Koufax preview

Koufax
Bottom Lounge, Chicago
Saturday, August 23, 2008

Koufax’s fourth album, Strugglers (Doghouse), belongs to Kansas City jazz-meister Mark Southerland. Head Koufax honcho Robert Suchan at turns delivers sweaty Jack White-isms and even shares a range with What Made Milwaukee Famous’ Michael Kingcaid, but when the 10-track disc ends, it’s Southerland’s horns that will continue knocking around your brain like a delicious fantasy that just won’t fade into oblivion.

Things get started immediately with Southerland’s boozin’ growl on “Any Moment Now” and continues until the album’s closing track, “California Taught Us Well,” where he jump, jives, and wails. Written while Suchan took up residence in the Czech Republic, Strugglers looks at the U.S. from the outside in and the view isn’t always pretty.

“Drivers” starts with a George Michael organ before morphing into a quintessential spawn of new wave. “Facsimilie” touts the strangest chorus (because nothing says inspiration like office equipment on the wane) and plays like an Ed Harcourt creation on speed. Calling all corporate workers — here’s your new theme song. The funky “Once In A While” could play over a “Starsky & Hutch” chase scene. And that’s referring to the real televised version, not the snarky Ben Stiller film adaptation, by the way.

Bob Nanna, Cougar, and Wally Dogger open.

— Janine Schaults

Category: Stage Buzz, Weekly