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==== ISSUE 126 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [October 28, 1997]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
Internet: gaj@westnet.com
Sr. Correspondents: Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren,
Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Joe Silva
Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Tracey Bleile, Lee
Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Patrick Carmosino,
Bill Holmes, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Robin Lapid,
Stephen Lin, Scott Miller, Linda Scott, Rainier
Simoneaux, Scott Slonaker, Simon Speichert, Jon
Steltenpohl, Simon West, Lang Whitaker
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann
Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gaj@westnet.com
==================================================================
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: Ben Folds Five - Lang Whitaker
REVIEW: Bjork, _Homogenic_ - Joe Silva
REVIEW: Ivy, _Apartment Life_ - Patrick Carmosino
REVIEW: Travis, _Good Feeling_ - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Salt-n-Pepa, _Brand New_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Hurricane #1, _Hurricane #1_ - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: ApolloFourForty, _Electro Glide in Blue_ - Joann D. Ball
COMPILATION REVIEWS - Pixies, Midnight Oil, David Lee Roth, Yellow
Pills Volume 4 - Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Steve Earle, _El Corazon_ - Tracey Bleile
REVIEW: Bentley Rhythm Ace, _Bentley Rhythm Ace_ - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: cottonmouth, texas, _Anti-Social Butterfly_ - Lang Whitaker
NEWS: Glen Buxton, Chumbawamba, Geraldine Fibbers, Webster Hall
TOUR DATES: Daniel Cartier, Chemical Brothers / Death In Vegas,
Cravin' Melon, Deftones, Chris Duarte Group, Everclear / Our Lady
Peace / Letters To Cleo , God Street Wine, (hed) p.e./Suicidal
Tendencies, Irving Plaza (New York City concert hall), Jackyl,
Jane's Addiction, Jars of Clay / Plumb, Live / Reef, Moxy Fruvous,
Promise Ring / Compound Red, Saw Doctors, Seven Mary Three, Sister
Hazel / Cravin' Melon, Slackers, Subrosa, The Wrens
Back Issues of Consumable
---
INTERVIEW: Ben Folds Five
- Lang Whitaker
With his scrawny legs scissored wide open and all of his 130
pounds balanced precariously on a teetering drum stool, Ben Folds bobs
up and down while his hands furiously massage the 88 keys stretched
before him. His face fixed with an open-mouthed gape, Folds leans back
from the piano while bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jesse
show no mercy to their respective instruments. Folds delivers
alternating forearm shivers and foot stomps to the ivory, as the
crowd starts singing complicated doo-wop harmonies along with Sledge
and Jesse.
In the midst of the madness, Folds swivels to his right and
gives a goofy, slap-happy grin to the audience, who dutifully erupt
in appreciation. This moment of Zen is immediately interupted by
Sledge, who has unstrapped his bass and laid it across the closed
lid of Folds' baby grand. Unplugging the instrument, Sledge gently
touches the live-wire in his hands directly to the cardioid pick-ups
on the bass. An ungodly bassified belching noise loud enough to restore
Helen Keller's hearing shudders the venue. Pleased, Sledge begins tapping
out a funk inflected rhythm that sounds like a Morse Code call for help.
A smiling Jesse picks up the beat on the drums and runs with it. Not
wanting to be left out, Folds abandons his kung-fu playing style, rips
his microphone from the mike stand, and shoves it deep inside the
piano's lid. By scraping the mike back and forth across the metal
strings of the piano, Folds replicates a record scratching; the D.J.
in this junkyard rap band.
Listening to the bombastic sound generated by the three-piece
band, you're harkened back to the days when Elton John used to actually
sing fast songs. If piano rock has indeed returned, Ben Folds Five is
riding shotgun. BF5's bizarre yet melodic mix of show tunes and punk
rock blends together surprisingly well, possibly something like George
Gershwin would have sounded like if he'd grown up with a Marshall
stack. BF5's explosive sound bounced them out of the Chapel Hill, North
Carolina scene where they began, on to Caroline, and eventuaally snagged
them a major label deal with Sony/550 Music. Their first release with Sony,
last year's clevely titled _Whatever And Ever Amen_ , has done very
well in the states, and even better in, strangely enough, Japan and
England.
During a recent respite from shooting a video for their newest
single, "Brick," in Beverly Hills, BF5 bass player Sledge checked in
with Consumable while weighing options on an off day in L.A. "I thought
about going to Disneyland or the Universal Studios Tour," said Sledge,
"but I've got this amazing hotel room, and it's got a stereo in it with
auxilliary inputs. That means musicians can totally screw up a stereo
at that point. So, I'm doing that today."
After spending the greater part of the last two years on the
road, the BF5 live experience has grown tighter than Richard Simmons'
perm. According to bassist Sledge, "We're trying to be big, musical,
and entertaining, and entertain ourselves. We have this problem where
we keep trying to make ourselves more and more aggressive and more and
more large the more we play, because we're trying to stay interesting
to ourselves. So, people who saw us last year will come back now and
see a new show, and they'll be floored. They're like 'Oh my God! You
guys are like...devils now!', because we haven't stopped touring. We've
kept working on it, and so it's just gotten really out of hand."
The scary part of all of this is that there are still
territories uncharted by BF5. Part of this past summer was spent
touring with a string section, which Sledge really enjoyed. "It was
really, really interesting to have a string section on tour with you.
Everything has to be perfect. String players are really high strung,"
Sledge puns, "and they live in string player world. They try to really
relate and they try to do all these things, but at the end of the day,
I grew up learning Led Zeppelin songs, and they grew up learning
Mozart. But, we did really come together on a lot of things, and it
was really gigantic and a lot of fun."
A lot of fun is obviously the driving force behind BF5. No
matter where they take their self-proclaimed "Punk rock for sissies",
good times and strange situations find them, even in the land down
under - Australia.
"We were on this TV show called 'The Mid-Day Show'. When you
go to a foreign country, you have no expectations at all- you don't
know what it's going to be. So we get (to 'The Mid-Day Show'), we do
the soundcheck, and everything's cool. There's a bunch of
thirty-something aged people walking around, doing cables, monitors,
setting up the lights. Then they drew the curtains for the show and
said (fake announcer voice) "Ladies and Gentlemen, Ben Folds Five!!",
and everybody in the audience was over 50 years old!"
'So, we get up there and we're doing "One Angry Dwarf (and 200
Solemn Faces)", and we're raising hell. The only way we really know
how to play that song is to just go for it. And the way we end that
song, is usually Ben picks up the stool that he's sitting on, and the
final resolve of the song is him smashing the keys with the stool.'
"Well, Ben picked up the drum stool and tossed it into the
piano. We ended the song and felt really happy. The crowd goes wild,
because they've never seen anything like that in their life."
"The show goes out live on Australian TV, and so when they
cut to a commercial, the Australian band director-guy (Jeff Harvey)
comes up and he goes (in Aussie accent) 'You assholes; damn Americans.
That's my piano, you know?' He was tearing us a new asshole! You would
not believe how upset this guy was! He was just going on and on. Ben
just kind of walked away and said 'Cool man...'. And then the guy
starts cussin' at me, and I wouldn't listen to him, and he cussed our
sound guy, and he wouldn't listen to him.
"And then he gets back from commercial, and he had them replay
Ben throwing the stool, and he goes on and on about how 'musical
instruments shouldn't be treated that way...there's 40,000 Australian
bands who would love to be on...I don't know why we had this band
on...there's nothing musical about them'...(starts laughing
hysterically)...it was awful!! I mean, it was amazing for us..."
And therein lies the attraction- three guys who call themselves
five ("We liked the alliteration of Ben Folds Five," said Ben) and
actually enjoy getting cussed out on live TV by Australian band
leaders. For those of you under BF5's spell, look towards January, 1998
for a compilation release of B-sides and live tracks (through Caroline),
which Sledge says will also include a few covers. Tie down your piano
stools, Ben Folds Five is coming on strong.
---
REVIEW: Bjork, _Homogenic_ (Elektra)
- Joe Silva
When it comes to that point where we need to start pegging
down the artists of the decade, her Bjork-ness will be right there
front and centre. Like U2 and REM, you figure at one point she will
have to fail, and will produce a record that flat out stiffs. But so
far, she's batting a thousand and uno. While the pack of
electro-chanteuses that are now among us are largely groundlings, she
resides in a far loftier portion of the atmosphere.
If you can sidestep the voice for a moment (but for only a
moment), the most stunning aspect of this LP has to be the shameless
way Bjork shows off to the world how masterful her ears are. Her
ability to draw out of herself and her collaborators the most alluring,
sensuous sounds is beyond top flight. Consciously or not, she borrows,
appropriates wholesale, and nods to the best of her peers and then
demonstrates how she might go them one better. Wonder why the second
Portishead platter falls markedly shy of their debut? Because while
they were suspended in that mini-eternity fretting over their arrested
development, Miss Icelandia snuck in to their sampler and stole all
the aching sorrow and film-noir-ness out of the circuitry for use in
"Bachelorette." Who got the "honour" of doing the next James Bond
song? Sheryl Crow? Somebody somewhere is kicking themselves.
Comments have been made by the artist herself of having returned
to a sexuality that fed on nature (mountains, the ocean) and in turn
fired _Homogenic_'s inspiration. To be sure, it can be heard everywhere
within. On "Unravel" you are beneath a cold Northern sea, floating in
space for "Immature," and on the mountain top for "Alarm Call." And
above it all, singing straight into a hand held mirror, is a voice
that arcs and swoops and is as thrilling as any fairground attraction
I've ever ridden.
As a parting comparison though, take a look at ol Mozzer. For
all his smarts and vocal charisma by shedding his connection to Mr.
Marr, Morrissey has developed a blockage to and from his pop instinct
that is so severe that any number of bypasses may be too late. _Your
Arsenal_ was nothing short of a miracle. But even that transfusion was
short-lived. Bjork, however, keeps her resources fresh and close at
hand. Anything stale is probably dispensed with with the same keen
awareness that keeps her hunting sonically and otherwise. Having
brought back the goods once again, we've only to sit back and join in
the revelry.
---
REVIEW: Ivy, _Apartment Life_ (Atlantic)
- Patrick Carmosino
The title of Ivy's second lp evokes the comfort level that is
attained here, provided that your apartment isn't a broom-closet sized,
roach infested studio that may just not be worth the grand a month
you're laying down on it. But enough of city dweller woes, the mix of
pop sophistication and said comfort gives the second release from this
New York City-based trio a lovely feel that guitar-driven pop bands of
today should strive for. It puts them in good company with the likes
of Edwyn Collins, Lloyd Cole (who produced a track here), early
Everything But The Girl, Go Sailor and others of the same ilk.
It should also be pointed out that Ivy have an indie-ethic rock
side that compliments their pop sensibilities to the tee on such tracks
as "The Best Thing" and "You Don't Know Anything". Guitarist Andy
Chase shows off a variety of analog effects that give the easy-as-pie
melodies and French-born singer Dominique Durand's delicate tones room
to breathe. When matched up against such gems as the horn-enhanced "This
Is The Day", "Never Do That Again" and "Get Out Of The City", these songs
make one wonder how Ivy have remained a rather unintentionally well-kept
secret. This is especially poignant given that Ivy bassist Adam
Schlesinger's other pop-happy band, Fountains Of Wayne, have gained
worldwide attention in the time that it took Ivy to release this album.
Whether grand success comes or not, Ivy has demonstrated in two albums
time, an ability to create deceptively attractive, tastefully arranged
pop pieces that acknowledge a time when this was the norm as well as
pointing to a contemporary style created and applauded by people who
know what the real deal is.
---
REVIEW: Travis, _Good Feeling_ (Epic)
- Bob Gajarsky
Glasgow, Scotland based Travis may be pegged as the new Oasis
from witty English scribes, but their debut full-length album,
_Good Feeling_ , showcases more influences than just those from the
Gallagher brothers. Songwriter, guitarist and lead singer Fran Healy
is especially proud of the swirling Radiohead meets U2 feel of "All
I Wanna Do Is Rock".
"If you write a song from your head, it feels like you've
written it," says Healy. "If you write from your heart, it doesn't.
It feels like something special has taken over. The first song I felt
I hadn't written was (this one)."
A self-financed EP featuring "All I Wanna Do Is Rock" was
released in 1996 and drew interest from several labels. The band
decided to sign on in England with Andy McDonald's (founder of Go!
Discs) new label, Independiente. After the release of an additional
EP on Independiente, Travis went to work with well-known producer
Steve Lilywhite to complete their first proper album.
While recording the songs at New York's Bearsville Studios,
Lilywhite was quickly able to alleviate any of Healy's fears. "I was
worried Steve would try to change these songs we'd work so hard to
perfect. But he didn't touch anything; he had confidence in our
stuff. I don't know how he does it, but he gets you in the right frame
of mind to do the song. He produces the performance and the vibe."
Travis are at their best on the faster tracks, such as the
bouncy "Tied To The 90s" and a tale of the perils of sleeping with
underage females on the sing-along "U16 Girls". And while the band
may fulfill the label as the 'new Oasis' on "The Line Is Fine",
the Pink Floyd-ish "Good Day To Die" and Replacements-like "Midsummer
Nights Dreamin'" show that this Scottish band has the dedication and
diversity to take the long, steady road to breaking in America.
"What we're about, our 'image'," Healy recounts, "doesn't
have to do with clothes; it has to do with spirit. We smile when we
play - we enjoy it. That's what it's about, at the end of the day.
It's entertainment."
---
REVIEW: Salt-n-Pepa, _Brand New_ (London/Red Ant)
- Joann D. Ball
The vinyl-like crackle and pop on "RU Ready" announces the
long-awaited return of Salt-n-Pepa. And Cheryl "Salt" James, Sandra
"Pepa" Denton and DJ Dee Dee "Spinderella" Roper are in full effect
on _Brand New_ , their fifth release and the follow-up to 1993's
extremely successful _Very Necessary_ .
Time has been good to Salt-n-Pepa, one of the few rap acts
still kickin' it after 10 years. For the very first time, the women
have complete creative control and the freedom to spice it up however
they want. Parting ways with long-time producer Herby Azor has given
Salt-n-Pepa a new drive and confidence, which is evident on all of
the 13 songs on the record (a remix of "RU Ready" is a hidden 14th
track). Also striking is the fact that the hour long _Brand New_ has
incredible flow from start to finish. It is, without a doubt,
Salt-n-Pepa's tastiest and most filling offering to date.
Salt-n-Pepa cover a lot of territory on this record, blending
rap, R&B, pop and rock, and even gospel sounds. While the three women
have always displayed their faith and conviction, the gospel connection
here developed from James' collaboration with gospel rapper Kirk
Franklin on his hit "Stomp." Franklin returns the favor and appears
here with Sounds of Blackness on "Hold On." The inspirational message
is consistent with the group's lyrical honesty, which continues to
empower women and men as it stresses love, self worth, purpose and fun.
Salt n' Pepa continue to express themselves, being upfront
and honest with their demands, needs and desires. They throw down on
the first single, "RU Ready," rap about the pleasures of living large
on "Good Life," and tell the men how they want it on the R&B flavored,
sexy groove of "Do Me Right." The reggae-rap of "Friends," written by
Sandi "Pepa" Denton, Queen Latifah, and Treach of Naughty By Nature,
features a Jamaican toast by Mad Lion and a guest rap from Latifah.
"Say Ooh," the flirty "Boy Toy" and "Gitty Up" are classic Salt n'
Pepa rump shakers, and the latter features a loop of Rick James'
"Give It To Me Baby." But the best sample on the record is Gary
Wright's "Love is Alive" which infuses the title track.
_Brand New_ features a clear vision of peace and breaking
down barriers. Special guest Sheryl Crow gets soulful with Salt n'
Pepa on "Imagine" as she sings the hook on this call for racial unity.
"The Clock is Tickin'," a tale about domestic abuse, suggests the best
of Fishbone with its heavy rock guitar and throbbing bass. The rappers
are joined on the track by the rock band Modern Yesterday, which is
signed to Salt n' Pepa's own label, Jireh Records.
_Brand New_ is an honest, real, sexy and sensual release from
the first ladies of rap. Branching out from their hip hop base, they
offer something for a variety of radio formats, including rap/urban,
pop, rock and inspirational/gospel. In their call to love yourself
and stop the violence, through their celebration of life, faith,
sexuality and motherhood and with their dedication to unity in the
community, Salt n' Pepa challenge everyone to step up and do the
right thing. RU Ready?
---
REVIEW: Hurricane #1, _Hurricane #1_ (Sire)
- Tim Mohr
Looking to rectify his errors while at the helm of Ride's
last two albums, Andy Bell has put together a new band to showcase
his songwriting. Though Bell writes all the songs for Hurricane, he
has stepped into the background to allow Alex Lowe to assume the
vocal duties. This, coupled with the severing of the uncomfortable
working relationship between Bell and Ride partner Mark Gardner,
seems to have relaxed Bell, and the new record presents his best
material in years.
It would seem that Bell has been moving in a new direction
for some years but felt compelled to make his material comply with
an image that he, Gardner, and Ride's fans shared. With Hurricane,
he finds himself able to produce and arrange without heeding those
expectations. Songs such as the lead single, "Step Into My World,"
show that Bell favors big rock sounds akin to Oasis; this sheds some
light on the odd mixture on Ride's final opus, _Tarantula_ . And
while that album did not work for the very reason that Bell
attempted - but failed - to hide this tendency, Hurricane's debut
works because Bell has started with a fresh approach.
Hurricane manages to create this big rock sound in the best
possible way: unlike the new Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque Oasis record,
Hurricane remains modern and fresh even while presenting catchy
melodies and a wash of sound.
Given Bell's origins in one of the most influential, loved,
and successful of recent British bands, it is unsurprising that
comparisons to other giants come to mind when describing Hurricane.
The opening track has some of the feel of the second Stone Roses
album, though, again, since Bell finds himself in a new setting
while John Squire and company were struggling under the pressure of
the expectations surrounding the Stone Roses, Hurricane's "Just
Another Illusion" comes off better than material on _Second Coming_ .
The fact that Squire has ceased bothering to write songs with his own
new band, the Seahorses, is painfully obvious when their album is
compared to the ten songs on Hurricane's confident and well-written
debut.
On "Chain Reaction," Lowe sings with the drawn-out, spitting
vigor of Liam Gallagher: "It's a chain reaction, you should know by
now. Would you break the chains just for me?" Likewise, Bell strums
with Noel's swagger on "Lucky Man," where the deep, wall-of-sound
production, staccato strings, and great lyrics draw comparisons to
Oasis.
Not that Hurricane are an Oasis rip-off band - though at times
the lead guitar can sound very much like Noel. They just seem to have
effectively combined the huge guitars and simple melodic lines that
also distinguish Oasis from hundreds of similar bands. Obviously,
given the early output of Ride, Bell has long been capable of writing
unforgettable melody lines, and, thinking of the dense soundscapes
of Ride's _Nowhere_ , has long championed layers of guitar able to
cause ear damage from miles away. So the success of Hurricane's
technique can come as a surprise only in light of the last Ride
record.
Songs like "Monday Afternoon" and "Stand in Line" demonstrate
Bell's continued admiration for 60s pop purism, hardly surprising for
a former member of Ride - a band perhaps surpassed only by the La's
and Mock Turtles in their purist approach. But Bell's new freedom
shows also on "Stand in Line," where a goofy, Frampton-esque wah-wah
pedal closes the song, an effect that would have been anathema on
early Ride albums.
Perhaps "Faces in a Dream" offers the definitive face of
Hurricane: a confident vocal melody coupled to a pleasing musical
backdrop that includes an organ, sparkling guitars, simple bass,
tambourines along with light, complex percussion patterns (at least
compared to Oasis), and a meandering lead guitar somewhat above the mix.
---
REVIEW: ApolloFourForty, _Electro Glide in Blue_ (550 Music)
- Joann D. Ball
Turning American audiences on to the creative, eclectic and
unpredictable tendencies of electronica is certainly a challenge. The
British collective ApolloFourForty are up for the task, however, and
have a few tricks of their own to throw into the mix on their
adventurous new release, _Electro Glide in Blue_.
_Electro Glide in Blue_. opens with a one minute introduction
called "Stealth Overture." This ethereal number, with its classical
chorale stylings, sounds more like New Age than anything for the dance
floor. But just when you've decided that this is music to relax to,
the sonic alarm goes off. None other than Eddie Van Halen's
unmistakable guitar intro from the Van Halen tour de force "Ain't
Talkin' 'Bout Love" which kick starts this 72-minute musical journey
into the wild world of electronica. The Van Halen sample is the hook
for ApolloFourForty's first U.S. single "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub,"
and is laid on top of a frenetic drum 'n' bass groove, some jazz
horns, a collage of sounds and a reggae-tinged rap.
Having quickly established that anything is game on this
futuristic collection, ApolloFourForty take electric slide guitar
and blues harmonica and drop it into techno on "Altamont Super-Highway
Revisited." Listeners can catch their breath and collect their
thoughts during the title track and "Vanishing Point," as the tempo
slows down significantly to explore the mellower territory of trip-hop.
Slide guitar pops up again in "Tears of the Gods," and at first listen
the song sounds a lot like the Stone Roses' "Love Spreads." But this
is no ordinary rock song, thanks to a steamy mix of funky beats,
scratching, booty moving bass, slashing guitars and sampled dialog.
And the electro glide continues on "Carrera Rapida (Theme From Rapid
Racer)" with its kettle drum percussion and distorted Trent Reznor-type
vocals.
ApolloFourForty acknowledges the musical treasures of jazz
on "Krupa" and "White Man's Throat." On the former, the band takes
the syncopated drumming style of Gene Krupa and creates a clubgoers
dream. The techno keyboards and repetitive bass line on the infectious
"Krupa" made the track a hit in Britain where it was released twice as
a single in 1996. "White Man's Throat," meanwhile, pays tribute to
Miles Davis' funk-fusion work. And the title was inspired by the
musician's controversial statement about where he'd hoped his hands
would be when he died.
"Pain in Any Language" features the vocals of the late
Billy MacKenzie, formerly of the Associates. This moody track would
be the perfect theme song for a dark, romantic thriller film about a
possessed lover. The lighter and brighter "Stealth Mass in F#m"
which follows is the full length version of the cd's opening track.
The combination of classical religious sounds, New Age overtones and
trip-hop style works amazingly well here and finally delivers the
relaxing sounds hinted at on "Stealth Overture." Just when you thought
it was safe to kick back, ApolloFourForty shake things up once again
with the accurately titled "Raw Power." Having more in common with
the Prodigy than Iggy Pop, this outburst brings the noise with a
reggae rap delivery over techno and drum 'n' bass instrumentation.
This final track brings _Electro Glide in Blue_ to an end, but it's
a trip you'll want to take again and again.
---
COMPILATION REVIEWS
- Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Pixies, _Death To The Pixies_ (Elektra)
A two disc retrospective - one 'greatest hits', one live -
might seem like overkill for any normal band that released only four
albums and never achieved any huge mainstream success. But, in
death as in life, the Pixies prove that they are not any normal band.
The seventeen track greatest hits disc - the second disc is 21
songs culled from a 1990 concert recorded live in Holland - focuses on
the epic masterpiece of the Pixies brief career, 1989's _Doolittle_.
That album's highlights - the simplistic yet addictive "Monkey Gone To
Heaven" , the poppy "Here Comes Your Man" and classic "Wave of
Mutilation" - are all included here. The early years aren't
forgotten as the stepping stone for future success; die-hards get three
songs from the "Come On Pilgrim" EP, and the Black Francis/Kim Deal
collaboration from _Surfer Rosa_, "Gigantic", appears as well.
_Bossa Nova_ is equally covered on both discs of this compilation
(the live disc is from the _Bossa Nova_ tour), but when it comes
time to cover _Trompe Le Monde_ , the Pixies really do fool the
world by leaving off that album's two biggest songs, "Letter
To Memphis" and their lackluster cover of the Jesus and Mary Chain's
"Head On".
_Trompe Le Monde_ was showing that a fire can only last so long
before burning out. But, this fire spread to other campers; Black
Francis' works gained acceptance by the critics, Kim Deal's Breeders
spawned their own offshoots (Tanya Donnelly in Belly and Throwing
Muses), and numerous other bands, all owing their debt to the Pixies.
Take one listen to the chord changes towards the end of "Debaser" ,
and you'll have a hard time believing that "Come As You Are" was the
only Nirvana hit on which Mr. Cobain borrowed liberally from other
artists.
TRACK LISTING, Disc 1: Cecilia Ann, Planet of Sound, Tame, Here
Comes Your Man, Debaser, Wave of Mutilation, Dig For Fire, Caribou,
Holiday Song, Nimrod's Song, U-Mass, Bone Machine, Gigantic,
Where Is My Mind, Velouria, Gouge Away, Monkey Gone To Heaven
---
REVIEW: Midnight Oil, _20000 Watt R.S.L._ (Columbia)
Midtown Manhattan mixes the atmosphere of several different
cultures in a span of several city blocks. Men and women in business
attire walk side by side with musicians on their way to the record
label, housed in high rise buildings. Actors and actresses tending
bar by day to pay the rent while waiting for their big break serve
the tourists who have come to see what the Big Apple is all about.
It was in this unlikely melting pot that Midnight Oil performed a
live concert in 1990, in front of the Exxon Building (now simply
known as 1251 Avenue of the Americas), to warn the people of New
York City of their environmental responsibilities.
But then again, Midnight Oil has always been in the forefront
of situations that others might not have approached. Led by the
imposing Peter Garrett, the Oils are one of the most respected bands
in terms of mixing rock and politics. Although some acts choose to
cloak their meaning in double-talk and hidden representations,
this Australian band have always been in-your-face with their messages.
Probably the most representative track of Midnight Oil's
22 year history is "Blue Sky Mine" . The title track to their 1990
album takes the viewpoint of a long time asbestos miner, fighting
to stay alive (financially from poor pay, as well as literally from
the deadly asbestos), wondering "If the Blue Sky Mining company won't
come to my rescue / If the sugar refining company won't save me / Who's
gonna save me?" Poignant connotations - bribery of politicians and
newspaper editors - revolve around a song which retains its fresh
guitar chords today.
Of course, Midnight Oil is much more than just one song.
To non-Australian audiences, this 18 track compilation will serve not
only as a fine representation of the past, but a look into the future.
True, the big American hits are here ( "Beds Are Burning" , "Dead
Heart" ) as well as shoulda-been hits ( "Power And The Passion" ,
"Dreamworld" , "Forgotten Years" , "Kosciuosko" ), but _20000 Watt
R.S.L._ also includes two new songs. And rather than ripping off
Midnight Oil fans who have 'every album' by forcing them to buy the
2 new songs, they've included the same songs on the forthcoming
_Redneck Wonderland_ (slated for an early 1998 release).
These tracks follow in the strong Midnight Oil tradition. "What
Goes On" fits in finely with many of their earlier tracks (but with
a tighter feel to it), while "White Skin Black Heart" sounds a bit like
INXS - if Michael Hutchence gained a spine.
File this one under political rock, mate.
This album appears in stores November 4.
TRACK LISTING: What Goes On, Power And The Passion, Dreamworld,
White Skin Black Heart, Kosciusko, Dead Heart, Blue Sky Mine, U.S.
Forces, Beds Are Burning, One Country, Best of Both Worlds, Truganini,
King of the Mountain, Hercules, Surf's Up Tonight, Back On The
Borderline, Don't Wanna Be The One, Forgotten Years
---
REVIEW: David Lee Roth, _The Best_ (Rhino)
Nearly one year to the week after Van Halen released
_Greatest Hits, Volume One_ featuring a one-off appearance by their
former lead singer, David Lee Roth has issued his own greatest hits
collection, _The Best_ .
Roth has always been surrounded by top-shelf guitarists,
and his solo career showed him making excellent choices such as
Steve Vai, Jason Becker and Billy Sheehan. But in-between the bonafide
rock and roll band, Roth's alter-ego - Vegas, showman style - appears.
It's this reason that Van Halen would perform the periodic "Happy
Trails" and other kitschy cover songs, which Roth carried to his solo
career. Most of the covers, such as "Tobacco Road", "Easy Street,"
and "California Girls" have aged well. "Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got
Nobody" doesn't fare quite as well and thankfully, his atrocious cover
of "That's Life" is omitted from this twenty song compilation.
However, the strength of Roth falls back into the original
rockers co-written by Roth and other collaborators - "Yankee Rose" and
"Goin' Crazy" (Steve Vai) and "Just Like Paradise" (Brett Tuggle").
The new track, "Don't Piss me Off", is not written by Roth, and
suffers from a Bill Haley-style guitar chord sequence.
_The Best_ is definitely a solid compilation of David Lee
Roth's solo material, and most people who own the Roth solo catalog
could probably toss those five discs in favor of this one.
The question that remains, however, is how many people actually own
that collection.
TRACK LISTING: Don't Piss Me Off, Yankee Rose, A Lil' Ain't Enough, Just
Like Paradise, Big Train, Big Trouble, It's Showtime, Hot Dog And A
Shake, Skyscraper, Shyboy, She's My Machine, Stand Up, Tobacco Road,
Easy Street, California Girls, Just A Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody,
Sensible Shoes, Goin' Crazy, Ladies Night In Buffalo, Land's Edge
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Yellow Pills Volume 4_ (Big Deal)
Yellow Pills - the St. Louis-based magazine which also
releases compilation discs - returns with a bang in the fourth of
its series of power pop collections.
Power pop, the underappreciated style of music that you can
actually sing along with, has been making a comeback in the 90s.
Although commercial success has eluded many of its 'stars' (with
the exception of the periodic Matthew Sweet or Cheap Trick), more and
more performers are taking the style under their wing and making it
their own. Amidst a combination of established artists and newcomers,
_Volume 4_ stands on its own as a solid release filled with quality
songs.
Lovers of power pop will find plenty here to choose from.
Name artists include Richard Barone's "Show And Tell" (showcased here
in its demo version before Marti Jones' commercial release), the
Plimsouls ( "Playing With Jack"), and Scott Miller's Loud Family (
"Chicago and Miss Jovan's Land-O-Mat" ). Material Issue, featuring
the late Jim Ellison on lead vocals, cover the Grass Roots "I'd Wait
A Million Years" in their own straight ahead, take-no-prisoners, style.
Because Ellison took his life last year in his own garage, it is
likely that this (coupled with Rykodisk's _Telecommando Americano_ )
will be the final tracks released by the great Chicago band.
While those performers are known in the marketplace, _Volume 4_
shines on the artists who haven't quite become household names, but
can easily be compared to veteran performers. They include the
_Pet Sounds_ era Beach Boys (Andrew Gold, "Love Tonight" ), "There She
Goes" of the La's (John McMullan, "The Thought of Your Name" ), Paul
McCartney (David Grahame, who played Macca in Beatlemania, in 1981s "I
Love You Better" ), Randy Newman (Joe Marc's Brother "She's Gonna Be
My Girl" ), Oasis' "Cast No Shadow" (Dan Markell, "You Mighta Made
The Sun"), and Matthew Sweet (John Velora's "Coming Home" ). All of
the aforementioned tracks by the 'unknowns' would fit in nicely on
an album from their better known counterparts.
As usual, there are some misses on this collection. But for
purveyors of power pop, _Yellow Pills Volume 4_ hits the mark.
---
REVIEW: Steve Earle, _El Corazon_ (E-Squared/Warner)
- Tracey Bleile
I was *never* a country music fan - I found it easy to ignore
and/or put down. It was only until I started getting turned on to the
Americana that was bubbling up from every little pocket it could
survive that I started to appreciate where this music came from and
what gave it that edge. I learned that what drove me crazy about
country, is the same thing that plagues any genre of *popular*
music - it is an ultra-commercial venture, slickly marketed and
force-fed in the same pretty little package, over and over. I'm one
of those people who will take heart-rending lyrics and an angry
guitar, no matter how lost the voices, no matter how rough the
production work, over perfection, every time.
What feeds my disgust with commercialism is the constant
recurrence of the story of a rising star who isn't guided right the
first time, and then with no one to support them, plummets back to
earth. The hard lesson is learned, and the only way to start over
again is from the very beginning, with more modest hopes. Steve
Earle has lived this story like one of his own songs - just like a
country song tragedy. He had his real shot at the glamour and glitz
of Nashville at one point in his career, but consequently, his
success begat a bad drug habit and he did a stretch of hard time
that stopped everything. When he found his way back, it was through
hard work; by constantly writing, playing, and lending his assistance
wherever it is needed, in order to find his place.
Earle's current release, _El Corazon_ doesn't display the
splashy strength and evenness of his 1995 comeback _I Feel Alright_,
but just as the title suggests, it's got lots o' heart. With his
twangy tenor that on ballads like "Christmas In Washington" he knows
how to let his voice trail off on the ends of lines with a rumbling
breathiness that suggests being close to tears. He takes all the
cliches of country songs and makes them real-life situations again.
What keeps _El Corazon_ working is his tendency to throw in different
flavorings from everything that is intimately tied to country origins,
within the space of two songs. You see how different, yet how
connected the ideas are when he reaches for the Tex-Mex spice in
"You Know The Rest" and then with nary a pause, turns up the flame
and throws in a generous handful of gritty blues and straight ahead
rock in "N.Y.C."
Other tracks that stand out have an immediate accessibility -
especially his songs that pull in more instrumentation like the
violins (and the sung accompaniment of Siobhan Kennedy) in "Poison
Lovers" or the Hammond and brass in "Telephone Road" , and display the
sensibility of a more commercial act. I think if the Traveling
Wilburys would ever reform, he could be their wild long-lost second
cousin, and fit right in. If the more straight-ahead country songs
end up feeling a little out of place on this album, it's only because
he's a lot more interesting when it's just the lonely troubadour and
his guitar, or the leader of making a big rambunctious sound.
If success were measured on the true scale of having the
ability to do what you love, and the freedom to keep on doing it,
then Steve Earle is richer than he could ever dream possible.
---
REVIEW: Bentley Rhythm Ace, _Bentley Rhythm Ace_ (Astralwerks/Skint)
- Tim Mohr
From one of the trendiest of current labels, Bentley Rhythm
Ace continue the proud tradition of Skint standouts Fatboy Slim, with
huge beats, creative samples, and a good sense of humor.
The album opens with weird spoken-word samples, asking, as the
music kicks in, "Have you ever laughed until tears run down your
cheeks?" Then flute loops wander around a bass playing scales and
some chemical beats on "Let There Be Flutes." Eventually, some
distorted noises enter the mix and run around until the Bentleys
decide to bring things to a stop with more flute flourishes. This
is Skint at its best, showing why the hype is deserved.
Bentley Rhythm Ace have, like Fatboy Slim, a background in
indie: the two Aces were in Pop Will Eat Itself before chucking in
live sounds for computers. It would seem that Skint and Astralwerks
- whose Fatboy Slim includes a former Housemartin - seek out
electronic bands with a concrete sense of music. And this approach
also seems to yield impressive results.
The Aces produce a sound not quite as frenetic as the Chemical
Brothers, but also more easily appreciated at home. The beats and
samples are not as obvious as those used by Fatboy Slim (whose album
includes recognizable snippets from Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and
The Who), and the drum tones in particular are not as muscular as
the almost inconcievably massive tones laid down by Fatboy Slim or
the Chemicals. What the Aces lack in earth-quake inducing beats they
replace with intricate patterns of sound, handcrafted tracks where each
bar has been painstakingly constructed to please the discerning ear.
With song titles like "Rag Top Skoda Car Chase" and "Who Put
the Bom in the Bom Bom Diddleye Bom," Bentley Rhythm Ace are sure
enough of their serious beats to allow some zaniness into the project.
This silliness sneaks in with train whistles on "Mind That Gap," odd
sounds borrowed from 60s experimental synth projects in "Run on the
Spot," and cartoon noises on "Bentleys Gonna Sort You Out."
While bands like the Prodigy and Chemical Brothers drift
towards hip-hop stylings and bring electronic party music to the
people, Bentley Rhythm Ace and other Skint groups maintain a more
original sound that, while more palatable to people who cannot
tolerate the gun-toting machismo of rap, is less universally appealing
because it is still foreign to most listeners. The future of
electronic music, however, lies with groups such as Bentley Rhythm
Ace, who are using the "new" medium to come up with something new
rather than aping - and this is most pronounced in the Prodigy - the
wannabe hardness of metal and gangsta. The Aces will appeal to those
who like the new noise but who also see (and are uncomfortable with)
the similarity in the audience of the Prodigy to that of, say, Judas
Priest (years ago) or Cypress Hill. It is all too easy to fuel the
violent, ridiculous fantasies of teenage boys - so Bentley Rhythm Ace
aim higher.
---
REVIEW: cottonmouth, texas, _Anti-Social Butterfly_ (Virgin)
- Lang Whitaker
The day they handed out rose colored glasses, cottonmouth,
texas frontman Jeffrey Liles got screwed.
"Everyone I grew up with is either dead, gone for good now,
or in jail," Liles says. "Somehow I got left here to try and make
sense out of all this." With that vision statement in mind, Liles
went into the recording studio with several of his Dallas, Texas-based
musician friends. What resulted is cottonmouth, texas' newest album,
_Anti-Social Butterfly_ .
_Anti-Social Butterfly_ is exactly that - sticking out from
everything else on the current musical row of mason jars. Over moody
and complex ambient tones, Liles tells his stories in a quiet drawl
that sounds more like it belongs on "King of the Hill" than talking
about dropping acid. Liles describes the album as, "a critical mass,
slice-of-life diary of sorts. A postcard from the edge, if you will,
of what it's like to grow up in the city that killed JFK."
cottonmouth's songs deal for the most part with the parts of
everyday life that become routine or blunted to most of us. "Hoops (and
a search for the truth)" outlines Liles' shoot-around at a local
basketball goal. The ordinary repititon of shoot-rebound-shoot-rebound
soon becomes a game where the success of each shot signifies a sign
from God relating to different aspects of Liles' existence. "Three
Dimes" tells of Liles' struggle to borrow enough change to use a pay
phone, and eventually de-rails to the point of Liles calling a number
scrawled on the phone booth and telling them his name is Ron Jeremy.
The musicians behind Liles are an accomplished lot. Going by
the name "The Decadent Dub Team", several years ago their song "Six
Gun" was re-mixed by Dr. Dre and appeared on the soundtrack to
_Colors_ . Guitarist Kenny Withrow has been with Edie Brickell for
some time, and keyboardist Zac Baird also takes time off from Brickell
to participate in cottonmouth. Bassist David Monsey and drummer Earl
Harvin are both members of MC 900 Ft. Jesus, with Harvin also backing
Seal. The backgrounds they create are understated enough to not detract
from Liles' stories, but the music also is strong enough to stand on
its own.
When writing his "postcards", Liles often teeters on "the edge"
he referred to, an edge many of us are afraid to toe. Sometimes Liles
falls off, and sometimes he sprints and dives off headfirst, while all
the time we stand back and watch. However, the brutal honesty that
Liles travels with in his front pocket is often astonishing, and even
more often, beautiful.
---
NEWS: > Glen Buxton, founder member and lead guitarist of the
original Alice Cooper group and co-writer of songs such as "School's
Out" and "I'm Eighteen", died this week of complications from
pneumonia.
> Chumbawamba's recent Washington, DC / WHFS rooftop show was
truncated after four songs by the city's police and parks commission for
failure to procure the proper permits.
> The Geraldine Fibbers' October 30 concert at The Palace in
Hollywood, California, will be broadcast live on the Internet at 10:30
PST via L.A. Live ( http://www.lalive.com ) .
> New York City dance club Webster Hall is celebrating its five
year anniversary with the launch of Webster Hall Records and a _Live At
Webster Hall Volume One_ compilation disc mixed by club DJ John Suliga.
A portion of the sales from the disc (which also include a
complimentary admission pass to the club) will benefit LIFEbeat. The
website for Webster Hall is http://www.webster-hall.com .
---
TOUR DATES (Please confirm with site before travelling):
Daniel Cartier
Nov. 1 Baltimore, MD Funnel
Nov. 3 New York, NY Feriouci
Nov. 5 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's
Nov. 6 Boston, MA Kendall Cafe
Nov. 7 Albany, NY Bogie's
Nov. 8 Baltimore, MD Funnel
Nov. 10 Arlington, VA Iota
Chemical Brothers / Death In Vegas
Nov. 7 Detroit, MI State Theater
Nov. 8 Chicago, IL Riviera
Nov. 9 Toronto, ON Warehouse/Guvernment
Cravin' Melon
Oct. 30 Myrtle Beach, SC House Of Blues
Oct. 31 Greenville, SC Characters
Deftones
Oct. 31 San Diego, CA Canes
Nov. 1 Los Angeles, CA The Palace
Nov. 3 Sacramento, CA Crest Theatre
Nov. 4 San Francisco, CA Fillmore
Nov. 6 Seattle, WA Rock Candy
Nov. 7 Portland, OR La Luna
Nov. 8 Vancouver, BC Graceland
Nov. 10 Boise, ID Bogies
Chris Duarte Group
Oct. 30 Tyler, TX Ricky's On the Square
Nov. 1 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom (with Kenny Wayne Shepard)
Nov. 9 Columbus, OH Ludlow's (with Government Mule)
Nov. 10 Indianapolis, IN The Patio
Everclear / Our Lady Peace / Letters To Cleo
Nov. 2 Milwaukee, WI Modjeska
Nov. 3 Chicago, IL Metro
Nov. 4 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Nov. 6 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall
Nov. 7 Cincinnati, OH Bogarts
Nov. 8 Cleveland, OH Odeon
Nov. 10 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol
God Street Wine
Nov. 1 Milwaukee, WI Rave
Nov. 2 Ames, IA People's
(hed) p.e./Suicidal Tendencies
Oct. 30 Eureka, CA Hefe's
Oct. 31 Salem, OR Salem Armory
Nov. 1 Bellingham, WA Cosmos
Nov. 2 Seattle, WA RKCNDY
Nov. 4 Spokane, WA Outback Jack's
Nov. 5 Boise, ID Bogie's
Nov. 7 Salt Lake City, UT Wasatch Event Center (with Misfits and Sick of it All)
Nov. 8 Vail, CO Garton's
Nov. 9 Boulder, CO Glenn Miller Ballroom
Irving Plaza (New York City concert hall: http://www.irvingplaza.com)
Nov. 1 Beth Orton / Grandaddy
Nov. 1 Goldie (late show)
Nov. 3-4 Stereloab / Mouse On Mars
Nov. 5-6 Verve
Nov. 7 John Hiatt
Nov. 8 Saw Doctors
Nov. 10 Tonic / Jeremy Toback
Jackyl
Nov. 1 Kansas City, MO KQRC Freakers Ball
Jane's Addiction
Nov. 3 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
Nov. 4 Detroit, MI Michigan State Fairgrounds
Nov. 7 Waltham, MA Gosman Center
Jars of Clay / Plumb
Oct. 30 Omaha, NE Aksarben
Oct. 31 Minneapolis, MN Northrup Auditorium
Nov. 1 Green Bay, WI Brown County Veterans Memorial Arena
Nov. 2 Muncie, IN Emens Auditorium @ Ball State University
Nov. 6 Akron, OH Akron Civic Theatre
Nov. 7 Rosemont, IL Rosemont Theatre
Nov. 8 Louisville, KY Palace Theater
Nov. 9 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre
Live / Reef
Nov. 2 Wayne, NJ William Paterson University
Nov. 6 State College, PA Jordan Center
Nov. 7 Newark, DE Carpenter Center
Nov. 8 Bethlehem, PA Stabler Arena
Nov. 9 Erie, PA Civic Center
Nov. 10 Indiana, PA Fisher Auditorium
Moxy Fruvous
Nov. 5 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
Nov. 6 Cleveland, OH The Odeon
Nov. 8 Rochester, NY Harro East Theatre
Nov. 9 Utica, NY Rainforest Preserve
Promise Ring / Compound Red
Nov. 1 Green Bay, WI Concert Cafe W/ Hum
Nov. 7 Minneapolis, MN The Hole W/ Calvin Krime
Nov. 8 Sioux Falls, SD The Pomp Room
Nov. 9 Rapid City, SD The Dahl Fine Arts Center
Nov. 10 Great Falls, MT Center Stage
Saw Doctors
Nov. 2 Asbury Park, NJ Saint
Nov. 3 Philadelphia, PA Upstairs At Nicks
Nov. 6 Portland, ME Raoul's Music Hall
Nov. 7 Amagansett, NY Stephen's Talkhouse
Nov. 8 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Seven Mary Three
Nov. 1 Portland, OR The Asylum
Nov. 3 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
Nov. 5 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall
Nov. 7 Atlanta, GA Cotton Club
Nov. 8 Cocoa Beach, FL Broward County Fair
Nov. 9 West Palm Bch, FL Heritage Festival
Sister Hazel / Cravin' Melon
Nov. 1 Tallahassee, FL Floyd's
Nov. 2 Cocoa Beach, FL Brevard County Fairgrounds
Nov. 4 Tuscaloosa, AL Varsity Music Hall
Nov. 5 Dothan, AL Houston County Farm
Nov. 6 Memphis, TN New Daisy Theatre
Nov. 8 Lawrence, KS Granada
Slackers
Nov. 1 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's
Nov. 2 Houma, LA Houma Music Hall
Nov. 4-5 New Orleans, LA Maple Leaf
Nov. 6 Orlando, FL Sapphire Supper Club
Nov. 7 Jacksonville, FL Milk Bar
Nov. 8 Charlotte, NC Fat City
Nov. 9 Raleigh, NC Brewery
Nov. 11 Norfolk, VA Tap House Grill
Subrosa
Oct. 30 Austin, TX Electric Lounge
Nov. 1 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit
Nov. 2 Corpus Christi, TX Bucket's Sports Bar
Nov. 4 Columbus, GA Chicasaw
Nov. 6 Atlanta, GA Chameleon Club
Nov. 8 Norfolk, VA Boathouse
Nov. 9 Baltimore, MD 8*10 Club
Nov. 10 Philadelphia, PA Lasalle University
The Wrens
Oct. 30 Denton, TX Dan's Bar
Oct. 31 Houston, TX Urban Art Bar
Nov. 1 Austin, TX Electric Lounge
Nov. 3 Los Angeles, CA Viper Room
Nov. 4 Los Angeles, CA Opium Den
Nov. 8 Omaha, NE Cog Factory
Nov. 9 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
Nov. 10 Kalamazoo, MI Club Soda
---
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