The X-Brothers. Solid Citizens

[Robert Sedler]

The X Brothers- Solid Citizens

You know, it's a pretty satisfying thing to not know what you are
expecting and end up getting exactly what you wanted.

I've been a Blue Oyster Cult fan for more years than I have not, which
is a sure indication that I am getting longer in the tooth with each and
every deafening crash of the second hand. To me BOC always represented
the very best of a long gone age when bands were seemingly packed, and
splitting at the seams, with an abundance of talent. Then, as now, there
were bands that were dominated by a single talent and presence; that is
a main song writer, vocalist, guitarist, etc., all balled up in the same
person. But BOC, along with a handful of other groups, always seemed to
have it's input coming from the many varied directions of all the
members. They all wrote songs, they all did some singing (some much more
than others of course), and they all added their own distinctiveness to
the collective. The end result was something very special with each
anticipated release.

So when the original lineup of Blue Oyster Cult all started to go their
separate ways, it seemed that it would only be a matter of time before
the musical talent contained within started producing it's own
independent sounds. Dark smoke was once again beginning to pour forth
from the once cooled stacks of drummer Albert Bouchard, who's band THE
BRAIN SURGEONS was generating all kinds of wonderfully twisted fables
for our delight. It seemed like a perfect time for original BOC bassist
Joe Bouchard to return to the ring for a few punches, and now, Joe is
back with the 1997 Cellsum Records release "The X Brothers- Solid
Citizens".

The album features Joe Bouchard on vocals and playing an arsenal of
keyed and stringed weapons, Brain Surgeons guitarist Billy Hilfiger
doing what HE has proven he can do unmatched, Andy Hilfiger on bass, and
Jimmy Cacala on Drums. The songs, mostly written by Bouchard, have that
unmistakable mark on them that Joe's songs with BOC had on them. With
the release of each subsequent BOC album that was heavily laden with
songs by the other band members, it was refreshing to hear the songs
that Joe wrote and sang, as it added nicely to the diversity of the
band. Joe's songs had a subtle genius to them. Many times buried under
the hits (for lack of a better term) of the band and the more "in your
face" songs that dominated each album, they stood apart with remarkable
scintillation.

"Solid Citizens", containing 13 songs, starts off with a strange
instrumental tune called "Pray". While not really a "song" in the true
sense of the word, it is more of a strange and ambient intro to the
album, which sounds like a guitarist warming up in a smoke filled room
of people chatting and laughing, perhaps warming instruments themselves
in preparation for an on-stage battle. The album also features two other
very similar pieces called "Inner bit" and "End Post", which are spaced
throughout the length of the album. These quirky little numbers give the
whole album a unique feel, as if each one is a warm up before the next
"set" of songs that is to come on the album. The remaining ten songs are
of varied pace, ranging from the drastic and dynamic to ballads. "Hot
Time In Hell" is a tongue-in-cheek rocker about a raucous party in hell
gone out of control, with ear-catching lyrics like "Here's Fu ManChu at
the barbecue, bakin' hot Hiroshima pies".  The catchy number "On Fire
With Love", with it's hooks a mile long, reaches into the guitarist
inside of us all and make us want to sling our invisible six-string low
and rumble right along with the killer riffs it delivers. The smooth and
haunting ballad "Love's a Killer" brings back memories of BOC's "Light
Years of Love", and "Dream Machine" provides an atmospheric and melodic
break from the more clamorous and thundering songs on the album. Putting
forward a bit of personal taste, my favorite X Brothers songs come at
the very close of the album. "Run For The Sun", a Joe Bouchard/ Richard
Meltzer written tune that sounds enough like a song that Joe could have
easily slipped into a BOC release, and "All Things Paramount" with its
careful and methodical pace and its unpredictable peppering of guitar
scribblings throughout, has seen to it that the album is rarely returned
from my CD player to it's protective plastic case.

All together, these songs and others make up an album that anyone who
ever pounded a foot or raised a fist to a Blue Oyster Cult album should
grab. In my opinion Joe has remained silent for too long, as this album
is merely the small tip of a huge iceberg of talent that the man has
always had. It's almost as if  the original Blue Oyster Cult lineup was
a "Super Group" in retrospect. They were the best of the best, all
working for the same cause. We knew they were a talented group back
then, and now that they have broken off and followed some different
paths, it really sinks in. Perhaps no single band was strong enough to
contain the pressure and surge of so many powerful forces. Perhaps I'll
go listen to this album again.

Robert (Torgo) Sedler
torgo at norwich.net
DrTorgo at hotmail.com



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