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==== ISSUE 95 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [December 16, 1996]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet: gajarsky@email.njin.net
Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Dan Enright, Tim Kennedy, Reto
Koradi, David Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr,
Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker
Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Dan Birchall, Lee Graham Bridges,
Scott Byron, Paul Grzelak, Janet Herman, Bill
Holmes, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen Jackson,
Daniel Kane, Stephen Lin, Bob Mackin, Scott
Miller, Al Muzer, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Ali
Sinclair, Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl,
Courtney Muir Wallner, Simon West
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak,
Jason Williams
Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@email.njin.net
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the
editor.
==================================================================
.------------.
| Contents |
`------------'
INTERVIEW: Presidents of the United States of America - Al Muzer
REVIEW: Oasis, _There and Then_ - Simon West
REVIEW: Enigma 3, _Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!_ - Lee Graham Bridges
REVIEW: Soundtrack, _William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet_ - Stephen Lin
REVIEW: Various, _Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 4-7_ - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Moistboyz, _II_ - Tim Hulsizer
REVIEW: Pig, _Sinsation_ - Stephen Lin
REVIEW: Weston, _ Got Beat Up_ / _A real life story of teen-age
rebellion_ - Eric Hsu
REVIEW: ZZ Top, _Rhythmeen_ - Linda Scott
CONCERT REVIEW: Cravin' Melon - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: September 67, _Lucky Shoe_ - Jon Steltenpohl
REVIEW: Orphan Moon, _Have A Little Faith_ - Janet Herman
NEWS: Amnesty International, Cypress Hill, Psychdelic Furs, Sick Of
It All, XTC
TOUR DATES: Arm Dogs, Bodeans, Boiled In Lead, Tracy Bonham, Chimera,
Deftones, Gouds Thumb / I Mother Earth, Kiss / 4th Floor, Huey
Lewis & The News, Metallica, Teddy Morgan, Phish, Poorhouse
Rockers, Professor & Maryann, Scrawl, Sick Of It All, Sponge / Ruth
Ruth / Red Five, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Stillsuit, Corey Stevens,
They Might Be Giants, Tree / Clutch
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW: Presidents of the United States of America
- Al Muzer
It took nearly seven months for The Presidents Of The United
States Of America's critically-lauded, self-titled 1995 Columbia
Records debut to reach the Top 10.
And, while a seven-month climb up the charts ain't exactly
bad - it ain't exactly overnight.
Thanks, however, to a relentless world-wide touring schedule;
well-timed appearances on an assortment of big-name television
programs; MTV Buzz Bin hits such as "Kitty," "Lump" and "Peaches";
the blessing of Soundgarden's Kim Thayil (who guest-guitared on one
track); and the ego-free, "just for fun" attitude of three friends
who've been together long enough to work out their personal
differences and evolve into a super-tight musical unit of living
cartoon characters - what appeared to be an effortless, "overnight
success" was actually the result of several years of hard work and
semi-serious dues paying.
After spending the last 10 years in, and on the fringes of,
the music "bidness"; two-string basitarist/vocalist/songwriter and
good-natured bald guy Chris Ballew doesn't seem fazed by the
seeming defection of once-friendly music critics from The Presidents
Of The United States Of America's (P.U.S.A. from here on out) camp.
The fact that many critics who once applauded this fun
loving, Seattle-born, three-piece (which also includes three-string
guitbassist Dave Dederer and drummer/vocalist Jason Finn) for their
carefree, semi-nonsensical lyrics, cartoonish image, curious guitars
and Primus-meets-Grand Funk Railroad roar are now slamming the group
for those very same traits strikes Ballew as, "uhm, well, actually,
something that's pretty much to be expected, I guess."
"It is, after all, the decade of 'the next big thing,' " he
elaborates during a phone call a few weeks after the conclusion of
the band's most recent (their fourth in one year) American tour.
"Critics seem to have some sort of an agenda."
"Anyway, while things can get kind'a weird when you step
into the 'public eye'," says Ballew as he chuckles at his near
diatribe. "I really feel that people are smart enough to make up
their own minds about what they want to hear - and are certainly
smart enough to read a review and realize when the music isn't
really being described at all."
"You know," he continues after a brief pause, "I've read
a few reviews of our new record that I had to pick apart with a
pair of tweezers to really understand. I couldn't tell if they
were positive or negative write-ups at first," he laughs. "But,
after reading them a second time, they turned out to be pretty
good reviews masked by this thick, kind of unclear language."
The conversation turns to critics, critical agendas, MTV,
awards shows, '70s arena rock, the media and, finally, a recent
issue of Spin, in which the reviewer describes _II_, the group's
appropriately titled second album, as nothing more than a
collection of "spitwad-size narratives" that deliver "watered
down [Young Fresh] Fellows-style goof pop" while taking "the good,
clean fun thing too far."
"Now that one was real hard to figure out," Ballew says of
the review with a bemused snort. "You know, we honestly don't care
what anyone has to say about us as long as the three of us can
have a good time and things stay fun. Which actually makes it
kind of easy for us to take it [the negative press] all in stride.
I - we - never asked; it's not like we asked to be in the club."
"We were invited, asked by them to be in their club," he
chuckles. "We were just playing our shows in Seattle, you know,
having a good time doing our thing - doing what we enjoyed doing -
and the record company asked us to be in the club, to be on a major
label. We said 'okay' because, basically, we had absolutely nothing
to lose."
"And, we still feel like we have nothing to lose, you know,
so, be it a positive or negative review," Ballew laughs, "at least
there's a reaction. There's a debate. 'Are the Presidents Of The
United States Of America worthwhile?' " he intones in a serious
announcer's voice. " 'Are they a force to be reckoned with? Or,
are they just a wimpy little breeze?' At least there's some sort
of response."
"Being on a major label. Being in the public eye and having
a 'big' album," he adds, "wasn't our goal, or our point, when we
first started out - it was, you know, like, the farthest thing from
our minds. And now," he says quietly, "we have two records."
As to the DOA tag the critics have already toe-tied on the
group's second Columbia effort a mere month after its Nov. 5 release?
"I think the whole thing is pretty ridiculous. It's still
fun to us, though. We're working pretty hard and we think we're
making good records and good songs," Ballew said, "So, as long as
we can keep that element of fun in there - it'll be out there if
you want it. If you don't want it, don't buy it."
Bursting with rapid fire, stop/start riffs, precisely
played, thoroughly-whacked time changes, lightning quick fills,
odd key shifts, curiously detuned bursts of furiously-scattered
guitbass and basitar chaos, an occasional foray into free-form
rhythmic looseness and an average track length of a very punky
three minutes; songs such as: "Volcano," "Twig," "Bug City," "Bath
Of Fire," "Supermodel," "Froggie," "Toob Amplifier" "L.I.P." and
"Puffy Little Shoes" travel the same unique, slightly-freaked,
stream-of-conscious lyrical bent that was explored on the group's
first record.
The big story - as it has been since a few years before
Columbia purchased the rights from PopLlama Records and remastered
and re-released the Grammy-nominated, double platinum, 13-song
debut - has been the band's unique instrumentation and twisted,
almost childlike world view.
"We write songs that are immediately satisfying and fun to
play for our friends on a Friday night," Ballew comments on his
band's creative process.
Throughout both albums, songs about fruit ("Peaches");
dune buggies ("Dune Buggy"); "Kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it,
kitty on my foot and I wanna touch it"; Matchboxx cars ("Mach 5");
natural disasters ("Volcano"); "She's Lump, she's Lump, she's Lump,
she's in my head"; the insect kingdom ("Bug City"); a new amplifier
("Toob Amplifier") and Bobby Brady's tiki statue ("Tiki God") read
like modernized Dr. Seuss observations set to some of the wickedest
riffs this side of a Ramones/Primus one-off side project.
"You never know what people are gonna respond to and what
they're gonna like or hate; so, a rule that I learned early on, a
long time ago, actually," he adds, "is to do what makes me happy.
If it makes me happy and it sounds good to me, then it's worthwhile
and it's definitely worth letting other people hear - or, at least
I think it is."
"We just write and play what makes us happy," he adds.
"We've always done just that, whatever makes us happy, without
worrying too much about any validation from the 'outside.' "
"It's just, you know, super-serendipitous," he chuckles,
"that we even ended up on a major label at all doing this [P.U.S.A.
songs] on a nationalxno, on a world-wide level."
As for the less-than-complete string configuration on Chris
and Dave's fret boards?
"The basic thing is that our string setup is as far away
from a 'concept' as you can get," he offers. "It all, once again,
comes down to what feels good to us. Besides, it's fun to do."
"When I pick up an instrument with only a few strings on it and
start playing stuff that's sort'a cliched," Ballew explains, "it
takes on a new life. I can riff on these old rock 'n' roll cliche
chords and they somehow sound rejuvenated to me - which really
helps keep things interesting."
"I love all kinds of stock, or standard, rock and roll
chord progressions and riffs 'n' stuff," he continues. "And, I'm
definitely not trying to be overly innovative as far as writing
music goes. I like *comforting* rock 'n' roll," Ballew laughs,
"Let's just say that I'm comforted by the basic elements of rock."
"Dave and I eventually got to the point where we were really
pretty good at our instruments," Ballew explains, "or, at least as
good as we wanted to get on six and four strings. We also got very
bored. We decided to cut the number of strings between us in half
one day - and the two- and three-stringed thing rejuvenated our
interest in playing all our favorite 'stock' riffs."
"Our goal as musicians isn't to make people go, 'Wow! What
great players they are.' " Ballew chuckles, "In fact, that's yet
another reason for us to play with only two and three strings. It
tends to take away any expectations people might have of us being
'amazing.' We can be sort of primitive, loud and simple - and still
be satisfied playing our instruments. We're good, but we're not
looking to win 'Best Musicians of 1996 Awards' or anything."
"You know what?" he asks after a long pause. "The whole
way along this ride, I've often thought to myself that it could
all disappear tomorrow and I'd be completely fulfilled."
Let the boys know you love 'em by writing to: P.U.S.A.
Fan Club, PO Box 12265, Seattle, WA 98102 or e-mail the band at:
PUSAFAN2@aol.com.
---
REVIEW: Oasis, _There and Then_ (Sony Music Video)
- Simon West
The first time in _There and Then_ that you realize once
again just how bloody marvellous Oasis is occurs right when Liam
opens his mouth to sing "Acquiesce", about three minutes into the
video. 30,000 people join in. Loud. Word perfect, and it's a
sodding *B-side*. Noel's bashing away on the Union Jack Epiphone,
Liam's doing the hands behind back, face on the microphone bit,
and the loping around banging the tambourine bit, and they just
look perfect, the world's biggest band indeed. Recorded at Maine
Road in Manchester and London's Earl's Court, _There and Then_ is a
perfect record of late 95/early 96 Oasis, shortly before they
outgrew stadiums and started playing whole counties. It would be
another few weeks after Maine Road (30,000 people, filled two days
running), that Oasis would play two days at Loch Lomond, and two at
Knebworth for a combined total of about half a million people. Since
future Oasis gigs are up in the air since the well-publicized US
fiasco a couple of months ago, this video is about as close as
anyone's getting for a while. Luckily it's all here, the acoustic
ballad bits, the monstrously loud singalongs, and more classic Liam
incoherent shouty bits between songs.
_There and Then_ is split just about evenly between Maine
Road and Earl's Court. The set list is fairly heavily from _(What's
The Story) Morning Glory?_ and associated singles, though there's a
couple songs from the first album, _Definitely Maybe_. Notable clips
include Noel's acoustic "Morning Glory", Liam's surprisingly
restrained "Cast No Shadow" and "Wonderwall" (about time they let
him sing those two on stage), and a surreal "I Am The Walrus"
featuring Beatles tribute group the Bootleg Beatles, in full Pepper
regalia, jamming with the band. For a second there, you'd swear it
was Lennon banging away on that keyboard.
The Earl's Court footage may be a little better musically
than Maine Road. It was a few months earlier, and Liam's voice
seems less strained (the attitude's more in check too). There's a
brilliant take on "Champagne Supernova", a song that's rarely
successful live, and a blinding "Supersonic". Whilst not technically
as good though, the Maine Road footage can't be beat for the sheer
scale of it all. It's a permanent singalong, the band are clearly
delighted to be playing at home, and the power of it should be enough
to convert the most casual Oasis listener into yet another devotee.
Now let's have the new stuff, please...
---
REVIEW: Enigma 3, _Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!_ (Virgin)
- Lee Graham Bridges
Michael Cretu, the man who is 95% of Enigma (as he suggested
in his recent Internet chat session, the only "interview" he will
give this year), figured out after Enigma 2 (_The Cross of Changes_)
that people don't necessarily want to hear his music in the clubs
anymore. _Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi_ capitalizes on the best
elements of past Enigma albums, adds new idiosyncracies and themes,
and follows a more unique stylistic approach.
The first song past the introduction, "Morphing Thru Time"
(which some speculate will be the second single from the album),
foreshadows a certain maturity not witnessed on Enigma 1 or 2 with
a slow, easy beat (quite a welcome change), a nicely executed
chord progression, and Cretu's vocals, though loud as usual,
actually adding dignity and intensity to the song and doing the
lyrics justice (much unlike "Why!", which exemplifies his ability,
especially on Enigma 2, to ruin an otherwise respectable song by
screaming one line over and over). "Morphing" also demonstrates
the use of elements from Enigma 1 (Gregorian chant) and Enigma 2
(Middle Eastern influence) in Enigma 3--and yet these elements are
reinvented.
Cretu has also tried to jettison the Dopey Title Syndrome
which hurt the last album (see "I Love You...I'll Kill You" and
"The Dream of the Dolphin"). Lyrics are hard for Cretu, and this
is one of the few thorns that stuck in my side upon close evaluation
of the album. However, many of the songs incorporate only
unrecognizable vocals or no vocals at all.
Some may find the frequently used new-agey background chords
and the reverbing of the...well...everything, to be a bit annoying,
expecting something rougher to happen once in a while. Understand,
though, that Cretu conveys foreboding and general darkness not
through dissonance, but through an emphasis on dark harmonies in
nearly every song (except "The Child In Us" and "Prism of Life").
Such vibrant, affecting musical structures are most prominent in
"Almost Full Moon" (featuring a very sly drumbeat and well executed
synth maneuvers) and "Shadows In Silence" (incrdible utilization of
background vocals). "Beyond the Invisible", the first single from
the album, is a bit overdone, however, and does not follow in this
vein as sucessfully as it should.
While it has its faults, Enigma's third installment shows
Cretu greatly improving his skills of craftsmanship and
understanding of aesthetic quality, and easily inspires more wonder,
calm, and sensuality than his previous studio engagements combined,
not to mention other chart-topping albums as of late. If Cretu
continues in this fashion, his next couple albums may well turn up
masterpieces.
---
REVIEW: Soundtrack, _William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet_ (Capitol)
- Stephen Lin
Have you ever had a great shirt and a great tie, but they
look absolutely wretched together? Well, that's exactly what
_William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet_ soundtrack is. Most of the
tracks stand beautifully alone, but together they clash like
pickles and Ovaltine! However, I assume that executive producer (and
musical genius) Nellee Hooper had some greater vision that I'm just
not seeing yet.
At any rate, the album opens with Nellee Hooper's remix of
Garbage's "#1 Crush." "#1 Crush" originally appeared on the import
_Subhuman_ EP which preceded Garbage's self-titled album. The
original version had more of an edge with grittier guitars chiming
in periodically. The soundtrack version has had its edges smoothed
out. By removing the grit, the song becomes extraordinarily eerie
and haunting. _Romeo & Juliet_ is worth your money just for this one
track alone. But there's so much more.
I don't particularly like Everclear. In fact, their singles
irritate me (but have stuck in my head). Surprisingly, I'm hooked on
"Local God." For some reason, the repetitive, quirky guitar line
endears me to the song. Go figure.
While these first two tracks aren't identical in nature or
sound, they could be remotely associated in one way or another.
Let's jump ahead to the love theme from Romeo & Juliet, "Kissing
You" performed by. Des'ree. Huh? I'll admit that I'm not a big
R&B fan, but this song sticks out like a sore appendage. And who
would you logically follow this song up with? The Butthole Surfers,
of course. (Do you see what I was talking about?) Unlike the
wonderfully assembled pseudo-soundtrack, _Songs in the Key of X -
Music from and Inspired by the X-Files_, _Romeo & Juliet has ZERO
continuity. Inconsistent mood and incompatible styles permeate
this album.
Despite this lack of odd choice of coordination, the album
redeems itself in the individual selection of tracks. The Butthole
Surfers' catchy tune, "Whatever," is followed by The Cardigan's
robo-mega-super-pop song, "Lovefool." (Warning: if you listen to
"Lovefool" too much, you'll be in danger of going postal for no
apparent reason.) Mundy's "To You I Bestow" is followed by
Radiohead's "Talk Show Host." Interspersed between gaps I didn't
mention are tracks that are good and NOT-SO-good. Perhaps it's
simply the environment in which they're found.
If you're a fan of any of the bands mentioned in this
article, you wouldn't be disappointed in purchasing the soundtrack.
If you're looking for one cohesive unit in which to lose yourself,
you'll find yourself lost and confused. Be irritated and amazed,
incensed and astounded. it's the Romeo & Juliet soundtrack!
In all seriousness, it is worth a listen. Diversity is a
good thing. On top of it all, it's an enhanced CD for your home
computer (nice layouts)! What more could you ask for?.
---
REVIEW: Various, _Television's Greatest Hits, Vol. 4-7_ (TVT)
- Bob Gajarsky
If at first you succeed with a good idea, why not continue?
That may well have been the premise behind _Television's
Greatest Hits, Vol. 4-7_, four individual compact discs which
help chronicle the history of theme music in television shows.
Worldly success greeted the first three volumes, which have sold
more than one million copies and reached the top 5 in Australia and
top 20 in Japan and France.
The four volumes, as a group, aren't for everyone. While
they share the common bond of television themes, each volume
represents a distinctly different era of the boob tube. As such,
listeners may wish to purchase only one or two of the "new" themes,
rather than all four, based on age and individual preferences.
The televisions featured on the front of each volume are
indicative of their original era - whether the larger boxes of the
50s and 60s, or the remote control of the 1980s. These covers also
utilize the "3D" effects (which have also been recently seen on Tool's
_Aenema_) to give a more unique look to each disc.
As always, the liner notes by Tim Brooks (co-author of The
Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows,
1946-Present) help to fill in the gaps in TV history. This is true
even for the recent themes; in 10 years from now, "How Do You Talk To
An Angel" might still be receiving commercial airplay, but most people
won't know anything of the television show from which it came, The Heights.
The 1950's volume (#4, "Black and White Classics") is arguably
the weakest compilation of the group. Because the best themes have
already been used in Volumes 1-3, this serves mainly as a point
for completists who want to have an obscure theme song. While
shows such as "Walt Disney's World" and "Candid Camera" are hardly
unknown, this volume contains more themes from short-lived shows
than any other.
Volume 5 ("In Living Color") chronicles the 1960's and
1970's - and is an ideal addition even for those who weren't around
in the tie-dye or leisure suit years. Many of the themes such as
"Bionic Woman" are floating around in reruns, and Tom Jones' "It's
Not Unusual" has been around forever. Alternative music
afficionados who purchased _Saturday Morning_ (the album full of
cover versions of cartoons) can find out what the "original" versions
of songs such as "Gigantor", "Hong Kong Phooey", "H.R. Pufnstuf",
"Sigmund and the Sea Monsters" and "Banana Splits" sounded like - and
why even a band like the Dickies would choose to remake the
"Tra La La" song.
Volumes 6 ("Remote Control") takes a look at the late 1970's
and early 1980's. Again, as many of these shows make (or have
made) the rounds in reruns - see "CHIPS", "Airwolf", "Mork & Mindy" -
present familiarity is high on these themes. Fans of the Naked Gun
trilogy will recognize the "Police Squad" theme - Leslie Nielsen
starred in this short-lived show which helped spawn Frank Drebin's
movie career years later. The theme to the cult British comedy,
"The Young Ones", is also a pleasant surprise on this volume.
Since the original series of Greatest Hits was released in
the late 1980's, a whole generation of shows have lacked their themes
on CD. Volume 7 ("Cable Ready") remedies this omission with 65
themes (27 of which are still on the air) running the gamut from
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" to "The Simpsons", and including
hip writers such as the George Clinton-penned "Tracey Ullman Show",
Devo's Mark Mothersbaugh ("Liquid Television"), and Danny Elfman.
And even if a Barney song is included here, the rest of the collection
makes this a thoroughly enjoyable modern collection of themes.
With four different discs, _Television's Greatest Hits
Vol. 4-7_ will bring back some pleasant memories - and at least one
of them will be right for you.
---
REVIEW: Moistboyz, _II_ (Grand Royal)
- Tim Hulsizer
Whether or not you like Ween's music, I think it's fair to
say you can at least appreciate their ambitious nature. Not only
have the duo of Gene and Dean Ween charted many different paths in
their albums, from country to psychedelia, but they each have other
diverse projects as well. The Moistboyz is Dean Ween and Guy Heller
from False Front, and this pair of adventurous musicians have banded
together once again as nothing less than a full-blown metal band.
_II_ clocks in at barely over a half hour with 10 songs, but
they are amazingly all the same. A half hour spent with the
Moistboyz left me feeling as though I'd listened to two albums by
anyone else. The first track "It Ain't Rude" is rather quiet and
ominous, discussing a guy's sexual confusion, and "American Made and
Duty Free" is a country tune left off of the last Ween album, but
the rest of _II_ is just plain loud. Amps cranked to 10, distortion
and wah wah pedals maxed out, reverb effects and crazy overdubs, all
are put to good use as Dean and Guy (calling themselves Dickie and
Mickey Moist here) deconstruct heavy metal's old sexist attitudes
and musical cliches.
Emphasis is on power and strength as the pair scream lyrics
that at first sound sexist or racist but are obviously satiric in
nature. I'm sure a song like "Man of the Year", taken wrongly would
be highly offensive to Jews. It contains lyrics like "You say you're
a jew/Well himey I'm a priest..." and "spittin' on my palm before I
shake your hand/I'll drag the whore of Babylon acoross your holy
land." A direct anti-Semitic attack? No, it's clearly an attack on
that kind of ridiculous attitude. Later in the song they explain the
fallacy of putting people in power who have closed minds (Hitler,
etc.). The lyrics pull no punches but I found myself appreciating
their loud and clear approach. "Crank" deals with drug abuse,
"American Made and Duty Free" takes a darkly humorous approach to
sexism by completely overdoing it, and "Second Hand Smoker" is an
over-the-top ode to smoking's manly aspects.
Yes, there are a lot of interesting commentaries here and
I'm afraid the listening public just wouldn't understand the irony
of the lyrics. I found the album witty; others will assuredly find
it childish, clumsy and of course offensive. Words aside, these
guys play a mean rock song. Powerful attacks on the riffs will
leave even the offended folks banging their heads, and the melodies
themselves are surprisingly catchy despite their distortion or
volume. I've had the album's last track, "Good Morning America",
in my head for weeks and it won't go away.
Beware the possible objections to content and swearing, but
try to look past them. I found this album to be funny, clever in
its dead-on sendups of stupid people, and listenable to boot. I
look forward to Moistboyz' next move.
---
REVIEW: Pig, _Sinsation_ (nothing/Interscope)
- Stephen Lin
Trent (Nine Inch Nails) Reznor's "nothing" label has
certainly been responsible for exposing the world to some
bizarre, yet enticing music. Pop Will Eat Itself, Prick, and
modern day shock-rockers, Marilyn Manson all have distinctive
sounds that co-exist nicely under the label. A "new" member has
been inducted into this family. While new to nothing, Raymond G.
Watts (Pig) is not new to the music scene. He's a founding member
of KMFDM and has worked with the likes of Einsturzende Neubauten,
Coil, and Foetus. As you may have guessed, _Sinsation_ is
somewhat "industrial."
But to say that _Sinsation_ is an industrial album would
be an injustice. It would limit the full spectrum of musicality
that the album displays. A friend of mine said this:
"_Sinsation_ is what KMFDM would sound like if they listen to a lot
of Queen." Well. it certainly is a possibility. I would prefer to
think of it as a slightly more accessible, commercial
industrial-esque masterpiece.
Pig's debut solo album is nothing short of majestic in terms
of its texture. Huge dynamic changes; layers upon layers of
samples, thick guitars, discordant strings, and random noise;
terrifying lyrics and vocals; and snippets of beautiful melodies
are the foundation upon which this album is built. Add to this
mixture flashes of bizarre mental images (the CD inlay has a
disturbing collage/composite of a man-pig), a touch of theatrics,
and some "je ne sais quoi" and you've got _Sinsation_ in a nutshell.
I said earlier that the album had a touch of commercialism.
I say this because there are real hooks which will echo in your mind
long after the CD ends. Pig songs also have direction and substance
which some industrial music doesn't (like some of the more
experimental stuff Einsturzende Neubauten does). This is not to
say that less commercial industrial is of lesser quality, only that
Pig's brand of music is a bit easier swallow - but disturbing,
nonetheless.
_Sinsation_ is the best album to be released on "nothing"
since Nine Inch Nails' _ The Downward Spiral_. Without question -
end of discussion. If you don't believe me, go buy the album. And
if you still don't believe me - oops. But even if you don't think
it's the BEST "nothing" album since _Spiral_, you won't be disappointed.
---
REVIEW: Weston, _ Got Beat Up_ (Go Kart) / _A real life story of
teen-age rebellion_ (Gern Blandsten)
- Eric Hsu
This is the first band which I allowed to impair my hearing.
Self-preservation usually keeps me from blowing out my ears with live
music, but these guys had so much energy and life in their show that
I couldn't go away. They played for very small audiences, first in
Sacramento (Calif.) and then at Gilman in Berkeley, but were still
a blast. They had stage antics from wild hopping, spastic leaping and
hand claps to a weird trick where the bassist put his foot into his
mouth while still singing and playing. I really respected the fact
that they started each set with a whirlwind song whose entire lyrics
were "I hear that (insert city name or club name) likes to rock, is
it true that (insert city name) likes to rock?" It was worth the week
of nausea and ringing in the ears.
I thought their unbelievably good stage show was the whole
story until I listened to their first record, _A real life story of
teen-age rebellion_ which is full of outstanding power pop songs
played competently with enthusiastic three-part harmony. I
discovered that if anything, they play their songs too fast and too
loud on stage. They treated their own beautiful songs the same way
they treated "Always on My Mind" on record: turn amps up all the way
and play as fast as possible. Live, they buried gems like "Just
Like Kurt" and "Little Mile" under supercharged guitars and tempos.
When I told them that they should play quiter and slower, their
drummer responded that they always wanted to play that loud and fast,
but were never technically able to before. Oh well.
The songs veer from high-school romantic trauma to odder but
still enjoyable topics ("I know you're interested in my feet").
"Little Mile" is a clever Lolita-story ("if I was two years younger
and you were two years older, it still wouldn't matter... I'd walk a
little mile for her, no more no less"). The peppy songs were balanced
by songs like "Mr. Lazo" whose dopey chem class Lolita storyline is
transcended by a reverbed guitar line that is almost meditative(!).
This was one of my favorite records for a while.
I had greatly looked forward to the follow-up record _Got
Beat Up_. I saw them live again, and they were great as usual, but
naturally, you could tell anything about the new songs live (they
all sounded like colossal bursts of white noise). And somehow I just
can't rekindle the same enthusiasm for their latest CD. It's hard
to describe why. If anything, their playing has gotten better, but
the songs seem to be stuck in a rut. Despite the drummer's threats,
the songs are about the same tempo. There's nothing wrong with ONE
brilliant power-pop high school record with Ramones overtones
(_teenage rebellion_) but to follow it up with a similar record turns
a part of their personality into a selling strategy, especially when
you hype up the nerdy high-school bit in your press release. And
basically, there's no song on this CD I like as much as any song on
side one of _teenage rebellion_.
My recommendations: (1) see them live at all costs, (2) buy
the _teenage rebellion_ record at the show, or in the shops or by
writing them, and (3) if you are the kind of person who regularly
listens to more than two Ramones records, you should buy _Got Beat
Up_. Otherwise, try to get a listen first at your friendly music
retailer. You still might get hooked.
Weston can be contacted at 317 Hanover St. 2nd Fl,
Bethlehem, PA 18018
---
REVIEW: ZZ Top, _Rhythmeen_ (RCA)
- Linda Scott
When ZZ Top switched to RCA, they talked about making a
change from the synth-pop of the late 80's and getting back to their
blues roots. The first RCA album, _Antenna_ didn't quite do it, but
the boys from Texas nailed it on the second try. The album with a
mean rhythm (hence, _Rhythmeen_) and blues roots will satisfy the early
ZZ Top fans who have been wondering why their band had to get so slick
and polished.
What pushed the change was a hurry-up job they did for Quentin
Tarantino's soundtrack _From Dusk Till Dawn_. This single, "She's
Just Killing Me" was so rude and raw that the band turned it in with
the promise they would polish it up. But the word came back to leave
it alone - it was great as is. The trio took it as a confirmation that
a stripped down track was what they did best.
Starting with "She's Just Killing Me" which has already been
released as a single, ZZ Top created _Rhythmeen_ with the same bare
bones, no over dubs, no synth approach. The ZZ Top fans - and there
are legions of them - will love _Rhythmeen_. This is a special album
though, for the fans who knew the seventies band without money for the
big production, who stuck closer to the blues than to rock. Guitarist
Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard get back to
the road house boogie of the early seventies footstomping songs that
first brought them fame. The live-band sound and blues-rock riffs make
this the best ZZ Top album in 10 years.
_Rhythmeen_ suffers from the same problem as most of the ZZ
Top albums; after a while the tracks become monotonous. And although
"the little ol' band from Texas" may have thrown them off the truck,
you long for a blast of one of their pop rockers like "Legs". Fans
of the eighties band that loved "Legs", "Sharp Dressed Man", "Gimme
All Your Loving" won't hear anything like that on _Rhythmeen_. But,
hey, this band has been around for more than twenty years.
---
CONCERT REVIEW: Cravin' Melon, New York City
- Bob Gajarsky
The pride of Greenville, South Carolina, Cravin' Melon,
recently made their first trip out of the South on a mini-tour.
On their trip to the Big Apple, the foursome made a packed crowd
of industry executives, writers and fans ripe with anticipation
for the release of their major label debut in January, _Red
Harvest Clay_.
Performing like seasoned veterans, Cravin' Melon took
their unique brand of rock sprinkled with some good ol' Southern
flavoring to the city slickers - and received a well deserved
enthusiastic ovation.
With some similarities to Hootie and the Blowfish (who
Cravin' Melon has toured with before, and may be touring with
again) and Toad the Wet Sprocket, some might think the band
is too commercialized. But three years of solid touring up
and down the Southeast coast has solidified this lineup to
the point that a major label release isn't a sellout - it's
a well-deserved reward for hard work.
Although most of the room was filled with record
executives from several labels, it was a pleasant surprise to
see people - from companies other than Cravin' Melon's label,
Mercury - who were dancing around and moving to the beat.
The group performed four songs from their last independent
album, _Where I Wanna Be_ - "Pretend", "Blossom", "Down Without
A Home", and the song extolling the virtues of that uniquely
Southern drink, "Sweet Tea". The infectious song stands an
excellent chance at being the second single from _Red Harvest
Clay_, and could easily spark the same sort of interest as
Men At Work did 15 years ago with vegemite sandwiches.
New material from _Red Harvest Clay_ blends well with the
older material, showcasing a tight, guitar/drums/vocals outfit
that has fun while performing some seriously good music. "Come
Undone", the first single from the new album, especially stands
out with its baiting hook and rollicking beat. Closing out the set
was a faithful cover of the classic "Never Been To Spain".
The Southern rock of Cravin' Melon is nothing like that
of Lynyrd Skynyrd or 38 Special, and they shouldn't be compared to
any of those bands. But, with the down-home, feel-good sound of
Cravin' Melon, it's only a matter of time before the nation wants
a piece of this band.
---
REVIEW: September 67, _Lucky Shoe_ (The Enclave)
- Jon Steltenpohl
_Lucky Shoe_ is one of those rare releases that
showcases phenomenal talent, excellent production, and true
originality. Like The Story's _Grace in Gravity_ and Lisa
Germano's _On the Way Down From Moon Palace_, September 67 has
seemingly come from nowhere with a tender, strange, and beautiful
album.
Comparisons to The Story and Lisa Germano are not a casual
observation. September 67 shares the "girl group" moniker with
both and shares the two groups tendencies for exotic melodies and
harmonies. September 67 features Shannon Worrell and Kirstin
Asbury. Like the original lineup of The Story, Worrell writes
most of the music and Asbury adds additional vocals and percussion.
Like Germano, the sound is essentially homespun and minimalistic.
The vocals are fragile and recall a little girl who's smoked one
too many Camels and had her heart broken one too many times.
_Lucky Shoe_ is a subdued concoction of bluesy tales and
sad stories. Both ladies are from liberal arts backgrounds and
Worrell's ability to weave tales is reminiscent of The Innocence
Mission's Karen Petis. September 67's unique vocal and musical
arrangements are refreshingly simple and direct. One or two
instruments are all the band needs to create a whirling beat and
compelling melody. The production is to be commended and comes
from none other than John Morand and Cracker's David Lowrey.
The bottom line is that there are some who must have
September 67 in their collection. Fans of quiet girl bands with
sonic depth must seek this album out now. After that, all that's
left is to pray Worrell will be smart and avoid the breakup and
downward spiral of Ms. Brooke and The Story.
---
REVIEW: Orphan Moon, _Have A Little Faith_ (Brainforest)
- Janet Herman
Describing themselves as Modern American romantic,
Orphan Moon has just released this second release with lead
band members Diane Boothby and John Boegehold on vocals and
mandolin and acoustic guitar, respectively. Approaching each
song as a separate entity the band uses an eclectic combination
of instruments including those mentioned above as well as
violin, viola, drums and percussion. This interesting blend of
instruments with the addition of Boothbys strong voice gives
the band a sound that ranges from folky to dance to pure ballad.
At their best, Orphan Moon sounds at times like the
Indigo Girls with Boothbys voice soaring over the folky guitar
and violin such as in the opening song "These Days". Most of
the songs are related to nature and man's emotional and
physical relationship to this element of our world. While
this has the potential for corniness, Orphan Moon manages most
of the time to sound inspiring without being overbearing. The
only song which goes overboard and gets a bit on the preachy
side is "Rocks, Paper, Scissors" which reminds me just a little
too much of Martika's #1 hit "Toy Soldiers".
Overall, Orphan Moon provides the listener with an
earful of strong vocals, rousing lyrics, and an interesting
array of instruments and rhythms to make this album worth more
than one listen and then a toss into the cd rack never to be
played again.
---
NEWS: > Amnesty International has recentl opened up a Web site at
http://www.getupstandup.com . The site includes new versions of Bob
Marley's "Get Up Stand Up"; artists performing Internet-only versions
of the song include Patti Smith, Booker T. Jones and an all-star
reggae trio of Maxi Priest, Shaggy, and Rayvon. The AI site also
focuses on human rights issues around the globe and provides
information on other Amnesty sites as well as mechanisms for
activism.
> Cypress Hill will be playing a special holiday show at
the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, Dec. 30. DJ Muggs plans on
beginning work on the 4 full length Cypress Hill album early in
1997. Muggs has completed work producing the debut from Harlem
based rap duo, Call O? Da Wild due out in early '97. The album
features guest appearances by Cypress Hill?s B Real.
> A definitive retrospective of the Psychedelic Furs
is in the development stages from Sony Legacy. The package,
which is as yet untitled, will include their best known
material, unreleased studio and live tracks, and rarities.
No release date has been set for the package.
> Sick Of It All played the final show at Long Island's PWAC
(that's People With AIDS Coalition) Common Ground. This DIY
run-by-fans-for-fans venue hosted quite a few amazing shows in its all
too brief existence. More than 1000 people turned out to see and
hear Sick Of It All debut a few songs from their upcoming album
_Built To Last_. And PWAC went out on a righteous note: Two dollars
from every ticket were donated to Toys For Tots. RIP PWAC.
> XTC Update: It's going to be a fairly hectic year for
the band because they've been looking at both indies and
majors for a new deal. The band is rehearsing at present
and there is talk of adding a permanent drummer (after
16 years of sit-ins) and possibly a keyboard player.
Geffen is putting out a greatest hits CD currently titled
_Upsy Daisy_. A box set is to follow sometime in the
autumn and Andy Partridge is taking part in working up both projects.
One of the tunes from Andy/Harold Budd CD _Through the Hill_
is being used in the new Tom Cruise film (Jerry McGuire).
TOUR DATES
Arm Dogs
Dec. 18 Los Angeles, CA Cicada
Bodeans
Dec. 16 Indianapols, IN Vogue
Dec. 26 Green Bay, WI Weidner Center
Dec. 27-28 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre
Dec. 30 Minnesota, MN Northrop Auditorium
Boiled In Lead
Dec. 19 Minneapolis, MN Cedar Cultural Center
Tracy Bonham
(All shows are sponsored by the listed radio station)
Dec. 17 Austin, TX KLBJ
Dec. 18 Phoenix, AZ KEDJ
Chimera
Dec. 19 Cleveland Heights, OH Grog Shop
Deftones
Dec. 17 Seattle, WA Rock Candy
Dec. 18 Portland, OR La Luna
Gouds Thumb / I Mother Earth
Dec. 17 Portland, ME Zoot's
Dec. 18 Boston, MA Mama Kin
Dec. 19 New York, NY Coney Island High
Kiss / 4th Floor
Dec. 28 Worcester, MA Centrum
Dec. 29 Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum
Dec. 30 Hartford, CT Civic Center
Dec. 31 East Rutherford, NJ Meadowlands
Huey Lewis & The News
Dec. 27-31 Las Vegas, NV Caesar's
Jan. 6 Desert Hot Springs, CA Desert Springs Resort
Metallica
Dec. 20-21 Los Angeles, CA Forum
Dec. 29 Sacramento, CA Arco Arena
Dec. 30 San Francisco, CA Cow Palace
Dec. 31 San Jose, CA Arena
Jan. 4 Phoenix, AZ America West
Jan. 10 Las Vegas, NV Thomas & Mack Center
Jan. 11 San Diego, CA Sports Arena
Teddy Morgan
Dec. 18-19 Lafayette, LA Swamp Water Saloon
Dec. 21 Mandeville, LA Ruby's Roadhouse
Phish
Dec. 28-29 Philadelphia, PA Cora States Spectrum
Dec. 30-31 Boston, MA Fleet Center
Poorhouse Rockers
Dec. 20 Lancaster, PA Lancaster Dispensing Co.
Dec. 26 Fells Point, MD Parkers
Dec. 31 Ocean City, MD Talbot Street Cafe
Professor & Maryann
Dec. 23 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Scrawl
Dec. 20 Champaign, IL Blind Pig
Dec. 21 Chicago, IL Lounge Ax
Dec. 27 Columbus, OH Stache's
Sick Of It All
Dec. 31 San Diego, CA San Diego Sports Arena
Jan. 3 Corona, CA Showcase Theatre
Sponge / Ruth Ruth / Red Five
Dec. 18 Minneapolis, MN First Ave.
Dec. 20 Chicago, IL Metro
Dec. 22 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room
Squirrel Nut Zippers
Dec. 18 Houston, TX The Satellite Lounge
Dec. 19 Dallas, TX The Red Jacket
Dec. 31 Atlanta, GA The Roxy Theater
Stillsuit
Dec. 27 Danbury, CT Tuxedo Junction
Dec. 28 Washington, DC Capitol Ballroom
Corey Stevens
Dec. 31 Yakima, WA Yakima Sun Dome
They Might Be Giants
Dec. 27 Washington, DC 9:30 Nightclub
Dec. 28 Providence, RI Lupo's
Dec. 29 Rochester, NY Water St.
Jan. 3-4 St. Louis, MO Mississippi Nights
Tree / Clutch
Dec. 27 Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill
Dec. 28 Washington DC Capital Ballroom
Dec. 29 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Dec. 30 Cleveland, OH Odium
Dec. 31 Detroit, MI Majestic Theater
---
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---
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