==== ISSUE 56 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [October 10, 1995] Editor: Bob Gajarsky Internet: gajarsky@pilot.njin.net Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Martin Bate, Al Crawford, Dan Enright, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Tim Mohr, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker Correspondents: Dan Birchall, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Jason Cahill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Daniel Kane, Mario Lia, Stephen Lin, Sean Eric McGill, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner, Britain Woodman Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann, Damir Tiljak, Jason Williams Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@pilot.njin.net ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form other than within this document must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' REVIEW: Oasis, _(What's The Story) Morning Glory_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Machines of Loving Grace, _Gilt_ - Sean Eric McGill REVIEW: Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories, _Tails_ - Jason Cahill REVIEW: Blondie, _remixed remade remodeled_ - Tim Mohr REVIEW: Lollapalooza '95 - Dan Geller REVIEW: Campfire Girls, _Mood Enhancer EP_ - Mario J. Lia REVIEW: Various Artists, _The Edge of Christmas_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: The Lemons, _The Lemons_ - Daniel Kane REVIEW: Candy Planet, _Blisskrieg_ - Sean Eric McGill REVIEW: Spacehog, _Resident Alien_ - Tim Mohr NEWS: SonicNet, WWW sites/mailing lists: King's X, Cravin' Melon, Please, Tea Party TOUR DATES: Cake, Lisa Cerbone, Shawn Colvin, Dance Hall Crashers, Natalie Merchant, Ian Moore, Widespread Panic Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: Oasis, _(What's The Story) Morning Glory_ (Epic) - Bob Gajarsky When Oasis released their debut CD last year, _Definitely Maybe_, amidst brotherly fighting, pissing off many of the "business" people associated with the band, and in general being hyped in the UK from here to the Mohave, I was certain that Oasis would be a one album wonder. Well, it's nearly one year after that release, more than ten strong B-sides later, and their second album, _(What's The Story) Morning Glory_ has completely proven me wrong. It could be mentioned that the Gallagher brothers still wear their late 1960's (see: Beatles) influences on their sleeve, but also show a little more with their nicking of the Gary Glitter track "Hello, Hello, I'm Back Again" on the opening track "Hello". Just as "Rock And Roll Star" was the perfect opening to _Maybe_ with its proclamation that Liam was, already a star, "Hello", via Gary Glitter, lets the listener know that the band is back. And, yes, the Beatles influence is still prominent; "She's Electric" starts with a snippet from "With A Little Help From My Friends" and ends with the Billy Shears fade from "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". "Don't Look Back In Anger" opens with a "Let It Be" piano intro then launches into a powerful piece which evokes a vision of an unmade video, with 20,000 people waving their hands while Liam Gallagher warns "Please don't put your life in the hands / of a rock and roll band / who'll throw it all away". These influences, however, aren't ripped off, but fully integrated into a blend which will make critics 20 years from now talk about the "Oasis sound". "Wonderwall" is "Live Forever", part 2, and will probably be the band's American huge modern rock hit. And, the UK single "Roll With It" actually comes off as a modern rock-by-numbers which loses its flavor in several listens. Don't judge Oasis off their slower commercial tracks, however - it would be throwing away the rest of today's best rock and roll band. The closer, "Champagne Supernova", brings in Paul Weller on an 8 minute epic jaunt that could just be the song of a new generation. The verdict is in, and _(What's The Story) Morning Glory?_ is a masterpiece from start to finish. Oasis is to the 1990's what R.E.M. was to modern rock in the 1980's - definitely brilliant. --- REVIEW: Machines of Loving Grace, _Gilt_ (Mammoth Records) - Sean Eric McGill It isn't anything new for a band to change their sound, especially in industrial music. But Machines of Loving Grace have done more than change their sound on their new release, _Gilt_ - what they have done is totally redefine themselves and create the best release of their career in the process. The eleven tracks on _Gilt_ cover some of the same ground previously trodden by the band, as well as other groups like Nine Inch Nails and KMFDM. The topics of suicide, loneliness, and addiction all show up on the album, but what sets this release apart from others is the manner in which the songs are performed. On _Gilt_, unlike other Machines of Loving Grace albums, you get the feeling that this isn't just a group of guys hacking around on keyboards, but a *band*, and a damn tight one at that. Other industrial bands have made this same transformation, but very few have done it so completely and so well on their first attempt. Nine Inch Nails - now not just Trent Reznor, but a true band - have done a good job live, but their true test will come on the next studio album. For Machines of Loving Grace, the transformation has been flawless, with the band taking their already well-renowned presence as a live act and putting that on disk. Of course, their industrial roots are still firmly planted, and show themselves from time to time, but this isn't an industrial album. Songs like "The Soft Collision" and "Serpico" - both of which are plodding, almost relentless songs in their makeup - are offset by straight-forward, no-holds-barred rock songs like "Richest Junkie Still Alive" and "Suicide King" - which sort of shove you into a wall and keep pounding on you until you can feel your brains start to seep out of your ears. Believe me, that's a compliment. The remaining seven tracks on the album all fall somewhere in that range, with most of them leaning towards the heavier side. But, one consistency remains: as a whole, this is lyrically a dark album. Many of the songs deal with addictions of one form or another, like "Richest Junkie Still Alive", whose title is self-explanatory. Others, like "Last", deal more with personal relationships, but not the kind that have a happy ending. The band (Scott Benzel, vocals; Tom Coffen, guitar; Ray Riendeau, bass; and David Suycott, drums) do an incredible job of putting music behind these individual tales, with Benzel's voice taking on the role of the various characters that inhabit their sonic landscape. All in all, it doesn't get much better than this album. _Gilt_ is by far the best work from Machines of Loving Grace, and one of the best albums of the year. --- REVIEW: Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories, _Tails_(Geffen Records) - Jason Cahill Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories' debut album, _Tails_, is void of the relevant edge which is so prevalent in the work of many comparable female artists, lyrically shallow at times and altogether simplistic in structure. That said, it probably comes as a surprise to find that I actually enjoyed this album, so much so that I began to wonder whether my alternative sensibilities were beginning to evaporate. These concerns, however, brought me to a very important realization. Artists need not always produce challenging, introspective and complex work in order for an album to be considered relevant. _Tails_ is none of these, yet still works because of dazzling vocals, vivid imagery and hook laden music. The first time I heard Lisa Loeb sing was at CBGB's Gallery in New York City, a venue tailor made for acoustical performances. Periodically, Loeb would appear in clubs without her band and perform acoustic sets, always experimenting with revised arrangements. On this particular night, I remember having to labor through what seemed like years worth of interminably boring opening acts before Loeb took the stage, adorable, bespeckled and carrying just an acoustic guitar which covered much of her small frame. She smiled, thanked us for coming and then proceeded to mesmerize those who remained for the ensuing hour. Her voice filled every crevice of the room and had us captured and enthralled until the final note was sung. There was something special about her music. It was simple in both texture and structure, yet it was amazingly vivid, creating images from lyrics like no one I'd seen before. She was a folk singer who sang pop songs, a storyteller who recounted tales of an unforgotten past. That in mind, it seems wholly appropriate that this album be entitled _Tails_, for it is brimming with songs which are, in actuality, mini short stories with a changing cast of characters, with Lisa always remaining in the center as the one constant. Given the spelling of the title and the fact that the album cover is a cartoonish drawing of a cat (very much in the artistic style of Edie Brickell), one might reach the conclusion that the title refers to that feline's rear appendage. However, a quick listen to the album reveals the band's play on words. The lyrics on _Tails_ are most reminiscent of those of Natalie Merchant, yet nowhere near as introspective, brooding and resourceful. They are, however, character driven pieces with a vivid literary quality. "Snow Day" creates the image of a dreary, winter evening and the depression which sometimes accompanies such a dismal night, with the object of the song being the singer's only solace - ("It's a bad day...but you're my medicine"). In "Taffy", one of the more playfully sarcastic songs on _Tails_, Loeb sings to a friend whose lack of forthrightness seems to incite rage in her - ("my friend's got a bruise on his leg from where I press my knee, everytime you speak"). An acerbic sense of humor and a pensive optimism seem to be songwriter Loeb's strongest assets, creating an original insight into life's more commonplace situations. There is an erratic and almost schizophrenic musical structure in _Tails_, however, which serves, at times, to diminish Loeb's literary lyrics and masterful vocals. The album seems to fluctuate between songs which are energetic and well crafted pop gems with those which are moody and downright monotonous. "Taffy", Waiting For Wednesday" and "Rose-Colored Times" are graphic examples of the band at it's strongest - animated, resourceful and infectious, while songs like "Sandalwood" and "Hurricane" are stark reminders of what can happen when a band aims too high. As far as debut albums go, however, _Tails_ is a solid effort, managing to capture and crystallize both Loeb's luxurious vocals and picturesque lyrics into well crafted pop gems. So, while comparisons to Victoria Williams and Jane Siberry can wait, Lisa Loeb has certainly laid the necessary groundwork. --- REVIEW: Blondie, _remixed remade remodeled_ (Chrysalis) -Tim Mohr The operative question when considering making a remix album is Why? There should be a point to reconstructing songs, even if the idea is just to provide a new context and a chance to dance. Unfortunately, there seems little point to this remix project: most of the new settings are so ordinary that they hardly qualify as another context in which to hear the songs. As might be expected with a lack-lustre project, the most agreeable pieces are those composed from Blondie's most dance-oriented songs, "Heart of Glass" (Ritchie Jones Club Mix) and "Atomic" (Diddy's 12" Mix). The project reveals its potential in the final track, a Black Dog remix of "Fade Away and Radiate" that is light and airy - very different from the boring, leaden house mixes that pervade the rest of the album. The mix takes only the eerie keyboard from the original, putting them in a fast-paced beat lattice along with Deborah Harry's vocals. The melody and atmosphere somehow emerge from the new mix intact - the context is completely different from the brooding original but works. Alas, this is the only such success. Remixing Blondie in run-of-the-mill house style admits defeat, as if the evergreen melodies will have to be remade in contemporary style every few years in order to maintain their appeal. Commercial dance music is the most consistently disposable form of popular music; part of what made Blondie so engaging (especially insofar as the band is still engaging) was their ability to incorporate some dance elements while maintaining timeless qualities associated with the best pop and rock music. Most awkward of all is "One Way or Another" (Damien's Supermarket Mix), which is anchored by a sample of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams." This is truly horrible stuff; at least a remix project can seek to avoid a greatest-hits-of-the-80s pastiche. These remixes show the weakest side of contemporary house and dance, where beats (and unoriginal ones at that) have long since outstripped any accompanying melody. Grafting vocals from familiar songs is no solution to this problem. Instead, the organizers should have considered the innovative nature of the originals and sought to duplicate that again today. Remixes of Primal Scream by Sabres of Paradise and Portishead, or of Jon Spencer's Blues Explosion by U.N.K.L.E., are more representative of innovative hybrids of dance and rock than anything on _remixed remade remodeled_, and Blondie, of all bands, certainly deserves to be at this vanguard rather than wallowing in mediocrity. --- REVIEW: Lollapalooza '95 - Dan Geller Now that the rock carnivals of summer have bedded down for the fall, Dan Geller takes an extensive musical look back at the current state of Perry Farell's alterna-juggernaut: Lollapalooza 95 marked a turning point for the now infamous alterna-rock festival. This year's lineup finally broke the tradition of convening a bunch of semi to mega-huge outfits with a few lesser known bands. Instead the show consisted of a lot of bands with a strong but minimal following (Pavement, The Jesus Lizard, etc.) with only a couple of few huge names (Hole, Cypress Hill).The result was a lineup that makes you want to call up the guy who set it up and say "Thanks." This was in sharp contrast to coordinator Perry Farell's original vision for this year's show which included the likes of Snoop Doggy Dog and other "diverse" names. Another change in this year's event was a stronger focus on the music and less emphasis on the "festival atmosphere" Lollapalooza is known for. This year, for the first time, it seemed everyone was there for the music; in most cases, unfortunately, this only meant Hole and more specifically Courtney Love. The Midway consisted of a few tents with attractions that focused mainly on computers and drugs. However, these tents were nothing compared to previous years' huge interactive displays that were usually inoperative and inefficient anyway. This absence of diversions other than the music resulted in most attendees spending most of their time at the main stage, even if they had no idea who was playing. It was hard to walk to your seat without hearing someone asking the question "who are these guys again?", especially when the band on stage wasn't Cypress Hill, Beck, or Hole. This lack of interest in most of the bands was quite a letdown for the fans that came to see specific performances. It was hard to enjoy the music when most of the people surrounding you could care less that there was even anyone on stage. The second stage possessed a completely different character at most times throughout the day. An incredible lineup including the likes of Portastatic, Versus, Built to Spill, and a special encore performance by Pavement gave the second stage the feeling of an outdoor club. Out there almost everyone knew who they were watching and were damn happy to be there. Aside from the Cypress Hill rip-offs Red Man (who for some ridiculous reason played at the very same time Cypress Hill did) the bands on this stage were closely related musically which produced a very coherent and enjoyable day of music outside the amphitheater. The Jesus Lizard offered an insane set which should have surprised no one due to all of the well deserved and long overdue hype now surrounding the band. Singer David Yow spent the set screaming his dirty head off and flaying his limbs into the faces of slightly tipsy kids who wanted to impress their friends with their endurance by running up front to the battlefield. Belting out their own special, twisted homages to the insane, The Lizard hit the audience in a way no other band at this rock and roll extravaganza could, motivating the small but eager initial crowd to cause damage to one another. This marked the only part of the festival which actually had a bonified "pit", and was also the only time in the show that one may have actually been warranted. Beck took the stage next, and boy did he and his band ROCK! Beck has this certain starpower that I cannot figure out. He seems just like some normal kid who got lucky with a single; but there is something else there, something great. He rolls around the stage in a way all his own and makes his seemingly goofy brand of rap/rock stuff seem legit enough that you almost buy it. He also managed to put a good band together to fill out his sometimes sparse arrangements. A highlight of Beck's performance which deserves special acknowledgment was this incredible guitar throw which involved him hurling his still strapped guitar around his head and catching it quick enough to allow him to keep playing without missing a note... WOW! After Beck the Atlanta crowd was treated to a main stage set by Superchunk. They replaced Elastica who replaced Sinead who replaced rock and roll with a baby. Seeing a band like Superchunk on a huge stage, playing an amazing set, was a treat. They played songs off all of their records, including songs rarely heard live anymore. Their singer Mac said it best when he said, "We were sick of playing this next song for people who have heard us play it before. But I think it is a safe bet that none of you have heard us play this one before." as an introduction to their indie rock anthem "Slack Motherfucker." Superchunk used the huge stage well running around in circles on it and leaving no inch uncovered. The band maintained a great sense of humor ending the set by stating "Thank you we were Sinead O'Connor and we really like the big stage." Hopefully this performance will be the first of many for them on the big stage in front of a big crowd. Next came Pavement, a great follow-up to the high energy pop of Superchunk. They played on a stage consisting of props resembling a twisted Mexican desert which contemplated their warped and sometimes country flavored set of music. Led by drunken singer Steve Malkmus, Pavement played an unlikely bunch of songs on the main stage which only contained a few of their better known songs namely "Range Life" and "Cut Your Hair". The rest of the songs were more obscure cuts mainly from their last two records. The band played like true rock stars with a (phony?) arrogance that went well with the mood of the festival. Pavement, like many of the other bands seemed to have a certain contempt for the crowd. This may have been warranted by the crowd's lack of interest in this band while they sat idle and waited for the pot smoking rap group that was to follow. Cypress Hill entered the stage in a puff of..yawn..smoke, and continued their set to include about a thousand more clichis that one would expect from a group that has a song entitled "Hits from the Bong." I guess that if you smoke a lot of pot you were really supposed to like this or something, but I just didn't get it. They jumped around the "hemp" filled stage and motivated the eager crowd to do the same in their seats. I guess that was an accomplishment in itself since up until this point most of the crowd was content to drink beer and complain. One has to admit, these guys have a lot of fun with what they are doing, and they translate that fun to the crowd well. They just need to get over the fact that most of their success is attributed solely to the fact that they exploit a boring, old, bad habit. After the smoke cleared came the moment they were all waiting for. Mrs. Cobain was about to play. It was this attitude of the crowd that really put a damper on Hole's performance. Hole is a good band, a really good band - regardless of any relation to other really good bands. But for some reason, people will not let go of the past. From the first minute that the band took to the beautifully decorated stage people were shouting out comments about dead rock stars. With a reaction like this to every performance it is no wonder Courtney Love can be such a bitch. The crowd spent most of the set trying to get Courtney to pull up her dress which, unfortunately, she did. Also, at one point someone threw a shirt with Kurt's face on it up on stage. Courtney picked it up and kissed it tossing it back in to the crowd. After this she got into some argument with some guy who she challenged to a brawl on stage, when for some unknown reason, the guy backed down. The music definitely took a back seat for this performance, which was too bad; Hole played everything one would expect them to off their first two releases and threw in some wonderful new songs that makes one believe their songwriter's marriage definitely had some positive results. More positive results were achieved by Hole ending their set; over half of the crowd left. This prompted headliners Sonic Youth to ask security to stop checking tickets and allow the fans in the lawn seats to come down to the reserved seating section in the front. And did they ever; I thought I was going to be crushed by the avalanche of noise rock fans that cascaded down to the front rows. Sonic Youth began their set on the ambient set with an amazing version of "Schizophrenia" which was enough to make the whole day worth while. SY had a light show that could rival a Techno club which focused on three or four giant orbs covered in Christmas lights which hovered above their heads. This eye candy complimented the band's intense musical performance. They drew songs from many of their early release and included five new songs that are as incredible as anything the quartet has ever produced. Most songs ended in a wall of noise that was so textured and precise it could bring a tear to the eye of anyone who has ever stepped on a distortion pedal. Every member of the band would have been able to hold the attention of the crowd by themselves and combined it was almost overwhelming. They ended the night with a new song called "Diamond Sea" that is literally the best song I heard all day and perhaps the best Sonic Youth song ever. It began slow and pretty with Thurston singing lightly over sparse guitars (Kim Gordon traded in her bass for a guitar about 3/4 into the set) and culminated in a 20 minute noisefest that was the most intense rocking I have seen in my short life which suddenly reverted back to the pleasantness of the beginning. This ended the day on a note so sweet that Lollapalooza '95 definitely gets my vote as the best version of Lolla to date. --- REVIEW: Campfire Girls, _Mood Enhancer EP_ (Interscope) - Mario J. Lia When people see the label Interscope, the first thing they probably think of is Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails. The Campfire Girls are not like Nine Inch Nails; there are no computer samples that loop over, and the songs aren't complex. Does that make them any less of a great band? Not in the least. Jon Pikus (drums) and Christian (guitar/vocals) united first. They were living together in a communal-type house in Hollywood. Jon was playing drums for the L.A. band El Magnifico at that time. When Andrew (bass) was introduced by a mutual girlfriend the Campfire Girls were complete. Jon left El Magnifico earlier this year and is now living in a new house with his bandmates. If you take the raw energy and distorted hooks of Nirvana and combine it with the pop vocal and lyric style of the Lemonheads, you have the Campfire Girls. And just like both of these bands ,the Campfire Girls can't be categorized into one type of music. Some of the best songs on the album are also the simplest. "Quick Phone Call" and "p.f.a.m.g." are good examples; the structure of these songs are "verse-chorus-bridge" type songs that builds, and builds and then it comes down and starts over. But they always have a hook in the song, sometimes a riff or sometimes a lyric, that makes you want to listen to it and makes the song anything but boring. Then they also have songs that are on the other side. Songs like "Homework" and "Junkman" sound as if you got together with your friends down the street, turned up the distortion and are jamming in your garage. The rest of the songs fall in or between these two points. One of the best songs isn't even a listed track. If you fast forward after the last song is over you will get to a hidden song.; a three minute cover of the Beatles' "Strawberry Fields Forever". No weird instruments in this version, just the three Campfire Girls playing at full force. This is a wonderful album. The only downside to _Mood Enhancer_ is that it is only an EP. Six new songs plus "Little Wolverine" (from their first EP) make a short CD. But it is good enough to keep you rocking until their full album comes out. --- REVIEW: Various Artists, _The Edge of Christmas_ (Oglio) - Bob Gajarsky Following on the heels of 1994's _The Coolest Christmas_, Oglio Records returns to the holiday spirit with a cup of eggnog and some mistletoe on their most recent release, _The Edge of Christmas_. Can we say "Hallelujah!"? Probably the "biggest" holiday song not to appear on a compilation CD is the Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping", and that track is definitely the highlight of this 12 song compilation. While some of the tracks have appeared elsewhere (the David Bowie/Bing Crosby cut, also released by Oglio as a CD-Rom single, is fast approaching Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" as most overplayed holiday song), most of these cuts have rarely, if ever, seen the light of day on disk. These obscure holiday tracks are the heart of this compilation. Where else can you hear the Cocteau Twins singing "Winter Wonderland" or the Smithereens singing "Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer"? Some of these only appeared on flexi-disc or MTV, but they've now been collected on one disc. So, when you're going to relatives for Christmas dinner, and don't want to have to listen to the same tired music, pick up either Oglio compilation. Maybe it'll teach grandma how to be hip with some of the 1980's (and 1990's) cool alternative artists. TRACK LISTING: Queen - Thank God It's Christmas, Pat Benatar - Please Come Home For Christmas, Pretenders - 2000 Miles, Kate Bush - December Will Be Magic Again, David Bowie & Bing Crosby, Peace On Earth / Little Drummer Boy, Cocteau Twins - Winter Wonderland, Smithereens - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Dave Edmunds - Run Run Rudolph, Payolas - Christmas Is Coming, Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl - Fairytale of New York, Ramones - Merry Christmas (I Don't Want To Fight), Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping --- REVIEW: The Lemons: _The Lemons_ (Mercury) - Daniel Kane What's the conceivable result of combining the vocal presence of Gene Simmons at the advent of Kiss and an absolutely relentless energy level? The answer is The Lemons performing five tracks on their debut eponymous E.P. Originating in Seattle, the band combines uniquely energetic lyrics with a rocking approach which keeps the rhythm continuous, from the advisory "Know Your Place" to the 97-second "I'm Not Your Pop." Greg Lovell (vocals, guitar), Nabil Ayers (drums), Brent Saunders (bass) and Jeff Hiatt (guitar) became the Lemons in September, 1991, and attribute the Ramones, New York Dolls and Kiss as influences. Having toured primarily in Quebec, Ontario and various midwestern and northeastern states during September, The Lemons, by virtue of the quality of the debut E.P., will expectedly deliver more of the same high-energy material in live performances and in subsequent releases. A full-length album is expected in the spring of 1996. --- REVIEW: Candy Planet, _Blisskrieg_ (Oblivion Entertainment) - Sean Eric McGill I wasn't too thrilled about Candy Planet before I heard them. They are a San Francisco-based band fronted by a woman, who also happens to be one of the primary songwriters in the band. Being a survivor of eighties big-hair hard rock, the name "Candy Planet" brought forth visions of groups like Vixen and Madame X - not to mention the Love factor. But after hearing _Blisskrieg_, the band's sophomore effort, I was rather impressed with their ability to combine catchy pop tunes with the occasionally deep lyric - all the while not becoming bogged down on one side of the other. Too many times, we see bands that are either too serious or too frivolous. In some cases, the music deserves to be treated as such. But most of the time, you have bands that try to be serious when they have no business doing so and vice versa, with the result being that they end up looking clownish (for example, who told Motley Crue that they needed to write "meaningful lyrics"?). But, I digress. _Blisskrieg_ is a strong record in every respect, and while, the presence of Laura Arias on vocals adds an extra punch to the group, it is their cohesiveness as a band that sets them apart from many of the other indie acts out right now. Let's face it, after Liz Phair, Courtney Love, Alanis Morrisette and others, we've become almost immune to a woman singing about women's issues on an album. The gender of your band is now almost the non-issue it should be, and thankfully, Candy Planet seem to realize that. Most of the songs on _Blisskrieg_ tend to fall on the heavier end of the musical spectrum (falling somewhere between Band de Soleil and Hole), and the band delivers with almost every track. Arias, along with drummer Paul Revelli, bassist John Christensen, and guitarist Andy Stern gel together perfectly on songs like "Every Time" (which features the great line "you're the type of guy to spill his drinks, not his guts") and "Looking to the Stars." Perhaps the only miscue on the album is "Cancer in the Raw," which - while I certainly didn't really like the song - is better than many of the other songs I've heard this year. The song that deals the strongest with a women's issue is "Racer Girl," which Arias wrote after seeing a documentary on a women, but with all-male bands on the soundtrack. When she sings "who says girls can't race the hell out of boxcars/your jealousy don't mean dick" she's being just as strong as any other female vocalist in the music industry, perhaps even more so by not turning her strength into her shtick. The bottom line is that _Blisskrieg_ is a solid album from a solid band that warrants some attention. The songwriting and musicianship flow together perfectly, which is what should be the most important thing about a band in the first place. --- REVIEW: Spacehog, _Resident Alien_ (Sire) -Tim Mohr It is little wonder that Spacehog originated in New York despite the fact that all of its members are from Leeds, England. They would certainly be outcasts in the current musical climate back home: despite their indiscrete references to David Bowie (musical, lyrical, and otherwise), Spacehog most often sound like a Vegas lounge version of Guns N' Roses. Singer Royston Langdon's voice is a dead ringer for Axl Rose's, not the screechy "Paradise City" Axl but the lower "Mr. Brownstone" Axl. And like Axl in either range, Langdon uses exagerrated vibrato. _Resident Alien_ is shamelessly retrospective. The atmosphere of the project is like a Hanoi Rocks Revival Orchestra. The band's themesong, cleverly entitled "Spacehog," pulls from Bowie's "Major Tom," while the opening "look out!" on "Candyman" evokes Bowie's "Suffragette City" with all the erotic subtlety of a flasher. There are a number of inescapably catchy power-glam songs on the record, particularly on the second side. Points of interest include "Only a Few," a wonderful cross of Prince, glam, and, er, Guns N' Roses. "The Last Dictator" could be a collaboration between Bowie, Tom Petty, and, er, Guns N' Roses. _Resident Alien_ was put to tape in the same studio as Meatloaf's _Bat Out of Hell_. This may be an attempt to excuse the bloated, recycled cabaret of Spacehog - preemptorily heading off criticism by labelling the record intentionally ironic. That is, forcing the substitution of a description like "camp" for a possibly more apt adjective like "crap." The band has chosen wisely in relocating to the States, a move that should allow them to become huge for two reasons. First, few Americans revere early Bowie; and second, Axl started layering his low voice with his high-pitched howl after the beloved first record, perhaps leaving a craving. --- NEWS: > New York's SonicNet, which was first started early 1994, is still going strong as an online service welcoming and specializing in spreading the word of independent and alternative artists. To find out more about SonicNet, send an e-mail to info@sonicnet.com or call their BBS at 212-431-1627. > Readers can subscribe to the King's X mailing list by e-mailing a message to kx-mgr@rfleming.demon.co.uk > The following groups are now on the World Wide Web: Cravin' Melon: http/www.melonpatch.com Please (featured on the Empire soundtrack) http://www.please.com \ Reprise Records: http://www.RepriseRec.com/ Tea Party (a fan's page): http://www.io.org/~twg/tp/teaparty.html --- TOUR DATES Cake Oct. 11-12 Atlanta, GA The Point Oct. 13 Savannah, GA Armstrong State College Oct. 14 Athens, GA 40 Watt Oct. 15 Charleston, SC 96 Wavefest Oct. 17 Murfreesboro, TN Main Street Oct. 18 St. Louis, MO Side Door Oct. 20 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre Oct. 21 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre Lisa Cerbone Oct 13 Arlington, VA Iota Shawn Colvin Oct. 14 Keene, NH Colonial Theatre Oct. 15 Providence, RI Lupo's Oct. 16 New Haven, CT Toad's Oct. 17 New York, NY Tramps Dance Hall Crashers Oct. 11 Santa Barbara, CA The Underground Oct. 12 San Diego, CA Soma Oct. 13 San Francisco, CA Fillmore Oct. 15 Reno, NV Easy Street Oct. 17 Salt Lake City, UT DV8 Oct. 18 Denver, CO Mercury Cafe Oct. 19 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck Oct. 20 St Louis, MO The Other World Natalie Merchant Oct. 12 New Haven, CT Palace Theater Oct. 13 Philadelphia, PA Tower Theater Oct. 14 State College, PA Eisenhower Hall Oct. 16 Burlington, VT Memorial Auditorium Oct. 18 Loudonville, NY Siena College Oct. 19 Buffalo, NY Sheas Theater Ian Moore Oct. 11 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig Oct. 12 Columbus, OH Chelsea's Oct. 13 Fort Wayne, IN Pierre's Oct. 14 Cincinnati, OH Top Cats Oct. 16 Toronto, ON The Horseshoe Oct. 18 Cambridge, MA House of Blues Oct. 19 Danbury, CT Tuxedo Junction Oct. 20 Rochester, NY Creek Widespread Panic Oct. 12 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing Oct. 14 Jacksonville, FL Riverview Music Amphitheatre Oct. 15 Tallahassee, FL The Moon - Tallahassee Oct. 18 College Station, TX Wolf Pen Creek Oct. 19 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall Oct. 20 Dallas, TX Bomb Factory --- To get back issues of Consumable, check out: FTP: eetsg22.bd.psu.edu in the directory /pub/Consumable ftp.etext.org in the directory /pub/Zines/Consumable Gopher: diana.zems.etf.hr Engleski Jezik/Music/Consumable or Hrvastki Jezik/Glazbena Rubrika/Consumable (URL) gopher://diana.zems.etf.hr:70/11/eng/Music/Consumable http://www.westnet.com/consumable/Consumable.html (WWW) http://www.westnet.com (CIS) on Compuserve Notes: GO FORUM (Delphi) Music Fandom forum; GO ENT MUSIC Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. 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