In Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian," some have argued that its stream of violence is a "cleansing spirit." No matter how Biblical you may spin its lesson of following any path - even that of horrifying depravity - it is a journey that must be taken. Like Homer's "The Odyssey," it is a grim battle against forces of nature that are beyond human comprehension. Yet, the essence of living in a newly founded country runs throughout.
Only too often have we read about the settlers when promised a piece of land of their own, "survived" countless obstacles while keeping their burning ember of freedom alive. Slashing through forestland even in North Mississippi, fighting off hundreds of years of wildlife that settled there first, we rarely are given a ground-level view of how these pioneers had no choice but to keep moving.
Many critics talk about how the violence made them put down the book. Harold Bloom turned it away three or four times before finally finishing what he called "a universal tragedy of blood." However, this is the horror of war shot with a wide-angle lens. McCarthy illustrates a general loss of faith in the fact that they visit churches in this hellish region that are abandoned by nearly every beast except the vultures that regularly circle on high. Yet, faith is not completely dried up like the barren landscape. As The Kid and his motley crew of filibusterers trample through the forgotten land, one fellow soldier stops to pray for rain ("Lord we are dried to jerky down here.") and they receive it as McCarthy drives home its rarity with the repeated use of the adjective "wet" to cement how sparse its presence.
One aspect of war that is different in this vast region, is the ability to see your peril coming after you from a great distance. The jungles of Vietnam and Africa, the forests of Europe, and even the snowy clines of Russia are no match for this weary band of renegades seeing their opposition from such a distance that it is tough to discern whether those are horses, buffalo, or steer. Being spotted from this distance with no nearby mountains or valleys to use to an advantage is to make them a sitting duck. So, as the merciless band of supposed horse thieves approaches the filibusterers it happens so fast. McCarthy lends the battle a sense that no matter what direction they move in, "the herd" is always closing in. When they emerge from the cloud of dust, McCarthy covers it in phantasmagoric detail.
A legion of horrible, hundreds in number, half naked or clad in costumes attic or biblical or wardrobed out of a fevered dream with the skins of animals and silk finery and pieces of uniform still tracked with the blood of prior owners.
No matter how many Westerns you have under your belt. No matter how many whipcrack fights you read in Louis L'Amour or Zane Grey, nothing can prepare you for this legion of hellriders. McCarthy has them festooned in outfits like Spanish conquistadors, former cavalry members, and most memorable, "white stockings and a bloodstained wedding veil." Like the vultures in those churches, this mercenary band is equally adept at taking what remains from those left in their scorched earth path.
The battle is terrifying and told in vivid stops and starts. Like Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage," your only feeling is what The Kid is encountering. As exhaustion makes way for fear, The Kid is of course abandoned. And no spoilers here (because McCarthy gives it away in the chapter heading,) his only companion after the skirmish, Sproule, is dying from a deep battle wound.
This episode is tremendously important to the progress of the book. We have reached the point in this work where a rhythm needs to be established between long, painful passages of travel deeper into the heart of nowhere and an ongoing series of "others" to more than likely battle. If McCarthy establishes the wrong frequency, then it could seem episodic like a movie serial. If McCarthy brings in forces and foes in greater numbers and strength, then it could feel like battling "bosses" in a video game. So to remedy this, McCarthy takes The Kid and Sproule on the same path as the marauders where they follow the aftermath.
As harrowing as this can be, at least a sense of right and wrong is beginning to emerge at the margins. In addition, The Kid's survival senses are sharpened. Nonetheless, as he and Sproule scramble for a safe place to rest that has water, they make a discovery.
They crested the mountain at sunset and they could see for miles. An immense lake lay below them with the distant blue mountains standing in the windless span of water and the shape of a soaring hawk and trees that shimmered in the heat and a distant city very white against the blue and shaded hills. They sat and watched.
—
Mik Davis is the record store manager at T-Bones Records & Cafe in Hattiesburg.
New MUSIC this Week
NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS - Wild God [CLEAR LP/CD](PIAS/AMPED) • A pair of excellent singles are not enough to establish the importance of this album. "Wild God" is another autobiographical frame for Cave to enthuse the flock, while "Frogs" is weird enough to be as enchanting as a lost cut from "The Lyre of Orpheus/Abattoir Blues." To truly understand the "optimism" that the artist that neophytes too often see as morose, you must watch his twenty-minute interview with Stephen Colbert. "Wild God," the album captures his drift through family tragedy and loss always leading him back to finding that "the stars stand above the Earth, bright triumphant metaphors of love."
NAILS - Every Bridge Burning [GREEN LP/CD/CS](Nuclear Blast/AMPED) • As punishing as Nails growl/grind/ chug/pound Metal can be, there is a distinct sense of release hidden within its subterranean notes ("Lacking The Ability To Process Empathy") and shred/gallop ("Give Me The Painkiller.") Their self-confessed "sonic aggression" was years coming (eight to be precise.) but double-tracked guitar solos and thundering kick drums are everywhere. "Every Bridge Burning" immediately finds a groove and stays in it while growling relentlessly in your face. It may not be everyone's idea of a good time, but it fits well with the HC/Punk evolution that Metal is taking in 2024.
YANNIS AND THE YAW - Lagos Paris London [WHITE LP/CD](Transgressive/AMPED) • In 2016, Yannis Phillippakis was offered the opportunity of a lifetime. Two days in the studio with Afrobeat legend Tony Allen. So in 2016, just like the Fela records Yannis admired, he took his best rhythmic songs to Allen. Musically, the songs do not stray too far away from Foals turf ("Rain Can't Reach Us,") but his high yelp ("Under The Strikes") works to draw as much emotion out of tracks as the beautiful polyrhythms of the late, great Allen.
PARIS PALOMA - Cacophony [LP/CD](Nettwerk) • As much as you want to brand this talented UK singer/ songwriter another Laura Marling or Fiona Apple, the TikTok hit "Labour" is a stunning ode to female rage rooted in standup bass and huge production. When she cools down on "the warmth," the individual coo of her voice has a cooling effect too. "Cacophony" and its airy sound and dark Pop sensibility seem to have far more in common with another TikTok star - Kate Bush.
BUG CLUB - On The Intricate Inner Workings of The System [SMOKE LP/CD](SubPop/AMPED) • The Welsh punk/poppers have long been synonymous with a brand of smart/silliness ("Only In Love" is perfectly sweet and sour, while the more downbeat "We Can't All Play Saxophones" cuts right to the core.) 2024 has seen them on a run of steady blazers. "Lonsdale Slipons" and "Quality Pints" could be adverts (maybe they are,) and the sensibility of a statement like "Everybody thinks they look a bit like James Bond" should have worn out their welcome a while ago. But they did not. Well, now the trio is out to conjoin Modern Lovers, The Fall, and Young Marble Giants into a ridiculously hooky Buzzcocks-esque band with repeat capability in your mind.
WUNDERHORSE - Midas [LP](Communion UK) • Could the UK be making moves to bring back more Rock? Wunderhorse proves on their second album that Jacob Slater's grizzled grumble has appeal at its best when he dances around the riff on the title cut (an American hit perhaps?) More surprising, is how they borrow heavily (keyword here) from Foo Fighters on the industrial shriek of "July" but truly make an impact with a vocal and drums-only verse. Never before have so many derivative ideas been followed by something unique and inventive. We will see.
REISSUES OF THE WEEK
OASIS - Definitely Maybe [STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM 2LP/2CD](Big Brother) • By the time you read this, we could be enjoying more than another rumor about an Oasis reunion. And if it happens. If the Gallaghers can again put their history behind them, what a year to celebrate their crunchy classic crashing into our world. On August 29, 1994, Oasis showed the world at large the power of Britpop. While they probably would not accept the scepter of that moniker even today, "Definitely Maybe" stands as the best example of its raw power. Combining the harmonious Pop of Sixties British Invasion bands, the Glam/electric Bowie/Mott-esque slam of Seventies UK Rock, and the jangle of Smiths-ian/C-86 style Eighties music, Britpop celebrated British culture by staying true to it. Liam wanted to be John Lennon, and has perfected his early Beatles sneer (even today on an excellent album with Stone Roses guitarist John Squire.) Noel, well he, wanted to lead the biggest Pop band on Earth. With dreams in hand, Oasis were signed up UK indie in 1993 and began recording and mixing these songs over a tenuous year which regularly saw them at loggerheads with management and the label over their "abrasiveness."
Suede may have been the first out of the gate (Spring 1992 "The Drowners,") and Blur was the first to play with BritPop attitude ("Popscene,") but Britpop would be hard-pressed not to find a better opening salvo that Oasis' jangle/Glam whoosh of "Supersonic." And it only gets better from there. the anthemic "Live Forever" would prove to be their breakthrough. The crushing Rock of "Cigarettes and Alcohol" would even inspire Rod Stewart to cover it in tribute to their talent. "Definitely Maybe" would go on to be the fastest-selling debut album in UK history, even making a dent on our shores despite never truly releasing a single here. ("Live Forever" earned a #39 in Billboard's Airplay Top 40 as an album cut.) Thirty years later, Oasis (and even their bad behavior) still inspires working-class types to pick up a guitar and play.
HAWKWIND - In Search of Space [2CD+BLU-RAY](Atomhenge/Cherry Red) • Another British import celebrates its anniversary of creating "Space Rock." While it is not official, and somewhat debatable (some would elevate Pink Floyd to that post in the same year as well,) Hawkwind probably have the largest portion of their catalog (still growing) to the pursuit of stratospheric intentions. Through a revolving door of players and collaborators, Dave Brock's Hawkwind broke out of Earth's orbit with this hypnotic album ("You Shouldn't Do That" and "Master of The Universe" built to play LOUD) even charting a surprise single (the classic Lemmy-sung "Silver Machine.") This special edition is a new stereo remaster that includes several outtakes ("Hog Farm" and "Kiss of the Velvet Whip") so you can see how Barney Bubbles' cover art spaceship still sends you deep in space fifty years later.
CLARK TERRY - In Orbit [LP](Verve) • Trumpeter Terry was a huge influence on several of the marquee artists of Jazz. His so-called "St. Louis sound" was formative to both Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. In addition, Terry was the player who pioneered the use of the flugelhorn - which he plays in this classic 1958 session. A swinging album, Terry uses Thelonious Monk on piano (who brought him to Riverside's attention) with drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Sam Jones (in his first appearance on Riverside.) Terry's cool Jazz style compositions work brilliantly here especially the title cut and "One Foot In The Gutter." However, the real highlight is Monk's "Let's Cool One" where the band really gels. Sadly, Terry as a bandleader would not be enough for him. While he would continue to make albums (not at the pace of his acolytes,) Terry found more stability as a member of the Tonight Show band until 1972.
