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Date: 5.27.2005 Author: Pete Blackwell Magazine: Blogcritics CD Review: The Graves Brothers Deluxe - Light Posted by Pete Blackwell on May 27, 2005 12:47 PM Filed under: Music ,Music: Alternative Rock ,Music: Indie Rock ,Music: Rock Light The Graves Brothers Deluxe Music from Good Forks I suppose it would be cheesy to say, "I have seen the Light ," and a bit weird to proclaim I've "heard" it, but since synesthesia is a central lyrical theme of the new Graves Brothers Deluxe album, it makes the most sense. The third full-length recording from this San Francisco trio (and the first since 2002) is fresh and original - and rockin' when it needs to be. The Graves Brothers Deluxe (who would be, by definition, much better than the plain old Graves Brothers if the latter existed) are Stoo Odom on bass, Willy the Mailman on guitar and the occasional sax, and Marco Villalobos on drums. Odom is best known as the last in a series of bassists for Thin White Rope (he's on The Ruby Sea ). One of the other band members allegedly played in the Residents, but since their lineup is the best kept secret in rock, we'll never know. Come to think of it, that's a great idea for publicists: Randomly claim that certain musicians used to be in the Residents. What's to lose? It might be true, and while it deepens the fog shrouding the Residents it lends an aura of mystery to a band that might really need it. For the record, the GBD don't need it. Light is a fantastic, compelling album that's been living in my CD player for the past three weeks. Stoo Odom's muscular bass propels the music and his gruff baritone can be both impassioned and a little bit creepy. As a guitar player, Willy the Mailman really - wait for it - delivers. He gets a chance to play in a variety of styles on Light , and he can play a mean sax as well. Villalobos is an excellent, supple drummer whose playing runs the gamut from gentle country to full-on jazz freak-out. "About the Future," Light 's opening track, sets the tone with a wailing guitar line anchored by Odom's thunderous bass, which is way out front in the mix. "I Hear the Light Coming Down" is a straightforward, noisy rocker reminiscent of a '77-era punk classic. One of the album's best songs is "Legs Rub Together" which starts out quietly with hypnotic bass chords underpinning a melodic, ringing guitar line. Then, two-and-a-half minutes in, all hell breaks loose with a sudden blast of super-fuzz guitar and bass grinding out a heavy groove that sounds like it belongs on an old Loop record, as feedback screeches over the top. A couple of laid back numbers feature acoustic bass and tremolo guitar, and it is these quieter songs that really emphasize the great recording quality of this record (Mr. Mailman was the engineer). Light also features a hard-rocking cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by the Motown production team Holland-Dozier-Holland (performed by the Supremes amongst others) and the album is capped off by a free-jazz skronk-a-thon with the fittingly oblique title "The Flame of the Final Inferno is a Jive Ass Hot Plate." Odom is credited with playing "What the F**k" on this track, and that's about as good a description as you're likely to get. Listeners hoping for a Thin White Rope clone band will be disappointed, but it's clear that Stoo learned a thing or two from his association with Guy Kyser. The gruff vocals, atmospheric use of guitar feedback and the mixture of country and rock influences all are suggestive of TWR, but the Graves Brothers Deluxe are a great band and they deserve to be taken seriously in their own right. Do yourself a favor: go out and hear the Light .