CD Reviews: The Tree People and The Minus 5-- Local Cut

CD Reviews: The Tree People and The Minus 5

July 8th, 2009 [6:03AM] Posted by: Casey Jarman | 0 COMMENTS

The Tree People Human Voices

(Guerssen)

[FLUTE FOXES] Within the first 30 seconds of the Tree People’s reissued sophomore album, Human Voices, the psych-folk trio tests an aughties listener’s threshold for both the weird and the tender: “In the morning when you’re still sleeping/ When you have those crazy nightmares/ I swear I’m here within the birdsong/ Human voices joining along in our loving song.” These trippy lines are beautifully delivered—spooky three-part harmonies paired with unpredictable chord and tempo changes rattling out from a finger-picked guitar. But when the flute swoops in like an excitable raven, cynicism and years of anti-Renaissance Fair conditioning creep into one’s opinion.

About half of Human Voices is instrumental, with Stephen Cohen’s voice and acoustic guitar canoodling with Jeff Stier’s expertly played flutes and organic percussion. And while the wordless compositions—anchored by Stephen’s brother Jeremy on bass—are coolly melodic, it’s a side of the recently rebuilt trio that is going to be tough for modern audiences to contextualize. Oregon was a gentler place in 1984, it would seem. Still, the Tree People’s lyrically driven songs are both accessible and modern. The haunting “Grandfather” evokes Lou Reed more than Donovan; disc highlight “Thomas” is a Simon and Garfunkel-esque story song, and the earnest “That’s Entertainment” is both relatable and thrillingly told.

Picking up a Human Voices isn’t quite like discovering Nick Drake or John Fahey—musical spirits who seem more natural now than they ever did when they were in their prime songwriting years. Instead, one has to meet Treepeople halfway between now and then. But Human Voices, like the trio’s fascinating 1979 self-titled debut, provides another excellent reason to do so.

The Minus 5 Killingsworth

(Yep Roc)

[SINGER-SONGWRITER] Scott McCaughey is easy to spot—slurping canned beers at Portland shows, smiling behind his trademark black shades—but tough to keep up with. McCaughey founded influential pop outfit Young Fresh Fellows in 1982 before working with Mudhoney, touring with R.E.M. and becoming Robyn Hitchcock’s regular bassist. He’s everywhere.

The Minus 5 is McCaughey’s most mercurial “group,” serving alternately as a solo project (My Chartreuse Opinion), an experiment in collaboration (Down With Wilco) and, as on Killingsworth, an excuse for McCaughey to work with his favorite musicians. The disc, decorated with snapshots of McCaughey’s favorite Portland haunts and musicians, features a good chunk of Portland’s folk-rock scene alongside regular collaborator Peter Buck, Mudhoney’s Steve Turner and the Posies’ Ken Stringfellow.

While star power has the potential to sink a record, McCaughey’s writing is wide enough to accommodate the range of styles. Portland folk singer Little Sue plays his Emmylou on “Dark Hand of Contagion,” Tucker Jackson creates a lonely slide guitar howl on “Big Beat Up Moon,” and McCaughey hands vocal duties on the charming “Scott Walker’s Fault” over to Colin Meloy. What really shines here, even more than usual, is McCaughey’s writing. “I Would Rather Sacrifice You” is a devilishly good aughties take on the Louvin Brothers’ “The Christian Life,” and by the time the gorgeous album-closer “Tonight You’re Buying Me a Drink, Bub” rolls around, McCaughey is on a huge lyrical roll: “You can try not to look me in the eye/ Say I’m not a Triple Nickel kinda guy/ But I’m up on the jukebox with a gun/ So tonight you’re buying me a drink, bub.”

SEE IT: The Tree People play Performance Works NorthWest Saturday, July 11. $10. All ages. The Minus 5 plays Doug Fir Friday, July 10. 9 pm. $12 advance, $14 day of show. 21+.

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