Inch, Inch (Regal) CDS
You might recall, a couple of years ago, the NME cutting a single 12"
of a track featuring Mark E. Smith as a birthday present for John
Peel. They made a couple of pages of picture story out of it, if I
remember right. Anyway, this is it, a dark and meaty breakbeat chopper
with Adams Family scream FX and the inimitable most-angry-man-in-pop
grumbling away about something that sounds like "ahnch" through a mic
made from barbed wire. Brilliant. www.regal.co.uk
Blowholy, Psalm 666 (Ketamine Leper) CDS
Blowholy like riffs. Metal riffs. Metal riffs from when metal
was hard rock played by spotty young men from the back-streets of
Birmingham in the few hours they weren't operating heavy machinery in
some soon-to-be-closed sweatshop.
Blowholy also like beats. Jungle beats. Jungle beats of the kind
constructed by spotty young men with large record collections and a
home computer on which to sample and cut-up breakbeats while the rest
of the nation sleeps.
It's a fair guess that Blowholy are spotty young men, then. But wise
beyond their years on these five tracks which weld together their two
obsessions into one powerchord'n'bass whole. Each is fronted by a
charging riff with an Ozzy vocal dropped neatly behind but instead of
the trad rock rhythm section anchoring the sound with plodding
regularity, there's a cascade of clattering acyclic beatbox firing out
beats like a blacksmith struck by lightning and punctuating the riffs
with a stuttering kick. If it's comparisons you're after think Sabbath
and Source Direct.www.hermetic.force9.co.uk
blowholy@hermetic.force9.co.uk
44 Low St, South Milford, LS25 5AS.
Squarepusher, Budakhan Mindphone (Warp) 12"
It might all be played live---and hence a layered organic groove
rather than a tremendous amphetamine rush of corrupted
breakbeats---but the latest Squarepusher sound is no less tantalising
than the previous one. It's essentially jazzy but threaded with pretty
much anything else that'll fit. The two closing numbers, "Varkatope"
and "Gong acid", are cases in point. The first is a brooding inner
city nightscape concrete underpasses, dank doorways and overturned
dustbins partially obscured by sodium shadows. The second is, in total
contrast, a raga of tabla and tin can percussion that swoops and
swoons in its own thoughtful way.
Danmass, Quake (Dust 2 Dust) 12"
Only one small step (for Dan, a giant leap for...erm) away from the
Beastie Boys in instrumental "Ill Communication" mode: stand-up bass,
stabs of organ and a barrowload of groove. That's "Quake." On the
other side, and also from the forthcoming LP, "Timestand" is wistfully
unaware of the potential in its somnolent breaks and down-played
tip-toe bass. Think the big brother of anything on N-Tone.
3D House of Beef, Similar attack pattern (Supergeisha) CD
Why do so many heavy bands look back so fondly upon Kiss? I mean, they
were only ever a bunch of pretty boy pub-rockers with a neat line in
costumes, one oversize tongue and a relentless appetite for
self-promotion. Whatever the reason, you'll find that 3D House of Beef
have hidden a churning cover of some-time Kiss member Ace Frehley's
"Stranger in a strange land" at the end of "Similar attack pattern",
and they've made it all their own; on a par with the 3 new tracks
which are indeed similar to the last album: grinding, gurning, twisted
slowcore geetar, tight and hard epileptic drumming and heavy, sinuous
weighed-down bass. If there's any appreciable difference between this
record and that, it's that the band have accelerated from a lurch into
a crawl...but they're on the verge of falling back down.
The other tracks are remixes from the debut "3D House of Beef" by the
likes of Leech Woman and Deathline International. "Sedition, the 16
Volt mudcock mix" is taken over by a snare-happy loop and some
electronic bobbling, reducing the seething grunge of the original to
almost nothing. In contrast, "Crawl" actually seems slower and more
dense than before---perhaps not surprising given that it's remixed by
the band themselves. Scar Tissue turn "Society of old crows" into a
lump-hammer industrial beating while Deathline Intl make "White
hogslaughter" one of their own children, artificial electro devoid of
emotion. Leech Woman's overhaul of "ID'd be dental records" is buried
beneath a thick layer of hum, hiss and piercing whistle, shading new
texture into the track's incessant repetition and things are rounded
off with Insilico's gabba version of "White hogslaughter".
With remix records you normally take your chances but 3D HoB have
roped in a group of varied accomplices to turn out a varied set, not
always respectful of the original, but always worth a listen. PO Box
1660, Duvall, WA 98019, USA 3d_house_of_beef@msn.com www.oz.net/~nihil/3d.html
Electric Bird Noise, Unleashing the inner robot (Artfag) CD
Given the name and the fact that the band features a member rejoicing
in the name of Rev. Doc. Scomps, you'd expect Electric Bird Noise to
be somewhat out of step with your average Top 40 run-down. And you'd
be right...What they offer on this record is an electronic
mood/prog/effect manipulation and experimentation mix. The best bits
are when guitars are downed and the band let their ambient bent take
over. The torrent of beats, squawk and synths that make up "Japanese
toy song" or the wash of gentleness that follows it ("The hum of the
moon") are perfect examples. However, when guitars are in evidence,
the prog rock tendencies come to the fore and tracks like "Number
three" suffer for it; the panned stereo percussion and art-film runs
being overshadowed by Mike Oldfield-style fret excess. If their inner
robot likes "Tubular bells" so much, I'd stick to the superficial
one. members.aol.com/artfag1 5708
Longleaf Drive, Myrtle Beach, SC 29577, USA
The Understudy Inferior, My lounge the zoo, alright CDS
3 tracks of which two are from the shelf marked almost inaudible
found sound collage (with tinkle and occasional beats) and one,
"bad lover blues" which is a walkman recording of a rudimentary guitar
blues with teenage Tom Waits vocals, a big bass drum and---and this is
the winner for me---a horrible solo that's so strange it turns the
track into a masterpiece. rb8647@bris.ac.uk or Ray Brooks,
Clifton Hill House, Lower Clifton Hill, Bristol, BS8 1BX.
Smog, Knock knock (Domino) CD
Switching with ease between chiming back-country sadness and a new
rockier sensibility the latest Smog release is a real blast. "Held,"
the first single, is a loop and a beat surely knocked up in minutes if
the spontaneity in its infectious, instinctive groove is to be
believed. "No dancing" takes off from a chugging bluesy intro to add
piano and even a bunch of schoolkids to end up sounding not unlike
Sebadoh in pop mode. They (the kids, that is) crop up again on "Hit
the ground running," a lengthy leaving-home song full of regret---"A
bitter man rots from within"---that previously would've almost stalled
in its maudlinity but now looks to the other side of the coin. Easily
my favourite Smog record...EVER!
Fourtet, Dialogue (Output) CD
Solo Fridge magnate Keiran Hebden in relaxed jazz mode. Driven by
stylish live beats that slowly ooze hip hop but add fluid
improvisational fills without ever becoming fussy or dominant an
electronic smoothness is woven. Electronic, but never as artificial as
the first Fridge album, it's more organic---like a set of slightly
stoned post-gig jazz cats just jamming around in a New York loft and
watching the sun rise as they make soft music.
Brilliantine, Genius girl (Softcore) 7"
The only thing that Brilliantine have in common with Metallica is that
both are at pains to point out that they do not endorse the cosmetics
that share their names. Further unlike the hoary old shagged-out
thrashers, Brilliantine have their debut 7" just released on their own
Softcore label. On the one side there's an ever-so-slightly fuzzy pop
song of the kind early TFC produced with careless abandon and on the
other an acoustic jewel, the kind of song that solo Evan Dando sings
spruced up with a countryish edge. 2.50 from PO Box 332, Sunderland,
SR6 9YP
Petit Vodo, Somebody's dream (Butcher's Wig) 7"
There's handy summaries under each of the three titles on this jukebox
7". About "Somebody's dream" the sleeve says: "a no pop'esplosion walk
featuring Fats Waller talks." You can't really beat that except to say
it's pleasingly short garage trash with distorted harmonica recorded
badly by a French man. Sounds exceptional. transrock@krakatoa.org or to
order: butcherswig@easynet.co.uk
The White Rabbit, Fly Momma! (Kontraband) 12"
No hookah-smoking caterpillars here but plenty of other drug stuff is
narrated over a sassy electro- meets-latino disco groove. The vibe is
slinky hipsters and big afros, basement parties and a huge sound
system. The "Skool daze" mix plays up to the electro side big time, a
squelch/scratch hybrid of the non-alkaline persuasion. If you catch my
drift.
Pala, Be a celebrity (Artists Against Success) 7"
"Be a celebrity" is cleverly targeted at the Evening Session and as
such is top notch polished guitar pop, hook-laden, infectious chorus,
cliched review...However, lying neglected on the b-side is a little
gem (and I don't mean an expensive lettuce) by the name of "Queen of
lo-fi" which is less of a production and more of a blast through a
loud-soft, foot on the monitors Lemmy-fantasy experience.
One True Parker, Killer (Eruption) 12"
Extremely tense minimal drum'n'pulse frm OTP with a vocal that only
adds to the feeling that something really bad is going to
happen. Which it does---"bad" meaning "good", of course---in the form
of a BLIM remix with a heavily mental bass and a lot more muscle in
the paranoia. Nice work.
Mondo Bizarro, Love me (Mondo Bizarro) 12"
Only about 18 months late with the flute but bang up to date with the
spyfunk lounge music and slightly disturbing "love me" chorus as
implored by a group of desperate big-boned, dyed-blonde wannabee
actresses. MB are also known as Silicon Valley Def Stars.
Blackwater Industries, Box of Bullets (Dust2Dust) 12"
Can you watch "The Ipcress file" and those "Ironside" re-runs too
often? Not if you're Blackwater Industries (Greg Belson of Hightower
Set and Julian Chown) and capable of assimilating the groove and
atmosphere then lathering it generously over the 3 breaks tracks on
this 12. For fun, Aquasky adds a dirty (Harry) edge to a fourth.
Hardwire, Tearin the country up (Kingsize) 12"
Second single for Hardwire is a neat piece of mostly instrumental hip
hop that smoothly updates the Jungle Brothers circa "Straight out the
jungle", all horns, up beats and instant appeal. On the flip, "Belongs
to the people" is a dubby reflection of the same---basically identical
components but with a modern JA vibe.
Isan, Beautronics (Tugboat) CD
So what does beautronics mean? When Isan
interviewed themselves for Robots.. they described "fantasy
listening experiences" that included Brian Eno in the snow atop a
perilously tall mountain and the Cocteau Twins by the canal in
Leicester after a Summer rain. Bear these images in mind when I tell
you that "Beautronics" is considerably more relaxed than early tracks
like "Remegio" (on their Hummy and Joey release), as if they're
writing a Haynes manual for the Ambient Electro Mk 5 by stripping down
from the full model to the chassis, carefully noting and recording all
the details to ensure that their guide is correct, and will some time
in the future start to put all the bits back together again. Often on
this album there's little more than hints of mood overlaid with the
simplest of beats and some spectral FX---the kind of music HAL might
make during a somnolent moment.
Lots of imagery to describe beautiful music in this review. I guess
that's as good a definition of beautronics as any.
i_s_a_n@hotmail.com
Plankton, Ganja killed the dinosaurs (Ochre) CD
Plankton inhabit the same fertile field as Donkey. They grind like the
Dog Faced Hermans, growl like an asphyxiated Mark E. Smith playing The
Godfather, grub up a dubby bassline and throw samples at it, skank
like good 'uns, write songs that mimic Buster Bloodvessel in an
end-of-the-pier matinee, and then go all prog on you. Sometimes. Other
times they're only incredible. It's a real blast and it ends with a
song called "Beautiful hole". Draw your own conclusions.
Mount Vernon Arts Lab, Gummy Twinkle (Via Satellite) CD
"Excellent," your hackneyed hack thinks to himself as the first
sub-drone soundwaves mumble out of the speakers, "it's time for
the book." He reaches into his grubby parka and pulls out a
tatty-looking address book, fingering the entry for M. He opens the
book, whispers "Mount Vernon Arse Lab..." and begins
to chuckle softly, graduating through a gentle laugh, loud snort and
wild-eyed guffaw in quick succession as he curls himself up into a
ball of smugness and cruel childish power fantasy...
...30 minutes later he jerks up and snaps around to look at the clock:
"where did the time go?" he wonders aloud.
Where indeed did the time go? Answer that and you'll have discovered
the secret of the Arts Lab; much as you'd like to write them and their
friends (Norman Blake, Sonic Boom, Disinformation and Prokect D.A.R.K)
off as pretentious nobs nobbing around with broken answering machines,
battery chargers and ZX81s, you soon find yourself being soothed and
transported by the gentle undulation and sweet synthetic womb rhythms,
the mains hum and the random noise. Best just to go with the (electron)
flow. PO Box 7001, Glasgow, G44 4YZ
The Argos Fiasco/Le Liberateurs, Evidence from the seance room
(Dada Tapes) TAPE
Paul Mckenna guests, uncredited, on the Argos Fiasco's massively
remixed relaxation tape. Splices of the satanic hyno-entertainer are
dropped into cyclic ambient washes, bits of drug documentary,
typewriter keys being pressed, swift drum'n'bass and Satie recorded
from the far end of a church hall to create a tape which, its makers
claim, is a "palate cleanser". Certainly much less full-on than their
previous offering, but still cut-loose and context-free.
On the other side, Le Liberateurs pick and mix drum breaks from their
favourite jungle and gabba and run them together in the kind of aural
onslaught that the word barrage might've been coined for. Not
quite in the DHR league yet, but add a distortion pedal and they'd be
close. Best for me is the mangling of harsh beats and a stylish jazz
trumpet which might (hard to keep track of the tracks) be known as
"Waiting for him to die." Nice. 30 Wiltshire Ave, Burton Upon Stather,
Scunthorpe, N. Lincs DN15 9ER theargosfiasco@hotmail.com
The Gerbils, Are you sleepy? (Earworm) LP
Half of Neutral Milk Hotel plus friends wrestling peculiar tunes from
inchoative playing and overpowered 4-track fuzz. There's obvious
elements of NMH---although never the all-encompassing grandiosity and
pomp of that band---but also hints of Helium, Quasi, subdued Sonic
Youth, a lo-fi Jane's Addiction and Portastatic (who, along with
Sebadoh, are name-checked on "Crayon box"). Very much a side-project,
but definitely not one to be cast aside.
Source Direct, Mindweaver (Science) 12"
A primer for their "Exorcise the demons" long-player, "Mind weaver" is
noticeably less dark that the two Science releases that preceded
it---no less harsh or intense though, a nagging urgency fuelled by
sporadic bursts of warp factor 5 breaks and inclement phaser bass. If
there was a dance called the Darth Vader, this would be the tune.
310, Prague rock e.p. (white) 12"
Following the vinyl kleptomania of the recent Black Helicopters'
record, Leaf again ransack the vaults of popular culture, again avoid
serious copyright difficulties by keeping the label white and
again limit availability (1000 copies only). This record is the UK
debut for production duo 310 although they're 2 albums old in their
native USA. Fellow Americans might spot the phonetic gag in the title
when I tell you that this release splices up a Jurassic Park mix of
prog rock dinosaurs---one track each for Genesis,
King Crimson, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull and, yes, Yes. It's crazy, but
it just works---a snippet of interview opens each track and 310 blend
segments of 6 or so songs with a crunching beat, reverence and
gravitas. A colossal task and a spot-on result. Best for me is
"Trustus," the Floyd remake.
Speedranch/Janksy Noise, Execrate (Leaf) 12"
Another weird psychobeat experience from the Leaf label, this time
sounding like some kind of bizarre mutation of the Fall in the early
90s and a load of shit...and that's just the title. You could perhaps
apply it to the music as well if you added gabba, intense breakbeat,
overloaded crazy computers triggering unworldly samples, lightning
strikes, pinball machines, bent electro and noise. Actually, this is a
promo for an LP of the same name in which DJ Dpeedranch and Jansky
Noise (of the cranky V/Vm) bastardise records by a bunch of their
mates including 2nd Gen, Jega and Stock, Hausen and
Walkman. Perversely, this sampler may not contain much that's on the
album. An incredible trip, once again.
Ian Pooley, What's your number (V2) CDS
Didn't like the album much so it's something of a surprise to find
that this does enough to catch the ear as it builds from a simple
funky loop, adds the vocal and breaks down. Crackly disco with remixes
from Bob Sinclar and Jazzanova.
Bis, Action and drama (Wiiija) CDS
Bis are the Human League on this release; the most basic synth lines
and a bubbling electronic underneath. It's all about a simple tune and
repetition and it's a plea for personality in music and DJs.
Whistler, Don't jump in front of my train (Wiiija) CDS
More folksy acoustic brightness from Whistler. This one has the
feeling of a band thrown together for the afternoon, really feeding
off each other and playing off a 60s harmonica riff and around the
foot-tapping Heavenly pop song, Lovely. Again
Unlimbo, Prahna fish (Polygraph) CD
It's a dub thing---a festival mantra of whirling dervish climax built
up from the dub foundation and embellished by psychedelic Hammond,
skank/space guitar, samples, didgeridoo, jew's harp, violin and that
wailing Eastern/Baltic sound produced by I know not what. Imagine late
nights, the Megadog big top, Dr. Didg, a party vibe and a huge
communal trance of improvisation and you won't be far off the
mark. Best track is the closer "Inertia" which delves into the sample
bag and comes up with Patrick Moore, Homer Simpson and a space
mission, dropping them over a hypnotic surge and drone spacey
Hawkwind meets violin blowout. Top marks. 12 Graham Rd, Dunstable, LU5
4EH
Porn Flakes, The number of the beef (Grappler Unlimited) CD
The thing I like about metal is that it's one of those genres where
you can tell instantly whether or not you'll like a record by looking
at the sleeve. Think back to Kiss's "Double platinum" and then try not
to think back to "Crazy nights," for example. Imagine, then, what this
sleeve would mean to you: Iron Maiden script for the band name, a
Maiden-punning title in dripping-blood script and an Eddyesque butcher
reaching for a satanic cow. Oh, and a prominent "parental advisory"
sticker worn like a battle honour. You're thinking the same as me?
Cheesy name, piss-take artwork? Shit band? Yep? NO!
Cast your preconceptions aside---only 30 seconds into opener "Unblind"
and we're already ripping off a chunk of Public Enemy's "Don't believe
the hype" to a hip hop/thrash mixture that shows where Anthrax could
have taken "Bring the noise" and how far we've come since the
lamentable white-boy rapping of the Surf MCs' "Surf or die." For the
most part, the remaining 13 tracks are solid speed metal with hip hop
overtones, slight RHCP tendencies and lashings of swearing with some
pretty puerile lyrical content in places ("eating more pussy than a
bowling alley full of dykes") redeemed somewhat by the excellent and
thoughtful "Plight of idiots" and nothing like as OTT as the first
Bodycount LP (but nothing like as funny either.) "Acting like Black
Sabbath" slows down to a grind/riff parody of the Sabs and "Moo jack
hustler" is trashily bombastic as it rejects vegetarianism (hence the
sleeve picture). Overall then: musically excellent, lyrically dodgy in
places. Apparently a scream live as well. PO Box 2507, Toledo, OH
43606, USA www.sinklub.com/porn/pfmain.html
Peter Thomas Soundorchester, Warp back to Earth (Bungalow) CD
The general idea: provide due recognition for 60s/70s spacesonic
pioneer Peter Thomas by way of some tribute project that is more than
just a formulaic remix album. The specific plan: unearth some archive
clips of unused original material, supply it to fans of the man and
stand well back. 29 such snippets were found (and are included as a
bonus disc on the CD version of this album) and 17 new tracks were
produced.
Peter Thomas is famed and feted for his theme for the cult German TV
show "Space patrol Orion" so it's no surprise that many of the tracks
here feature Star Trek theremin whines or deep space ambient
noise. Mina comes up with the best of the former, welding the
squealing effect to a cramped dirty disco boogie; Brezel Goring,
Stereolab and Coldcut all opt for the former, augmenting the bareness
with smooth atmospherics and lazy galactic bubbles. The High Llamas
find that Thomas's source music fits their current electronic bias
like a glove and turn in a track that could easily be on the recent
LP. John McEntire creates a proto-Kraftwerk beatbox piece while Momus
and Schneider opt for space'n'bass. Best of all the outstanding work,
however, is the closing clash between 77-year old Thomas himself and
Bungalow stalwart The Maxwell Implosion. Together they let rip some
planet rockin' beats with a heavy dose of gravity-free electro.
Listening to Thomas' originals it's easy to see how this album has
(unlike the High Llamas or Pastels remix records featuring much the
same personnel) turned out so strong: his 20-30 year old compositions
are still highly contemporary and even futuristic, ambient/jazz/space
tracks in their own right. Reverence for the composer and a
determination to do justice to the music has resulted in a storming
set. Respect due, and paid.
Various, Ooer, missus (25) CD
Another brick in the 25 compilation wall, "Ooer, missus" will be
familiar to anyone who's heard previous offerings. Mainly indie guitar
pop of a workmanlike standard, OK but nothing exceptional, spiced up
with the odd gem. In this case, the precious stones are UK Heights
with Clare Begly and a Peter, Paul and Mary-ish number, "Coming
clean," Cord's badly mis-titled "Ordinary" which is clunking paranoia
on a scrap-hop frame and, by a long mile, a brace from Walking Wounded
with "Gypsy dance," a Romany violin-led knees-up, and "Four colours
for you," a dose of 60's French spy flick maudlinity.
Various, No approval needed volume 7 (Whitmore Empire) CD
Lead boot techno on the acidic side from Derrighan kicks this
compilation off, followed by the dark breaks and seething synths of
Morticia Raven's "Infernal" and random number electro courtesy of
alone. This intro should give you some idea of the varied electronic
trip on offer here; high points are the two stonkers from
DR:OP:FR:AM+E that whip up a storm of spliced beats and overactive FX
and the dubbed-out Shadow boxing instrumental hip hop of Rockstar
B-Boy. Elsewhere, solid offerings in a variety of techno suits, with a
special mention to Vertigo Blues' Mantronik-on-downers creation. PO
Box 751325, Houston TX 77275-1325, USA werecords@aol.com www.brokennote.com
Dalmatian Rex and the Eigentones, We don't make toothpaste for
anyone else (Sorted) CD
Frank Zappa in a garage straight jacket, stuffed to the gills with
hallucinogens and suffering from cattarrh... would only sound about
half as skizo as Dalmatian Rex on this, their debut full length
release for Sorted (and their tracks on the "Brain cakes" and "Suction
prints" comps both appear on the LP). You get an idea of the sound
from the titles: "The encyclopedia of dental repair technology," "Born
to photosynthesise," "Teaspoons are the instruments of Satan," "Chicken
karma sutra" and so on. Sonically much like Gag at times, they have a
stop/start kitchen sink mentality, tricky wobblesome riffs, dirty
power chords, spoken word segments, Brussel sprout mantras---think
Beefheart and the Fall.
You know how they say that if you were to sit down in one place,
eventually everyone in the world would walk past? Well, if you sit and
listen to this over and over, you'll eventually hear a bit of everyone
who's done something interesting in rock music. 25 Oban St, Leicester,
LE3 9GB dalmatianrex@hotmail.com www.dalmatian.freeserve.co.uk
Multiscreen, Gloria (Dust2Dust) 12"
Trippy modern-day jug band folksiness a la Gomez from new boys
Multiscreen. A bit of a departure for Dust2Dust but kept in-house and
under control by having Mr Dan behind the desk. He lets the band have
their head, notably Radio One-friendly Radiohead miserableness on "Big
city loser", but keeps the beats well to the fore, as is the label's
wont. Best is Dan's masterful dubwise revision of "Gloria."
Muse, Muscle Museum (Dangerous) CDS
Kicks off with what sounds like a bouzouki and winds itself up into a
six-string strangler that has much in common with Radiohead's most
recent output, despite the band's hackneyed "we don't compare
ourselves to anyone" stance. Nice track though and they've apparently
just signed to Madonna's Maverick label. museuk@aol.com PO Box 45, Teignmouth,
Devon TQ14 9YW.
Subsonic Legacy, Ode to Billy Joe (Athletico) CDS
A hit for Bobby Gentry in 1967 and now resurrected for Subsonic
Legacy's second single, "Ode to Billy Joe" is a subdued, string-bathed
breakbeat smoother. Linda X's vocals are softly spoken and blur into
the music around the edges---a radical reworking and effective
too. Comes with 3 mixes of which the "dubstramental" is best.
Billy Mahonie, Little Feet ep (Gold Hole) 7"
I hate it when the press release gets there before you: "Aerial M and
Shellac" this one says of Billy Mahonie's second full single. That's
repetition, build, glide, crescendo and relax guitar trickery, post-
dub bass and crystal clear drums recorded by someone who obviously
fetishizes on the instrument as much as Steve Albini. 3 instru tracks
that have nothing to do with Little Feat, for better or worse. gavin@billymahonie.com www.billymahonie.com
Outcast, Criminals (Kingsize) 12"
The kind of all-encompassing bodyquake BASS that surges out of the
bins and grabs you by the neck, the odd vocal snatch, parp and chord
plus a snare-heavy break. But most of all, bass. "Take heed" on the
other side is top-notch instrumental hip hop with a speed dub
underbelly. Astounding debut.
Grindverk, Gessundhett von k (Fat Cat) 12"
Like fellow jugglers of the sonic batons Funkstorung, Grindverk's
appellation is a clue to the sounds they produce. In this case, it's
the sound of electro friction and bad jazz with horns thrusting
straight out of the "Psycho" shower scene and a dark bass
underskirt. "Kastrato" is lounge music with a wailing soprano
atop---lamenting his loss, perhaps. This is music which you could
easily see modern-day Bjork fronting which is perhaps surprising as
Grindverk are Einar, Siggi and Hilmer from the Sugarcubes. LP to
follow.
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