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Consumable Online Issue 201
== ISSUE 201 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [Feburary 24, 2000]
Editor: Bob Gajarsky
E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com
Managing Editor: Lang Whitaker
Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Chris Hill, Bill
Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Jon Steltenpohl
Correspondents: Michelle Aguilar, Paul Andersen, Christina
Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Jason Cahill,
Matthew Carlin, John Davidson, Andrew Duncan,
Krisjanis Gale, Jade Hughes, Paul Hanson, Eric
Hsu, Scott Hudson, Steve Kandell, Dave Kemper,
Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Wes Long, I.K. MacLeod,
Wilson Neate, Mike Pfeiffer, Linda Scott, Don
Share, Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear,
Michael Van Gorden, Simon West
Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann
Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription
information is given at the end of this issue.
==================================================================
All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s).
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the
editor.
==================================================================
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| Contents |
`------------'
REVIEW: Oasis, _Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants_ Bob Gajarsky
REVIEW: Morphine, _The Night_ - Matthew Carlin
REVIEW: William Orbit, _Pieces in a Modern Style_ - Chris Hill
REVIEW: The Rockfords, _2000_ - Scott Hudson
INTERVIEW: Blue Man Group (Part 2), _Audio_ - Chris Hill
REVIEW: Bernard Butler, _Friends and Lovers_ - Wilson Neate
REVIEW: Kelis, _Kaleidoscope_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Dinosaur Jr., _BBC In Session_ - Kerwin So
REVIEW: Enon, _Believo!_ - Matthew Carlin
REVIEW: Sweet Water, _Suicide_ - Chris Hill
REVIEW: Super Chikan, _What You See_ - Dave Kemper
REVIEW: Woolworthy, _Sweet Second Place_ - Steve Kandell
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Electronic Tribute to Pink Floyd_ - Wilson Neate
REVIEW: Tommy Womack, _Stubborn_ - Bill Holmes
TOUR DATES: Frank Black and the Catholics, Chris Cornell, Phil Coulter,
Cracker, Robert Cray, Dismemberment Plan, Gomez, Guster,
Ben Harper & Innocent Criminals, Richie Hawtin, Korn, Machine Head,
Morrissey / Sheila Divine, Powerman 5000, Pretenders, Seely, Stroke 9,
Lit / 22 Jacks
Back Issues of Consumable
---
REVIEW: Oasis, _Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants_ (Epic)
- Bob Gajarsky
Guigsy's gone. Bonehead's gone. What's a band to do?
Fortunately for Oasis fans, the Gallaghers - lead vocalist
Liam and main songwriter Noel - are still here. Cue the entrance
of Andy Bell (formerly with Ride and Hurricane #1) and Gem Archer
(formerly of Heavy Stereo) along with drummer Alan White, and
Oasis is back up to their traditional five-piece lineup.
The Gallaghers are in complete control, as if there was ever
any doubt. And whilst Noel and Liam have 'grown up' with proper
families, conducted any well-documented fights outside the view
of the media and dropped the drug requests from the unofficial riders,
The one unifying factor in both brothers lives - music - has returned
front and center on the new album.
And this time around, Noel's modified the formula a bit.
There are plenty of obvious musical references here, but he chooses
to gently veer from a safer, blander direction (_Be Here Now_) and
wander down a more risky path.
"Fuckin' In The Bushes" opens up _Standing_, and marks the
greatest departure from any 'traditional' Oasis tunes. Closer to
early Led Zeppelin blues, not unlike the direction John Squire and
the Stone Roses were trying to take on their _Second Coming_ disc,
"Bushes" only lasts for a little more than three minutes. But the
fact that Oasis lead off _Standing_ with this unusual instrumental
is more significant than the actual song.
For the most part, the songs on _Standing_ reflect the
psychedlic age the Beatles went through. First single "Go Let It
Out" takes a swirling feel with tosses towards "Strawberry Fields
Forever" and Oasis' own "D'You Know What I Mean?", and even
includes 'elements' from (not quite a sample, but influenced by)
Johnny Jenkins' "I Walk On Gilded Splinters".
The drifty music benefits from the production and engineering
collaborations of Mark Stent. With production credits including Madonna,
Bjork, and Massive Attack on his resume, there should be little
surprise that the Gallaghers are trying to get closer to the
Chemical Brothers audience than before. For the first time, Noel
Gallagher says, "I was working with someone who understood club
culture, who could get the sounds heard on dance records and apply
them to an Oasis album."
Nowhere is this more apparent than on the album's second
single, "Who Feels Love?" Sandwiched somewhere in between the
Beatles' "Within You, Without You," "Lucy In The Sky With
Diamonds" and "Tomorrow Never Knows," a good remix of this track
could prove to be Oasis' entry into the late night dance clubs.
Liam Gallagher's first attempt at writing, "Hey James", is
Oasis' answer to "Hey Jude". Though not a timeless classic, this slow
track displays a tender human side of the often broody, arrogrant lead
singer. And just when the song keeps teasing that there will be a
"Na na na na" ending, Liam mimics - in a different key, and slightly
different pace - that of the Beatles' original. Just as brother Noel,
Liam makes no effort to hide his influences.
Other key tracks includes "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is"
- which owes just a wee bit of debt to the Doors, even going so far as
to steal the lyrical phrase "put your hands upon the wheel", and
"Where Did It All Go Wrong" which amalgamates some recent Dad-rock
Weller with heavier guitars, and resides on the same library shelf
as _Morning Glory_'s "Cast No Shadow".
Despite all these classic rock influences, it appears that
Noel Gallagher is no longer content to play things safe (as he did
on _Be Here Now_), and wants to establish Oasis as a long-term player
in the music industry. "It (_Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants_)
goes about a third of the way," Noel declares, "to where I want to
be with the band in about five years." It will definitely be
interesting to see where the Gallagher brothers - and Oasis -
ultimately arrive.
---
REVIEW: Morphine, _The Night_ (Dreamworks)
- Matthew Carlin
The late Mark Sandman could do no wrong by me. Ever since I
first saw him perform with Morphine at the South Street Seaport in New
York for the Knitting Factory's What is Jazz? Festival several years
ago, he was the coolest rocker in my book of rockers. With tight black
pants and a bright red button down shirt, a puffy bird's nest of hair,
that wry but affable stage demeanor and his unforgettable low voice,
this man was exactly what you wanted in a rock star. Then when I
started checking out the albums I realized this guy was also one hell
of a musician. With Sandman absolutely possessing his own style of
songwriting, not to mention his 2-string slide bass and strategically
employed taxi dispatcher microphone, Morphine were always truly
"alternative" to me, back when the term was still in use.
_The Night_, though it's being hyped as a complete departure
for the world's foremost low-rock band, follows the logical path set
with _Like Swimming_ from 1997. Expanding on that album's more
adventurous instrumentation and atmospheric sounds, _The Night_ is
indeed Sandman's opus, but then again, virtually every new album was
his opus. Also expanded are the song lengths. Where in the past Sandman
limited some of his catchiest tunes to the two to three minute range,
all of the songs on _The Night_ take their time to develop for four or
five.
Opening with the slowly swinging title track, the new album
starts out dark, somber and very much Morphine. Dana Colley blows some
breathy baritone sax lines while drummer Billy Conway plays with the
understated taste he is the master of. Augmented by the cocktail drum
of Morphine's first skins man Jerome Deupree and the expert cello
playing of the ubiquitous Jane Scarpantoni (the Lounge Lizards, Sheryl
Crow, Ben Folds Five, Bob Mould, R.E.M.), the wider scope of this
production is immediately apparent.
"Souvenir" is Morphine's low-rock at its lowest, sonically
speaking. Sandman's bass strings sound like they must be tuned down
to the point of flapping in the wind. The haunting, single-note piano
lines make distinctly Sandman lines like "I remember meeting you, we
were super low/Surrounded by the sounds of saxophones" and "If I can
only remember the name that's enough for me/Cause names hold the key,
names hold the key/Souvenir of nothing," all the more poignant.
Along with the cool, dark tunes, Morphine always served up
some of the niftiest party tunes (remember "Honey White") with fun
lyrics and very happening sax lines. "Top Floor, Bottom Buzzer"
follows this tradition, with the addition of John Medeski's extra
warm and funky Hammond organ. Meanwhile, "Rope on Fire" finds Morphine
exploring Middle Eastern territory with exotic percussion, oud and a
three piece string section with bowed bass, viola and cello.
Morphine probably won't win any new fans or break into the
radio again with _The Night_, but the old fans are surely left with
a suitable trinket from the coolest man in rock and roll.
---
REVIEW: William Orbit, _Pieces in a Modern Style_ (Maverick)
- Chris Hill
The melding of classical music with the synthesizer began
memorably with Wendy Carlos' _Switched On Bach_: the "Chopsticks"
drilled adult standing proudly over the keyboard and urging these
two cousins to kiss. Grammy-winning musician/producer William Orbit
now successfully joins the list of those with similar matrimonial urges.
Eleven tracks chosen from nine composers (Orbit opts for two
pieces each from Henryk Gorecki and Ludwig van Beethoven), _Pieces..._
is serene and contemplative. Orbit's said as much in his interviews.
This is an album best appreciated privately, late at night, with
headphones, as an exercise in meditation.
Start to finish, a gentle peace reigns. Mascagni's "Intermezzo
from Cavalleria Rusticana" is childlike and toddling, all wide-eyed
innocence, as is "In a Landscape," by minimalist John Cage. The lullaby
ambience of Ravel's "Pavane pour une Infante Defunte," the processional
drama of Handel's "Largo from Xerxes," the measured playfulness of
Vivaldi's "L'Inverno" ("Winter" from _The Four Seasons_): without
exception, each track is pure splendor and delightfully rendered by
Orbit.
Though each piece is adapted with proper respect, there's room
for fun and games. Phased notes and windchimes dance around each other
on Beethoven's "Triple Concerto" and a helicopter flies across the
sonic horizon in Erik Satie's "Ogives Number 1."
Given the sublime pacing of the full album, it's laudable that
Orbit allowed Perry Forsten (and German DJ ATB) to amp up his take on
Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings." The Forsten remix, which allows
the Orbit version only the calm of the hurricane's eye at the center
of the remix, is currently topping the UK charts. Perhaps morphing
Barber to techno speed didn't fit Orbit's inclination or vision --
either explanation, the dance mixes are an excellent way to garner
notice for a disc that deserves all the sales attention it can find.
(As a bonus, the two remixes are available with the US CD release.)
Allow _Pieces..._ to slip around your consciousness like
mercury, from the initial, instantly recognizable "Adagio for Strings"
to the setting sunset of Beethoven's "Opus 132." You won't be
disappointed.
---
REVIEW: The Rockfords, _2000_ (Epic/Sony)
- Scott Hudson
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready is certainly no stranger to
side projects. In 1995, he collaborated with Alice In Chains front man
Layne Staley and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin to form Mad
Season. The result was their semi-successful debut record, _Above_,
that yielded the radio hit "River of Deceit."
For McCready's latest project, The Rockfords, he teams up with
members of Goodness (Carrie Akre, Chris Friel and Danny Newcomb) and
Jodie Watts (Rick Friel).
For the Friel brothers, McCready and Newcomb, it's a grand
reunion of sorts. The four share a musical relationship and personal
friendship that goes back more than twenty years. As twelve year-olds
they formed their first band, Warrior. In '82, they added vocalist Rob
Webber and changed their name to Shadow. Shadow would last another six
years, disbanding in '88 without ever releasing a record.
However, it was McCready's attendance at a Goodness show on
New Year's Eve, 1997, that fueled his desire, not only reunite with his
buddies, but to work with a female vocalist. Enter Carrie Akre.
The Rockfords' debut release, _2000_, is an exceptional rock
record, complete with memorable melodies, propulsive rhythms and great
ripping guitar work. But it's Akre's vocals that bring the music to
life.
Akre's vocal prowess can only be described as a combination of
Geddy Lee (Rush), Andy Sturmer (Jellyfish), Gwen Stefani (No Doubt) and
Melissa Etheridge. This gal is amazing! Songs like "Adelaide," "This
Life" and "Flashes," will most certainly attest to her laryngellic
power.
On "Silver Lining" and "Distress," Akre displays her sultry
side, which is a perfect compliment to McCready and Newcomb's lush,
laid-back guitar lines, while "Coat of Arms" with its infectious,
upbeat chorus is a hit-in-waiting.
The record also features a guest appearance by Heart guitarist
Nancy Wilson, who co-wrote (with McCready) and sings lead on the dark
and haunting, "Riverwide."
While most side projects come across as lame and uninspired
exercises in futility, this is one that worked. But with no tour plans,
no videos and no hype to support _2000_, it probably won't be racing
up the charts. But it is most certainly worthy of major accolades, and
they'll most certainly get it here!
---
INTERVIEW: Blue Man Group, _Audio_ (Virgin)
- Chris Hill
{This is part 2 of the interview. Part 1 appeared
in the February 15 issue - #200 - of Consumable Online.}
CO: Seems you begun the Blue Man Group as a piece of art
criticism. Since you've been doing this for more than a decade,
what sort of new things have you been bringing into the show?
BMG: That's a good question. A lot of our material
comes from whatever kind of gigs that we're doing at the time.
The art stuff happened, I think, when we were doing some of these
galleries and new museums down in Soho in New York, and we had
some fun knowing that the people in the audience would get a
sophisticated art reference. We also had fun biting the hand
that was feeding us by kind of making fun of them, but knowing
that they were sort of masochistic and would actually like being
made fun of.
CO: That sounds like New York.
BMG: Yeah, exactly. (laughter) So then we moved on,
opened up at the Astor Place Theatre and "Tubes" solidified, but
we started doing a couple of outside gigs. And one of the ones
we did was the Interactive Media Festival, in the mid-90's. I
guess they were calling it "Interactive" - it was a little bit
before the web had really taken off. But there were a couple of
things like that: the Utne Reader had a kind of big salon vision
fest, and the Interactive Media Festival, and another computer
related event. So, for those we did a couple of pieces that
dealt with technology...the equivalent of what we were doing in
the art world. We were making fun of them a little bit, but we
were also taking advantage of the fact that we could make certain
jokes that we knew that they would get. It's a love/hate thing.
Our show is a send-up of conceptual art and a celebration
of it at the same time. We make sure we keep ourselves honest.
We're making fun of performance art, but we're also doing it.
And similarly, we were making fun of some of the claims of
technology, but we were also using it to cool ends at the same
time.
The common thing, I think, with them, was to dance around
the question of "Where's the room for humanity in it?" "Where's
the room for human emotion?" And "Where's the room for the human
body when things are becoming increasingly more technical and
technological?"
And then, I think after that, we did a couple of rock and
roll gigs. We did the New Music Seminar. So we did a little bit
of Blue Men's Take on the Rock World, 'cause that's easy to make
fun of. You want to kind of get in there, and have some fun, but
also...you want to rock! The making of _Audio_ was the
culmination of that experiment. You know, why aren't people
being more creative with their instruments? Why is every band
playing guitar, bass, drums in the background. You have two
guitars, a couple people are spinning records, a couple people
here and there playing cheesy synthesizers, but basically, what
happened to the innovation with the instruments?
So we took that "not being satisfied" energy into the
rock world. We didn't want to create an album that was esoteric
and typical performance-y, or microtonal music, or whatever. We
wanted to make a ROCK album. We don't have vocals, that's just
the way it is, but we wanted to make songs with the electric
guitar, with some familiar sounds, but mixing in some of these
other tambres. And for some people, I'm sure it's not weird
ENOUGH...
But for us, those same people probably didn't like
the Sex Pistols when they came out. For us, it's an energy and
a blend of naivete and exuberance AND intelligence that we go
for, and so that's been a very satisfying process. But then, to
really feel like I've answered your question, as soon as the
album was done, we felt "Wow! That was cool, we really did our
rock thing." We're going to keep doing that. But now that we've
gotten that out of our system, let's take a moment and go back
into the vaudeville empty room, and see if we can entertain
people with nothing more than the relationship between these
three characters.
And so we've kind of gone back to some of our acting
roots in the last few months, getting ready for this show,
because we wanted to make sure that as great as the music's gonna
be, we wanted the character work to be as big, or more important
than the props. We didn't want to have it be an evening of
spectacle. Not that rock music is only spectacle, but we wanted
to make sure that we had done our homework, where we're in front
of an audience, and it's the three of us, that relationship, and
nothing else. Just our wits and our improv and maybe a few
props. We wanted to get back to that dimension.
CO: So as far as acting, is there any progression in the
characters when they're doing their stage show? Or are they just
pretty much reacting to the environment and playing the
instruments?
BMG: I think there is a progression. I think the Blue
Man enters the environment not entirely sure of the surrounding,
and it doesn't go straight to "now I play you a song". The Blue
Man is thinking on his feet, the character is figuring out what
to do, what would be appropriate, how to wrestle this audience
from an intellectual state to a visceral state. In a very basic
sense, the Blue Men're trying to figure out how to get the
audience to be ready to rock.
And they're NOT, they're not sure how. They have no idea
at the beginning, if it's even going to work. They're not sure
what the other characters, other Blue Men, are going to do. So
that's where the character comes in. There's little bits of
mishaps and so on, but by the end, they're pretty much in step
with each other, and they've taken the audience, perhaps, to a
new level.
CO: All right. Hey, I've checked out your site, and
it's brilliant. [ http://www.blueman.com/ ]
BMG: Oh, great. Thank you so much.
CO: I think I particularly like the Forrest Gump/Blue
Man Group in the art world...
BMG: Oh, yeah, yeah. I wonder if anyone's read that.
Or if they've even gotten it. We haven't gotten any feedback
about that.
CO: Seriously!?
BMG: No one talks to us about that. You know, it wasn't
easy to write that. It took us a little time. I don't think
anyone's read it! We have a piece in the show that we call
"Klein", and...oh, you haven't seen the show, right?
CO: No, but I'd like to.
BMG: Well, Yves Klein made two kinds of paintings,
basically. He made the blue monochrome. He made sponge reliefs,
blue, but it was always that same color, which we've tried to
match. He also would paint people's bodies, or rub paints...have
them roll in paint, and then he'd press them against canvasses.
We have a send-up/tribute to one of those paintings in our show.
It's a lot of fun, it's a real lot of fun. And we never
imagined that it was going to have the kind of reaction that it
did. Yves Klein's widow - because Yves died at a very young age,
his heart just literally exploded - his widow came to our show.
We spoke to her in the lobby afterwards, and she said that Yves
was there. He was in the theatre with us and he was very
pleased.
CO: That's pretty powerful.
BMG: Isn't that amazing? It was cool.
At that point, after a second warning to get to the
stage, the BMG had to cut the interview short, taking their
energy and enthusiasm back to their Vegas show installation. I
was left with a high that lasted for days, and a desire to see
for myself the visual production which inspired _Audio_.
---
REVIEW: Bernard Butler, _Friends and Lovers_ (Sony/Columbia)
- Wilson Neate
In 1994 after parting company with Suede, Butler
( http://BernardButler.com ) took some time to regroup. Over the next
few years his most substantial outing was a collaboration with David
McAlmont -- _The Sound of McAlmont and Butler_ -- that spawned a couple
of UK hits. Additionally, he contributed his guitar virtuosity to works
by a diverse cast of characters including Eno, Tim Booth and Angelo
Badalamenti, Aimee Mann, Edwyn Collins, and Neneh Cherry. On top of
that, Butler turned in live guest spots with the Manics, Paul Weller,
The Cranberries and Sparks, among others.
All in all, it seemed he was content to do the rounds as a
coveted session musician. Still, by late-1997, with no solo release,
cynics grumbled that the man once hailed as the greatest guitarist of
his generation was having trouble finding his solo feet. Worse still,
it was suggested in some quarters that he was headed down the same path
as other noted British guitarist/songwriters, who -- once deprived of
the unique synergy of a band context -- haven't managed to fulfill
their potential or replicate past glories. The disturbing historical
precedents that came to mind were John Squire and Johnny Marr, both of
whom have -- arguably -- struggled to find or create new contexts for
their talent.
But when Bernard Butler released _People Move On_ in 1998, it
was evident that he was still very much a contender. _People Move On_
was a big album running the gamut of slow, simple, introspective fare,
stirring orchestral arrangements, and unabashedly grandiose -- but
tastefully placed -- rock guitar antics, the likes of which hadn't
sounded so good for ages. Not only was Butler back in the spotlight
but he was writing, playing most of the music, and singing to boot; as
a vocalist he proved he could carry a tune remarkably well, his fragile
vocals tucked into the multi-layered folds of the music.
So does the second album pass muster? Indeed it does, and with
flying colors. On _Friends and Lovers_ Butler emerges as the frontman
of a group and that's crucial to the equation here. He's found a context
with his tried and tested touring band who play on this outing and you
get the sense that he's really in his element at last, self-assured
enough to scale back and strip down the production so as to show off
his talent. Here, he trades in the orchestral numbers, the layers of
instrumentation and the big production for straight-ahead, no-nonsense,
guitar-based, riff-centred fare in the spirit of Oasis (but infinitely
more classy), rich in melodies and harmonies, often with Terry Miles's
perfectly integrated keyboards.
But the outstanding aspect of this record is Butler's vocal
performance. He fronts most of the tunes with a stronger voice, full
of character, confidence and range. Whether it's almost unaccompanied
on slower, introspective numbers such as "Everyone I Know is Falling
Apart" or gleefully leading the charge on tunes like "What Happened to
Me," it's wholly effective. As Butler commented recently, on this album,
"[w]hatever people are getting out of my guitar playing, I wanted them
to get out of my voice." _Friends and Lovers_ certainly succeeds on
that count.
From the outset, with its punchy, upbeat, Bolan-esque title
track, _Friends and Lovers_ is replete with standouts. The first single
is "I'd Do it Again if I Could," a thumping keyboard-driven romp
polished off with addictive harmonies. "You Must Go On" is another
tasty chunk of rock, brimming with piano and jubilant guitar. Although
this is apparently a very personal track, both lyrically and musically
it's guaranteed to raise the spirits of all but the most jaded listener.
Then there's "What Happened to Me," a bubblegum pop-rock thumper with
more catchy harmonies. With the right video it could be massive.
Less direct -- but no less successful -- is "Cocoon," a dense,
melodic, mid-tempo number, broken up halfway with some gear-shifting
guitar work that momentarily slows the proceedings down and then eases
everything back up to (medium) speed again. "No Easy Way Out" is
similarly paced, this time in the spirit of mid-'70s Stones ballads.
It sets out as a modest acoustic piece but Butler works it up into a
swelling, majestic number, his vocals standing out over the burgeoning
instrumentation.
While the subtle crest and trough of Butler's singing
flawlessly presides over the warm and optimistic, but slower, "Smile,"
the sparse "Everyone I Know Is Falling Apart" _really_ showcases his
vocal abilities. On this one his vocals almost aren't there but they
still manage to lull the echoing guitar and gospel keyboards through
to the song's conclusion.
However, Bernard Butler keeps the best until last, or next to
last. At more than eight minutes, "Has Your Mind Got Away?" is an edgy
pop epic. Starting with a nod to Zeppelin's "No Quarter," the track
rises, falls, drifts and coalesces into moments of intensity: the
swimming texture is occasionally pierced by stabbing guitars and
tough -- almost sneering -- departures from Butler's initial vocal
lilt. Butler sticks a fine solo in on the other side of a mid-track
plateau and eventually transforms the song into a Pink Floyd-esque
slice of atmospheric, floating pop psychedelia.
Often on _Friends and Lovers_ you recognize that the music
is deeply allusive but it's never a case of simple, reducible citations.
That's a testament to Butler's songwriting skills as, even in the
context of the paired-down approach on this CD, he manages to craft a
complex and evocative sound that gets bigger and better with each
listening.
---
REVIEW: Kelis, _Kaleidoscope_ (Virgin)
- Joann D. Ball
"Caught Out There" is the irresistibly fresh and direct lead
single from Kelis' debut release _Kaleidoscope_ . Dedicated to "all the
women out there that have been lied to by their men...over and over
again," Kelis brilliantly expresses what it feels like when you find
your significant other cheating on you. And she sums it up perfectly
in the unforgettable raw, angry and honest chorus, "I hate you so much
right now/I hate you so much right now/aaaahhhhhhhh/I hate you so much
right now!"
The aggressive sound and edgy content of Kelis' "Caught Out
There" clearly stands on its own merit with an intensity and power
that is simply unmatched. This catchy smash hit song is neither a more
colorful variation of "You Outta Know" nor the latest offering in a
string of hit hip-hop and R&B singles about male/female relationships.
And Kelis is not just the new flava of the month. The twenty-year old
Harlem native is uniquely talented and displays a refined and mature
musical and lyrical approach. Kelis' _Kaleidoscope_ reflects a
futuristic hip-hop, rock and R&B hybrid sound that cleverly sets off
her insights about the intensities and complex patterns embedded in
love and relationships.
Produced by the Neptunes, _Kaleidoscope_ opens with a short,
cosmic-themed introduction before rolling right into the funky promise
of "Good Stuff." On this deep bass groove, Kelis makes it clear that
what she's offering is so genuine and real that she has no problem
offering a hassle free guarantee. Like "Caught Out There" and the
eleven other songs on this well crafted, sophisticated and urbane
collection, "Good Stuff" has more than enough substance and confidence
to back up the sass and attitude. On "Mafia," Kelis delivers a full
flow rap which gives such notables as Foxy Brown and Li'l Kim a good
run for their money. And Kelis also establishes herself in the same
league as Mary J. Blige and Lauryn Hill on the captivating "Get Along
With You" and on the rich and soulful slow tempo tracks "Suspended,"
and record closer "Wouldn't You Agree."
Whether blazing new musical directions on the hour long
_Kaleidoscope_ or providing the sultry female vocals on rapper Ol'
Dirty Bastard's hit "Got Your Money," Kelis is definitely her own
woman with her own style. No doubt about it, Kelis is an exciting new
artist who is worthy of all the attention she's received with the
breakout hit "Caught Out There."
---
REVIEW: Dinosaur Jr., _BBC In Session_ (Fuel 2000)
- Kerwin So
In the mid-1980s, when the American underground rock movement
was starting to take off with help from labels like SST and Homestead,
a little trio from Amherst, Mass., named Dinosaur, roared its way to
the forefront of the scene. With an overpowering blend of squealing
Neil Young guitar workouts, Black Sabbath heaviness, and the urgent
whine of lead singer/songwriter/guitarist J Mascis (which somehow
managed to convey both lethargy and urgency simultaneously), Dinosaur
left an indelible footprint on the landscape of alternative rock,
serving as both contemporaries and major influences on bands like
Sonic Youth, Nirvana, the Lemonheads, and Buffalo Tom. Of course, a
stray band of hippies with considerable legal power eventually forced
the band to rename themselves Dinosaur Jr., but that diminished their
power not a whit. Old fans and newcomers both can relive the glory
days of Dinosaur Jr. now thanks to the label Fuel 2000, who have
finally released the BBC session recordings of the band.
Culled from four different sessions from 1988, 1989 and 1992,
this collection appropriately includes versions of tracks spanning the
most influential years of Dinosaur Jr.'s career. The overall recording
feel of classics like "In a Jar," "Budge" and "Raisans" [sic] is raw,
intimate, and loose; very little re-mastering has been done here. And
I don't think J would've had it any other way. The tracks the band
produced themselves ("In a Jar" and "Keep the Glove") end on humorous
notes, with J muttering "Bummer" on one, and letting his voice slide
into a jokey snarl on the other. "No Bones" features vibes (!), which
actually work surprisingly well in this _Bug_ album track. The
excellent version of "Raisans" (from the landmark LP _You're Living
All Over Me_) features a high-school girl voiceover during the calm
middle guitar break, very reminiscent of the Pixies' _Surfer Rosa_.
And the final moments of "Does It Float" even include a dead-on take
of the opening riff from Guns 'n' Roses' classic hair-metal ballad
"Sweet Child O' Mine!"
Hardcore fans (probably in both senses of the word) will be
pleased at the inclusion of debut-album favorites like "The Leper,"
which was constantly yelled as a request to J across the nation on
the final Dinosaur Jr. tour in '97 (the result of an ambitious joke
started on the Internet). And is that really Lou Barlow screaming his
lungs out on "Bulbs of Passion," the same guy who would later become
indie rock's wuss poster boy in Sebadoh?
But don't think that the attitude is strictly jocular on _BBC
In Session_. Indeed, the real reasons for fans and neophytes alike to
purchase this CD come in the form of the only two acoustic songs
included. "Keeblin" is a different version than appeared on the
_Quest_ import, and well worth picking up for its subtly pining
vocals, and another beautiful electric J solo laid over sweet
steel-string acoustic chords. And finally, possibly Dinosaur Jr.'s
finest song ever, "Get Me," is presented here in the stripped-down
format originally heard on _Quest_, with a downright tear-jerking
solo taking you through the most gorgeous, tortured territory you've
never explored. J Mascis singlehandedly brought the solo guitar back
to alternative rock, and this song proves why. There's no wankery or
showboating here, just naked emotion, making the BBC version of "Get
Me" - and this CD - a fitting end to Dinosaur Jr.'s long, mighty legacy.
---
REVIEW: Enon, _Believo!_ (SeeThru Broadcasting)
- Matthew Carlin
Combining the avant-garde and pop is always a risky prospect.
When it fails, it fails miserably. When it works, it kicks major ass.
And Enon kicks major ass. Along with drummer Steve Calhoon and sound
manipulator/junk percussionist Rick Lee of Skeleton Key, former Brainiac
guitarist John Schmersal creates splendidly twisted experimental pop
ditties that never descend into avant wankery.
Not unlike Skeleton Key, Enon uses unorthodox found sounds,
samples and old records to augment what are at their core, clever,
musical tunes. Schmersal's lovely, refreshingly non-lead singerish voice
and inventive guitar playing drives electro quirk pop ditties like the
album's stand-out "Conjugate the Verbs," as well as "Come Into" and "Get
the Letter Out." Schmersal's impressive falsetto can be angelic, as on
the layered vocals of "World in a Jar," or haunting, like the
Portishead-meets-"Twin Peaks" soundscape "Cruel."
While the more overtly experimental tracks are a bit weak, the
goofy drum-and-bass/synth pop freak out "For the Sum of It" actually
works smashingly well, and the blips and bleeps and vocoder vocals on
"Biofeedback" eschew mere lame kitsch value thanks to Calhoon's
super-solid beats. If only radio stations were bold enough to play pop
music this intelligent and interesting, the world would be a better place.
---
REVIEW: Sweet Water, _Suicide_ (GoodInk)
- Chris Hill
Adam Czeisler's snarling, spitting voice was the main ingredient
that nudged Sweet Water one step ahead of the line of grunge-era Seattle
groups in the early '90s. Signed to Atlantic, _Sweet Water_, their major
debut, was full of angst anthems and hooks that equaled anything their
hometown brethren were putting out at the time. "Sleep," "King of '79,"
"Everything Will Be Alright" -- this was a group to admire and follow.
Their promise increased a few years later, following a label
jump, with _Superfriends_. "Feed Yourself," "Superstar," "Cake and
Strychnine" -- their sound had been infused with even more snotty
energy and condensed into three-minute pop/punk wonders.
Contrary to high expectations, their rosy future failed to
materialize. They fell out with their label, and disbanded.
Reappearing, unheralded, under a new name (Parc Boys) and
label (Will Records), the magic had somehow been tainted. For every
gem ("Lottery Winner," "7 Years," and "You Got Things to Do," a
stunning heartbreaker of a song), _Two Weeks to Live_ had songs that
played against their strengths (the Gary Numan-esque "People" or the
meandering "Misdirected"). Back to the "Whatever Happened to...?" list.
Add another couple of years, and surprise!: They've returned
as Sweet Water, with the 14 track album that should have followed
_Superfriends_.
The title's a puzzler -- are they back or just milking the
fan base for a few bucks, then calling it quits? Hopefully, the former,
as Sweet Water is as tight and energetic as ever. Their guitars still
have that rock and roll zing, and Czeisler's voice, still magic, is
featured front and center on every track.
"Pulling the plug on the cathode generation/Kiss me now with
lips of desperation/Spare the rod and spoil the nation/ Running out
of gasoline and patience": a combination of punk observation and Gen
X disenchantment, "Cathode Generation" has attitude aplenty -- a
stance that serves the album well. And in the best punk tradition,
the songs are lean. "Been So Long," "She Says," "No Guts" -- instead
of stretching the bones of these songs on a rack for unnecessary
length, the band's kept the torture to a minimum. It's an
under-appreciated skill, knowing when to step away from the song and
let it breathe.
"Call me up when you need some/more of my blood to spill"
("Novocaine Girl"): with the punk, there's a bit of the martyr, but
they can't be blamed for the feeling. Four albums on four labels gives
them the right to feel malnourished.
One of their label splits is hilariously summed up on "East/West
is the Enemy." Listen to "sign the contracts/you'll get your money
back...I want to run my company from the bathroom counters" followed
by a druggy, nasal inhalation, and you've got an idea of the bitter
feelings harbored by the band.
That _Suicide_ rescues three cuts from the Parc Boys' release
("Garden Party," "Lottery Winner," and "Dirty Pigeons") keeps it from
feeling like a pure return to form. Even so, it's a welcome step back
from the edge of oblivion. Kudos to Seattle's GoodInk Records for
extending the hand.
---
REVIEW: Super Chikan, _What You See_ (Fat Possum)
- Dave Kemper
Somewhere down in the south, there's a crossroads where the
blues, swamp rock, a dollop of N'Awlins R&B, and a hint of funk come
together. This is where you'll find Super Chikan.
Born James Louis Johnson, "Super Chikan" sings and plays guitar
and keyboards. He's backed on this album by a basic rhythm section of
bass and drums. This is his second album, and his first for Fat Possum
Records.
The closing instrumental, "Fighting Cock," encapsulates both
the strengths and the weaknesses of this album. The music is undeniably
well-played; the rhythm section never relents on the groove it
establishes, and you can tell by the boisterous yelling, whistling,
and clapping, that everyone's having a good ol' time. But the song is
basically just a couple of riffs repeated to death. There's some guitar
soloing in the middle to mix things up a bit, but that doesn't entirely
manage to shake the feeling that the song structure could have used a
few more musical ideas along the way. The songs with lyrics exhibit
the same tendency; in many cases the lyrics are simple and repetitive.
But this isn't music for analysis and dissection; this is music
for partying and dancing, and in that role it serves admirably, with
highlights such as the funky groove of "Okie Doak", the fuzz guitar and
scat-like singing in "Wille Brown Jr.", and the catchy saxophone riff
in "Ain't Nobody." Producers Matthew Johnson and Bruce Watson
occasionally mix in the sounds of a small crowd whoopin' it up, and
the final track is accompanied by the clinking of bottles, so there's
little question this is a party record. And a total running time of a
mere 34:35 lowers your chances of getting tired of it before it's over.
A couple of the songs exhibit a lyrical cleverness too, such
as "You Said"'s story of a man recognizing his lover's infidelity
through her expensive hairdo's disheveled state, and the
yodeling's-for-white-boys message of "Big Boy Now," which also
demonstrates where the nickname "Super Chikan" might have come from.
Super Chikan has a good singing voice, strong but laid-back,
easily handling styles ranging from the smooth timbre of "Ain't Nobody"
to the rawer, bluesier manner of "What Ya See." His guitar playing is
also the strongest part of the musical backdrop.
Ultimately, _What You See_ has a sound all its own. Individual
songs may be on the repetitive side, but there's a good mix of styles,
and a good dose of fun.
---
REVIEW: Woolworthy, _Sweet Second Place_
- Steve Kandell
"The spirit of Bun E. lives in me," sings Woolworthy's Rudy
Gonzales, a nod to perennially rumpled Cheap Trick drummer Bun E.
Carlos. The two share not only a hometown of Chicago, but a penchant
for crafting frenzied anthems based around thick hooks and thick
harmonies. And even if Bun E. weren't name-checked, it wouldn't be
too hard to figure out Woolworthy's influences and contemporaries.
Be it emocore, post-punk, garage pop, or whatever the kids are
calling it these days, the band's second self-released album consists
of eleven straightforward, supercharged pop songs in the vein of
fellow Midwestern upstarts Promise Ring and the Get-Up Kids, and one
token ballad. The band offers little in the way of virtuosity or
ingenuity, nor is any needed here. The aspirations are modest, and
the results eminently enjoyable. That faint whooshing sound you hear
is the sound of a thousand bespectacled young men bobbing their heads
to the beat and air guitaring against their corduroy pants.
From the opening blast of "Leap Year," Woolworthy delivers
nothing but wall to wall riffs and hooks, complete with the requisite
earnest lyrics about desire unfulfilled and being fucked over. This
is not to say that the music is tired or formulaic - it's familiar,
but in the good, worn, favorite blue jeans kind of way. Though it may
be hard to believe now, Soul Asylum and Goo Goo Dolls used to make
records like this. Other comparisons could be made to Versus, Silver
Scooter, and countless others, skin pasty from too much time in the
garage or the van. What Woolworthy lacks in surprise is more than
made up for with skill and spirit. "Starry Eyes" and "It's Good to
See You Again" are standouts, asking the eternal question: "How old is
too old to be jumping up and down on your bed, pretending you're
onstage?" Answer: not 29. The hypercharged "5-Feet Nothing" may be
a response to fellow Chicagoan Liz Phair's "6'1."" Or it may not be.
But their hearts -what's left of them anyway - are in the right place.
Woolworthy's D.I.Y. ethic also brings to mind a certain Chapel
Hill-based punk-pop quartet, although it would be nice to write at
least one Consumable review without mentioning the name Superchunk.
Shit.
---
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Electronic Tribute to Pink Floyd_ (Vitamin)
- Wilson Neate
OK Computer! Yes indeed. Now here's an interesting idea, and a
perfectly logical one at that.
For audiences weaned on '80s Classic Rock radio and lacking a
sense of history, Pink Floyd might mean the following: a baseball-cap
and mullet sing-along, a pot and beer addled (duuuuude!) knowledge of a
handful of dull tracks, a zealot's commitment to the "traditional"
values of "real" instrumentation played in a stadium environment and
an attendant horror of the computerization of music.
But for others, Pink Floyd always signified something more
interesting than dinosaur rock or a soundtrack to adolescent substance
consumption. Indeed, discerning listeners have long recognized Pink
Floyd's crucial influence on certain variants of a nascent British
electronica/techno in the late '80s and early '90s.
Take the example of the Orb. Not only has Dr. Alex Paterson
paid homage in cover art and titles (floating Battersea Power Stations,
toy sheep and the cheeky title, "Backside of the Moon" etc) but, more
importantly, the good doctor translated the essence of the Floyd's
drifting, spacy ambient passages to the Orb's trance/dance/dub stylings.
And come to think of it, didn't the Chemical Brothers borrow
part of their intro to "Block Rockin' Beats" from 1968's "Let There Be
More Light?"
But while Pink Floyd were always more technologically
sophisticated and interesting than mainstream rock radio audiences
might allow, their link with "electronic" music today has less to do
with their use of technology than with their willingness to re-imagine
what a "song" could incorporate or sound like.
Even without the luxury of today's digital environment, Pink
Floyd anticipated tendencies that became standard mainstream fare for
later artists. These range from basic sampling -- the interpolated
Liverpool FC anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" on "Fearless," the realia
and the pseudo-found monologue on, say, _Dark Side of the Moon_ -- to
the layful, extended appropriation and manipulation of non-musical
sounds on tracks like "Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast."
So, given Pink Floyd's prescient alignment with the spirit of
much emergent electronica, this tribute makes complete sense. All in
all, it's totally listenable and quite danceable, thereby finally making
a reality of the somewhat ironic title of the 1981 Floyd compilation, _A
Collection of Great Dance Songs_.
_Wish You Were Here_'s "Welcome to the Machine" -- re-done by
Vinny Fazzari -- is the most obvious song to cover in this context.
While Pink Floyd clearly used the machine metaphor to signify "the
system" and filled the track with austere technological sounds to make
their point, the medium of electronica enacts that original message all
the more directly. This effect is enhanced with the vocals being
stripped of human affect to sound like Professor Hawking's computer
mixed with Peter Frampton's vocoder.
T.H.C.'s drum-and-bass rendering of "One of These Days" is the
most successful moment. It does precisely what the best covers do -- not
so much imitating as creatively rebuilding the original. This is
achieved with a seemingly paradoxical sleight of hand that seeks out
your remembered version of the original by offering a slim, ongoing
aural bone of recognition in order to set up the connection, all the
while defamiliarizing the Floyd version. The intro to the track
exemplifies this strategy as it takes the deep, plodding and resonant
bass of the original and turns it into a one-dimensional, frenetic
electronic beat that sets the tone for the whole piece. Despite their
diametrically opposed sounds, you hear both tracks at the same time and
that enhances the effect.
Similarly, "Comfortably Numb" -- as performed by Alex
Xenophon -- is shorn of its original menacing, downer status and ends
up sounding like Erasure with its light and jumpy vocals. At the end of
the disc, the "acid mix" takes the idea even further. In much the same
way, the preliminary exploration of "On the Run" by Cracker G serves up
a driving house-lite version while a second pass by George Sarah turns
in an even more minimal, speeded up, pots 'n' pans 'n' blips version of
frenetic electronica.
Admittedly, some versions work better than others, but the only
real criticism here has to be leveled against "Money" by Dynamichrome
and "The Wall" (which is a composite of "Another Brick in the Wall"
Parts I and II) by Alex Xenophon. These songs never needed to happen
the first time around, so why do them again? Maybe more attention to
early Floyd and a focus on more non-vocal tracks would have enhanced
this otherwise credible project. Careful with that iMac, Eugene.
---
REVIEW: Tommy Womack, _Stubborn_ (Sideburn)
- Bill Holmes
Faithful Consumable readers will remember my "how the Hell did
I miss this" review of Tommy Womack's last record ( _Positively Na Na_ ).
I was overjoyed to stumble across one of the most uncompromisingly
original songwriters currently competing for our ears. Well, Womack's
back with a new record, and I'm back to tell/remind you to get your ass
to the store NOW, because he's at it again.
Who else could open a record by sandwiching a rollicking
double-time swamp blues song between a snippet of psychotic poetry and
a thirty second faux-folk song called "Christian Rocker?" But when he
gets down to business, it's incredible songs like "The Urge To Call,"
where his sharp storytelling is matched sonically by an infectious
combination of organ and dobro. Or the searing slide guitar, sword
fighting with Womack's emotive vocal on "I Don't Have A Gun" ("I'm so
glad I don't have a gun/on a night like this/I'd use one..."). In a
better world, a song like "She Likes To Talk" would be a hit single.
And give the man bonus points for covering a Kinks song, and "Berkeley
Mews" at that.
Lyrics aside, Tommy Womack flat out rocks. "Telling You What
You Want To Hear" builds from the ground up like the bastard son of
"Honky Tonk Women" that it is (right down to the cowbell). The all-star
stable of players is once again all over this record, featuring killer
guitarists like George Bradfute and Dan Baird and especially fellow
Bis-Quits axeman Will Kimbrough. Not that Womack is a slouch (his slide
playing is incredible!), but Will Kimbrough plays some of the filthiest
lead guitar solos I have ever heard, and his work on "Dreams And Golden
Rivers" is top shelf stuff.
Womack's way with words extends beyond songs. His novel about
life in the rock and roll trenches ("Cheese Chronicles") is an
underground classic, and according to his website, he's hard at work
on the follow-up, "Jesus Has Left The Building." Nashville has a rep
for wearing down willing talent and molding it into cookie-cutter Hat
Music, but Tommy Womack just continues to sit at the bar, too cool to
even bother flipping the bird. It's time you pull up a stool and join
his army.
For more information, check out http://www.burnsiderecords.com
---
TOUR DATES:
Frank Black and the Catholics
Feb. 26 Bozeman, MT SUB Ballroom
Chris Cornell
Feb. 25 New Brunswick, NJ State Theatre
Feb. 26 Norfolk, VA Boat House
Feb. 28 Nashville, TN 328 Club
Feb. 29 Memphis, TN Omni New Daisy Theatre
Mar. 1 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
Mar. 3 Houston, TX Ariel
Mar. 4 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
Mar. 5 Dallas, TX Deep Ellum
Mar. 7 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
Phil Coulter
Mar. 2 Downey, CA (Los Angeles) Downey Theatre
Mar. 3 Denver, CO Auditorium Theatre
Mar. 4 St. Paul, MN Benson Hall
Mar. 5 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theatre
Cracker
Mar. 1 Boulder, CO Fox Theater
Mar. 2 Vail, CO Garton's
Mar. 4 Aspen, CO Double Diamond
Robert Cray
Feb. 26 Maui, HI Arts and Cultural Center
Feb. 27 Honolulu, HI Sheraton Waikiki
Feb. 28 Kailua, HI Kona Surf
Mar. 23 Gainesville, FL The Florida Theater
Dismemberment Plan
Feb. 24 Chico, CA Blue Room (w/ Juno)
Mar. 1 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Ct.
Mar. 2 Denver, CO The Raven
Mar. 4 Chicago, IL Fireside Bowl
Gomez
Feb. 26 Los Angeles, CA Universal Amphitheater
Guster
Feb. 25 Englewood, CO Gothic Theater
Feb. 26 Salt Lake City, UT DV8
Feb. 29 Scottsdale, AZ Cajun House
Mar. 2 San Fransisco, CA The Fillmore
Mar. 3 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theater
Mar. 4 Sacramento, CA Big Shots
Ben Harper & Innocent Criminals
Feb. 24 Las Vegas, NV The Joint @ Hard Rock
Feb. 25 San Deigo, CA Uc San Diego
Feb. 26 Los Angeles, CA Universal Ampitheater W/Gomez
Richie Hawtin
Feb. 26 Chicago, IL Dulton Expo Center
Korn
Feb. 24 Oklahoma City, OK The Myriad
Feb. 26 Salt Lake City, UT E Center
Feb. 28 Phoenix, AZ America West Arena
Feb. 29 Anaheim, CA Arrowhead Pond
Mar. 3 Oakland, CA Coliseum
Machine Head
Feb. 24 Minneapolis, MN Quest Club
Feb. 25 Omaha, NE Ranch Bowl
Feb. 26 Springfield, MO The Juke Joint
Feb. 28 Boulder, CO Fox Theater
Feb. 29 Salt Lake City, UT DV-8
Mar. 2 Seattle, WA Graceland
Mar. 3 Portland, OR Roseland Theater
Morrissey / Sheila Divine
Feb. 24 Red Bank, NJ Count Basie Theater
Feb. 27-28 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Feb. 29 New York, NY Beacon Theater
Powerman 5000
Feb. 25 Detroit, MI Harpo's
Feb. 26 Cleveland, OH Agora Theater
Feb. 27 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Feb. 28 Indianapolis, IN Egyptian Room
Mar. 1 Chicago, IL Riviera Theater
Mar. 2 Milwaukee, WI Rave
Mar. 3 St. Paul, MN Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Mar. 4 Omaha, NB Sokol Auditorium
Pretenders
Feb. 24 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre
Feb. 25-26 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre
Feb. 28 Akron, OH Civic Theater
Feb. 29 Detroit, MI State Theatre
Mar. 1 Toronto, Canada Massy Hall
Mar. 3 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Casino
Mar. 4 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom
Mar. 5 Burlington, VT Flynn Theatre
Seely
Feb. 24 Princeton, NJ The Terrace Club
Feb. 25 Philadelphia, PA Khyber Pass
Feb. 26 Charlottesville, VA Tokyo Rose
Feb. 27 Carrboro, NC Go Lounge
Stroke 9
Feb. 24 Milwaukee, WI Varsity Theater
Feb. 25 Indianapolis, IN Clowes Memorial Hall
Mar. 1 South Bend, IN Stepan Center
22 Jacks
Feb. 24 Ypsilanti, MI EMU Convention Ctr.
Feb. 25 Akron, OH EJ Thomas Performing Arts Hall
Lit / 22 Jacks
Feb. 28 Boston, MA The Paradise
Feb. 29 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts
Mar. 2 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Mar. 4 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Mar. 5 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
---
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===
