Volume - IV Issue - I Spring 1994 Network AAA U U DDDD IIIII OOO A A U U D D I O O AAAAA U U D D I O O A A U U D D I O O A A UUU DDDD IIIII OOO BBBB IIIII TTTTT SSS B B I T S BBBB I T SSS B B I T S BBBB IIIII T SSS & Audio Software Review (c) Copyright 1994 by Michael A. Murphy ======================================================================== Please send all suggestions/comments/requests concerning Network Audio Bits & Audio Software Review via E-Mail to: Michael A. Murphy - - Anyone wishing to send U.S. Snail mail may write to: Network Audio Bits P.O. Box 328 Orono, Maine 04473 ======================================================================== CONTENTS Editorial Compact Disc Reviews 1) Songs About Stuff - Wally Pleasant 2) Welcome To Pleasantville - Wally Pleasant 3) As Seen On No TV - Chris Chandler 4) Can't Have Nothin' Nice - Gear Daddies 5) Copper Blue - Sugar 6) Beaster - Sugar 7) The Whole World - Penelope Houston 8) Fragments Of A Rainy Season - John Cale 9) Plants And Birds And Rocks And Things - Loud Family, The 10) Mercury - American Music Club 11) Wallow - Bedlam Rovers 12) Too Much Pork For Just One Fork - Southern Culture On The Skids 13) Gravity Dance - The Horse Flies 14) It Happened One Night - John Wesley Harding 15) Don't Get Weird On Me, Babe - Lloyd Cole 16) Cakewalk - House Of Freaks 17) Orange Number Eight - David Rice 18) Supernatural - 360's 19) What An Experiment His Head Was - Uncle Green 20) Sunshine & Cockroaches - 3D Picnic 21) The Bluest Sky - Nikki Meets The Hibachi 22) Wondering - Natalie Farr 23) Medallion - Sex Police 24) 1000 Smiling Knuckles - Skin Yard 25) Circa - Mary's Danish 26) Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo - Bela Fleck & The Flecktones 27) Once In A While - Vassar Clements 28) Portrait Of A Player - Billy Childs 29) Sticks & Stones - Ray Obiedo 30) Danilo Perez - Danilo Perez Bits and Pieces - mini/capsule reviews, news of: 1) Candyland - James McMurtry 2) Jet Black And Jealous - Paul Sanchez 3) Lucky You - The Sextants 4) Sonia Dada - Sonia Dada 5) Eleventeen - Daisy Chainsaw 6) Kitty - Dashboard Saviors 7) World Of Sand - The Cakekitchen 8) It's Only Time - Mark Curry 9) Dim Stars - Dim Stars 10) Birthing Chair Blues - Amy Denio 11) Mariposa - Rein Sanction 12) The Way Of The Vaselines * A Complete History - The Vaselines 13) On Golden Smog - Golden Smog 14) The Devil's Front Door - Jerry Giddens 15) Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis) - Praxis 16) Tennessee Border - Sonny Burgess 17) Blue Collar Blues - Billy Lee Riley 18) Stranger In This Place - Killbilly 19) Omniscience - Swans, Cop/Young God - Swans, Greed/Holy Money - Swans 20) The Complete Blind Willie Johnson, White Country Blues (1926-1938), New Orleans Barrelhouse Boogie - Champion Jack Dupree, The Slide Guitar: Bottles, Knives & Steel Vol.2, The Complete Recordings Vol. 4 - Bessie Smith 21) Waiting For Herb - The Pogues 22) The Storyteller - Vinx 23) Mezcal Head - Swervedriver 24) House Of Acid Jazz V. 1 25) The Rebirth Of Cool 26) Living Dub Volume Two - Burning Spear 27) The Monster Butt Beat Dance Test - Bop (Harvey) 28) Shiver, _Dead and Gone to Heaven EP_ - Rose Chronicles 29) SpeedDangerDeath - Hot Rod 30) Blue Million Miles - Joan Osborne 31) Ungawa Beep Beep - In June 32) Sights... - Mike Judge & Old Smoke 33) Down Out Law - Kevn Kinney 34) Fire in the Hole - Picasso Trigger 35) The Crying Tree - Blood Oranges 36) The Love That Won't Shut Up - Opal Foxx Quartet 37) Billy Pilgrim - Billy Pilgrim 38) Drunk - Vic Chesnutt 39) Charlie Hunter Trio 40) Pleasures of the Past - Steve Ellis 41) Sangria - Throneberry 42) Aenone - Aenone 43) Against Nature - Permanent Green Light 44) Museum of Heart - Dave Alvin 45) Mono - Fury in the Slaughterhouse 46) Whiskey For the Holy Ghost - Mark Lanegan 47) Burnt - Chune 48) Every Lonely Planet - Papa Loves Mambo 49) Start a New Race - Paranoise 50) Feel Nice - Psyclone Rangers Jazz Bits and Pieces - mini/capsule reviews, news of: 1) Sanctified Shells - Steve Turre 2) Russell Malone - Russell Malone 3) Trust The Universe - Rachel Z 4) Flame Out - The Memphis Horns 5) Anatomy Of A Groove - M-Base Collective 6) Algo Nuestro "Our Thing" - Charlie Spulveda 7) Dance To The Drums Again - Cassandra Wilson 8) In African Eyes - Rene McLean 9) Passenger 57 - Stanley Clarke 10) Father Of Orquesta Tejana - Beto Villa Contact Info for labels - catalogs/mail order, etc. ======================================================================== EDITORIAL Welcome to the twentieth issue of Network AUDIO BITS & Software Review! This newest issue has been a long time in the making. You can tell by the bulk of the issue that I have not been idle all this time. What has kept me from putting all of this together and getting it out is mostly a lack of time. Having babies running (or crawling) around the house and having to attend to familial matters has definitely taken up more and more of my time. This is not a bad thing. It's nice to be fairly involved in the home life of my daughters. I grew up with a father who was mostly out of the house working. He was/is certainly a workaholic, but I think it's a societal or generational thing, too. My generation appears to place more emphasis on spending time with families than in chasing the almighty dollar. At any rate, this factor cuts the most into time that I might have otherwise devoted to sitting down at the computer to put all of this together. Other things have contributed as well. I've concentrated a good deal of time to my radio show (The Blues Bus) on WMEB-FM (91.9 in Orono, Maine). I've also filled in three different times at WMEB as Music Director. That is a rewarding job as I get to hear tons of new releases, but it's kind of like MASH's meatball surgery - chew it up and spit it out as fast as you can to keep up with the onslaught of new releases. Some of that will probably be reflected in the reviews you find in this issue. Which brings me to another point I'd like to mention. Some of these reviews may be familiar to some of you. I've posted some of them in response to articles on netnews. Many of the reviews have been lurking around on my CMS minidisks for a long time. Some of them have even appeared in other publications (X Magazine, some local UMaine papers). Some of these have been cleaned up a little from the rougher forms that may have appeared in the past. Some of the artists in this issue have newer releases available than the ones reviewed. It is possible that these releases will be reviewed in a future issue, but I am choosing to run the old reviews since there are probably many of you out there who may not be aware that these recordings are available or may not have taken notice of them when they were released. A few of these may be out-of-print by now or hard to find. Most of them are new enough that this shouldn't be much of a problem. I've decided that I should limit the size of this issue. I was planning on including some more reviews of newer material (you'll note some new releases are reviewed in the Bits & Pieces section), but the issue is getting rather large. Thus, I have enough material to follow up with another issue very soon. I may even be able to do all the work necessary to get the next issue out fairly soon. So, another issue is finally here. I've gone through it with a fine tooth comb - all typos will be mine, hopefully there are few. If I've managed to screw something up badly, please feel free to let me know. I hope you find it useful, informative and even entertaining. Ratings guide: ***** Indispensable **** Merely excellent *** Solid ** So-so, but worthwhile * Don't bother Should you wish to order an album from any of the smaller labels found within Network Audio Bits, please include with your order request a small note letting the company know that you learned of their product through reading Network Audio Bits. I have been in contact with several record companies in order to provide a variety of music for these 'pages', and I know these record companies will take the magazine and its readership much more seriously once they have an indication that word of their product is being spread and being heard. Thanks! ======================================================================== Small Time Drug Dealer Songs About Stuff Bad Haircut Wally Pleasant That's Evolution! Producer: Not Credited Ode to Detroit Engineer: Ron Murphy and Steve T First Love Simonson R Lost Weekend Las Vegas Miranda WP 91490 A She's in Love With a Geek Released: 1992 C Cool Guy With a Car Total Time: 40:56 K Psycho Roommate Source - CD S Hippies Lament (I Wanna Be a) Pop Star Rating - **** If I Were Restless College Years Dead Rock n Roll Stars ------------------------------------------------------------------------ She's Addicted to Clothes Merry Christmas Time Again Welcome To Pleasantville I Hate Cops Wally Pleasant I've Got a Garden Producer: Not Credited Rock-n-Roll Yard Sale Engineer: Tom Myers and Steve T How I Got Lost On the Road Less Simonson R Traveled But Then Got Miranda WP 91491 A Instant Karma On I-96 Released: 1993 C Only Everything Total Time: 39:08 K I Was a Teenage Republican Source - CD S Farmhand A-Go-Go Rock Song Rating - *** Man With a Tan It's a Beautiful Day Smoking I Was a Teenage Republican (George Bush megamix version) _Songs About Stuff_ hit the college airwaves in the summer of '92. At WMEB (UMaine student-run station, I DJ there - ed.) it was the number one album for several weeks. _Welcome To Pleasantville_ is his 1993 followup. Pleasant has given us nearly 30 songs on the two discs and I'll bet that he's got a bunch more lurking around his brain, his apartment and the sleazy laundromat down the street. His songs are mostly satirical in nature, often observing things that can be heartfelt to those of college age. On _Songs About Stuff_ Pleasant hit the mark more often than not. A quick peek at the song titles along with the knowledge that Pleasant is spot-on with his observations on these subjects will give you a good idea of what he's about. Imagine a relatively clean cut (assuming the album cover pictures are really Wally!), serious looking, young man with a slightly whiny, reedy voice and a sparsely accompanied acoustic guitar. Yea, that's Wally. He looks pretty harmless, but when you get close enough to him to hear his music, you'll either run away without looking back or proclaim him king of the asylum. On his latest release, _Welcome to Pleasantville_, Wally's at it again. The sound hasn't changed much. His material, however, is not quite up to the level established on _Songs About Stuff_. There are some minor gems ("She's Addicted to Clothes", "Man With a Tan", "I Was a Teenage Republican") along with a few others that many folks will still find amusing. I think Wally just needs to get out a little more - his observations are often still sharp, but they're just not as interesting as the ones on _Songs About Stuff_. If _Songs About Stuff_ weren't so good, I'd probably be raving about _Welcome To Pleasantville_. Anyone who's followed any of the performers that have come to be regarded as anti-folk (Kirk Kelly, Roger Manning, Cindy Lee Berryhill, etc.) should check out Wally's stuff. Similarly, if you like Wally, then check out some of those other folks. Wally's CDs can be ordered from Miranda Records, P.O. Box 1024, East Lansing, MI 48826 USA. $12 for a CD or $8 for a tape. Overseas orders should probably write first to arrange appropriate shipping. ======================================================================== As Seen On No TV Republican Woodstock Chris Chandler Embryonic Citizenship Producer: Rachel Faro/C. Chandler She's So Mundane Engineers: Ron Allaire, Rick Van FM Revisited Beschoten, Joe Cueno, T Whole Wheat Left Axel Niehaus R A Funny Thing Happened On the Flying Fish FF 70596 A Way to the Abyss #98.6-1/2 Released: 1992 C Watergate Generation Total Time: 50:18 K Unbound Source - CD S Fast Food Confederacy A Funny Thing Happened On the Rating - ***-1/2 Way to the Abyss #3.2 Travels With Charlie The Ballad of Bob Sheldon The quote on the back of this disc says it best - "a cross between Pete Seeger and Jello Biafra". Chandler is political, hard hitting and he's more direct with his commentary than many performers. He's not as overtly humorous as performers like Wally Pleasant (reviewed elsewhere in this issue), but he does use a little humor to get one's attention. If his material were not set to music, Chris would indeed sound like Jello Biafra or even Henry Rollins at their ranting best. You can read through the track listing and get an idea of where Chandler is coming from. It'll be interesting to see if his next album skewers the democratic administration - Chandler seems to be something less than a democrat , more like just an ornery indivdidual. ======================================================================== Can't Have Nothin' Nice Gear Daddies Producer: Tom Herbers/Gear Daddies Engineer: Not Credited Crackpot CPCD 1223 Released: 1993 Total Time: 69:43 Source - CD Rating - **** T R A C K S Dream Vacation, Boys Will Be Boys, Stupid Boy, Spider Monkey, Bored and 19, My Maria, Drank So Much, Get it Right Someday, African Killer Bees, Party Stomp, Cut Me Off, 2-18, Iguana Man, Wear Your Crown, Black Superman, Chip and Dale, Color of Her Eyes, Little Red Corvette, She's Happy, Blues Mary, Minnesota Polka, Strength. Martin Zellar's tunes and lyrics are simple, direct and honest. They are delivered in the same fashion. It's all laid out in earnest. The Gear Daddies called it quits in the summer of '92 (an amicable split, they toured during the summer after announcing the breakup of the band earlier in the year). This is a collection of live tracks, session outtakes and demos. Several of these tracks have not previously been released. For those of us who are ardent Gear Daddies fans, this collection is a treasure trove. There are 22 tracks spanning 69+ minutes. There are Gear Daddies standards here such as "Drank So Much", "Color of Her Eyes", and "She's Happy". There are also a smattering of covers that have been given the Gear Daddies stamp, such as "Little Red Corvette" (previously only available on a 7-inch EP), "My Maria", and "Black Superman". There's also some killer previously unreleased stuff such as "Iguana Man" and "Dream Vacation". If you're unfamiliar with the Gear Daddies' sound, groups that I would compare them with are the BoDeans, the Silos, Beat Farmers, Green On Red, Uncle Tupelo, the early Jayhawks material, some of John Hiatt's A&M recordings, Steve Earle, Joe Ely, Dashboard Saviors, Bedlam Rovers and James McMurtry, just to name a few. They play rock and roll with, at times, a country flair. The Gear Daddies hail from Austin, Minnesota, which is hidden in a little nook not too far from Minnespolis. Their sound could as easily place them in Austin, Texas as Austin, Minnesota. I can only hope you'll enjoy this album as much as I have. ======================================================================== Copper Blue The Act We Act Sugar A Good Idea Producer: Bob Mould/Lou Giordano T Changes Engineer: Bob Mould/Lou Giordano R Helpless Rykodisc RCD 10239 A Hoover Dam Released: 1992 C The Slim Total Time: 45:07 K If I Can't Change Your Mind Source - CD S Fortune Teller Slick Rating - **** Man On the Moon ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Beaster Sugar Producer: T Come Around Engineer: R Tilted Rykodisc RCD 50260 A Judas Cradle Released: 1993 C JC Auto Total Time: 30:55 K Feeling Better Source - CD S Walking Away Rating - **** If there's any justice in this world, Sugar will meet with the same sort of success and acceptance that Sonic Youth, Nirvana and Helmet have met with. Mould's years with Husker Du and some good solo albums have laid a foundation that Sugar's "Copper Blue" continues to build upon. Sugar is a full-tilt rock outfit, more akin to Mould in the Husker days than his more recent, more pop-ish, solo outings. That's not to say that Mould is trying to reinvent Husker Du - Sugar has its own identity and its own agenda. You are the aural beneficiary. _Beaster_ is the rough and raw half-brother of _Copper Blue_. These tracks were laid down during the _CB_ sessions. They don't snuggle up comfortably with the songs on _CB_, but they aren't so far removed from those sounds that they can't be friendly at a distance. _CB_ *is* downright poppy compared to _Beaster_. There is only one track on _Beaster_ that has a melody as obvious as anything on _CB_ (you can go find it!). Both releases have their charms. ======================================================================== The Whole World Glad I'm a Girl Penelope Houston On Borrowed Time Producer: Howard Johnston & P.H. Sweetheart Engineer: Howard Johnston, Nancy T Sugarburn Scharlau, Adam Munoz & R Out Past Vacaville Ron Rigler A Qualities of Mercy Heyday HEY 029-2 C Father's Day Released: 1993 K Maybe Love Total Time: 47:47 S Innocent Kiss Source - CD Honeysuckle Shadow Rating - **** Behind Your Eyes White Out Houston was a member of the seminal San Francisco punk band The Avengers. This mostly acoustic album retains a good deal of the punk attitude - it's got just the right amount of pop, art, folk and snot. If you like Wally Pleasant and/or Cindy Lee Berryhill (or other suitable anti-folkies), you should like this album. Some of these tracks are absolutely stunning. Others are merely wonderful. ======================================================================== Fragments Of A Rainy Season John Cale Producer: John Cale and Jean-Michel Reusser Engineer: Carlos Albrecht and Phillippe Kergus Hannibal HNCD 1372 Released: 1992 Total Time: 71:09 Source - CD Rating - **** T R A C K S 1. A Child's Christmas in Wales 2. Dying On the Vine 3. Cordoba 4. Darling I Need You 5. Paris 1919 6. Guts 7. Fear (is a Man's Best Friend) 8. Ship of Fools 9. Leaving it Up to You 10. The Ballad of Cable Hogue 11. Thoughtless Kind 12. On a Wedding Anniversary 13. Lie Still, Sleep Be Calmed 14. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night 15. Buffalo Ballet 16. Chinese Envoy 17. Style it Takes 18. Heartbreak Hotel 19. (I Keep a) Close Watch 20. Hallelujah This is an album best taken as a whole. Cale is perhaps most well known for his stint in the Velvet Undergroud. Other collaborations in his career have teamed him with performers on the fringes and the cutting edge (he produced the Stooges, the Modern Lovers & Patti Smith and has collaborated with Brian Eno, Kevin Ayers and post-Velvets Lou Reed). This live collection features Cale and a piano, showing off his classical training and 20 songs (most written or co-written by Cale with a couple of interesting covers ) that span his career. Check out "Dying On the Vine", "Darling I Need You", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night", "Fear (is a Man's Best Friend)" and "Ship of Fools". The rest are worthwhile, too. ======================================================================== Plants And Birds And Rocks And Things Loud Family, The Producer: Mitch Easter Engineer: Mitch Easter Alias A033-D Released: 1993 Total Time: 57:59 Source - CD Rating - **** T R A C K S 1. He Do the Police in Different Voices, 2. Sword Swallower, 3. Aerodeliria, 4. Self Righteous Boy Reduced to Tears, 5. Jimmy Still Comes Around, 6. Take Me Down (Too Halloo) 7. Don't Thank Me All At Once, 8. Idiot Son, 9. Some Grand Vision of Motives and Irony, 10. Spot the Setup, 11. Inverness, 12. Rosy Overdrive, 13. Slit My Wrists, 14. Isaac's Law, 15. The Second Grade Applauds, 16. Last Honest Face, 17. Even You, 18. Ballad of How You Can All Shut Up, 19. Give in World Solid power-pop from Scott Miller (his old band was Game Theory) and crew. Their tunes recall the Beatles via Big Star/Chilton. The album also recalls Game Theory, though this band is *not* Game Theory with a new name. There's enough originality here, though, to keep these guys from being just another 'clone' band. Hell, if you dug Teenage Fanclub's last album, you should check this out and hear what they'd sound like if they were a little more authentic (don't get me wrong, I *like* "Bandwagonesque", I just think these guys do the thang a little more honestly). There's a little bit of experimentation, at the begining of some tracks, with some seemingly random sound bites/noise - don't be put off by these, the songs which follow have plenty of melody and a little bit of bite. ======================================================================== Gratitude Walks If I Had a Hammer Mercury Challenger American Music Club I've Been a Mess Producer: Mitchell Froom T Hollywood 4-5-92 Engineer: Tchad Blake R What Godzilla Said to God When His Name Reprise 45226-2 A Wasn't Found in The Book of Life Released: 1993 C Keep Me Around Total Time: 49:43 K Dallas, Airports, Bodybags Source - CD S Apology For an Accident Over and Done Rating - **** Johnny Mathis' Feet The Hopes and Dreams of Heaven's 10,000 Whores More Hopes and Dreams Will You Find Me! Mark Eitzel has been fawned over by the British press over the past few years. Eitzel and his group, American Music Club, have slowly built a following in the native U.S. As a group, we state-siders appear to be harder to convince than our British counterparts where American Music Club is concerned. Most of the groups I might compare AMC to are decidedly British or European. Bryan Ferry, John Wesley Harding, Robyn Hitchcock and Elvis Costello all come to mind. Other moody performers and groups, that might be called 'influences', or, perhaps more accurately, share some concepts with AMC's sound, include Joy Division/New Order, Erasure, a host of 4AD groups and maybe even a little influence from 'down under' in the form of Nick Cave. _Mercury_ is an album of moody pop that doesn't rely too heavily on electronics (or a lot of other instrumentation, either). The vocals seem to float along atop a wispy, cloud-like ethereality that is delicate to the eye, but not at all fragile. Wrap (or warp) yourself up in this wrought-iron gossamer cloak of an album and let it take you away. It's best if you close your eyes and put headphones on. But you wanna know the best thing about this album? Deep down, underneath all the layers, it's still rock 'n roll. Hmm... Maybe I'm beginning to see what all those Brit's see in Mark Eitzel. You should, too. ======================================================================== Big Drill Wallow Count to 20 Bedlam Rovers Difference Producer: BRs/Jeff Mann/Dan Poppe T My Box Engineer: Jeff Mann R Heaven Song Spirit SMI013CD A Bob the Mechanic Released: 1992 C Scream Total Time: 44:33 K Emily Source - CD S Hot Asphalt Nevada Rating - ***-1/2 Brown Rice Eat My Pie Bedlam Rovers are a cross between Cowboy Junkies and Camper Van Beethoven. Ex-Camper fiddler Morgan Fichter contributes on tracks 1 & 7. Bedlam Rovers do the folk/punk - folk/rock thang pretty well. They have a capacity for lulling a listener, though they do it in a much noisier fashion than the aforementioned CJs. There are a good many upbeat tracks here as well. Check out "Count to 20" or "Difference", among others. "Difference" adds trumpet and trombone flavorings, giving the track a brassy attitude, in addition to the brass sound. Cowboy Junkies on speed? Maybe. If you like CJs, CVB, Cracker, Ophelias or west coast indie rock in general, then Bedlam Rovers should appeal to you. ======================================================================== Eight Piece Box Roadside Wreck Come and Get it Too Much Pork For Just One Fork Cicada Rock Southern Culture On The Skids Back in the Woods Producer: J. Kelley Cox & Big Pine Tree Andrew Peterson T Voodoo Cadillac Engineer: Caleb Southern R Firefly Moist Records MR-104 A She Bought a Dog Released: 1991 C Dick's Theme Total Time: 60:06 K Chitt'lin' Strut Source - CD (??D) S Stone in My Pocket Suede Pussycat Rating - ***-1/2 C.W. James 0-0-Spy Chicken Fist Five Dollar Shoes With songs about fried chicken and titles like "Chitt'lin' Strut" (not even mentioning the band name!) it's pretty obvious where this band is coming from. This is the band that Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper could be if they weren't writing purely from the humorous side. That's not to say that Mojo and Skid aren't good at what they do, or that SCOTS don't have their own sense of humor -- both are and do. SCOTS deliver the majority of these tunes in a slightly-off-kilter rockabilly style. There are occasional forays into punkish and bluesy sounds, but every road leads back to rockabilly on _Too Much Pork_. Imagine, if you will, a cross between ZZTop, the Munsters, the B-52's and maybe Elvis. Yow! ======================================================================== Life is a Rubber Rope Gravity Dance Sally Ann The Horse Flies Roadkill Producer: Hilton Rosenthal T Passion is an Art Form Engineer: Kevin Doyle R What Does Family Mean? MCA Records MCAD-10176 A Two Candles Released: 1991 C I Need a Plastic Bag (to Keep My Brains) Total Time: 55:45 K Needles On the Beach Source - CD (DAD) S Starvation Waltz Cold Out There Rating - **** Time is Burning Your Eyes Are Elevators The Horse Flies (an Ithaca, NY based sextet) present and eclectic mix of humor, grooves, insightfulness and just plain moxie on their latest album Gravity Dance. The album title and the name of the group suggest almost as many mind pictures as some of their lyrics. The Horse Flies move (seemingly effortlessly) between genres on _Gravity Dance_. Their musical paths take us from the dark, pondering "Sally Ann" (which feels similar to the Bongwater track on the Roky Erickson tribute album _Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye_) to the upbeat, humorous (twisted as it may be) "Roadkill". Anyone who's ever driven through the backroads of the rural U.S. should get a kick out of "Roadkill". With songs titles like "Life is a Rubber Rope" and "I Need a Plastic Bag (to Keep My Brains in)" one's first thoughts might be that the Horse Flies have hung their hopes on novelty. Far from it . . . Though they may use a lot of humor, they use it as part of their overall approach and not the end to the means. Musically the Horse Flies sound something like a cross between Bongwater ("Sally Ann") and Sting/Police ("Passion is an Art Form") while throwing a few musical curves along the way ("Roadkill" has a hyped up punk/bluegrass feel to it). _Gravity Dance_ is a treasure trove of the strange and twisted, both musically and lyrically. The Horse Flies move effortlessly from kinetic, strange and wonderful to the beautiful, strange and wonderful and back again, in itself a thing of beauty. Their imagery is as sharp as their wit and their playing. Highly recommended. ======================================================================== It Happened One Night John Wesley Harding Producer: Wes Stace Engineer: Barry Farmer, Paul Bass Rhino R2 70764 Released: 1991 (1988) Total Time: 59:32 Source - CD (AAD) Rating - **** T R A C K S Headful of Something/The Devil in Me, Who You Really Are, Famous Man, You and Your Career, July 13th 1985, One Night Only, Affairs of the Heart, Humankind, Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Steve Goodman, David Blue & Me, The Night He Took her to the Fairground, The Biggest Monument, Save a Little Room For Me, Kiss/Lover's Society, Career's Service, Pound Pound Pound, Roy Orbison Knows (The Best Man's Song), Bastard Son It's hard to believe that Harding has only been a part of the global musical awareness for just over three years. His first two studio albums amassed cirtical acclaim and respectable sales. A good deal of touring also helped to expose his music. If you've seen him on tour, then you've probably seen him performing by himself with his acoustic guitar. His studio albums, while not slick by any definition, feature a variety of backing musicians (most notably The Good Liars). His solo performances capture his spirit and soul just a bit better than the studio albums. Prior to Harding's initial U.S. exposure, Demon Records in England released _It Happened One Night_, a near hour-long live solo acoustic album. Harding has been nothing, if not prolific, over the past few years. He's released three albums (each containing 15 or more tracks), an EP, and has contributed non-album tracks to Warner Brothers "Just Say" sampler series ("When the Beatles Hit America" on _Just Say Da_, "Warning Parental Advisory" on _Just Say Anything_ and "If You Have Ghosts" for the Roky Erickson tribute album _Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye_). Until now, the first album (_It Happened One Night_) had not been issued in the U.S. Rhino Records has taken care of that with its recent release of the album. For Harding fans who've been unable to get their hands on an import copy of the Demon release, this is great news. _It Happened One Night_ presents a side of Harding that one doesn't necessarily hear on the studio albums. Raw, stark and alone - _It Happened One Night_ features Harding, his guitar and his songs. The songs are the key - his British bite and perspective give his songs a cynical, but humorous atmosphere. His lyrics are also articulate and poignant, at times scathing, expressing a wisdom that belies his years (he was born in 1965 and this album was recorded in November of 1988). _It Happened One Night_ features the tracks "The Devil in Me", "Bastard Son", and "July 13th 1985" (otherwise known as the Live Aid song). "July 13th 1985" in particular captures all of Harding's wit and cynicism. This song alone is worth the price of the disc (though there are 16 other rather good tracks). It's really easy to sit down for a little while and become very friendly with Harding's recordings. It helps that Harding resembles, vocally (especially on the studio tracks), Elvis Costello - which makes him seem familiar even on first listen. His music doesn't have quite the same feel as Costello's, though - Harding is more of a 'cynical young man' than the 'angry young man' that Costello has been labeled. Harding also seems to be more of a 'folkie' (largely due to his solo acoustic touring and this album) than Costello, who's early material was part of the British new wave in the late 70's and early 80's. Selected Discography ________ ___________ It Happened One Night 1991 Rhino Time - 59:32 Cat. # - R2 70764 Here Comes The Groom 1990 Sire Time - 64:40 Cat. # - 26087-2 God Made Me Do It - The Christmas EP Sire Cat. # - 26093-2 The Name Above The Title 1991 Sire Time - 58:31 Cat. # - 26481-2 Collected Stories 1990-1991 Reprise Time - 60:34 Cat. # - PRO-CD-4698 Why We Fight 1992 Sire Time - 53:40 Cat. # - 45032-2 Pett Levels - Summer EP 1993 Sire Time - 20:45 Cat. # - 45331-2 Single tracks Album When the Beatles Hit America Just Say Da (Cat. # - 26240-2) Warning Parental Advisory (W/ Steve Wynn) Just Say Anything (Cat. # - 26623-2) If You Have Ghosts - JWH & The Good Liars Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye (Cat. # - 26422-2) ======================================================================== Don't Get Weird On Me, Babe Tell Your Sister Lloyd Cole Weeping Wine Producer: Lloyd Cole, Fred Maher, T To the Lions Paul Hardiman T Pay For it Engineer: Paul Hardiman R The One You Never Had Capitol CDP7 96077 2 A She's a Girl and I'm a Man Released: 1991 C Butterfly Total Time: 48:24 K There For Her Source - CD S Margo's Waltz Half of Everything Rating - ***-1/2 Man Enough What He Doesn't Know If you're familiar with Cole's previous work (with and without the Commotions) then this new disc should provide you with a pleasing listening experience. The first half of _Don't Get Weird On Me Babe_ has a pretty basic, subdued pop sound (guitars, drums, bass & hammond organ) that gives Cole's compositions room to breathe and create a mood. Cole's moods generally skirt middle grounds rather than fringes or extremes - perhaps if his personna were more of an 'angry young man' type, Cole (and the Commotions) would be as household a name as Elvis Costello (and the Attractions). The second half of _Don't Get..._ features the addition of orchestral effects. The mood shifts somewhat, especially on the more ominous, darker "Butterfly". Some of the orchestral numbers sound like an understated (as opposed to overblown) attempt to give the Moody Blues validity in the world of '(Post) Modern' rock. Cole, ultimately, isn't easily categorized, which may be the biggest reason he's never had a booming commercial success. His sound, while certainly containing reference points, is not particularly derivative. Cool pop for a hip world - too bad humanity, in general, just ain't hip. ======================================================================== ... Rocking Chair Cakewalk I Got Happy House Of Freaks I Confess Producer: Dennis Herring T Hymn Engineer: John Beverly Jones R A Good Man Giant Records 24417-2 A Magpie Wing Released: 1991 C Cakewalk Total Time: 39:42 K This is it Source - CD (AAD) S Honor Among Lovers My House Rating - ***-1/2 Ants Never Remember Me Well These guys' (they're a duo) past work leaned a little towards a bright REM-ish sound, though they managed to come up with enough fresh sounds and good lyrics to hold your interest. _Cakewalk_ has shifted emphasis a bit toward a Marshall Crenshaw/Graham Parker/Elvis Costello sort of hybrid sound. What this means is that House Of Freaks have created another intelligent-sounding alternative-pop album that emphasizes content over form -- though the form is important, too. There are some eclectic touches here (as on "Hymn") and there's a good deal of chatter between tracks (they say in their bio that they didn't want to make a normal studio album). Check out House of Freaks more raucous side on "Rocking Chair", "Cakewalk", "This is it" or "Ants". For a change of pace, check out the Beatle-esque "A Good Man" and "My House", the bluesy "Magpie Wing" or the Costello-ish "Honor Among Lovers". ======================================================================== Orange Number Eight On Your Dress David Rice Steep Stairs Producer: David A. Thompson and Peter Sellers David Rice T She Breathes Engineer: Andy Bradley and David R All She Seems to Rice A Stupid, too Justice JR 1401-2 C Swarm I, II Released: 1992 K Keep Myself Total Time: 48:58 S Instrumental Source - CD Sleep Season Lamb Rating - ***-1/2 Monument My first listen to this caused me to recall a little bit of Simon and Garfunkel, though there's really only a phrase or two that causes this. Rice is a fine singer/songwriter who has surrounded himself with enough sounds that you have to consider him as a rocker more than a folkie. His overall sound recalls Hothouse Flowers, Peter Case, An Emotional Fish, Chris Whitley, Will T. Massey, Robert Earl Keen Jr., and maybe even a little Elvis Costello. The more upbeat tracks have a bit of a 'funky' feel to them. Definitely recommended if you like any of the above-mentioned performers. ======================================================================== Supernatural Dead 1970 360's Speaks Through Water Producer: Sean Slade T He Sold Soul Engineer: Sean Slade R G.L.O.B. Link 61320-2 A King o' Kats Released: 1992 C Step Outside Total Time: 32:28 K Supernatural Source - CD S Murder For Love Song X Rating - ***-1/2 Long Gone Not quite rock 'n roll, not quite 4AD. The 360's wend their way through an album of grungy ambience. Not as schizoid as Sonic Youth (can be), not as ethereal as Lush, 360's are not easily pigeon-holed. What they are is noisy, but not at the expense of the song. I can't say that I hear much of a Neil Young influence here, but 360's use noise a lot like Young does. They incorporate it into the structure of the song. Noise is not the sole purpose of the song, though neither Young nor 360's are beneath a little noise for the sake of noise. "Dead 1970" and "Speaks Through Water" really grabbed me. "Murder For Love" and "Long Gone" are also worth attention. The rest are not bad, either... ======================================================================== I Always Knew You'd Come to Me What An Experiment His Head Was I Don't Know (I Just Wish) Uncle Green I Don't Wanna Know About it Producer: Brendan O'Brien T I'm Goin' Down Engineer: Brendan O'Brien R The Deal of a Lifetime DB Records DB 99 A Like Today Released: 1991 C Guilty Party Total Time: 47:50 K By the Way (Not Even Then) Source - CD (??D) S Misfit Mouth Ephenus Rating - **** I Won't Let it Drop Don't Fix it if it Works Jack A-Drum _What An Experiment His Head Was_ follows Uncle Green's excellent 1989 album _You_, which garnered critical praise and solid airplay on college radio. _What An Experiment His Head Was_ is a collection of rocking pop tunes, similar in style to some mid-period Beatles. Track two "I Don't Know (I Just Wish)" would have fit nicely on the _Revolver_ album, or even _Rubber Soul_ or _The Beatles_. Though there are obvious Beatles similarities and derivations, what makes this another excellent Uncle Green album is their own originality - their lyrics, their ideas, their musicianship. They manage to forge their own distinctive sound. Uncle Green don't do anything particularly fancy. Their approach is a straight ahead rock attack - bass, drums, guitars, vocals (they use a mellotron on some of the tracks). They move easily from pop ("I Always Knew You'd Come to Me") to pop psychedelia ("Like Today") and an occasional harder rocking tune ("I Don't Wanna Know About it"). While there's a lot of subtle stylistic shifting going on here, there is a sense of sameness on all 13 tracks. But if you're only listening to Uncle Green for their "sound" then you're missing out. Uncle Green's lyrics are what really drive this album. Uncle Green don't get up on any soapboxes and make grandiose political statements. Their lyrics don't always make literal sense ("a blaze in the basement, it rise up an artery/ You scramble the input to blend with the scenery/The blur of the landscape, the burst of a symphony/You spit up a phrase that results in tragedy"). But the lyrics are well crafted to the tunes and often make subtle, poignant observations ("Slipping in between her legs he decides/It's a good place to be, it's a great place to hide"). Sometimes their lyrics just make you ("In a desolate and dangerous place/ With a French poodle as your guide/Representing the human race") wonder . . . ======================================================================== Beneath the Coals Murdermaid Sunshine & Cockroaches Soul Peeler 3D Picnic Snitchin' Producer: Dallas Don Favorite Band Engineer: Donnell Cameron & T Dirt Mr. Brett R Signpost Cargo Records EAR-005 A Sunshine and Cockroaches Released: 1991 C Hold That Thought Total Time: 55:34 K Music in Search of a Song Source - CD (??D) S Thinner By the Day Outside Rating - **** Dirty Yellow House I Wanna Be Your Hand Waiting For Parts 3D Picnic's second album is very different from their first (_Dirt_). On _Sunshine And Cockroaches_ they've refined and defined their sound. _Dirt_ was a varied and fractured recording that contained some great stuff and some not-so-great stuff. 3D Picnic has always been a difficult band to place in a niche. That's no different on _Sunshine And Cockroaches_. Their sound seems almost Springsteenian in spots, but I wouldn't say they sound at all like Springsteen. The music here is a lot harder than _Dirt_. _Sunshine And Cockroaches_ is very guitar and drum driven rock 'n roll that dips into a number of stylistic sub-genres. The result isn't as much of a hodge- podge as one might think -- 3D Picnic keep things together while riding the various edges of rock 'n roll. There are a few songs that slow down and change the pace on _Sunshine And Cockroaches_. The last few tunes on this 15-track (55 minute) album lean away from the harder, faster paced tracks of the first 2/3 of the album. Where _Dirt_ was a rather ragged recording, _Sunshine And Cockroaches_ is much more cohesive and consistent. ======================================================================== The Bluest Sky Song Nikki Meets The Hibachi The Bluest Sky Producer: John Plymale T Running in My Sleep Engineer: Steve Gromback R Outside Looking in Baited Breath bbp001 A Shake Off the Cold Released: 1991 C Peacemaker Total Time: N/A K Love Source - LP S A Million Times The Veil Rating - **** Days Like These Bigger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wondering Wait 'Til Tomorrow Natalie Farr In the City Producer: Dede Vogt T Turn Around Engineer: Russ Fowler R Build Your Wall Baited Breath bbp002 A It's Not Right Released: 1991 C Wondering Total Time: N/A K Chained Source - LP S This is the Life Baby I'm Wrong Rating - ***-1/2 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Medallion To the Bone Sex Police Elevator Producer: T On the Side of Truth Engineer: R Sister Baited Breath bbp003 A Sex Police Released: 1991 C Hurricane Total Time: 42:31 K Hectors Source - CD S Spanish Indians Amanda Falls Rating - ***-1/2 If I Was Born Yesterday Speedball Baited Breath Productions (P.O. Box 3597, Chapel Hill, NC 27515) is a new independent label based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Their few releases have, so far, displayed both depth and variety, showcasing local talents that deserve wider exposure. Baited Breath currently has five albums and a handful of singles available. The albums range from the acoustic pop of Nikki Meets The Hibachi to the punk/funk of the Sex Police. In between is Natalie Farr's album that touches on country, folk, rock and bluegrass. All three of these acts have released impressive, if not necessarily spectacular, albums. An eye (and an ear) should be kept on their respective futures. Nikki Meets The Hibachi Nikki Meets The Hibachi can easily be compared with the Indigo Girls. I'm sure they are tired of the comparison, but it's one they're going to be saddled with for some time. There are differences, of course, between the two duos. Nikki Meets The Hibachi is made up of John Gillespie and Elaine Tola. John and Elaine both handle lead vocals on The Bluest Sky. When one is performing lead, the other adds harmony vocals. Both Elaine and John have smooth, if not silky, deliveries. Elaine's voice is more ethereal while John's is a little more robust. Together they blend into an intoxicating whole. The songs on _The Bluest Sky_ seem a little less focused than on _Hanna's Amorphous Hat_, a previous 5-song EP. Their instrumentation is also less confrontational than on that EP. On _Hanna's Amorphous Hat_ their acoustic maelstrom seemed to be right in your face. On The Bluest Sky their instrumentation is more laid back. Their are more quiet songs here (like the very mellow "Peacemaker"). Only on "Love" do they really get in your face with all their guitars and harmonies. The older tracks from _Hanna's Amorphous Hat_ and "Love" have a little more personality than their softer output. However, it is still easy to get lost in the gorgeous harmonies and the simple, effective acoustic backings. Nikki Meets The Hibachi are a duo to watch over the course of their next few albums. What they've already put out is none too shabby, though. Natalie Farr _Wondering_ is a spare, unobtrusive recording featuring Natalie Farr's guitar and vocals. There are songs on _Wondering_ which are fleshed out with drums, piano, bass, violin, banjos and accordion, but the tracks that stand out are the ones where Farr's voice and guitar are used against a stark background. _Wondering_ is a difficult album to classify, though it most easily fits in a country category. Certainly there are elements of country scattered throughout the recording, but they are used in ways that fit each song. Much like John Hiatt, Farr uses country elements because the song needs them, rather than just because it's supposed to be a country song. Maybe, to most people, there's not enough of a difference to make that distinction. In a clean, quiet listening room Farr's vocals seem just a little fragile. On the stark, acoustic tracks ("It's Not Right") Farr often reminds me of Amy Ray (yea, another Indigo Girls comparison), though with less depth. Listening to _Wondering_ while driving really changes the sound, though. Farr sounds much more rich and full in an environment that has some background noise. I'd be very interested to see her perform in a club setting or hear a performance that was recorded in such a setting. The best songs on _Wondering_ sound weak in a clean listening environment. While the other tracks have better sound, they don't have the same power as the acoustic tracks like "It's Not Right" and "This is the Life". Sex Police Sex Police are a far cry from the two previous Baited Breath albums. Their sound is filled with electric guitars, thumping basses and piercing horns. Sex Police mine some of the same musical territory as Fishbone, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Faith No More. Sex Police are driven largely by the horns, giving them a punk/funk sound that is really neither punk nor funk. On "Elevator" the lead vocalist even sounds a little like Fred Schneider of the B-52s. _Medallion_ will grab you in a crushing grip on the first listen. Unfortunately, the grip loosens a little after successive listenings. _Medallion_ moves between excellent, hard hitting tracks like "Hurricane" and "Spanish Indians" and tracks like "Hectors", which sounds like a 70's throwaway from any of a dozen bands I'd rather just forget. Sex Police still sound like a lot of fun, though. I'm willing to bet that their live shows could approach legendary heights. *** Editor's note - I hear that Moist/Baited Breath has ceased to exist, though I have not confirmed it and I don't recall the source. *** ======================================================================== 1000 Smiling Knuckles 1000 Smiling Knuckles Skin Yard River Throat Producer: Jack Endino & Skin Yard T Words On Bone Engineer: Not Credited R Living Pool Cruz Records CRCD017 A Headswill Released: 1991 C Psychoriflepowerhypnotized Total Time: 34:44 K Material Freak Source - CD (ADD) S Jezechrist Nietzsche With a Pizza Rating - **** Burn a Hole Skin Yard come from the Seattle music scene, which has spawned such acts as Soundgarden, Mudhoney and a host of other grunge rock acts. _1000 Smiling Knuckles_ delivers more Seattle grunge covered with a garage-style overcoat. Songs like "Psychoriflepowerhypnotized" and "Jezechrist" have an undercurrent of activity that accelerates the rhythm more than one would initially expect when listening to Skin Yard's 60s-meets-80s/90s garage/grunge vocals. Skin Yard remind me a lot of Oregon's Napalm Beach, which, in turn, reminds me of Clapton/Cream, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Lou Reed/VU. Skin Yard doesn't actually sound like any of them, but there are similarities and influences here and there. It seems like Skin Yard's just getting going when _1000 Smiling Knuckles_ comes to a close. At only 34+ minutes, there's plenty of room for more. They could've at least included the cover of The Beatles' "Hey Bulldog" that was released, along with the title track, on 10-inch vinyl. ======================================================================== Circa Mary's Danish Producer: Dave Jerden & Mary's Danish Engineer: Jerden, Steve Zipper Morgan Creek 2959-20003-2 Released: 1991 Total Time: 52:38 Source - CD (AAD) Rating - *** T R A C K S Yellow Creep Around, Julie's Blanket (pigsheadsnakeface), Beat Me Up, Louisiana, Mr. Floosack, Hoof, Tracy in the Bathroom Killing Thrills, Ablone Blues, 7 Deadly Sins, Bombshell, Foxey Lady, Down, These Are All the Shapes Nevada Could Have Been, Venus Loves Leonard, Hellflower, Axl Rose is Love, Cover Your Face Mary's Danish seem almost like a band hunting for an identity on _Circa_. Or, rather, they seem like a band with several identities. They move from the opening "Yellow Creep Around" (a very 10,000 Maniacs- ish tune) to "Julie's Blanket" (which recalls Chrissie Hynde/Pretenders). "Beat Me Up" is a less frantic rewrite of "Don't Crash the Car Tonight". "Louisiana" incorporates a horn section that tries to give the track a funkier feel, though it works best during the Red Hot Chili Pepper-ish instrumental break. _Circa_ feels a lot like another recent album -- much like Fishbone's _The Reality Of My Surroundings_, _Circa_ encompasses a lot of styles with a lot of tracks over a lengthy span of time(52m). _Circa_ displays a good deal of versatility if not necessarily complete originality. _Circa_ leans toward schizophrenia at times, but there's enough glue here to hold everything together. Some other tracks worth checking out are the cover of Hendrix' "Foxey Lady" and "Axl Rose Is Love". ======================================================================== Flight Of The Cosmic Hippo Blu-Bop Bela Fleck & The Flecktones Flying Saucer Dudes Producer: Bela Fleck & Flecktones T Turtle Rock Engineer: Bill VornDick R Flight of the Cosmic Hippo Warner Brothers 26562-2 A The Star Spangled Banner Released: 1991 C Star of the County Down Total Time: 44:03 K Jekyll and Hyde (and Ted and Alice) Source - CD (DDD) S Michelle Hole in the Wall Rating - ****-1/2 Flight of the Cosmic Hippo (Reprise) Most people think of country and bluegrass when they think of banjo players. One listen to Bela Fleck should be enough to change anyone's view that a banjoist must, by default, be a country or bluegrass artist. _Flight of the Cosmic Hippo_ is an album full of jazzy tunes (I really hate to use the F-word - fusion) that incorporate a lot of influences. This album just plain cooks. I defy you to sit still while really listening to any of the tracks on _Flight of the Cosmic Hippo_. Best tracks are "Flying Saucer Dudes", "Turtle Rock", "Flight of the Cosmic Hippo" (a little more sedate and bluesy than the other tracks) - The whole disc is quite excellent. Bela Fleck can flat-out pick! The Flecktones are up to the task set by Fleck as well! Especially interesting is the interpretation of "The Star Spangled Banner". ======================================================================== Once In A While Indiana Vassar Clements (I'd Like to Get You On a) Slow Producer: Henry Deane T Boat to China Engineer: Jim Anderson R Once in a While Flying Fish FF 70592 A Perdido Released: 1992 C Greensleeves Total Time: 42:55 K Cherokee Source - CD S Sonnymoon For Two Sweet Lorraine Rating - **** Sweet Georgia Brown Fiddler extraordinaire and consumate session player, Clements has put out a number of his own albums over the years (rooted in, but not limited to, bluegrass) that have rubbed elbows with the jazz world. "Once In A While" is a full force jazz outing that features Clements violin rubbing musical elbows with John Abercrombie's guitar, Dave Holland's bass and Jimmy Cobb's drums. ======================================================================== Portrait Of A Player It's You or No One Billy Childs The End of Innocence Producer: B. Childs/Andy Narell T Flanagan Engineer: Steven Miller R Never Let Me Go Windham Hill Jazz 01934 10144-2 A Satellite Released: 1993 C The Island Total Time: 63:56 K Bolivia Source - CD S Easy Living 34 Skidoo Rating - ***-1/2 Darn That Dream This is Billy Childs' 4th album for Windham Hill Jazz. His earlier releases focused on his own compostions and arrangements, mostly in small ensembles where his piano shared the limelight with sidemen on sax or flute. _Portrait Of A Player_ is a trio outing that places the focus squarely on Childs' deft touches on the ivories. The album also moves the focus away from Childs' own compositions (there are only two here), though this is not a standards album. The result is rather stunning in its simplicity - there's a clarity about this album that is missing from the larger ensembles. Perhaps the intimacy of a trio is what brings this most to light. At any rate, this is a first rate disc. ======================================================================== Sticks & Stones Ray Obiedo Real Life Producer: Andy Narell/Ray Obeido T Moodswing Engineer: Tom Size R Brasileiro Windam Hill Jazz 01934 10142-2 A Gabrielle Released: 1993 C Sticks & Stones Total Time: 52:54 K Iemanja Source - CD S True or False Hocus Pocus Rating - ***-1/2 Waterfall This is Ray Obiedo's third Windham Hill Jazz album. His career is long and varied - beginning when he used to practice drums in the corner while older siblings practiced for their parts in Ike and Tina Turner's band. When late '60s rock made Ray aware of how much attention the guitar player got, he switched. He joined the high school jazz band, finding influences from the works of Wes Montgomery, Pat Martino and George Benson, among others. A cursory listen to this disc will expose the Benson influence. More attentive listening will uncover the latin influences and the light peppering of funk influences. These influences, all mixed together, make for interesting listening. Obiedo skirts the edge of 'lite jazz', but his music has enough meat in it. This disc can be served up as a main course or as an accent to the meal. ======================================================================== Danilo Perez Panama Libre Danilo Perez Serenata Producer: Kathryn King T Alfonsina y El Mar Engineer: ? R Solo Contigo Basta Novus/BMG 63148-2 A Irremediablemente Solo Released: 1993 C Body and Soul Total Time: 57:24 K Claudio Source - CD S Time On My Hands Friday Morning Rating - **** Skylark Pleasant, non-intrusive piano-led music. Panamanian Danilo Perez intended to create "serious listening music". I believe he's succeeded. The music here weaves itself into the background of the day, but is hardly bland. It's like a sunny afternoon in the park where one just sits on a bench watching nature. You don't so much observe as absorb. Perez has worked with some jazz heavyweights - his best known works prior to this session as a leader are with Dizzy Gillespie and Paquito d'Rivera. He's latin, but that influence doesn't over-encumber his music. ======================================================================== Bits and Pieces - Mini/Capsule reviews and Music news ----------------------------------------------------- Consolidatd has signed with London Records... Singer Dave Baker has left Mercury Rev. Guitarist Jonathan Donahue will take over lead vocals for the band... Steve Wynn has signed with Mute Records. A new album, _Flourescent_, should be out any day now... Slint has recently reformed and recorded new material with Steve Albini. An album is scheduled to be released by Touch & Go... The Raincoats have reformed and have been touring Europe with Nirvana. This was sparked by the re-issues of the bands old albums on CD... Alex Chilton has a new release on New Rose/ROIR (611 Broadway, Suite 411, New York, New York 10012, 212-477-0563)... Royal Crescent Mob has a new album, _Good Lucky Killer_, on Enemy Records (11-36 31st Avenue, Long Island City, New York 11106, 718-956-4530)... Rhino has released a couple of Albert King recordings from the Tomato label, _The Tomato Years_ and _Live_... Rhino has also released the much sought after _Valley Girl_ soundtrack... Lisa Germano's remixed _Happiness_ should be out on 4AD. The album was originally released by Capitol. I wonder if someone could put a bug into 4AD's ear and get them to issue _On The Way Down To The Moon Palace_ as well... Madder Rose has a new album, _Panic On_, out on Seed/Atlantic... Frank Morgan has a new album on Antilles... Mesa/Bluemoon is reissuing Al Stewart's _Russians & Americans_... Another Tim Buckley live album has been released. _Live At the Troubadour 1969_ has been issued by Bizarre/Straight... The Wallmen have signed to Bar/None after releasing a slew of self-released cassettes over the past decade. Their album _Not Too Long Time Sound_ is out now... Superchunk has a new EP (_The First Part_) out on Merge... Vanilla Ice has a new release on SBK-ERG - like I care... Rykodisc is set to reissue some Phil Ochs recordings. _All the News_ and _I Ain't Marching_ should be available now... Wake Ooloo, featuring ex-Feelies Glenn Mercer and Dave Weckerman, has an album (_Hear No Evil_) out on Pravda Records (3823 N. Southport, Chicago, Illinois 60613)... Aboriginal band Yothu Yindi have released a followup to 1992's excellent _Tribal Voice_. Hollywood Records has issued _Freedom_... Arson Garden has a new release scheduled soon on American Empire-Priority... Disappear Fear have signed with Philo Records. A self-titled release is set for June... Peter Case will release his fourth solo album, _Peter Case Sings Like Hell_, on Vanguard Records. His three previous solo albums were on Geffen Records, as were some of the Plimsouls (his old group) releases... Killbilly has a new album out. _Foggy Mountain Anarchy_ is out on Crystal Clear Sound (4902 Don Dr., Dallas, Texas 75247). Their previous album, _Stranger in This Place_, is available from Flying Fish... Sara Hickman is back as a member of the trio Domestic Science Club. They've released an EP on Discovery Records (2052 Broadway, Santa Monica, California 90404). The trio also features Robin Macy (ex-Dixie Chicks) and Patty Lege (from the Texas bluegrass band Red Oak). Their delectable harmonizing makes this EP a treat as they meander around folk, pop and country music forms... Speaking of Sara Hickman - her third solo album, _Necessary Angels_, should be coming out on Discovery in the near future. The album was originally delivered to Elektra, Sara's previous label, but Elektra passed on it. Elektra also wanted Sara to pay them $100,000 for the rights to the album. Negotiations lowered that number to $25,000 and, thanks to a grass roots donation campaign, Sara raised $40,000. The extra money will be used to remix the songs and then the rest will be donated to the Romanian Orphan Fund, which Hickman helped found... Blues afficionados should know about the following: Buddy Guy _Southern Blues 1957-63 on Paula Records... _Mississippi Burnin' Blues_ which features tracks by Sweet Miss Coffy, Cadillac George Harris and George Jackson (Mardi Gras Records, 3331 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana 70115)... Colin James and the Little Big Band (Virgin)... Sugar Blue's _Blue Blazes_ and Charlie Musselwhites _In My Time_, both on Alligator... Dave Specter and the Bluebird's new Delmark release _Blueplicity_... The incredible Mississippi John Hurt two disc _Memorial Anthology_ on Adelphi/Genes (P.O. Box 7778, Silver Spring, Maryland 20907). The set features live recordings from the early 60's and a 31 minute interview with Hurt and Pete Seeger. Essential for any blues collection!... Live stuff from Eddie Kirkland, _Some Like it Raw_ is out on Deluge (P.O. Box 1522, Scarborough, Maine 04070)... Dalton Reed has a new album due out on Bullseye Blues any day now... Chess has just issued two more double-disc compilations. Muddy Waters' _One More Mile_ and Howlin' Wolf's _Ain't Gonna Be Your Dog_ are volumes 1 and 2, respectively, in the Chess Collectibles series. Titles in this series will feature rare and previously unreleased tracks... Nettwerk Records has an e-mail site for distribution of their electronic newsletter. Send e-mail requests to: Nettwerk@mindlink.bc.ca. They also have a bbs for those of you inclined to check it out. Here's a bunch of pertinent info: Vancouver, Canada, phone 604.654.2929, fax 604.654.1993, bbs 604.731.7007, bbs mail order 800.668.1321. _Candyland_ - James McMurtry (Columbia CD CK46911, Time - 42:32) - Like the songs on 1989's _Too Long In The Wasteland_, the songs on _Candyland_ offer up a wealth of stories and images. Most of the subjects that McMurtry writes/sings about are the types that you've got to lift up a few rocks to see. They aren't pretty, but they characterize a portion of our society that we tend to ignore, forget or bury underneath rocks. McMurtry's dry delivery (his voice recalls Lou Reed, among others) is perfect for his material. Check out "Where's Johnny", "Safe Side", "Candyland" and all the rest. _Jet Black And Jealous_ - Paul Sanchez (Little Fish Platters CD LFP0002, Time - 31:51) - Singer/Songwriters seem to be back in vogue these days. Paul Sanchez fits nicely in the same musical space as John Gorka, Cliff Eberhardt, David Munyon and others who are neither folkies nor rockers. Just plain good guitar based songs that fall somewhere in between the cracks of any specific genres. _Lucky You_ - The Sextants (Imago CD 72787-21008-2, Time - 57:51) - These guys remind me a little of the Reivers - several of the members contribute lead vocals on different tracks, giving the band more than one 'sound', much like the Reivers last album. The tracks which feature Lori Hester Arthur's lead vocals are more enchanting - her voice is somewhat similar in sound and texture to Karen Peris (Innocence Mission), Kate Bush, and many others. The music here is often poppish and upbeat, though there's a ragged edge running underneath a lot of this album. Lead vocals are split about 50/50 between Lori and her brother, Brennan Hester. _Sonia Dada_ - Sonia Dada (Chameleon/Elektra CD 61342-2, Time - 48:35) - Sonia Dada released the "New York City" single as a precursor to this full length album. The single has a decided leaning towards a Nine Inch Nails sort of sound - a touch or two of industrial, a smattering of hip-hop and a dose or two of edgy-pop/dance sounds to make things all the more palatable. The rest of the tracks vary considerably in style and effect. Ordinarily I consider variety in a recording a virtue, but Sonia Dada seem to be a little too scattered - there aren't quite enough threads holding all these pieces together. A few tracks are slower and soulful, a few have the harder edge of "New York City" and one or two are tracks you might expect to hear if Top40 radio programming geeks got hold of something this interesting and picked the weakest tracks to turn into hits. This *IS* the sort of recording, though, that gets better with each listen. Give it a chance. _Eleventeen_ - Daisy Chainsaw (A&M CD 31454 0031-2, Time - 40:46) - This is a noisy little album from Daisy Chainsaw. They remind me of a cross between L7, Christina Amphlett (Divinyls) and Voice of the Beehive. The album seems a little diluted compared with the 5-song EP "Love Sick Pleasure" from summer '92. Two of those tracks appear here, and they are stellar ("Love Your Money", "Pink Flower"). The first three tracks pick up where the EP left off, with trashy, thrashy, bursts of feedback-laden noise-with-melody. The next two tracks are where the disc begins to feel diluted. "Hope Your Dreams Come True" starts off promisingly - slower paced, but still filled with feedback and grit - but towards the end it wimps out. "Natural Man" is a complete change of pace, stripped of most of the noise. It still has a raw feel to it, it seems out of place and just a little wimpy by comparison to many of the other tracks. After "Love Your Money" the disc seems to lose a little focus (with the exception of "Pink Flower"). "Use Me Use You" is more concerned with mellow ambience. "The Future Free" is a short burst of noisier stuff. The last two tracks meander a little too much - Daisy Chainsaw seem to be at their best with songs that are three minutes or less in length. _Kitty_ - Dashboard Saviors (Medium Cool/Twin-Tone/Restless CD MCR 89223, Time - 42:43) - The Dashboard Saviors have fashioned an album that fits seamlessly along with efforts by the likes of the Gear Daddies, the BoDeans and the Silos. "Kitty" is simple and powerful in much the same way that the best work of the above bands is. This is rock 'n roll with some healthy doses of country. Nifty stuff. _World Of Sand_ - The Cakekitchen (Homestead CD HMS176-2, Time - 44:43) - The Cakekitchen's latest sounds like what you might get if you crossed Sonic Youth with the Feelies. The guitars are often dissonant and occasionally are feedback-drenched, but the sound is tethered rather than unleashed. This makes for a significant amount of tension in expression, which serves to strengthen the recording. _It's Only Time_ - Mark Curry (Virgin CD 86290-2, Time - 39:10) - Curry falls somewhere between Springsteen/Mellencamp and Kirk Kelly/Roger Manning. As he's on a major label, the production is a tad on the slick side, though by no means glossy. After listening to Curry's lyrics and hearing his attitude come across via his music, I'd say he has a little in common with anti-folkees Kelly and Manning. These are anti-folk songs embellished enough to give them some legitimacy in the pop world. Good stuff! Check out "All Over Me" and "Sorry About the Weather" or the harder edged "Blow Me Down". _Dim Stars_ - Dim Stars (Caroline CD Carol 1724-2, Time - 53:23) - Seminal CBGB-rat/icon Richard Hell mixes it up with Thurston Moore, Steve Shelley (both with Sonic Youth) & Don Fleming (Gumball leader, he also did a variety of things on Sonic Youth's "Goo" album). The result is a rather noisy set of tracks that combine a mid-period Sonic Youth sound with Hell's vocals, vocals that propelled the late '70s Voidoids into prominence in the, at the time, blossoming NYC punk scene. Get out a few Voidoids and Patti Smith tracks and see how this stuff melds '70s and '80s NY art-rock right into the '90s! _Birthing Chair Blues_ - Amy Denio (Knitting Factory Works CD KFWCD-111, Time - 60:09) - Denio makes good use of dissonance, which gives these songs a sharper edge than they might otherwise have - the music often falls somewhere in the triad of the Beatles, Sonic Youth (without so much guitar) and maybe a little Ornette Coleman. Without that little extra edge, this stuff would be rather dull. Denio adds just enough 'in-between' sounds to bring this disc to life. _Mariposa_ - Rein Sanction (Sub Pop CD sp161b, Time - 41:10) - This is a Hendrix-influenced, guitar-oriented album. It's not as fast paced as many of the Sub Pop acts, but you can certainly crank it just as loud. Mr. Upper-Northwest-indie-producer extraordinaire Jack Endino is at the boards - he produced and engineered this recording, though in a diametrically opposed locale of the U.S. (Gainesville, Florida - the band's home town). _The Way Of The Vaselines * A Complete History_ - The Vaselines (Sub Pop CD SP145b, Time - 55:17) - Scottish jangle-pop/punk that throws a few curves on a few tracks. Edgy enough to be interesting, these tracks walk the fence between banality and brilliance - the interesting part is listening to see which way they're gonna fall. _On Golden Smog_ - Golden Smog (Crackpot CD CPCD 1219, Time - 21:55) - This isn't quite as wacky as I expected it to be - members and former members of the Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, Run Westy Run and the Replacements have teamed up to create this EP of covers. With the above mixture, one could expect something odd, but most of these tracks are fairly straight. They sound the most like early Jayhawks. _The Devil's Front Door_ - Jerry Giddens (Doctor Dream CD DD 9263, Time - 38:35) - The best parts of this album are when Giddens shows his roots - a little rockabilly, a little blues, even some touches of country. The closer he gets to rock 'n roll, the less he sounds like his own man and the more he sounds like a Springsteen or Mellencamp. Fortunately, there are plenty of tracks here that have Giddens' own identity firmly implanted. Check out the title track (with ex-Blaster Dave Alvin on guitar), "A Million to One", "I Can't This Time", "Satisfy Tomorrow". _Transmutation (Mutatis Mutandis)_ - Praxis (Axiom CD 314-512 338-2, Time - 56:21) - Art/funk noodling from a bunch of guys who know better (and have done better). Ex-P-Funkers Bernie Worrell and Bootsy Collins join forces with producer Bill Laswell, Brain (drummer from Limbomaniacs), and scratcher Afrika Baby Bambata (Jungle Brothers). For a group of guys who've been grooving all their lives, they just can't seem to groove together here. The music moves from pretty decent hard funk to spacy, disjointed techno noodling and on to neo-metallic sounds. There's an incredible amount of talent here - it just didn't gel during these sessions. It is hard to throw a group of all-stars together and expect poetry in motion immediately. If these guys went into this as a band-thang rather than a one-off kinda thang, the output could be much more worthwhile. Still, this album could grow on one with repeated listenings. _Tennessee Border_ - Sonny Burgess (Hightone CD HCD 8039, Time - 27:28) - Sonny Burgess originally recorded for the famous Sun label back in the 1950's. The 1990's find him with plenty of fire and energy. This is rockabilly at its finest. If you want to hear where Mojo Nixon or the Stray Cats picked up some of their sound, just check this out. Dave Alvin (ex-Blasters) produces and lends a hand with rhythm and lead guitar. The only negative thing I can say about this disc is that at 27+ minutes it just ends too soon. Still, what's here is well worth the price. _Blue Collar Blues_ - Billy Lee Riley (Hightone CD HCD 8040, Time - 43:52) - Riley's another Sun alumnus recording for Hightone. That's kind of an understatement - Riley and his band, The Litle Green Men, *were* the sound of Sun Records in the '50s. They were the house band and recorded with anyone who didn't already have their own band. The list of historical luminaries is probably way too long to list, but if you can think of anyone who recorded at Sun, Riley probably played with them. On _Blue Collar Blues_ Riley straddles the line between blues and rockabilly. Riley dips into both genres for many of these tunes, though there are a couple of songs here and there that favor one side of the line or the other. Songs also have touches of country in spots. Riley's voice captures each mood and genre - it's almost as if he has a different personna for each different musical style. _Blue Collar Blues_ is an eminently wonderful return to recording for Riley. Welcome back, Billy! _Stranger In This Place_ - Killbilly (Flying Fish CD FF70599, Time - 30:40) - Killbilly are a definite rarity - a bluegrass band on speed. Maybe one could call it thrash-grass. Whatever you call it, this is intense, fun stuff that'll singe your butt if you sit still for too long. "Wake Up and Smell the Coffee" could be a signature tune. It's intense enough that it shouldn't become a parody of itself. Other tunes, like "Muddy Rio Grande" and "Blue and Worried Man", go a long way towards establishing Killbilly as a band to be reckoned with, rather than one that could find itself wandering the path of self-parody. As on the Sonny Burgess album, the only complaint I have about this album is that it's only 30 minutes long. If I could press Killbilly and Sonny Burgess onto one CD, I'd be a real happy camper! For now, though, I'll just have to keep reloading the CD player on the half hour with these discs. _Omniscience_ - Swans (Young God/Sky CD 7-5160-2, Time - 57:02), _Cop/Young God_ - Swans (Young God/Sky CD 7-5068-2, Time - 65:18), _Greed/Holy Money_ - (Young God/Sky CD 7-5069-2, Time - 78:11) - Swans have become downright cheerful compared to their early days of plodding, oft-painful, dirge-on-downers music. The had one major label album (_The Burning World_) on UNI/MCA that fans criticized as a commercial sell-out. The album was, perhaps not surprisingly, a commercial failure. Swans returned to the indie world. They've reissued most, if not all, of their back catalog on CD. They've also recently released _Omniscience_, a live album recorded at various points on their 1992 world tour. If you take all of those moody gothic bands and slow them down to 16 rpm, you might be able to approximate what Swans accomplish with their sound. This live album does display a certain balance in the music. Their older albums are very bottom heavy and very singular in theme. Their more recent output has produced a bit of much needed, although slight, variety. There are a couple of points where Swans seem to be emulating fellow Downtown New York arties/scenesters Sonic Youth, most notably on "Amnesia", a piece that valiantly attempts to break the dirge orbit, but never quite reaches escape velocity. D R O N E O N _The Complete Blind Willie Johnson_ (Columbia/Legacy 2 CD set C2K 52835, Time - 94:57), _White Country Blues (1926-1938)_ (Columbia/Legacy 2 CD set C2K 47466, Time - 140:02), _New Orleans Barrelhouse Boogie_ - Champion Jack Dupree (Columbia/Legacy CD CK 52834, Time - 68:21), _The Slide Guitar: Bottles, Knives & Steel Vol.2_ (Columbia/Legacy CD CK 52725, Time - 62:13), _The Complete Recordings Vol. 4_ - Bessie Smith (Columbia Legacy 2 CD set C2K 52838, Time - 125:24) - Columbia/Legacy, sparked by the amazing amount of interest in the Robert Johnson reissue set, has several reissues in the Roots 'n Blues series that have recently been made available. Another two disc set in the ongoing Bessie Smith catalog is now available. Champion Jack Dupree's 1940 and 1941 Okeh recordings are chronicled in _New Orleans Barrelhouse Boogie_. This set features a handful of previously unreleased tracks and prviously unreleased alternate takes. _White Country Blues_ is a 48-track chronicle of '20s and '30s white country blues. It's ample evidence that music knows no color boundaries. While the times were segregated and prejudiced, the music was freely given back and forth. This collection allows us a small peek back into the '20s and '30s. When Columbia/Legacy first started reissuing old blues a couple of years ago two compilations caught my ear - the _Great Blues Guitarists: String Dazzlers_ compilation and _The Slide Guitar: Bottles, Knives & Steel_ compilation. Each of these compilations of '20s and '30s era blues provides an insight into the sound of the blues as it is today and the sound of the blues over the last 50 years. Notably, much of the rock and roll of the '60s borrowed much from the music showcased on these compilations. One can see here where Clapton, Page, Beck and hosts of others got much of their muse. Now there is a second disc in the Slide Guitar series. The first volume featured some of the more well known names of the time, Blind Willie Johnson, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Son House, Charlie Patton, Leadbelly and Blind Boy Fuller, among others. Volume 2 contains 20 tracks devoted to Tampa Red & Georgia Tom, Buddy Moss, Sylvester Weaver & Walter Beasley, The Hokum Boys (w/ Big Bill Broonzy on guitar) and Helen Humes (w/ Weaver & Beasley), among others. The names are not as commonplace as the previous volume, but the music is no less potent. It's also rather well preserved. Sure, the limitations of the period's technology are evident. The music, though, rises above the limitations. After listening to the first few songs one's ears become accustomed to the nearly 70 year difference in technology. That artists today, such as John Hammond, Hans Theessink, Cephas & Wiggins, Roy Rogers, Bonnie Raitt and John Lee Hooker (all with enough years as musicians to develop their own traditions, as well), continue to keep this type of blues alive is a testament to its essence and passion. _Waiting For Herb_ - The Pogues (Chameleon/Elektra 61598-2, Time - 46:37) - Spider Stacy takes over the vocal duties in the Pogues on this album. He's got big shoes to fill as Shane McGowan is still the vocal yardstick where the Pogues are concerned. His vocals are not as in-yer- face snotty the way McGowan's were. This change tends to turn the band into one that features traditional Irish sounds with occasional punk leanings rather than being a punk band that uses Irish music as a springboard. The band is somewhat toned down, but they can still kick your butt around a little. _The Storyteller_ - Vinx (Pangaea/IRS 7 13206-2, Time - 65:53) - If this guy's name were Sting, David Byrne, Paul Simon or Peter Gabriel this album would be getting massive airplay. It's a diverse collection of tracks that can most easily be lumped as 'world music'. But that's too easy. There's a lot going on here that draws from music all over the map. There's an urgent beat from the streets running through some of these tracks. There's also a jazzy influence that surfaces from time to time. There are African and Caribbean rhythms and instruments in abundance. This is extremely soulful, but it's not much like typical soul music. Excellent stuff! If this grabs you, go check out his two previous albums (_Rooms in My Fatha's House_, _I Love My Job_). Track number 2 is an intriguing cover of Van Morrison's "Moondance". _Mezcal Head_ - Swervedriver (A&M 31454 0129-2, Time - 61:22) - Noisy, wall-o-guitar type stuff that combines an undercurrent of heavyness and restrained power (akin to some of Iggy & the Stooges stuff - they say Iggy Pop was a big influence on them) with pop melodies. It's a pretty simple and solid album - no extraneous bullshit and lots of guitars. Sound good to you? It sounds good to me! _House Of Acid Jazz V. 1_ - Various Artists (Astralwerks CD ASW 6103-2, Time - 50:29) - Yow! This has got to be one of the coolest, freshest things I've heard in ages (well, at least since the start of this 4 day binge of listening and the 50 or so CDs that have crossed my ears between then and now). Hybrid styles have been around forever. They will continue to evolve. The hybrid here (jazzy melodies and excursions with a house beat running through everything) has my feet going a mile a minute (and I hate to dance). This stuff has got a heart and soul. I hesitate to lump this in with 'techno' since a lot of the techno I hear leaves me cold, but this collection would easily fit into any techno set. Miles Davis worked with a rapper/rap producer on _Doo Bop_ with some amazing results. This collection takes things in a different direction. Hearing this, though, I have to wonder what Miles could have done in this type of setting. _The Rebirth Of Cool_ - Various Artists (4th & B'Way CD 162-444 061-2, Time - 50:10) - I take back what I said about the House Of Acid Jazz CD, well sort of... I said it was the freshest thing I'd heard in ages. Well, it still is, sort of. Rebirth Of Cool is slightly fresher - your mileage may vary. Rebirth Of Cool features several soulful reworkings of jazz tunes by Herbie Hancock, Dr. John and Pharoah Sanders, among others. Running underneath it all are classy, stylized beats and snazzy electronics. All this is the underscore rather than the main focus. The main focus is on the song and the singer, each of which comes from a variety of sources. Check out the liner notes for more information on each piece. _Living Dub Volume Two_ - Burning Spear (Heartbeat CD HB 132, Time - 39:42) - Some reggae for ya, mon. The album that this Burning Spear dub album was made from has never been released in the U.S. (Heartbeat is set to release it in Jan '94). Thus you're able to hear the dub version of the album before the real version. If this stuff grabs you, go check out the Burning Spear album _Live in Paris_. It lays down a live groove that is nearly impossible to climb out of once you let yourself slide into it. _The Monster Butt Beat Dance Test_ - Bop (Harvey) (Mulberry Street Productions 2-CD MSP 2001, Time - 137:00) - This double disc set was recorded live (with the exception of the first track on each disc) in August of 1993. Sounds like a rollicking good time to me! They tend to rock out a little more live than the studio stuff that I've heard prior to this album. They still keep that reggae/ska sound as an undercurrent to the beefier live sounds. The horns don't seem to be as prevalent as earlier work, though they still play an important supporting role. Bop (Harvey) rock a little harder here, but they still manage to funk things up. As reference points I'd say that Fishbone, Mighty Mighty Bosstones (without the hardcore aspects) and early Red Hot Chili Peppers are the most obvious comparisons. Solid rockin' funk mixed with some rastaman vibrations. Rather cool stuff. Disc one is the more rocking disc. Disc two grooves on the reggae thang a little more than disc one. _Shiver_, _Dead and Gone to Heaven EP_ - Rose Chronicles (Nettwerk W2-30084 & W2-6318, Time 49:50, 21:55) - If you enjoy female vocalists with good, expressive range you should enjoy Rose Chronicles. The backing band provides several layers of biting, shimmering guitar-heavy sounds. Vocalist Kristy Thirsk recalls a number of other singers while maintaining a sense of self. Vocal reference points are: Jane Siberry, Carol van Dijk (Bettie Serveert), Simone Holsbeek (Cords), Kate Bush, April Coombs (Arson Garden), Liz Fraser (Cocteau Twins). Given a few minutes, I could probably list off about a dozen others who've recorded in a similar vein. _SpeedDangerDeath_ - Hot Rod (Caroline CD 1742-2, Time - 41:26) - Paula Kelley sounds a little more waifish now that she's fronting her own band. She's the major creative force in Hot Rod, whereas she was primarily a vocalist with Drop Nineteens. She says "I wanted to write songs and play guitar instead of just do vocals and I liked the idea of having more creative control. Drop Nineteens was already a band when I joined and I don't hold anything against them. I had more input on _My Aquarium_ EP than _Delaware_, but I just wanted to do my own music." The results of this creative expression calls to mind a cross between Blake Babies, Bettie Serveert, Drop Nineteens and Tiny Lights. _Blue Million Miles_ - Joan Osborne (Swimming Pool Blue CD 9300102, Time - 13:40) - If you attended one of the H.O.R.D.E. festivals, you may well have seen Joan Osborne perform. She was on early, so you also may have missed her. If her shows were half as good as this EP then it would have been a shame to have arrived late. Joan Osborne combines a number of styles, though her publicity sheet would like you to call her style 'aternative soul'. The 'alternative' influences include a sound that has roots in the downtown NYC scene. The soul part seems to come from inside, as it's not a Detroit thang, a Philly thang or a Memphis thang. I've heard that she can belt the blues, but these three tracks stay away from standard blues structures. "What You Gonna Do" does have a bit of a Joplin (Janis) feel to the vocals, the music is spare and has a somewhat hollow sound that makes things that much more haunting. "What You Gonna Do" was recorded live at the first ever New York Rock for Choice. The concert also included performances by Iggy Pop, David Byrne, Julianna Hatfield and Laurie Anderson. Joan fits right in. _Ungawa Beep Beep_ - In June (Rust CD IJR 004, Time - 46:18) - The crisp, sharp guitar sound makes a nice contrast with the sinewy, soulful vocals of Kirsten Rian. In June has a little bit more of a modern rock sound than Joan Osborne's _Blue Million Miles_, but I'd put the two singers in the same class - their voices are evocative and compelling. They cover a Husker Du song ("I Apologize"). There's an almost inaudible jazzy undercurrent running through most of these tracks - not enough to really point to it, but enough so that one gets the impression that In June is a little more than just a band trying to cash in on the fact that they're from the trendy northwest USA. The tune "Think Twice" brings the undercurrent to the fore - it's the jazziest track on the disc. They also have a previous CD _Luminaries_ (Rust CD IJR 003) and a new 7" slab o' vinyl titled _Melt_. _Sights..._ - Mike Judge & Old Smoke (Revelation CD 30, Time - 46:13) - Yea, apparently it's *THAT* Mike Judge. What he does here is a very credible Neil Young imitation. Don't make that comment out to be as cynical as it could be - this is good stuff. It's raw, it's loose, there's no pretense here. Judge slices off hunks of that country/folk thang that Neil has done so well off and on throughout his career (_Harvest_, _Harvest Moon_, _Comes a Time_, _Unplugged_). _Down Out Law_ - Kevn Kinney (Mammoth CD MR0073-2, Time - 40:10) - Kevn Kinney steps away from the smoke and fire of Drivin' n' Cryin' to put out an album that has more in common with Bob Dylan's acoustic side. Listening to _Down Out Law_ is not unlike what it must be like to be able to catch solo-acoustic performances by the likes of Robyn Hitchcock, Bob Mould, Richard Thompson or perhaps even Bob Zimmerman himself if he's "on". Terrific songs, completely lacking of any pretention, this is just a wonderful disc. _Fire in the Hole_ - Picasso Trigger (Alias CD A-056, Time - 40:56) - This is a hard rockin', heavy stompin', noise making band that reminds me of a cross between Bettie Serveert and Babes in Toyland with a pinch of Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon thrown in for good measure. This Raleigh, North Carolina quintet is raw, noisy and lets it all hang out. _The Crying Tree_ - Blood Oranges (ESD CD 80792, Time - 43:39) - This CD is just plain wonderful. It rocks, it rolls, it follows tradition, it throws tradition out the window. There are a couple of spots where Blood Oranges rock hard enough to approach a metal sound, but their music is firmly rooted in folk, bluegrass, rockabilly and country. Cheri Knight and Jimmy Ryan share vocal duties. They offset each other quite well while also managing to intertwine occasionallly in enchanting fashion. Open your mind and let Blood Oranges ooze into it. This is superb stuff! The disc is produced by Eric Ambel of the Del Lords, a band well worth checking out if you're into the harder rocking stuff on this CD. _The Love That Won't Shut Up_ - Opal Foxx Quartet (Long Play CD LP26, Time - 47:42) - Tom Waits meets American Music Club is how Steve Pilon at Long Play describes Opal Foxx Quartet. I'm a little more inclined to say that Opal Foxx Quartet is a combination of Tom Waits and John Cale and maybe a smidgen or two of Captain Beefheart for good measure. The vocals are immediately comparable to Waits, though they don't seem to be quite as rough-hewn. The keyboard work on "Clean White Bed" (which sets the backing mood) reminds me of much of Cale's excellent _Fragments of a Rainy Season_. "Frail Body" displays an alterna-pop guitar sound running underneath Foxx' vocals. The rest of the disc maintains a fairly consistent Waitsian-pop sound, though there are influences brought into the mix that seem to appear virtually from nowhere. Definitely an intriguing listen! Not really a quartet, this 8 or so member band features a number of other instruments to round out the basic guitar/bass/keys/drum sound. The increasingly audible, industrywide, violin and cello augment the sound here. There's also some steel guitar that manages to be heard through the mix upon occasion. Opal Foxx' voice is blended fairly well with the music and is perhaps even a little buried in the mix. Probably works best that way, since his vocals could tend to overdominate the sound if mixed prominently. Michael Stipe produced much of this album. If he can bring some of this spirit to REM's next album, it will indeed be one to watch for! On a sad note, drummer Alan Page of the Opal Foxx Quartet died February 27th of an apparent heroin overdose. Page was 30. _Billy Pilgrim_ - Billy Pilgrim (Atlantic CD 82515-2, Time - 38:27) - Billy Pilgrim are an acoustic duo who formerly went by their individual names, Hyra & Bush. I believe they have prior material released under that name. I imagine the folks that signed them at Atlantic probably decided that these guys were marketable in the alternative arena, but would have that folkie tag if they kept their initial billing. So, Billy Pilgrim it is... Billy Pilgrim will probably have to answer many questions pertaining to them being a male version of Indigo Girls. Their sound certainly reflects a lot of the folk/pop stuff that has been going on in the Athens/Atlanta area. _Drunk_ - Vic Chesnutt (Texas Hotel CD 22, Time - 38:32) - Gritty singer/songwriter with ties to the Athens, Georgia area. Combine the grace and style of acoustic R.E.M. with the raw sound and emotion of the Chickasaw Mudd Puppies and you may have an approximation of what Chesnutt sounds like. His vocals are raw, but not without a softer edge, sounding, perhaps, not unlike Tom Waits without quite so much gravel or a much smoother Opal Foxx. Rob Veal (Dashboard Saviors) and Syd Straw lend a hand. _Charlie Hunter Trio_ - Charlie Hunter Trio (Prawn Song/Mammoth CD MR0066-2, Time - 48:23) - Why are all the cool people going to play this album? Because it's on Les Claypool's (Primus) label Prawn Song. Since it's on Claypool's label, it must be cool, right? Well, this would be cool no matter whose label it was put out on. And you know what, this release fits in more with labels such as Prestige, Riverside, Verve, and Fantasy. Those labels are jazz labels. This is a jazz album. Oh, did I mention that Charlie Hunter was a member of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy? Yow - these guys are really cool now. The music is excellent - these guys do know how to groove! Check it out! You don't even have to be cool to listen to it - I did, so anyone can! _Pleasures of the Past_ - Steve Ellis (Steam CD ST-1012, Time - 57:13) - Singer/songwriter type that has his feet planted in both the folk and pop genres. There are a few songs here that recall John Wesley Harding (definitely more of a Wes sound than all the Elvis Costello comparisons that Harding usually evokes). There are quite a few contemplative songs on this album, so if your tastes lean towards hardcore and noise, you can safely ignore this. _Sangria_ - Throneberry (Alias CD A-044, Time - 49:39) - These guys from Cincinnati mix a power pop sound with healthy doses of heavy grit and grunge. The mixture results in a recording that is familiar almost immediately, but contains enough original flavoring to keep it from being hackneyed and cliched. I can hear some 70's influences, too, though I can't quite put my finger on them. All I can say is that "Touched" definitely sounds like something I heard back when I was a teenager in the 70's. _Aenone_ - Aenone (KokoPop CD5 koko 13 CD, Time - 14:53) - Dream-fuzz guitars that might have something in common with the Feelies on one of their happiest days. The upbeat slant of the vocals adds spark to the wall-of-fuzz which is usually reserved for the moodier, depressing side of of the coin. _Against Nature_ - Permanent Green Light (Gasatanka CD Rock6127-2, Time - 35:45) - Good, solid power-pop from this trio - it's got straightforward, catchy fuzz/jangle guitar sounds. If you dig the Loud Family, Game Theory, Tommy Keene, Alex Chilton, Big Star, Peter Case or the Plimsouls, you'll probably groove on this. Leader Michael Quercio was a member of the Three O'Clock, produced portions of fairly early Game Theory releases and later was a member of Game Theory. _Museum of Heart_ - Dave Alvin (Hightone CD HCD8049, Time - 51:54) - Dave Alvin's been around for a while now on the music scene. His band the Blasters got a good deal of attention in the L.A. music scene. He's also done a stint with the seminal L.A. punk band X. His latest album is a rootsy slab o' plastic that's the real thing. It's not overproduced the way so much of what you hear (even the supposed roots rock stuff) on commercial radio is. It's catchy, but not always obvious - the hooks are there, but they aren't beaten into the ground the way, say, the Gin Blossoms singles have been. _Mono_ - Fury in the Slaughterhouse (RCA CD 66352-2, Time - 44:29) - Fury in the Salughterhouse have a name that suggests a metal band, but metal is not what comes out of the speakers when this disc is played. They remind me a little of the folksier side of the Pogues or The Men They Couldn't Hang. Their more grandiose side is vaguely reminiscent of Midnight Oil with maybe a touch of a U2 influence. Overall this is very good power pop with influences from all over the map. _Whiskey For the Holy Ghost_ - Mark Lanegan (Sub Pop CD SP132B, Time - 49:30) - Less slick than Pearl Jam, this CD still has the stamp of coming from the upper northwest city of grunge. The lack of grandiose production gives this CD an immediate, personal feel. It's one you can sink your teeth into. By the way, Lanegan is the vocalist for the Screaming Trees. This is his second solo album. _Burnt_ - Chune (Headhunter CD HED-026, Time - 35:08) - Punk-ish noise-rock that is the aesthetic that Nirvana was reaching for prior to their rise to stardom. These guys are from San Diego, so don't expect any of that Seattle grunge sound. The following quotes from the band members will probably give you a pretty good idea of where this band is coming from. They aren't the second coming, but they ain't too shabby, either. "We work with this one retard guy named Bill whose parents beat the hell out of him when he was a kid. Bill associates black and blue with love, so whenever he wants affection he causes a raucous (sic) in hopes that we'll smack him. We end up putting him in confinement for a few hours until he calms down and forgets about the whole thing." - Andy Harris, vocals/guitar "Man, sometimes I'm driving my truck on one of the long late-night hauls through the Arizona desert and another eighteen-wheeler will be heading my way. I know that some of these fat mac drivers are schizzed on crystal or coke or whatever will get them through the night and that much closer to their next destination. I dunno if they're gonna blow their horn at me and wave or run my ass into some ditch. I guess it's the chance you take on the high road to nowhere." Lance Matineau, guitar Did you catch COPS last night?? Some boner from Cuba tried to run from a bust and had a bullet rip right through his kneecap. His leg was gushin' blood all over the street and the cops just stood there reading him his rights. Way fuckin cool." Rich Nicolosi, drums _Every Lonely Planet_ - Papa Loves Mambo (River Records CD 6011-2, Time - 44:52) - Papa Loves Mambo are based in Portland, Maine. They don't fit neatly into categories, though there are good-sized chunks of beefy R&B floating around in their music. Andrea Antognoni's vocals recall a little Bonnie Raitt, a little Marcia Ball, a little Lucinda Williams and a little Angela Strehli, among others. Not bad company to keep! They move towards a folkier sound on several of the tracks. They even funk things up a little on tunes like "Sputnik", "Even Keel" and "Kinky Boy", sounding more like Kate Bush than Bonnie Raitt. An impressive, versatile duo. _Start a New Race_ - Paranoise (Ozone CD OZ-003, Time - 43:43) - Paranoise is a fusion band. Rather than just beefing up their instrumentals with a little attitude and flash, though, this band uses jazz as breeding ground, tossing in meaty, metallic riffs and booming bass and drum sounds. There's certainly an undercurrent of jazzy horns and improvisational solos here and there, but the structure of the group stays close to a more traditional hard rock sound. It sounds really bad as a concept, but it works rather well in practice. Except for maybe the Asia-sounding "Aware Wolf"..., but all the other tracks are good. _Feel Nice_ - Psyclone Rangers (World Domination CD CDP7 89116-2, Time - 44:09) - Imagine if the Reverend Horton Heat (Psychobilly deluxe!) had a crunchier sound that rubbed elbows with some metal riffs. You'd probably come up with something like the Psyclone Rangers. Their sound is trashy and thrashy without being metal or punk. It's got elements of rockabilly and psychedelia without venturing too close to either of those musical realms. It's grungy without being a 'grunge' album or band. It's lots of things. But mostly it's a pleasure to listen to. Check it out and ride the Psyclone! ======================================================================== Jazz Bits - Mini/Capsule reviews of Jazz releases ------------------------------------------------- _Sanctified Shells_ - Steve Turre (Antilles CD 314 514 186-2, Time - 57:30) - The concept sounds more suited to a new age recording - using shells as the main instrument for an album. The 'back to nature' pseudo-theme would be consistent with a lot of new age 'philosophy'. I imagine it would be pretty easy to find someone with a spiffy electronics setup to make a fairly interesting recording. However, what we have here is a band project. A fairly adept rhythm section filled with a variety of instrumentation. The shells lend an otherworldly feel to some of these tracks. The rhythm section brings everything right down to earth, giving the album a very 'worldly' feel. There's some brass that augments the shells (shells and animal horns were used as wind instruments before recorded time. They are the roots of all brass instruments) on some tracks - trombone is used mostly, though Dizzy Gillespie throws his trumpet voice in on track 7. The liner notes are filled with interesting history and information. _Russell Malone_ - Russell Malone (Columbia CD CK52825, Time - 59:54) - My first exposure to Russell Malone was his guest appearance on Branford Marsalis' "I Heard You Twice the First Time" where he displayed some considerable blues guitar prowess. On this album he displays his jazz talents (both his chops and his feel for a song). He moves comfortably between ballads, swing tunes while keeping one eye on tradition and the other on the road ahead. What impresses me the most about Malone is the incredible amount of warmth he displays in his playing. _Trust The Universe_ - Rachel Z (Columbia CD CK 53216, Time - 61:40) - Rachel Z appears to be a spring phenom - you know, in baseball, every spring there are highly touted rookies who are expected to be the next Mays or Mantle, etc. who disappear off the face of the earth and are never heard from again. Well, the liner notes in this album give one that sort of feeling about Rachel Z. Fortunately, it appears that she's got the stuff to stick in the big time. Only time will tell us whether she's just a spring phenom or a true pro. That said, Rachel's piano playing is deft and articulate. The potential is certainly there. She's off to a good start with this album. _Flame Out_ - The Memphis Horns (Lucky Seven CD 9201, Time - 39:37) - Andrew Love and Wayne Jackson have credentials coming out of every pore in their body. Pick a musical genre that could add horns to augment a sound and they've probably provided it for someone somewhere along the way. Check the liner notes for partial list of whose sound they've helped to shape. While you're doing that, spin a few of these tracks that hang on the funkier side of jazz, blues, r&b and soul. Five of these eight tracks are originals. The three covers display impeccable taste (one would expect no less from this duo) - "Let's Stay Together" (made famous by Al Green), "These Arms of Mine" (Otis Redding) and "Gee Whiz" (Carla Thomas). They manage to add a little something the to legacy of these artists. Soul? These guys have it in abundance. _Anatomy Of A Groove_ - M-Base Collective (DIW/Columbia CD CK 53431, Time - 54:58) - The title of this album is rather descriptive of its contents. Their goal is to take what has come before and propel it into the 21st century with their own signatures attached. They focus on creative black music, but there certainly have been (and will be) non- black musicians who have contributed to music of this form. The M-Base Collective seems to be similar to the Chicago-based AACM or even the New York-based Black Rock Coalition in its philosophies. What the M-Base Collective does here is express their vision in terms that are looking ahead in time while keeping an eye on the past in the rear-view mirror. Steve Coleman puts it best in the liner notes 'The expression of our lives using a musical language that draws on the music of our ancestors and yet adapts and builds on that music to express our needs, this for us is the "tradition" and this is what M-Base is about. M-Base is the sum of our lives expressed in organized sound, a living music.' _Algo Nuestro "Our Thing"_ - Charlie Spulveda (Antilles CD 314 512 768-2, Time - 54:51) - Trumpet-led Latin jazz is the main course on this album that also serves up afro-american, afro-caribbean and Puerto Rican influences. Sepulveda's credits read like a who's who - Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Hilton Ruiz, David Byrne and others. He's also made cameo appearances with Wynton Marsalis, Claudio Roditi and Randy Brecker, among others. Sepulveda uses a septet as a basic group (5 of the 9 tunes), expanding to nine musicians on "Puerto Rico" and trimming down to a quartet on "La Mentira". The tracks where Richie Flores adds his bongo and conga touches are the most interesting to my ears. "Nina's Mood" and "La Mentira" are nice, slower, moodier pieces. _Dance To The Drums Again_ - Cassandra Wilson (DIW/Columbia CD CK 53451, Time - 52:16) - The most obvious comparison for Cassandra is with Sade. Her smooth vocal delivery recalls moments of Sade's first two albums. Cassandra has no pop music leanings (or hooks), though, which makes this album an extremely pleasing listen. The funkier tracks mostly alternate with the mellower ones, almost giving the album a rhythm within a rhythm. I like the funkier tracks a little better, though there's nothing wrong with the mellower tracks. There's a nice bit of scatting on "Just Keep Thinking of Eubay". The title track is an neat combination of percussion and vocals - very tribal in its feel. _In African Eyes_ - Rene McLean (Triloka CD 7195-2, Time - 47:11) - This disc is a marriage of American and South African influences. McLean's various saxophones (and bamboo flute on one track) lead the way, but the supporting cast walks beside McLean rather than following behind. Hugh Masekela guests on a few tracks. Recorded in South Africa (McLean was born and raised in the U.S. and now resides mostly in S.A.) amid all the hullabaloo going on there, it's hard to imagine there's much joy to share there. But this record is filled with joyous sounds. It's upbeat, danceable and downright exhilarating in spots. _Passenger 57_ - Stanley Clarke (Slamm Dunk/Epic CD EK 53232, Time - 52:17) - These 18 tracks all have a lot of punch - a jazz oriented soundtrack with a rock 'n roll attitude. Like, say, some of Bela Fleck's work or Herbie Hancock's, there's a good deal of state-of-the- art technology in use here, giving the music a very modern flavor in addition to the punch. If you like recordings where the rhythm section is there for more than just support, you'll like this. This isn't typical soundtrack music (well, there are a few quiet, soundtrack-filler type pieces, but you can easily avoid them if you wish) - you don't even have to tell anyone it is from a soundtrack if you don't want to... _Father Of Orquesta Tejana_ - Beto Villa (Arhoolie CD 364, Time 66:34) - Some of these 24 Tex-Mex tracks are nice for a change of pace. I can't say as I'd like a steady diet of these, but they are certainly interesting as an occasional connoiseur's delight. These were originally recorded between 1948 and 1954. I prefer the livelier tunes (polkas, rags) to the slower waltzes (vals). The bolero pieces are good, too. The liner notes provide a good deal of historical information on the man and the music form. ======================================================================== Contact Info for labels - catalogs/mail order, etc. --------------------------------------------------- Alias Records (2815 W. Olive Ave., Burbank, California 91505) Arhoolie (10341 San Pablo Avenue, El Cerrito, California 94530) Caroline Records (114 W. 26th Street, New York, New York 10001) Crackpot Records (2110 Lyndale Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55405) Cruz (P.O. Box 7756, Long Beach, California 90807) Doctor Dream (841 W. Collins, Orange, California 92667) DB Records (432 Moreland Ave. NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30307) ESD (530 N. Third Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55401) Flying Fish Records (1304 W. Schubert, Chicago, Illinois 60614) Headhunter (4901 Morena Blvd., Unit 906, San Diego, California 92117-3432) Heartbeat (1 Camp Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02140) Heyday (2325 Third Street #339, San Francisco, California 94107) Hightone Records (220 4th Street #101,Oakland, California 94607) Homestead (P.O. Box 800, Rockville Centre, New York 11571-0800) Justice Records (P.O. Box 980369,Houston, Texas 77098-0369) Knitting Factory Works (47 E. Houston Street, New York, New York 10012) KokoPop (33 34th Street, 6th Floor, Brooklyn, New York 11232) Link Records (121 West 27th Street, Suite 401, New York, NY 10001) Little Fish Platters (3556 Santa Fe Trail, Atlanta, Georgia 30340) Long Play (P.O. Box 55233, Atlanta, Georgia 30308) Mammoth Records (Carr Mill, 2nd Floor, Carrboro, North Carolina 27510) Miranda Records (P.O. Box 1024, East Lansing, MI 48826) Moist (P.O. Box 3597, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27515) Mulberry Street Prods (3 East 28th Street, 5th Floor, NY, NY 10016) Ozone (P.O. Box 800, Rockville Centre, New York 11571-0800) Restless (1616 Vista Del Mar, Hollywood, California 90028-6420) Revelation (P.O. Box 5232, Huntington Beach, California 92615-5232) Rust Records (3380 NE Fremont, Portland, Oregon 97212) Sky (P.O. Box 724677, Atlanta, Georgia 31139) Spirit Music (P.O. Box 170195, San Francisco, California 94117) Steam (741 Piedmont Ave., Suite 300, Atlanta, Georgia 30308) Sub Pop (P.O. Box 20645, Seattle, Washington 98102) Texas Hotel (712 Wilshire Boulevard #151, Santa Monica, CA 90401) As with any volatile substance, the above can change without notice. ========================================================================