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Lucero
Nobody's Darlings
Liberty and Lament Records
By Mike Sheahan
 I have this theory about rock
and roll and why, as we age, we tend to leave the noise behind
in favor of the softer rolling pastures of folk, jazz and bluegrass.
We don't move on due to some silly notion that our tastes have
matured past the appreciation of a simple three-chord charger.
In fact, I'd bet there isn't a soul among us that would balk
at the chance to blast "Misty Mountain Hop" or "Rise
Above" given the proper traffic conditions. What really
happens is, at some uncertain age, we come to learn that 95%
of what is called rock music is, and always has been, awful and
embarrassing to hear. It's not that we've become too sophisticated
to get our rock out, instead we just tire of being burned by
a bunch of twenty something idiots with yet another boring, noisy
axe to grind.
Well, fear not rock and roll stalwarts and holdouts. The latest
album by Lucero, Nobody's Darlings, has delivered your
salvation, three furious chords at a time. I dare anyone who
loves, or once loved, that music called rock to try to get this
disc out of its player. Not only will you be unable to
do it, but I'm pretty sure your stereo, upon realizing how good
Lucero is making it sound, will zap you with 120 well placed
volts if you try to yank the disc. Hell, stick Nobody's Darlings
in for your ancient grandma and she'll say, "See...See,
that is what in the hell I'm talking about. Now turn that up
and go get me a six pack, junior!"
It's that good.
From the opening salvo of "Watch it Burn" we realize
we are in for something special. First the distorted chord plucking
of Ben Nichols enters from the left all nice and easy like, then
the rest of the band kicks in along with Brian Venable's crunchy
right-side bar chords and even thought we can't understand half
the lyrics, we are instantly captured by Nichols at once enthusiastic
and weary punctuation mark, "Ah-uh-huh." The left/right
panned guitars, with big drums work perfectly and by the time
we get to the repeated punch line, "come on baby, let's
watch it all burn" we realize we are driving way too fast
for just the first song.
Right away one thing becomes clear. Lucero is not just another
group of rock and roll dandy boys taking a stabbing dalliance
at the rock and roll life. Unlike bands such as the Strokes or
Kings Of Leon (to name just two), Lucero play as if their lives
depend upon it and given a hard listen one realizes that they
are doing exactly that-- playing for their lives. While those
other bands play like they couldn't be bothered by passion, one
gets the sense that if the whole rock and roll thing doesn't
pan out for Lucero there ain't no silver spoon homestead awaiting
these boys.
The fierce rock pace of Nobody's Darlings doesn't slow
until the fifth track in. The song is the title track, and as
it turns out it's the first time we can make out all the lyrics
without wearing out the back button:
Now shut up and play that guitar
Just shut up and play that guitar
We ain't nobody's darlings
Never should've made it this far
We ain't nobody's darlings
So shut up and play that guitar
Now, if you're not the kind given to the appreciation of irony,
I'll lay it out for you. Lucero just spent fifteen minutes making
you wonder about half of their lyrics and when they finally quiet
down enough to make the words primary, you get "shut up
and play that guitar." Genius, I say, pure genius. Ah, but
the bridge lays the songs tone straight:
Now we got to the game a little too late
Spent our early days
Spent our early days,
Just fuckin' up
We ain't nobody's darlings
We ain't nobody's boys
Irony, inside jokes and self-deprecation aside, if the above
doesn't give you at least a small pause, then you were right
to move on from rock to Billy Joel and Celine Dion.
When looking for Lucero's influences, round up the usual post-modern
suspects: The Replacements and Uncle Tupelo have their fingerprints
all over Lucero's window, but one can't prove that bands like
Dinosaur Jr. weren't recently hanging out in the yard. Influences
are one thing, though, and making great new music is another
altogether. Lucero, like any band, may wear it's influences on
it's sleeves at times, but, like any great band, they use those
influences only as a jumping off point for their own glorious
sound. I am not a man given to hyperbole, but I think I can safely
say that Nobody's Darlings is a better album than Abbey
Road, Exile On Main Street and Zuma put together.
Ok, so it seems I am given to the overstatement. Better I let
Ben Nichols bring us home:
(Imagine loud, crunchy rock music now.)
Bloody knuckles and a broken nose
Goin back before I ever left home
I fought and boxed
Fought in the streets
Four years of fightin' till they're done with me
Leave it till the morning to say goodbye
Ain't in the mood to watch no one cry
Tonight it's whiskey so buy another round
Drink it up boys it's my last night in town
It's too late to turn back now, ah-uh-huh
Ah-uh-huh, indeed.
http://www.luceromusic.com/
Contact Mike Sheahan at sheahan-at-rockzilla.net
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