OUR WEEKLY COLLECTION OF SHORTER REVIEWS | |
Jega,
The Dustbowlers,
Bettie Serveert v. Twelve24,
Schema,
Another Year on the Streets,
The Lull Account,
Crazy Mary,
Mark Robinson,
The Rebel Astronauts,
Little Man,
Sounds of the Geographically Challenged,
SPLaTTeRCeLL,
Elementary Penguin,
Clan of Xymox,
AlphaVox,
The Stations of Abandoned Days,
Sushi,
Super Delta Three,
The Kingsbury Manx,
Critical M@55
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Jega / Geometry / Matador (CD)
To clarify, this is Jega, not to be confused with Jenga. Jenga is a
rather annoying game which creates quite a mess and occasionally causes
punching matches. Jega, on the other hand, is µ-ziq protégé Dylan
Nathan, who creates incredibly detailed and arresting aural soundscapes
and rarely engages in physical confrontation. This follow-up
to 1998's Spectrum finds Nathan expanding his form in
both scope and intensity. From the cinematic breaks and skittering
drone of “Alternating Bit” to the hyperactive beats of “Static”, Geometry
radiates a warm, spectral ambiance that's pleasingly organic. On the downside, there
are a few points when Geometry sounds a bit
too much like one of Nathan’s more notorious former classmates.
“Inertia’s” stacked beats and propensity for weird noises tend to veer a
bit far into Aphex territory for my tastes. That criticism aside,
Geometry is a unique and engaging album that should help Jega attain the
recognition he so richly deserves. And there are not any annoying
little wood blocks to pick up after you're done listening, which is nice. -- jj
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The Dustbowlers / S/T / Self Released
(CD)
Radiating a bit of Americana along with an occasional splurge into the
Uncle Tupelo/old school REM world of country-rock, The Dustbowlers supply
us with a good round of rustic tales. Of course, if you wore out
your REM discs back in the ‘80s, you're probably wondering "Why bother?"
Give these guys a chance and you'll hear some genuine, convincing
songwriting backed by poignant and lazy vocals that'll have you zoning out
on the porch swing. "Too Many Mona Lisas" sends forth a brigade of
intriguing, reverb-touched guitar that steals the show. Taking in this
whole CD in one sitting becomes a bit monotonous, as there’s very little
variety, but small doses have a creative authenticity that'll soothe and relax
you as its rootsy predictability glides from the speakers at a
mid-tempo beat. -- am
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Bettie Serveert v. Twelve24 / Cut 'n' Dried/All Too Nice /
Steady
Cam (7")
Australia's Steady Cam Records has been working on their "vinyl
revival" project for awhile now -- this the seventh 7" they've put out
since 1998. I like getting singles in the mail a lot. The packaging is
almost always cooler than CD single packaging and there's no temptation
for the band to include seventy two remixes, alternate vocal tracks and
an a capella version of the tune. These days, vinyl singles tend to have a
small-run, home-made feel to them, too -- which makes sense, since it's
pretty much only small specialty labels putting them out. Bettie
Serveert's Private Suit just came out a couple months ago; "Cut
'n' Dried" is a new track that's not on that release. It's a slow,
pretty, semi-soulful breakup song that wouldn't sound out of place next
to a couple of the darker tunes on Private Suit. Twelve24 is a
Sydney band, best known for their track on the Pixies F**kin' Die
tribute album. "All Too Nice" is a friendly, guitar-based number, and
reminds me a lot of 10,000 Maniacs with a bit of an Australian twist. I
know that I like what Bettie Serveert's up to, and this single just
confirms that feeling. With Twelve24 it's really too soon to tell; I
like their track just fine, but one song isn't really enough to get a
feeling for what the band is all about. --
ib
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Schema / S/T / 5RC (CD)
As much as I hate to reduce music to arbitrary
lowest-common-denominator terms, I'm forced to admit
that Schema sound a whole lot like Stereolab. If you've
seen any of the band's press, you'll know that this isn't a
massive creative leap on my part -- pretty much
everyone comes to the realization that they sound
like Stereolab. That's a broad assessment, though. More
accurately, they sound like Stereolab's Laetitia Sadier and
Tim Gane collaborating with a couple of members of Godspeed
You Black Emperor, and perhaps the percussion section from
John Spencer Blues Explosion. Other than the familiar
accented female vocals, most of the music here heads into
harrowing guitar-battle territory -- particularly the epic
"Echolalia...Curvilinear", which is nearly twelve minutes
long and manages to sound like half a dozen bands in that
time. "Far From Where We Began," however, is an almost
shameless 'lab experiment, punched up with a feverish
cocktail of nervous prog-rock energy. Despite being
derivative, it's quite cool. -- gz
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Various Artists / Another Year on the Streets / Vagrant (CD)
Vagrant has unleashed the front-runner for best cheapo
compilation of the year. Another Year on the Streets features new and
unreleased tracks from your favorite Vagrant acts. The Get Up Kids
contribute a demo version of “I’m a Loner Dottie, I’m a Rebel” and a
high-octane cover of the Replacements’ “Beer for Breakfast”. Perennial
fan favorites The Alkaline Trio and Saves the Day both offer a pair
of brand-new songs. The Trio’s “Crawl” and “Bloodied Up” are both
brooding and savage rockers, while STD’s “Sell My Old Clothes I’m off to
Heaven” and “A Drag in D Flat” both brim with infectious energy
and passionate playing. Unreleased gems by The Anniversary (“I Believe
That the End of the Reign of Terror is Soon Near”), Face to Face
(“Nullification”) and Rocket from the Crypt (“Chariots on Fire”) are
also included. The remainder of the disc is rounded out by previously
available material from Reggie & the Full Effect, Koufax, Automatic 7
and The New Amsterdams. It's a safe bet, so plop down your five bucks and enjoy the best
that Vagrant records has to offer. You won’t be disappointed. -- jj
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I wonder what the movie scene is like in Louisville, Kentucky. Ever since
Squirrel Bait disbanded, it's been hard to find a band from that area that
doesn't make you recall or imagine some big screen scene of
tumbleweeds, race cars and faces burned by wild special effects stunts.
The Lull Account definitely fall into this category, both in sound
("Hurricane", a readymade track for a horror film) and reference ("Numb",
which starts out playing the "Love Story" theme). Their publicists compare
their music to the moody work of Godspeed You Black Emperor and Scott
Walker, but to me they seem as much like a more focused Ginger Baker's
Airforce for our generation. As with that group, the Lull Account provides a
mix of both improvisation and structure. However, where Baker's post-Blind
Faith group turned to international music for inspiration, here we get
international soundtracks. The electronic samples and random sounds,
including vocals that vary tremendously between each song, filter through
this disc with just one apparent mission: mood-enhance or die! With the
possible exception of "Profit", which is damaged by bad melody and Middle
Eastern flavorings, the songs here easily avoid death. Instead, they show a band
that can detect the cream of a movie soundtrack's crop, as well as harvest and
make it their own. "Numb" is easily my favorite thing here, but all profit
from the band's range and the skill of B. Mundane and D. Middle to keep you
guessing what comes next. -- td
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Crazy Mary / Astronaut Dubs / Humsting
(CD)
Astronaut Dubs isn't so much spacey as it is dead-on
hard-nosed punk crossed with hard rock. The band's influences are easily
found in their tribute track, "Johnny Thunders (Radioactive Dub)", while
"Lightning Strikes (Intergalactic Dub)", includes a
lengthy homage to the Kinks' "You Really Got Me". Crazy Mary take the
classic Kinks tune, noodle about with it a bit and overlay the track with
the words "lightning strikes" "earthquake hits" and my favourite, "tidal
wave pants"; simple, but effective, and perhaps dubbing it felt something
like being struck by lightning. "Blitzkrieg" well describes this album; you'll
enjoy being hit hard by the rock and the steady beats until Astronaut Dubs reaches its
quick finish. -- js
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Mark Robinson / Tiger Banana / Teenbeat (CD)
After Unrest's Perfect Teeth, I think my favorite Mark Robinson material
is his work as Olympic Death Squad. That was his first "solo album", and it
showed how effective his quirky lyrics could be in a slowed-down setting.
Since then, he has teamed up with Nattles and Matt Datesman for the underrated
Flin Flon, and now he's back with his first solo full length under his real
name. Released shortly after Taste, a slightly electronic, slightly
experimental EP, Tiger Banana is a terrific album for anybody who
has not yet bothered to get the rest of his work. As was the case with Olympic Death
Squad, Robinson is supported by members of Versus, and I think their influence and
transformational abilities
help to steer Mark away from his trademark sound (think New Order
meets Robyn Hitchcock) and into the realm of good old European pop
("Volunteers Conquering Fires"). However, the residue left from this
collection never really goes beyond saying, "This guy's cool",
which is the conclusion all his recordings seem to leave us with. As such,
here's an album that I don't recommend to his present fan base, loyal though
you may be, as there are a number of bands (True Love Always, the Rondelles)
with fresher declarations on Teenbeat alone. Still, Tiger Banana is
good enough to snag newcomers into his realm, with "French Good Looks"
and "Catalog and Classify" as similar and as successful as all Mark's
other clever, emotionally empty masterworks. -- td
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The Rebel Astronauts / Aeroplane Drops Parachute by Night / 9th Division
(CD)
If you're the sort of listener who feels your pulse quicken when you
read phrases like "avalanche of feedback", "crashing waves of blissful
guitar noise" or "sprawling, feedback-drenched expanses of gorgeous
dissonance", fetch a pen and make a note of these guys. The Rebel
Astronauts take the precise tempos and jazz inflections of post rock,
the gleeful sloppiness of classic indie rock, the moody unpredictability
of emo and the lovely sonic sculptures of the shoegazer era, wad 'em up
into a big loud ball and huck it at your face over and over again, as if
daring you not to pay attention. The result? Sometimes you're stunned,
and on a couple of occasions you'll be knocked flat on your ass. "Comic
Killers" in particular has the making of a classic; with its expansive
feedback sprawl and mannered bassline, it reduces ten years of musical
developments into four and a half minutes of exquisite sonic stimulus.
There are only four songs here, so I hope the Rebel Astronauts are busy
working on more. -- gz
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Little Man / Core of Discovery / Self-released
(CD)
Chicago trio Little Man plays straight-forward bar rock, and they play it
well. By bar rock, I mean the type of rock and roll that college town bar
owners salivate over. This is music that will make the girls come and
dance and the boys smile and drink pitchers of beer. With instantly
accessible melodies and a wide-open sound, Little Man invites listeners in
to their people-positive love-fest. Despite a horn line in "Pleased to
Meet You" that inexplicably reminds me of "Time Warp" from The Rocky
Horror Picture Show, there are very few missteps here. Granted, the
band isn't attempting to make major leaps in the definition of music, but
they do what they do quite well. -- rd
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V/A / Sounds of the Geographically Challenged / Temporary Residence (CD)
Here is one cool compilation! It contains unreleased tracks by The Sonora
Pine, Haelah, Ruby Falls and The Halifax Pier (with this one being superb),
as well as all the out-of-print 12" singles from the label's inspired
1997/98 series. Back then, the label was requesting music from groups (like
Continental Op, FUCK, and the For Carnation) whose members did not live in
close vicinity of one another. I'm pretty sure that was the only feature
each band had to share, which means this comp had the potential of being an
array of singles that might sound good alone, but not click together.
However, this CD worked better for me than most of these bands'
full-length works. While Jenny Toomey (Liquorice) and Nathan Salzburg (the
Halifax Pier) each have voices strong enough to disguise a song's
weaknesses, their stuff here is tops, slamming a wrench against your heart.
Drona Parva (unknown to me), the Sonora Pine and the For Carnation also do
great here, and do nothing to smudge their reputations as master inventors
of new soundscapes. I guess the only thing unsuccessful about the whole disc
comes from opening act Retsin, whose acoustic "5 Down to 4" wallows in some
lazy, offhanded vocals. Overall, though, Sounds of the Geographically
Challenged makes for a great listen, and I think it will end up among the
more enduring compilations on your shelf. It not only unearths new and rare
gems from many great bands, but combines them in a very solid
mood-fuck that gives good props to the post-everything generation. -- td
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SPLaTTeRCeLL /AH - ReMiKSiS /
CeLLDiViSioN
(CD)
Since leaving public school, I've learned that even smaller parts of matter
than atoms are quarks, which are atom bits that come in flavors -- one of
which is called strange. SPLaTTeRCeLL's AH - ReMiKSiS could best be
described as music built of strange particles. That's not just my take on
it, but the artist's as well, except that David Torn -- the nucleus of SPLaTTeRCeLL --
calls the strange particles "sonic cells". It's
harder to build from the quantum level up, obviously, as opposed to building
with pre-made components, and it's that level of sheer effort, combined with
the goodness of the sound that results from this building project, that
really builds regard for this disc. These songs are remixes, the
precursors to OAH (which we reviewed a couple of weeks ago), and presumably
they're more complex. The percussion loops and the guitar textures really
make the album. The overall tone is dark and unsettling,
specifically in "Double 'U' Slash Space", although I must also refer you to the
ultra-slinky "Romance Refined", which opens with the sonic equivalent of
shining soap bubbles (built on the synthesizer) and some subdued
Arabic-sounding background noise. I had no problems playing
this CD on my PC, either, which was a problem with OAH (But largely a problem
caused by Mac OS - Ed.). -- js
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Elementary Penguin / No. 1 With a Bullet / Toupee
(CD)
Funk-riddled bass lines and falsetto vocals will have you either shaking
your booty on the dance floor or shaking your head in mounting disgust.
Exceptional playing lays the foundation for track after track of grooving
turntablism, jazzed-up rhythms and an unmistakable post-modern swagger
that'll have you bobbing your head in unconscious agreement sooner than
you think. Give these guys a few minutes of your time and you'll be under
the spell of their witty lyrics -- not to mention superstar beats that mix a
bit of mayhem and a great sense of humor with Motown-gyrating madness.
Think of the Groove Collective slappin' skins with the Brand New Heavies,
then picture it all being reassembled by The Dust Brothers, and this party-on-a-disc
all comes together. Who'd ever have thought four guys from Australia would
pull a fast one and whip up, whip out and tear up the beats while we
Americans sniff around looking for rehashed rap-metal? Go on, git down now! -- am
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Clan of Xymox / Liberty EP / Metropolis (CD)
Damn, are these guys still around? I can remember really
liking them about thirteen years ago...back when they were
dancing back and forth between calling themselves Clan of
Xymox and plain old Xymox. I even saw them live a time or
two. Back then, they were, and sounded like, a 4AD band
that had moved to a major label -- lots of layered
production, lots of fancy melodic noodling and pretty
electronic stuff. They've had a few albums since then, on
smaller labels. Now, after some lineup changes, they sound
like a fairly typical industrial/goth/darkwave act: minor
key melodies, deep and mournful vocals, that sort of thing.
"Liberty" is the single, provided here in two mixes, and
it's an enjoyably mournful mid-tempo piece, a suitable
soundtrack for brooding in dark corners. "Number 1" is
faster and more grim, while "At Your Mercy" is a more
romantic piece, filled with ringing guitar strings and
heartbroken desperation. I enjoyed it, but there's little
or no stylistic connection to the Clan of Xymox I once knew.
-- gz
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I like these guys more than I should. It probably has something to do
with having spent some time in the South Florida Music Scene back in my
days as Head Shuffleboard Instructor for Carnival Cruise Lines. But
that's another story. The boys in AlphaVox do not play shuffleboard,
they play dark synth-pop, eighties style, with minor nods to more recent
ambient/IDM trends. The music is well produced, although it's a bit
bottom heavy, but maybe that's another Miami connection. Lyrically
things get a little hairy, with lines like "Don't cry, don't cry,
because angels don't cry" appearing with alarming frequency. The singing
is suitably dramatic and tortured, although I get the feeling that these
fellows do not grok the camp value of being in a semi-gothic
eighties-style synthpop band. Or maybe they do, and they're playing it
straight on purpose. Either way, this is a good sounding and
entertaining, if dated, release. --
ib
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Various Artists / The Stations of Abandoned Days / Radio Khartoum (CD)
The most curious liner notes I read last year were in Cinnamon's
Vertigo, in which Alexander Bailey (owner of Radio Khartoum) wrote about
the criminal past of this Swedish band and effectively painted them as some
sort of pop Bonnie and Clyde. All their music from Vertigo and their
other U.S. release, Many Moods far from conveyed this, but I was
still left wondering whether hooligans could sound so sweet. Now, here's Stations of
Abandoned Days, a soundtrack featuring a Cinnamon that fits
Bailey's description. "I Can (Almost) Smell the Sun", as remixed by Shingler
and Lahtinen, burns the bridges between Catatonia, throbbing dance and the
sleazy beats of excess in Keith Richards' heart. While not as instantly
catchy as "Maybe in the Next Life", it's a pop record the supreme judge of
sound would commit to Alcatraz. It's beautiful excess, the tenth drink on a
sour morning, the sounds that a young Marlon Brando always mumbled on film.
The Cinnamon track, by my estimation the centerpiece to this wonderful
twenty-minute soundtrack, is complemented by the beautiful violin bowing of
Chesty Morgan (porn star?), and stylish bar scenes set to music by Caramel,
as well as some lovely sixties-inflected pop from Hitoribocchi. Released on
a very handsome mini-CD (that works just fine in CD players and most computers, but don't try it in anything slot-loading), this is one of the most colorful and evocative pop records I've heard in
quite a while -- and
fine mood music for whenever you wanna commit crimes with sass. -- td
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Sushi / The Quiet Space Between Houses / Shelflife (CD)
If you're anything like me, you'd expect a band named after rolls of
raw fish and seaweed to sound like ten guys pounding on garbage cans and
kicking sheet metal. It's shocking, then, to discover six people playing shimmering pop that
evokes memories of walking through the park on a perfect summer’s
day. Apparently it’s all California Dreaming around Sushi’s way, as The
Quiet Space Between Houses drifts from song to song on clouds of
sunburst orchestration and pretty vocal harmonies. The group’s spirited
and skillful playing turns (what could easily become) run of the mill
pop songs like “All Night with Menthols” and “Strip Mall Breed” into
bouncy and vibrant melodic firecrackers. They give a quick nod to
Stereolab on the taut-yet-breathy “Joan”, while “Then I Tell” showcases
the band’s knack for crafting incessantly catchy and jangly pop songs.
The album will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy -- far better than
disgusted, stinky and trying to pick seaweed out of your
teeth. (Anyone got the impression that Jason had a bad sushi experience? -Ed.) -- jj
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Super Delta Three / Eve SUB Rebel / Super Delta Three
(CD)
Eve SUB Rebel, SDT's debut, is calm and light,
stylish and sort of trippy, rather like Mono with energy or the Cardigans
with less bounce and tweeness. Their sound is aimed directly at radio, and
they'll probably succeed there; this music definitely has the beats for
dance. The lipstick pout of songs like "Super Delta Freak", with its conspicuously
mouthed vocals, provide infectious good cheer, making it impossible not
to have a good time while listening. This is not to say that the band
overwhelms with originality, but Super Delta Three is definitely beyond
pleasant, and if you're tired of
"self-loathing complaint rock" that, many times, you can't dance to,
then this CD becomes far more valuable. -- js
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The Kingsbury Manx / Been Passed Over b/w Down with Circumstance
/ Overcoat/All City (7")
Overcoat Records has had a good year, releasing a handful of
critically-lauded CDs and generally
receiving the sort of attention that most little indie labels only dream
of. At the top of that short stack
of CDs was the Kingsbury Manx's self-titled debut, which left
newly-minted fans clamouring for another
dose of psychedelic folk-tinged pop. And this is it -- a pair of short,
blurry-headed tunes suitable
for rainy-day listening and certified hangover-safe. Of these, "Been
Passed Over" will probably
attract Pink Floyd fans, while the faintly countrified "Down With
Circumstance" should please everyone.
Mind you, since there's no "side A"/"side b" labelling at all, the sides
are distinguished only by the order
of the yellow and blue rings on the record label. 'til you memorize
which is which, you're best off liking both songs. -- gz
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Various Artists / Critical M@55 / Metropolis
(CD)
If you make a list of the most influential bands in
goth/darkwave/industrial/whatever, chances are at least one of your picks
resides in Metropolis. This guided tour through the label's dark streets
hits all of the tourists' favorites - Front Line Assembly, Wumpscut and
Velvet Acid Christ all appear, though some of the most memorable moments
are provided by the lesser-known locals. The previously unreleased
"Horizon" by Funker Vogt exemplifies club floor doom, while Covenant's New
Wave chorus to "Afterhours" instantly caught my attention. Another
outstanding attraction is the Pet Shop Boys-cum-Front 242 "Rubicon",
provided by VNV Nation. Sure, some of the streets are dead-ends (was the
"Soultaker" edit by Apoptygma Berzerk really necessary?), but all in all,
this makes a fine vacation in darker territory. -- rd
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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 | js - jenn sikes | rg - rodney gibbs
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