Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog

Having established himself as a go-to guitarist for exploratory (John Zorn Laurie Anderson) and pop music (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), with his Ceramic Dog unit Marc Ribot aims to spice these genres with a dollop of psychedelic protest music. This session with associates percussionist Ches Smith and bassist/electronics whiz Shahzad Ismaily not only bolsters the musical textures with six guests’ contributions, but also continues Ribot’s vocal forays. Over thick, robust and sometimes claustrophobic rhythms he half-shouts, half-mumbles lyrics about hardships, inequality and passion with skewed collection of sloganeering mixed metaphors and similes, somewhat close to Highway 61 Revisited-era Bob Dylan.

There’s no question of the guitarist’s sincerity in angling for social change, especially with a tune like “Soldiers in the Army of Love”. But Connection’s real appeal is instrumental. As always Smith’s thick pacing is unbeatable, while Ismaily’s double bass acumen includes hard pumps and buzzing stops to interact with Ribot’s pressurized note stabs or folksy strums. Adding mellotron-like oscillations alongside Ribot’s dobro whines on “Swan” Ismaily defines buzzing tone collision. The electronics ability to mimic tremolo patterns or inject sampled sounds and voices buttress other tracks. Authentic organ patterns from Anthony Coleman slink and squirm with Latin-tinged pop-song simplicity on a couple of tracks, while Greg Lewis’s Hammond B3 undercurrents on “Order of Protection” provide a relaxed Bluesy contrast to Ribot’s slide guitar shakes which at points threaten to build up to arena rock-like excess. James Brandon Lewis’ tenor saxophone is also featured with tough reed ejaculations adding to the shaking bass thickened exposition on “Swan” and Lewis’ repeated finger vibrations join with Smith’s positioned percussion pumps to ground Ribot’s off-side, stream-of-consciousness vocalizing on “Heart Attack”.

It’s unlikely that Ribot and Ceramic Dog’s efforts will supplement the songs of Dylan or Lou Reed. Plus the band’s sophisticated musicianship is unable to attain the violent dumbness of a Ramones or any Black Metal disc. Still the group has carved out a unique and probably inimitable musical niche. It demands to be heard on its own merits and on the evidence of this disc many will do just that.

-Ken Waxman

Track Listing: 1. Connection 2. Subsidiary 3. Soldiers in the Army of Love 4. Ecstasy+& 5. Swan* 6. No Name^ 7. Heart Attack* 8. That’s Entertainment+ 9. Order of Protection% 10. Crumble#+

Personnel: James Brandon Lewis* (tenor saxophone); Oscar Noriega# (clarinet); Anthony Coleman+ or Greg Lewis% (organ); Marc Ribot (guitars, tres, dobro, bass, vocals); Peter Sachon^ (cello); Shahzad Ismaily (bass, electronics, vocals); Ches Smith (drums, percussion, electronics, vocals); Syd Straw& (vocals)