ARTIST: The Subdudes
TITLE: Street Symphony
LABEL: Back Porch
GENRE: Rock
BITRATE: 192kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 51m total
RELEASE DATE: 2007-08-28
RIP DATE: 2007-08-28
Track List
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1. Fountain Of Youth 3:51
2. Poor Man's Paradise 4:44
3. Stranger 3:45
4. Thorn In Her Side 3:37
5. No Man 5:38
6. Fair Weather Friend 3:50
7. Brother Man 4:31
8. Half Of The Story 4:38
9. Work Clothes 4:33
10. Absolutely 3:59
11. I'm Your Town 3:07
12. Street Symphony 5:31
Release Notes:
Despite the title of the New Orleans-based Subdudes' previous album, Behind the
Levee was recorded pre-Katrina. A lot of water has passed under the
bridge--literally and figuratively--since then, which impacts the sound of the
band's first post-hurricane release. Although the reformed group's approach has
always tempered upbeat material with a darker, more soulful edge, their sixth
studio release, Street Symphony, exudes a heightened mood of bittersweet
melancholy. Even Steve Amedee's ever-present tambourine seems to be less frisky
as the disc unwinds at its own rather subdued (no pun intended) pace. Lead
vocalist/songwriter Tommy Malone has seldom sounded more committed, wrapping his
dusky voice around a vibrant set of originals with lyrics that occasionally
reference New Orleans' most horrific experience. Songs such as "I'm Your Town"
("who's going to save me?") and the deceptively jaunty melody of "Poor Man's
Paradise"--the story of an impoverished, homeless man whose appreciation of
life's little things, like the music of Fats Domino, gets him through impossibly
difficult times--impart a solemn but hopeful acceptance. The "her" in "Thorn in
Her Side" refers to the Statue of Liberty, as John Magnie's accordion adds
unusual sorrow to Malone's controlled anger. The beautifully bluesy "No Man" is
arguably Malone's most revelatory and touching love song, performed with the
proud resignation that courses through every track of this heartfelt,
thought-provoking, and emotionally moving set.