’ll it be?”
An acquired taste? A learned pleasure?
For many people, the first response to the Furors
mirrors my response to that first pint of Guinness. Listening to the Furors can be tough - too raw for those
who are
use to a studio polish, too quirky for enjoyment, too discerning to be
able to drink in
fully. Nope, the Furors are not to
everyone’s liking. Now then, how does that explain the past
30 years that Derek Holcomb
(Guitar/vocals) and Tom Dans
(percussion/vocals) have been writing,
recording, and performing as the Furors?
How
does it account for songs/singles too numerous to mention, their spate
of LPs, CDs and
continued live performances that still draw crowds to the local pubs
(such as Café 9)?
And of course, how does it warrant a tribute CD that became a double CD
(Let’s Get Furious – A
Tribute to The Furors!)
based on the sheer volume of bands/artists that wanted to contribute to
it (38, but whose
counting)?
An acquired taste? A learned pleasure?
It would depend on whom you ask. The newly
converted, the lifelong follower, the fellow
musician/fan, the pub reveler who stops mid-drink to try and understand
exactly what is
drawing him in...
All in all it doesn’t really
matter. Heaven,
the Furors newest release, does in
fact live up
to its name. It is a gem of an album. The Furors
culled 6 songs, many from their recent live sets, that perfectly
exemplify everything
there is to love about the Furors.
Opening with
the crowd pleasing The Wreck of a
Handsome Man, Derek
& Tom
waste no time pouring their brand of pleasure into our glass
– fractured chord
structures dance and flow over, around, and under a syncopated rhythm
and fragile
harmonies to draw attention to too many areas in a manner that needs
more attention than
you actually realize.
While the song Don’t You Get Tired
continues on with the Furors
strengths and classic DIY appeal, it’s Falling Out
of the Middle Class that showcases the genius of
the Furors. Disjointed to a point
of distraction, it
isn’t until you hone in on Derek’s
lyrics that the full Furors assault
is grasped:
“No matter what percent / I
can’t afford
to rent / money I’ve already spent.” This
is a socially conscious, politics
damning song that should be played over and over until everyone sits up
and takes notice.
You say you want a revolution!
Time
To
Go gives us the heart of Furors,
a
ballad with harmonies that skewer the properness involved with most.
And, just as
you’re trying to figure it all out, She Did It scratches its way
into your ears
(and I mean vinyl sound scratches and hiss as the needle slides into
the groove, not
modern day hip hop style scratches), with a quick skiffle diddy
that’ll have the GoGo
girls swimming in their cages while the Buddy Holly meets early John
Lennon guitar chords
ring throughout.
This Is Heaven
closes the CD and finishes
this Furors pinnacle exactly as it
should,
showcasing Tom’s various
percussion
embellishments (bells, bongos, toy piano, shakers, etc) around Derek’s reeled in high-strung
guitar chords,
while the duo’s harmonies profess a
right-in-front-of-your-eyes appreciation for this
life and this world, right here and right now. And you know what?
That’s all you need
to understand the appeal of the Furors.
The Furors
are the Guinness of music.
An acquired taste? A learned pleasure?
Pour Heaven
by Furors into your glass and drink
deep from the
Perfect Pint.
Heaven by
the
Furors
is available for: $5.49 +s/h*
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Handling charges:
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Add $1.50 per each CD after.
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Add $2.00 per each CD after.
Everywhere else -$7.00
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