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No doubt a card-carrying member of Singer-Songwriters of America, P.J.
Olsson rolls out ye olde basic guitar and voice combo and lets 90's music
culture coyly apply its unique signatures to his music. Keyboard
riffs, samples and scratching all accompany P.J. and his soulful voice
through this swirly, folk-rock adventure. Reminiscent of a white Ted
Hawkins or a less-funky Beck (would that be a whiter Beck?), Olsson
has a knack for quality songwriting that's not overproduced or grossly
self absorbed. Check out "Visine" and "Pray" before your local radio
nabs ‘em! -- am
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Various Artists / The Moment of Truth: The Emo Diaries, Chapter
Three / Deep Elm
(CD)
This third installment of the "Emo Diaries" picks up (not too surprisingly -- ed) where the first two
left off. On it you'll find 14 tracks by largely unknown, up-and-coming
bands who share that certain malaise, that certain joie de
tristesse that is the defining feature of emo music. I liked track 2,
Planes Mistaken for Stars' "The Past Two", a down-trodden tune ending with
the lines "you've killed the best of me". Its musical bipolarism is truly
something to hear, going from fierce agitation to near death and back -- and
forth -- several times. This is the ultimate in emo! Honorable mentions go
to Sweep the Leg Johnny, Speedwell and the instrumental Biblical Proof of
UFOs. -- nw
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Beth Orton / Central Reservation / Arista/Dedicated (CD)
I like a lot of slow-paced music, and I enjoy a lot of artists whose
work could readily be described as linear and plodding, so why should
Ms. Orton's latest slice of orchestrated folk-pop force me to dust off
the word "somnolent" and use it in a not entirely pleasant context? To
be fair, when Orton is backed by a healthy complement of musicians
she usually sounds upbeat and interesting, but there are occasions --
"So Much More", for instance -- that make me feel as if I've drunk five
or six bottles of cough syrup (which I haven't). However, I've listened to Central
Reservation about seven times now, and though Orton's second string lyric-writing skill becomes readily apparent, the songs get more interesting...so I suspect I'll really like it by the end of the century. -- gz
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Roy Montgomery/Chris Heaphy / True / Kranky (CD)
True, the CD, consists of music composed for True, the play,
which ran in New Zealand a couple of years ago. The music ran continuously
throughout the performance, which leads me to believe that True, the
play, must have been a pretty disturbing -- or at least introspective --
affair.
Montgomery's stock-in-trade is edgy, evocative guitar melodies, and that's
what he delivers here. "Virtually So #1" delivers a swirling note-collage
redolent
of wide-open spaces, loneliness and desperation, while "Virtually So #2" is
a more upbeat affair, its understated melody unfolding slowly over nine
minutes.
Half of the music here was improvised-to-tape by Montgomery and his co-Dissolver Chris Heaphy; they're
more jarring, with fewer concessions to melody and more jabs at the listener's
nerves. While it isn't the world's best introduction to Montgomery's solo
work,
True boasts the same sort of palpable ambiance that the best film
scores achieve -- close your eyes, and you're somewhere else. -- gz
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The Saints / Everybody Knows the Monkey / Amsterdamned (CD)
Chris Bailey is like an unstoppable rock and roll machine -- he
continues to churn out his brand of bluesy, roots-driven rock 'n' roll
regardless of current musical fashions. Some may call it pre-punk, but
after 20+ years of punching out those crunchy power chords, Bailey's Saints can still deliver a release with strong, guitar-powered tracks. Strikingly representative of the entire CD
is "Mustard," a confusing, mind-tripping story with a chorus about that
yellow condiment. Huh? Well, it sounds good, and that's what counts, so
check off another winner for the resurrected Saints. -- am
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Ned Bouhalassa is in a sense part of the 'third' generation of Montréal
electroacoustic composers. Unlike the work of the scene's patriarch,
Francis Dhomont, which is very much in the style of 'old school' acousmatic
composers like Bayle and Chion, or the work of 'second' generation
composers like Robert Normandeau and Gilles Gobeil (for example), which
strives to apply new 'sound palattes' to acousmatic ideals, Bouhalassa
allows clear and unadulterated influences from more commercially viable
music to enter his compositions. A great example of this is "Jets", where
relatively orthodox acousmatically-treated material alternates with what
could easily pass for 'chill out' music in any dance club. If you like the idea
of l'acousmatisme but find it occasionally too stuffy, Bouhalassa
might be your man! -- nw
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Various Artists / Wax Trax! Mastermix Vol.2: Adam X / Wax Trax! (CD)
Yep, it's the Adventures of Frankie Bones' Less Notorious
Brother. On this all-too-rare DJ mix outing, Adam purees the
world's best stark, futuristic techno into an almost seamless
blend of beats and blats and burbles. As well as Mr. X's own
records, you'll catch contributions from Kenny Larkin, Kevin
Saunderson and Acid Jesus, to name a few. If you're not a
student DJ, though, you'd better share Adam's tastes in stripped-
down electronica -- this stuff is intended for throbbing, pumping
dance floors, not for family car trip sing-alongs. -- gz
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Funki Porcini / Rockit Soul / Ninja Tune (CD)
For your hard-earned CD-buying cash, you get three cuts from el Porcini.
Strongest by far is the title track, a sound-effects-laden amalgam of big beat
drum'n'bass and sixties sci-fi -- a definite dancefloor workout. "Teenage
Hardon" offers a menacing, slowed-down trip-hop samba groove, while
the funereal "Endless" is a sombre affair of mournful keyboard wash,
nagged by a high speed d'n'b drum that peers intermittently forth from
the depths of the mix. Sadly, it's hard to get too excited about this. -- gz
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