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Guttermouth / Gorgeous / Nitro Records (CD)
14 songs worth of anti-this and anti-that (you know: religion,
amerikkka, the music industry, etc.) half-sung/half-spoken ranting and
raving, backed by fast guitar/bass/drums thrashing their way to
oblivion. The kids love this stuff. It's got a great sound and nice
tight playing, but somehow memories of the 80s -- Jello Biafra, the DKs,
Black Flag, etc. -- make it feel a bit tired. Yeah, it's goofy and "offensive" and annoys
all the right people, just like it did 15 years ago. But after a while, offending
all the right people gets old, and I can't help but wonder what would happen
if a band like this channeled some of its considerable energy into something a
little more ambitious. -- ib
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Praga Khan / Twenty First Century Skin / Never (CD)
Pleasantly dated -- that's how I'd describe the Praga Khan sound. While
his Lords of Acid have absorbed a certain amount of drum'n'bass and
gabber influences over the last few years, there's very little on
Twenty First Century Skin (okay, maybe "Lady Alcohol") that reveals
the existence, let alone the influence, of the Chemical Brothers, Fatboy
Slim and all those other contemporary breakbeat scientists. Khan's
music is still the same sex, drugs, techno 'n porno driven series of
rave anthems and lyrical chauvinism that it was back in the early
nineties, and it's all the more fun now for its stylistic stolidity. Khan's
lyrics, meanwhile, have gained some depth; they still don't have much to
say, but no longer originate exclusively from below his belt. -- gz
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Big Open Road / "Without You" b/w "Misunderstood" /
Big Open Road (CD Single)
Big Open Road is a funky/folksy-type rock band. "Without You" is standard
college radio fare and is executed with the prowess of a standard college
band -- it's not bad but it's not great either. It's pleasant to listen to
but not earth-shattering. The B-side "Misunderstood" is a slightly
reggae-fied number that isn't as strong as the A-side. It's pretty
cliched and sounds even more like an average college-band song. Maybe by
the time they've gotten a full-length together, Big Open Road will have
hammered out a more distinctive sound! Here's hoping... -- nw
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Moby / Play / V2 (CD)
It's been years since the last "real" Moby album; I Like
to Score doesn't really qualify, and by many accounts neither does
Animal Rights. So what's the Moby agenda circa 1999? Well, you
get a few tracks on which he uses borrowed vocals and instrumentation from old blues songs ("Honey", its nearly identical twin "Run On", "Natural Blues"), a number of gently ambient instrumentals and near-instrumentals, several "electronic pop" songs that hover in the
vast null dimension between INXS and Underworld (see "South Side") and a
few killer techno tracks -- "Machete", for instance. This time out,
Moby manages to establish himself not only as a talented
multi-instrumentalist and genre-jumper, but as someone who can write
interesting songs in a variety of genres -- a point he's missed
in the past. -- gz
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Colin Leyden / For the Wicked / Rosemary (CD)
You could consider Colin Leyden a sort of modern day muse, as he weaves tales of the 90's with quiet accompaniment from a mature band that tastefully flavours his storytelling.
Looking at Leyden, you wouldn't expect to hear such
passionate tunes as "Interstate" and "Abilene" trickle from his
lips (What, does he drool when he sings? -- ed). Leyden's uncanny ability to guide songs with only his voice will amaze tuneless audience members. With positive signs of folk and gratifying glimmers of country tinged rock, Leyden's voice stands right
alongside your favourite classic singer-songwriter types as he ushers
forth the hooks that make folks turn their heads and eagerly nod with
musical contentment. -- am
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Sky Cries Mary / Until the Grinders Cease / World Domination (CD)
Other than annoying collectors, this re-issue of SCM's rare first album
is notable for two reasons. First of all, it's a far darker, more
industrial-sounding
album than the "gaiambient" material for which SCM is currently known --
indeed,
Roderick Romero lets his punk roots show on "Shakespeare Factory". The other
oddity is the reminder that for this early incarnation only, the non-Roderick
members of SCM were Posies Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow. It's intriguing to
listen to Romero planting the seeds of his band's future, but for fans of
Sky Cries
Mary's current sound, Until the Grinders Cease is probably more
satisfying
to own than to listen to. -- gz
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The Fly Seville / Carousel / Sealed Fate (CD)
A midtempo, downcast approach to rock that quietly presents, debates
and closes its argument with pristine skill and dramatic emotional
upheaval. Listening to the raw, lamentful vocals of Jesse Blatz, you
can't help but have a general feeling of dishevelment. But wait, could
there be a glimmer of hope buried in these lamentations? "Yeager"
adequately displays these confused emotions as a quiet buildup ends in
organ-heavy tones and deeply-inflected vocals. The Fly Seville's sound
has an unquestionably melancholic approach to it, but a curious
mystique envelops several of the tracks, promising dense, graceful
originals that glide effortlessly from the stereo. -- am
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Major Matt Mason USA/Muckafurgason / Split 7" / Edelstein (7")
For some reason, music that's ostensibly educational
becomes utterly hilarious when skewed just slightly away
from center. This split single is a perfect example.
Muckafurgason's two contributions, "Army of Ants" and "Farmers
Market", were written by the band for "mainstream" use, and
were rejected by National Geographic Children's Television and
Farm Aid, respectively. The songs are played straight, though rendered
in low-fi fashion...and they're freaking hysterical. I was singing
"Army of Ants" for hours. Major Matt Mason's "Dog Song" is even
funnier; while the verses extol the virtues and societal values of dogs,
the chorus gives them voice: "I go ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff, ruff ruff
ruff ruff ruff" and so on until the sheer ludicrousness of it causes you
to rupture something while laughing. This is absolutely essential
listening. -- gz
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