Tav Falco - Cabaret of Daggers

Celebrating the anniversary of the Panther Burns with his "40th Year Howl" tour, Tav Falco has also just released his latest album, Cabaret of Daggers. Tracked in Rome with his current line up of the Burns, Tav then recorded the vocals at the legendary Sam Phillips Recording Studio in Memphis and the record is one of the most varied of his career while still maintaining the obvious Falco unapproachable style.

The modern Burns is a team of crack musicians - guitarist Mario has the perfect sound, bassist Giuseppe grooves appropriately without over playing, drummer Riccardo swings'n'sways and keyboardist Francesco (who was not part of the current tour, but was with him last time in America) adds the perfect flavoring to the proceedings.

The romantic'n'charming Falco always enjoys a good tango and opens this offering with "Nobody's Baby", a piano-led cabaret tune which then brings us into a comparatively straight forward reading of "Sally Goes Round the Roses", again with Francesco's bouncin' piano work leading the way but done as a duet with a lovely female vocalist, making it somewhat reminiscent of Great Society's version - at least to these ears. I kinda love his take on the updated gospel/blues of "Old Fashioned Morphine", a variation on "Gimme That Old Time Religion", with pop culture references and some properly heavy guitar work. Admitting that it was one of the biggest challenges of his career, Tav takes on Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit". Backed by a sparsely simple'n'effective piano'n'guitar jazz treatment, he is highly emotive on this racially charged number that is still far too relevant today. One of my faves from the live show is his original "New World Order Blues" with tribal drums and a dynamic arrangement in which he spouts his current, anti-fascist, anti-Trump political views - almost an update to his classic "Bourgeoisie Blues". Side one of the vinyl ends with a spot-on run-through of "Sleep Walk", with Mario playing with a perfect tone, giving a break from the heaviness of the last couple of numbers.

Another highlight is the bass-driven groove of "Strange (Uber Tango)" - again, I loved this live, despite the absence of the accordion, which here gives it a Parisian feel although in concert the sparseness works, as well. The repetitive bass line and elementary drums truly draws you in and won't let you go - amazing what a basic arrangement can create. More terrific, jazzy interplay between guitar and piano for the jazz-croon number "Born To Be Blue" - you could imagine these cats playing behind Julie London in a cabaret and while Tav's vocals are a bit more...interpretive than the old school crooners, he is still fantastic here in his own right. This basic feel continues in the rhythmically hypnotic "Red Vienna", except for the more Germanic waltz style and the political bent to the words. We're back to the American South for the highly effective, reverbed blues of "Sugar Mama Blues" with more amazing guitar work that leads into the David Lynch-ian brooding instrumental "Master of Chaos Theme" - a fantastic soundtrack to a non-existent movie.

No matter what type of output they are providing, the Panther Burns are always a selective taste and this record might not be for fans of his earlier, somewhat Psychobilly-ish approach. But, Tav has always worked in a variety of styles and for those who are open to a more laid-back Burns, this latest effort is still classic Falco. And make sure you see the band any chance you can - they are a phenomenon!