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our weekly collection of shorter reviews
The Kingsbury Manx,
Hi-Standard,
Pop Unknown,
Pele
Dave Bush & Food,
FullOn,
Land Speed Record,
Do Make Say Think
Kitty,
Theselah,
Pitchin' Woo,
Panama
Bitchy,
It Goes Without Saying,
Chalk,
Lobe
Tragic Drive,
Flight 180
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The Kingsbury Manx / s/t / Overcoat (CD)
Mmmm, this one's yummy -- an embarrassment of rich, harmonic pop songs with
unhurried melodies and lush, relaxed vocals. Kingsbury Manx
have three vocalists, so there's more varied interplay in the singing
alone than a lot of bands manage to wrench from their full complement
of instruments. The songs are pleasantly pastoral, their rockish inclinations
channelled into gentle, casual proto-psychedelia (think mid-period Floyd
or a lowered-fi take on George Harrison/Jeff Lynne collaborations). Check
out "Hawaii in Ten Seconds" for proof that the Kingsbury Manx don't really
need their instruments to hold you spellbound -- it's a daring a
capella track, and I hope the band takes the idea further on future releases. -- gz
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Hi-Standard / Making the Road / Fat Wreck Chords (CD)
It's so nice to know that poppy punk is around to content those of us who are unable to turn our ears away from our parents' Carole King and Mamas and Papas albums, yet are also too young, and too melodically indoctrinated, to ever allow ourselves to become aligned with punk's anarchy. It is partially for the above reason, and partially due to their talent, that the Japanese power pop punksters known as Hi-Standard have been going strong, both at home and abroad, since 1991. On Making the Road, these guys tip their hats to everyone from the Ramones to Green Day to NOFX. Pay attention to the built-for-speed tracks 'Standing Still', 'Please, Please, Please', and the minty cool 'Nothing' and know that there are three guys thrashing about on a stage and shaking their fists at conformity so you don't have to. -- dd
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Pop Unknown / If Arsenic Fails, Try Algebra / Deep Elm (CD)
You may have heard of Pop Unknown from their track on Deep Elm's The Emo Diaries II, or maybe you got a piece of their debut EP, Summer Season Kills. If so, then you already know that they are perhaps the least hardcore of the Deep Elm post-hardcore lineup. Their brand of emo is more tied to pop than hardcore. Some of the songs on If Arsenic Fails, Try Algebra are quite beautiful. I particularly like the tender strains of "An Offering," which combines tranquil guitar arpeggios with sincere vocals, and punctuates them with the occasional noisy burst. Other songs worth noting are "Lonely Here With Me" and "Forward = Rewind". In general, however, I liked the EP better, as the album meanders at times, and somewhere in the middle I lost interest. -- nw
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It might be called Elephant, but it's not particularly large --
these seven subdued, post-rockish instrumentals clock in at an
EP-style thirty-seven minutes. "Pickled Pear" reinforces its jazz-like
rhythm with complex, David-Pajo-esque guitar work, while "Egg" punctuates
its fields of drifting melody with abrupt, bewildering instrumental
conflagrations. At other points -- particularly in the final three tracks,
all of which exceed the six minute mark -- Elephant drifts blearily,
its impact entirely dependent upon how much of this sort of stuff you've
heard before. Eventually, bereft of the trance-inducing aspects of a live
performance, the material begins to blur and merge, each tempo change
and abrupt transition becoming increasingly predictable as expectations
become colored by knowledge. -- gz
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Dave Bush & Food / The Big One / LoBall (CD)
Dave Bush & Food: an unfortunate name and an even more unfortunate sound. Think of a whiny, less enthusiastic Counting Crows or perhaps a more dull, less mainstream-sounding Dave Matthews Band. The lead singer (that would be Dave Bush of course) has moments where his voice quavers just enough to grate on one's nerves -- "Baaaay-be pleeeezzzze, stay with me now, we'll make it somehhhhhhow." No second helpings of Dave Bush and any of his Food for me, thank you. -- ha-n
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I've never been a big fan of jokey, Zappa-esque rock, which sometimes seems to be what FullOn is shooting for. Sure, lyrics like: "Everybody wants 300 volts of zap action pumped up their ass" ("Me and Spree") are good for a giggle the first time, but the effect wears off pretty quickly. Also, love songs about smoking dope ("Smoke") don't usually do much for me, other than bring back bad junior high school memories. Fortunately Cosmic Day isn't all ass jokes and drug songs; some of the music is quite creative and well-played. "Air Is Free" is a cute, pseudo-cowboy love song. "Bunting Ridge" is a mellow, acoustic jam with a nice vocal part. While these and a couple of other songs are pretty interesting, they're overshadowed by the jokier aspects of the rest of the disc. -- ib
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Land Speed Record / Kilki / Resin (CD)
A bright burst of staccato rhythms and miffed vocals that cross a glaring
case of neurosis with a certain singer’s
demonstrative personality crisis. The math rock side of your brain will
appreciate all that's noisy, calculated and erratic
here, as the band's generous bestowal of ruptured chords and twisted vocal
chants is devlishly pleasing. Your cautious,
unpresuming other half will applaud Land Speed Record's need to wrestle
with emotionally charged topics through a tangible
medium: scathing lyrical delivery. The between-song skits border on
irritatingly forgetful, but the music’s unarguably
convincing stuff that's quirky, catchy and intrusively becoming. -- am
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Do Make Say Think / s/t / Constellation (CD)
There's a point in "Disco & Haze" -- and you'll know it when you
hear it -- when Do Make Say Think establish, incontrovertibly, that
they're not just another wankish bog-prog ensemble riding the coattails
of Constellation's stellar (pardon the pun) reputation. You'll identify this
point immediately, because shortly thereafter you'll have to get up from the
floor, right your chair and make certain that none of your internal organs are
leaking out of your nose. Seriously, above and beyond the seven other tracks
(including the mind-mangling "The Fare to Get There") and the fancy die-cut
sleeve, the payoff from "Disco & Haze" will justify your purchase on
its own. Turned up loud enough, it can even be used as a weapon. -- gz
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Kitty / Celebrate / Pitch^a^Tent (CD)
It's fair to say that I expected a lot from singer/songwriter Kitty simply because she hails from the musical hotbed that is Athens, GA. Which isn't to say that I was
disappointed by Celebrate; I was merely expecting something different -- something more psychedelic, perhaps. What you get from Kitty are smart
quasi-folk ditties about the trials and tribulations of life. She's the
thinking person's Jewel, if you will. Tunes like "Breathe" and "Spit" ebb and
flow on Kitty's acoustic strum and flinty vocals, while the title track adds
keyboards and gentle strings to the mix. In the end, Celebrate sees us
adding yet another name to the long list of Athens' promising musical exports. -- jj
The editors wish to extend special commendation to Jason for not making any "Hello Kitty" jokes -- Ed.
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Theselah / s/t / K.O.A. (CD)
Remember cringing when you were handed a flyer at a coffeehouse inviting you to an experimental music night at a poorly air-conditioned venue, and then repeating to yourself, " I am a creative type. I must keep an open mind"? This came to mind as I worked my way through the art noise of "Fwd Bk Fwd," the first track from Theselah's self-titled CD. Then something happened in the dead space between track one and two. The remainder of the disc has the sort of genre-bending underground experimental sound that has distinguished groups like Sonic Youth, the Pixies and Stephen Merritt. This spontaneous 4-track experiment yields such satisfying results as the seething acoustic angst of "Vapid" and "Mechanical Euphony" and the superb "Not Sex Joe," which evokes Joy Division's relentlessly percussive moments. Joseph Kim's voice veers from naïve "it's a glorious day" innocence to wary, clued-in cognizance. So I guess it pays to be open-minded. -- dd
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Any good ol' Okie from Muskogee knows that Merle Haggard's the official hand
holdin' and woo-pitchin' dispenser of this day and age. However, we're not
talkin' 'bout country or even Oklahoma here, but rather a rugged indie rock
band based out of Calgary, Alberta. Pitchin' Woo teeters back and forth
between male and
female lead vocals, adds an occasional flute interjection for creative
amusement and pleases you
shoegazers with nefarious, discordant guitar notes that ring throughout the
twenty
tracks presented here. It's a wholesome, garage-based approach to rock 'n' roll
that's solidly rooted in genuine rock ethos and accented with a
tinge of indie cred. -- am
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In the rush to be trendy and cool, far too few bands remember to make
music this good. Philadelphia natives Panama have the right idea --
New Zealand-ish punk-pop tunefulness, jangly melodies, assorted
vocalists...a simple equation, but executed extremely well. In this
particular case, there's a healthy dose of REM-style Americana built
into the creative formula as well -- or rather, Philadephiana, as Panama
never passes up an opportunity to name-check or otherwise refer to their
home town. But you won't notice this beyond the song-title level; you'll
be too busy pogoing to implausibly catchy tunes like "Swimming" and
enjoying the simple life. -- gz
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Bitchy / Black Socks and Happiness / Thick Records (CD)
Bitchy is a side project from some of the fellows from ska-punk heroes Blue Meanies. Depending on your perspective, it's either blissfully or criminally ska-free. Delivering 12 songs in just 30 minutes, Black Socks and Happiness is a chunky blast of straight-ahead guitar/bass/drums/screaming punk rock chaos. I also hear a slightly campy AC/DC angle in there somewhere, working hard to keep things interesting. Although there's not much on this CD to differentiate Bitchy from any of 7,009 other punk rock bands, they do rock hard and fast, which isn't such a bad way to spend 30 minutes. -- ib
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Various Artists / It Goes Without Saying / Sign Language (CD)
Vocals are far less of an essential commodity these days than they
used to be, so a disc of instrumentals seems almost unnecessary.
In the face of the post-rock threat, every band worth its salt can crank
out an instrumental or two, if only to prove that they could do just
fine without a singer if theirs happened to drop dead one evening.
The irony, of course, is that most of the music on It Goes Without
Saying could be dramatically improved -- or at least imbued with
a smidge of individuality -- by a vocalist. There are some strong cuts
here -- Scientific's "Kitt", Unwed Sailor's percussive "Ruby's Wishes"
and Ninety Pound Wuss' "It Seems So Far Away" jump to mind -- but
the rest of the disc is an indie/jazz/improvisational grab bag of varying quality. -- gz
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Chalk / Nothing Left To Do But Die / Dreary Me (CD)
It ain't over until the last 90s new wave revival band pushes up the
proverbial daisies,
and from the sound of Chalk's lively broadcast of rumbling bass lines and
irresistible keyboards, there's plenty of life left for the latest revival
invasion! The poppier Chalk
numbers are reminiscent of K Records' Satisfact, with punk underpinnings and
enticingly robotic, slightly nerdy-sounding vocals. The band also delves
into experimentalism, wearing an Add N to X influence on its sleeve
with tunes that quietly wallow in pools of blips and bleeps, then
abruptly shock you like a jarring lightning strike. It's a good mix of melody
and compositional terror that makes Nothing Left To Do But Die worth
living for! -- am
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Lobe / Hibernation / Swim (CD)
Superlative electronic music, Hibernation is warm, detailed and
constantly intriguing. For the follow-up to 1996's self-titled debut, Ian
Hartley has once again dipped his sonic pen into the inkwell of post-Warp
intelligent-techno, creating nine tracks of understated, emotional, joyously
stimulating music, percolating with robust energy and globally transient
melodies. This isn't slap-in-the-face-obvious material, but if all else fails
"Free Floating" and "Wonder Into" should knock the message home.
Headphones are strongly recommended. -- gz
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Tragic Drive / s/t / Tragic Drive (CD)
Imagine Andy McCluskey of OMD providing spitting lead vocals, add driving guitars and drums to perform the subdued-yet-building intro, then toss in a thrashing chorus and a dramatic denouement, coupled with the REM-esque wail/chant backing vocals. Then you'll have an indistinct but accurately rendered snapshot of Tragic Drive. All of this is used to good effect on the frenzy-to-placidity of "Tsunami" and "Verses," and the "melancholy afternoons" of "Sonic Daydream". No doubt helped by the addition of Drew Mazurek (Jawbox, Shutter to Think) on production and mixing duties, Tragic Drive has produced a competent first effort, albeit one musically influenced by the "Seattle-Scene-Successful-Song-Structure" music guide. -- dd
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Flight 180 / Lineup / BEC (CD)
Do we really need another swing revival act? Flight 180 is banking their career on your answering "yes"! Though they might be a bit late on the scene (the neo-swing-kid phenomenon has passed its heyday), they certainly have the formula down. Line Up mixes original compositions (like the authentic-sounding "Hello Kitty") in the style of Cab Calloway, swing classics like Louis Prima's "Sing, Sing, Sing" and crowd favorites like "I Wanna Be Like You" from Disney's The Jungle Book, all performed by what is essentially a ska band line up -- a rhythm section and a few horns. Incidentally, I think it was the ska revival we had a few years back that set the stage for outfits like Flight 180. I'll admit that this stuff is infectious, especially live, but I have to question its staying power! -- nw
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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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