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our weekly collection of shorter reviews
Lynch Mob,
Melochrome,
Moviegoer,
Baby Ray
Consumed,
Sad Pygmy,
Gary Numan/Tubeway Army,
WestBam
Camber/Kid Brother Collective,
The Dipsomaniacs,
Robbie Fulks,
FuZ FoN
Endgame,
Tom LoMacchio,
Robin Pearl,
Jeff Talmadge
Jet Society,
Tonal Evidence 1999
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Lynch Mob / Smoke This /
Koch (CD)
Lynch Mob is fronted by ex-Dokken guitar god George Lynch...hence the
clever band name. Smoke This is Lynch's attempt to reinvent
himself through association with younger musicians. In a somewhat
predictible move, the songs on this CD reflect an interest in the current
funk-metal rage -- the so-called "new hardcore" sound (think Limp Bizkit,
Korn, etc.). As far as heavy, loud, funky stuff goes, I suppose this album
is as good as any. I just can't seem to escape the feeling that despite
the hungry turks in the band, Lynch mob is past its creative prime. Don't
get me wrong, this album does really rock, it's just that Living Color was
doing this 10 years ago. Or maybe I'm just getting crotchety in my old age! -- nw
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Melochrome / The Music We Make / A Loose Thread (CD)
The first full-length from this three-year-old Chicago foursome should
appeal to all you shoegazer types out there. Lodged primarily in the
My Bloody Valentine/Stereolab vein, Melochrome twist burbling keyboards
and waves of seething guitar feedback into vibrant, droning pop songs.
Sparing-yet-distinctive use of analog synthesizers, along with a dual
male-female vocal attack, give the group a sound somewhat different from
others in their genre; disc-closer "The Invisibles" is a don't-miss concoction
of keyboard-warble and ethereal feedback, and best displays the group's
potential. -- gz
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Moviegoer / s/t / Noisebox (CD)
Looking at Moviegoer's elaborate, oriental-styled sleeve design, one might
expect a John Zorn-esque piece of space-jazz fusion. One would be wrong.
Instead, the listener receives a white-hot slab of raging, guitar-driven
emo-core. Chugging riffs, pounding drums and gang vocals grind songs like
"10 ft. under" and "Leg Pain" into your skull. However, the band's real strength
lies in their beautifully sparse instrumental pieces -- "Eskimo and Butterfly"
and "Nine" -- which work perfectly to diffuse the fierce musical battle being
waged around them. Sadly, while Moviegoer have obvious talent, they never manage
to sound much unlike the 1000 other bands currently tugging on the music
industry's coattails. Looking for more big guitars and pained vocal
deliveries? Then Moviegoer is just the ticket. -- jj
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Baby Ray / Do I Love America / Thirsty Ear (CD)
This Boston quartet, which features members from numerous groups including Tobin Sprout and The Barnies, falls into the Blake Babies/early 90's sweetpop vein -- but with a male vocalist. Swirling guitars, head nodding bass and fuzzy vocals fill this sophomore release. There are plenty of cute rhymes -- such as "Olive Novel Love" and "Sheep Are My Keeper" which serve as choruses, and double as titles, of two of the best tracks on the album. Although every track is enjoyable, none of the songs are quite catchy enough to be heard repeatedly in one's mind throughout the day. Keep your eye on Baby Ray though -- they're going to have a big hit soon.-- ha-n
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Consumed proffer blistering, pedal-to-metal powerpunkpop.
This is seriously heavy screaming-anthem stuff, with some of the
more guitar-intensive moments bordering on the Judas Priest-y.
These guys are Brits, though only a few rare snatches of accent and
a few English phrasings (most American punk bands, for instance, don't employ cricket-themed album titles) reveal this parentage. Otherwise, they could be from anywhere -- as long as it's somewhere known for
producing prime-quality high-power melodic punk rock. That said, be
warned that Hit For Six breaks no new ground whatsoever, so if
you're looking for ground-breaking musical concepts, Consumed has
nothing to offer you. This is an album for playing at top-volume in
cars and bedrooms, not for discussing in coffee shops. -- gz
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Sad Pygmy / Dos, Dos, Dos / Lazy Squid (CD)
Now who says there ain't no socially conscious folks singin' songs deep in
the heart of Texas no more? Houston quartet Sad Pygmy is all space age punk
and energetic defiance on Dos, Dos, Dos. Armed with a theremin and
three chords, Sad Pygmy sometimes sounds like abstract art put to sound
("Inflatable Schnauzer" and "222"). And when they're not, they're giving
voice to the inane preoccupations of those longing to be among the
celebrated: TV, UFOs, movies, sex and mental illness. Carol Kelly spits the venom just right on "Dangled Smiling" and the too-jaded-to-care "Wiggle Room". It's just the thing to get the vintage shop and Shiner Bock crowd
busting spastic moves near the stage. -- dd
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Gary Numan/Tubeway army / The Plan / Beggars Banquet (CD)
You've probably never heard of Tubeway Army. There's a reason for that. You have however, heard of Gary Numan, yesh? Well Tubeway Army was Numan's band before he burst out of the early 80s synthpop scene and took over the world. And now Beggars Banquet is reissuing 8 "classic" Numan albums, including Tubeway Army's The Plan, which contains mostly demo recordings that predate Numan's official debut album. It's interesting stuff, mostly because there are almost no synthesizers. What's Gary Numan without synths? Well, he's Tubeway Army! I guess the songs are sort of punky, although they're way more DEVO than Sex Pistols. At places there are hints of Bowie-esque drama ("Crime of Passion") and Bauhaus-y detachment ("This Machine"), although it's hard to say which way the influences were flowing. There are a couple synth-enabled tunes, but they're nothing special. I'm not really sure who this CD is aimed at -- I mean, do you really need a bunch of demos by Gary Numan's original band? If you do, well then, this CD just what you've been dreaming of! If not, then you might want to check out some of the other Beggars Banquet re-releases. -- ib
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WestBam / We'll Never Stop Living This Way / Mute (CD)
We'll Never Stop Living This Way has been getting a lot of attention, and deservedly so.
Equally listenable and danceable, it packs in plenty of heavy beats
and funky rhythms, carefully treading the line between the sparseness
of European electronica and the over-the-top-of-the-wall-of-sound approach
taken by Fatboy Slim, the Chemical Brothers et al. Tracks like the
sinister "Sonic Empire" and the sampled-vocal-driven single "Beatbox Rocker"
percolate gently, combining contemporary elements with retro-styled melodies
to create that elusive animal: interesting dance music that doesn't overwhelm
the senses. It's definitely one of the best electronic albums of the year. -- gz
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Camber/Kid Brother Collective / split 7" / Doom Nibbler
(7")
I've always liked split 7"s -- they're a great opportunity for you to hear
two bands showcase some of their finer wares. Doom Nibbler's debut release offers up a fatal one-two blow from the
purveyors of polished emo-core, Camber, along with an
inspiring, honest and endearing track from the four piece Kid Brother
Collective. Camber's raspy-alto vocals tread between
pleasant harmonies and powerful musical expression on "The Long Goodbye,"
begetting a song of passionate intensity. Kid
Brother Collective takes a hesitant sounding piece of quietude and
escalates it into an energetic delivery of piano-tinged
inspiration. With their two songs apiece, these two bands should make hesitant fans of emo
consider revisiting the genre. -- am
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The Dipsomaniacs / Reverb No Hollowness / Apartment
(LP)
Not to be confused with the New Jersey pop band of the same name, these
Dipsomaniacs hail from Norway and have a hefty discography under their
belt. Released in 1998, Reverb No Hollowness smoothly incorporates
the Beatles and the Byrds into a hybrid concoction offering sweet pop lines that casually drift from chord to chord and hazy harmonies that induce introspection for those so philosophically inclined. The
Dipsos' consistently above-average tunes are a real treat, yet the
sometimes muddy, lo-fi production is more of an aural hindrance than an
attractive genre enhancer. Nonetheless, kudos go to the talented, quirky-voiced Norwegian named Øyvind Holm, and his band of equally remarkable musicians, for a superbly written LP. -- am
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Robbie Fulks / The Very Best of... / Bloodshot (CD)
The title's a bit of a misnomer -- this is all unreleased stuff, so
if Fulks really thinks it's his best work, he might have some
unresolved self-esteem issues. Speculations on the title aside,
The Very Best... is pure honky-tonk goodness from beginning
to end. You get twangily clever ditties like "Jean Arthur", "Roots Rock
Weirdoes" and the timeless "Wedding of the Bugs," sing-along gems
like "You Break It -- You Pay," and the delicious "Parallel Bars," which
proves once and for all that Kelly Willis can do the Lord's work when
she's given some good material. Oh, and the liner notes are worth a
few bucks on their own, if only so you can learn the title of the fictional Volume 6
of Bloodshot's sampler series... -- gz
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FuZ FoN / Random Clips Cassette / Highback (CD)
Living up to its name, this cassette is a strange mish-mash of cut-and-paste
vocals, weird oscillating rhythms and, well, random noises. Basically two
sonic collages (one per side,) Random Clips overlays odd movie samples with
plunking keyboards and warbling bass on Side A, while Side B features
playskool breakbeats coupled with distorted slow-tempo raps and fuzzy white
noise bursts. Overall, a very playful and surprising piece of experimental
electro drone. -- jj
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Endgame / s/t demo / Endgame
(CASS)
Somerville, Mass. -- a quiet, homely suburb of Boston to some, a hotbed of
bitter hatred for others. Endgame, for those still guessing, isn't a band
of loving housewives, but rather a hardcore outfit bent on purging its members'
souls of built up frustration. Think Blood for Blood, as chunky guitars lay
out riff after riff of ruthless distortion while hoarse, gruelling vocals
deliver lyrics tainted by society's misgivings. The sound quality is pretty
consistent and cohesive for a demo, surrepetitiously leaving this writer
hoping that there's more in store from this Somerville outfit. -- am
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Tom LoMacchio / Five Years Later / LinkWork (CD)
...or you might know him as Deadwood Divine. He's recording under
his own name now, and although he has added piano, cello and keyboards
to his music, LoMacchio's low-profile, emotionally resonant songcraft
has only grown stronger over time. Five Years Later is a pensive
and poignant album, full of personal epiphanies and introspective revelations;
if you own any Nick Drake albums, or enjoy the quieter moments of bands like
the Lilac Time, you're going to love this. It is, however, a "comfy chair
and pot of tea" sort of an album -- attempts to listen to it during raucous parties
and 3:00 a.m. cross-country drives are destined to go horribly awry. The magic
of Tom's music may not strike you right away (it didn't strike me right away), so it's important to pay close
attention during your initial listen. Later, those elusive merits should seem
patently obvious. -- gz
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Robin Pearl / Wisteria /
Caleigho (CD)
Robin Pearl sings rocky, bluesy, country-y kind of stuff. Wisteria
is very adult contemporary radio format friendly -- fans of Melissa Ethridge
and Shania Twain are the type to enjoy Ms. Pearl's work. The opener, "Nobody Sees
the Angel", has a rollicking chorus that would sound at home on a Dixie
Chicks album. The second track, "Myth In Blue", is more bluesy, as Pearl's
voice moves into bar band diva mode. She sings with that smoky edge that
so suits the tavern chanteuse. The rest of the album alternates between
country, rock and blues, working decidedly well-worn territory. I'm a bit put
off by Pearl's voice, which I fear isn't as acrobatic as she pretends it
is. Songs like "Story" and "The Way I Feel" illustrate this point. -- nw
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Jeff Talmadge / Secret Anniversaries / Bozart Records (CD)
Talmadge's songs are pleasant, well played and richly orchestrated with guitars, basses, strings, flute, percussion and drums. His voice is nice, if a little plain. A couple of times while listening to Secret Anniversaries, I caught myself thinking I was listening to a children's album, mostly due to Talmadge's rather earnest vocal style. Some of the tunes have nice lyrics, like "She Will Not Save You" and "Midnight Flight", but once again they tend to be a bit too earnest, and sometimes clichéed (i.e.: "I've never heard that train before, Though it goes by every night, And you'll never see the dark, Till you've seen the light."). While these songs are too touchy-feely for me to really get into, lovers of calm, lonely, "pretty" music will find a lot to like. -- ib
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If you like your music sultry and sophisticated, this Eighteenth
Street Lounge compilation should press all your buttons. Despite
the disc's stylish and jetsetting appearance, it's not another lounge music collection; rather, it's an assortment of spicy, globally diverse pop. You'll get smooth bossa nova beats, earthy funk vibes, smoothly seductive soundtrack
stylings and plenty of saucy Latin/jazz sounds, as well as the occasional
intrusion by modern techno-breakbeat sensibilities. Grupo Batuque's
Carnival-esque "Brasileiros e Ingleses" and Balanco's superlative
"Cinnamon & Clove II" pretty much justify your Jet Society
purchase on their own. -- gz
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Various Artists / Tonal Evidence 1999 / Mute (CD)
"Good heavens," you might say. "Mute Records have certainly put a lot of CDs out in the last few months! How will I choose which ones to buy?" Frankly, if you approached me and said this, I'd probably punch you in the throat as a matter of principle. I don't like strangers. However, assuming I was, for whatever reason, compelled to reply, I'd direct you Tonal Evidence 1999-ward. It's certainly the simplest way to suss out the state of Mute's art as the century ends, with tracks from WestBam, Add N to (X), To Rococo Rot, Appliance, Slick Sixty and others. Besides, you get 2K's "Fuck the Millennium," instantly familiar to anyone who spent any time in a nightclub at the beginning of the decade (or has seen Blue Man Group) -- and should be required by law to
replace Prince's "1999" at all New Year's functions. -- gz
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gz - george zahora | nw - noah wane | am - andrew magilow | ib - irving bellemead
jj - jason jackowiak | ha-n - heidi anne-noel | dd - deirdre devers
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