== ISSUE 205 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [April 5, 2000] Editor: Bob Gajarsky E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com Managing Editor: Lang Whitaker Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann D. Ball, Chris Hill, Bill Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Jon Steltenpohl Correspondents: Michelle Aguilar, Paul Andersen, Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Jason Cahill, Matthew Carlin, John Davidson, Andrew Duncan, Matt Fink, Krisjanis Gale, Jade Hughes, Paul Hanson, Scott Hudson, Jianda Johnson, Steve Kandell, Dave Kemper, Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Wes Long, I.K. MacLeod, Al Muzer, Wilson Neate, Mike Pfeiffer, Linda Scott, Don Share, Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Michael Van Gorden, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription information is given at the end of this issue. ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright Consumable and their author(s). ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' REVIEW: Supergrass, _Supergrass_ - Tim Kennedy REVIEW: Primal Scream, _XTRMNTR_ - Wilson Neate EVENT REVIEW: South By Southwest [Part 1] - Joann D. Ball REVIEW: Alkaline Trio, _Maybe I'll Catch Fire_ - Christina Apeles REVIEW: Crowded House, _Afterglow_ - Scott Slonaker REVIEW: Bill Laswell, _Emerald Aether - Shape Shifting_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Lullaby Baxter Trio, _Capable Egg_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: Pedro the Lion, _Winners Never Quit_ - Kerwin So REVIEW: Amel Larrieux, _Infinite Possibilities_ - Jianda Johnson REVIEW: The Flashing Lights, _Where The Change Is_ - I.K. MacLeod REVIEW: Butterflies Of Love, _How To Know the Butterflies Of Love_ - Andrew Duncan REVIEW: Make Lisa Rich, _Another Venus_ - Reto Koradi REVIEW: Eytan Mirsky, _Get Ready For Eytan!_ - Bill Holmes NEWS: Cool Site of the Day, Luscious Jackson, New Jersey Independent Music Festival TOUR DATES: Fiona Apple / Eels, Ben Folds Five, Bush / Moby, Charlatans / Stereophonics, Ani DiFranco, Randi Driscoll, Filter / Veruca Salt, Goldie, Handsome Family, Ben Harper And The Innocent Criminals, Kelis, Korn, Liquid Soul, Loud Family, Mix Master Mike, Ian Moore, No Doubt / Suicide Machines, Oasis, Ginny Owens, Papas Fritas, Red Hot Chili Peppers / Foo Fighters / Muse, Seely, Sally Taylor, Tonic / Third Eye Blind, Union Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: Supergrass, _Supergrass_ (Island) - Tim Kennedy Supergrass started out almost posing as the 90s answer to the Monkees with absurdly upbeat tunes which wooed the British Indie guitar public. Two albums on and they have established themselves as a popular live band and a reputation for great musicianship in the studio. Though a guitar band, they often turn to Madness-style ska beats to liven things up. This only adds to their cartoonesque image which is already compounded by their bizarre simian appearance and long sideburns. The previous album -- _In It For The Money_ -- was a classic of the decade, a masterpiece combining both moody magnificence and ecstatic good times. This album also combines contrasting colours. "Moving" begins with dramatically strummed open chords on acoustic, conveying desperation and longing. The verse has a familiar Supergrass ska-like piano backing but in a minor key, to the lyric 'I got a low low feeling inside me'. But no matter the somewhat hangdog lyrics, the guitar is magical - the opening strummed section is echoed in the 12-string electric solo which features some superb note-bending even recalling moments from The Byrds's _Younger Than Yesterday_ from '67. This song picks up where the band left off on their second album _In It For The Money_, using the guitar to convey a questioning and unsettled emotional state to superb effect. "Your Love" has an insistent piano/guitar riff and fast pace that leads into a furious chorus but the bridge is really good, something akin to a track off _Rubber Soul_ by the Beatles. The rest of the song fails to get off the ground though insistent -- it tends to fasten itself in the subconscious. "What Went Wrong (In Your Head)" features some aimless la-la-las which imply lack of ideas for lyrics. We never know much more than the stated question. This is another song which doesn't gain much ground despite its energetic riffing, the chorus is a Slade type of thing but without the catchiness. It ends with acapella harmonising but fails to convince. "Beautiful People" is built around another insistent piano riff like many of Supergrass' songs. It works better than the preceding two songs because it has a half decent tune, despite the repetitiveness that irked in "Your Love", and "What Went Wrong". "Shotover Hill" starts with backmasking and launches into acoustic guitars and bass bombastic drum. The chorus features some nice chiming guitar akin to "I Want You" by the Beatles. This is one of the better songs on the album, more easygoing, by leaving out those irksome choppy rhythms it allows the guitars to exploit the space. "Eon" is an instrumental number in the vein of the second album once again, with a repeated descending sustained twin sequence of guitar notes building in intensity. The result is once again to convey a mood of expectation to the listener, and perhaps a feeling of frustration. This is one of the standout tracks on the album despite being instrumental -- showing that the importance of Supergrass lies in their love of and mastery over the guitar. The lyrics are of little significance on this album anyway -- maybe even perfunctory. "Mary" is more ordinary with a jokey lyric that doesn't seem to go anywhere apart saying from how 'extraordinary' she is. The song is built upon a satisfyingly chunky Doorsy keyboard riff. The chorus is fun too - with a typically nonsensical'Ayayayayayay!'. "Jesus Came From Outer Space" is a jolly number which belies its controversial title, indicating a less than reverential attitude to Christ and UFOs. This song and others here hark back to the first Supergrass album _I Should Coco_ . "Pumping On My Stereo" is another bit of lyrical chaff, which succeeds due to its singalong chorus and gung-ho cheerfulness. It is the direct descendant of famous early Supergrass drinking songs such as "Alright" and rests primarily on a classic T Rex guitar riff. "Born Again" boasts a lovely psychedelic keyboards-and-guitar figure which hardly needs a lyric (which is lucky- it doesn't get much). It is sinister and gorgeous by turns and strings in the background accentuate its beauty. "Faraway" reminds of old Syd Barratt, its dreamy lyric 'Wake me up each morning don't forget to plug me in' fitting with psychedelic disorientated guitar. The best songs on this album including this seem to be built around a great series of chords which have been jammed over a period of time and developed into their current form. Some like "Eon" remain a jam, but what a glorious jam. "Mama and Papa" starts similarly dreamily and is about being lost as a child, or else feeling lost like a child. The song is a fragment really, a ploy which sometimes works on an album. This is engaging but is maybe too slight to be the final track on the CD. This album shows Supergrass in two minds: they want to play noisy goodtime songs, and at the same time they want to experiment with more complex guitar work and put more 'feel' in the music. But the noisy goodtime stuff just doesn't match up to the moody stuff anymore - maybe because their heart isn't in the partying. --- REVIEW: Primal Scream, _XTRMNTR_ (Creation IMPORT) - Wilson Neate Kick Out the Jams MTHRFCKR! Prior to its release, Bobby Gillespie commented that on _XTRMNTR_, Primal Scream were "building an autobahn from Cologne to Detroit"; an ambitious project, when you consider how long the completion of the Channel Tunnel took, and a worrying one given that Gillespie's admittedly "remedial" performance in high school math and science doesn't inspire confidence in his civil engineering abilities. But with the ghost of Kowalski at the wheel, not only do the Scream get us from A to B -- making a brilliant connection between Krautrock and the proto punk-metal KO of the MC5 and The Stooges -- but their musical road-trip stops at all points in between. And they've taken quite a circuitous route, the cranked-up techno-punk assault that figures prominently in _XTRMNTR_'s sonic equation suggesting a visit with a certain Mr. Empire in Berlin. On arriving in the Motor City, we're taken for a spin around town -- the house/dance imperative being as high on the agenda as the guitar mayhem and driving rhythms of an earlier Detroit sound. But we're only scratching the surface here. Angry, vitriolic and uncompromising on _XTRMNTR_, Gillespie cuts an unlikely but convincing figure as a post-millennial protest singer raging against militarism, neo-fascism and capitalism, as well as their insidious interrelations, to the accompaniment of some seriously funky extreme noise terror. That package is enhanced by friendly visitors including Adrian Sherwood, David Holmes, Bernard Sumner, Kevin Shields and The Chemical Brothers, whose participation bears out the old adage that many hands do indeed make a fucking beautiful racket. "Kill all hippies," urges Linda Manz (sampled from _Out of the Blue_) at the start of the opening track named after that imperative, and the Scream proceed to limber up with a funky number that could be the soundtrack to a car chase on "Kojak." Although it's topped off with a Family Stone-style falsetto, this track is nicely weighted with chunky bass and bottom-heavy beats. Indeed, Mani's thick-and-throbbing bass reigns supreme, proving to be a defining aspect of _XTRMNTR_. Since Manz's hero in _Out of the Blue_ is Johnny Rotten, the opening sample itself hints at the emergence of a leaner, angrier Primal Scream. And with "Accelerator," Gillespie et al. put their cards on the table and renew their punk credentials. Mixed by My Bloody Valentine's Kevin Shields, this MC5-esque ripper serves up driving white noise and screeching guitars; at its most intense, it's the jolting aural equivalent of mainlining pure electricity. There's a rising sense of urgency and an unnerving, escalating, high-pitched whooshing in the ears that makes you genuinely concerned that something in your immediate environment is about to explode, quite possibly part of your own body. While the pulsating, bass-driven "Exterminator" sees Gillespie urging civil disobedience and citing the ur-protest singer Dylan with a "Subterranean Homesick Blues" reference, "Swastika Eyes" -- part New Order, part Digital Hardcore and part Donna Summer -- is politicized disco music for a Europe in crisis. Although debate on this track's alleged right wing sentiments is plain silly, its gender politics are definitely troubling. Listen for the gender of the person with those eyes. Sadly, rock again treads a well-beaten path on which oppositional politics go hand in glove with sexism. ("American Woman," anyone?) Still, despite this slip (and despite the earlier, absurd decision to put the Confederate flag on the cover of _Give Out But Don't Give Up_), Bobby Gillespie seems to be on the right track these days with his critiques of New Labour's betrayal of the Left and his denunciations of the highly controversial imprisonment of Satpal Ram. See: http://www.asiandubfoundation.com/satpal/ Politics aside, the next winner -- "Blood Money" -- starts like The Stooges and metamorphoses into a skewed evocation of the Bond theme with dissonant horns aplenty. Subsequently, it veers into 23 Skidoo-meet-Can in an epic contest that restores real meaning to the term "drum and bass." Forget your depthless fiddling, noodling and blipping and think "The Gospel Comes to New Guinea" crossed with _Tago Mago_. A perfect mid-way counterpoint to the tone of mayhem and cacophony, "Keep Your Dreams" offers a familiar Scream comedown. After all the excitement, Gillespie delivers a downbeat piece that revisits and stumbles through the stoned territory of earlier work, such as "Shine Like Stars." from _Screamadelica_. "MBV Arkestra" -- a reworking of "If They Move Kill 'Em" from _Vanishing Point_ -- is another dense, layered epic. Mixed, of course, by Shields, this track sees Sun Ra and Tim Buckley circa _Lorca_ or _Starsailor_ joining forces to make a good avant-jazz case for the return of rock flute. And while _XTRMNTR_ is a scorcher throughout, it ends on a high point with "Shoot Speed/Kill Light," another protracted musical contest, this time involving Can and Joy Division. Primal Scream launched the '90s with the sublime _Screamadelica_, an album that captured the musical essence and socio-cultural ambience of its time and raised the bar significantly for subsequent acts. But while _Screamadelica_ was a blissy, edenic, "all together now" version of a Britain on "e," at the start of another decade, the almost post-apocalyptic, "fall together now," hard edge of _XTRMNTR_ attests to an older, wiser, more politicized musical sensibility. Primal Scream have outdone themselves here -- it may only be March but there's no point in anyone's releasing anything else this year. --- EVENT REVIEW: South By Southwest (SXSW), Austin, Texas, March 15 -19, 2000 [Part 1] - Joann D. Ball For music lovers, performers and industry professionals, Spring signals the return of the South By Southwest (SXSW) music and media conference and festival in Austin, Texas. The fourteenth annual SXSW took place from March 13-19, and yet again the main draw at the extravaganza was the music. And this year there were even more live performances, with some 900 bands on more than 47 stages playing everything from local TexMex, straight ahead rock and roll, country and folk/roots music to techno/dance, hip-hop/rap and jazz. Similarly, the daytime music industry conference activities, held at the Austin Convention Center, were also expanded and more diverse. The seventeenth annual Austin Music Awards kicked off the Music Festival on Wednesday evening, March 15th, and Steve Earle's well received keynote address kicked off the conference the next morning. With warm weather and a positive outlook, the stage was set for a wonderful SXSW 2000. But just before the post-conference music festivities began on Thursday evening, temperatures dropped so drastically that Austin felt more like a rain soaked, damp and cold New York City. But of course that didn't stop the dynamic Patti Smith and her band from treating a dedicated outdoor crowd to a rousing, heartfelt and high energy performance. Elsewhere in town, members of Los Lobos helped Joe Ely and others turn up the heat on a tiny patio stage behind a small unassuming Mexican restaurant at an invite-only VIP party thrown by The Baker/Northrop Media Group. It was very cold and dismal for the long crowd waiting outside, but for those lucky enough to attend the packed Columbia Records showcase it was definitely hot and sweaty especially during the sizzling set from Cypress Hill. The weather cleared up significantly by the time of Friday night's music activities which included highly touted performances by buzz artists Shelby Lynne and Gomez. But the real place to be was he Sub Pop Records rock and roll showcase at Emo's. Living proof that Sub Pop is now the home for those who rock, The Yo-Yo's from London opened the showcase on the main stage with a Clash-inspired set. Vancouver's Black Halos threw more energy on that fire with a kick ass set so hot that lead singer Billy Helpless eventually stripped down to his black underwear. The Black Halos were certainly the highlight of the evening with Helpless performing with charisma, passion and moves that Mick Jagger in his prime would envy. Certainly not an easy act to follow, but Norway's newest musical export Gluecifer managed to keep the mainstage music loud, hard and heavy with a solid no frills set. On the smaller stage in a separate room, Los Angeles band Beachwood Sparks provided a melodic acoustic-based interlude, featuring soothing harmonies and easy going tunes that echoed the best of the Byrds, the Kinks and 60s psychedelic pop. After that much needed down time, the crowd was clearly ready to crank up the volume again and The Go didn't hesitate to honor that request. Fully embodying the rock lives on Sub Pop spirit of the showcase, the Detroit quintet channeled the energy of hometown heroes MC5 and Iggy Pop through their speakers. Several power chords into the set opener, the hungry crowd was in a beer throwing, dancing frenzy. By the time The Go ended its intense sonic assault, the audience was deliriously exhausted so much so that many were unable to stick around to hear Seattle's Love As Laughter. By Saturday, festival goers had hit their stride and were already sharing stories of their major findings and enjoyable moments. Among those noted was a late night performance by the YoungBlood Brass Band from Madison, Wisconsin, an unsigned band that amazingly combines Mardi-Gras sounds with hip-hop jams and cooks up an irresistible gumbo of flavored sounds. Saturday night's offerings were equally satisfying with shows by Calexico, Sebadoh, Bernie Worrell & the Woo Warriors, and a previously unannounced appearance by Yo La Tengo receiving the most buzz and attention. And the night's unsigned surprise finding was the innovative VHS or Beta, from the unlikely locale of Louisville, Kentucky. The band continually pulled festival goers off the extremely crowded and music-filled 6th Street to join in their technodiscorock trance inducing set. Dressed in matching blue jumpsuits and wearing dark shades with red blinking lights on both sides, VHS or Beta recalled Devo fashion sensibilities and Yellow Magic Orchestra's soundscapes in a presentation that proved the future has indeed arrived. At the Night of Hop Hop showcase a few blocks away, host Guru made it clear that SXSW had also made room for a hip-hop and rap music vibe. Earlier at the showcase, Varunee Recording Group spoken word artist Corey Cokes slammed some message poetry and provided well received edutainment for the outdoor crowd. And later, following a few up and coming rap acts, hip-hop veterans the Jungle Brothers kicked it old school style and quickly had the audience along for the ride. Performing cuts off their new V2 Records release _V.I.P._, the duo accompanied by a DJ and drummer kept the rhymes flowing and proved that it was definitely a very important party. While some old time SXSW attendees seemed to miss the smaller, more intimate music conference and festival, others reveled in the expanded and enhanced Y2K version. Certainly, the vast number of music performances were delightfully diverse and continued to provide unknowns and unsigned artists a chance to put their best sound forward. As the YoungBlood Brass Band and VHS and Beta proved, great music is very often made outside those places where record label offices and major market radio stations. For these bands, as well as others trying to be heard in music centers, SXSW is crucial. And for music lovers looking for something new and exciting and music industry professionals interested in more progressive approaches to promoting and disseminating diverse artists and genres, the annual Spring event is a one-stop market place. The Internet certainly makes getting pre-event planning easier and hopefully even more information about bands, schedules will be accessible in the future. And the fact that conference attendees and artists can use email and websites to develop and maintain those crucial contacts makes enhances the networking aspect of SXSW. Now, if only someone could figure out a way to clone oneself to hear even more of those 900+ bands in all those Austin venues... --- REVIEW: Alkaline Trio, _Maybe I'll Catch Fire_ (Asian Man) - Christina Apeles Feverish and virile, Alkaline Trio's second full-length release is not as raw as one would expect from a young trio raised on punk rock. Their jaws would likely drop at the bands that came to my mind after listening to the first two tracks. "Keep 'em Coming" had the guitar workings of early Ride, while "Madam Me" felt much like Sunny Day Real Estate. These tracks demonstrated their keen sense of what makes a catchy melody, producing more of an uplifting feel than aggressive. Moving into "Fuck You Aurora" and "Sleepyhead" their punk aesthetic is more apparent, with discordant vocals and frantic drumming. This is where you find Fugazi and PIL influencing their sound, especially in the pogo-friendly "Tuck Me In." _Maybe I'll Catch Fire_ is their last album to be released on Asian Man, having just signed on to Vagrant (Get up Kids, Face to Face, Saves the Day). One of Chicago's prized pop punk bands, Alkaline Trio have range, clever sonic sensibility and charisma which means great live sets and a bright future ahead. --- REVIEW: Crowded House, _Afterglow_ (Capitol IMPORT) - Scott Slonaker Despite two major hits ("Don't Dream It's Over," "Something So Strong") amidst the pop freakshow of the late '80s, Crowded House seem largely forgotten. Such is the double-edged sword of craftsmanship as music's selling point -- you get more respect from the pundits, but without a larger-than-life persona or movie-star spouses or tabloid appearances -- with obscurity quick to follow. And Crowded House's brand of melodic, Beatlesque song writing is scarce enough in today's pop landscape. Oh, sure, Finns & Co. will live on in '80s compilations and Pop-Up Video, but that framework will never seem to fit them. Crowded House are no less than the greatest band to ever come out of Australia, and time spent with any of their four albums (or the excellent best-of compilation, _Recurring Dream_) is quite rewarding. Neil Finn has written at least a dozen songs in his lifetime that deserve to be all-time classics, true successors to the Lennon-McCartney legacy. Fans can rejoice with the release of _Afterglow_, a 13-track odds-'n-sods collection culled from almost a decade of recording. Truth be told, the album doesn't hold a candle to any of the band's proper albums, but anyone who owns some or all of those records should not hesitate. _Afterglow_ features only two tracks that have ever been released in any form. One is the acoustic version of the gorgeous "Private Universe" from _Together Alone_. The stripped-down backdrop turns the central chorus of "I will run for shelter/Endless summer, lift the curse/It feels like nothing matters in our private universe" into nothing less than a mantra. The U2/Midnight Oil wide screen panorama of "Recurring Dream" appeared only on a soundtrack. Of the "new" songs, the opener, "I Am In Love," adds an unexpected lyrical directness to the band's usual translucence. "You Can Touch" is a willowy ballad in the vein of "Four Seasons in One Day" or "Into Temptation." The soaring "Anyone Can Tell" could have been a single from any of the albums. Any B-sides disc is incomplete without a few interesting side trips. The band rarely did out-and-out aggression ("Locked Out" being the noted exception), instead changing up its mid-tempo/ballad main courses with White Album quirk. _Afterglow_, in the same tradition, contains the Squeeze-like "My Telly's Gone Bung" (written by drummer Paul Hester) and "Left Hand" are good examples. Crowded House seem unlikely to reunite, at least for awhile (both Finns have solo careers), and _Afterglow_ is a fitting document of their mastery. An American release is currently slated for a May release, but who knows? Fans who don't want to wait should hit the import house. --- REVIEW: Bill Laswell, _Emerald Aether - Shape Shifting_ (Shanachie) - Jon Steltenpohl Bill Laswell's latest album is a remix of some of the best of Shanachie's Celtic acts. Although, if you're a fan of Laswell, you'll know that "remix" hardly describes what Laswell can do at the sound board. The CD is subtitled "Reconstructions of Irish Music - Mix Translations", and the description fits. _Emerald Aether:Shape Shifting_ is really more of a reinterpretation than a simple addition of a house beat. Laswell uses 13 songs from Jerry O' Sullivan, Solas, Karan Casey, Cathie Sullivan, and Matt Molloy as well as one track of his own, and the end result is a remarkably seamless album from start to finish. Still, I must admit, the first few times I listened to this album, I thought, "Geez, Laswell is reinventing the wheel. How long ago was that Benedictine Monks with a beat album released? Laswell is above this." But that was a superficial observation. After multiple listens, it becomes clear that Laswell's work on _Emerald Aether:Shape Shifting_ has a deeper level. It is restrained and refined. Like Monet or Pollack, Laswell's work doesn't even seem to be art at all at first glance. But, when you take a minute and listen deeper, you feel the shapes and you align the patterns. When you listen to _Emerald Aether:Shape Shifting_, you won't find yourself singing along. You simply absorb the sounds and the beat. Then later, hours, and even days after listening, you find yourself reliving the melodies, timing your actions to the beats. This is subliminal music. Of course, not everyone appreciates Monet and Pollack. Subversive artists and debunkers love to get elephants and monkeys to create art to fool the critics, and we're living in an age where you can mix electronica in your living room on a Playstation. But even if you aren't impressed with the beats, Laswell is starting with hand picked Celtic tracks from Shanachie's catalog. That means he's already got great music in his hands. So, even if you don't get what's so special about Laswell's reconstructions, you still have a nice album of Celtic music on your hands. But, if you can see to the core of what Laswell does, you'll see that beats are added with precision and meaning. Many tracks seem as if they haven't even been touched, and others combine traditional instruments with modern rhythms in a way that seems obvious. Still, creating the obvious is the sign of a true master. It's easy to listen to _Emerald Aether:Shape Shifting_ and say "well, that doesn't sound like anything new." In fact, such an opinion might be justifiable to anyone who considers a beat, a beat. But, if you're part of the headphone crowd who sees beyond the beat and gets into the tiny details, Laswell's latest will keep you listening for hours. --- REVIEW: Lullaby Baxter Trio, _Capable Egg_ (Atlantic) - Chris Hill Begin with female vocals akin to Rufus Wainwright's soft tones, mix in his cadence and torch song flair, dollop in a spoonful of Louisiana backwater, back porch blues, then a quart of Oranj Symphonette Wonka juice, and you've got the basic recipe for Lullaby Baxter Trio's CD: songs of play ("Morty-Mort-Morton Showstopper Calhoun") and pathos ("The Anyway Song"). The Trio, as far as I can tell, is a duo: singer/guitarist Lullaby Baxter (born Angelina Iapaolo) and lyricist Lutwidge Sedgwick. The third member is likely producer Yves Beauvais, credited with the idea of using the Oranj Symphonette as backing musicians. The eclectic group brings both unusual (Chinese horn, Farfisa organ, bird calls, Casio drums, train whistle, accordion) and traditional (cello, violin, clarinet, guitar, bass, drums) instrumentation to the project, all played with straight faces. Sedgwick -- these names are almost too good to be true -- uses storybook wordplay and references for the lyrics; some straightforward, some subversive, depending on the need. The sweet candy is caustic in "Hopscotch" ("With a hey and a ho/ and a hey nonino/ Diddle diddle dum dum/ ...You were already a little nowhere/ Now you've finally disappeared my dear/ Hooray and toodleloo"), while "Lullaby" has an enchanting "Chan Marshall vision of a Maurice Sendak doughy fable" feel: "Clouds, nighty-night/ Stars, beddy-bye/ Clocks, nighty-night/ Shoes, beddy-bye." Sedgwick's oddball writing encourages smiling when expected endings -- "There's a moocow in my ear/ Lullaby and clouds/ Cockledoodledon't" -- take an unexpected turn. Within the same vocal palette, Baxter uses different colors: a mix of croon and soft Cindy Brady lisp on "The Anyway Song," sly winking blues on "Rooster in Love," pacifying tones on "Lullaby," a barker's enticement on the circus waltz "Spacegirl." "Knucklehead" has an Andy Partridge nonsense tune air -- "Butterflies wear boxing gloves/ To clobber all the ones you love/ Poor poor Knucklehead/ Is that why your little missus lives under the bed?" -- plus a burbling electric organ that adds a cocktail lounge smoke. "Ding-A-Ling," with its wood block, has a Roy Rogers cowboy rhythm that prods the pitiable "Why'd you bring the ding-a-ling?/ All she wants to do is sing/ Her ding-a-ling songs" lyrics along to a read-between-the-lines conclusion. This disc could have been too cute for its own good, but the combination of lyrics, music, and Baxter's vocals make it palatable for both child and adults. A sidebar, however: if you're going to succumb to the hidden track impulse, don't add intervening time between the last and "hidden" tracks. The empty minutes tick slowly by waiting for a 13th track (a lightly-strummed guitar version of "Ding-A-Ling") to begin. --- REVIEW: Pedro the Lion, _Winners Never Quit_ (Jade Tree) - Kerwin So Pedro the Lion's lead singer-songwriter David Bazan has always had an uncanny knack for dismembering difficult and taboo subjects, especially when it comes to analyzing the dysfunctionality of intimate relationships, and questioning the God he's supposed to believe in as a Christian. Bazan's gift of marrying the thought-provoking lyric to simple yet seductive guitar melodies helped earn his band accolades in big-time music rags like Spin and Magnet, and being compared to slowcore favorites like Bedhead probably didn't hurt either. Partially based on this critical attention, and the rest based on sheer talent, Pedro the Lion was signed to respected indie label Jade Tree, and have now released their second full-length album _Winners Never Quit_. This time around, Pedro the Lion may have gotten too honest for their own good. With the departure of his bandmates, Bazan was left to spend much time alone in a basement, mulling over and recording his songs at his pace, and it shows. Musically, the album is consistently engaging, with acoustic guitar, aggressive rockers, and languishing cymbal washes matching each song's mood note for note, and further showcasing Bazan's diverse range of talents. But lyrically, _Winners Never Quit_ is nothing short of unsettling. The forthright opening track, "Slow and Steady Wins the Race," features Bazan relating an allegorical tale of himself as a little boy walking a narrow path to his grandmother's house, while his brother strays off the path, falling into disastrous circumstances. The narrator continues to dream of all that will await him in heaven "for a race well run." At first the simplicity of the song, with its solo acoustic guitar accompaniment, seems appealing and even whimsical, until you realize that Bazan is attacking the idealism of religious faith from a very sarcastic, albeit subtle, point of view. From this point forward, the subtlety only diminishes. "To Protect the Family Name" finds Bazan, vocals properly slurred, channeling an alcoholic man pleading with a police officer not to arrest him and bring further shame to his family. The next two tracks, surely Pedro the Lion's most disturbing songs to date, center on an abusive husband confronting and eventually cornering his wife. "You put down that telephone," he growls menancingly, over and over. "You're not calling anyone." As this song blends into the next, Bazan leaves us to fill in the blanks: "Bloodstains on the carpet/ Bloodstains on my hands/ Drag her to the kitchen/ Hide the evidence." The name of this sequel song? "Never Leave a Job Half Done." And it doesn't stop there. Bazan has always wrestled with the difficulties of maintaining faith in a Christian God, ever since Pedro the Lion's debut EP "Whole." But "Bad Things to Such Good People" is arguably his angriest work in this vein, encasing a story of family tragedy in a shell of spite for an uncaring God. Told from the perspective of a son who "could not fly straight to save my life," the song paints a somber portrait of two parents weeping at the grave of their "one good son [who] was now gone." The refrain? "All the while/ The good Lord smiled/ And looked the other way/ And looked the other way." Pedro the Lion's debut album two years ago, _It's Hard to Find a Friend_, showcased David Bazan's considerable abilities in adopting the voices of many different characters according to each song's narrative. But _Winners Never Quit_ seems to find Bazan inextricably mired in those voices, to the point where I am honestly worried about him. Don't get me wrong, this is a very good record - I just wouldn't listen to it right before I was going to go to bed. Bazan remains a compelling figure, and I wonder how deeply the addition of new band members might affect Pedro the Lion's continuing evolution. At least they should give him respite from the basement from time to time. --- REVIEW: Amel Larrieux, _Infinite Possibilities_ (Epic/550 Music) - Jianda Johnson First coming to light in the ensemble Groove Theory, Amel Larrieux's sonic undulations ground themselves firmly in old school, classic Soul (think: Marvin, Aretha) and modern day music alternatives (Trip Hop, Drum and Bass, genre-mixing). Playful, insightful and rhapsodic, _Infinite Possibilities_ is an exemplary debut piece. The Blues-trodden strains of "Sweet Misery" personify the yin and yang vibe this undercover diva exudes, and it only gets better from there. "INI," despairing over two-dimensional standards of beauty, transcends the song's regretful truths with lyrical, soothing vocals and instrumentation (including the tabla). "Every time one of us goes down/it's like looking at my/own blood on the ground," Larrieux bemoans -- somehow graceful even in the throes of a tragic narrative. "Get Up," a rousing call to arms, and "Down," a mystical Jazz excursion, seamlessly lead us through chic, majestic landscapes. "Shine" is Larrieux's most courageous vocal effort, as she mixes Indian vocal inflections with power-packed R&B and Gospel influences. In "Shine," Larrieux chants, "I'm stronger than/I've ever been/got to be to survive." True, that. The multicultural elements in _ Infinite Possibilities _ literally travel with you, all over the map. If this soulful songbird intended to make a strong, deeply down "first-impression" with her solo effort, she's definitely succeeded. This album is radio friendly, warm and rewarding -- aurally and spiritually. --- REVIEW: The Flashing Lights, _Where The Change Is_ (Spinart) - I.K. MacLeod Borrowing their name from a rare Jimmy Page/Screaming Lord Sutch number from the late 60's, The Flashing Lights were bursting through my speakers with such raw intensity that I had to glance at the calendar hopes I finding out that I had been flux capacitated into the past. The complete lack of commercial bullshit combined with the unadulterated spirit of rock'n'roll takes the listener back to a time when R&B stood for rhythm and blues and bands spent more time together in a rehearsal space and than in a beauty salon. Lead singer and guitarist Matt Murphy, aka Little Orton Hoggett, brought together this tight quartet after Halifax¹s Superfriendz disbanded in 1997. He is joined by childhood pal and bassist Henri Sangalang, organist and tambourine taper Gaven Dianda, and drummer Steve Pitkin. The band¹s sound is an evolutionary extension of the classic Who and Yardbird sounds of 60s, and their collection of original songs can be seen as both an interpretative and fresh take on modern pop music. Murphy is no slouch on the Rickenbacker and The Flashing Lights are the perfect outfit for his hearty supply of licks, riffs, and stances. Recorded in Toronto with a little help from Daryl Smith (Sloan, Blue Rodeo) on the boards, _Where the Change is_ switches gears from the smooth and poppy adolescent flashback of "Highschool" to a real rocker like "Half The Time." "Summertime Climb" pays tribute to some seasonal memories while "Elevature" is a friendly tip of the hat to former Subpop recording artists Elevator to Hell. This album has been firmly planted in my top ten for the past year and it won't take long for you to hear why. The new US release features a couple bonus tracks that were recorded for a radio appearance alongside the 13 original numbers. For a free sample, point your browser to http://www.flashinglights.com/ . --- REVIEW: Butterflies Of Love, _How To Know the Butterflies Of Love_ (Secret 17) - Andrew Duncan Beginning in the late '80s and seeping into the early '90s, post punk and new wave had died and reincarnated into what was contrived as college rock. Besides the obvious bands that defined the genre, others could have been stylistically classified simply by their band name. A House passed the college rock test as did Crowded House. House Of Love also fit the mold - can you see where I am heading? This leads to the year 2000 and a five piece band from New Haven, Connecticut called Butterflies Of Love. Where does this play in the whole scheme of things? The name paints an '80s paisley-college-rock collage of rich sound textures and words of shyness and abandonment. But let's not judge a book by its cover, or a band by its name ... or however you want to characterize it. It's time to take a gander. Sounding more like the band hails from Bristol than New Haven, How To Know has the sadness of The Cure's Seventeen Seconds and the sarcasm of Blur. However the music does come closer to Slowdive than Morrissey's prancing rhythms. The band softly sculpts beautiful music with sincere songwriting that leads to a type of music that is rarely heard and sadly missed. Headed by duo Daniel and Jeffrey Greene - with a slew of people helping them out - there are enough instruments on this album to lead an orchestra. "Mt. Everest" resembles a drugged up Portostatic playing Velvet Underground tunes - a remarkable combination that explodes with echoing beauty. "Floating" sounds like The Mighty Lemon Drops in an indie rock world. The album drags into a doldrum with "Love May Be Possible," depicting a scenario of a burned-out bar band and "Rob A Bank" marks the sobering feeling when the bartender yells out "last call." The disc picks back up with the poppy "Amethyst." (how can one pass up such great one liners as "She wears my lucky charms, she's got tattoos on her arms"), and ends with a brief lullaby "Leaving When I'm Done Drinking." That last drink was a quick one. More information is available at http://www.secretsounds.com --- REVIEW: Make Lisa Rich, _Another Venus_ (Boy Love) - Reto Koradi Straight out of Boston is where Make Lisa Rich are coming from, and straight into your ears is where their second album _Another Venus_ seems to be going. Start with some post-punk energy, mix in a dose of feel-good '60s pop with some hand clapping, dress with witty lyrics, and the dish is ready to be served. Consumption will lead to foot tapping, and in many cases cause uncontrolled singing along. These 11 songs stretching out over just 37 minutes won't change the world, and are unlikely to even become a major part of music history. But while others try to come up with something really important, we might just as well have some fun. And this is what Make Lisa Rich are giving us with surprising consistency, songs like "Status Symbol" are catchy enough to have hit potential if they could get the necessary airplay. The band's web site at http://www.makelisarich.com provides links to some of the songs in MP3 format, and information on how to order this album. At the very fair price of $7, it will most likely provide you with much more and longer lasting enjoyment than a couple of Happy Meals. --- REVIEW: Eytan Mirsky, _Get Ready For Eytan!_ (Mirsky Mouse) - Bill Holmes New Yorker Eytan Mirsky might be filling up his press kit with clippings about his soundtrack contributions, but if _Get Ready For Eytan_ gets some circulation, the accolades will start flowing in from that as well. In the independent film _Happiness_, Michael Stipe and Rain Phoenix sing the Mirsky-penned title track, an ironic title for a film centered on so many dysfunctional characters. Mining the same territory, _Get Ready_ is a fourteen track collection of vignettes about unrequited love, betrayal and just plain neurotic romanticism, and if Mirsky isn't culling notes from his own scrapbook, he's done a great job of scoping out his behaviorally stumbling peers. Lyrically funny and straightforward, Mirsky is drawing comparisons to Marshall Crenshaw and Nick Lowe for his clever wordplay and knack for classic pop hooks. But I hear something much more left of center - Michael Shelley, Jonathan Richman and especially Ben Vaughn come to mind time and time again. Why? Well, I'm laughing my ass off at him and feeling sorry for his misfortunes at the same time, like an audio Woody Allen experience. More often than not, the songs find this lovable loser - and who hasn't uttered this one - looks in the mirror asking "What Did I Do?". And when he does get lucky, he still gets screwed - like when the girlfriend in "All The Guys You Loved Before" insists upon divulging her past to the cringing Eytan. "Well I'm not saying / that you're promiscuous / but did you really have to go / and make a list." Mirsky wrote all the songs and sings lead and background vocals; the band is a simple guitar/bass/drums/piano combo that is energetic but not loud, equally effective ripping through surf riffs or steering slow dancers through mid-tempo ballads. Larry Saltzman, in particular, does not let the sparse production prevent him from rocking out when called for (especially on "Record Collection" and "Outta Sight). And just one look at song titles like "Somebody To Blame", "Allergic To Fun" and "The Vulture Of Love" tells you this is something different and worthwhile. As he sings, his yearning, confusion or misguided superiority (the hilarious "Drop That Loser") comes across loud and clear even though his style changes as subtly as a facial expression. Writing this off as quirky pop tunes is unfair. Mirsky is a clever writer with the ability to make the three minute pop song sound new again. No fog machines or lighting trusses necessary. --- NEWS: > The Cool Site of the Year awards ceremony will be held at New York City's Webster Hall on April 27, from 7 pm to 11 pm. The $100 admission to the event includes live music, great food, a multimedia show and Awards presentation honoring those sites voted to be Cool Sites of the Day. For more information, check out http://www.coolsiteoftheday.com > Luscious Jackson has confirmed that the band is splitting up, but on amicable terms. "We want to let our fans know that we are still good friends," says Luscious' Jill Cunniff. "We all want to diversify what we do individually, and the band just came to its natural conclusion. It's been a great eight years, and we hope to work together again in the future." > New Jersey's Independent Music Festival 2000 is scheduled for April 26-29, 2000 in New Brunswick, NJ. The festival wil feature more than 100 artists, along with two days worth of seminars on April 28 and 29. For further information, check out http://www.independentmusicfest.com . --- TOUR DATES: Fiona Apple / Eels Apr. 9 New Orleans, LA House of Blues Apr. 10 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theater Apr. 11 Birmingham, AL Alabama Theatre Apr. 13 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall Apr. 14 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues Ben Folds Five Apr. 11 W. Hartford, CT Univ. of Hartford Sports Ctr. Apr. 13 Burlington, VT Patrick Gymnasium (U of Vermont) Apr. 14 Philadelphia, PA Hill Field (UPenn) Bush / Moby Apr. 5 Cape Girardeau, MO S.E. Missouri St. Apr. 7 Norman, OK U. of Oklahoma Apr. 8 Omaha, NE Creighton University Apr. 11 Bowling Green, OH Bowling Green State University Apr. 12 Kalamazoo, MI Western Michigan University Apr. 13 Mount Pleasant, MI Central Michigan University Apr. 14 Bloomington, IN Indiana University Charlatans / Stereophonics Apr. 7 New York, NY Roseland Apr. 8 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Apr. 9 Boston, MA Avalon Ballroom Apr. 10 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Apr. 12 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live Ani DiFranco Apr. 7 Vancouver, BC Queen Elizabeth Theatre Apr. 8 Tacoma, WA U Of Puget Sound Apr. 9 Corvallis, OR Gill Coliseum, Oregon University Apr. 12 Arcata, CA Eureka Municipal Auditorium Apr. 13 Santa Rosa, CA Luther Burbank Center Apr. 14 Davis, CA Davis Recreation Hall Randi Driscoll Apr. 9 New York, NY Living Room Filter / Veruca Salt Apr. 7 Richmond, VA Robins Center Arena Apr. 8 Atlantic City, NJ Trump Marina Casino Apr. 9 Lock Haven, PA Lock Haven University Apr. 11 Washington, D.C. 9:30 Club Apr. 13 Slippery Rock, PA Slippery Rock Univ. Apr. 14 Bethlehem, PA Moravian College Goldie Apr. 7 Washington, DC Capital Ballroom Apr. 8 New Orleans, LA State Palace Theatre Apr. 11 LA, CA Viper Room Apr. 12 Portland, OR Ohm Apr. 13 Seattle, WA Supper Club Apr. 15 Las Vegas, NV Utopia Handsome Family Apr. 10 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place Apr. 11 Cambridge, MA Middle East Apr. 12 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's Apr. 13 Phladelphia, PA Upstage Apr. 14 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Ben Harper And The Innocent Criminals Apr. 7 Napoli, Italy Tendra Palapartenope Apr. 9 Florence, Italy Teotro Tenda Apr. 11 Clermont, France Maison Des Sports Apr. 13 Zurich, Switzerland Volkshouse Apr. 14 Bern, Switzerland Theatre National Apr. 15 Geneva, Switzerland Arena Kelis Apr. 12 Boston, MA Paradise Apr. 13 Providence, RI Brown University w/Wyclef Jean Apr. 14 Amherst, MA Amherst College w/Wyclef Jean Korn Apr. 7 Philadelphia, PA First Union Center Apr. 8 Nassau, NY Coliseum Apr. 11 Greensboro, NC Coliseum Apr. 13 Atlanta, GA Phillips Arena Apr. 14 Charlotte, NC Coliseum Liquid Soul Apr. 6 Ithaca, NY Cornell University Apr. 7 Philadelphia, PA North Star Apr. 8 Richmond, VA Mulligan's Apr. 9 Baltimore, MD Fletcher's Apr. 11 Ithaca, NY Haunt Apr. 12 Cambridge, MA House of Blues Apr. 13 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel Loud Family Apr. 8 Seattle, WA Grace Land Apr. 11 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar Apr. 12 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle Apr. 14 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop Mix Master Mike Apr. 5 Tempe, AZ Pompeii Apr. 6 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater Apr. 7 Austin, TX Mercury Lounge Apr. 8 Houston, TX Astro-Arena Apr. 11 New Orleans, LA House of Blues Apr. 12 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse Apr. 13 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle Apr. 14 Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill Ian Moore Apr. 7 Chicago, IL Martyr's Apr. 8 Detroit, MI Magic Bag Apr. 10 Cincinnati, OH Top Cat's Apr. 12 Nashville, TN Exit Inn Apr. 13 Atlanta, GA Smith's Apr. 14 Ashville, NC Be Here Now No Doubt / Suicide Machines Apr. 14 Los Angeles, CA Universal Amp. Apr. 15 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre Oasis Apr. 8 Berkeley, CA Berkeley Community Theatre Apr. 9 Los Angeles, CA Universal Amphitheatre Ginny Owens Apr. 7 Seattle, WA East Side Four Square Church Apr. 8 Portland, OR Sunset Presbyterian Church Apr. 9 Sacramento, CA Sunset Christian Center Apr. 10 San Jose, CA Los Gatos Christian Center Apr. 11 Anaheim, CA Melodyland Christian Center Papas Fritas Apr. 7 Bloomington, IN Second Story Apr. 9 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop w/ Verbena Red Hot Chili Peppers / Foo Fighters / Muse Apr. 8 Bloomington, IN Assembly Hall Apr. 9 Lexington, KY Bolling Arena Apr. 12 Chattanooga, TN UTC Arena Seely Apr. 7 Charlotte, NC Cafe Dada Apr. 8 Columbia, SC New Brookline Tavern Sally Taylor Apr. 8 Telluride, CO Sheridan Opera House Apr. 11 Steamboat, CO Cellar Lounge Apr. 12 Evergreen, CO Little Bear Apr. 14 Boulder, CO Trilogy Tonic / Third Eye Blind Apr. 7 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Cafe Apr. 8 Miami, FL Pompano Beach Apr. 9 Tampa, FL Sundome Apr. 12 Dallas, TX Bronco Bowl Apr. 14 Austin, TX Music Hall Union Apr. 7 Detroit, MI Harpo's Apr. 9 Chicago, IL House Of Blues Apr. 14 Lorain, OH Flying Machine --- Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest music reviews publication on the Internet. To get back issues of Consumable, check out: WWW: http://www.consumableonline.com To subscribe to Consumable, send an e-mail message to consumable-request@westnet.com with the body of the message stating "subscribe consumable". To unsubscribe, send a message to the same address stating "unsubscribe consumable". Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. Address any written correspondence to Bob Gajarsky, Consumable Online, 409 Washington St. PMB 294, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 ===