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==== ISSUE 62 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [November 28, 1995]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net
Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Al Crawford,
Dan Enright, Reto Koradi, David Landgren,
Tim Mohr, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker
Correspondents: Dan Birchall, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Jason
Cahill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Daniel Kane, Mario Lia,
Sean Eric McGill, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott,
Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner,
Britain Woodman
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak,
Jason Williams
Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@pilot.njin.net
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form other than within this
document must be obtained from the editor.
==================================================================
.------------.
| Contents |
`------------'
INTERVIEW: Individual Fruit Pie , - John Walker
REVIEW: Edwyn Collins _Gorgeous George_ - Scott Byron
CONCERT REVIEW: The Charlatans - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: Candlebox, _Lucy_ - Mario J. Lia
REVIEW: Ferron, _Phantom Center_ - Reto Koradi
REVIEW: Eat Static, _Epsylon_ - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: Drip, _No More Talkin'_ - Jon Steltenpohl
REVIEW: Fig Dish, _That's What Love Songs Often Do_ - Jason Cahill
REVIEW: Charlie Hunter Trio _Bing, Bing, Bing!_ - Ali Sinclair
REVIEW: Paw _Death to Traitor_ - Martin Bate
REVIEW: Hum, _You'd Prefer An Astronaut_ - Joe D'Angelo
REVIEW: Stereolab, _Refried Ectoplasm: Switched On Vol. 2_ - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: Soundtrack, _National Lampoon's Senior Trip_ - Daniel Kane
REVIEW: Psykosonik, _Unlearn_ - Jamie Roberts
NEWS:, Mark Olson/Jayhawks, Toad the Wet Sprocket,
Mike Watt/Porno for Pyros
TOUR DATES: Anthrax, Banco de Gaia / Emergency Broadcast Network, Barkmarket,
Better Than Ezra (With Dambuilders), Boiled In Lead, Neal Casal, Lisa
Cerbone, Cravin' Melon, Donovan, Robben Ford & Blue Line Tour, Paris
Hampton, Freedy Johnston, Knapsack, Huey Lewis & The News, Natalie
Merchant, 134, Phish, Plastic Mikey, Rembrandts Acoustic Radio
Performances, Silverchair, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Vinyl Devotion
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW: Individual Fruit Pie (dotdotdash)
- John Walker
One of the most pleasant musical surprises of the year thus far for
yours truly has been this hip little 5-song EP by the quirkily named New
York band Individual Fruit Pie. The EP was produced by Ultra Vivid Scene
wunkerkind Kurt Ralske, and I.F.P. actually share a lyrical obsession with
the UVS leader, that being an intense preoccupation with the fetishistic side
of sexual experience, and the emotional side effects of intense states of
desire. Songs like "Creature of Habit" and "Blatant Sex" detail the
simultaneous attraction and repulsion of the romantic outsider in an
artily fragile, blackly humourous manner that brings to mind the work
of David Bowie on his groundbreaking album, _Low_. British transplant
and I.F.P. singer/lyricist J.C. croons like he's on the edge of a nervous
collapse, as fellow Brit Gary Thomas punctuates the sentiments with ringing
guitars, elevating tunes like "Still-Death" into mini-masterpieces of
soaring emotion. I.F.P. understand that irony and emotion can, and indeed
must, mix: that being funny doesn't entail a lack of seriousness, a point
sadly lost on so many of today's "postmodern" rock bands.
Intrigued with this mysteriously monikered bunch, _Consumable_ e-mailed
them a list of questions, and here is the result, courtesy of Head Pies J.C.
and Gary Thomas.
Consumable: First, the band's name: Is it Dadaesque? Or does it actually
mean something?
JC: That's your one Gary.
GARY: Is it mine? Oh, why is it mine? You came up with it.
JC: Out of hunger, yeah pure hunger.
GARY: No, it was actually the most ludicrous name we could come up with.
C: JC was in a band called _Contact Obsession_, and that's a theme
I hear in IFP's music, cf. "Creature of Habit," "Blatant Sex,"
and "My Opportunity, My Foot." Is contact obsession a constant
theme in your music?
JC: Um, that's actually a good question, I reckon it is, a theme in my
whole life. And i'm hoping to get some contact tonight.
GARY: That's cause he actually hasn't had much contact (ha, ha). Most of
the songs are about sexual inadaquacy.
JC: I didnt write any of the songs (ha, ha, ha)
GARY: They're just drawn from life experience.
JC: Rich experience.
C: Kurt Ralske of UVS I think did a great production job in terms
of dynamics. What was it like working with him?
GARY: Well we're still working with him. We havent fired him. It was
very, very easy working with him. He's like another member of the band.
He *is* another member of the band. Things just clicked with Kurt.
JC: We work very quickly together.
GARY: We know everything we're doing when we go in to record.
He's particually good with arringing the strings.
JC: Yeah, he came up with the string melodys.
C: Do you think Ralske is a kindred spirit, in that he writes about
fetishistic sex and desire as a kind of basic theme?
JC: Yeah, absolutely.
GARY: That's what drew you together.
JC: I loved his first album and it drew me to him. There was a likeness
in what he was experiencing, something in his lyrics, a sort of
loneliness that I was attracted to.
GARY: JC thought he needed befriending (ha, ha) . I never really
heard kurt's music that much. I knew him as a person, but didn't
know his music too well. But as a person, I knew it would work.
C: Your press release doesn't list him, but I hear echoes of Bowie
at his most blackly ironic. True or false?
JC: It's interesting cause a few radio stations said some songs
reminded them of Bowie. I hadn't actually considered it, but I guess,
yeah, maybe from his early music.
GARY: I think it's the Englishness of it. We may have drawn upon
similar life experiences. I think people find it hard to pin our
sound down. It runs from Joy Division to Rex Harrision, it's
there. I suppose if that's what people are hearing I guess its there.
We don't want to be pidgeon-holed or part of a scene.
JC: No scene would want us.
GARY: We've been sort of picked up with this easy listening sound.
I guess anything without a guitar is being lumped with lounge music.
C: In "Blatant Sex" you sing, "I'm in a sense of bliss right now/
Cause I don't know who you are."
What's more important: desire itself (and imagination), or
its actualization?
JC: I wouldn't know about actualizing. You must have listened very
carefully to that line. Someone thought that was "I'm innocent in bliss
right now" - it could have a double meaning. And by the way, it's
encouraging that an interviewer would actually listen to the lyrics.
GARY: Yeah, it's quite flattering.
JC: I think imagination is important, but it can be rewarding to
have it actualized sometimes.
GARY: And sometimes it can be a disappointment. Sometimes the
fantasy is better.
C: So what about sucking toes (detailed in "My Opportunity, My Foot")?
Is this a 90s trend?
JC: Ha, ha, ha! Well, i wont mention names...
GARY: That was based on reality. Sucking toes has been a trend,
but it goes back futher than the 90's.
JC: But in our circle I don't think there are many toes that would be
good to suck.
GARY: What was that film, a surrealist film with a woman sucking the toes of
a statue? That could be an unconscious influence in that song.
JC: If anyone is interested in the "toes sucking revival"....
GARY: Yeah, just come to our shows! (ha, ha)
---
REVIEW: Edwyn Collins _Gorgeous George_ (Bar/None)
- Scott Byron
Students of indie-pop pre-history will recognize Edwyn Collins as
the singer in Orange Juice, one of the most heralded bands on the seminal
Postcard Records label in the late '70s. The Scottish label and band were
pioneers of a then-fledgling indie scene, but, like so many respected and
important labels and bands of the time (as in this time), they couldn't
survive with limited success, and were forced to fold. Orange Juice
continued on with a major label for a while, and Edwyn released a handful
of solo albums after they broke up.
Despite this long career and recognition (among the pop
cognoscenti, at least), it's remarkable to find out that this is the very
first of Collins' works to be released in the U.S., and at that, not
until after significant sales had already been racked up all over Europe,
including a few number ones. And lo and behold, America seems to be
digging it, too.
As well we should - _Gorgeous George_ is one of the most
enjoyable albums of the year. It's a well-crafted record that never loses
its emotional core: an album that respects and honors its soulful
predecessors but which is still very contemporary; a fine balance of
precision and recklessness, of romance and hard reality. You've probably
heard the brilliant single "A Girl Like You" already, and reacted the same
way most of did, with an initial "Wow! What the hell is that!" giving way
quickly to hip-shaking grooving. It's like a record out of time, both old
and new. It's one of the most instantly likable records in ages, and
certainly one of the singles of the year.
Much of the album (like much of his earlier work) seems most
directly inspired by the soul hits of the '60s and '70s, reveling in
light, funky grooves, Collins' creamy-smooth voice riding above, crisply
enunciating each "t" and "s," but allowing a slight brogue to sneak in
here and there. At its best, as on "If You Could Love Me" and the title
track, it's downright intoxicating stuff.
_Gorgeous George_ is also, at lease in part, a concept album about
not having a record deal. Counterbalancing the love songs are a handful
which dwell on what must have been happening in Edwyn's life while he was
making this album. We're clued into this early, as the album title itself
refers to a British slang for a certain kind of stylish, annoying
scenester, and the opening track is non-too-subtly titled "The Campaign
For Real Rock." Later on, "North Of Heaven" seems to bite the hand that's
rejected him, with lines like "Don't assume you can ignore me/You best
bite your lip in case I/Make it after all" and memorably rips the then
band-of-the-moment (who he must not have fit in very well next to): "Some
mother's talking 'bout Guns 'n' Roses/As if I give a fuck/At best I think
they suck/I'm too occupied with my memories/Not nonentities."
Normally, I react badly to people writing music about the music
business -- I just don't think most of us care much about how you hate
doing promotion or touring or interviews or whatever. But Collins makes
it work here, carefully not overdoing it and keeping his sense of humor
about it all. Ultimately, _Gorgeous George_ falls together as a vivid
picture of his life and feelings.
---
CONCERT REVIEW: The Charlatans (UK) at The Loft, Berlin
- Tim Mohr
Few bands on the current British circuit have four albums and years
of touring under their belts. An extensive repertoire and understanding of
professional live performance make for a rewarding concert experience, as the
Charlatans prove on their latest tour.
Though their last two records have shown continual growth and
maturation, in concert the Charlatans still harken back to the heyday of
Manchester's rave scene of the late 80s, back when rave meant bands with live
instruments whose music was danceable - Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, Inspiral
Carpets, and the Charlatans. The band emerges amidst a haze of dry-ice fog,
singer Tim Burgess already possessed by the beat that has yet to kick in.
The newest material takes on an intensified, wobbly infectiousness as
the band digs in, and audience dancing peaks for the latest single, "Just
When You're Thinkin' Things Over" as much as for classics like "The Only One
I Know" and "Weirdo."
Burgess sings confidently and writhes with a beat that bodily
animates him throughout the show, a rhythmic parasite that contorts his arms
and his elastic Mick Jagger lips. The band sounds muscular and thick, like on
the last two records, but has not relinquished the ability to groove and to
knead bass and organ into a potent loaf of dance-inspiring noise.
And happily, the band touches every period of their career, playing
"The Only One," "Then," and "Sproston Green" from their debut as well as
"Weirdo" from the second lp, revitalizing the underappreciated "Can't Get Out
of Bed," "Jesus Hairdo" and "I Never Want an Easy Life" from _Up to Our
Hips_, and solidifying their vision with most of the songs from the new album.
The Charlatans continue to make a good case for themselves, and
continue to comfound the doubters who still claim for the Stone Roses a
position of artificial prominence above other contemporaries. Unfortunately
for these people, the Charlatans have produced a far superior album this year
and continue to put on better concerts.
---
REVIEW: Candlebox, _Lucy_ (Maverick)
- Mario J. Lia
Candlebox was formed in 1991 by Kevin Martin(singer/guitarist) and
Scott Mercado(drummer). The band, which also includes Peter
Klett(guitarist) and bassist Bardi Martin(no relation to Kevin),
released their album _Candlebox_ in 1993. After touring for almost two
years solid, Candlebox is back with a new album called _Lucy_.
There are some truly rocking songs on this album. One of the best
is called "Best Friend". This song starts out with guitar and some police
siren feedback. When the drums come in, they kick the song into high
gear, definitely a great single. Also another notable mention is
"Butterfly" the song so good they had to do it twice. The only thing in
common between "Butterfly" and "Butterfly (Reprise)" is the title.
"Butterfly" is slow, and almost dirge-like. It builds and builds this
wall of sound and feedback and then comes back down again. "Butterfly
(Reprise)" is more melodic and less of a change between verse and
chorus.
Then again, this album could be considered a "sophomore slump" album.
They have the same band members, and the same people producing it. Songs
like "Drowned" and "Lucy" are very similer in style and structure to
their first album. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad songs,
just nothing new or different.
If you loved the first album then _Lucy_ is a must have - you won't
be at all disappointed. If you were turned off by the first album's sound
there still might be hope; this album has a lot more energy and is more
natural sounding. This time around they just plugged in and played, and
for that we are rewarded with a really good album.
---
REVIEW: Ferron, _Phantom Center_ (EarthBeat!/Warner)
- Reto Koradi
Ferron is far from being a young talent, having released 6 albums
in the last 20 years. But her major label debut makes this Canadian a new
player in the premier league of female singers/songwriters. Tori Amos and
The Indigo Girls have to content themselves with backing vocals here, and
rightly so, because Ferron has plenty to offer herself.
What is striking about this album is the stylistic diversity. From
the powerful and energetic opening track "Stand Up", over the groovy
"Indian Dreams", to the beautiful and romantic "Harmless Love". She also
plays with African influences in "The Cart", and "Heart Of Destruction"
has an irresistable calypso rhythm. Despite this wide scope, there is
still enough consistency, which is mainly given by Ferron's dark, warm and
expressive voice, and by the sheer quality of both the songs and the
musical performance. There are also a bunch of tracks that are more in the
"traditional" singer/songwriter style, mainly focusing on vocals and
Ferron's acoustic guitar. "My, My" and "Higher Wisdom" are first class
songs in this category.
Ferron's _Phantom Center_ is a must for all fans of female artists
like Sarah McLachlan or Jane Siberry and still a very worthwile buy for
anybody with ears for excellent music in the best singer/songwriter
tradition, plus more.
---
REVIEW: Eat Static, _Epsylon_ (Planet Dog/Mammoth)
- Tim Mohr
It is sometimes difficult to say exactly what makes some techno
interesting. Eat Static's U.S. debut is certainly one of those interesting
techno projects, but the difficulty of explanation remains.
Eat Static started as a sideproject of two members of England's Ozric
Tentacles. If you know Ozric Tentacles, a band for whose music even the term
jazz odyssey would be woefully inadequate, you might be able to surmise a few
things about Eat Static: they will be weird, expansive, and indifferent to
general trends in their genre. And it's true.
Take the second track, "Dionysiac," for example: jungle breakbeats,
mysterious Bulgarian voices, and a wildly careening string arrangement stolen
from Middle Eastern chart hits. The sounds and samples on all the tracks are
lovingly bent and shaped into a neo-60s-sci-fi-atmosphere even while
pulsating across a 90s dance floor.
The use of outer-space imagery, occasional spoken-word samples from
sci-fi films, and the implicitly spacey sonics add a deep-space hush to the
album, making it listenable at home. _Epsylon_ is not the sleepy ambient of
Orb or Skylab, but the trance-ish beats are not too agitated and frenetic for
non-club listening. This versatility is lacking from less interesting techno
and house, and makes Eat Static's _Epsylon_ well worth checking out.
---
REVIEW: Drip, _No More Talkin'_ (Ghostmeat Records)
- Jon Steltenpohl
Is their anything more tasty than good quality music with a DIY punk
attitude? I don't think so. "New Rock" radio stations are starting to get
the idea, but they're still stuck on pop bands with a bit of punk. The
truth is that a lot of people are looking for a little more substance and
strength. If you agree, do not pass go, do not collect $200, and head
directly to Drip. They take a little power from Fugazi, a smidgen of
intensity from Tool, add a slight whiff of playfulness from Violent Femmes
and mix it an oddly original concoction called Drip.
Hailing from Toccoa, Georgia, this young group oozes all of the signs
of greatness. Lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Andy LeMaster and
drummer and back-up vocalist Clay Leverett have been together since junior
high school and put out a few records on their own as The Remedy. Now that
they've reached their 20's, LeMaster and Leverett have added bassist Casey
Scott and formed Drip. Much like the under appreciated Redd Kross, Drip
has obviously had a head start on their music by starting young, and they
successfully merge the angst of youth with incredible sonic force.
LeMaster sings with an angry, powerful voice that grates and pummels
just like any good punk, but, just wait, there's more. Sometimes he backs off
into a frailed whisper that shakes and shimmies. Then, just like a beat
down Hulk Hogan getting ready to recover and body slam Andre the Giant,
LeMaster surges with life and lays out the crunching onslaught you've been
waiting for. When they quit giving pile drivers, Drip reminds me of a punk
version of the Violent Femmes, and LeMaster sings with a tortured, whiny
voice that exposes a smarmy twang and sad irony.
But it isn't just LeMaster's vocals that make Drip a great little band.
The music behind his voice is solid. Drip doesn't follow the punk
tradition of copping out with fast chords and noisy drums to hide a lack of
music ability and songwriting skills. Instead, Drip has the skills to
speed up and slow down and launch off again without a pause. Scott never
misses a beat on bass, and LeMaster's guitar is playful and powerful.
However, the anchor of the band has to be Leverett. While it's crucial
to have great songs and vocals, a band of this type is never great unless it
has a driving rhythm. Leverett is, thankfully, an incredible drummer.
Like Led Zeppelin's John Bohnam or Nirvana's Dave Grohl, Leverett takes
Drip to a higher level and makes complicated rhythms fit seamlessly with
even the simplest songs. The fact that he adds back-up vocals makes his
contribution to Drip even more valuable.
Now, unless you have a damn fine radio station, you probably won't get
a chance to hear Drip's _No More Talkin'_. If you do, call and request to
hear any song on the album. "Wilt", "Chopped", and "Enemy" are good places
to start for the general public. Fans of Uncle Tupelo's heavier songs
should also ask for "The Cradle". If you're in a hostile radio
environment, then go ahead and contact Ghostmeat Records directly. Those
who worship Fugazi's Dischord label should get acquainted with Drip and
Ghostmeat Records. It will be worth your while. Mail order from the label
is cheap, they offer many compilations of southeastern U.S. bands, and
their catalog is available by e-mail or SASE.
To reach Ghostmeat Records and Drip, write to Russ Hallauer by e-mail
at RLHallauer@aol.com or by snail mail at P.O. Box 54693, Atlanta, GA 30308
---
REVIEW: Fig Dish, _That's What Love Songs Often Do_ (A&M Records)
- Jason Cahill
Before _Grave Dancers Union_, Soul Asylum was a balls to the
wall garage band; pure, unfiltered and raw. No countrified garbage, no
"Runaway Train" and no Winona Ryder. Fig Dish remembers. _That's
What Love Songs Often Do_, the band's debut effort, manages to
reignite the sparks created by such 80's pioneers as Husker Du and
early Soul Aslyum, while still creating a fresh, aggressive and
multitextual sound.
Hailing from Chicago, Fig Dish can look forward to being
lumped together with such windy city alterna-legends as Smashing
Pumpkins, Urge Overkill and Catherine, and to do so would not be
entirely inaccurate. Fig Dish's sound, while containing many of the
core elements of the Minneapolis music scene, does inherit one key
attribute from its Chicago lineage, that being an extremely complex
and layered song structure. Songwriters Blake Smith and Rick Ness
succeed in creating songs which ellicit varying emotions, change
tempos frequently and fluctuate between the gentle and the heavy
all within the confines of a four minute parameter. Like the songs
of Billy Corgan, _That's What Love Songs Often Do_ lacks nothing
but simplicity.
The music on _That's What Love Songs Often Do_ ranges from
guitar heavy garage rock to gentle and foreboding laments,
frequently deviating between the two extremes. The album opens
feverishly with "Bury me", a quick shot of adrenaline which sets
the mood for things to come. Next up is "Weak and mean", a well
crafted, angst ridden tirade which conjures up images of a
troubled and one-sided relationship told with just a touch of
necessary punk pride. The vocal duties on the album are shared
by Smith and Ness, each having a raw and gruff sound eerily
similar to that of Paul Westerberg, managing to be downright
beautiful and haunting in spite of its dominating graininess.
The true gems on the album are the anthemic and blistering
"Seeds" and the seductive and brooding "Quiet storm king", both
containing elements of maturity and intelligence noticeably
absent from more auspicious debut efforts. "Seeds" is a
multilayered epic which overflows with raw energy, heartfelt
emotion and fuzzy guitars. "Quiet storm king" begins in much
the same fashion, but its chorus is stripped of all excess,
leaving just the drums and the interspersed vocals of Smith and
Veruca Salt's Nina Gordon, in an uncredited, yet memorable turn.
The problem with making such a mature and complete debut
effort is that expectations will naturally be raised to all but
unattainable levels upon the release of Fig Dish's sophomore
album. Judging by their current release, however, Fig Dish
seems capable of rising to the challenge of following up one
great effort with another and yet another. While most
fledgling bands seem content with just getting their foot in
the proverbial industry door, _That's What Love Songs Often Do_
is the kind of debut album which rips the door off its hinges
and sends the industry running for cover.
---
REVIEW: Charlie Hunter Trio _Bing, Bing, Bing!_ (Blue Note)
- Ali Sinclair
The trio is Dave Ellis, playing sax, Jay Lane on drums, and Charlie
Hunter himself, who plays a custom-made eight-string guitar, on which he
picks out both basslines and rhythm. And not forgetting lead guitar, too!
More smooth new jazz from the San Francisco Bay Area's cooking-pot
of musical styles and cultures. The music is simply-rhythmic, jazzy
harmonic, and 70s-funky. Charlie Hunter's apprenticeship was played in
alternative rock and rap bands--one of the tracks on _Bing, Bing, Bing_ is
Cobain's "Come As You Are", which is spiced with a touch of "Smells Like
Teen Spirit". It's recognisable but only just so! (a Nirvana fan heard
this, grimaced, and then laughed)--and there is a fun feel to this jazz CD.
(With tracks with names such as "Greasy Granny", "Fistful of Haggis" and
"Wornell's Yorkies", and comments like "We've already used all music labels
up in the last forty years. Now we should be using numbers. We're 43.",
Charlie might appear to be poking fun at the music industry: but the sounds
are sure, pure and serious music.
Worth a listen.
---
REVIEW : Paw _Death to Traitors_ (A&M)
- Martin Bate
Paw's 93 debut _Dragline_ was incredible. With a sound welded
together from Helmet's clipped hardcore/metal riffs and early Bruce
Springsteen-style classic rock (!) they turned in one of the most
fiercely passionate albums of all time with a dozen tales of small-town
life overdosed on melancholy and romance. You don't believe me ? Then go
listen.
It's now 1995. Paw are back, and it feels good.
"Everyone is boring boring/But not me I am drunk and roaring" is
the statement of intent over the galloping riff of opener "No Such Luck".
Mark Hennessy's full-throated roar and Grant Fitch's serrated guitar
something akin to standing at the end of a wind-tunnel. But that's only
half the story as _Dragline_ saw them switching between a scream and a
whisper, Hennessy switching effotlessly into a melancholic croon when
Fitch's guitar drops to a delicate strum.
The album's surprise is revealed as the album slips into "Seasoned
Glove" (dedicated by Hennessy as "This one is for my Daddy") and the
hopelessly beautiful love song "Hope I Die Tonight". This is Paw turning
to more traditional country-rock structures while, essentially, keeping
every single ounce of passion and power intact. Paw understand that love