A
Autour de Lucie- "S/T" (Nettwerk US)
Francoise Hardy-styled French pop.
Brilliant. (DW)
Ash- "Live At The Wireless" (Death
Star)
Ash live in some Sydney studio. It's
particularly worth it to hear Leif , the green-haired roadie take the
mic for the very humorous tenth track "A Clear Invitation to Dance".
Otherwise, this is just something for Ash fans to eat up.
(DW)
B
Blur- "Blur" (Parlophone UK, Virgin
US)
As much as I like Blur, their last
album "The Great Escape" really tested my patience. You can only take
so much snotty condescension toward 'ordinary' British life before
you want to throw things at the stereo. Basically, they just needed
to relax.
With "Blur", they sound like they
have. Whether this is a calculated attempt to win over Americans,
ditch Britpop completely or they just let Graham the American noise
fan run wild, this album's noisy, occasionally sloppy and fun. It's
also unforced and up front: here's us, here's our album, make of it
what you will. String and brass sections have almost been completely
been replaced by feedback and wall-o-guitars.
On first listen, the folks that made
Blur wildly successful probably won't like this - it doesn't sound
like them. However, because of the lack of pretense, this may
actually sound more like them them they have before. Blur reinvented
themselves on albums two and three where their 'Britishness' first
surfaced; this year's reinvention may not make them as much money in
their homeland, but it's a lot more fun to listen to. I just don't
want to hear what they'll sound like in two albums.
(AE)
Broadcast- 'Work and Non Work" (Warp
UK, Drag City US)
Sure Stereolab's the easy reference
point here, but Broadcast take their sound into a whole different
realm. This nine-track compilation of the band's early singles, is a
spaced-out carnival ride with wacky sci-fi laced orchestration. It's
undoubtedly one of the most interesting records you'll hear all year.
(DW)
C
Cold Cold Hearts- "S/T" (Kill Rock
Stars)
When Bratmobile went bust, Molly
Neuman went off to form the fab PeeChees in Berkley, while Allison
Wolfe and Erin Smith stayed in the nation's capital and founded Cold
Cold Hearts. And unsurprisingly, this new outfit continues in the
same vein as Bratmobile - which is pretty okay with me. When I'm in
the mood for it that is. But they've matured musically and aren't as
angry and angsty as they used to be. And with their sharp biting
witicisms and humorous takes on sucky societal conditions, Cold Cold
Hearts is a good pick, even for all those anti-Riot Grrrlers out
there. (DW)
Cornershop&emdash;"When I Was Born
For The 7th Time" (Wiiija UK, Luaka Bop/WB US)
I was digging Cornershop when they
were doing their anti-racism, Asian-rights punk rock bit alongside
Huggy Bear and Voodoo Queens in that ridiculously tagged Riot Grrrl
movement back in 93. Well it's four years later and, like the rest of
us, Cornershop have moved on. Musically the band have broadened their
musical scope (the sitars are out in full effect on this one...) and
have recorded one of the finest records to be released this year. But
I knew they had it in them since single #1. (DW)
D
The Dandy Warhols- "The Dandy
Warhols Come Down" (Capitol US)
Psychadelic Brit-influenced pop that
is so unbelievably catchy, you'll find yourself singing bits to
yourself intermittently throughout the day. This is The Dandy's
sophomore effort and a slump is is most definitely not. Courtney's
poised to be a superstar and the band's going to be incredibly
massive thanks to this one. We've witnessed only the beginning.
(DW)
Death In Vegas- "Dead Elvis"
(Concrete UK, Time Bomb US)
No doubt about it, the electronic
bands that incorporate bits from other genres into their shtick are
so much more appealing than your straight by the book, classic
computer-driven outfits (some withstanding of course). On their debut
lp, Death In Vegas incorporate 70s soul ("All That Glitters"), reggae
("Opium Shuffle"), and Indian classical ("I Spy") all before getting
into the traditional techno vein ("Dirt"). And they get a bit spacey
too. Well perhaps the reason why Death In Vegas do it so well is
because they have so much going on to keep it entertaining...
(DW)
Delta 72&emdash;"The Soul Of A New
Machine" (Touch and Go)
For Delta 72, the blues are far more
than a musical influence. They're an attitude, a style, a philosophy.
And Delta 72 envelop all the innerworkings of this nouveau soul - a
musical formula that Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and The Make Up have
also taken under their wing. But rather than deriving their ways from
a 70 year old Delta blues master or capturing the essence of James
Brown - the gospel years, this four-piece work with a far grittier,
garage-styled approach. Look at it this way, MC5's John Sinclair
wrote the liner notes for the band's phenomenal second full-length.
"Let's put a soul into this new machine and enjoy the membership of R
& B," he writes. "That's the promise of The Delta 72, and they
deliver it on here."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
(DW)
E
Echo and the Bunnymen- "Evergreen"
(London US, Polygram UK)
After a long absence that included a
disastrous Ian-less Bunnymen album and two equally questionable
Bunnymen-less Ian albums, the surviving members are back
together.
It should be a given that this
album's not going to sound remotely as good as their classic material
(you can safely assume this if you listened to one of their old
albums before putting this on as I'll admit I did). However, this
happily doesn't sound like a retread of past glories nor does it
sound like a bunch of old farts. OK, so it's no match to an album
like "Ocean Rain", but that's legendary. Because of its perfect mix
of old Bunnymen and a hint of forward progress in maturity, it can
safely be considered a lot more than Not As Bad As It Could Have
Been. Is it a classic? Time will tell, but I give it a very glowing
Much Better Than I Expected. (AE)
Electroscope&emdash;"Homemade
Electroscope" (Wurlitzer Jukebox)
Electroscope centers around Gayle
Harrison (Adventures In Stereo) and John Cavanagh and their wanky
psych minimalist art-rock. Even though I can't seem to take
experimental too seriously (although this record wouldn't be
classified as experimental), I find that this album is an interesting
one to say the least. And somehow, they manage to follow some musical
conventions&emdash;that is until the clarinet pipes in with its
erratic atonal movements.
I've just thought of another few
reasons to buy this record besides the fact that it will intrigue
you. One, it's out on Wurlitzer Jukebox, that fine label that has
previously released records by Broadcast, Mogwai, Apples In Stereo,
Amp, to name but a few... And two, the vinyl comes with a carrier bag
and a kite. That's worth your investment alone.
You know, I played clarinet for ten
years and I always wanted to record an album like this. I just never
thought anyone would be up for collaborating with me. Too bad I'm not
from Glasgow&emdash;I could have made something happen.
(DW)
F
Free Kitten&emdash;"Sentimental
Education" (Kill Rock Stars US, Wiiija UK)
Simply Free Kitten are the only
supergroup you should be concerned with. Kim, Julie, Yoshimi, and
Mark teach all those shambly DIY punkers out there how to do it
right. Oh, just go buy it already. (DW)
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