Shake Summation

Rip It Up, Issue 112, 1 November 1986, Page 38

Shake Summation

Jean Paul Sartre Experience (Flying Nun 12”) The first ("slow") side of this EP contains ‘Own Two Feet,’ which is a succulent, nigh-on "gooey” little pop song with a sad message. It is very good. ‘Firetime’ is there too. It too is very good. Side two is more strange. ‘Flex’ and ‘The Loving Grapevine’ are two very different songs. ‘Flex' is a muscley song, and ‘The Loving Grapevine’

is pop with odd vocals. Odd, but good. Y’see, at first I didn’t like this record, but now I do. It is a very subtle record. The Jean Paul Sartre Experience are a very clever band. I like this a lot. Drone Land of Free (Drone 7”) ‘Land of the Free,’ mystical free floating feel, violin and percussion ... “I love America / I wish I was born there.” The sarcasm comes laid on pretty thick, with appropriate sneering vocals. ‘The Farmer’s Song’ is all percussion — bits of metal, wood, drums, etc, plus bass and vocals. It all builds up to a nice frenzy. The rather dated vocal style destroys the impact of some obviously good rhythmic ideas.

(Available through record stores, or for $4 from 19 Islington St, Herne Bay, Auckland.) Peter Arnold

with Claire Timings Rarer than Radium (Flying Nun)

Witness ‘Solomon’s Sister,’ the first song here for powerful noises with minimal ingredients. At times this could be a sister to Direen’s Solomon's Ball. Peter Arnold and Claire Timings play warmly warped pop songs on things like toy keyboards and toy autoharps, with a drum machine that plays itself, and “real” guitars... Lotsa laconic lyrics about love and idiosyncratic tunes make Rarer than Radium a delightful surprise. Side two, with ‘Anna Who Hates Me’ and ‘Pas-

sage of Time,’ is especially worthy of investigation. Thin Red Line Simplicity (Ode 12”) In the studio with Phil Yule, Thin Red Line seem to be relishing the opportunity to stretch themselves a bit and create fuller soundscapes thana lot of their previous work. First up on Simplicity, ‘Whakarongo’ is a wild piece combining Maori and black South African concerns. The echoing male and female whines on ‘Love Song’ work really well too. On the second side ‘Poet and Peasant’ is fine, and irritating noises apart (Casiotone? Toy Harpsichord?), ‘Nicky (Nicaragua Must Survive)’ is the best song on the record. Once

upon a time I thought they’d turn into a down home Palmy North Manhattan Transfer, but happily Thin Red Line have proved me wrong and left the muzak far behind. The Puddle

Pop. Lib (Flying Nun) Pop. Lib is a live recording of the Puddle in concert, rather primitive compared to the 24-track studio sound of the ‘Christmas in the Country’ on Weird Culture, Weird Custom. ‘Spaceship No 9’ is spoiled by huge noises coming from the machinery of recording. A shame, but recompensed by the spirited ‘Billie & Franz’ that follows it. Syd Barrett’s ‘Candy and a Currant Bun’ is a run through, and

stopped almost in mid-flight — the unfortunate fate also suffered by ‘Jealousy’ on side two. The last song ‘Magic Words’ is best though, but how could it fail with an opening like, “Beautiful song that goes on and on / I should change key but / D has been good to me.’? Pop. Lib (given away in the pun of the title) is a sort of warped pop that reminds me of the Builders a few years ago. It’s not a bad ’un, and the honesty of the live recording, as compared to a studio, pulls Pop. Lib through to the side of true righteousness (I). Sing Sing Owning the Sharks (Ode 12”) This 12” three-song EP from

Auckland’s Sing Sing makes up for what it loses in stylistic innovation with sheer professional musicianship. The uptempo ‘Don’t Fall in Love’ and lengthy ‘Stardust’ parade the bands vocal and musical talents, while ‘Backwards’, finds room for dinky sax work from someone called Ricky. Paul McKessar Duncan Pipper Love Overload (Massage 7”) Steven Sacatos wrote and produced this tribute to his friend Duncan Pipper, who died of exposure in a forest. On one side only, it’s a tape of a spoken recitation by Duncan with a spiritual utopian message. Accompanied by minimalist recorder, guitar and vocal backing. Uneasy listening. Chris Bourke