Davis
Lee Hooker is the man you should blame and hug ("hug
it out, bitch - that's what men do") for his outings
as A John Henry Memorial. La Bonita Commocion
is a tough album to hunt down [as I text this - I have no cover
art.. . other releases have been cassette-only]
- but when discovered properly, your days will be properly tracked
in sound.
The opening statement on
Commocion, "Angel Of Death", is dismal sonic awe
[absolute]. A wall of vibration from a lone acoustic immediately
forms as Davis - sounding as if he is either centered in a hollow
room or underneath the building altogether - croons the tale of
a man, his carvings and the grim presence of a petite virus called
'death'. Mid-way through "Angel", these 2 epic ingredients
[guitar + voice] are joined by either a saw or theremin - sealing
what is undoubtedly one of the most wonderful songs I have heard
since 1992.
"Bye Bye Atmosphere" immediately follows what death
cleverly drug away, and it's quite obvious
that Davis has found in that an atypical source of inspiration
[think Antonius Block in The Seventh Seal].
His acoustic guitar and a distant ride of metal fill the air surrounding
vocals that certainly intrigue, even though they are lovingly
incomprehensible. "How can vocals be hard to understand
and loved?", might be said
of she who reads this - and all that I can offer is a song to
extend my reasoning of such an odd statement ["Bye
Bye Atmosphere" MP3]. Imagine if you will
being so ill that you cannot lift your heavy head from a pillow
placed by a loved one - yet, from the open window of your den,
you can hear the combined laughter of summer's vibrant children
at play. Oh but now - yes. Don't you love a good mystery..
.?
La Bonita Commocion - "Don't Be Scared"..."So
You May See". 
[Davis Lee Hooker is known to roam Portland, Oregon - where he
also participates in the music of Watery Graves and worms. A full-length
as A John Henry Memorial is said to be in the works for PDX's
Marriage Records.]
|
