OUR WEEKLY COLLECTION OF SHORTER REVIEWS | |
Oval,
The Green Pajamas,
Autechre,
Son, Ambulance/Bright Eyes,
Pop and Circumstance,
Ape Has Killed Ape,
Gravitar,
The Shins,
Twelve24,
Linda Smith,
Creme Fiend,
Si*Se,
Lovelight Shine,
MXPX,
The Black Watch,
.hitch.,
Mint,
Color Filter,
Blutch,
The Big Bright Lights,
Izdatso,
The Dears,
Assel/Second Thought,
Mark Never,
Thunderegg,
Science Knows No Sin,
Persona,
Shur-I-Kan,
Popular World,
Parasol's Sweet Sixteen, Vol. 3
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The title of Markus Popp's latest opus had me worried. If
last year's Ovalprocess was about...well, Popp's
music making process, would Ovalcommers be his
attempt to "mainstream" his sound for commercial purposes? Fortunately, this isn't
the case; Oval's music is as intractable as ever, though
this series of nameless tracks moves only a half-step along
Oval's putative evolutionary line. Popp pioneered the concept of the
CD glitch as a musical instrument, slathering the
percussive, chiming notes with all manner of shortwave
burbling and electronic feedback...but while he's still on
his game, Ovalcommers isn't his strongest work.
After the bristling liquid harmonies of the first two
tracks, the disc lapses into an elongated blur of ambient
textures, with toned-down squelches, scratches, clicks, pops
and fizzes sliding gently beneath the listener's aural radar. There's a
strong finish, though -- two "hidden" tracks, generously
named "_A" and "_B", burst forth in a grand explosion of
shifting, decaying harmonies, striated modem tones, crispy
melodies and billowing white noise. "_A" offers a
drifting, gestalt-like sound collage, while "_B"'s
strangulated-yet-powerful focal melody drives the track
forward at a vigorous pace. It's a shame that Popp hid
Ovalcommers' most interesting tracks behind twenty
five minutes of silence; he's certainly entitled to his
moments of inscrutability, but more moments like this would
make Ovalcommers a far stronger disc. -- gz
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The Green Pajamas / In A Glass Darkly EP / Hidden Agenda (CD)
Surviving numerous band line-up changes over the course of their nearly
seventeen year existence, The Green Pajamas have somehow continued to
produce music that helps to secure their cult status. It's no different on
In A Glass Darkly, a five song interpretation of the stories of J.S.
Le Fanu, considered by some to be the father of the modern ghost story. Songs are named for the stories themselves (such as "Carmilla" -- reputedly
the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula -- and "Green Tea"), and due to
the subject matter, the music is a bit darker than previous efforts. This creates a tone
roughly equal to the most melancholy songs on The Cure's Disintegration, but
this accomplished moodiness serves the subject matter well. It's a quirky EP, but the Green
Pajamas should be proud of it; In A Glass Darkly shows them to be a band that has managed to mature without letting go of their youthful experimentalism. -- al
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Autechre / Confield / Warp (CD)
Many moons ago, Autechre played a crucial role in creating the genre that
has become known as Intelligent Dance
Music (IDM). Now, nearly ten years after that glorious beginning, the
British duo of Sean Booth and Rob Brown have released an album that
could very well signal its demise. Confield takes the minimalist nature
of 1999’s EP7 and 1998’s LP5 and pushes it to a monotonous and utterly
preposterous extreme. You could put this record on full blast in a
Christian Science Reading Room and hardly anyone would know the
difference. Opener "VI Scose Poise" sets the stage for just about
everything else that follows it, setting an all but indiscernible song
structure blipping and blopping its way across a barren field of tired
breaks and scattershot rhythms. When you hear clunkers like "Pen Expers" and "Bine", you'll have
hard time believing that this is the same group that created the far-out alien funk of Amber.
The droning ambient growl of "Uviol" is one of Confield's few signs of life...and even at its peak, the results are less than spectacular. However, as bland as the majority of Confield is, there's still a perverse pleasure to be had in listening to it -- the familiarity
and warmth that have always been Autechre’s most endearing
qualities remain intact. That, if nothing else, is reason enough to give
Confield a chance. -- jj
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Son, Ambulance/Bright Eyes / Oh Holy Fools / Saddle Creek
(CD)
On this split disc, Omaha compatriots Son, Ambulance and Bright Eyes each ply
their trade for four songs. Son, Ambulance proves more compelling: The
opening "Brown Park" cloaks a love song in hazy domesticity, while the
idealized wishing of "Katie Come True" provides some of the album's most
unaffectedly beautiful moments. The group's contribution to Oh Holy Fools
should raise expectations for their upcoming full-length.
The quavering voice of Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst has caught some
critical attention, but it's difficult to figure out exactly why. Through
most of his four songs he sounds close to tears, and while his lyrics are
often harrowing (see the almost-suicide note "No Lies, Just Love", which
includes the lines "So I would like to be remembered as a smiling face/And
not this fucking wreck that has taken its place"), Oberst's wordiness too
often fails to transcend the prosaic. "Love is real/It is not just in
novels or the movies/It is fact and it is standing here right in front of
you," he sings on "Kathy with a K's Song", but an overly-emotive vocal does
little to make those vague words persuasive. Self-pity trumps
self-awareness in Bright Eyes' music ("So now I sing and drink and sleep on
floors/And I try hard not to be annoyed by all these people worrying about
me"), but the songwriter's faults will no doubt find their resonance in
similarly depressive listeners. -- rt
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Various Artists / Pop and Circumstance: An Eskimo Kiss Records Collection, Vol. 1 / Eskimo Kiss (CD)
Pop and Circumstance shops most of the best acts on the Eskimo Kiss roster -- Pacer, Health + Beauty and Saturnine are present, though Velvet is disappointingly absent. The label's aesthetic is best described as stripped-bare jangle-pop with shimmery percussion. The lyrics are generally sticky-sweet and quirky, assuming you can comprehend the standard soft mumble in which they're delivered. Tracks by Cookie Galore and Pacer are the most typical, but all share shoegazer/jangly qualities. One major exception is Razzle's "Snackless Motherfucker Tonight", which makes me wonder what the
hell the label was thinking when they dumped this track on the comp. Undoubtedly named for Hanoi Rocks' drummer, Razzle aspires to their namesake's aesthetic, which is completely at odds with the rest of the comp. Other than its minor anomalies, Pop and Circumstance is a solid deal. -- js
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Ape Has Killed Ape / Mattricide / True Classical
(CD)
Fittingly named after the memorable ending chant from Battle for the
Planet of the Apes, Ape Has Killed Ape pits low-tech humanoid
electronic samplings against tribal drumming and overdriven,
stocky guitar riffs. What transpires is a rash of sarcasm, witty banter and,
of course, plenty of movie samples to make you Apes fans pound your chests
in joy, while the rest of the music types listen curiously to the result of
stream of consciousness material dumped to a digital
format. "We Want Guns" furnishes repetitive aural firepower, while "See Me
Fall" sticks to quasi-coherent ramblings that'll wrench a grin out of you or die trying.
It's impossible to effectively describe Mattricide in its entirety,
as it's a throbbing mass of unpredictability that leads you on a wild, wild
ride beginning at the gates of druggie trip-out Heaven and ending in
front of a metaphorical Hell of exceptionally provoking derelict behavior
and cryptic banter. Masterpieces don't come around too often, so apply
thumb and forefinger accordingly and dish out the appropriate funds to procure this beauty. -- am
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Gravitar / Freedom's Just Another Word for Never Getting Paid /
Enterruption (CD)
Maybe the world of guitar-based noise/improv isn't as icky as it used to
be. I wonder if it's all that E the kids have been taking -- this stuff
is getting fun again! Gravitar isn't adverse to a little mindless guitar
noodling, but their primary focus seems to be to playing dirty, spacy,
freaky-but-still-groovy jams. They make a heck of a lot of noise for a
threesome, but even at their noisiest they've got enough licks and
sexy sounds to keep your ears from falling asleep. The guitars dominate
the mix, although there's plenty of drums/horn/voice chaos in there to
add some depth to the sound. Although the constant density gets a
bit tiring and it's kind of hard to tell one track from another (all the
tracks have the same title: "Freedom's Just Another Word for Never
Getting Paid"), there are some pretty great moments on this disc. -- ib
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The Shins / Oh, Inverted World / Sub Pop (CD)
To hear some of the internet buzz on The Shins, you'd think they were some
sort of latter-day pop messiahs or something; their debut full-length
seems to have generated an inordinate amount of commentary. Now, I'm not as
hyped as some pundits, but Oh, Inverted World is certainly enjoyable
enough in a Beach Boys, Simon and Garfunkel kind of way -- serious,
sort of folky pop, but not horribly inspired. "New Slang" moseys along
like some modern version of S & G's "The Boxer". "The Celibate Life" has
the sugar-coated "ahhs!", the Bob Dylan harmonica, the muted trumpets and
the mumbled lyrics. "Girl on the Wing" adds a bit of synth to the pop, making it quite hummable, as it should be, and earning my vote for the best track on
the disc. In general, what seems to be missing on this album is a distinct,
sharp identity -- something to distinguish The Shins from (fill in your
favorite pop act here). You'll either flip for Oh, Inverted World or
you'll be disappointed. I'm still sort of on the fence; give me a few weeks
and I'll let you know. -- nw
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Twelve24 / Traveller / SteadyCam (CD)
Twelve24 is, in a sense, Steady Cam Records' "house band" --
vocalist Danielle Burhagiar and guitarist Cameron
Webb also own and operate the label. If you like the Blake
Babies or Bettie Serveert, you'll like Traveller;
it's five tracks of earnest, fairly energetic pop, devoid of
cloying tweeness. The lead track, the
Felicity-friendly "Jenny", is the best of the bunch,
surrounding Burhagiar's straightforward vocals with a rich,
multi-layered melody. This is scarcely uncharted territory,
but the band's obvious enthusiasm helps the song to rise
above its familiar structure. Less effective is "Room", a
comparatively sparse tune that delays its big finish
gratification for about ninety seconds too long. However,
despite a few rough spots, Traveller bubbles with
fresh-faced appeal, its fleshed-out songs suggesting a happy
future for this Aussie outfit. -- gz
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Linda Smith / Something New! / Homemade Music (CD)
Linda Smith's title track is a jaunty little tune that, if not for a
problematic bridge, would fit nicely on a Kinks record. Take away her
difficulty to reach the "lala" part and you have a melody that sways like a
curious, excited child down a forest path. Such an image also parallels
Something New's vibe. A retro synth starts it off, with Smith literally
"getting off" on the joy of music-making as she's "leaving the station".
Then, reaching out toward every branch of pop that's pleased her, this girl
of very modest voice sprints from folksy British pop to Nico remakes to
casually played Casio-guitar instrumentals that sound, at every
moment, like they were purely her own ideas, with no hint of outside influence. The
melodies are pretty good, too -- enough to warrant trying Something
New!. -- td
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Creme Fiend / In Doe We Trust / In Da Lab (CD)
In the world of gangsta rap, "keep it real" morphed from a mantra to an
excuse for lyrical excess. After all, how real is it when supposed street
thugs sport piles of rented ice? On the other hand, this Chicago crew has
a dirty sound that captures the reality those millionaires have long
forgotten. The production emphasizes grit over glitter, which gives the
competent MCs a solid base on which to spin their tales of hardship. While
the female-sung chorus of "Faded Memories" makes it the friendliest track, I
prefer the danger of "C.H.I.C.A.G.O.", which features a lethal chant over
its booming beat. This solid album proves once again that serious music (Other than Tortoise... -- Ed.) is
being made in the Windy City. -- rd
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Si*Se / Self-Titled / LuakaBop (CD)
Walk through the streets of SoHo. The old buildings that house galleries and hip clothing stores are covered from wall to wall with vibrant tags. Enter a random, dark bar and these are the sophisticated, urban sounds you should hear. This is where street culture and the intelligencia meet, under one united groove. Solid, clean, electronic beats that range from R&B and D'n'B to reggae and Latin are eloquently matched with horns, bass and violins, but it’s vocalist Carol C who usually steals the show. Her gorgeous voice rolls over the top like hot lava, wavering easily from English to Spanish. Admittedly, this is not my favorite musical genre, and at times the sounds and words may seem a tad cheesy -- a little too adult contemp. Still, one can’t deny that the slick production, cool sounds and warm, trip-hoppy vibes don’t make for a classic ethnic/New York sound. So grab hold of your $8 pint of Bud Light, find an inch of open space and let the cool flow. -- ea
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Lovelight Shine would certainly have been huge in 1971. Though I wasn’t actually around back then, all of the music I’ve heard from that period leads me to believe that this Boston-based quartet (which includes former members of Jejune) would have all but dominated the airwaves. With that in mind, it should come as no shock to you to learn that Makes Out is drenched in glitter-soaked majesty -- all Bowie-esque posturing and T. Rex riffing. "X-Ray Vision" is the greatest song Mott the Hoople never wrote, while on "Foxxmeat", guitarists Mark Murino and Joey Guevara bash out riffs that would have made Mick Ronson proud. Conversely, a sea of lighters will greet live renditions of the honest-to-God power ballad "The March is On", which is more than a tad reminiscent of Journey’s more tear-jerkingly triumphant moments. Unabashedly retro and filled with stellar musicianship, Makes Out is one history lesson you’ll want to hear over and over again. -- jj
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There seems to be something almost innately wrong with
reviewing punk releases: the tenets of the genre are
such that its audience is required to project an aura
of indifference or even straight-up disregard for
things like the internet, reading or some dainty
critic's most assuredly unpunk opinion. Even the
album's press release is riddled with adolescent
come-ons and purposely simplistic vocabulary; the
word "like" and "suck" are applied in much the
same way any punk rock fourteen-year old might. All
of this points to the fact that the audience for the
Renaissance EP has long since made up their
collective mind about the album's relative suckiness or lack thereof.
I can tell you that Renaissance is a little
more abrasive than your prototypical pop-punk
release -- a back to basics for the band, if you will.
This is by no means a departure; the characteristic
three-chord progressions and catchy sing-along
melodies are all still prevalent, but the production
is a little more messy and the band isn't
afraid to take the stylistic risks that won't be found
on any of their recent full-lengths. So basically,
it's an above average pop-punk EP from a
band that's desperately trying to avoid churning out a
watered-down EP. -- jw
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The Black Watch / The Christoper Smart EP / Saltwater
(CD)
Lots of acoustic guitar and pretty boy/girl melodies -- twee for the twee-pop
lover in all of you! And for me, there’s some cool psych guitar work on
"Honeybee". Apparently The Black Watch are pop veterans, having released five
albums on five labels over the past ten years. I can see why genre enthusiasts would like them: their songwriting is deceptively simple yet
engaging, their lyrics literate and thought-provoking. I still haven’t been
won over to the ways of twee, but at least The Christoper Smart EP
didn’t make me want to drown it out with speed metal -- and that’s a definite
improvement over most of the other examples of the genre I've heard. -- az
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.hitch. / self titled / Delboy (7")
Sneaky pop melodies are buried deep within these three math-rock tunes,
providing for a mixed bag of memorable words and noisy nuances. This
Belgium-based outfit provides an undercurrent of bellowing rhythm and
calculated tempo changes which burrow quickly into your memory after a
single listen. A faint Quicksand/Season to Risk flavor traverses "Bring On
the Soap" and "Mignight Party Special", compressed vocals and gruff
guitar lines intertwining with a percussive pastiche of drums and bass. The
premeditated mechanics of "Driptank" tick away like a car bomb that's
quietly waiting for its victim to crank the engine. Whether carnage will
ensue depends on how you receive .hitch.'s jagged and dissonant guitar
notes. Sharp and ready to strike, .hitch. borrows from some of its
American counterparts while applying a distinct European tint to the music. -- am
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Mint / American Style / Self Released (CD)
Mint sure knows how to get off on the wrong foot. Once I got past the tacky cover art and album title, I read the CD booklet's huge list of Thank Yous, which appears beneath the heading "Ground control to major labels". Sorry guys, but I’m not sure if Warner Brothers cares if you thank The Beatles and Elvis Presley. The bottom of the page tells us "For best results play twice." Already discouraged, I popped the CD into the player, and to my horror I heard a quick metal version of Strauss’s "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (made popular as the theme to 2001). Whoa. Luckily, when it comes down to it, Mint knows how to rock. Songs like "Hideaway", "Following You" and "Radio" may very likely win over fans of Weezer or Green Day with their savage catchiness and Jersey charm. This is supposed to be fun, and it is. Just some advice, Mint: from now on, rock for the people -- yourselves, even -- and leave the major labels out of it. -- ea
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Color Filter / LandScape / Dogprint
(CD)
Let's pretend, for a moment, that it's a warm day and you've
been drinking. You're vacationing someplace tropical and
you've had three or four rum drinks, or whatever floats your
boat, and you've slumped into a deck chair, pleasantly
woozy, with no reason to sober up any time soon. That's the
best state to be in when you listen to LandScape, the
better to listen obliquely. Lumped in with the intelligent
electronica movement, this Japanese duo goes in for slow,
tactile music, full of little textural flourishes and syrupy
ambience. While the title track strays a little too close
to Deep Forest territory, the remaining four tunes provide a
pleasant soundtrack for loose-limbed languor. Sober
listeners may find the sugary vocals and persistently chirpy
samples annoying; the thick keyboard melodies make good
background music, but the more insistent sonic elements are
tough to tune out, lodging the disc in that null space
between active and passive listening material. You're best
off partaking of LandScape with your eyes closed and
your world gently spinning. -- gz
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Blutch / Enjoy Your Flight / Delboy (CD)
Belgian sludge rockers Blutch give new meaning to the term "post-metal".
The trio from Mons has distilled a sort of stripped-down, more pure
metal. Unlike the crimes of passion perpetrated by many metal bands, Blutch
is slow and methodical: their ultra-bottom-heavy riffs are almost painfully
repetitive and slow, vocals are sparse and savage, feedback drones on
throughout, songs are abruptly cut off and structure is generally loose, yet
still intensely focused. Listening to Blutch is like getting a
beating in slow motion. "The Gearing" is a great example: the song clocks in at an epic seven minutes and forty-five seconds, and is comprised of a single,
slow but vicious riff that is repeated over and over with building input
from the drums. At about five minutes, some shredded, practically
incomprehensible vocals enter the mix, then seem to stop as
upper-register guitar noodling gradually replaces the steady riffing. Then
the song is over, leaving you feeling worn out and vaguely abused.
On the other hand, "The Headache" is perhaps the most orthodox track here, mainly because the tempo exceeds 40 BPM. I like Blutch. Their essence of metal is compelling and enjoyable. -- nw
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The Big Bright Lights / Take Manhattan / Mud (CD)
Has the current state of mainstream rock got you down? If you answered yes to that question, you need to introduce yourself to The Big Bright Lights. A supergroup for those who don’t like supergroups, TBBL features current/former members of Sarge, Castor, National Skyline and Centaur. Recorded way back in good old 1997, Take Manhattan is the band’s first (and probably last) release on the Mud imprint. Coming across as a brash mix of '70s AM cheese, '80s new wave and '90s alternative rock, Take Manhattan is the perfect elixir to rid you of those rap-metal blues. Alterna-turd Dave Grohl would surely give up his lambchops to write tunes as strong as "Never Look Away" and "The Sound From a Town", a pair full-on rockers infused with layers of fuzzy guitars and thumping rhythms. Determined to prove that they are not a one-trick pony, TBBL get experimental on the Pro Tools enhanced workout "Digital Distortion", show that they know how to do the schmaltz on the woozy "Dream in Color" and indulge in a bit of folksy balladry on the wistful "Getting Close to Summer". Take Manhattan is a little bit country, a little bit rock n’ roll and a whole hell of a lot better than the majority of the crap currently inhabiting the airwaves. -- jj
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Izdatso / Self-Titled / NuTone (CD)
Despite the cheesy boy-band-sounding name, Izdatso makes some pretty
interesting dance music. There are elements of diva house, drum 'n'
bass, ambient electronica and various other beat-oriented microgenres
on these twelve tracks; in fact, the character of the music sometimes
changes so much from track to track that the first few times I listened
to this, I thought it was a label sampler! While it's nice to have a
lot of variety, the music is somewhat limited
by the feeling that it's "dabbling" in each genre rather than really
getting down and dirty with a particular form. The drum 'n' bass
sections, for instance, are pretty predictable. And many of the sounds
used are interesting, but they could have been a lot more interesting if
they'd been given a bit more creative attention. Still, this is a fun disc, full of well executed (if not super original) dance music. -- ib
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The Dears / End of a Hollywood Bedtime Story / Grenadine (CD)
Combine the theatricality of Pulp or Divine Comedy with the piano-soaked
melodies of Charlatans UK, and you have the start of the Dears' Hollywood
bedtime story. The band's catchy, curiously elongated melodies orchestrate
nighttime thoughts, flowing toward those magic moments when film characters look
deeply at each other and blink; it's the moment when feelings collide during their
kisses, and when the camera tilts upward to the ceiling as the film's characters
fall gleefully onto a bed. The Dears' music gives you everything -- the moon
outside, the sweat on each characters' skin, even the occasional French word
-- but it also gives you enough of "nothing" to grasp onto, so that you can
reach the end to all their compositions still thinking and knowing that there are
mysteries in each you have yet to solve. For example, are The Dears' songs in my
bed? I hope they're there tonight, when I sleep. -- td
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Assel/Second Thought / Split EP / Promenade
Fanzine (7")
Assel's seven-song assault delivers a scream-fest of hardcore that would give
early DRI or The Locust a run for their money. It's all in Swedish, but the
rush of guitars and hasty drumming drowns out any lyrical coherence.
Musing lyrics aren't the goal here; the sheer intensity of this
metalcore four piece will win over any punk fan. Second Thought goes for the
throat with verbal attacks on consumerism and the media, reminiscent of
The Capitalist Casualties, but with a Scandinavian flair. "Parlez
Vous Shit?" sinks its teeth into French fascist pig Jean Marie LePen, shredding its topical target into bite-sized pieces. Both bands excel here, each applying its own form of extremity into a familiar genre. Along with the plethora of tunes, this meaty 7" comes with a black and white
booklet full of lyrics, political ponderings and band information,
resulting in one high-class DIY release. -- am
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Mark Never / Afternoon Drift, Cold Shoulders /
Screw Music Forever (CD)
I grew up in Stuart, Florida -- a tiny town with no
more than five kids having heard of even the slightest
bit of underground music. Stuart remains a microcosm of the entire state's
indie-rock picture, so when something even remotely
decent emerges my interest and excitement is
understandably peaked. Hailing from Tampa, Florida,
Mark Never falls in the "remotely decent" category; Afternoon Drift, Cold
Shoulders is a ponderous collection of meandering
tracks that fall more readily into the Wendy Carlos/Brian Eno
mold than they fit in with Thrill Jockey
output. Eclectic computerized instrumentation
provides the album with a distinctly modern feel,
while its drawn-out application recalls the
unconscious interplay that Music For
Airports drew from its listeners. Although diversity is usually a positive factor,
it works against Afternoon Drift, Cold Shoulders; the music
is developed from two extremes. With songs like "1)"
or "Twilight./Film Projector" a more abstemious
listening pattern is suggested, while "Bullfrog" and
"Like Iguanas" are traditional pop songs (in a
generalized sense), replete with vocals and a
structured melody. While
the songs may be individually appealing, the diversified approach makes the
album very difficult to sit through. --
td
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Thunderegg / The Envelope Pushes Back / Orange Entropy (CD)
Surprisingly affecting, low-key without being gratingly lo-fi,
transcending the snarkiness of their personas -- band members include Will
Bite and Woodpile -- Thunderegg deliver an hour's worth of wordy pop songs.
With a productivity rivaling Guided by Voices (The Envelope...
is the second of two discs recorded in 2000), Thunderegg have spent
time woodshedding on their so-called "snippets" records; the new album,
subsequently, doesn't substitute a quick melody and a dash of nonsense for
fully constructed songs. By turns humorous and earnest, the band glows with
an easy lyrical and musical intelligence. The disc comes packaged, for
instance, in an actual envelope (Look at the album title again if this doesn't make sense to you -- Ed.); that kind of attention to detail sets
the band's music apart. Love, its pitfalls and half-triumphs, consumes much
of the record, but its examination occurs without pathos and with a coy
self-awareness: "Baby, you're not getting what you deserve," Bite sings on
"Keep It with You". "And it's getting on my nerves/that I've shown I can't
give a lot." Fortunately for the rest of us, this envelope doesn't get lost in
the mail. -- rt
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Science Knows No Sin / Distance Holds Your Mystery... / Science Knows No (CD)
An attempt to describe this quartet probably goes along the lines of "They play
indie rock, but...". For example, consider the following. SKNS play indie
rock, but they don't rely on evolving dissonance so much as intelligent
use of their instruments. They play indie rock, but include interesting
keyboard textures that move them into unique territory. They play indie
rock, but Susan Margolis and Ken DuBard's vocals move them closer to
the art school sound of Throwing Muses. You get the idea? There is no
denying the category this band should be filed under, but they defy the limits of
that notion at every turn. This is a very strong debut and should be
checked out by anyone who's ever said, "Indie rock is okay, but..." -- rd
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Persona / Omnithrope EP / Simulated
(12")
I have the impression that Omnithrope is a bit more club-floor friendly
that other Persona releases, as befits
its vinyl format, but as this is my first
experience with Persona, I could be wrong. If you enjoyed
the dark, linear trance-techno stuff that came out of
Detroit in the early nineties, this one's for you; while
neither a direct throwback nor an homage, the elements are
there, filtered through a modern glitch-tech aesthetic. The
title cut, built around descending tones, not only offers a
workout for your subwoofer, but gives you a chance to play a
fun game of "Hey, is this a 33RPM or a 45RPM record?"
"Supapixel"'s more vigorous rhythm provides further clues,
but it's not 'til the remix track, "Persona vs. 12 Tech
Mob", that vocal samples suggest an optimal speed for the
nervous percussion. "(Not So) Fine (Small Change Mix)", the
EP's best track, closes the proceedings with a dizzying
blizzard of beats and loops, traditional rhythms rubbing
elbows with off-kilter crunches. On the whole, while it's
perhaps a bit too linear and nondescript for home listeners
who favor the breakbeat business of the Chems and Fatboy, Omnithrope will not
disappoint a mildly adventurous listener. -- gz
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Shur-I-Kan / Advance / Freerange (CD)
Most electronic albums have the potential to go horribly, horribly wrong. What usually keeps this from happening is a healthy dose of creativity and ingenuity on the part of the composer(s). Unfortunately, Advance is deficient in both of these rather important characteristics. Shur-I-Kan is the moniker adopted by keyboard whiz Tom Szirtes for his electronic explorations. Unfortunately, rather than a warped melange of hip-hop beats, free-jazz grooves and industrial strength breaks, the majority of Advance sounds like a technofied version of Enya’s background music. The disc starts out rather well, as "Niomi’s Dream" digs its metal claws into a buoyant groove and skittish beats, but from there things go horribly wrong. "Dubfunk" inches along on watered-down breaks and cheesy synths, while "The Chase" doesn’t have the chops to soundtrack two kids running after the dog that stole their baseball. These days, we’re surrounded on all sides by electronic music -- and compared to some of the competition, Advance may as well start retreating. -- jj
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Various Artists / Popular World / Sky Blue (CD)
I'm always amazed when someone decides to put together a compilation disc
and manages to gather so much great material -- particularly exclusive tracks -- from a
ton of great bands (23 this case). Farmer P of Fresh Cow Pie comes to mind; I believe he managed to coax a track out of Robert Pollard for one of his more recent comps.
For their first release, Sky Blue Records has amassed an amazing collection of pop songs from the likes of Ladybug Transistor, The Mendoza Line, St. Christopher and Simpatico. Of particular
interest is "Brittle" by Kitten Factor; it brings to mind the guitar riffs
of the Cure's "Friday I'm In Love", but propelled by girly vocals.
Simpatico's "Last Train Home" also proves to be a standout, full of awkwardly
soft vocals and simple guitar work. The majority of these bands are living
in the over-crowded land of indie obscurity, and if anything, this disc
proves the point that there is an equal amount of truly amazing music to
combat the relentless flow of mediocrity most of us are forced to listen to
on a daily basis. The fact that most of these tracks were previously unreleased
gives Popular World that extra "must have" quality. For lovers of
pure pop music, it doesn't get much better than this. -- al
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Various Artists / Parasol's Sweet Sixteen, Vol. 3 / Parasol (CD)
Parasol's Sweet Sixteen, Vol. 3 is an okay deal if you want to check out the latest on the label and you're unwilling to gamble on buying the discs without hearing the bands first. Frankly, I can't imagine how anyone could be interested in Parasol and not have heard these bands. Half this compilation's tracks have already been released, and the others are due to be released soon. Club 8, Vitesse, Bettie Serveert and Very Secretary are some of the bigger names here. Jenifer Jackson's "Mercury, Sun and Moon" is the perfect dreamy anthem for disappointed girls everywhere, and Fonda's "The Sun Keeps Shining On Me" is the new star on everyone's homemade heartbreak mix tapes. Do the right thing, and use the track listing as a shopping list. -- js
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gz - george zahora | nw - noah wane | am - andrew magilow | ib - irving bellemead | jj - jason jackowiak | td - theodore defosse | rd - ron davies
js - jenn sikes | rt - ryan tranquilla | al - amy leach | jw - john wolfe | az - alex zorn | ea - ed anderson
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