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== ISSUE 166 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [January 19, 1999]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com
Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim
Kennedy, David Landgren, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer,
Joe Silva, Lang Whitaker
Correspondents: Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Tracey
Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Jason Cahill, Patrick
Carmosino, Krisjanis Gale, Paul Hanson, Chris Hill,
Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Franklin Johnson, Steve
Kandell, Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott,
Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Simon
Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Simon West
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, 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 their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the
editor.
==================================================================
.------------.
| Contents |
`------------'
INTERVIEW / CONCERT REVIEW: Buffalo Tom - Kerwin So
REVIEW: Busta Rhymes, _Extinction Level Event_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Black Crowes, _ By Your Side_ - Daniel Aloi
REVIEW: Ani DiFranco, _Up Up Up Up Up Up_ - Jon Steltenpohl
CONCERT REVIEW: Manic Street Preachers / Catatonia - Tim Kennedy
REVIEW: Reel Big Fish, _Why Do They Rock So Hard?_ - Simon Speichert
REVIEW: Hefner, _Breaking God's Heart_ - Niles Baranowski
REVIEW: The Starseeds, _Parallel Life_ - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: Evelyn Forever, _Lost in the Supermarket_ - Daniel Aloi
REVIEW: Kenny Howes, _Back To You Today_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Smart Brown Handbag, _Little Things are Everything_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Bill Puddle, _Bill Puddle_ - Bill Holmes
NEWS: Chemical Brothers, Chuck D.
TOUR DATES: Black Sabbath / Pantera / Incubus / Deftones, Bluetip,
Broadside Electric, City On Film, Dave Davies, Dots Will Echo,
Jets To Brazil, One Minute Silence, Seaweed
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW / CONCERT REVIEW: Buffalo Tom
- Kerwin So
In the midst of Buffalo Tom's nationwide tour opening for
the Goo Goo Dolls in support of their recent album (_Smitten_),
the band was able to spend some time talking with Consumable
Online regarding their label, touring with the Goos, and more.
Here are the thoughts from that conversation.
Consumable: Why don't you tell me what's going on lately,
are you switching labels or something?
Bill Janovitz (Vocalist / guitarist): We switched to Polydor,
which is under A&M. And then A&M just merged with Seagram's and MCA and
so it might even change again. [Ed. Note: It's happened, it's happening as
you read this, and there is tremendous fallout in regards to the
personnel at all the labels under the umbrella, as well as artists
who are employed under the merged companies]
CO: Oh, good lord.
B: Yeah, Seagrams owns MCA and Universal and Mercury,
Geffen, all that stuff is under them. Then they bought Polygram
which owns Island and A&M and all that stuff, so they're merging
those 2 companies together now.
CO: Oh really, I thought you were on Beggars Banquet?
B: We told you it was a long story. We're signed to Beggars
Banquet, but this is our last record with them. And that was only in
the UK, they were licensing out to different labels in the States.
CO: So, how's the tour been going?
B: Going pretty well, we've done 15 shows with these guys.
Some on our own.
CO: They just asked you out to tour with them?
B: Yeah. It's a lot younger audience than we're used to
playing to. That's good, you know.
CO: I read your tour journal online (at
http://www.buffalotom.com )
B: Oh, that'll give you an idea.
CO: That's something, yeah. It's really quite voyeuristic, but
I really enjoyed reading it.
B: Yeah, I'm trying to be as open as possible. I don't put
in all the personal details and stuff like that but, you know what's
going on and some of our feelings about what it's like to be out. I
think near the end it started to get like, "We need promotion from
the record company" and all. These guys [the band] haven't seen it all.
CO: Oh really? Yeah, I think you were primarily the one who
was submitting.
B: Yeah it's just been me, I asked those guys if they wanted to,
but it's just a matter of - I have a laptop.
CO: It's great to be in the wired age, huh? Well for the fans
it is, cuz there's a lot of things going on
Tom Maginnis (Drummer): People are really interested in what
it's like to tour, they're curious - but it's really not that glamorous.
B: Not at all.
CO: Yeah, people have these romantic ideas. I'm in a band (local
San Francisco-based Hungry Hungry Hippos) but we've never toured - it seems
like a cool way to see the country.
B: Oh yeah, without a doubt it's still fun. And as we get
bigger - I mean as we were getting bigger [chuckle]-- there's
different aspects that are more fun. But it's a lot of work. It's
way more work than a regular job, being on the road. There's a lot
of time when we're just off, but we get 6 hours of sleep a night
usually, 7 hours of sleep at best, and we have to go out tomorrow
to this TV show and do some kind of local Good Morning America-type
show, we're gonna be performing at 7 a.m.
T: And then drive to L.A., do an in-store in Long Beach.
B: But it's like, I'm not getting up at 7 A.M. to dig
ditches or work a crane or something. It's still not like, sleep
till noon, get up for a couple hours, start getting drunk and stoned
and then go play and then get all the groupies. I mean for those
guys [the Goo's] it might be. [Laughter]
CO: So do you socialize with them a lot?
B: Yeah. We haven't had a lot of time cuz they drive out
to the shows usually in their bus and we usually meet up with them.
But, in the dressing rooms, yeah and we eat dinner with 'em and kid
around with 'em. We've kinda known em for a few years, crossing
paths, saying hello, having a beer or something like that, but we
haven't really known em that well.
CO: That's cool. I'm actually a fan of both of your bands'
music. Do you consider this a break at all, opening for such a
well-known act?
B: I don't. In some ways it is.
T: I'm sure there's a lot of bands who'd want to be doing it.
B: Oh, I thought you meant like a break, like a vacation.
CO: No, no, no. I mean like an opportunity for prestige.
B: Oh, without a doubt. I thought you meant like, is it easier.
CO: No. [Chuckle] I could tell from reading your tour journal
that it isn't.
T: [Chuckle]
B: In some ways it is, though. There's less pressure to bring
in people, so there's no psychological thing on us like, "Oh man".
T: Or "we have to carry the show" - like a burden.
C: I don't know, I mean. A lot of people have these gripes
against bands that are popular just because they're popular. So I
have friends who, they're fans of you guys too, and they're like
"Buffalo Tom should be headlining those shows."
B: Well, we have. The thing is we will, again, but if were
out on our own right now we wouldn't be playing the Fillmore, we'd
probably be playing Slim's. And we'd probably do okay, but right now
this record's not getting played in San Francisco, it's not getting
played in a lot of places, and so, aside from a core group of fans which
pick and choose which Buffalo Tom shows they go to anyway, not all of
our fans go to all our shows. Especially as people get older, have
kids and stuff. So it's a bit more of a pressure, you never know
what's gonna happen, then you've gotta play longer - which I love to
do, I mean that's what we're out there for, is to play. But this is like,
we're on, we're off, the show's over, we can go back to the hotel,
blah blah blah but it's more work because you're trying to win over
their fans, so you've got to really concentrate on the set list.
Whereas, if we're on our own it's like, well, let's throw in this song,
that song not really trying to figure out which songs are the most
effective and like [snaps fingers] keep goin', and you know
CO: How's the crowd reaction been to you guys? Have you been
winning them over?
T: It's been pretty good. It varies, from place to place. I
think we're stronger in certain cities anyway, but largely I think it
is their fans. Everyone's pretty pumped up to see the headliners
usually, but you get a vibe, you know, I think some places have been
pretty good.
B: There's been very few that have been dead.
T: It's not crickets after each song.
CO: That's good.
B: Yeah but some places, like Seattle and Portland, those are
good..
CO: Well, those are hip cities.
B: But then like the little places, we played in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin and Marquette, Michigan where, one of those towns literally
hadn't had a band since Cheap Trick in 1988 or something.
CO: So they were like screaming...
B: Ah, it was crazy. As soon as the lights went down, they
didn't even care if it was up to the Goo Goo Dolls yet. When we
went on it was just like, "Ahhhh!" And then the Goo Goo Dolls came
on and it went up that much further.
CO: So have people been recognizing the "My So-Called Life" songs?
B: Yeah I haven't really figured out I think people have
recognized "Soda Jerk" a little bit. But it's hard to tell. When we
started to play "Late at Night", I thought that this would be the age
group, but we don't get as many girls swooning.
[CO & T laugh]
B: But when we do our own shows we've gotten this contingent of
young girls that are waiting to hear that song, that's how they found
out about us. Especially girls. Which is good for [bassist] Chris.
Chris sings that song.
CO: Do you know the next time you're gonna be heading through
California?
B: Well, we hope to get back in the spring.
T: It's kind of, if this label stuff is able to settle down so
we really know where we are. We're not sure, so...
B: If and when our next single will come out and.. I think
we'll come back either way because we'd probably make money going out on
tour. Right now we're not really making money because we're
opening for another band. But I think we could do a tour where even
if we're the kind of band who's been around for so long that we
have this kind of a core [group of fans] that we could still pull in
people and still make a tour work.
CO: Both of you guys [Goo Goo Dollss and Buffalo Tom] have
been around for awhile.
B: Yeah, we've been around as long as the Goo Goo Dolls.
T: This is both our sixth albums.
B: At one point though, their career really verged off. [Chuckle]
And our career...
CO: I've always been impressed by how you've kept the same core
lineup since day one. Were there any times where you felt like just
giving up or moving on?
B: [instantly] Every day. [Laughter]
CO: I'm sure you get asked that all the time.
B: Yeah.
CO: How do you deal with it?
B: Uhm [long pause] it's uh it's a matter of on the road, you
can't really judge anything from being on the road, even though that's
where we spend most of our time. But it's just such a weird situation,
you know you've got seven *guys* (without the crew or anything) in
a van for five weeks and you've gotta be relaxed your mind a bit
you know. With us three, we were friends before we started and I
think we realize that we're friends and we wouldn't let the band
it's come close. We've come really close to just saying, "Okay, let's
just not do this anymore", but I think we just say, "Well, you know
we're friends, let's not let the band affect the friendship," and you
just start talking about whatever's bothering you and you realize that
it's not that serious.
CO: It's good to get that out; people build up grudges.
B: That's exactly it. About intangibles sometimes, just little
things sometimes it's just personality, you're just sick of everybody.
There's nothing that anybody's doing that you can say, "Well he's doing
- this*", you just don't want to be there, you just want to be home,
Tom's got two kids now, we all have families.
CO: Have you guys been doing any acoustic songs on the tour,
where you [Tom, the drummer] get to take a break?
T: Not with the Goo Goo Dolls, just cuz we only get 10 songs and
we've gotta keep it compact. On our own shows and, we've been doing
in-stores and stuff like that, which is really cool to do [in-stores]
because you really get to see some fans again and talk to 'em
and sign stuff. It's much more rewarding little thing to do. We've
been doing Portland and Boise, Idaho which we've never even played
before, and 150 people showed up to the in-store, you know? It's just
like, wow.
That night at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore auditorium,
Buffalo Tom played an energetic and solid (but all-too short) set of
new songs and old favorites, including "Taillights Fade", "Sodajerk",
and a wonderful closing choice of "Larry." Their already great live
sound was augmented by the presence of Phil, the new keyboard player.
The band even encouraged the crowd, young and old, to jump and
down to upbeat songs like "Treehouse"-- and it worked! The
audience was quite diverse-- teenage throngs, kids with their parents,
middle-aged rockers-- and they were mostly there to see the Goo
Goo Dolls, but I think it's safe to say that all of them found at least a
little something in Buffalo Tom's performance to enjoy. And for the
band's part, they certainly put in the effort to win over new fans by
introducing song titles, playing with a lot of heart, and smiling a lot.
Here's hoping it pays off.
Footnote: Buffalo Tom played the KRON Bay Morning TV show the
very next morning at 7 am. They were given all of 20 seconds.
---
REVIEW: Busta Rhymes, _Extinction Level Event_ (The Final World
Front)_ (Flipmode Entertainment/Elektra)
- Joann D. Ball
We've heard for years (and will certainly be reminded throughout
1999) that the sky will turn purple and the party will be over when the
year 2000 arrives. Well, that's nothing compared to what Busta Rhymes
predicts. The hip-hop innovator offers a deeper, more intense,
reality-based account of what the future will bring on his most ambitious
release to date, _Extinction Level Event (The Final World Front)_ .
While the final countdown to 2K will undoubtedly bring insights from a
variety of artists, Busta Rhymes is the only one who can deliver
genuine apocalyptic hip-hop. After all, the millennium has been an
interest of his since his tenure in the pioneering rap group Leaders
of the New School.
Busta Rhymes has expressed his interest in the day of reckoning
on his two previous solo outings, 1996's _The Coming_ and 1997's _When
Disaster Strikes_. But _Extinction Level Event (The Final World
Front)_ is the full text in full effect. Over the course of 19
tracks, the extremely innovative Busta Rhymes delivers his raw
millennium message with a serious warning that it is "always better to
be safe than sorry."
Busta wastes no time getting down to business, opening his
third solo release with "Intro-There's Only One Year Left." This
spoken word track begins with a child innocently asking what the
Year 2000 holds. The response includes a long list of crimes against
humankind and nature, developments with which we are all too familiar.
Busta steps to the mike himself at the end of the track, shouting
out a loud wake up call about all the shit's that's already gone
down and what is about to break loose. "Everybody Rise," is the
global event warning that Busta sends out to all of the "niggas and
motherfuckers" in his favorite American cities. With these choice
terms of endearment, Busta makes it clear that he and his Flipmode
Squad have our backs through the hell on earth that lies ahead.
Not only is Busta rhyming with trademark fury on _Extinction
Level Event (The Final World Front), _ he grounds his rapid vocal
delivery in a host of mad sounds and quality samples. Of course
it's all good, especially "Extinction Level Event (The Song of
Salvation)" and "What the Fuck You Want!!" And lead single "Gimme
Some More" only hints at how Busta is all about doing what he
promises on track nine, "Keepin' It Tight."
That Busta Rhymes approaches Y2K with his characteristic sense
of humor (check out the skits which precede "Just Give It To Me Raw"
and "Take It Off") is reassuring. And his dedication to making the
best of the worst of times is evident on the phat rump shaker "Do
The Bus A Bus."
Another lesson we should learn from Busta is the importance
of brother/sisterhood in the future. Busta practices what he
preaches by enlisting the help of a few good musical soldiers on
the _Event_. Busta gets his steamy R&B groove on with Janet Jackson
on "What's It's Gonna Be," and serves up metallic rap with Ozzy
Osbourne on "This Means War," a millennium remake of "Iron Man."
And adding yet another dimension to the hip-hop flow are Mystikal,
of Master P's No Limit Posse, on "Iz They Wildin Wit Us & Gettin
Rowdy Wit Us" and the Flipmode Squad, who throw down with Busta
on "Against All Odds."
Busta Rhymes has always been a man on a mission. So it
comes as no surprise that he has a lot to say about what's coming
our way with the arrival of the big 2K. Busta's got a survival
plan which is presented in great detail on all of the songs here,
but especially in "Outro-The Burial Song." _Extinction Level
Event (The Final World Front)_ is a record with a message that is
not to be taken lightly, and we would be wise to listen carefully.
---
REVIEW: Black Crowes, _ By Your Side_ (American/Columbia)
- Daniel Aloi
"Tighter than ever..."
"Back to their blues-rock roots..."
"... rocking with the abandon of The Faces and Exile-era
Stones..."
Yes, these and many other critical cliches will be thrown at
the Black Crowes' fifth album. But _By Your Side_ actually proves all
of the above and more to be true -- and I wanna testify! The band
successfully channels a slew of late-'60s/early '70s influences, from
the golden age of British blues, Southern rock and Memphis soul, to
make one great party album for 1999.
After flirting with psychedelia on 1996's _Three Snakes and
One Charm_, and courting hippie audiences with long onstage jams
while headlining the 1997 Furthur Festival tour (they'd headlined
H.O.R.D.E. in 1995), the Crowes are back on the ground, in the bluesy
element that first found them an audience with _Shake Your Money
Maker_ in 1992.
When drugs, divorce and inamicable departures put pressure
on the band in 1997, they reassessed -- and decided to be a rock 'n'
roll band again. So, if you've been following the band all these
years, this new album is more _Shake_ than _Snakes._
Skinny singer/showman/shaman Chris Robinson sounds more than
ever like the love child of Otis Redding and Rod Stewart. His
guitarist brother Rich Robinson (the siblings' battles are as
legendary as the Gallaghers' or the Davies') is at his best even
when recycling old riffs from Led Zeppelin, the Allmans and more.
Keyboard player Eddie Harsch provides Stax-worthy grooves (and piano
playing off the singer's drama) and the Dirty Dozen horns and five
background singers give a gospel-and-soul underpinning to the Crowes'
dynamic vision. Original drummer Steve Gorman is still there to keep
the whole enterprise moving, and it's all new bassist Sven Pipien
can do to keep up. The music may be derivative, but it sure does
kick. Columbia calls the album "a serious kick-ass, riff-a-rama
rock'n'roll record" and nearly all of the 11 songs bear that out in
spades.
Producer Kevin Shirley gives the band more than enough room
to be both rocking and dramatic, and can be credited with a clean
sound that doesn't distract from the down-and-dirty vibe the band
goes for. As ever, religion, drugs, and lovers on their way out are
primary themes.
"Go Faster," while ostensibly about sex, also refers to
"the chemicals you like." Then there's "HorseHead," a plea to a
junkie, and the fervent, organ-laced "Go Tell the Congregation,"
which both play like heavy Humble Pie. Chris Robinson begs a woman
not to leave in the affecting "Only a Fool" and says to just go in
"Stop Kicking My Heart Around." The most soulful tune comes at the
end: "Virtue and Vice," following "Diamond Ring," a richly emotional
call-and-response proposal.
While waiting for American Recordings to change corporate
parents, the band showed its renewed strength with a tour of small
clubs, to coincide with the release of a limited-edition box set
last August. _Sho' Nuff_ included all four of their previous albums
digitally remastered. Each disc included two bonus tracks, a
multimedia screensavers and full-length videos. The box also
included a bonus live EP with five songs mixed by Shirley.
For more information go to http://www.blackcrowes.com
---
REVIEW: Ani DiFranco, _Up Up Up Up Up Up_ (Righteous Babe)
- Jon Steltenpohl
Ani DiFranco's latest album _Up Up Up Up Up Up_ takes Ani
DiFranco to the next plateau in her career. Whether you like it or
not, she continues down the same path she toyed with on _Little Plastic
Castles_; a mish-mash of poingant commentary and quirky performance art.
Singular intensity has given way to fragmented playfulness. The horns
have been hauled away with a Wurlitzer dragged in, and DiFranco finally
seems to be happy to be in a studio with a band.
Where _Little Plastic Castles_ was somewhat tentative in its
ventures, _Up_ takes big steps. Half the tracks are fairly solid,
straightforward tunes which are touching, but fairly low on the
DiFranco intensity scale. The rest fall into strange categories of
varying degrees of songs, poems, and abstract musical art. DiFranco
takes the enthusiasm she had "remixing" the legendary Utah Phillips
into the 21th century and applies it to her own sound. Echoes and
loops fight for attention while the trademark staccato blasts of the
past are muted with a little R&B and an undercurrent of funky vibes.
"Angel Food" and "Hat Shaped Hat" are poem songs with distorted
vocals that bounce back and forth off the ropes and trade body slams
and clotheslines as they wrestle for control of the sound board. While
they sound like they were a lot of fun to record and create, the
finished product still shows the rough edges of the studio jam sessions
they were mined from. As such, their impact isn't nearly as remarkable
as _Little Plastics Castles'_ "Pulse." Not that either track is serious
on any level. They are, in fact, exuberant and silly. "Angel Food"
ends with an audio attack by Andy Stochansky on the "pocket Cajun"
which is both entirely goofy and exceedingly annoying.
Your mileage will vary on these tracks, and versions of the
same theme seep to the other tracks in the album. "Virtue" stalks and
pounces like the dark cat DiFranco paints herself as, but the vocal
distortions sneaking around the shadows of the beat just don't increase
the value of the song. DiFranco was much more intense when it was Ani
vs. the world instead of the Ani Band.
In the middle road, DiFranco is finding interesting topics to
write about which aren't soaked in personal agony. In "Everest", she
sings of a trip to a gospel service with a friend whose silhoutte from
a distance is "a lot like mine". "So I took a deep breath," reflects
DiFranco of her arrival, "and became the white girl with the hair."
But, by the end of the service, her heart is filled and her friendship
focused. On the brilliant night as they walk and talk, "the moon was
so beautiful that the ocean held up a mirror." DiFranco's imagery and
focus are still as sharp as when she writes in turmoil even if the
emotional impact to the listener isn't as strong. "Jukebox" and "Up
up up up up up" are also solid songs musically, but, as with "Everest",
the emotional tie-in just isn't there.
"Trickle Down" and "'Tis of Thee" tackle societal and political
issues with some success. "Trickle Down" finds DiFranco at the bottom
of a deep well of desperation as she describe the slow destruction of a
town under Reagan's trickle down economic theory. Her guitar bubbles
up through an eeiry reverb and her vocals are whispered from far below.
It perfectly captures the feeling of being trapped with no one out
there to hear you. "'Tis of Thee" is a mournful, plodding track of
despair about drug use, poverty, and racism aimed at those who would
"criminalize the symptoms while [they] spread the disease." "Why don't
you just go ahead and turn of the sun?," pleads DiFranco, "'cause we'll
never live long enough to undo everything they've done to you." It's
an impassioned resignation that is framed perfectly by DiFranco's
earnest performance.
The two best tracks on the album are the most personal and the
most straightforward musically. "Angry Anymore" is a coming of age
song. In it, DiFranco comes to terms with her broken home and forgives
both her father and her mother. The banjo and accordian tinged intro
feels a bit like a New Yorker's version of no depression music, but it
doesn't distract from the song or the simple harmonies. "Come Away
From It" is an 8 minute opus that is rapturous. DiFranco begs, pleads,
and crys like a tortured diva. Over and over she pleads to her lover
who's self destructing trying to find deeper and deeper highs. "Why
don't you come away from it?", she challenges. Slowly her fear gives
way to a slight hint of frustration at having "to put the training
wheels back on your bike." Yet still she coaxes through the end.
Taken as a whole, _Up_ doesn't really get you in the gut,
doesn't bleed your emotions the way that DiFranco's breakthrough
albums _Dilate_ and _Not a Pretty Girl_ did. In comparison, the pace
is slow and subdued. Nearly plodding. When set along side the live
versions of these songs, _Up Up Up Up Up Up_ is nearly flacid. Given
the incredible recordings on her live album, _Living in Clip_, DiFranco
would do better to re-record these songs live. It's not that _Up_ is a
bad album or that the songs are lacking. On the contrary, it's pretty
good. It's just that DiFranco has done so much better in the past and
she performs these songs so much better in concert. _Up Up Up Up Up Up_
is, like _Little Plastic Castles_, an album Ani fans will enjoy but not
treasure.
---
CONCERT REVIEW: Manic Street Preachers / Catatonia, Manchester Arena
- Tim Kennedy
Catatonia's Cerys ambles onto the gargantuan stage of the MEN
as if arriving at the pub. Cloaked in a bizarre dressing gown
reaching to the floor and in a floppy fur helmet with earflaps,
she seems unconcerned at the adulation of the crowd - many
whom are clad in or waving Welsh flags. Not that this is a purely
Welsh affair - most here hail from around the north of England.
Cerys trades banter with the baying hordes then launches into
a set derived largely from the hugely successful _International
Velvet_. The band are not a great technical unit, but they
serve as a reasonable platform on which Cerys can work her
seductive charms. For she is a star. She is totally at home
onstage, slouching around, or skipping about when the mood
takes her. Her tunes are strong enough to make any shortcomings
of the band marginal. Her lyrics are complex, whilst avoiding
pretentiousness. Cerys has a happy muse and whilst she
seems a tad drunk at times, it makes for a thoroughly enjoyable
show, and perhaps some of us bloody English can feel a little Welsh
envy. When she does her solo acoustic spot there is an unfeasibly
warm and chummy atmosphere.
The Manics arrive with considerably more lights and drama. The
set is based around the _Design For Life_ album, with highlights from
the latest offering _This Is My Truth Now Tell Me Yours_. "Design For
Life" and "Kevin Carter" are still the great stadium rockers, and
"Everything Must Go" is particularly incandescent.
As always James is the dynamo, stage-left these days, punching
out those superb power chords that drive the Manics along. Nicky is
stage-right in combat pants instead of the dress that was his favoured
outfit on the last tour, and waves his bass around like an overgrown
stick insect doing a Peter Hook impression. Sean is largely hidden
behind his drum kit, providing the backup for the guitar assault.
The current album promotional material has looked a bit pompous,
with much waving of the word TRUTH. The band still come across as they
always did however, albeit without the slight figure of Richey James at
stage-left.
The new material live still displays the essential rock bombast
that you'd expect from the Manics, and if there is a slight element
of mid seventies prog rock in "I'm Not Working", as if to offset
this the band launch straight into "Motown Junk" - the Manics at
their most punky.
Earlier material is also on show. We get "La Tristesse Durera"
- a very fine version - from _Gold Against The Soul_. From _The Holy
Bible_ we are treated to the excellent "She Is Suffering" and a
blistering "Revol".
"You Love Us" - one of their early singles, and from a time when
the very opposite was true - is the inevitable encore, and Nicky sees
fit to get his rope out and do a bit of skipping on his speaker stacks.
Truly the Manics are the only true UK stadium band of their
generation, but they manage to do it with such mad integrity that even
the Richey fans in the crowd cannot but join in the general adulation.
---
REVIEW: Reel Big Fish, _Why Do They Rock So Hard?_ (Mojo)
- Simon Speichert
Approximately two years ago, I had the good fortune to review
this band's first release, _Turn The Radio Off_. From the first time I
spun that CD, I had a gut feeling that the band I was listening to
would make it to the big time; it is apparent to anyone who has
followed them even slightly that they have "made it". Going from
being starving artists playing at local parties to having their
music played during the MTV awards is a big jump, and Reel Big Fish
have handled it well.
The title for the album is interesting. While two years ago, I
considered Reel Big Fish a ska band, they have definitely made the
transition into being almost a full-fledged rock band. There is, most
noticably, a great deal less use of the horn section which comprises
two-thirds of the band; also, more "rock" melodies and power chords are
present in the songs on _Why Do They Rock So Hard?_.
I semi-mourn the loss of the more "ska" feeling in Reel Big
Fish's music. Don't get me wrong, it's still good music, still catchy
as always, but in a different way. Fears assert themselves that Reel
Big Fish will become "just another rock band". I doubt those fears
will become reality, as Reel Big Fish's humor would never survive in
a rock setting. However, we still (for now) have the great music from
this 9-piece out of Southern California. Their songwriting is superb,
with many a hook and catchy lyric. Some of the standout songs include
"Brand New Song", "Thank You for Not Moshing", and "Scott's A Dork".
Even their song titles evoke humor.
Reel Big Fish seem to have jinxed the sophomore jinx with _Why
Do They Rock So Hard?_. The songs are upbeat and catchy as always, and
full of the band's trademark humor. If you bought _Turn The Radio
Off_, pick this up now. If you're into ska, pick up both. If you want
to hear a damned good rock/ska band, head down to your local record
store now. You will not be able to take this album out of your CD player.
---
REVIEW: Hefner, _Breaking God's Heart_ (Too Pure/Beggars Banquet)
- Niles Baranowski
The name is Hefner, as in Hugh, Playboy magazine and all things
silicone. It's an odd image for a Scottish band that maintains a
working relationship with Belle and Sebastian and advises its
listeners to "buy more Beach Boys records." Surprisingly though,
their full-length debut, _Breaking God's Heart_ manages to mix both
sex and jangle pop into an addictive and dynamic first effort.
While it is probably true that you can't throw a lump of haggis
in Scotland without hitting a fairly promising guitar pop band, lead
singer Darren Hayman's songs stand out from the cuddly, coy music made
by many of his compatriots. There is a rough sense of real sadness
here, a slight twang to "Love Inside the Stud Farm" and even a feeling
of accelerating disintegration as "The Sweetness Lies Within" draws
to a close. Fighting sentimentality at every turn, even the most
lovey-dovey of the ten tracks-"A Hymn for the Postal Service" - is
written to an expatriate pen pal who "let time slip through her
skinny, skinny fingers."
The album's standout cut is "The Librarian," a Neil
Young-damaged lament about a patron who checks out smart-looking
books to seduce the title character and fulfill the fantasy inside
his head. He fails, of course, and the scenario is touching and
incredibly funny at the same time ("He would never kiss her eyelids,"
goes the song's mournful final line, repeated many times. I'm sorry,
man.). The mix of emotions in Hayman's voice is as heady as a second
trip through puberty.
There are other great moments, too, like the bass-driven
bravado of "God Is On My Side" and "Stud Farm"'s dejected chorus,
but _Breaking_ is about more than the sum of its parts. Unlike most
of Scotland's single-oriented popsters, the album is complete and
rounded in both its emotional and musical aspects. It isn't perfect,
but it's whole and charming even in its imperfections. Sexuality
comes through in both the lyrics and the music, making for a visceral
blend of pop music. Less pastoral than Belle and Sebastian, able to
look women in the eye better than Teenage Fanclub, Hefner may be
Scotland's great white hope for twee-free music and sexually sane
songwriting.
---
REVIEW: The Starseeds, _Parallel Life_ (Millennium)
- Tim Mohr
Hush all you lonely, jaded scenesters, coming down, hungover,
crying or kissing away lost moments of the past. Dubadelic waves of
bass, hypnotic crests and troughs of synthetic whale noises, whispered
confessions...a beat drifts in from afar: the Starseeds are playing.
Way back in the early 90s, there was a school of music that
formed a bridge between Primal Scream's _Screamadelica_ and the
ambient dub of the Orb. Bands like One Dove and State of Grace put
female vocals above slow beats - a style that over time evolved into
things like Gus Gus, Sneaker Pimps, even Portishead.
The Starseeds are students of this school as well, though they
tend to sound more like the early masters One Dove than like more
recent groups. Utilizing a very Orb-esque set of principles to guide
their percussion, Starseeds add touches of twangy guitar that show
their devotion to Primal Scream. Vocals - like the manipulated lines
in One Dove's "White Love" - are often looped or cut up, used like
all the other instruments that are loaded onto the computer.
In many cases their programmed beats follow stubbornly
early-90s patterns, refusing to grapple with more recent innovations.
This means, of course, that the Starseeds are willing to allow
attention to focus on the essence of their music rather than on any
particular part (these days, typically some minor innovation of drum
sequencing) - and their willingness is warranted by the genuinely
effective soundscapes they manage to create.
---
REVIEW: Evelyn Forever, _Lost in the Supermarket_ (Airplay)
- Daniel Aloi
First off, despite the borrowed title, this does not sound
much like The Clash.
It sounds more like... The Cars, Cheap Trick and Superdrag on
an all-night coffee jag. Or something very much like that.
New Jersey's Evelyn Forever makes precise and joyous power pop
in the same league as those bands, as well as such respected farm teams
as Splitsville and The Posies. Employing just about every power-pop
trick in the book, they're melodic and catchy almost to a fault.
Starting with "Crush," sing-along choruses and swirling guitar lines
wrap around crunching rhythm riffs; and you're forced to dance around
the room, what with all the punching basslines and drumbeats under
those joyous harmonies. Two or three minutes later, there's another
one, doing the same thing to you all over again. The band breaks with
this format on two of the nine tracks, the mid-tempo ballads "Cry" and
"Rockin' Chair" -- they're just as catchy as the rest, just not played
as fast and loud.
The guitars of Mark Sanderlin and Reef Fanous are the stars
here, playing off one another in myriad ways for endless hooks. They're
joined by bassist Ed Yoo on vocals, and the clever and memorable
songwriting (the chorus of "Teenage L.M.S." spells it out: "Love,
Murder, Suicide") is credited to the entire band. Producer Tony
Shanahan plays up all their strengths, although Matt Wilson's drums
could be a little higher in the mix.
This is Evelyn Forever's second full-length release for The
Airplay Label, and it's even more solid and fun than their critically
acclaimed 1997 debut, _Nightclub Jitters_. Both albums are among the
best you'll find on the independent power pop scene. As proof, E4E's
"Magic of the Moment" (off the new album) was chosen to lead off the
recently released _International Pop Overthrow_ CD, a 20-band
compilation on Del-Fi Records.
For more information, go to http://www.evelynforever.com or
e-mail E4E@evelynforever.com
---
REVIEW: Kenny Howes, _Back To You Today_ (A.A.J.)
- Bill Holmes
Rickenbacker-wielding pop star Kenny Howes is back with his
third record, yet another collection of ringing hooks and earnest
vocals. The lo-fi production has its charms and drawbacks, sometimes
framing songs in just the right minimalist setting but occasionally
losing something in the fog bank. Overall, however, it�s another
solid effort that sees Howes depart from his past formula and take a
few chances.
The title track is certainly an example of his strong suit -
bouncy chorus, solid hook and quick guitar break. This formula reaches
its zenith on "Exactly Like You", a sing-along track that could lift a
band out of the garage and onto a jukebox - even if it winds up being
their only hit. The simple, fuzzy guitar break is perfect and you can
almost see the audience swaying and hand-clapping along to the "Cathy's
Clown" beat. And underneath it all, Kenny's trying to land a new girl by
shredding all those losers he's hit on before - like THAT will work.
Sometimes the stretches don't synch - "Something Really Great"
sounds like Dylan doing the Monkees' "Randy Scouse Git", for example, and
"Save You" is muddled angst. But "Never Left" sounds like the bonus track
on the _Pet Sounds_ box set, and the epic closer "Free Tattoo" sounds
like Moon and Townsend sat in on the session.
Cohesive it's not - I think Kenny had a lot of snippets of ideas
when he hit the studio and went for broke. Although you might find
yourself skipping a tune here and there, there is enough immediate
gratification to bring you back again, which is when you'll discover
the chestnuts that appeal to you. Howes played everything but drums
(kudos to Kelly Shane) and wrote all the songs, and is a talent deserving
your ear time.
For more information about Kenny Howes, set your browser to
http://www.mindspring.com/~tchristoh/kenny .
---
REVIEW: Smart Brown Handbag, _Little Things are Everything_
(Stonegarden)
- Reto Koradi
New trends may be coming and going, but Smart Brown Handbag are
obviously firm believers that some of them were just too good to be
forgotten. With their 5th album, they keep up the fine art of intelligent
guitar pop that peaked during the 80s. The fact that the voice of SBH's
brain David Steinhart has a striking resemblance to Roddy Frame of
Aztec Camera only reinforces the fond memories.
_Little Things are Everything_ does not quite live up to the
remarkable predecessor _Lullabies for Infidels_ from 1997, but it still
features 10 carefully crafted and catchy pop songs, with bittersweet
lyrics mostly about unhappy and lost love. This might not be an essential
or even ground-breaking album, but it certainly is thoroughly enjoyable,
and you may find yourself humming some of the tunes long after you turned
of your CD player.
Ordering information and some sound files can be found at
http://www.stonegarden.com
---
REVIEW: Bill Puddle, _Bill Puddle_ (Huge Records)
- Bill Holmes
No, there's no poor sap with a name like that. Bill Puddle is
actually a Toronto based four-piece that features good songs and an
uncomplicated loose knit sound. Loose is good? Okay - think Neil Young
jamming with The Replacements on "Ha Ha Ha" (all harmonics and loopy
guitar lines), _Transformer_ era Lou Reed on "Family Tree" and the
quirky folk-pop of Michael Shelley and Robyn Hitchcock on "Maybe
Then". If you like those bands, you'll love these guys.
Puddle's roots are obviously steeped in country and Stones
riffs, but what makes the outcome so good revolves around Paul Emery's
clever songs and Patrick Gregory's amazing range of guitar sounds.
Gregory doesn't flash, he snakes his way around and through the
material, catching your ear and acting more the navigator than the
driver. The rhythm section is solid but never in the spotlight, much
like the harmonies and background vocals never overwhelm Emery's
effort. _Bill Puddle_ has many good moments like the lurching kickoff
track "When I Let You Down", the folksy charm of "Saginaw" and
especially the radio-ready "Making Believe".
There are a billion records being released every day, and
when I find something like this in the pile I remember why I love
writing about music so much. An impressive debut.
For more information about the band, set your browser to:
http://www.hugerecords.com/HTML/bill.htm
---
NEWS: > The Chemical Brothers will be returning to the studio
this week to finish working on the follow up to the Grammy winning
album, _Dig Your Own Hole._ Although the new record is not yet
complete, the band have begun work on collaborations with Oasis'
Noel Gallagher; Bernard Sumner from New Order, and Mercury Rev
singer/guitarist, Jonathan Donahue. The first single from the
untitled album is due out in May, with no set release date yet for
the record.
> Public Enemy's Chuck D. and his latest song, "Swindler's
Lust", are available on the in MP4 format through the Global Music
Outlet.
The song, according to manager Walter Leaphart, is "A direct
response to Chuck being forced to take down [from their website]
the MP3 songs from his unreleased, "Bring The Noise 2000"
remix project."
The track, which will not be available until later this
spring (on Chuck D's _There's Poison Goin' Down_ ) is available at
http://www.public-enemy.com and http://mp4.globalmusic.com .
---
TOUR DATES:
Black Sabbath / Pantera / Incubus
Jan. 19 Chicago, IL Rosemont
Jan. 22 San Antonio, TX Alamo Dome
Jan. 24 Dallas, TX Reunion Arena
Black Sabbath / Deftones / Pantera
Jan. 25 Houston, TX Compaq Center
Jan. 28 Philadelphia, PA First Union
Jan. 29 Pittsburgh, PA Civic Arena
Bluetip
Jan. 21 Richmond, Va Twisters
Jan. 22 Columbia, SC New brookland Tavern
Jan. 23 Orlando, Fl Go Lounge
Jan. 24 Tampa, FL The Fortunate One
Jan. 26 Gainesville, FL Covered Dish
Jan. 27 Atlanta, GA The Point
Jan. 28 Carrborro, NC Go Rehersal
Jan. 29 Philadelphia, PA Stalag 13
Jan. 30 Washington, DC Black Cat
Jan. 31 New York, NY Brownies
Broadside Electric
Jan. 23 Watchung, NJ Arts Center
City On Film
Jan. 19 Bakersfield, CA Jerry's
Jan. 20 Santa Cruz, CA UCSC Campus
Jan. 22 San Francisco, CA Cocodrie
Jan. 23 Portland, OR 17 Nautical Miles
Dave Davies Kink Kronikles
Jan. 27-28 New York, NY The Bottom Line
Jan. 29 Schenectady, NY The Van Dyke
Jan. 30 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
Dots Will Echo
Jan. 22 New York, NY Sidewalk Cafe
Jan. 30 New Brunswick, NJ Plumb St.
Jets To Brazil
Jan. 22 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Jan. 23 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
One Minute Silence
Jan. 29 Winston-Salem, NC Ziggy's
Seaweed
Jan. 28 Vancouver, BC Starfish Room
Jan. 29 Seattle, WA Breakroom
Jan. 30 Portland, OR La Luna
---
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
> I read your review of _Live on 2 Legs,_ Pearl Jam's new
live album. I really think that you didn't give Pearl Jam the credit
they deserve. It's a great album by one of the best rock bands you'll
ever find. Your references to the loss of popularity and "fading
out" were way off, in my opinion. Yes, Pearl Jam is not quite the
same album-selling band as 5 or 6 years ago. You seem to forget that
they had many sold out shows this summer, and let me tell you, no one
there seemed to think of Pearl Jam as a band on its way out. Pearl
Jam still has a very large and active group of core fans that will
be loyal for years to come, because Pearl Jam will be rocking for
years to come! - Dawn T., Ohio
> As far as your review of Pearl Jam's _Live On Two Legs_
goes, Steve Kandell's review lacks elements such as actual song
description and proper research. If I had never heard the disk, I
would feel as if I had no idea of the style, feel or sound of the
album at all after reading said review. There are no mention of
lyrics (or subtle changes), very few specs on the way the music
differs from the studio versions, and, as with every single review
done on Pearl Jam by a non-fan, an underlying obsession with Pearl
Jam having, or not having the crown of "World's Most Popular Band."
They never had a torch, thay never passed a torch, there is no torch.
The most interesting tidbit is Kendall's line about Pearl
Jam shows not being as highly attended as in earlier years. Check
ticket sales friends... there was not a show on this 47 date tour
that was not filled to capacity. The band continues to evolve,
creating richer, more personal efforts with each album, and the
skin of writers grows thicker and thicker, unable to see over their
stack of alt-rock post-Pearl Jam ripoffs. - Christopher P., St.
Louis, MO
> I would just like to comment on the review written on Pearl
Jam's _Live on Two Legs_. It seems to me it was implying how Pearl
Jam was a great band in past times but now slowly fading away. Pearl
Jam is growing in popularity; sure they lost many fans after
spending nearly 2 years in hiding, but they are slowly rebounding and
their music is becoming more recognized for the maturity of its
sound. - Mark T., Canton, OH
(Ed. Note: From "Band Worship, 101" - Ignore all comments
that don't support the position as greatest band ever to grace the
earth, including "willfully abdicated the rock crown they never really
asked for in the first place", ignore any facts (Pearl Jam sells
less records today than before, Pearl Jam plays to smaller venues,
and their records aren't all over the radio), and only accept kind
words with a condition that the critic should live and breathe
every second of every song performed by the band. Fortunately,
passing Band Worship 101 doesn't require reading comprehension
skills of the original article; otherwise, fans would
have to take this class over and over again.
In Band Worship 201, we'll talk about making fake backstage passes...
---
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