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== ISSUE 205 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [April 5, 2000]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com
Managing Editor: Lang Whitaker
Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann D. Ball, Chris Hill, Bill
Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Jon Steltenpohl
Correspondents: Michelle Aguilar, Paul Andersen, Christina
Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Jason Cahill,
Matthew Carlin, John Davidson, Andrew Duncan,
Matt Fink, Krisjanis Gale, Jade Hughes, Paul Hanson,
Scott Hudson, Jianda Johnson, Steve Kandell,
Dave Kemper, Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Wes
Long, I.K. MacLeod, Al Muzer, Wilson Neate,
Mike Pfeiffer, Linda Scott, Don Share, Scott
Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Michael
Van Gorden, Simon West
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann
Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription
information is given at the end of this issue.
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright Consumable
and their author(s).
==================================================================
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| Contents |
`------------'
REVIEW: Supergrass, _Supergrass_ - Tim Kennedy
REVIEW: Primal Scream, _XTRMNTR_ - Wilson Neate
EVENT REVIEW: South By Southwest [Part 1] - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Alkaline Trio, _Maybe I'll Catch Fire_ - Christina Apeles
REVIEW: Crowded House, _Afterglow_ - Scott Slonaker
REVIEW: Bill Laswell, _Emerald Aether - Shape Shifting_ - Jon Steltenpohl
REVIEW: Lullaby Baxter Trio, _Capable Egg_ - Chris Hill
REVIEW: Pedro the Lion, _Winners Never Quit_ - Kerwin So
REVIEW: Amel Larrieux, _Infinite Possibilities_ - Jianda Johnson
REVIEW: The Flashing Lights, _Where The Change Is_ - I.K. MacLeod
REVIEW: Butterflies Of Love, _How To Know the Butterflies Of
Love_ - Andrew Duncan
REVIEW: Make Lisa Rich, _Another Venus_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Eytan Mirsky, _Get Ready For Eytan!_ - Bill Holmes
NEWS: Cool Site of the Day, Luscious Jackson, New Jersey Independent
Music Festival
TOUR DATES: Fiona Apple / Eels, Ben Folds Five, Bush / Moby,
Charlatans / Stereophonics, Ani DiFranco, Randi Driscoll,
Filter / Veruca Salt, Goldie, Handsome Family, Ben Harper And
The Innocent Criminals, Kelis, Korn, Liquid Soul, Loud Family,
Mix Master Mike, Ian Moore, No Doubt / Suicide Machines, Oasis,
Ginny Owens, Papas Fritas, Red Hot Chili Peppers / Foo Fighters /
Muse, Seely, Sally Taylor, Tonic / Third Eye Blind, Union
Back Issues of Consumable
---
REVIEW: Supergrass, _Supergrass_ (Island)
- Tim Kennedy
Supergrass started out almost posing as the 90s answer to the
Monkees with absurdly upbeat tunes which wooed the British Indie
guitar public. Two albums on and they have established themselves
as a popular live band and a reputation for great musicianship in
the studio.
Though a guitar band, they often turn to Madness-style ska
beats to liven things up. This only adds to their cartoonesque image
which is already compounded by their bizarre simian appearance
and long sideburns. The previous album -- _In It For The Money_ --
was a classic of the decade, a masterpiece combining both moody
magnificence and ecstatic good times. This album also combines
contrasting colours.
"Moving" begins with dramatically strummed open chords on
acoustic, conveying desperation and longing. The verse has a
familiar Supergrass ska-like piano backing but in a minor key, to
the lyric 'I got a low low feeling inside me'. But no matter the
somewhat hangdog lyrics, the guitar is magical - the opening strummed
section is echoed in the 12-string electric solo which features some
superb note-bending even recalling moments from The Byrds's _Younger
Than Yesterday_ from '67. This song picks up where the band left
off on their second album _In It For The Money_, using the guitar to
convey a questioning and unsettled emotional state to superb effect.
"Your Love" has an insistent piano/guitar riff and fast pace
that leads into a furious chorus but the bridge is really good,
something akin to a track off _Rubber Soul_ by the Beatles. The
rest of the song fails to get off the ground though insistent -- it
tends to fasten itself in the subconscious.
"What Went Wrong (In Your Head)" features some aimless
la-la-las which imply lack of ideas for lyrics. We never know much
more than the stated question. This is another song which doesn't
gain much ground despite its energetic riffing, the chorus is a
Slade type of thing but without the catchiness. It ends with
acapella harmonising but fails to convince.
"Beautiful People" is built around another insistent piano
riff like many of Supergrass' songs. It works better than the
preceding two songs because it has a half decent tune, despite the
repetitiveness that irked in "Your Love", and "What Went Wrong".
"Shotover Hill" starts with backmasking and launches into
acoustic guitars and bass bombastic drum. The chorus features some
nice chiming guitar akin to "I Want You" by the Beatles. This is
one of the better songs on the album, more easygoing, by leaving
out those irksome choppy rhythms it allows the guitars to exploit
the space.
"Eon" is an instrumental number in the vein of the second album
once again, with a repeated descending sustained twin sequence of
guitar notes building in intensity. The result is once again to
convey a mood of expectation to the listener, and perhaps a feeling
of frustration. This is one of the standout tracks on the album
despite being instrumental -- showing that the importance of Supergrass
lies in their love of and mastery over the guitar. The lyrics are of
little significance on this album anyway -- maybe even perfunctory.
"Mary" is more ordinary with a jokey lyric that doesn't seem
to go anywhere apart saying from how 'extraordinary' she is. The song
is built upon a satisfyingly chunky Doorsy keyboard riff. The chorus
is fun too - with a typically nonsensical'Ayayayayayay!'.
"Jesus Came From Outer Space" is a jolly number which belies
its controversial title, indicating a less than reverential attitude
to Christ and UFOs. This song and others here hark back to the first
Supergrass album _I Should Coco_ .
"Pumping On My Stereo" is another bit of lyrical chaff, which
succeeds due to its singalong chorus and gung-ho cheerfulness.
It is the direct descendant of famous early Supergrass drinking songs
such as "Alright" and rests primarily on a classic T Rex guitar riff.
"Born Again" boasts a lovely psychedelic keyboards-and-guitar
figure which hardly needs a lyric (which is lucky- it doesn't get
much). It is sinister and gorgeous by turns and strings in the
background accentuate its beauty.
"Faraway" reminds of old Syd Barratt, its dreamy lyric 'Wake me
up each morning don't forget to plug me in' fitting with psychedelic
disorientated guitar. The best songs on this album including this
seem to be built around a great series of chords which have been
jammed over a period of time and developed into their current form.
Some like "Eon" remain a jam, but what a glorious jam.
"Mama and Papa" starts similarly dreamily and is about being lost
as a child, or else feeling lost like a child. The song is a fragment
really, a ploy which sometimes works on an album. This is engaging but
is maybe too slight to be the final track on the CD.
This album shows Supergrass in two minds: they want to play
noisy goodtime songs, and at the same time they want to experiment with
more complex guitar work and put more 'feel' in the music. But
the noisy goodtime stuff just doesn't match up to the moody stuff
anymore - maybe because their heart isn't in the partying.
---
REVIEW: Primal Scream, _XTRMNTR_ (Creation IMPORT)
- Wilson Neate
Kick Out the Jams MTHRFCKR! Prior to its release, Bobby Gillespie
commented that on _XTRMNTR_, Primal Scream were "building an autobahn from
Cologne to Detroit"; an ambitious project, when you consider how long the
completion of the Channel Tunnel took, and a worrying one given that
Gillespie's admittedly "remedial" performance in high school math and
science doesn't inspire confidence in his civil engineering abilities.
But with the ghost of Kowalski at the wheel, not only do the Scream
get us from A to B -- making a brilliant connection between Krautrock and
the proto punk-metal KO of the MC5 and The Stooges -- but their musical
road-trip stops at all points in between. And they've taken quite a
circuitous route, the cranked-up techno-punk assault that figures
prominently in _XTRMNTR_'s sonic equation suggesting a visit with a
certain Mr. Empire in Berlin. On arriving in the Motor City, we're taken
for a spin around town -- the house/dance imperative being as high on the
agenda as the guitar mayhem and driving rhythms of an earlier Detroit
sound. But we're only scratching the surface here.
Angry, vitriolic and uncompromising on _XTRMNTR_, Gillespie cuts an
unlikely but convincing figure as a post-millennial protest singer raging
against militarism, neo-fascism and capitalism, as well as their insidious
interrelations, to the accompaniment of some seriously funky extreme noise
terror. That package is enhanced by friendly visitors including Adrian
Sherwood, David Holmes, Bernard Sumner, Kevin Shields and The Chemical
Brothers, whose participation bears out the old adage that many hands do
indeed make a fucking beautiful racket.
"Kill all hippies," urges Linda Manz (sampled from _Out of the
Blue_) at the start of the opening track named after that imperative, and
the Scream proceed to limber up with a funky number that could be the
soundtrack to a car chase on "Kojak." Although it's topped off with a
Family Stone-style falsetto, this track is nicely weighted with chunky
bass and bottom-heavy beats. Indeed, Mani's thick-and-throbbing bass
reigns supreme, proving to be a defining aspect of _XTRMNTR_.
Since Manz's hero in _Out of the Blue_ is Johnny Rotten, the opening
sample itself hints at the emergence of a leaner, angrier Primal Scream.
And with "Accelerator," Gillespie et al. put their cards on the table and
renew their punk credentials. Mixed by My Bloody Valentine's Kevin
Shields, this MC5-esque ripper serves up driving white noise and
screeching guitars; at its most intense, it's the jolting aural equivalent
of mainlining pure electricity. There's a rising sense of urgency and an
unnerving, escalating, high-pitched whooshing in the ears that makes you
genuinely concerned that something in your immediate environment is about
to explode, quite possibly part of your own body.
While the pulsating, bass-driven "Exterminator" sees Gillespie
urging civil disobedience and citing the ur-protest singer Dylan with a
"Subterranean Homesick Blues" reference, "Swastika Eyes" -- part New
Order, part Digital Hardcore and part Donna Summer -- is politicized disco
music for a Europe in crisis. Although debate on this track's alleged
right wing sentiments is plain silly, its gender politics are definitely
troubling. Listen for the gender of the person with those eyes. Sadly,
rock again treads a well-beaten path on which oppositional politics go
hand in glove with sexism. ("American Woman," anyone?) Still, despite this
slip (and despite the earlier, absurd decision to put the Confederate flag
on the cover of _Give Out But Don't Give Up_), Bobby Gillespie seems to be
on the right track these days with his critiques of New Labour's betrayal
of the Left and his denunciations of the highly controversial imprisonment
of Satpal Ram. See: http://www.asiandubfoundation.com/satpal/
Politics aside, the next winner -- "Blood Money" -- starts like
The Stooges and metamorphoses into a skewed evocation of the Bond theme with
dissonant horns aplenty. Subsequently, it veers into 23 Skidoo-meet-Can in
an epic contest that restores real meaning to the term "drum and bass."
Forget your depthless fiddling, noodling and blipping and think "The
Gospel Comes to New Guinea" crossed with _Tago Mago_.
A perfect mid-way counterpoint to the tone of mayhem and
cacophony, "Keep Your Dreams" offers a familiar Scream comedown. After all
the excitement, Gillespie delivers a downbeat piece that revisits and
stumbles through the stoned territory of earlier work, such as "Shine
Like Stars." from _Screamadelica_. "MBV Arkestra" -- a reworking of "If
They Move Kill 'Em" from _Vanishing Point_ -- is another dense, layered
epic. Mixed, of course, by Shields, this track sees Sun Ra and Tim
Buckley circa _Lorca_ or _Starsailor_ joining forces to make a good
avant-jazz case for the return of rock flute. And while _XTRMNTR_ is a
scorcher throughout, it ends on a high point with "Shoot Speed/Kill
Light," another protracted musical contest, this time involving Can and
Joy Division.
Primal Scream launched the '90s with the sublime _Screamadelica_,
an album that captured the musical essence and socio-cultural ambience of
its time and raised the bar significantly for subsequent acts. But while
_Screamadelica_ was a blissy, edenic, "all together now" version of a
Britain on "e," at the start of another decade, the almost
post-apocalyptic, "fall together now," hard edge of _XTRMNTR_ attests to
an older, wiser, more politicized musical sensibility. Primal Scream have
outdone themselves here -- it may only be March but there's no point in
anyone's releasing anything else this year.
---
EVENT REVIEW: South By Southwest (SXSW), Austin, Texas,
March 15 -19, 2000 [Part 1]
- Joann D. Ball
For music lovers, performers and industry professionals, Spring
signals the return of the South By Southwest (SXSW) music and media
conference and festival in Austin, Texas. The fourteenth annual SXSW took
place from March 13-19, and yet again the main draw at the extravaganza was
the music. And this year there were even more live performances, with some
900 bands on more than 47 stages playing everything from local TexMex,
straight ahead rock and roll, country and folk/roots music to techno/dance,
hip-hop/rap and jazz. Similarly, the daytime music industry conference
activities, held at the Austin Convention Center, were also expanded and
more diverse.
The seventeenth annual Austin Music Awards kicked off the Music
Festival on Wednesday evening, March 15th, and Steve Earle's well received
keynote address kicked off the conference the next morning. With warm
weather and a positive outlook, the stage was set for a wonderful SXSW
2000. But just before the post-conference music festivities began on
Thursday evening, temperatures dropped so drastically that Austin felt more
like a rain soaked, damp and cold New York City. But of course that didn't
stop the dynamic Patti Smith and her band from treating a dedicated outdoor
crowd to a rousing, heartfelt and high energy performance. Elsewhere in
town, members of Los Lobos helped Joe Ely and others turn up the heat on
a tiny patio stage behind a small unassuming Mexican restaurant at an
invite-only VIP party thrown by The Baker/Northrop Media Group. It was
very cold and dismal for the long crowd waiting outside, but for those
lucky enough to attend the packed Columbia Records showcase it was
definitely hot and sweaty especially during the sizzling set from Cypress
Hill.
The weather cleared up significantly by the time of Friday night's
music activities which included highly touted performances by buzz artists
Shelby Lynne and Gomez. But the real place to be was he Sub Pop Records
rock and roll showcase at Emo's. Living proof that Sub Pop is now the home
for those who rock, The Yo-Yo's from London opened the showcase on the main
stage with a Clash-inspired set. Vancouver's Black Halos threw more energy
on that fire with a kick ass set so hot that lead singer Billy Helpless
eventually stripped down to his black underwear. The Black Halos were
certainly the highlight of the evening with Helpless performing with
charisma, passion and moves that Mick Jagger in his prime would envy.
Certainly not an easy act to follow, but Norway's newest musical export
Gluecifer managed to keep the mainstage music loud, hard and heavy with a
solid no frills set. On the smaller stage in a separate room, Los Angeles
band Beachwood Sparks provided a melodic acoustic-based interlude,
featuring soothing harmonies and easy going tunes that echoed the best of
the Byrds, the Kinks and 60s psychedelic pop. After that much needed down
time, the crowd was clearly ready to crank up the volume again and The Go
didn't hesitate to honor that request. Fully embodying the rock lives on
Sub Pop spirit of the showcase, the Detroit quintet channeled the energy
of hometown heroes MC5 and Iggy Pop through their speakers. Several power
chords into the set opener, the hungry crowd was in a beer throwing,
dancing frenzy. By the time The Go ended its intense sonic assault, the
audience was deliriously exhausted so much so that many were unable to
stick around to hear Seattle's Love As Laughter.
By Saturday, festival goers had hit their stride and were already
sharing stories of their major findings and enjoyable moments. Among
those noted was a late night performance by the YoungBlood Brass Band from
Madison, Wisconsin, an unsigned band that amazingly combines Mardi-Gras
sounds with hip-hop jams and cooks up an irresistible gumbo of flavored
sounds. Saturday night's offerings were equally satisfying with shows by
Calexico, Sebadoh, Bernie Worrell & the Woo Warriors, and a previously
unannounced appearance by Yo La Tengo receiving the most buzz and
attention. And the night's unsigned surprise finding was the innovative
VHS or Beta, from the unlikely locale of Louisville, Kentucky. The band
continually pulled festival goers off the extremely crowded and
music-filled 6th Street to join in their technodiscorock trance inducing
set. Dressed in matching blue jumpsuits and wearing dark shades with red
blinking lights on both sides, VHS or Beta recalled Devo fashion
sensibilities and Yellow Magic Orchestra's soundscapes in a presentation
that proved the future has indeed arrived. At the Night of Hop Hop
showcase a few blocks away, host Guru made it clear that SXSW had also made
room for a hip-hop and rap music vibe. Earlier at the showcase, Varunee
Recording Group spoken word artist Corey Cokes slammed some message poetry
and provided well received edutainment for the outdoor crowd. And later,
following a few up and coming rap acts, hip-hop veterans the Jungle
Brothers kicked it old school style and quickly had the audience along for
the ride. Performing cuts off their new V2 Records release _V.I.P._, the
duo accompanied by a DJ and drummer kept the rhymes flowing and proved
that it was definitely a very important party.
While some old time SXSW attendees seemed to miss the smaller, more
intimate music conference and festival, others reveled in the expanded and
enhanced Y2K version. Certainly, the vast number of music performances
were delightfully diverse and continued to provide unknowns and unsigned
artists a chance to put their best sound forward. As the YoungBlood Brass
Band and VHS and Beta proved, great music is very often made outside those
places where record label offices and major market radio stations. For
these bands, as well as others trying to be heard in music centers, SXSW is
crucial. And for music lovers looking for something new and exciting and
music industry professionals interested in more progressive approaches to
promoting and disseminating diverse artists and genres, the annual Spring
event is a one-stop market place. The Internet certainly makes getting
pre-event planning easier and hopefully even more information about bands,
schedules will be accessible in the future. And the fact that conference
attendees and artists can use email and websites to develop and maintain
those crucial contacts makes enhances the networking aspect of SXSW. Now,
if only someone could figure out a way to clone oneself to hear even more
of those 900+ bands in all those Austin venues...
---
REVIEW: Alkaline Trio, _Maybe I'll Catch Fire_ (Asian Man)
- Christina Apeles
Feverish and virile, Alkaline Trio's second full-length release
is not as raw as one would expect from a young trio raised on punk rock.
Their jaws would likely drop at the bands that came to my mind after
listening to the first two tracks. "Keep 'em Coming" had the guitar
workings of early Ride, while "Madam Me" felt much like Sunny Day Real
Estate. These tracks demonstrated their keen sense of what makes a
catchy melody, producing more of an uplifting feel than aggressive.
Moving into "Fuck You Aurora" and "Sleepyhead" their punk aesthetic is
more apparent, with discordant vocals and frantic drumming. This is
where you find Fugazi and PIL influencing their sound, especially in
the pogo-friendly "Tuck Me In."
_Maybe I'll Catch Fire_ is their last album to be released on
Asian Man, having just signed on to Vagrant (Get up Kids, Face to Face,
Saves the Day). One of Chicago's prized pop punk bands, Alkaline Trio
have range, clever sonic sensibility and charisma which means great
live sets and a bright future ahead.
---
REVIEW: Crowded House, _Afterglow_ (Capitol IMPORT)
- Scott Slonaker
Despite two major hits ("Don't Dream It's Over," "Something So
Strong") amidst the pop freakshow of the late '80s, Crowded House seem
largely forgotten. Such is the double-edged sword of craftsmanship as
music's selling point -- you get more respect from the pundits, but without
a larger-than-life persona or movie-star spouses or tabloid appearances --
with obscurity quick to follow. And Crowded House's brand of melodic,
Beatlesque song writing is scarce enough in today's pop landscape.
Oh, sure, Finns & Co. will live on in '80s compilations and Pop-Up
Video, but that framework will never seem to fit them. Crowded House are
no less than the greatest band to ever come out of Australia, and time
spent with any of their four albums (or the excellent best-of compilation,
_Recurring Dream_) is quite rewarding. Neil Finn has written at least a
dozen songs in his lifetime that deserve to be all-time classics, true
successors to the Lennon-McCartney legacy.
Fans can rejoice with the release of _Afterglow_, a 13-track
odds-'n-sods collection culled from almost a decade of recording. Truth
be told, the album doesn't hold a candle to any of the band's proper
albums, but anyone who owns some or all of those records should not
hesitate.
_Afterglow_ features only two tracks that have ever been released
in any form. One is the acoustic version of the gorgeous "Private
Universe" from _Together Alone_. The stripped-down backdrop turns the
central chorus of "I will run for shelter/Endless summer, lift the
curse/It feels like nothing matters in our private universe" into
nothing less than a mantra. The U2/Midnight Oil wide screen panorama
of "Recurring Dream" appeared only on a soundtrack.
Of the "new" songs, the opener, "I Am In Love," adds an unexpected
lyrical directness to the band's usual translucence. "You Can Touch" is a
willowy ballad in the vein of "Four Seasons in One Day" or "Into
Temptation." The soaring "Anyone Can Tell" could have been a single from
any of the albums.
Any B-sides disc is incomplete without a few interesting side
trips. The band rarely did out-and-out aggression ("Locked Out" being
the noted exception), instead changing up its mid-tempo/ballad main
courses with White Album quirk. _Afterglow_, in the same tradition,
contains the Squeeze-like "My Telly's Gone Bung" (written by drummer
Paul Hester) and "Left Hand" are good examples.
Crowded House seem unlikely to reunite, at least for awhile (both
Finns have solo careers), and _Afterglow_ is a fitting document of their
mastery. An American release is currently slated for a May release,
but who knows? Fans who don't want to wait should hit the import house.
---
REVIEW: Bill Laswell, _Emerald Aether - Shape Shifting_ (Shanachie)
- Jon Steltenpohl
Bill Laswell's latest album is a remix of some of the best of
Shanachie's Celtic acts. Although, if you're a fan of Laswell, you'll
know that "remix" hardly describes what Laswell can do at the sound
board. The CD is subtitled "Reconstructions of Irish Music - Mix
Translations", and the description fits. _Emerald Aether:Shape
Shifting_ is really more of a reinterpretation than a simple addition
of a house beat. Laswell uses 13 songs from Jerry O' Sullivan, Solas,
Karan Casey, Cathie Sullivan, and Matt Molloy as well as one track of
his own, and the end result is a remarkably seamless album from start
to finish.
Still, I must admit, the first few times I listened to this
album, I thought, "Geez, Laswell is reinventing the wheel. How long
ago was that Benedictine Monks with a beat album released? Laswell is
above this." But that was a superficial observation. After multiple
listens, it becomes clear that Laswell's work on _Emerald Aether:Shape
Shifting_ has a deeper level. It is restrained and refined. Like
Monet or Pollack, Laswell's work doesn't even seem to be art at all at
first glance. But, when you take a minute and listen deeper, you feel
the shapes and you align the patterns. When you listen to _Emerald
Aether:Shape Shifting_, you won't find yourself singing along. You
simply absorb the sounds and the beat. Then later, hours, and even
days after listening, you find yourself reliving the melodies, timing
your actions to the beats. This is subliminal music.
Of course, not everyone appreciates Monet and Pollack.
Subversive artists and debunkers love to get elephants and monkeys to
create art to fool the critics, and we're living in an age where you
can mix electronica in your living room on a Playstation. But even if
you aren't impressed with the beats, Laswell is starting with hand
picked Celtic tracks from Shanachie's catalog. That means he's already
got great music in his hands. So, even if you don't get what's so
special about Laswell's reconstructions, you still have a nice album
of Celtic music on your hands.
But, if you can see to the core of what Laswell does, you'll
see that beats are added with precision and meaning. Many tracks seem
as if they haven't even been touched, and others combine traditional
instruments with modern rhythms in a way that seems obvious. Still,
creating the obvious is the sign of a true master. It's easy to listen
to _Emerald Aether:Shape Shifting_ and say "well, that doesn't sound
like anything new." In fact, such an opinion might be justifiable to
anyone who considers a beat, a beat. But, if you're part of the
headphone crowd who sees beyond the beat and gets into the tiny
details, Laswell's latest will keep you listening for hours.
---
REVIEW: Lullaby Baxter Trio, _Capable Egg_ (Atlantic)
- Chris Hill
Begin with female vocals akin to Rufus Wainwright's soft
tones, mix in his cadence and torch song flair, dollop in a spoonful
of Louisiana backwater, back porch blues, then a quart of Oranj
Symphonette Wonka juice, and you've got the basic recipe for Lullaby
Baxter Trio's CD: songs of play ("Morty-Mort-Morton Showstopper
Calhoun") and pathos ("The Anyway Song").
The Trio, as far as I can tell, is a duo: singer/guitarist
Lullaby Baxter (born Angelina Iapaolo) and lyricist Lutwidge Sedgwick.
The third member is likely producer Yves Beauvais, credited with the
idea of using the Oranj Symphonette as backing musicians. The eclectic
group brings both unusual (Chinese horn, Farfisa organ, bird calls,
Casio drums, train whistle, accordion) and traditional (cello, violin,
clarinet, guitar, bass, drums) instrumentation to the project, all
played with straight faces.
Sedgwick -- these names are almost too good to be true -- uses
storybook wordplay and references for the lyrics; some straightforward,
some subversive, depending on the need. The sweet candy is caustic in
"Hopscotch" ("With a hey and a ho/ and a hey nonino/ Diddle diddle dum
dum/ ...You were already a little nowhere/ Now you've finally disappeared
my dear/ Hooray and toodleloo"), while "Lullaby" has an enchanting
"Chan Marshall vision of a Maurice Sendak doughy fable" feel: "Clouds,
nighty-night/ Stars, beddy-bye/ Clocks, nighty-night/ Shoes, beddy-bye."
Sedgwick's oddball writing encourages smiling when expected endings --
"There's a moocow in my ear/ Lullaby and clouds/ Cockledoodledon't" --
take an unexpected turn.
Within the same vocal palette, Baxter uses different colors: a
mix of croon and soft Cindy Brady lisp on "The Anyway Song," sly winking
blues on "Rooster in Love," pacifying tones on "Lullaby," a barker's
enticement on the circus waltz "Spacegirl."
"Knucklehead" has an Andy Partridge nonsense tune air --
"Butterflies wear boxing gloves/ To clobber all the ones you love/ Poor
poor Knucklehead/ Is that why your little missus lives under the bed?" --
plus a burbling electric organ that adds a cocktail lounge smoke.
"Ding-A-Ling," with its wood block, has a Roy Rogers cowboy rhythm that
prods the pitiable "Why'd you bring the ding-a-ling?/ All she wants to do
is sing/ Her ding-a-ling songs" lyrics along to a read-between-the-lines
conclusion.
This disc could have been too cute for its own good, but the
combination of lyrics, music, and Baxter's vocals make it palatable
for both child and adults. A sidebar, however: if you're going to
succumb to the hidden track impulse, don't add intervening time between
the last and "hidden" tracks. The empty minutes tick slowly by waiting
for a 13th track (a lightly-strummed guitar version of "Ding-A-Ling")
to begin.
---
REVIEW: Pedro the Lion, _Winners Never Quit_ (Jade Tree)
- Kerwin So
Pedro the Lion's lead singer-songwriter David Bazan has
always had an uncanny knack for dismembering difficult and taboo
subjects, especially when it comes to analyzing the dysfunctionality
of intimate relationships, and questioning the God he's supposed to
believe in as a Christian. Bazan's gift of marrying the
thought-provoking lyric to simple yet seductive guitar melodies helped
earn his band accolades in big-time music rags like Spin and Magnet,
and being compared to slowcore favorites like Bedhead probably didn't
hurt either. Partially based on this critical attention, and the rest
based on sheer talent, Pedro the Lion was signed to respected indie
label Jade Tree, and have now released their second full-length album
_Winners Never Quit_.
This time around, Pedro the Lion may have gotten too honest
for their own good. With the departure of his bandmates, Bazan was
left to spend much time alone in a basement, mulling over and recording
his songs at his pace, and it shows. Musically, the album is
consistently engaging, with acoustic guitar, aggressive rockers, and
languishing cymbal washes matching each song's mood note for note, and
further showcasing Bazan's diverse range of talents. But lyrically,
_Winners Never Quit_ is nothing short of unsettling.
The forthright opening track, "Slow and Steady Wins the Race,"
features Bazan relating an allegorical tale of himself as a little boy
walking a narrow path to his grandmother's house, while his brother
strays off the path, falling into disastrous circumstances. The
narrator continues to dream of all that will await him in heaven "for
a race well run." At first the simplicity of the song, with its solo
acoustic guitar accompaniment, seems appealing and even whimsical,
until you realize that Bazan is attacking the idealism of religious
faith from a very sarcastic, albeit subtle, point of view.
From this point forward, the subtlety only diminishes. "To
Protect the Family Name" finds Bazan, vocals properly slurred,
channeling an alcoholic man pleading with a police officer not to
arrest him and bring further shame to his family. The next two
tracks, surely Pedro the Lion's most disturbing songs to date, center
on an abusive husband confronting and eventually cornering his wife.
"You put down that telephone," he growls menancingly, over and over.
"You're not calling anyone." As this song blends into the next, Bazan
leaves us to fill in the blanks: "Bloodstains on the carpet/
Bloodstains on my hands/ Drag her to the kitchen/ Hide the evidence."
The name of this sequel song? "Never Leave a Job Half Done."
And it doesn't stop there. Bazan has always wrestled with
the difficulties of maintaining faith in a Christian God, ever since
Pedro the Lion's debut EP "Whole." But "Bad Things to Such Good
People" is arguably his angriest work in this vein, encasing a story
of family tragedy in a shell of spite for an uncaring God. Told from
the perspective of a son who "could not fly straight to save my life,"
the song paints a somber portrait of two parents weeping at the grave
of their "one good son [who] was now gone." The refrain? "All the
while/ The good Lord smiled/ And looked the other way/ And looked
the other way."
Pedro the Lion's debut album two years ago, _It's Hard to
Find a Friend_, showcased David Bazan's considerable abilities in
adopting the voices of many different characters according to each
song's narrative. But _Winners Never Quit_ seems to find Bazan
inextricably mired in those voices, to the point where I am honestly
worried about him. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good record -
I just wouldn't listen to it right before I was going to go to bed.
Bazan remains a compelling figure, and I wonder how deeply the addition
of new band members might affect Pedro the Lion's continuing evolution.
At least they should give him respite from the basement from time to
time.
---
REVIEW: Amel Larrieux, _Infinite Possibilities_ (Epic/550 Music)
- Jianda Johnson
First coming to light in the ensemble Groove Theory, Amel
Larrieux's sonic undulations ground themselves firmly in old school,
classic Soul (think: Marvin, Aretha) and modern day music alternatives
(Trip Hop, Drum and Bass, genre-mixing). Playful, insightful and
rhapsodic, _Infinite Possibilities_ is an exemplary debut piece.
The Blues-trodden strains of "Sweet Misery" personify the yin
and yang vibe this undercover diva exudes, and it only gets better from
there. "INI," despairing over two-dimensional standards of beauty,
transcends the song's regretful truths with lyrical, soothing vocals and
instrumentation (including the tabla). "Every time one of us goes
down/it's like looking at my/own blood on the ground," Larrieux bemoans --
somehow graceful even in the throes of a tragic narrative.
"Get Up," a rousing call to arms, and "Down," a mystical Jazz
excursion, seamlessly lead us through chic, majestic landscapes. "Shine"
is Larrieux's most courageous vocal effort, as she mixes Indian vocal
inflections with power-packed R&B and Gospel influences. In "Shine,"
Larrieux chants, "I'm stronger than/I've ever been/got to be to survive."
True, that. The multicultural elements in _ Infinite Possibilities _
literally travel with you, all over the map.
If this soulful songbird intended to make a strong, deeply down
"first-impression" with her solo effort, she's definitely succeeded. This
album is radio friendly, warm and rewarding -- aurally and spiritually.
---
REVIEW: The Flashing Lights, _Where The Change Is_ (Spinart)
- I.K. MacLeod
Borrowing their name from a rare Jimmy Page/Screaming Lord
Sutch number from the late 60's, The Flashing Lights were bursting
through my speakers with such raw intensity that I had to glance at
the calendar hopes I finding out that I had been flux capacitated into
the past. The complete lack of commercial bullshit combined with the
unadulterated spirit of rock'n'roll takes the listener back to a time
when R&B stood for rhythm and blues and bands spent more time together
in a rehearsal space and than in a beauty salon.
Lead singer and guitarist Matt Murphy, aka Little Orton Hoggett,
brought together this tight quartet after Halifax�s Superfriendz
disbanded in 1997. He is joined by childhood pal and bassist Henri
Sangalang, organist and tambourine taper Gaven Dianda, and drummer
Steve Pitkin. The band�s sound is an evolutionary extension of the
classic Who and Yardbird sounds of 60s, and their collection of original
songs can be seen as both an interpretative and fresh take on modern pop
music.
Murphy is no slouch on the Rickenbacker and The Flashing Lights
are the perfect outfit for his hearty supply of licks, riffs, and
stances. Recorded in Toronto with a little help from Daryl Smith (Sloan,
Blue Rodeo) on the boards, _Where the Change is_ switches gears from
the smooth and poppy adolescent flashback of "Highschool" to a real
rocker like "Half The Time." "Summertime Climb" pays tribute to some
seasonal memories while "Elevature" is a friendly tip of the hat to
former Subpop recording artists Elevator to Hell.
This album has been firmly planted in my top ten for the past
year and it won't take long for you to hear why. The new US release
features a couple bonus tracks that were recorded for a radio appearance
alongside the 13 original numbers. For a free sample, point your browser
to http://www.flashinglights.com/ .
---
REVIEW: Butterflies Of Love, _How To Know the Butterflies Of
Love_ (Secret 17)
- Andrew Duncan
Beginning in the late '80s and seeping into the early '90s,
post punk and new wave had died and reincarnated into what was contrived
as college rock. Besides the obvious bands that defined the genre,
others could have been stylistically classified simply by their band
name. A House passed the college rock test as did Crowded House. House
Of Love also fit the mold - can you see where I am heading?
This leads to the year 2000 and a five piece band from New
Haven, Connecticut called Butterflies Of Love. Where does this play in
the whole scheme of things? The name paints an '80s paisley-college-rock
collage of rich sound textures and words of shyness and abandonment. But
let's not judge a book by its cover, or a band by its name ... or
however you want to characterize it. It's time to take a gander.
Sounding more like the band hails from Bristol than New Haven,
How To Know has the sadness of The Cure's Seventeen Seconds and the
sarcasm of Blur. However the music does come closer to Slowdive than
Morrissey's prancing rhythms. The band softly sculpts beautiful music
with sincere songwriting that leads to a type of music that is rarely
heard and sadly missed.
Headed by duo Daniel and Jeffrey Greene - with a slew of people
helping them out - there are enough instruments on this album to lead
an orchestra. "Mt. Everest" resembles a drugged up Portostatic playing
Velvet Underground tunes - a remarkable combination that explodes with
echoing beauty. "Floating" sounds like The Mighty Lemon Drops in an
indie rock world.
The album drags into a doldrum with "Love May Be Possible,"
depicting a scenario of a burned-out bar band and "Rob A Bank" marks
the sobering feeling when the bartender yells out "last call."
The disc picks back up with the poppy "Amethyst." (how can one
pass up such great one liners as "She wears my lucky charms, she's got
tattoos on her arms"), and ends with a brief lullaby "Leaving When I'm
Done Drinking." That last drink was a quick one.
More information is available at http://www.secretsounds.com
---
REVIEW: Make Lisa Rich, _Another Venus_ (Boy Love)
- Reto Koradi
Straight out of Boston is where Make Lisa Rich are coming from,
and straight into your ears is where their second album _Another Venus_
seems to be going. Start with some post-punk energy, mix in a dose of
feel-good '60s pop with some hand clapping, dress with witty lyrics,
and the dish is ready to be served. Consumption will lead to foot
tapping, and in many cases cause uncontrolled singing along.
These 11 songs stretching out over just 37 minutes won't change the
world, and are unlikely to even become a major part of music history. But
while others try to come up with something really important, we might just
as well have some fun. And this is what Make Lisa Rich are giving us with
surprising consistency, songs like "Status Symbol" are catchy enough to
have hit potential if they could get the necessary airplay.
The band's web site at http://www.makelisarich.com provides links
to some of the songs in MP3 format, and information on how to order this
album. At the very fair price of $7, it will most likely provide you with
much more and longer lasting enjoyment than a couple of Happy Meals.
---
REVIEW: Eytan Mirsky, _Get Ready For Eytan!_ (Mirsky Mouse)
- Bill Holmes
New Yorker Eytan Mirsky might be filling up his press kit
with clippings about his soundtrack contributions, but if _Get Ready
For Eytan_ gets some circulation, the accolades will start flowing in
from that as well. In the independent film _Happiness_, Michael Stipe
and Rain Phoenix sing the Mirsky-penned title track, an ironic title
for a film centered on so many dysfunctional characters. Mining the
same territory, _Get Ready_ is a fourteen track collection of vignettes
about unrequited love, betrayal and just plain neurotic romanticism,
and if Mirsky isn't culling notes from his own scrapbook, he's done a
great job of scoping out his behaviorally stumbling peers.
Lyrically funny and straightforward, Mirsky is drawing
comparisons to Marshall Crenshaw and Nick Lowe for his clever wordplay
and knack for classic pop hooks. But I hear something much more left
of center - Michael Shelley, Jonathan Richman and especially Ben
Vaughn come to mind time and time again. Why? Well, I'm laughing my
ass off at him and feeling sorry for his misfortunes at the same time,
like an audio Woody Allen experience. More often than not, the songs
find this lovable loser - and who hasn't uttered this one - looks in
the mirror asking "What Did I Do?". And when he does get lucky, he
still gets screwed - like when the girlfriend in "All The Guys You
Loved Before" insists upon divulging her past to the cringing Eytan.
"Well I'm not saying / that you're promiscuous / but did you
really have to go / and make a list."
Mirsky wrote all the songs and sings lead and background
vocals; the band is a simple guitar/bass/drums/piano combo that is
energetic but not loud, equally effective ripping through surf riffs
or steering slow dancers through mid-tempo ballads. Larry Saltzman, in
particular, does not let the sparse production prevent him from rocking
out when called for (especially on "Record Collection" and "Outta Sight).
And just one look at song titles like "Somebody To Blame", "Allergic To
Fun" and "The Vulture Of Love" tells you this is something different
and worthwhile. As he sings, his yearning, confusion or misguided
superiority (the hilarious "Drop That Loser") comes across loud and
clear even though his style changes as subtly as a facial expression.
Writing this off as quirky pop tunes is unfair. Mirsky is a
clever writer with the ability to make the three minute pop song sound
new again. No fog machines or lighting trusses necessary.
---
NEWS: > The Cool Site of the Year awards ceremony will be
held at New York City's Webster Hall on April 27, from 7 pm
to 11 pm. The $100 admission to the event includes live
music, great food, a multimedia show and Awards presentation
honoring those sites voted to be Cool Sites of the Day.
For more information, check out http://www.coolsiteoftheday.com
> Luscious Jackson has confirmed that the band is
splitting up, but on amicable terms. "We want to let our
fans know that we are still good friends," says Luscious' Jill
Cunniff. "We all want to diversify what we do individually,
and the band just came to its natural conclusion. It's been
a great eight years, and we hope to work together again in
the future."
> New Jersey's Independent Music Festival 2000 is
scheduled for April 26-29, 2000 in New Brunswick, NJ. The festival
wil feature more than 100 artists, along with two days worth of
seminars on April 28 and 29. For further information, check out
http://www.independentmusicfest.com .
---
TOUR DATES:
Fiona Apple / Eels
Apr. 9 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
Apr. 10 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theater
Apr. 11 Birmingham, AL Alabama Theatre
Apr. 13 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
Apr. 14 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues
Ben Folds Five
Apr. 11 W. Hartford, CT Univ. of Hartford Sports Ctr.
Apr. 13 Burlington, VT Patrick Gymnasium (U of Vermont)
Apr. 14 Philadelphia, PA Hill Field (UPenn)
Bush / Moby
Apr. 5 Cape Girardeau, MO S.E. Missouri St.
Apr. 7 Norman, OK U. of Oklahoma
Apr. 8 Omaha, NE Creighton University
Apr. 11 Bowling Green, OH Bowling Green State University
Apr. 12 Kalamazoo, MI Western Michigan University
Apr. 13 Mount Pleasant, MI Central Michigan University
Apr. 14 Bloomington, IN Indiana University
Charlatans / Stereophonics
Apr. 7 New York, NY Roseland
Apr. 8 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory
Apr. 9 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
Apr. 10 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Apr. 12 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
Ani DiFranco
Apr. 7 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Apr. 8 Tacoma, WA U Of Puget Sound
Apr. 9 Corvallis, OR Gill Coliseum, Oregon University
Apr. 12 Arcata, CA Eureka Municipal Auditorium
Apr. 13 Santa Rosa, CA Luther Burbank Center
Apr. 14 Davis, CA Davis Recreation Hall
Randi Driscoll
Apr. 9 New York, NY Living Room
Filter / Veruca Salt
Apr. 7 Richmond, VA Robins Center Arena
Apr. 8 Atlantic City, NJ Trump Marina Casino
Apr. 9 Lock Haven, PA Lock Haven University
Apr. 11 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club
Apr. 13 Slippery Rock, PA Slippery Rock Univ.
Apr. 14 Bethlehem, PA Moravian College
Goldie
Apr. 7 Washington, DC Capital Ballroom
Apr. 8 New Orleans, LA State Palace Theatre
Apr. 11 LA, CA Viper Room
Apr. 12 Portland, OR Ohm
Apr. 13 Seattle, WA Supper Club
Apr. 15 Las Vegas, NV Utopia
Handsome Family
Apr. 10 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place
Apr. 11 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Apr. 12 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
Apr. 13 Phladelphia, PA Upstage
Apr. 14 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Ben Harper And The Innocent Criminals
Apr. 7 Napoli, Italy Tendra Palapartenope
Apr. 9 Florence, Italy Teotro Tenda
Apr. 11 Clermont, France Maison Des Sports
Apr. 13 Zurich, Switzerland Volkshouse
Apr. 14 Bern, Switzerland Theatre National
Apr. 15 Geneva, Switzerland Arena
Kelis
Apr. 12 Boston, MA Paradise
Apr. 13 Providence, RI Brown University w/Wyclef Jean
Apr. 14 Amherst, MA Amherst College w/Wyclef Jean
Korn
Apr. 7 Philadelphia, PA First Union Center
Apr. 8 Nassau, NY Coliseum
Apr. 11 Greensboro, NC Coliseum
Apr. 13 Atlanta, GA Phillips Arena
Apr. 14 Charlotte, NC Coliseum
Liquid Soul
Apr. 6 Ithaca, NY Cornell University
Apr. 7 Philadelphia, PA North Star
Apr. 8 Richmond, VA Mulligan's
Apr. 9 Baltimore, MD Fletcher's
Apr. 11 Ithaca, NY Haunt
Apr. 12 Cambridge, MA House of Blues
Apr. 13 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
Loud Family
Apr. 8 Seattle, WA Grace Land
Apr. 11 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar
Apr. 12 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Apr. 14 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop
Mix Master Mike
Apr. 5 Tempe, AZ Pompeii
Apr. 6 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
Apr. 7 Austin, TX Mercury Lounge
Apr. 8 Houston, TX Astro-Arena
Apr. 11 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
Apr. 12 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
Apr. 13 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
Apr. 14 Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill
Ian Moore
Apr. 7 Chicago, IL Martyr's
Apr. 8 Detroit, MI Magic Bag
Apr. 10 Cincinnati, OH Top Cat's
Apr. 12 Nashville, TN Exit Inn
Apr. 13 Atlanta, GA Smith's
Apr. 14 Ashville, NC Be Here Now
No Doubt / Suicide Machines
Apr. 14 Los Angeles, CA Universal Amp.
Apr. 15 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
Oasis
Apr. 8 Berkeley, CA Berkeley Community Theatre
Apr. 9 Los Angeles, CA Universal Amphitheatre
Ginny Owens
Apr. 7 Seattle, WA East Side Four Square Church
Apr. 8 Portland, OR Sunset Presbyterian Church
Apr. 9 Sacramento, CA Sunset Christian Center
Apr. 10 San Jose, CA Los Gatos Christian Center
Apr. 11 Anaheim, CA Melodyland Christian Center
Papas Fritas
Apr. 7 Bloomington, IN Second Story
Apr. 9 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop w/ Verbena
Red Hot Chili Peppers / Foo Fighters / Muse
Apr. 8 Bloomington, IN Assembly Hall
Apr. 9 Lexington, KY Bolling Arena
Apr. 12 Chattanooga, TN UTC Arena
Seely
Apr. 7 Charlotte, NC Cafe Dada
Apr. 8 Columbia, SC New Brookline Tavern
Sally Taylor
Apr. 8 Telluride, CO Sheridan Opera House
Apr. 11 Steamboat, CO Cellar Lounge
Apr. 12 Evergreen, CO Little Bear
Apr. 14 Boulder, CO Trilogy
Tonic / Third Eye Blind
Apr. 7 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Cafe
Apr. 8 Miami, FL Pompano Beach
Apr. 9 Tampa, FL Sundome
Apr. 12 Dallas, TX Bronco Bowl
Apr. 14 Austin, TX Music Hall
Union
Apr. 7 Detroit, MI Harpo's
Apr. 9 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Apr. 14 Lorain, OH Flying Machine
---
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