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The Makers- "Hunger" (Estrus)
Bellingham, WA's Makers is a rowdy
group of bad boys that specializes in high-strung, nasally vocalized,
lo-fi garage. It's all about egotism here baby. That's why The Makers
speed ahead of all the other second-rate garage bands out there.
"Hunger" is a sassy record, a self-indulgent record, a guaranteed
weapon to revitalize apathetic ears. The Makers are where it's
at...(DW)
Man Or Astroman?- "Made From Technetium" (Touch &
Go)
These far-out space cadets are back
with yet another fine extraterrestrial surf record. It's such a
pleasure to have these fine souls visiting our planet--they utilize
their time here so nicely. (DW)
Mansun- "Attack of the Grey Lantern" (Epic US, Parlophone
UK)
To be honest, when I first put this
album on, I didn't particularly care for it. I thought it was generic
Brit rock, albeit with some great orchestration. Then after I saw the
band live a couple of times in August, I put their debut back on and
fell in love. Paul Draper, the band's vocalist, is a brilliant
musician - he wrote, arranged and produced the whole effort. And he's
backed by an incredibly tight outfit (consisting of guitarist Chad,
bassist Stove, and drummer Andy). They take hints from all eras and
to my content, Chad bears an uncannily striking resemblance to my
fave Stone, Brian Jones. This record's most definitely not for
everyone, but I suggest that it's best to give it a chance because,
well, I turned around. (DW)
Modest Mouse- "The Lonesome Crowded West"(Up)
These Issaquiah angsters are back
with a new album, as brash and brilliant as their earlier releases.
Isaac Brock tears at his vocal chords while venting his frustration
on his six-string and this effect, supported by the rhythmic dynamic
duo of bassist Eric Judy and Jeremiah Green on drums, is a most
outstanding one indeed. On the surface they appear to be your
typical, aggressive NW unit, but only when people actually listen to
their records again and again do they see that there's a whole lot
more to Modest Mouse than what first greets the eye.
(DW)
Moloko- "Do You Like My Tight Sweater?"
(Echo UK, Warner Brothers US)
Two years later and Portishead's
effect is still being felt. This band leans toward the 'wacky' route,
with funky/weird little blips and noises, and seems destined to be a
dancefloor chill-out standard. Substituting the Portishead mood
vocals with Roisin Murphy's nearly-over-the-top flux soul singing
adds to that quirky quality. In contrast to the hard-slamming music
that's being labeled "Electronica" (proof that Americans can make up
dumb names for music movements as well as the British), this falls
into the category of 'interesting mood music'. If you really
scrutinize, you can play "spot the similar artists", but the blips
and squawks will keep you entertained. (AE)
N
No Knife- "...Hit Man Dreams" (Time Bomb)
No Knife are one of San Diego's
finest. At home, they're seen out playing with the likes of Rocket
From The Crypt, Inch, Boilermaker, all those good 'uns. They're
upbeat skater punk that's melodic and catchy - do we even dare to
call it intelligent? It's definitely one of the more refreshing and
enthusiastic records I've heard in a while. It's
brilliant; another notch on San Diego's bedpost.
(DW)
O
Oasis- "Be Here Now" (Creation UK, Epic
US)
In my opinion, this is all getting a
bit tiresome. You know exactly what it's going to sound like before
Liam opens his mouth and Noel's second-grade poetry comes spewing
forth. Although if your a fan it does provide you with plenty of
opportunities to break the lighter out at the gig. However, the most
disturbing thing about this album is the fact that it provides morons
with more fodder to belt out down at the bar around closing time.
Fortunately, I can rest easy in the knowledge that this Oasis thing
will either come crashing down in a drug induced stupor or they'll
turn into sad stadium rockers with an audience consisting of guys in
Rod Stewart t-shirts and their sad Keds wearing girlfriends pumping
their fists in the air. Either way, I can't say I'll be mourning
their loss. (TW) (I like 'em - other ed)
P
The Pastels- "Illumination" (Domino UK, Up US)
I still have yet to figure out why
Glasgow's finest export hasn't received a well-deserved premier
status in this fine country of ours. Over the last decade or so,
they've recorded an amass of the finest pop songs I've ever
heard--"Truck Train Tractor", "Anne Boleyn", "Baby Honey"... But
perhaps they've always been just a bit too shambly for American ears.
Perhaps Calvin Johnson needs to rave about them some more so K fans
will cop on and buy their stuff. Perhaps everyone was just waiting
for an album like "Illumination". This record could very well be the
one to get them the adoration they deserve.
I've always adored The Pastels'
rough-around-the-edges quality, but I guess many couldn't get past
Aggi's slightly tone-deaf voice. (I think it's endearing.) But things
are different on this for sure. Aggi's generally right on key and the
whole band have incorporated newly acquired technology to give the
record a spacier, fuller feel. And although they've got all this
electronic whatnot going on in the background, it's still The Pastels
through and through.
And although I love Aggi and Katrina
dearly, I just have one question... Stephen, why didn't you sing more
on this record? (DW)
The PeeChees- "Games People Play" (Kill Rock Stars)
Since The PeeChees' debut is still in
heavy rotation on my stereo, I had the highest of expectations for
this one. So I wanted to give it a few listens before I formulated my
opinion. Well, I can honestly say, after listening to it incessantly
over the last week, it rocks. The PeeChees are one of the most
entertaining, enthusiastic, and yes, quirky, punk bands out there.
The lyrics are not to be construed as serious (I mean they sing about
penguins), the vocals are perceived by many as grating in their fine
nasal quality, and the music could very well be seen as too lo-fi for
punk rock. But that's exactly why The PeeChees are so phenomenal. And
"Games People Play" is too brilliant of an album to be overlooked.
Come on kids, make Chris Applegren happy. Make him a rock star.
(DW)
Polvo- "Shapes" (Touch and Go)
These North Carolina basketball
junkies are back with a fantasmical fifth album. "Shapes" is even
more left of, left of center than their previous effort, throwing a
little prog rock and Indian classical into the mix. It's an
eleven-track album that perfectly orchestrates how a band can inform
your typical indie rocker that there's a lot more music out there
than Superchuck or Unwound let's say, without coming across as too
pretentious or wanky. "El Rocio" is my personal fave, a twelve minute
track that's instrumentally indulgent. Although the time span between
Polvo albums was just a little too long for my liking, at least they
came back with a record that made that wait a little more justified.
(DW)
Portishead- "Portishead" (Go! Disks UK, London Records
US)
Have you been in a "hip" clothing
store or restaurant in the last two years? Then you've heard
Portishead's debut, "Dummy." Having popularized the "trip hop"
movement to a frightening degree, Portishead could have just rested
on their laurels & made "Dummy II" and people would have bought
it. There might have been a bit of grumbling, but if it's original
and highly successful to begin with, hey, why screw with the formula?
Instead, well... Portishead got dark. Really, really dark. You can
try to listen to the album in a detached fashion, even wallow in the
knowledge that (if the stories are true) none of the sampley-sounding
things are actually samples-but it won't work. The recording style
makes the album resemble something that was recorded decades ago and
recently unearthed, with the distortion and crackling giving it a
spooky distance. Musically, the beats are slow in coming and the
other instruments chime in with a sinister, stark, drawn-out feel.
And the vocals...well, Beth Gibbons just does things with her voice
that you wouldn't expect human beings to be capable of. And her voice
drips with so much anger, sadness, or similar black moods that you
feel like you're invading someone's despair, rather than just
listening to them sing. Along with being an incredibly well-crafted
album a lot of "tricks" here), "Portishead" demands your full
attention while it's playing. "Dummy" may have been the wallpaper to
many fashionable scenes, but this one can never be wallpaper.
(AE)
Primal Scream- "Vanishing Point" (Creation UK, Reprise
US)
When Primal Scream took a rather
Stones-ian approach to their last record "Give Out But Don't Give
Up", I just turned my head and shrugged. I couldn't fathom why, after
releasing as aurally perfect of an album as "Screamadelica", they'd
want to change their sound so dramatically. Pleasing to me however,
the band decided to return to the sound that works best (although
"Medication" still has that Rolling Stones influence wielding its
ugly head).
By all means "Vanishing Point" is not
an electronica record, yet it is heavily influenced by the dance
craze going on in Britain right now. (Although Primal Scream sounded
similar to this in 1992.). "Kowalski" is clearly the strongest tune
on the album, with the slightly dub-infested "Long Life" coming in a
close second. And continuing on with the 70s cinema connection, "If
They Move, Kill Em" sounds like that brilliant soundtrack to that
really bad 70s flick that people watch for comedic value
nowadays.
"Vanishing Point" doesn't upscale
"Screamadelica", but it does come very close. Glad to see Bobby's
changed his drug habit once again... (DW)
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