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OUR WEEKLY COLLECTION OF SHORTER REVIEWS
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Descendro Allegro,
Breezy Porticos,
The Stepford Five,
Coletta,
Scratchy Marimba vs. Stephen Vitiello,
Good Riddance,
Bonfire Madigan,
Tiara,
Love Ballads,
Greg Lisher,
Shiner,
Ratos de Porão,
Cobolt,
A-Z Consolidated,
The Jazz Cannon,
Beachwood Sparks,
DJ Krush,
Moods for Moderns,
Candyass,
Three Stigmata
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Descendro Allegro/ Honorable Treason / Pro Shop
(CD)
The Chicago trio Descendro Allegro are truly a high-concept band: a band with lofty goals and, pretty much, the means to attain them. Their 1999 debut release was actually a triple album box set, each CD with an individual theme. Also available as a single CD, the spy-themed Honorable Treason was produced by Monk Gary Burger. It features a mix of styles, most notably surf and Pink Floyd-style melange. “Black Hare, Grey Hound” is typical of their style and probably one of the more successful songs on the album, skipping from lounge to surf to frenzied vocals and back again. Like the album as a whole, there’s lots going on and even when it isn’t totally comprehensible, it’s fun. -- bl
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Breezy Porticos / s/t / Papercuts
(CD)
Like the zeppelin on the cover, Breezy Porticos' music is lighter than air.
Touted as "three songs, three soundtracks for summer," this jolly trio
delivers as promised by offering sugary jalopy jams that would make the
Beach Boys proud. Arising from the ashes of Sissy Fuzz, the band ropes in
indie-god John Hill from the Apples in Stereo to produce their music, which
also features notables like Tammy Ealom (Dressy Bessy) and Rick Benjamin
(from the Elephant 6 collective). So grab you weenies, a beach blanket and
this CD, because a Breezy summer has arrived. -- rd
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The Stepford Five / Mesh / S5 (CD)
The Stepford Five are a rare find these days, in that they actually seem to
have no hangup with good, straighforward rock. That's highlighted by "Overcoming
Eve", a song that starts where the Goo Goo Dolls left off, then adds some
heavy guitars to scrape a little bit of the sensitivity away. Not all of their
songs (like "Strange Days" and "Get Yourself Together") are as good as this
one or "No Chance", which starts out with a riff straight from Sarge, but
none of them suck either. They even succeed at "Misplaced You", their
attempt at a ballad. Production could be a lot better -- either that or
their guitars just gravitate toward the "soundwave uglies" -- but they're a
band to watch and, for label owners, a band to pursue. -- td
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Coletta / 30th and Lake/Summer Inside / Congregation (7”)
In these boy band-crazed times, we need to stop every once in a while and thank
God for bands like Coletta. These boys know how to bring the rock and really, who among you couldn’t use a bit more rock in your lives these days? Coletta waste no time in showing wannabes how it should be done, as the fuzzily melodic riffs, pulsing backbeat and swooping vocals of A-Side “30th and Lake” come crashing down upon your unsuspecting head. But the onslaught is not over just yet; Side-B awaits. “Summer Inside” is even better than the A-Side -- its walls of crunching guitars and intricate bass patterns are instantly memorable and incessantly hypnotic. Housed in a neat terry cloth sleeve, this debut 7” does nothing but leave you wanting more -- more of that Coletta rock you so richly deserve for putting up with so much teen pop and wuss rock. Screw MTV, I want my Coletta! -- jj
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Scratchy Marimba vs. Stephen Vitiello / The Meld Series
/ Beggars
Banquet/Sulfur (CD)
This is another in Sulfur's series of artist
collaborations/confrontations. Vitiello, along with Hahn Rowe,
Scanner and Dean Sharp, creates freeform soundscapes using
guitar, bass, turntables, samples, tapes, drums and a host of
technical jiggery-pokery. Although "Scratchy Marimba Meets the
Low Pass Shrew", with its looped turntable scratch, crystal
clear melodic tones and complex beat pattern, approaches
conventional electronica, most of the other pieces here are more
atmospheric and less predictable. They range from the subtly
disturbing yet almost danceable "Loudmouth", so awash in
technological sounds that it sounds distinctly Star Trek-ish, to
"Taxi Take Off, Turbulence and Landing", which sounds like
nothing so much as trans-dimensional beings moving furniture
around. Ultimately, this installment of the Meld series
is thoroughly fascinating, but you probably won't get it
immediately; be prepared to listen through it at least five
times, at increasing volume, before it finally clicks. -- gz
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Good Riddance / The Phenomenon of Craving / Fat Wreck Chords
(CD)
Like me, you probably get confused about which Fat Wreck band sounds like
what. For those in need of a quick refresher course, Good Riddance is like
the political arm of the Fat Wreck government, and this six song CD-EP is
full-on melodic hardcore with absolutely no filler (or lobbyists) to boot!
These friendly neighborhood punks pounce upon mental psychosis, ruptured
friendships and the confrontation of internal fears with a savage passion that’s
genuinely convincing -- these guys mean what they say and say what they
mean! What has to be the band's best work to date, The Phenomenon of
Craving is a first-rate introduction for the unacquainted music fan to
experience -- it's fast, aggressively charged and ready to explode without
becoming an irritating punk sermon or a longwinded filibuster on the state
of hardcore to come. -- am
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Bonfire Madigan / Saddle the Bridge / Kill Rock Stars (CD)
Psst! Want some cool cello music to go with your punk rock records? Try Bonfire Madigan's Saddle the Bridge. It's innovative, minimalist orchestral pop. The trio consists of cellist Madigan Shive, bassist Sheri Ozeki and drummer/percussionist Tomas Palermo. This simple, unorthodox line-up results in some powerful and haunting fare. Take the track "Running", where the pulsing music is the perfect accompaniment for the brooding, somewhat mystical lyrics. Furthermore I haven't heard anything this strikingly "classical" since the first Rasputina album. In fact I was immediately struck by the long bowed tones at the beginning of the track. They remind me of some bit of a lost Shostakovich string quartet. -- nw
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Tiara / Again Cast In / Anyway (CD)
Sensitive boys with guitars. Electric guitars that is, and occasionally
loud and nasty-sounding ones. Pretty melodies, feedback, distortion --
I think I smell indie-pop! "It's a Message" is the kind of uptempo,
melodic guitar-pop that that's hard not to like, but easy to forget.
"Lost"'s slow and heavy groove is much better, with some impressive dual
guitar noise attacks and tweaky feedback. Switching gears again, "Navy
Blue" is an pleasantly echoey but somewhat flat slow-jam. "The Film"
brings back many bad "Hotel California"-related high school memories,
which is unfortunate since it's not a bad song otherwise. The real
winner on Again Cast In is "Back to the One", a slow, pretty,
white boy country number that brings back many pleasant
CamperVanBeethoven-related highschool memories. This is pretty
standard-issue indie-pop -- nothing that'll make your eyes bleed with
joy, but you probably won't hate it either. -- ib
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Various Artists / Love Ballads: March Records Winter
into Spring Sampler 2000 / March (CD)
Love Ballads comes at a time when March's roster is at
its most varied. There's breathy girlie-pop from Cinnamon, One
Star and the California Oranges, retro-lounge pop from Spring
and the Cherry Orchard, and introspective melodic swirl from the
Waves and Ciao Bella. Not enough for your appetite? Add some
jangly tunes from Bike and Holiday, new wavish fun from Figurine
and mellow, proto-folky stuff from The Harvest Ministers and
Kleenex Girl Wonder. There are a few missteps here -- Kleenex
Girl Wonder's "Sunberry Gate" drags the mood to a crawl before
picking up the pace in its final minutes -- but most of the
groups are represented by solid material, making this a
worthwhile investment (and a good warm up for summer music). --
gz
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Greg Lisher / Handed Down the Wire / Magnetic
(CD)
After lying semi-dormant for years, the memory of Camper Van Beethoven is a now a spectre haunting the music-buying public. As well as Greg Lisher, former members Jonathan Segal and Chris Molla have released new albums in the last six months or so, with a new CD from Victor Krummenacher expected later this year. CVB and Cracker both released collections in April of this year. And the legendary Camper Van Chadbourne is on the move, touring sporadically in the United States. Lisher’s work only subtly recalls CVB, despite the fact that he’s backed by Campers Segal, Krummenacher and Chris Pederson, as well as former Monk of Doom David Immergluck. Instead, Lisher seems to have found a life of his own as a solo writer. The songs that grace Handed Down the Wire are meditative, often rooted in the country vernacular but with pop overtones; imagine the music Richards Davies and Buckner would make if forced to occupy the same body by a science project gone awry. -- bl
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Shiner play no-frills, simple alternative rock, and they do it very well.
Their starting point contains definite strains of Seattle, but coming from
Kansas City the influence of middle America is strong. The album ranges
between mid-tempo rockers like "Spinning" and slower head-trips like "The
Arrangement," but everywhere things are arena-sized. The songs stay on the
heavier end of the scale but steer clear of anything metal. Together, they
comprise a decent, middle-of-the-road rock record. Although at times the
melodic angst comes a bit too close to Bush for my tastes, this is a solid,
if somewhat placid, album. -- rd
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Ratos de Porão / Carniceria Tropical / Alternative
Tentacles (CD)
Hey there kids, have you become another "Latin-music" nut? Ready to shake
your booty to some swank Brazilian sounds? Well, if temper-tantrum
screaming and machine-gun-quick drumming are your idea of the Latino music
revolution, read on! Having stalked the Streets of Sao Paulo since 1982,
Ratos de Porão has honed its sound over the years with a slew of releases
on several labels. Sort of like transplanting the old NYHC scene to the beautiful coast
of Brazil and adding doses of early Sepultura, the Ratos come across as
some sort of hybrid punk-metal monster that's violently opposed to all
things corporate and unabashed to let you know its members' ugly
personal feelings. A wicked ride that never even processes the thought of
slowing down, Carniceria Tropical is an eruption of raw energy that
galvanizes the oppressed masses with one fatal ringing of a distorted
guitar chord. -- am
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Cobolt / Spirit on Parole / The First
Time (CD)
Cobolt's got that indie rock sound the kids love: autumnal
melodies full of sullen guitar detail, wistful older-and-wiser
vocals and big, blustery climaxes. Though they sound pretty
North American, Cobolt actually has Scandinavian (and Refused) roots, which
perhaps explains their vague similarity to Starmarket. Both
bands are doing their best to ditch the "emo" tag, though one
look at Spirit on Parole's lyrics will make it clear that
Cobolt are lagging behind on that score. Basically, there are a
few hundred bands that sound like this. Cobolt are neither the
best nor the worst, though they're more competent than many.
They simply lack sufficient means to distinguish themselves from
the crowd. -- gz
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A-Z Consolidated / s/t / The Pro Shop (CD)
I have a strange feeling that slightly creepy, maniacal, angular rock
a la early Talking Heads is going to make a comeback in the next few
years. A-Z Consolidated is the second new band I've heard in the last
two weeks that instantly put me in that somewhat uncomfortable but
intriguing early 1980s frame of mind (The Turns-Offs were the other.)
A-Z Consolidated is a guitar/bass/drums/violin combo with non-cutesy
girl/boy vocals. Although they seem a bit over-earnest and serious on
much of the disc, there's no denying that they've put together a batch
of powerful, compelling songs. On several songs the vocals are dodgy,
but they work well, adding a strange tension to the music. And although
there's nothing lush or particularly pretty about these songs, they
manage to create a dense, absorbing atmosphere that's quite attractive
in its own way. And speaking of attractive, the packaging for this
limited-edition CD EP is a terrific looking individually silk-screened
paperboard sleeve. -- ib
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The Jazz Cannon / Amateur Soul Surgery / Function 8 (CD)
While Madder Rose themselves have begun to evolve over the last two
(of their always enjoyable) records, this new full-length from Billy Cote's
side project is highly recommended for everyone who embraced Madder Rose's
more trip-hoppy moments in Tragic Magic. Though I guess Bily's
one-man backing band means to be the focus, it's the eqquisite voice of his
fellow Mad Rose, Mary Lorsen, that provides the biggest highlights (on "Where Are You,
Star", "TTT2" and "Killed At Party"). She
has vocal skills comparable to Dot Allison, and her voice really shines in
this low-key, beat-heavy
background. Don Greene, who sings raspily on the majority of the songs,
brings a little less to them; he's not fully able to breathe his own
personality -- like a taste for writing serial killers -- into the highly
individualistic pieces, but it's still highly suited to the musical
landscapes provided by Billy. Sometimes it would help if more was going on in the songs
(and nothing says this more than "the Resonant Priest", an instrumental
bore), but overall, Amateur Soul Surgery is a sweet, pleasant affair that meets expectations, while surprising you with influences like the Jackson 5, the New York
streets and well-remembered drug trips. -- td
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Beachwood Sparks / Beachwood Sparks / Sub Pop (CD)
I must admit that the artwork is what originally attracted to me to this album -- it’s so damn cool looking, chock full of bright colors and stars while giving off a wicked 10cc vibe. It wasn't until much later that I realized that, having picked the album for superficial reasons, I would eventually to be forced to deal with its musical content...which, unfortunately, is not quite as impressive as its artwork. On the majority of their self-titled debut, Beachwood Sparks come across as a watered-down version of the Flying Burrito Brothers. There's not necessarily anything wrong with the band’s Parsons-esque brand of warped country psych-pop, but their schtick is something that has been done better by those who came before them. Tunes like “Sister Rose” and “The Calming Seas” shimmer and roll -- propelled by the band’s swooning guitars and psychedelic twang. But those songs, like most others here, fail to ever really get off the ground, becoming trapped in the boggy mess of scattershot rhythms, trite lyrics and listless piano that pervades on the album. Pleasant but not overtly impressive, this debut offering hints at greater things to come. -- jj
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DJ Krush / Code4019 / Red Ink (CD)
Unless I've misunderstood the CD booklet, this is a mix set by
Japan's DJ Krush, peppered with his own material, as opposed to a disc of
actual new material. Not too surprisingly, what you'll find here is lots of
trip-hop and darker hip-hop and R&B. What is surprising
is how uninvolving it is. I've been listening to
Code4019 for a couple of days now, and all it has
inspired in me is a strong desire to listen to something else.
It's just tepid. Perhaps if I heard this set in a club at 3:00
a.m. it'd have more impact; in a well-lit room during daylight
hours, it never really engages interest. -- gz
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Moods For Moderns / Two Tracks Left / Doghouse (CD)
Even though they hail from Detroit, I think Moods For Moderns grew up worshipping at the altar of Chicago power-pop gods Cheap Trick. This is apparent from the opening bars of “Two Tracks Left”, which are insanely catchy and buoyant in that distinctly Cheap Trick kind of way. That's certainly not meant to take
anything away from Moods For Moderns, for one listen to this EP will show that this three-piece are obviously immensely talented and have the ability to pen
one gloriously hook-laden power-pop song after another. They are also at times reminiscent of Canadian rock-gods Sloan, especially on the sumptuously lilting, yet understatedly buzzing “Halifax”. Short but oh-so-sweet, the Two Tracks Left EP is a mouth-watering taster for a forthcoming full-length that has the potential
to be one of this year’s best. -- jj
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Candyass / Orgy / R.A.F.R.
(CD)
Not to be confused with the album Candyass by the band Orgy, this is a trio of female punks (plus a male drummer), and they let rip with actual rock and roll rather than machine-driven drivel. Imagine if Grease had been set in
an era where everyone was weaned on Joan Jett and the Ramones rather than
Elvis -- that'll give you an idea of what you can find here. Brash, loud and
still kind of sweet, these girls rock. The music is simplistic and the
lyrics aren't exactly soul-probing, but that isn't the point. Instead,
they shoot for the gut with immediate, catchy, and (ahem) balls-out rock
and roll. Angst-free and snotty, this is the Go-Gos on crystal meth. -- rd
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Three Stigmata / s/t / Tritone
(7")
What starts off sounding like another lethargic college rock 7" quickly
metamorphoses into an intricate assemblage of tricky
math rock, twisting and turning through echoing harmonics and boisterous
tempo changes. These three chaps hail from North
Carolina and enjoy playing games with your aural senses. "Datdatdat" and
"Arrows" both hint at something straight laced, as
a faint melody is suggested with slightly audible vocals carefully placed
over it. However, this flippant jab at acceptance
is quickly trounced by other, more dissonant influences that cross A Minor
Forest with Don Caballero, producing what could be
described as a very enjoyable, fast-paced racket of contemporary
instruments. -- am
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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 | bl - beth lucht
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