The Rake’s Progress

Rip It Up, Issue 224, 1 April 1996, Page 32

The Rake’s Progress

Jourgenson likes talking about those early tours supporting Culture Club. The musical deal is tight, punchy, SoCal punk, and although they don’t show any huge progression in sound over a decade or so, the energy level stays high, largely through Brett Gurewitz’s guitar playing. He sounds clean and throws down some pretty muscular rifting, which was definitely missed on the band's first major label album. A major downside is the college educated lyrics which can sound a bit like a kid let loose with a new dictionary (‘You are jurisprudence, you are the volition I You are the jurisdiction, and I make a difference too’ — ‘You Are (The Government)’). Still, the kids love it, and with ex-Minor Threat/Dag Nasty/Junkyard man Brian Baker in the ranks, the new stuff could regain some of the old punch. Lagwagon are the new school, that being the ‘pop/punk’ or ‘melodic punk' school. You can see the difference mainly in lyrics and mood, the foot stompin’ anger and fight the power lyrics are pretty much replaced by angst and 'my baby done me wrong’ sort of stuff. It leans toward the whiney, but there’s that traditional high octane punk 4/4 time under it, so I guess the kids can get wild and all is well.

KIRK GEE

SEPULTURA Roots (Roadrunner) Six albums on from their genesis as a studs and leathers thrash band, Sepultura’s sound continues to develop with a single-minded vision. Progressing ever forward from Chaos AD, adding some of the manic vitriol of Nailbomb, Roots is simply state of the art. Produced by aggro-rock wonder kid Ross Robinson, the man responsible for last year’s self-titled debut from California’s Korn, this album makes it clear Sepultura remain close to their confrontational agenda. A bit sparser rhythmically, but still complex and imaginative. Guitars turn way down, awesome rhyhm section, and

Max Cavalera’s bile-spraying vocals. On tracks such as ‘Roots Bloody Roots’, ‘Straighthate’ and ‘Attitude’, the anger meter goes off the clock, making you clench your fist at the evil, corporate controlled world outside your safe little world. Don’t forget the anger aimed at the politicians in Sepultura’s native Brazil. Collaborating with the Xavantes tribe, who have maintained control despite government intervention, Sepultura concentrate on the plight of the weak. Collaborating with percussionist Carlinhos Brown (‘Ratamahatta’), Mike Patton (‘Mine’), Korn’s Jonathan Davis, and House of Pain’s DJ Lethal, also keeps proceedings fresh. Focused and aware, Sepultura rightfully remain the Third World’s biggest musical heroes.

GAVIN BERTRAM

3LB. THRILL ‘ Vulture (Sony) LETTERS TO CLEO Wholesale Meats and Fish (Mushroom) ‘ Two albums from bands which are probably. a little too awkward for mainstream radio’s playlist and too MOR for the college crowd. 3lb. Thrill are four Atlanta natives who have been playing with each other under various names (up until recently as Uncle Green) since they were spotty 15-year-olds. It’s the college rock formula, tending more towards Hooty and the Blowfish mediocrity rather than, say, Buffalo Tom. This is interesting since one song, ‘Diana’, which describes the plight of a rape victim, is exactly what original noisters Husker Du went into on their track ‘Diane’ over a decade ago. Coincidence seems unlikely, so if 3lb. Thrill listen to Husker Du, what are they doing releasing such shallow stuff as this.- 3oz. thrill, not even. Letters to Cleo will for ever be known as that band that had a song on Melrose Place — especially if reviews of their new material continue to mention it. But that’s the price you pay for becoming famous through exposure on a TV pro-

gramme (let’s face it, those idiots behind the Friends theme aren’t gonna live that one down, are they?). And anyway, Letters to Cleo's record company aren't going to let it lie either; the press release for their new album Wholesale Meats and Fish mentions it in the second paragraph! This is a pity because the new offering isn’t all that bad. The album’s sugar-coat-ed pop, exaggerated by Kay Hanley's girly vocals and big guitar hooks, may induce vomiting in more cynical quarters, but there is no denying there is an audience for this. It may not be as interesting or clever as similar outfits (Juliana Hatfield, Belly et al), but; for good clean fun, you need look no furtlierMßßEHßKffi

DOMINIC WAGHORN

THE RAKE’S PROGRESS Altitude (Almo Sounds) I’ve been running this one by quite a few objective sets of ears lately, and they’ve all given me a suitably objectionable point of view. Well, call me deaf (I’m actually not, wankers), but I just can’t agree with any of them. This stuff is bloody infectious, as the song ‘l’ll Talk My Way Out of This One’ proved by embedding itself in my brain from the moment I heard it. Yes, I know bands like Rooter and the Blowjobs often display similar skills, but no one could accuse them of the kind of inventiveness which mixes harmonicas with vocals that climb from countrified croons to Jello Biafra-like screams within mere seconds. You can imagine these guys being hired to play some spocky little gathering by someone who only listened to the first 30 seconds of their demo, and then wound up asking what the hell went wrong when the guys trashed the set after their singer ripped his vocal chords beyond repair. That'll teach that party throwing schmuck for not giving something a decent listen. If a set wrecking sound, or plain old song subverting is your idea of a good party, on the other hand, these are your boys.

BRONWYN TRUDGEON

BABYLON ZOO The Boy With The X-Ray Eyes (EMI) So, ‘Spaceman’ played on our fond memories of the Chipmunks albums and took us back to a simpler time where we dreamt of a Space Age future. Or something. The single flopped initially, then its quirky intro became a Levis ad and wammo, Babylon Zoo have the fastest selling debut single of all time (over a million copies sold in England alone!). And, yeah, after a couple of listens it’s catchy as all hell, and turns into a pseudo-indus-trial dance floor stomper, and it sounds , just as good. I guess the success of the next single, ‘Animal Army’, will answer the one hit wonder question. . It’s not bad though? Starts out slowly and turns into a quivering howl-about with lyrics about leopards dancing in paradise, sort of early David Bowie with tentacles for arms appearing on Doctor Who. Picture it. . It’s all very basic, but that’s why it works. Jaz Mann’s vocals gurgle along on all the songs, the guitars are always stadium riffs, the synth’s are never obtrusive, and the drums are a hybrid of man and machine. Babylon Zoo may never recover from the interstellar success of their debut single, but if you didn't get sucked into the hype, you won’t have to worry about the backlash. And he sounds like a total loony in his interviews — which is always a good sign.

JOHN TAITE

THE TERMINALS Little Things . (Raffmond) This latest album from the Terminals could almost bear an advisory sticker reading: ‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here’. Their excellent 1990 album may have been entitled Uncoffined, but by comparison Little Things seems unhinged and just plain unnerving — music for morgues where the twitching corpses refuse to die. The oppressive atmosphere of this release is heightened by the claustrophobic nature of the mix. The drums sound like a bean bag being thumped by a limp kipper, and the keyboards, guitar, bass and (occasional) cello swirl around in an instrumental maelstrom. But it’s the dramatic (not dramatised) warbling tenor of vocalist Stephen Cogle that continually draws the listener into the Terminals’ spooky world. One of the most distinctive voices in New, Zealand music, Cogle’s Nick Cave-meets-Brian Ferry singing style provides a suitably eerie setting for drummer Peter Stapleton’s lyrics. Song titles such as 'Mekong Delta Blues’ (an old Victor Dimisich Band number), ; ‘Black Creek’ and, . most appropriately, ‘Quicksand’, speak volumes for where the Terminals are coming from. Their, music is a primordial tar pit where the listener sinks slowly, but inexorably, into the ooze, while the band grind out their bleak and brooding mantras. . This is music that clutches at you and drags you in, despite your best intentions

and futile protestations. Wiry fingers of garage guitar tug at your ankles, while bloated keyboards crush you from above. Yet amongst the twisted wreckage of songs such as ‘Hide Yourself Away' lies a perverse melancholy beauty — the proverbial lifeline enabling the listener to drag themselves from the mire. A powerful and exhausting experience then, Little Things is not for the faint hearted.

DELICATESSEN Skin Touching Water (Liberation)

MARTIN BELL

It’s nice to know not all the new material coming out of the UK is as base and barren of any intelligent thought as the current batch of Britpop. Delicatessen are a foursome from North London who, when not creating intricate moody soundscapes, are off making short films and reading Kadinsky. (Check out some of the song titles: ‘Chomsky’, ‘CF Kane’). Skin Touching Water is their debut album, after getting picked up by Liberation following rave reviews of their independent EP Inviting Both Sisters Out to Dinner last year. It’s created within the songs as much as the songs themselves, which is okay, so long as the song doesn’t disappear into a cloud of vaporous indulgence. This does occur occasionally, but thankfully not too often. With 16 songs in 45 minutes, many of the tracks are those little interludes which are intended to add to the concept of a record, but always seem to sound like half ideas which couldn’t be expanded. Lose them and you’ve got a good piece of pretentious dribble/intelligent rock, depending on where you’re

coming from.

DOMINIC WAGHORN

RIDE Tarantula (Sire) So, it’s come down to publicity stunts. In the UK ‘Tarantula’ is being deleted after its first week of release, hoping for a sales rush that’ll make it a Number 1. But if it backfires they’ll just lose a lot of money. Oh, and to make the album, more attractive they’ve broken up. Andy Bell had started, singing and running the show (never liked his songs much), so the 60s obsessed sound that was filtering into Carnival of Light has gone into overdrive. . It starts off OK. The single ‘Black Nite Crash', though Jurassic rock, is a right blaster. Then 'Sunshine/Nowhere to Run’ is jump back to their Going Blank Again sound, and it looks like the album might not be a disaster after all. Then, phew, we’re confronted with ‘Dead Man’, and Bell should be a dead man for pilfering riffs off Credence Clearwater Revival, or the Eagles, or whatever it was my brain refused to . remember. Then , there’s 'Beautiful Lady’, a tuneless plodder. 'Deep Inside My Pocket’ is former frontman Mark Gardiner's spiteful jab at Bell ('While you were trying to control... I saw right through you,’ yeah, yeah), and ‘Castle on the Hill’ is Bell's embarrassing acoustic swipe at Gardiner (‘A friend of mine, one of the few, has locked himself away like Howard Hughes’ — I'm not surprised if he had to listen to this sort of rubbish, Andy). Anyway, you get the picture, it was a messy break up that did nothing for the music. . In a way Ride’s demise heralds the end of a self-indulgent era in British music, where they celebrated the banal and wallowed in diffidence. That’s gotta be good. * JOHN TAITE P P (Capitol) . . It’s generally a good rule to follow that movie stars should keep away from rock and vice versa, with P proving no exception. The band consists most notably of Johnny Depp, along with Gibby Haynes from the Butthole Surfers and a couple of Viper Room regulars, and they’re actually a pretty competent band. Trouble is, that’s about it. Gibby’s up front doing his usual drug-addicted Texan shtick while the boys plug away, and despite assorted

famous guest stars and an inspired romp through ‘Dancing Queen’, it never seems much more than an in-joke gone way too far.

KIRK GEE

KISS Unplugged (Mercury) First they went Unmasked and now they’ve gone Unplugged — what next? Well, actually, the plan is to put the makeup back on (a very wise move) and do a world tour, with original members : Ace Frehley and Peter Criss back in the band! The seeds of this reunion began with the Unplugged sessions when Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley asked them to appear as special guests on the show. They ended up playing on four numbers (‘2,000 Man’, ‘Beth’, ‘Nothing to Lose’, 'Rock and Roll All Night’) and discovered they could be like family again. The multi-million-dollar tour deal may have slightly swayed their decision, but it sounds like they’re having fun too. The thought of . Kiss running around with acoustic guitars without the aid of breathing apparatus may seem unconventional, but for the most part their choice of songs does work, particularly ‘Goin’ Blind’ and ‘Cornin’ Home’.-There's enough here to tide the Kiss army of fans over till Bat Lizard, Spaceman, Starchild and the Cat squeeze into those old costumes and hit the stage again, plugged in and rocking with tongue firmly out.

GEOFF DUNN

BLACKJACK Kicasso D'Muse (Hark) Kicasso D’Muse has been out since October so we’re . well overdue on this, though Blackjack, lynchpins of the Hamilton hard rock scene, travel with a reputation that means their style of sound is well recognised. And ultimately it’s a sound, to borrow a phrase from What Now, that makes you wanna ‘love it or shove it’ — there’s no in between. Personally I can’t do more than adopt the latter approach. There’s nothing happening on Kicasso that I haven’t heard countless times before, and stylistically, Blackjack’s dedication to such a formula heavy rock sound means the album achieves very little. Prime examples are 'Under the Knife’, 'The Ode’, and ‘Electric Dream’, each weighted down with tedious, overblown guitar histrionics that are years past being cliched. The summary tragedy of this album is that a pathetically earnest tribute to Kurt Cobain is, in terms of melody, structure and dramatics, the pick of the bunch. But there’s just something about the (hand over your., heart) lyrics... ‘You told the world what you were feeling / You told the world about about your pain 7 /. From the wound that wasn’t healing / In the man, Kurt Cobain...’

JOHN RUSSELL

THE BLUETONES Expecting to Fly (Paradox) Not the vanguard of the media created phenomenon called Britpop (that’s supposedly the over-exposed triumvirate of Oasis/Blur/Pulp), but the Bluetones have

been sneaking their way unassumingly to the forefront of rock ’n’ roll in the last year. They headed the NME Brat Bus Tour, and they’ve released three singles in preparation for the subtle, yet often intense slow burning delights of Expecting to Fly, their first long player. The title, the origins of which they seem to be unaware, is a Neil Young song he wrote when he was in Buffalo Springfield, and it's appropriate considering the high expectations the Bluetones have for themselves. The album proves past comparisons with the Smiths and the Stone Roses are pretty well founded, largely through the ever present six- and 12-string playing of guitarist Adam Devlin. And vocally, Mark Morris's isn’t too far away lan Brown’s tainted folkish mannerisms' But these are all great influences, especially when they can tie them to songs as strong as the surging ‘Can’t Be Trusted’, or their signature tune, 'Bluetonic’, or more lyrical things, like .‘Slight Return’ and ‘Time and Again’. The Bluetones aren’t about instant swack, but Expecting to Fly a durability and poise that ensures it will be one of the year’s best.

GEORGE KAY

JOAN OSBORNE Relish (Mercury) I remember the first time I heard ‘One of Us’, the smash hit single off Relish. It was one of those ‘pull off the road, turn up the radio real loud’ kind of moments. I didn’t have a clue who it was or where it came from, but I knew I was hearing a classic piece of pop. A few weeks on, and here comes Relish, from ‘the next explosion waiting to happen’, according to Rolling Stone, an album that mixes blues, R&B, soul and pop. Cross Lucinda Williams with Alanis Morisette and you’re close. Relish isn’t as good or as definitive as some may have you believe, but it’s a strong album bouyed up by two brilliant songs: the aforementioned ‘One of Us' (which was writter by Osborne's guitarist Eric Bazilian) and the opener ‘St Teresa’. Much of Relish consists of co-writes with the band, and some of this material lacks focus (cue ‘Dracula Moon’), but at her best, Osborne can stop you in your tracks.

GREG FLEMING

RED RED MEAT Bunny Gets Paid (Sub Pop) The intention of Bunny Gets Paid, the third album from Chicago outfit Red Red Meat, was to create something that crossed Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and A Tribute to Jack Johnson by Miles Davis. Think laterally and you could maybe convince yourself for about a second. But back in the real world we’re looking at more of a hybrid of sick, voodoo-tainted blues and Slintish drama. Which, if the 11 songs on Bunny Gets Laid are anything to go by, is a pretty successful combo. It’s the sort of album you’d expect to come from a band located further south than Chicago. With songs like the tortured ‘Taxidermy Blues in Reverse’, and especially on the self-explanatory ‘ldiot Son’, it seems sensible to question whether a little inbreeding took place down the line. The album’s best tracks are the first and the last. The opener, 'Carpet of Horses’, is the perfect slow burner, easing the listener in; while the final song, ‘There’s Always Tomorrow', is a surprising piece of optimism in a collection which doesn’t always push the positive. It also means you can leave the house after listening to Bunny Gets Paid with a smile. DOMINIC WAGHORN RUTH RUTH Laughing Gallery (American) Despite the band having a bloody stupid name, this CD is nowhere near as bad as you’d think looking at the cheesy, god-awful cover art. Indeed some bits of it fell upon my harsh, nasty, cynical ears

like leaves in Valombrossa of old. Other bits of tuneful, noisy Buzzcocks-meets-the-Beach Boys slipped past with a mere hint of promises to come. A good half of the tracks were like water off a well protected duck’s back, swiftly passing by and leaving little impression, these tracks suffered from a lack of any decent hooks. Like a speedway they raced past a mere blur, all excited energy and ferocious strumming. Nice use of anger, energy and melody, but lacks vision and oomph.

Should try harder!

KEVIN LIST

ERIC’S TRIP Purple Blue (Sub Pop) Half way through ‘lntroduction into the... Parts 1 to 4’, singer Julie says: ‘Sorry we’re so sloppy,’ but if they are, it goes unnoticed, as the next 15 tracks slide on by with the greatest skill. Song titles like ‘Universe’, ‘Spaceship Opening’ and ‘Sun Coming Up’ give a false impression of hippy meanderings. Instead Eric's Trip have a lot more in common with the distort-pop of Sonic Youth and the amiable vocal styles of Sebadoh and Super Chunk. Purple Blue's sparse sound is clean and crisp, every note of distortion reproduced in three dimensional wonder. The bi-gendered band shares the onerous job of singing. Julie’s breathless charge through the beautiful 'Eyes shut’ is one of the best tracks. Later, on a ‘Spaceship Opening’, she sounds like a young Kim Deal. And when Rick White

throws in a super-charged distorted vocal, they are the 3Ds. Sub Pop had a similar problem to Flying Nun — being labelled with a certain sound, and when you’ve been labelled ’grunge’, you’d want to get away from commercial suicide pretty quick. This is Eric’s Trip's second album for Sub Pop, and while it doesn’t see the label exactly racing into the future, it is at least a cool, very 1996 album. Cool Canadians — two words that at last are proven to not be mutually exclusive.

MITCHELL HAWKES

VARIOUS ARTISTS •. Creation Rockers Volumes One and Two (Trojan/Chant) Probably one of the best compilations Trojan has ever put out, starting with the loose-boned ska of ‘Guns Fever’ by Baba Brooks, and moving straight into the spine-tingling ‘Message From a Black Man’ by Derrick Harriot. When the momentum is kept up with the soulful gospel of Carlton and the Shoes' ‘I Got Soul', followed by U Roy at his best with ‘Flashin’ My Whip', my ears are in ecstasy. My brain is beyond recovery. But wait, next up is Niney, grunting and charming his way through the funky ‘Blood and Fire’, which sparked the record company formed this decade to re-release classic reggae. And there’s more. . The Creation Rockers label was launched by Trojan in 1979 to showcase \

Jamaican musical history. Six volumes were released, highlighting different styles. They’re now coming out on CD, to replace that worn vinyl. Volumes one and two are priceless.

MARK REVINGTON

NO FUN AT ALL Out of Bounds (Burning Heart) ■ MILLENCOLIN ' Life on a Plate (Burning Heart) . These being two Swedish punk bands, I was initally a touch wary. No offense intended to the many fine upstanding Swedes out there, but they aren’t a race who spring to mind when you say 'rock music’ — hey, their, best offering of late was Ace of Base. Anyways, this stuff is definitely a cut above that.’ It’s pretty much straight up, early 80s-style hardcore. It’s derivative, but musically it's a pretty tight genre. You take your Minor Threat polka beat, some choppy guitars and a bit of shouting, and there it is. No Fun at All take the straight up punk route with some of those new school ‘personal’ lyrics and long shorts, while Millencolin, who are apparently ‘zany’, throw in some ska/punk stylings that are kind of cool, especially if you're old enough to remember how great Stiff Little Fingers and the Ruts were. It’s all quite earnest and energetic, but I still can’t help but wonder whether these people were on

our side during the war.

KIRK GEE

VARIOUS ARTISTS Trainspotting Soundtrack (EMI) VARIOUS ARTISTS . Get Shorty Soundtrack (Polygram) VARIOUS ARTISTS Beautiful Girls Soundtrack (Warners) Wahey! The soundtrack marathon part two. The Trainspotting soundtrack is definitely the best of the bunch this month. And don’t be confused by the title. The film is produced/directed by the team behind the brilliant Shallow Grave, and it’s based on Irvine Welsh’s modern (written in frenetic Scottish!) classic about some smackheads in Edinburgh. The soundtrack has its fair share of spacey triptastics. Brian Eno provides the ambi’ prototype ‘Deep Blue Days’, and the title track is a new Primal Scream collaboration with Andy Weatherall that’s created some very screamadelic results. There are tracks from former heroin heroes Iggy Pop ('Lust For Life’ and ‘Nightclubbing’) and Lou Reed (‘Perfect Day’). There are

some strong Brit-dance tracks from Leftfield and Underworld. But the real standouts here are the Britpoppers. Sure, Elastica’s ‘2:l’ is a bit old, and Sleeper’s cover of Blondie’s ‘Atomic’ is a bit av’, but Damon Albarn’s solo waltzy thing, ‘Closet Romantic’, is glisteningly cool, and Pulp’s squat gloom tale, 'Mile End', is one of the best tracks they’ve ever done (‘The lift is always full of piss, the fifth floor landing smells of fish I Not just on Friday, but every single other day’). The film’s touted as this year’s Pulp Fiction, and its soundtrack will be equally indispensable. Get Shorty is full of jazz and blues. Er, do you need to know any more? US3 have got a new track on it called 'Chilli Hot', and there are some cool Booker T and the MGs tracks. Like the film, it promises to be very cool indeed, but all you get is an above average soundtrack with some standout moments.

Greg Dulli from the Afghan Whigs was the executive producer for the Beautiful Girls soundtrack, and he must have fallen in love recently or something. The film just screams out: 'Chick flick!,' and the bio proudly exclaims: ‘lt’s the kind of record that makes you want to go home with some wine and chill out with someone you love.’ Look at the artists, listen to the song titles: Tired Old Cannibal Roland Gift does ‘That’s How Strong My Love Is’, Chris Isaak does a Chris Isaak song, Ween do their most commercial song ever with Til Miss you’, there’s the (soon to reform and tour!) Kiss ballad ‘Beth’, Afghan Whigs gurgle through ‘Can't Get Enough of Your Love Babe’, which makes you wanna shout: ‘Don’t play that funky

music white boy!’ For the Telecom fans there’s ‘Me and Mrs Jones’, and for those making a jump for the Neil Diamond bandwagon there’s ‘Sweet Caroline’. So, if you’re in lurve and you want to cuddle up around fires, chinking glasses of wine, this might well be the soundtrack for you. But if your love life’s as fucked as mine is at the moment and you know you shouldn’t stand near fires for fear of bursting into flames because of all the 100 proof liquor you've been imbibing to dull the pain of reality... erm, maybe you should seek help.

JOHN TAITE

CHICK Someone’s Ugly Daughter (550 MusitfEpic) While far from life changing, this LA band rock out in a pretty simplistic way, which is kinda cool, just the same. The throaty vocals take me back to the preL7/Hole/Babes days, and lots of the things they say make them well worth shouting along with when you’re home alone. There are plenty of good lyrical twists on the old boy-girl theme too (‘We used to be like Shaggy and Scooby I But now you act like you never knew me,’ from ‘Violent’, being my current fav’, and giving but one sample of the American pop culture spread smeared all over this). A kickin’ cover of Cheap Trick’s ‘Surrender’ is* the clinching credibility point, and was the major contributing factor to boosting Chick’s status in my ears. Put simply, they know where it’s at as well as where it comes from. If you’re one of those who admitted to being a Joan

Jett fan before the Riot Grrrl movement made it popular, you might like this quite a lot.

BRONWYN TRUDGEON

SANTANA BROTHERS Santana Brothers (Island) Not a Santana album as such, but a uniting of Carlos with brother Jorge,'who previously gained his own reputation, in his native Mexico, with his group Malo. Even nephew Hernandez gets in on the action here with some promising guitar work. Carlos himself is in typically good form with his unique blend of electric guitar, emotion and spirituality. In a spontaneous jazz style the brothers instrumentally celebrate a common musical heritage that goes back a long way indeed. After the difficult random feel of ‘Transmutation/lndustrial’, the album smoothes out into more gentle grooves that naturally leave the space for the trio to converge or seperately solo on. Music from the heart and soul is what Santana are all about, which they are sure to prove in concert when they play here.

GEOFF DUNN

SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE Sunny Day Real Estate (Sub Pop) Now I know what it must have felt like to discover James Dean post-car crash. Sunny Day Real Estate were a damn good band, and they are no longer. If I believed in God, I’d blame him, for he was the source of temptation which delivered singer/guitarist Jeremy Enigk from Sunny Day Real Estate. Everybody knows this boded well for the future of rock ’n’ roll, as it delivered bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith into the good lovin’, hard rockin’ arms of Foo Fighters. We all know who’s better off, but to be fair, Enigk has a solo album on the way which could be worth checking out. ■ ■ The nicest thing about this album is also the thing which makes it the most difficult to get a fix on. The songs bleed together in a hazy mood which leaves me constantly unsure of which track I'm listening to. It’s definitely not one for the sing-along brigade either,, with Enigk’s wails coming on so angst torn as to be unintelligible for the most part. But if you like your guitar melodies strong and swirly, sometimes even a little bit Straitjacket Fitsy, and aren’t offended by drum bursts which are prone to attack you once you’ve been lulled into a quiet meander through the more psychedelic quarters of your mind, you’ll like this.

BRONWYN TRUDGEON

VARIOUS ARTISTS History of Trojan Records 1968-1971, Volume One (TrojarVChant) These were the golden years for Trojan. Through the last years of the 60s and into the 70s, reggae made a big dent in the UK market, and even featured in the US market with ‘The Israelites' by Desmond Dekker. History of Trojan Records, Volume One, with a total of 60 tracks, is an obvious reason why. But apart from the obvious comercial successes, like Desmond Dekker, it’s the lesser known tracks, like the superb ‘Crying Every Night’ by Stranger Cole and the DK version of the same rhythm track, ‘Tom Drunk’ by U Roy, that are the real classics. Yeah, among 60 tracks you’re sure to find some duds. And the attempted pop crossovers, like a soporific version of ‘My Sweet Lord’ by the the Rudies and ‘Love of the Common People’ by Nickie Thomas, seem crass in hindsight. They probably would have seemed crass at the time. But the duds are scattered among a rich vein of gems. Trojan had an eye on the charts, as most record companies do, but volume one sure hits a lot more win-

ners than losers.

MARK REVINGTON

COWBOY JUNKIES Lay it Down (Gotten) Six albums on and the Cowboy Junkies know not to mess with a winning formula. Trouble is, it is beginning to sound formulaic. Singer Margo Timmins still sings her brother Michael’s songs with her customary ethereal grace, and the music is as sparse and understated as usual (forget all the press stuff about Lay it Down possessing a ‘harder edge’ — it’s purely academic). The real trouble is, the songs aren’t that good. ‘A Common Disaster’ and ‘Come Calling’ (featured here twice in a his and hers version) are the pick of the bunch, and despite throwing in some amped up guitars and a string quartet, it’s all a tad predictable. Nothing here of the quality of, say, 'Sun Up, Tuesday Morning’, from the much underrated Caution Horses, but lots for those who wish to wallow in slow, sad songs made by people who sound like they’re on drugs but probably aren’t. For the committed only.

GREG FLEMING

VARIOUS ARTISTS Mortal Kombat Soundtrack (Polydorj VARIOUS ARTISTS Mallrats Soundtrack (MCA) VARIOUS ARTISTS Angus Soundtrack (Reprise) Arrghhh. Too many soundtracks. I’ve been confronted with six this month, so it’s going to be a part one/part two review job. The Mortal Kombat soundtrack, unlike the film, is exceptional for fans of the sterner stuff. Lots of industrial nightmare fodder from KMFDM and Gravity Kills (who sound a lot like Nine Inch Nails circa Pretty Hate Machine), amongst a bunch of four to the floor techno tracks. Psykosonik give up this spooky thing called ‘Unlearn’ that could be a rewrite of Fritz Lang's Metropolis soundtrack. Orbital and Utah Saints provide some average tracks (with the Saints remixing that Mortal Kombat techno cash-in). Then there’s the very metal noise pollution from G/Z/R (kind of GWAR genetically fused with Soundgarden), Fear Factory, and ‘Twist the Knife' from Napalm Death circa 94. It’s a lot darker than. the film (and I don’t remember many of these tracks in the film at all, actually),- but very fitting for the game. As for Angus, well, I’ve never heard of it, but it’s interesting to see where Green Day’s producer Rob Cavallo has sunk his millions. He’s not only the executive album producer, he exec-produced the film as well. So, Green Day (of course), Weezer and the Muffs have provided some new stuff. Then he’s added some of his latest fav’s like Ash (surely breaking a record for how many bloody compilations ‘Kung Fu’ can appear on), Smoking Popes, Goo Goo Dolls.and Love Spit Love, the new band with ex-Psychedelic Furs frontman Richard Butler. Average. Mallrats is the new Shannon Doherty movie. Kind of a Clerks meets Reality Bites, apparently. But the dialogue snip-

pets on the album sound pretty lame. Anyway, Bush, the English band that out Yank the Yanks, do ‘Bubbles' — not bad, if you like Pearl Jam. Weezer (again) sound like the slacker Beach Boys with ‘Suzanne’ (‘l’m your man’). Elastica do ‘Line Up’, and even though I’ve heard it a thousand times, just the thought of Justine makes this the freshest, sexiest thing ever. Phew. Deep breath. Ahem. Onwards. The new Belly track ‘Broken’ proves they’ve slipped from the realm of the gods and become Juliana Hatfield contemporaries. Girls Against Boys snarl up their Sebadoh/Nirvana mongrel with the spazzy titled ‘Cruise Your New Baby Fly Self’. The rest of the 14 songs are a mish-mash of older ‘unknown classics’ (All? Archers of Loaf? Thrush Hermit?), and a bunch of post-grunge Americans that don’t so much sound the same as much as they all sound similarly dull.

JOHN TAITE

“ DEEP PURPLE —— - Purpendicular (BMG) Blackmore is gone but Purple live on! Replacing him with highly acclaimed guitarist Steve Morse was a wise move, as he’s given them renewed energy and inspiration to help make the best Deep Purple album of the decade. They’ve been around for 27 years now but it’s refreshing to hear that in one change of personnel they have progressed from being a set-in-stone heavy rock band, to become a fully integrated and inventive musical unit. From the raging 'Cascades’ to the country folk feel of the ‘Aviator’, the variety of material on Purpendicular is most pleasing. ‘Ted the Mechanic’ is a rip roaring number which is more like a David Lee Roth/Steve Vai song than what we’ve come to expect from Purple. Morse’s playing throughout is commendable, but on ‘Hey Cisco’ he really shines, with his distinctive Southern licks thrown in for good measure. Jon Lord is in particularly fine form too. With 'Rosa’s Cantina’ he brings his swelling organ to the fore (ooer!) to create some Hammond heaven. Other stand outs are the menacing 'Castle Full’ Of Rascals’ and the grand .‘Purpendicular Waltz’, which makes an appropriately, angular finale with it’s odd metre timings. ‘Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming’ is a seven-and-a-half-minute piece which peaks with trademark screams from lan Gillan, and has optimistically been chosen as a single. This well produced, adventurous album is a welcome fresh start from these pioneering statesmen of rock.

GEOFF DUNN

GODSTAR Coastal (Mercury) Ex-Lemonhead Nic Dalton gets his own album here. Coastal is Gpdstar’s second album and it’s bloody good. Quirkier, cheaper and clumsier than the Lemonheads, Coastal often sounds like the now-defunct Auckland band the Beads. There are songs here all about the refrigerator humming, being drunk, being in love and (a personal fav’) eating alone (‘Table for One’). Even though he can’t really sing, Dalton turns in an admirably schizo’ version of the Stylistics’ 'Go Now’, and, a little less successfully, a version of Buffalo Springfield’s 'Out of My Mind’. Alison Galloway (remember the Lemonheads’ ‘Alison’s Starting to Happen?’) pops up for some singing on ‘Mathrock Boy’, and there’s also a song which sounds fearfully like the Rolling Stones’ 'Moonlight Mile' in places, called ‘Fly Me to the Moon’. One senses Dalton knows his rock references inside out, and

they’re used to superb effect on Coastal.

GREG FLEMING

RICO AND THE RUDIES Blow Your Horn and Brixton Cat (Trojan/Chant) The trombone always seemed a damned funny instrument; laughable when you saw it wielded by the pimplyfaced dude in the school band, a source of aural velvet when blown by a master. Rico, with more than 40 years blowing sweet reggae riffs behind him, is definitely a master. He made his recording debut on a session for Coxsone Dodd, near the end of the 50s, cutting sides with Jamaica’s top session combo of the time, Clue J and the Blues Blasters. Forty years later, he was blowing horn lines on the Mad Professor’s 'Psychedelic Dub’. In the

years between, he lent his lungs to everything from producers like Lesley Kong in the 60s, to adding some cred to the ska sound of the Specials at the tail end of the 70s. Blow Your Horn and Brixton Cat is a re-release of two Rico albums recorded for Trojan that originally got air in 1969. The 25 tracks range from the early 60s ska sound of 'Rico’s Message’ and 'Niyah Man’, to the more roots sound of ‘Doctor Sure Shot’, still with that distinctive guitar picking. Blow Your Horn, Rico’s second solo album, also featured the vocal talents of Trojan in-house producer Robert Thompson, who sang under the name ‘Dandy’. Brixton Cat, his third solo album, was supposedly recorded with Joe’s All Stars, although the liner notes say the band was probably the Rudies who also featured on ‘Blow Your Horn’. There’s a heap of cool instrumentals with that ska sound, and a farfisa organ or horns carrying the melody. There’s also some great vocals, like Dandy on Tm Your Puppet'. Just proves there’s life outside dancehall and computer rhythms, Jim.

MARK REVINGTON

ALEX LIFESON Victor (Atlantic) While Rush took a two-year break, founder member Alex Lifeson didn’t want to make a guitar hero album, so he made Victor instead. You get the impression he’s been listening to bands like Live and Nine Inch Nails, as initially this is fairly aggressive, 90s stuff. However, by track two it sounds like Rush with a different singer (Edwin from I Mother Earth), and track three is like Rush with a female singer who sounds like Geddy Lee. The latter track’s called 'Start Today’, and is probably the best thing on Victor, although there’s definitely more here to keep Rush fans happy, and maybe even some new listeners too. Primus bassist Les Claypool has often cited Geddy Lee as being a major influence on him, so it’s good to hear Les playing on ‘The Big Dance'. Zappa-isms are evident on ‘Shut Up, Shuttin' Up’, with Alex’s wife and her friend gossipping while he shuts up and plays the guitar. The title track is the opposite to that, because Lifeson doesn't play on it at all, but recites a story by WH Auden over programmed music. He has branched out with Victor, without venturing too far from his real home.

GEOFF DUNN

THE REPLICANTS Replicants (BMG) A rather pointless oddity. The Replicants, with their connotations of Philip K Dick inspired Bladerunner robots, came via the combination of LA bands Tool and Failure. They hit on the unfortunate idea of exploring each other’s influences and arrived at this collection of covers. The bad news first, and that’s most of the album, as they destroy Steely Dan’s ‘Dirty Work’, Neil Young’s ‘Cinamon Girl’, and Lennon’s ‘How Do You Sleep?’ with their bizarre, cybernautic guitar/vocal turgidity. Their small successes are confined to the Cars’ ‘Just What I Needed’, and Gary Numan’s Gonzoid chestnut ‘Are Sheep Electric?’, which have a pronounced tread more suited to the Applicants’ robo-grunge dimensions. Their bio sheet urges us to ‘go forth and replicate’. Tell them to fornicate off!

GEORGE KAY

VARIOUS ARTISTS Home Alive: The Art of Self Defense (Epic) Already described by Rolling Stone as the only good thing to come out of Gits singer Mia Zapata’s rape and murder, Home Alive is the name of a Seattle based self defense organisation set up. by some of Mia’s friends in response to the tragedy. The group’s aim is to help get women literally home alive. Home Alive: The Art of Self Defense is the double album recorded to raise funds for the organisation, and it’s essential stuff — so that's another good thing made neccessary by a thoroughly shitty situation. The 45 tracks (a mix of old and new, some specially written/recorded for the project) include those by Nirvana (a live version of 'Radio Friendly Unit Shifter’), Pearl Jam (a stomping version of the Holland/Dozier/Holland-penned classic

‘Leaving Here’), Soundgarden, Supersuckers, 7 Year Bitch, and the Presidents of the United States of America, for starters. There’s a hefty load of excellent spoken word material, courtesy of Jim Carroll, Lydia Lunch, Exene Cervenka, and the Body Has a Head (featuring King Missile’s John S Hall), to name just a few. Dancing French Liberals of 48, the post-Mia version of the Gits, contribute ‘Spit in Your Eye'. The Gits’ ‘Guilt Within Your Head’ (which anyone who bought the Evil Stig album will have already heard) brings Mia’s own voice to the project, and she later solos it in powerful style on 'Social Love’. Her friendly jabs to an obviously familiar audience bring her into even sharper focus as one of us, rather than a blurry figure who had martyrdom forced upon her. Unfortunately, the stastics weren’t on her side... but face it, they really aren't on anyone’s. Buy this and take it to heart.

BRONWYN TRUDGEON

GOO GOO DOLLS A Boy Named Goo (WEA) No one had heard of them save a dedicated few Stateside — then enter ‘Name’, which received ridiculously high rotate on MTV and finally ‘broke’ the Goo Goo Dolls, Buffalo’s favourite sons. A Boy Named Goo is, in fact,- their third album, and mines that vein of wastrel cool so beloved of the likes of the Replacements and, more recently, Soul Asylum. Indeed ‘Name’, with its acoustic feel and winsome melody, is atypical on an album which seems more comfortable with its foot on the distortion pedal. Fine, but unfortunately songs like ‘Long Way Down’, ‘So Long’ and ‘Burnin'’ Up’ are about as inspirational as their titles suggest. By the sounds of this, the boys better not get too comfortable in that new tour bus.

GREG FLEMING

GOGH VAN GO Gogh Van Go (Roadshow Music) Canadian duo Sandra Luciantonio and Dan Tierney make intelligent, literate pop music not a million miles away from our brothers Finn. Their choice of name many have, however, pointed towards the weaknesses of the duo. They’re a bit too smart for their own good a lot of the time. A version of Lennon's ‘lnstant Karma’ doesn’t really work, but songs like 'Long Story Short’, ‘Vinyl’ and ‘‘97’ often do. The sort of act you might expect to pop up at an art festival rather than a pub. Marks off, however, for the execrable artwork. Acoustic, post-grad pop-rock.

GREG FLEMING

DARE TO DEFY ' The Weight Of Darkness (Too Damn Hype Records) CANDIRA Surrealistic Madness' (Too Damn Hype Records) NEGATIVE MALE CHILD Little Brother

(Too Damn Hype Records) Dare to Defy are from the stauncher than you New York scene, spawned from thrash metal and hardcore. A subCroMags feel comes through, but unfortunately this is dated and uninspired. Bogged down by chugging 80s riffs, there’s not much new to be found. Heavier moments such as ‘Brick’ and ‘Godless’ are passable attempts at angry power metal, with barked Rollins-type vocals. Mostly average, with a few better moments. Candira, on the other hand, sound truly dangerous on Surrealistic Madness. With a weird intro that leans into lean and nasty tempo changing metal, its the little touches that set them apart. Tribal drum intros, strangely fitting jazz pieces, atonal riffing and gruff vocals give them a quirkiness akin to Primus. Dropping odd little bits into the middle of heavy grooves makes even long tracks like ‘Elevate in Madness’ (5.24) and ‘Temple of Sickness’ (6.42) interesting for the duration. Big fans of jazz (just read their musical inspirations), its influence shines through. Pretty damn cool. Negative Male Child. Sounds pretty grim. Another bunch of short-haired, tattooed types burning out their inner turmoil. Heavy both musically and lyrically, they concentrate on the dark side of life. Titles such as ‘Pain’, ‘Burnout’ and ‘You Touched Me’ indicate where they’re com-

ing from. Good strong grooves, intelligent inventive playing, and some forceful vocal work. Urban anguish.

GAVIN BERTRAM

CYBERIA Machine Age (Roadshow) There some tasks few enjoy doing, scrubbing the lav’ after a hot curry, dismembering mice and listening to dodgy CDs. In the second week of March the hot Indian food intake had been low, and the bloodlust for rodent torture had been satiated. The week looked promising until the arrival of Cyberia. Machine Age. A dodgy title. Upon playing things got dodgier. The first tune was a dodgy 80s tribute to hair bands surely. Maybe just lads having a laugh (as lads are wont to do). Unfortunately that was not the case, as the first toon turned out to be the pick of the bunch. Moving from bad Bon Jovi imitations, the dodginess veered ever downward, moving from Summer in the Park covers bands to background bands in Jack Daniels commercials. Lord deliver us from dodgy American bands that sound like Oz-rock bands trying to be American. I screamed as a particularly plump marsupial skit-

tered across the floor.

KEVIN LIST