Rating:   2 Ratings     12345  

M Hederos & M Hellberg s/t Hidden Agenda

     The roster is quite impressive, boasting the likes of Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Gram Parsons, Randy Newman, and others, but what is most impressive is the manner in which each song is performed. At its most full and busy point, this record has two instruments playing simultaneously. Martin Hederos' heartfelt keys are occasionally met by Mattias Hellberg's sultry harmonica solos. Each song lies in its order- humbled, bare, and breathy as the disc rolls on. Tune by tune, the Soundtrack of your life is filled with Diamond Dogs and Hellacopters.

      Hellberg has just enough of a rasp in his voice to make each of these tunes personal and heartfelt. The beauty of such stripped down versions of these songs is that with all the bravado taken away you are left with one main thing: Lyrics. Hellberg brings the underlying emotion out of each of these songs by bringing a simple voice bathed in tickled ivory to set a mood far anew for each of these tracks. As a collection or by themselves, these are bonafide versions that fans of the original artists will most likely enjoy.

      Robin Frederick's, "Been Smoking Too Long" becomes equally as confessional as the original and steps away as the piano wonders perfectly beyond the vocals before returning to its rolling stance behind Mattias' voice. As with many of the artists whose works are on this record, this new voice singing a somewhat familiar tune adds an amount of perspective that raises an interesting point about what makes a song good or timeless or 'classic'. Is it that original voice? An exact performance or heroic studio wizardry? The timing? An album like this could keep a debate healthy with its impressive ability to make these songs sound so fresh, especially in such a simple medium.

      On the Love original, "Signed DC" Hellberg's voice soars just like Arthur Lee's in some of the appropriate areas, but without the electric guitar and rolls on the snare. The song is an experimental reading of the subtext, almost changing the point of view completely. Rather than hear someone reading the suicide note, you are behind his eyes as he writes it. For a second there are no other songs on the CD and a desperate moment in someone’s life is captured, told, and washed away as the pen's ink dries.

      The piano arrangement on Randy Newman's, "Guilty" is probably the most obvious peek back at the original on this entire CD (Bob Dylan diction aside). Even if you are only semi-familiar with the work of Randy Newman, knowing that one of his songs is covered here, you can pick it out immediately. His songs have a specific quality to their movement with half-theatrical, half-satirical presentations that make him such a beloved and widely underrated artist. With such big names on this record, my ears spiked up immediately the first time I heard this hashing of "Guilty."

      I would struggle to find a song on this album that could be skipped over during a listening to the short player. From song to song, small revelations are made on two separate levels. First you realize that the people who wrote these songs had a strong pension for meaningful messages, images, and lyrics. Next you are floored by how simple the terms have been made for you to make your first realization. Not that the musical accompaniment behind a Gram Parsons or Lou Reed tune is ever a distraction, but this fresh reading is most brilliant in its ability to supplement the ‘definition’ of these songs, stories, and poems.

      Hopefully there will be another disc like this from Hederos and Hellberg in the future, preferably the near. The songs featured on their CD are as unexpected as the power that the duo create on such raw measures, making the release a true diamond in the rough. Amidst a world of faulty remixes and publicity gaining covers, two guys with cool bands stepped back and made something real and valuable and to say this disc anything less than a must have is misinformation.

-Joel Armato 05/12/04

      As a very brief side note, I have to mention something that I stumbled upon while doing this review. A quick search on google for Arthur Lee, Love, and the name Mary Fleener will get you to a page that features a comic strip fashioned by the lyrics of "Signed DC." Rather than clicking on Love's version at the top of the page, scroll through the comic with the Hederos and Hellberg version as your guide. It's quite the meaningful experience.