Freshmakers / Like Hell / Stupid Gaijin (Cassette)
The Freshmakers peddle a catchy, melody-ridden brand of Texas power-punk.
Like Hell is a six-song delight. It's confident and
well-produced, I only wish it were a CD. My favorite track is "July
('91-'95)". It has a Social Distortion kind of angst to it and a quick
tempo to keep it from getting tedious. The tasty rhythmic stops and
starts are executed handily and indicate the Freshmakers' musical prowess. And the melodies! They'll be bouncing around my mind for a year!
Keep your eyes on these guys -- I have a feeling you'll be hearing more
of them. -- nw
The Kiss Offs / How to Deliver the Kiss That Kills / Peek-a-Boo Records (7")
There's something about the ambience of vinyl that's essential to this
three-song single, which blends the punk-rock dischord of mid-period
Sonic Youth and the campiness (and male/female vocals) of the B-52s.
"Bottle Blond" is grade-A punk, full of dischord and feedback and arch
vocals, while "The Kiss That Kills" slams its chorus-mantra home with
highly affected repetition. "Sister, Those Cigarettes" isn't bad,
either, so the Kiss-Offs are 3 for 3. -- gz
Strung Out / Twisted by Design / Fat Wreck Chords (CD)
These nuvo-pop-hardcore punks come from Ventura County,CA. Their third
long player boasts an impressive production quality that helps to
showcase the fine songwriting on such tunes as "Too Close to See,"
"Mind of My Own" and "Reason to Belive." Heavily overdriven guitar
seems to be the vehicle for expression while pungent political and
social lyrics are behind the wheel. Still affiliated sound-wise to other
Fat Wreck bands, Strung Out nonetheless manages to maintain a unique
individuality, as their songs are deeply entrenched in hooks and
choruses that are puissant and have staying power! -- am
Brandtson / Letterbox / Deep Elm (CD)
Everybody needs some good, loud, gritty power pop in their lives, so if
you need an excuse to go out and buy Letterbox, that's it. But you don't actually need any excuse to buy it. It's
a little bit emo, a little bit crunchy post-so-called-Seattle-sound, and
recorded so crisply that you can actually feel the bass strings go
"thrummmmmm". Brandtson aren't doing anything you've never heard
before, but you'll be impressed at how well they do it. -- gz
[-|>O-] / Electromagnetic Pulse / CTD (Cassette)
Electromagnetic Pulse is somber tribal-trance-type stuff. It's
the type of thing you pop in your cassette player to contemplate the
emptiness of outer space. It's haunting. I like the dark age aspect of
it, it reminds me of a group like King Chubby -- foreboding yet strangely
fascinating -- it could soothe you to sleep and then give you nightmares.
Think of it as incidental music for a Lovecraftian voyage into some
forbidden dimension. -- nw
Global Communication / Pentamerous Metamorphosis / Dedicated (CD)
How familiar are you with Chapterhouse's "Blood Music"? Unless you're a
massive, obsessive Chapterhouse fan and have literally memorized every
note, you're probably not going to recognize much in this series of
"retranslations". The five pieces here, each over ten minutes long,
distend the original works into sprawling rivers of ambience. Gentle,
sustained keyboard drones are the watchword, along with lazy melodies
and the occasional guitarish bit that almost forces you to say "Ah, a
Chapterhouse bit". Recommended as good relaxation music, or as a way to
frustrate annoying Chapterhouse fans who won't leave you alone. -- gz
Chicago's Astrocat tears up the turntable
stylus with this four track 12" EP. Of significant interest is "Walking
in the Sand" which pounds out a bouncy, jungle beat with heavy,
reverberating bass. Likewise are the B-sides, which are effective mind
numbing tools, as their intoxicating and trance inducing repetitiveness
swiftly intercept and quash other sensory stimuli. Aptly suitable for
DJ's working the floor or your own listening pleasure in your room.
-- am
Negativland / Happy Hero / Seeland (CD)
To really understand all of this EP, it helps to have heard
some of Negativland's Over the Edge releases. If you
haven't, the references to Mertz (a little brain-shaped
tablet that helps you make up your mind -- a mainstay of
recent Negativland releases) may go over your head. That
doesn't mean you won't appreciate the work that went into
restructured audio presentations like "Jolly Green Giant"
and (the now slightly dated) "O.J. and His Personal Trainer
Kill Ron And Nicole", which mixes parts of the Juice's
exercise video with sounds of violence. And you'll probably
get into the cynicism of the dual-standard-culture-bashing
"Happy Hero", too. Just remember, there's a whole world of
Negativland stuff out there, and this is just the tip of the
iceberg. -- gz
Cybershadow / Social Conditioning / Flaming Fish Records (CD)
By distorting the vocals and cranking up the bass, these
five remixes and three "B-sides" effectively hide the
limitations of Cybershadow. The result is an assortment of
dence, menacing industrial tracks reminiscent of Skinny
Puppy circa 1988. There are some concessions to more modern
dancefloors -- breakbeats appear here and there, and there's
a sort of a trip-hop mix at one point -- but they're only
window-dressing, as the EP nails its chosen style perfectly
with or without the trappings of trendiness. -- gz
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