Smack dab in the middle of the grunge revolution came a trio
from Los Angeles playing banjos and fiddling
with stand up pianos, creating a very early entry in the emerging Americana market. Their
sound possessed about as much dust and history as the band’s frontman would
hint at in his name alone, Grant Lee Phillips.
The words that Phillips conjured also suggested an old-west
motif, but the opening track to the band’s second release, Mighty Joe Moon, also demonstrated that he also studied the (then)
news of the day, incorporating their narrative in the band’s pretend historical
documentary.
“Lone Star Song” may resemble the big state’s penchant for
self-gratification, but that’s in name alone. The real tale is a
hot-off-the-presses account of the Waco Siege, in which we witnessed the worst of government fuckery, where the outcome played out like a national embarrassment each night on television. It's safe to say that neither side could claim much in terms of a victory, or as Phillips suggested,“Pray the holy wars are
ending/Like the films of Hollywood."
Whether recounting ancient or recent history, Grant Lee Buffalo -the band-sounded
unlike anything else during the 90’s, and unfortunately they remain lost in
that decade’s pile of forgotten classics. With that in mind, Mighty Joe Moon remains that forgotten
piece of archeology that begs for both rediscovery and the respect of those who
now find bigger wallets from simply acclimating the same sounds and styles that
GLB did before them to more “exclusive” crowds.
Not that Mighty Joe
Moon didn’t have a chance to turn a few heads twenty years ago;
“Mockingbirds” found some lunar rotation on MTV at one point, never mind that
the strategically placed strings and Phillips’ haunting falsetto definitely
should have seen the light of day for a bigger audience.
In fact, Mighty Joe
Moon finds a home perfectly suited for both the most discriminating pop
elitist and the campfires of Spahn Ranch. At one point mysterious and strange, Mighty Joe Moon drifts languidly into
memorable hooks that even twenty years after the fact sound surreal, novel, and
vital.
Grant Lee Buffalo did manage to find increasing rewards for
every subsequent record they released after Mighty
Joe Moon, but the sales failed to be the large return on investment that
Warner Brothers were looking for, and at the end of their contract with the
label, the band decided to dissolve along with the legal document.
Ultimately, the only problem with Grant Lee Buffalo was
their reluctance to compromise their integrity for the benefit of their major
label owners. But that makes it only a “problem” for the record company who has
hard time understanding that some bands don’t work well within a creative
microwave.
Mighty Joe Moon
possesses tons of hooks within its gramophone jive and sepia-hued jackets.
They take their own sweet time in rising, but their lingering melodies are
undeniable. It’s a timeless record that goes by surprisingly fast for thirteen
tracks, but their impact is something not easily forgotten.
And if you can’t find a way to market something with this
kind of lasting impression, then maybe the problem is with you.
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