{"id":2833,"date":"2021-06-23T23:20:16","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T04:20:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=2833"},"modified":"2021-06-24T00:16:04","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T05:16:04","slug":"ceramic-dog-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/ceramic-dog-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Marc Ribot&#8217;s Ceramic Dog&#8217;s &#8216;Hope&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Nobel physicist Erwin Schr\u00f6dinger once noted that \u201c[i]f a man never contradicts himself, the reason must be that he virtually never says anything at all.\u201d Perhaps no finer quote could describe Ceramic Dog\u2019s <em>Hope<\/em> (Northern Spy, 2021), a recording full of paradoxes.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=2763195883\/album=1270397148\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Approaching the album from afar, one sees an optimistic title coupled with a tranquil picture of the earth. With this preconception, the first track, \u201cB-Flat Ontology\u201d provides a jarring juxtaposition. The composition is overtly morose. It is the type of work that could emerge from only the collective depression of a global pandemic. Marc Ribot\u2019s languid guitar meets lyrics calling many different things \u201camazing\u201d in a way less appreciative of their efforts than derisive of them. Fabulous aspiring rock stars, a woman singing in French, virtuosic guitarists, contemporary poets, and postmodern philosophers are among those demoralized. As the dirge continues, it provides an exaggerated list of disturbingly profane activities conducted by imaginary performing artists. But as this is a piece by Ceramic Dog &#8211; the avant-garde community\u2019s answer to The Stooges and the Sex Pistols &#8211; it\u2019s clear there has to be more meaning behind the song than meets the eye. Repeat listening reveals the intention of excoriating society for its treatment of art in favor of a participation trophy culture. If everything is \u201camazing,\u201d that which truly deserves that appellation will be overlooked. The mediocre, or even that worthy of castigation, will just be further propagated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, the hyper rant on \u201cThe Activist\u201d seemingly attacks all political engagement by creating a strawman opposed to everything. While some of the critiques seem valid &#8211; for instance, being against racism &#8211; others are taken ad absurdum. The speaker does not accept the lesser of two evils but also refuses the greater evil, the greater good, the lesser good, or the \u201cgreater lesser.\u201d Other enemies include Heimlich maneuvers, shoehorns, razors, giraffes, E flat minor, trichords, perfect fifths, hooked noses, hooks, lines, or, really, anything. He refuses to accept sidewalks, preferring to walk on his hands in heavy traffic as a \u201ccompromise.\u201d Throughout, the song repeats the phrase \u201cI refuse, I resist.\u201d Taken at face value, it seems to denigrate any political involvement, treating it all as a joke. But a more nuanced perspective suggests that it is advocating for people to pick battles that matter instead of opposing things solely for the sake of being contrarian.<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=2596869473\/album=1270397148\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Activist\u201d is also fascinating musically. Like much of the band\u2019s other pieces, it is rooted in the urgency of punk. The aesthetic is particularly prevalent due to Ches Smith\u2019s tight cymbal hits. But the influence of hip hop is also apparent. No recordings are sampled, but the constant looping of horn parts and Ribot\u2019s gentle guitar phrases evoke the approach. Further, although at no time Ribot raps, his phrasing and styling of words are, at times, eerily reminiscent of such.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The backend of <em>Hope<\/em> is markedly opposite its first half. Except for \u201cThey Met in The Middle,\u201d lyrics are dropped in favor of instrumentals. Among the finest of these is \u201cBertha The Cool.\u201d A soft Benson-esque guitar melody floats above a funky drum rhythm, a sparse drum machine, and Shahzad Ismaily\u2019s steady bass. Ribot\u2019s solo is not aggressive, but the underlying groove gives it some bite. The piece is probably best describable as what \u201csmooth jazz\u201d should have been; comforting with lighter sounds and use of technology but without it meandering into the long-winded morass of popish monotony that typifies most \u201csmooth\u201d music. \u201cBertha\u201d is both fun and different.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The immediately following, \u201cThey Met in the Middle,\u201d begins with Darius Jones\u2019 screeching and wailing alto sax, effectively dispelling any misguided belief that the remaining tracks would also be gentle. The song tells the tale of two men on cross-country journeys with a meeting of influences from punk, surf, free improvisation, and Spaghetti Western. Ismaily\u2019s keyboards even provide a quasi-orchestral tinge at times.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"120\" style=\"position: relative; display: block; width: 100%; height: 120px;\" src=\"\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/v=2\/track=1443797962\/album=1270397148\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One picking up <em>Hope<\/em> looking for consolation among the chaos of our times is unlikely to find what they seek. Instead, Ceramic Dog\u2019s fourth album is thought-provoking. It requires a listener\u2019s attention and their ability to critically interpret what is before them. In the hands of an appreciative audience, it provides a unique experience that pulls from many diverse threads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/marcribot.bandcamp.com\/album\/hope\">Hope will be available on Northern Spy Records on June 25, 2021. <\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Personnel: Marc Ribot (guitars, vocals), Shahzad Ismaily (bass, keyboards, backing vocals), Ches Smith (drums, percussion, electronics, backing vocals), Darius Jones (alto sax (6,7)), Rubin Kodheli (cello (8)), Gyda Valtysdottir (cello (8)), Syd Straw (background vocals (3)). <br><br>Tracklist: 1. B-Flat Ontology; 2. Nickelodeon; 3. Wanna; 4. The Activist; 5. Bertha The Cool; 6. They Met in the Middle; 7. The Long Goodbye; 8. Maple Leaf Rage; 9. Wear Your Love Like Heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br \/><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nobel physicist Erwin Schr\u00f6dinger once noted that \u201c[i]f a man never contradicts himself, the reason must be that he virtually never says anything at all.\u201d Perhaps no finer quote could describe Ceramic Dog\u2019s Hope (Northern Spy, 2021), a recording full of paradoxes.&nbsp; Approaching the album from afar, one sees an optimistic title coupled with a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":124,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/20210315_CeramicDog_EbruYildiz_41.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-JH","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6673,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-diatom-ribbons-vanguard\/","url_meta":{"origin":2833,"position":0},"title":"Review: Kris Davis&#8221;Diatom Ribbons Live at the Village Vanguard&#8217;","author":"Brian Kiwanuka","date":"August 29, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On February 17, 2018, pianist Kris Davis played in the second of two concerts at Harvard University to honor the late jazz pianist Geri Allen. It was a fantastic night of music worthy of Allen\u2019s tremendous talent. Davis took the stage in various ensembles, with some featuring drummer Terri Lyne\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_6674.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_6674.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_6674.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_6674.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/IMG_6674.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7702,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/broken-trance-ches-smith-laugh-ash\/","url_meta":{"origin":2833,"position":1},"title":"Broken Trance: A Conversation with Ches Smith on \u2018Laugh Ash\u2019","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"January 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"As Arnold Schoenberg once noted, \u201cIntelligibility in music seems to be impossible without repetition.\u201d Repetition is a shared facet of all music. And it seems an attraction to repetition is an innately human response. Repetition transcends style. Repetition transcends culture. Repetition transcends era. But things are not exactly as they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7522.jpeg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7522.jpeg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7522.jpeg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/IMG_7522.jpeg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4460,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/open-interpretation-ches-smith\/","url_meta":{"origin":2833,"position":2},"title":"Open to Interpretation: A Conversation with Ches Smith","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"May 18, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"People often start down the path of better understanding and appreciating art by emphasizing an artist's intent. 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