Those with at least a modicum of knowledge of the folk music scene will probably equate the words “righteous babe” with Ani DiFranco. However, Righteous Babe is also the name of a record label, and not one that merely serves as an outlet for DiFranco’s releases (her next one’s due on Jan. 20, by the way).
Andrew Bird’s “Weather Systems” and Hamell on Trial’s “Tough Love” are two recent albums put out by Righteous Babe Records, and both provide a great representation of the quality artistry the label has to offer.
Ed Hamell is his full name, and while publicity materials describe his act as a “one man punk band,” a more fitting genre for “Tough Love” might be folk-rock. Here is a well-rounded record about love, patriotism and materialism. Yet throughout this dense set of topics, Hamell never loses his sense of humor, whimsy or playfulness. His writing style tends toward narrative short songs — the longest of the album’s 16 tracks is the opener, “Don’t Kill,” which clocks in at about 3.5 minutes.
As the album progresses, Hamell’s vocals, at first quite jarring, eventually reveal themselves as subtle and diverse. The lyrics are always distinct, and frequently hilariously blatant. “Halfway,” the second track on the album, has a refrain of “I mean, fuck it, why go halfway?” to verses such as, “You’re a world leader with your finger on the button / thinking that history is smiling on you. / Blow the shit out of everybody that doesn’t agree. / Do it in the name of patriotism, what else should you do?”
DiFranco is a frequent collaborator on the recording, contributing her production talents, vocals and guitar. Longtime DiFranco producer Andrew “Goat” Gilchrist also co-produces many of the tracks.

An easy highlight of the album is a duet between Hamell and DiFranco called “All That Was Said,” which is sung in the voices of a “girl” and a “guy” likely involved in a relationship. He says: “You didn’t say / I didn’t know.” She responds: “All that was said / you didn’t hear.” Is this not a central tenant of most relationship difficulties?
While Andrew Bird’s “Weather Systems” is his Righteous Babe Records debut, it’s actually his sixth release overall. The mood of “Weather Systems” reflects a wintery, melancholy state of being. The songs are tinged with loneliness, but refreshingly, in the context of celebration and empowerment. The track “I,” consists of three lines that say, “We’re keeping busy yeah we’re bleeding stones / with our machinations and our palindromes / anything but hear a voice that says we’re basically alone.” Later, the song “Lull” says: “Being alone it can be quite romantic / like Jacques Cousteau underneath the Atlantic / a fantastic voyage to parts unknown / going to depths where the sun’s never shone / and I fascinate myself when I’m alone.”
The music is heavily oriented toward Bird’s unique violin playing, but plucking technique should not go without mention. Even though he is outnumbered two to one by guitarists, Bird lays the strings on thick. Nora O’Connor, one of the guitarists, also collaborates with Bird on vocals. The other is Mark Nevers, who is credited with “space guitar” in the liner notes. Kevin O’Donnell rounds out the four-piece band and is credited as playing the drums and “etc.”
An eight-minute documentary film about Bird, his life and band members is also included on “Weather Systems.” It requires a computer and QuickTime 6.0 software. Bird plays at the Aladdin Theater in Portland tonight.