Mark Ribot’s Ceramic Dog Party Intellectuals
The title sums it up: Ceramic Dog guitarist Marc Ribot is an almost excessively intelligent […]
The title sums it up: Ceramic Dog guitarist Marc Ribot is an almost excessively intelligent musician, and he’s ready to party. His bad-ass guitar playing has graced works by Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, the Lounge Lizards, and his own more experimental projects. Now, with the fine help of Shahzad Ismaily on bass and Moog and Xiu Xiu drummer/electronics man Ches Smith, he’s bringing that goodness to the PA system of a hipster bar near you. The album’s songs leap from a floor-stomping single of a title track to noise-rock to shimmering guitar notes to shuffle-and-clap ska. And, though it occasionally drifts too far into pastiche and noodling, it never gets too smart for its own good.