OUR WEEKLY COLLECTION OF SHORTER REVIEWS | |
Sean Macdonald,
Jarbaby,
Daniel Givins,
Clan of Xymox,
The Trouble with Sweeney,
Pookey Bleum,
David Dvorin,
Mike Farley Band,
Download,
Lee Rude,
Steven R. Smith,
Volante,
44,
Cristian Vogel,
I Guess This Is Goodbye: The Emo Diaries, Chapter
Five,
The Naptown Amplifier Co.,
Diane Wegner,
Bundle of Hiss,
6X,
Drool Brothers
|
 |
Sean Macdonald / Parasites & Kings / Nettwerk (CD)
Macdonald was a member of Vancouver three piece The Ids, whose 1997 "Psycho
Babylon" could not have turned many heads, given its complete lack of
existence on Napster. After many exhaustive searches online, I was
unable to find out why the band parted ways, except for cluing into Sean's
dedication to the memory of Adrian Rout, former trumpet player of The Ids.
At times, Mr. MacDonald can sound like a less worldly E (see "Dance & The
Critic" or the title track) but he proves he is ambitious when coming to
grips with God (see "God" and "God is Smiling"). The overall production
values are tight, thanks to Todd Simko (Pure) and Sean's unique collection
of instruments. In the end, the derivatively Beck-esque rap of
"Obsolescence" and the cheesiness of "Generic Love Song" make this out to be a
misshapen mishmash. It is only after multiple listens that one can begin to
capture the more interesting moments. -- im
|
 |
Jarbaby / Grave Disaster / Unread
(CASS)
Every musician has at least one tape like this floating around in his/her
car. It's the "best of the basement" tape, filled with half-finished
songs, takes that would have been great if the tape hadn't run out and
jams from the days when right notes outnumbered bong hits. These tapes are
highly personal items, however, and unless you are already well-known, they're
not likely to garner much positive attention from others. Sure, there are
a couple of interesting moments here, but in order to find them it is
necessary to wade through interminable noise experiments and ill-conceived
tunes. When sending out home recordings, you want to put your best foot
forward. Unfortunately for Jarbaby, this tape is not it. -- rd
|
 |
Daniel Givins / Age / Aesthetics (CD)
There is a clutch of artists/groups who would benefit from their
vocalist meeting with a severe bout of laryngitis. Arab Strap comes
readily to mind, and now so does Daniel Givins. Whether it's his own
caustic, nasal beat poetry ("Allies") or the cooing and chanting of a host of
guest vocalists ("Rotation", "Petals") the vocals are distracting,
leaving you virtually unaware of the quietly riveting music that
pulsates beneath them. Here, Givins blends jazz, hip-hop, Middle Eastern
and electronic influences into his own unique brand of skewed be-bop
trip-hop. Then the vocals come in and ruin everything. As pure
instrumentals, songs like "Transitional" and "Never Worship Earth" would
be simple-yet-beautiful electronic soundscapes...but vocals muddy their impact, losing listeners in their own supposed "heaviness". If -- and only if -- you can listen around the vocals, Age is a pleasant enough listen for those late winter nights when it's just too damn cold to head out to your favorite beat parlour. -- jj
|
 |
Clan of Xymox / Live / Metropolis (2xCD)
While Clan of Xymox's recent "Liberty" single sounded a bit
like a Sisters of Mercy knockoff, this
double live album (!), recorded during a 1999 tour of
Central and South America, shows a lot more variation in
their sound (flat-out Sisters thefts like "Craving"
notwithstanding). Fans of dark and pretty keyboard and drum
machine compositions
rejoice! Live is something of a career overview,
featuring updated versions of several tunes from CoX's 4AD
days. While given a bit more punch for modern audiences,
tracks like "Back Door" recall the ethereal-yet-danceable
vibe that
4AD was shooting for in the late Eighties. I like Clan of
Xymox best when they pull off the fluttery, lovelorn
sound that I remember from their early days. On occasion,
as in the clumsily-yclept "Muscoviet Mosquito", Ronny
Moorings can't resist slipping into Andrew Eldritch and
Edward Ka-Spel modes, but he's still pretty entertaining.
Call me a nostalgic fool, but I wound up really enjoying
Live -- and from the festival-sized stages visible in
the album art photos, so did the folks in South America. --
gz
|
 |
The Trouble With Sweeney / S/T / Burnt Toast Vinyl (CD)
As far as I can tell, there is no trouble with Sweeney, or with their rained-over acoustic
folk music, which touches deep, like the ocean. Their songs are introspective
and enchanting -- not straight ahead
folk so much as a cross between Leonard Cohen and Will Oldham, but with a
smoothness in the vocals that brings to mind Gerald Collier. A hint of
country slides in on a guitar strum occasionally, but it's never
overbearing. There are only six songs, and one of them is a cover of Neil
Young's "Flying On The Ground Is Wrong", but when the music ends you're
left feeling satisfied. -- mf
|
 |
Pookey Bleum / Chords a Friend Suggested / Bi Fi (CD)
Even the sweetest things become grating when you overdose.
That's what's going on with Pookey Bleum's Chords a Friend Suggested. These
power-bubblegum-rock tunes are pleasant through eight songs, but
you're only halfway there by that point. By the time track sixteen has
played, it is obvious the band has stretched their oeuvre to the breaking
point. Before that, you'll find a decent Unrest of the '80s feel, and a
whole lot of Weezer-via-Cardigans stylings. The subject matter is
of the lovey-dove genre; there's a lot of lyrics about "feelings" and
relationships. It's not impossible that Pookey Bleum have a hit or
two in them, but Chords a Friend Suggested would shine brighter had
the friend suggested fewer chords. -- tnd
|
 |
David Dvorin / With(in)communicado / Pax
(CD)
After several listens, I have discovered this disc's secret -- it actually
contains three different records intermixed with one another. The first of
these is a series of sonic experiments which include "With(in)communicado"
in their titles. These six tracks combine electronic bleeps with samples
of dial tones, voices, and noise. The second thread contains magnificent
world music tracks. The highlight here is the Eastern-tinged "Swelled
Head", which combines electronic percussion loops with a bizarre sitar
freak-out. Both of these categories are effective and often quite catchy.
However, the third thread is a low-key free jazz approach which relies
heavily on acoustic guitar. This isn't necessarily bad, but the sound is
so pared-down compared to the other styles that it feels incomplete.
Taking the album as a whole, depending on which of the tracks you program
into your disc player, you can get a wildly different idea about what
Dvorin is up to. This is an interesting tactic, but it makes it
difficult for me to make a strong statement about
With(in)communicado as an album. -- rd
|
 |
Mike Farley Band / HalfaWorldAway / RTT (CD)
Among the more popular club acts in Northeast Ohio, these guys make humble,
unpretentious songs with vocals and melodies akin to Hootie and the
Blowfish. Their record is a very accessible and undeniably pleasing affair,
with nary a dud in the bag, and is helped along by above-average lead
guitar work from Jeff Nagel. Perhaps this is a stretch, but I hear remnants
of Richard Lloyd in his work, particularly in songs like "Secrets" and
"Iowa", where the songs slow down and he lingers on the chords, licking
feeling from them and helping Mike's lyrics ("Anything you feel, you feel
all alone") to achieve real emotional heft. While nothing on
HalfaWorldAway suggests that the Mike Farley Band will ever even aim to
make anthems for the hard moments of life (the way more individual
rockers like Joe Grushecky, or the forgotten Rainmakers, have done), the
"everyman" vibe in their songs is well-earned and satisfying. They'll keep your
mind pleasantly occupied while you wait for life's next adventure to begin. -- td
|
 |
Download / Effector / Nettwerk
(CD)
It's hard to know quite what to make of Effector. A
series of nine nominally instrumental
"electronic" tracks by Phil Western and cEvin Key, the album
exists within a genre-defying vacuum.
Basically, it's the child of keyboard-intensive industrial
music (Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly) and
big beat electronica. I'll stress the big beat angle,
because a good sound system really brings tunes like
"Vagator" and "Ego Dissolve" to life -- there's definitely a
need for a subwoofer -- though you'll never mistake
this for a Fatboy Slim record. Rather, the best comparison
is a more multi-dimensional µ-ziq; the music is
multi-layered, cinematic stuff, frequently danceable and
invariably listenable. It takes a few listens to
really get into, but once Effector clicks with your
ears you'll really like it. -- gz
|
 |
Lee Rude / Here It Comes / Prudent (CD)
Lee Zuker is not rude. He is Lee Rude, alongside
Volney Hendrix (bass), David J. Rus (percussion) and Tom Bard (keyboards).
He used to be Minneapolis' Charlie Bucket, but traded in his old persona to
pursue leadership of what sounds like Spirit of the Mid-West. "Song of
Nothing New" is a strong opening track and the title cut has a playful
jangle to it, but the jarring backbeat sometimes gets in the way. "5 AM" is
the most effective slice of life, and "Count on Me" is the roughest
selection, and appears a little out of place on the program. Is it folk? Is
it pop? It's plain, honest lyrics delivered as poor man's Freedy Johnson. --
im
|
 |
Steven R. Smith / Slate Branches / Three Acre Floor (CD)
These songs bring to mind the
spaciousness of a sunset...of a desert drive...like the drifting beauty
that fills you. Smith's work slides right alongside bands like Scenic and Lanterna --
Call it western ambient pop minimalism, or cowboy slow-core. There's a lot more space
in these songs than in those bands, though, making me think of Sonic Youth in some of their expanded moments. You could drive through the night on the strength of one note. There's the building
up, the wailing of winds and some orchestrated rise that lifts like
ecstatic noise until you can't breathe...then fades away. -- mf
|
 |
Guilt Ridden Pop indeed! If you thought Deep Elm had the corner on punkish,
sad sack music, think again! This collection of five songs is as morose and
mopey as anything from The Emo Diaries. "Sounding", with tormented
lyrics like "Just talk to me! Talk to me! Talk to me!", is the
type of stuff you'll find on Inland. With loud/soft instrumental
dynamics, shout/mumble vocal delivery and a fast/slow tempo, this track
supplies plenty of emotional turbulence for even the most angst-ridden of
college freshmen. Admittedly, I went through sort of an emo phase last
year, but I had reached my limit by sometime in mid-May. While I might have
enjoyed Volante before then, they now seem to be just another entry in
indie music's staggering array of angry youths with rock instruments. -- nw
|
 |
44 / Free Land Wall / Empyrean
(CD)
The challenge for "jam bands" is to capture their live energy and creative
spark in the studio. This is a task that challenges even the premier groups of the genre, so it is no surprise that Minneapolis' 44 have the same
difficulty. The best cuts here, "The Dispersal Method" and "The Shirt",
sound lukewarm, lacking the fire that makes this style of music work.
Other tracks suffer to even greater degrees. In particular, "Uncle Funky"
isn't funky enough to work, despite the addition of a horn section. While
studio albums tend to sell better, I believe that 44 would be better off promoting a live effort, since this is more
likely to highlight their skills. -- rd
|
 |
Cristian Vogel / Rescate 137 / Novamute (CD)
Chances are you’ve never heard of Cristian Vogel, either in his solo
career or in his work with techno monoliths Specific Momentific or
Super_Collider. With that in mind, all I can really say is welcome to
Rescate 137. You’ll want to buckle your seatbelts, as this is going to be
a bumpy ride. Vogel creates a fantastically demented aural dimension in which
people dance with cobras and armies of headless horsemen reign supreme.
Rescate 137 is a spiraling vortex where melody is forsaken for an
endless groove and a host of odd blips and drones. The rude boy beats
and deft production of "Esquina del Sol" and "Crater 8" sound as if
they could soundtrack a disco somewhere around the Seventh Circle of Hell.
Elsewhere, as on the twitchy "Grainiak Burn" or the decidedly Aphex-y
"La Isla Piscola", Vogel drills beats into your ass as well as your
subconscious. This is clearly thinking man’s dance music. Looking for a
50-minute blast of headfuck beats and corrosive electronics? If so,
then you’re ready for Rescate 137. -- jj
|
 |
Various Artists / I Guess This Is Goodbye: The Emo Diaries, Chapter
Five / Deep Elm (CD)
I was surprised when I Guess This is Goodbye came across my desk. I
had no idea The Emo Diaries were up to chapter 5. I remember chapter
two so well. And who can forget chapter three? Somehow I missed volumes one and
four... It seems like only a couple of years ago that we embarked on this Emo
Diary journey and now we're up to chapter 5 (with chapter 6 already in
the works)! I was fond of these albums in their time, but even I had to
admit that there seemed like a lot of them. I'm not certain whether Deep
Elm is merely chronicling or fully manufacturing the emo movement, but
whatever the case may be, it's certain that nobody puts this stuff out as
prolifically as they do. Chapter 5 is probably as good as any of the
others. The problem is just that by now we've heard so much of it that it's
hard to justify any more. Unless you're a real completeness freak you'd
probably be just fine with one or two of these comps; five seems like overkill.
Still, if I had to pick favorite tracks from this collection I'd have to say that
Walt Lariat's 5+ minute instrumental "6:00am in Cortona" is quite nice, as
is Eniac's "I'll Never Get Home". -- nw
|
 |
The Naptown Amplifier Co. / The Indiana Waltz / Fat Max (CD)
A beautiful early Cure bassline slips and moves into the air, then
disappears into a shoegazing garage haze. Brilliant fuzzed-out guitar
moves behind alternating male and female vocals. The drone goes on -- and
sometimes on and on, but it captures you and hypnotizes you. Think My
Bloody Valentine, think Jesus and Mary Chain and, here and there, think the Cure.
This band isn't as polished, though, and that's where they
find (and stare at) their own musical ground. It's raw and sharp and infested
with influences, but they pick some of the best influences around. From the
Sonic Youth sharpness of "Two Keys" to the Lou Reed drawl of "Nowhere",
the Naptown Amplifier Co. creates a new world and gets lost in it. -- mf
|
 |
Diane Wegner / ...Any Girl I Want / DM (CD)
Have you ever heard Sloan Wainwright? She's made two records so far, each
with a song or two as compelling as anything out there. Overall, though, her
products damn near glisten with filler, and the same applies to Diane
Wegner. Possessing a strong voice, and more than a few things to say, Diane
does have talent, and there is one moment -- the song "Paper Flowers" --
where she and her acoustic "funk" band get everything right: the melody, the
lyrics, the whole shebang. Musically, she reaches even greater heights in
"The Bible Tells Me So": the flute filters all through its wonderful melody,
and brings to mind the greater moments from bands like King Crimson or
Jethro Tull. For a singer-songwriter, she definitely shows she can
stand out. Lyrically, though, she fails by preaching
repeatedly to the choir. Leagues from punk, Diane just wants to be adored by people who are
just like her. While one can arguably get away with taking potshots at
easy targets, an artist has to do it in a very personal way for the song to
succeed in anything but a concert setting. Diane does not achieve this, and
comes across, on a lyrical level, like any ol' lesbian-feminist-humanist.
She has tons of opinions, but you can guess them all. The only surprise, I
guess, comes with the first song, "Any Girl I Want". This is indeed the very
first time I've heard a "boasting lesbian" song, where she claims able to
get "any girl I want", and I guess it's rather cool for that...but only for
that. For now, Diane Wegner can only be recommended to those (million or
so) who think Alice Walker is God. -- td
|
 |
Bundle of Hiss / Sessions: 1986-1988 / Loveless Records (CD)
You still into Seattle grunge circa 1991? Me neither,
but I never was. Anyway, there's a whole lotta Soundgarden
going on here. There's wailing that's supposed to be ominous;
there's screaming that's supposed to be emotional (I guess
that's what the screaming's about). There's lots of sludge-
guitar-maneuvering. One thing you'll notice is a dramatic
change of direction midway. Their six earlier tracks (listed as 1986
sessions) actually have a not-unpleasant Joy Division feel
to them; it's the sound of a band trying to sound exactly
like Joy Division. Everybody knows you need Martin Hannett to pull
off post-punk depression-goth and that your singer shouldn't
have a twang in his voice. The first nine songs (from 87-88)
are punishing, in the same way that heavy metal and
boy bands are -- you'll want to avoid them, if humanity is
something you admire. If you're looking for a Happy Meal adaptation
of Joy Division, though, you might want to hear those songs from 1986.
But, as a full-length CD, do the pros outweight the cons? No. -- tnd
|
 |
6X / Thunder Bomb / Daemon
(CD)
6x rock. In fact, not only do they rock, but they make it
look appallingly easy. This fiendishly tight
ensemble cranks out three-minute power-punk anthems one
after another, each track guaranteed to
get your pulse racing. Vocalist Lara Kiang remains their
not-so-secret weapon, alternating between
coquettish jailbait come-ons and seductive siren songs while
bringing a combative punk-rock energy
to both. Lead guitarist Rob Gal is no slouch in the vocals
department, and together, he and
Kiang effectively modernize the New Wave boy/girl vocal
dynamic. Neither as heavily produced as the Primitives or
Transvision Vamp nor as rough-edged as the Kiss Offs, 6X
offers a compelling mix of punk and polish.
Throw Thunder Bomb on the stereo at your next party
and watch it blow the doors off. -- gz
|
 |
I'm really not sure how to describe this one. It's sort of like a
minimalistic Soul Coughing funk band art project. Strange sounds and
samples, keyboards and loops, and character improvs listed as
"interviewer" or "sex girl" or "skeleton suit seeker" add
to the musical chaos. It's a little like spaced-out improv jazz at
times, moving through long instrumentals, and also some really jumpy beats
that make you want to dance, but you're too busy trying to figure out what
the hell the lyrics are. You'll also notice some smooth, '70s-style porn movie rhythms
tripped out with electronic flute, and some bongo beats that make you
want to snap your fingers. -- mf
|
gz - george zahora | nw - noah wane | am - andrew magilow | ib - irving bellemead | jj - jason jackowiak
td - theodore defosse | rd - ron davies | js - jenn sikes | rg - rodney gibbs | tnd - tim digravina | im - iain macleod
|
|
