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Jonathan Fire Eater are a quintet from Washington
(keyboardist Walter Martin,
vocalist Stewart Lupton and guitarist Paul Maroon,
drummer Matt Barrick, bassist Tom Frank)
that relocated to New York in 1995 and soon emerged out of the same
rhythm'n'blues scene
(Rolling Stones + Stooges +
Birthday Party)
infected by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and
Chrome Cranks.
The album Jonathan Fire Eater (Third World Underground, 1995) and
especially the EP Jonathan Fire Eater (PCP, 1995), with
The Cakewalk Of Crime and
The Public Hanging Of A Movie Star, established their reputation.
The five-song mini-album Tremble Under Boomlights (Medicine, 1996)
added at least The Search For Cherry Red and
Give Me Daughters to their canon.
Unfortunately, the album Wolf Songs For Lambs (Dreamworks, 1997) failed
to stand up to that standard (except for
When The Curtain Calls For You).
The emphatic vocalist (a Nick Cave clone) broke up with the rest of the band
and formed the Child Ballads.
Jonathan Fire Eater eventually dissolved but three members
(Keyboardist Walter Martin, drummer Matt Barrick, guitarist Paul Maroon)
joined forces with singer Hamilton Leithauser to form the Walkmen
On their debut EP, The Walkmen (StarTime International, 2000),
the singer is a cross between the U2's Bono and the Stones' Mick Jagger,
while the music evokes early Brian Eno
(Wake Up, We've Been Had, The Crimps).
The sound on Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone (Star Time, 2002) , emphasizing distorted keyboards and rhythm, is
daed ringer for the (old) new wave, and the overall tone is intellectual
bordering on existential.
The Walkmen's subsequent albums,
Bows & Arrows (Record Collection, 2004) and
A Hundred Miles Off (2006), were even more derivative.
Pussy Cats (Record Collection, 2006) was even worse: a remake
of Harry Nilsson and John Lennon's album Pussy Cats (1974).
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(Translation by/ Tradotto da John Politico)
Jonathan Fire Eater sono un quintetto da
Washington(tastierista
Walter Martin, voce Stewart Lupton,chitarrista Paul
Maroon, batterista
Matt Barrick e bassista Tom Frank) che dislocarono a New York nel
1995 e
presto emersero nella medesima scena rhythm'n'blues(Rolling
Stones+Stooges+ Birthday
Party) "infettati" da Jon Spencer
Blues Explosion e Chrome
Cranks.
L'album Jonathan Fire Eater
(Third World
Underground, 1995) e specialmente L'EP Jonathan Fire Eater (PCP,
1995), con The Cakewalk Of Crime e The Public
Hanging Of A
Movie Star, gli valsero una certa reputazione.Il mini-album
successivo,composto da cinque canzoni,
Tremble Under Boomlights (Medicine,
1996)
aggiunse The Search For Cherry Red e Give Me
Daughters al
loro repertorio.Sfortunatamente l'album Wolf Songs For Lambs
(Dreamworks, 1997) non riusci' a ripetersi a quegli standard
(eccezion
fatta per When The Curtain Calls For You).
L'enfantico cantante(un clone di Nick Cave) rompe
con il
resto del gruppo per formare i Child Ballads.
I Jonathan Fire Eater alla fine si
sciolsero anche se
tre di loro (il tastierista Walter Martin, il chitarrista Paul
Maroon,il batterista Matt Barrick) unirono le loro forze con il
cantante
Hamilton Leithauser per formare i Walkmen.Nel loro debutto su
EP,The
Walkmen (StarTime International, 2000),il cantante sembra una
via di
mezzo tra Bono degli U2 e Jagger degli Stones,mentre la musica evoca il
primo
Brian Eno(Wake Up, We've Been Had, The Crimps).
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