Hamell on Trial
The Chord Is Mightier Than TheSword
Mercury Records
Release Date: 1997
Hamell on Trial's debut release, Big As Life, was exciting simply because it was like nothing else going on at the time: an oafish-looking bald guy, barking out spoken word rants while beating the shit out of an acoustic guitar. Somehow, Ed Hamell managed to balance the brutal energy of the harshest hardcore with the sensitive humanity of the most introspective folk. He sounded more like a storyteller than a crooner, and his record sounded like a novel. Not exactly the type of thing you'd throw on at a party, but that's what made it so fresh in this world of musical product prepackaged for your convenience.
So when word spread that Hamell would be backed up by a full band on his follow-up, I for one was disappointed. How wrong I was. Truth be told, Hamell's answering machine message is probably more compelling than most people's deepest musings. His genius comes from a remarkable combination of intellect and charisma, and it would take a lot more than traditional song structure to take that away. And sometimes, the cushier surroundings are a bonus -- who would've thought Hamell could write something as delightfully catchy as "In a Bar"?!?
Hamell's stories explore the dark corners and insecurities of everyday life -- not a very unique concept in today's more-depressed-than-thou music world. But the thing differentiates Hamell from the rest of the dysfunctionalites is that his songs examine the darkness, accept it and ultimately transcend it. Good ol' triumph of the human spirit. But in this case, it actually works.
Any artist who strays from neatly defined categories is bound to get tagged with countless inaccurate comparisons, and Hamell on Trial is no exception. But Ed takes care of that by defining himself on The Chord's fantastic closing track, "The Meeting." He sheds the band and goes off on an acoustic tirade that puts the baddest b-boy boasts to shame:
This bullshit Unplugged is like a monkey on my back,
Unless you're talkin' Chuck Berry, then you ain't talkin' jack.
I'm rockin' like the Clash, it's acoustic kind of meanery,
I'm as bad as Nine Inch Nails, except I don't need machinery.
With a little bit of wood, and a little bit of wire,
Call up Smokey the Bear cause there's gonna be a fire.
And if I ain't sweatin', then it ain't no fun,
I'm like the Beastie Boys except I'm only one.
Well put.
-- Jon Carson
carson@outersound.com
