Localized The Alarmists, Koerner & Glover, Prof & St. Paul Slim

The Alarmists, The Overhead Left
(Instrument Control Studios)

The Alarmists have gone through some turbulent changes in the past six months. Half the previous lineup left after a disagreement about the direction of what would become the band's third disc, The Overhead Left, and singer/guitarist Eric Lovold regrouped with original members Joe Kuefler and Ryan McMillan. Scrapping a finished album already recorded with producer Andrew Lynch (Earlimart, Imperial Teen), Lovold's new Alarmists re-recorded the entire thing in his home studio. Whatever the original material sounded like, the finished songs on Overhead Left are polished, uncluttered pop-rock that continue in the same vein as 2007's The Ghost And The Hired Gun—and could stand to be a little more turbulent, in terms of shaking up the Alarmists' preferred sound. Though there's a bit of a Sgt. Pepper feel on "The Elusive Mr. Albright," Overhead is too familiar. Lovold has a real talent for crafting mid-tempo, melodic tunes in the Guster vein, with winningly catchy work on "Hollywood's Not My Home" and "Car Crashing" in particular. But The Alarmists don't show much inclination to break out of that mold. If anything, they're settling into it, since the sonic palette here is more restricted and monochromatic than either Ghost or the 2006 EP, A Detail Of Soldiers, that rightfully snared the band considerable local praise. The potential for greatness is as palpable here as on Soldiers, but the album never gets out of third gear.
Grade: B-
Upcoming show: June 12, Varsity Theater

Koerner And Glover, Live @ The 400 Bar
(CopyCats Entertainment)

Guitarist Dave Ray's death seven years ago brought the end of an era for legendary local folk-blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover. The good news: The two surviving members—Spider John Koerner and Tony Glover—are still in fine form, as evidenced by this no-frills live album from two nights in 2006. The surly anti-stars even insist nothing’s new in their hilariously dour introduction, a theory they obliterate for the next 40 minutes. Harmonica master Glover made classic albums with Ray, but he’s carved out a little more room for haunting shouts and responses on these familiar tunes from Koerner’s Red House albums and some KRG staples. Neither Koerner’s voice nor his 12-string funk have lost any sparkle, while Glover sounds even more weather-beaten on Sonny Terry’s "Walking Blues.’’ Engineer Chad Weis steered this extremely unadorned live package, which includes no detailed notes, photos, special guests, or artificial sweeteners; it’s just live enough to keep the shine on the stage. If the Twin Cities is indeed enjoying a new acoustic boom, it’s high time we heard again from the groundbreaking—and still premier—practitioners. That damn "Mill" is still broke down, but Koerner and Glover are workin’ just fine.
Grade: B
Upcoming show: July 13, 400 Bar

Prof and St. Paul Slim, Recession Music
(Stophouse Records)

To crib a concept from avant-garde jazz master Anthony Braxton, listening to Prof and St. Paul Slim's debut effort as a duo will involve "complexities." It’s Braxton’s term for what happens when the collision of musical elements creates both resonances and dissonances, and Recession Music is rife with them. The beats are largely inspired, particularly on the mech-like stop-start grind of opener “Everybody Down,” and the sepia-toned, Blackalicious-esque “Horses In The Ghetto.” But there's also some generic material—“Rocketman” is a car commercial saved only by guest Yelawolf’s nimble, manic flow, and nothing about “A Month From Now” seems to quite fit together. Throughout, Prof and Slim exhibit nothing less than impeccable technique, but for every smart, sharp concept (“Demons” features one verse from the perspective of nicotine and another from alcohol) there are reams of generic disses and misogynistic prattle. When Slug unleashed his venom on Atmosphere's “Fuck You Lucy,” it was just as much about the rapper’s shortcomings as Lucy’s, and when P.O.S. lashed out at an ex on “That One,” there was as much self-doubt as judgment. But when Slim resorts to yelling “Fuck you bitch! Fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you bitch!” on “My Heart,” it’s just disappointing—because as lyricists, he and Prof are clearly capable of so much more.
Grade: C+
Upcoming show: June 13, Fine Line and June 17, Fine Line