Review: Ian Hunter's Shrunken Heads
Ian Hunter's newest CD is out, and it's definitely a welcome respite from the usual soundalike "alternative music" we're subjected to from the major record companies. This isn't music you're likely to stumble across using those "sounds like" searches on music download sites, nor is it something you'll probably hear blasting from your local classic rock station (unless said station in your area has a more varied playlist than the one here which seems sadly locked into some godawful repeat-loop of Boston's greatest hits). But don't let that discourage the more timid of you from checking it out; Shrunken Heads is one of Hunter's most accessible pieces of work to date and gets better with each listening.
One might expect a 70s legend like Hunter to have settled comfortably into a routine of rehashing old licks and lyrical motifs that worked before, but nothing could be further from the truth. Since going solo after Mott the Hoople, Hunter has not only kept current both musically and ideologically, but has continued to stretch his wings and experiment with new styles and sounds. There are subtle musical allusions to the old days--the glam-chunky opening riff of "How's Your House," for instance--but the effect is one of cheeky nostalgia, and it blends easily with the subtle techno-groove of "When the World Was Round."
As we've come to expect from Hunter, the lyrics cover a spectrum of topics from love and loss to scathing Dylanesque commentary on the current state of affairs with the scales tipped significantly toward the latter on this outing (and with good reason if you've been paying any sort of attention to the unfolding of world events since Hunter's last album). I should note that we're fortunate to have a lyric sheet included in the CD; deciphering the words on some of the older Hunter material was a challenge I always relished, and it kept the music fresh to have some new nugget of poetry emerge on each listen, but with lines as loaded with gleeful sarcasm as the ones on "Fuss About Nothin'," it's great to have the words right there in front of you to make sure he really said what you thought you heard.
Personal favorites from the disc: "Brainwashed" for its playful breaks and eclectic instrumentation, the title track for Hunter's wonderful raspy vocal, "I Am What I Hated When I Was Young" for its hilarious hoedown feel and lyrics about aging ungracefully, and "Stretch" because it's a good, solid, bottom-heavy rocker. I could've done without "Soul of America"--a little too much heartland-style Americana for my taste--but it will undoubtedly appeal to other listeners.
You can hear tracks and order the new CD at the Yep Roc Records site, and find tour dates and more info at the www.ianhunter.com.
Labels: Music
