Splendid E-zine: at a glance reviews

Splendid E-zine presents

our weekly collection of shorter reviews

Chainsuck, All Time Present, Muckafurgason, Sweet Venus
Monte Montgomery, Munir Doumet, To Roccoco Rot, Seminiferous, Wanderjar

Chainsuck / Kindly Stop for Me / Wax Trax (CD)
Sample 30 seconds of "Box"
Chainsuck's second effort has a creepy cabaret feel -- it's a little bit darkwave, a smidgen of Cocteau Twins etheria and a touch of horror movie soundtrack, with more conventional rock and electronic elements peeping out through the seams. Marydee Reynolds contributes rich, haunting vocals, while her supporting players -- including Wax Trax stalwarts Chris Connelly, Bill Rieflin, Frankie Nardiello and the late William Tucker -- create densely layered collages of keyboards, bass and drums. If Siouxsie and the Banshees were still an artistically valid concern, this is the sort of album they'd be trying to make -- evocative, visceral and at times slightly disturbing. -- gz

All Time Present / All Time Present / bottom feeder (CD)
Sample 30 seconds of "4. (untitled)"
As a general rule, improvised music works much better when experienced live than it does on recordings, even if those recordings are very well done. There is so much energy involved in creating improvised music, and it's a type of energy that simply can't be captured on a CD. Sometimes a video will get pretty close -- you can see the action (or non-action, depending), get a feel for the space, see some sweat, and most importantly, you can see the instruments and the hands playing them. That being said, I would have loved to have been present when All Time Present was recorded. Chris Forsyth, Rich Gross and Ethan Sklar all play guitars, and they play them well. They manage to coax a great variety of moans, shrieks, buzzes, wails, bleeps and gentle hums from their instruments, combining them into five solid, attention-grabbing improvisations. Yet as good as it is, there's always the sense, in the back of my ears, that something is missing. Nonetheless, it's an impressive disc. If you're into improvised "noise"-based music, then these fellows are definitely worth a listen. -- ib

Muckafurgason / The Gay EP / Deep Elm (CD)
Sample 30 seconds of "You Ain't A Man (Until You've Had A Man)"
Splendid faves Muckafurgason return, albeit briefly, with an EP of loosely connected songs that are...well, gay. Whether this title refers to intra-gender relations, cheerful ebullience or a combination of both is open to a certain degree of interpretation. While "You Ain't A Man (Until You've Had A Man)" sounds tongue-in-cheek, it's played utterly straight (so to speak), to earnestly hilarious effect. This goes double for the disco (or "west") version. "I Wanna Be Your Guy", on the other hand, could...ahem...go either way. Ultimately, unless you're rabidly homophobic and utterly bereft of a sense of humor, the cheerfully punkish pop of The Gay EP is bound to win your heart. Is it wrong? -- gz

Sweet Venus / Sweet Venus / Sundial (CD-R)
Sample 30 seconds of "Underground"
Fuzzed out rock riffs dominate this 3 song CD-R as a finely drawn line zigzags in between space rock haziness and punchy pop tunes. Fortunately, these lads, along with vocalist Angela Webster, all hail from the U.K., allowing "Underground" to burst forth in a blazing explosion of legitimate Brit-pop that has enough integrity to distance itself from that stereotypical genre, while craftily borrowing its poise and exotically tasteful elements. Like a more cognizant Stereolab, minimally cadging from Spacemen 3, Sweet Venus has perfected its sound -- now the band just needs a few more recorded tracks and a smart, tasteful record label! -- am

Monte Montgomery / Mirror / Heart Music (CD)
Sample 30 seconds of "All I Can Do"
Montgomery's six-string skills are undeniable; the man's a hell of a guitarist. Regrettably, these rock/country/folk tunes are overproduced to the point of being Adult Album Alternative fare -- imagine, for reference, a Bruce Hornsby/ Dire Straits collaboration with some killer solos. While none of these songs blindsided me with any edgy new lyrical or melodic ideas, I've got to confess that more than once I caught myself enjoying these songs. Mirror doesn't have a shred of indie-rock hipster cred, but Montgomery does what he does better than his contemporaries. Recommended for those who like their ear candy loaded with a lot of artificial sweetener. -- gz

Munir Doumet / Journeys of the Heart / Munir Doumet (CD)
Sample 30 seconds of "The Day Took Over"
Composer Doumet's CD, Journeys of the Heart, is supposed to be a musical reflection of life. It strives to reflect the ups and downs -- the highs and lows as it were. This is done in a kind of smooth-jazz-cum-new-age way -- Yanni meets Manheim Steamroller. You've got big faux orchestral arrangements over slow-rock beats with a healthy dose of synth pads thrown in for good measure. Everything is big and epic and gushy, as our soundclip of "The Day Took Over" demonstrates. -- nw

To Roccoco Rot / The Amateur View / Mute (CD)
Sample 30 seconds of "a little asphalt here and there"
The third album from this trio of Berliners is a good disc to own if you like to say you enjoy experimental electronic music, but actually don't. While the comparatively minimal TRR style is largely upbeat and melodic, there isn't a whole lot of envelope-pushing taking place here. As so-called "listener's electronica" goes, The Amateur View is head and shoulders above most of the competition -- tracks are varied, full of detail and served up in pop-song-length nuggets rather than concept-bludgeoning nine minute epics. By all means check it out -- just don't expect any paradigm-shattering revelations. -- gz

Seminiferous / Dark Pop / Ramjet (CD)
Sample 30 seconds of "John Q Public"
A soulful pop record with equal parts folk and rock, Dark Pop reveals this Sin City foursome’s exposé on topics ranging from abuse to post-girlfriend blues, with solid results. Vocalist Rob Bell's wiry, accentuated vocals do a superb job on tunes like "She Said" and "John Q Public" as they quickly shift gears from melody maker to thoughtful muse without hesitation. With a tight rhythm section backing up the absorbing guitar of Rick Ramsey, Seminiferous has as much intensity and liveliness as a group of virile teenagers in their first band. -- am

Wanderjar / Early Glaciers are Seldom Waves / One Carbon Cycle (CD)
Sample 30 seconds of "Heavengoing"
It's hard not to mention Sonic Youth when describing Wanderjar (at least it's hard when you've got a word count limit). Wanderjar have the SY "driving drone" thing down pat, bolstered by a heavy-duty hard rock foundation that hints at the presence of a few Black Sabbath albums on the band's record shelf. But while these four songs are big, bad and beefy, they're not without delicate moments of detail -- a piano solo on "Walking Backward", for instance, and the rocked-up shoegazer melody of "Heavengoing". Recorded in a metal-walled storage unit on a shoestring budget, Early Glaciers... nonetheless impresses -- despite the CD-R format, the disc is professionally packaged and sounds surprisingly good. I hope to hear more from these guys. -- gz

nw - noah wane | gz - george zahora | am - andrew magilow | ib - irving bellemead

	Chainsuck / Kindly Stop for Me / Wax Trax (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Box" Chainsuck's second effort has a creepy cabaret feel -- it's a little bit darkwave, a smidgen of Cocteau Twins etheria and a touch of horror movie soundtrack, with more conventional rock and electronic elements peeping out through the seams. Marydee Reynolds contributes rich, haunting vocals, while her supporting players -- including Wax Trax stalwarts Chris Connelly, Bill Rieflin, Frankie Nardiello and the late William Tucker -- create densely layered collages of keyboards, bass and drums. If Siouxsie and the Banshees were still an artistically valid concern, this is the sort of album they'd be trying to make -- evocative, visceral and at times slightly disturbing. -- gz
	All Time Present / All Time Present / bottom feeder (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "4. (untitled)" As a general rule, improvised music works much better when experienced live than it does on recordings, even if those recordings are very well done. There is so much energy involved in creating improvised music, and it's a type of energy that simply can't be captured on a CD. Sometimes a video will get pretty close -- you can see the action (or non-action, depending), get a feel for the space, see some sweat, and most importantly, you can see the instruments and the hands playing them. That being said, I would have loved to have been present when All Time Present was recorded. Chris Forsyth, Rich Gross and Ethan Sklar all play guitars, and they play them well. They manage to coax a great variety of moans, shrieks, buzzes, wails, bleeps and gentle hums from their instruments, combining them into five solid, attention-grabbing improvisations. Yet as good as it is, there's always the sense, in the back of my ears, that something is missing. Nonetheless, it's an impressive disc. If you're into improvised "noise"-based music, then these fellows are definitely worth a listen. -- ib
	Muckafurgason / The Gay EP / Deep Elm (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "You Ain't A Man (Until You've Had A Man)" Splendid faves Muckafurgason return, albeit briefly, with an EP of loosely connected songs that are...well, gay. Whether this title refers to intra-gender relations, cheerful ebullience or a combination of both is open to a certain degree of interpretation. While "You Ain't A Man (Until You've Had A Man)" sounds tongue-in-cheek, it's played utterly straight (so to speak), to earnestly hilarious effect. This goes double for the disco (or "west") version. "I Wanna Be Your Guy", on the other hand, could...ahem...go either way. Ultimately, unless you're rabidly homophobic and utterly bereft of a sense of humor, the cheerfully punkish pop of The Gay EP is bound to win your heart. Is it wrong? -- gz
	Sweet Venus / Sweet Venus / Sundial (CD-R) Sample 30 seconds of "Underground" Fuzzed out rock riffs dominate this 3 song CD-R as a finely drawn line zigzags in between space rock haziness and punchy pop tunes. Fortunately, these lads, along with vocalist Angela Webster, all hail from the U.K., allowing "Underground" to burst forth in a blazing explosion of legitimate Brit-pop that has enough integrity to distance itself from that stereotypical genre, while craftily borrowing its poise and exotically tasteful elements. Like a more cognizant Stereolab, minimally cadging from Spacemen 3, Sweet Venus has perfected its sound -- now the band just needs a few more recorded tracks and a smart, tasteful record label! -- am
	Monte Montgomery / Mirror / Heart Music (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "All I Can Do" Montgomery's six-string skills are undeniable; the man's a hell of a guitarist. Regrettably, these rock/country/folk tunes are overproduced to the point of being Adult Album Alternative fare -- imagine, for reference, a Bruce Hornsby/ Dire Straits collaboration with some killer solos. While none of these songs blindsided me with any edgy new lyrical or melodic ideas, I've got to confess that more than once I caught myself enjoying these songs. Mirror doesn't have a shred of indie-rock hipster cred, but Montgomery does what he does better than his contemporaries. Recommended for those who like their ear candy loaded with a lot of artificial sweetener. -- gz
	Munir Doumet / Journeys of the Heart / Munir Doumet (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "The Day Took Over" Composer Doumet's CD, Journeys of the Heart, is supposed to be a musical reflection of life. It strives to reflect the ups and downs -- the highs and lows as it were. This is done in a kind of smooth-jazz-cum-new-age way -- Yanni meets Manheim Steamroller. You've got big faux orchestral arrangements over slow-rock beats with a healthy dose of synth pads thrown in for good measure. Everything is big and epic and gushy, as our soundclip of "The Day Took Over" demonstrates. -- nw
	To Roccoco Rot / The Amateur View / Mute (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "a little asphalt here and there" The third album from this trio of Berliners is a good disc to own if you like to say you enjoy experimental electronic music, but actually don't. While the comparatively minimal TRR style is largely upbeat and melodic, there isn't a whole lot of envelope-pushing taking place here. As so-called "listener's electronica" goes, The Amateur View is head and shoulders above most of the competition -- tracks are varied, full of detail and served up in pop-song-length nuggets rather than concept-bludgeoning nine minute epics. By all means check it out -- just don't expect any paradigm-shattering revelations. -- gz
	Seminiferous / Dark Pop / Ramjet (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "John Q Public" A soulful pop record with equal parts folk and rock, Dark Pop reveals this Sin City foursome’s exposé on topics ranging from abuse to post-girlfriend blues, with solid results. Vocalist Rob Bell's wiry, accentuated vocals do a superb job on tunes like "She Said" and "John Q Public" as they quickly shift gears from melody maker to thoughtful muse without hesitation. With a tight rhythm section backing up the absorbing guitar of Rick Ramsey, Seminiferous has as much intensity and liveliness as a group of virile teenagers in their first band. -- am
	Wanderjar / Early Glaciers are Seldom Waves / One Carbon Cycle (CD) Sample 30 seconds of "Heavengoing" It's hard not to mention Sonic Youth when describing Wanderjar (at least it's hard when you've got a word count limit). Wanderjar have the SY "driving drone" thing down pat, bolstered by a heavy-duty hard rock foundation that hints at the presence of a few Black Sabbath albums on the band's record shelf. But while these four songs are big, bad and beefy, they're not without delicate moments of detail -- a piano solo on "Walking Backward", for instance, and the rocked-up shoegazer melody of "Heavengoing". Recorded in a metal-walled storage unit on a shoestring budget, Early Glaciers... nonetheless impresses -- despite the CD-R format, the disc is professionally packaged and sounds surprisingly good. I hope to hear more from these guys. -- gz