==== ISSUE 64 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [December 13, 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, Sean Eric McGill, P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Ali Sinclair, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir Wallner, Britain Woodman Also Contributing: Maisha Marsh, Jen Sansbury 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: O+->, _The Gold Experience_ - Jon Steltenpohl TELEVISION CONCERT REVIEW: Bruce Hornsby - Bob Gajarsky CONCERT REVIEW: Hagfish/Sick Of It All/Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Jason Cahill REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Strange Days_- Dan Birchall & Maisha Marsh CONCERT REVIEW: Letters to Cleo - Flood Zone, Richmond VA - Stephen Lin REVIEW: Poi Dog Pondering, _Pomegranate_ - Jen Sansbury REVIEW: 311, _311_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Supersuckers, _Sacrilicious_ - Martin Bate REVIEW: Peter Finger, _Between The Lines_ - Ali Sinclair REVIEW: Prophets of Da City, _Universal Souljaz_ - Martin Bate REVIEW: Skylab, _ Skylab #1_ - Daniel Kane REVIEW: Thurman, _Lux_ -Tim Mohr NEWS: CLE Magazine, Depeche Mode, Robert Forster (Go Betweens), Minimal, Music Videos TOUR DATES: AC/DC, Neal Casal, Lisa Cerbone, Cravin' Melon, Cypress Hill, Mary Ann Farley, Phish, Poi Dog Pondering, Urchins ERRATA Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: O+->, _The Gold Experience_ (Warner Bros./NPG) - Jon Steltenpohl Prince is back. Sure, his name is now O+->, but the music he's putting out is pure Prince. After a big battle with Warner Bros. and all kinds of rumors about the demise of Paisley Park, _The Gold Experience_ has finally been released a year or two behind schedule. After tons of speculation and previews on distorted bootlegs, fans can finally celebrate because O+-> has picked up where Prince left off with _Lovesexy_ way back in 1988. Everything that made Prince an incredible force in the 80's shines through on _The Gold Experience_. "Endorphinmachine" is a straight-up, guitar drenched romp that ends with a "Let's Go Crazy" flair. Wendy and Lisa's influence during the _Parade_ and _Around the World in a Day_ era is recalled in the sparse, exquisite song called "Shy", and then there's "319" which sounds like "Darling Nikki" meets "Housequake". "319" is a nasty little piece of funk about a pornographic picture shoot in a motel room. O+-> even dives into his pre-_Purple Rain_ days for "Billy Jack Bitch", and treats us to the early keyboard sound that made his first few albums so distinctive. _The Gold Experience_ ups the ante from the classic Prince by capitalizing on the promise of _Diamonds and Pearls_ and _O+->_. For those who couldn't get enough of "Sexy MF" or "Gett Off", "Now" is a funky-dope, dance track that works you up into a slamming, screaming frenzy by the last beat. O+->'s NPG Records single, "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World", is included and represents the best of O+->'s ballads. "Shhh" is an incredibly sexy slow song which lets his younger contemporaries know who's in charge. With any luck, these ballads signal the end of an era dominated by insipid tracks like "Money Don't Matter Tonight" and "Morning Papers". The first single from _The Gold Experience_, a soul ballad called "(eye) Hate U", adds a little dementia to the album in the spirit of "If I Was Your Girlfriend" when O+-> takes his protagonist to the courtroom of love. Unfortunately, most of the courtroom naughtiness is edited out of the radio version, and the cliche'd "(eye) love U because (eye) hate U, (eye) hate U because (eye) love U" theme is pretty weak when left by itself. The selection of the radio singles from _The Gold Experience_ has left this incredible comeback album virtually ignored. "Dolphin" and "The Gold Experience" are the only two other tracks I've heard on the radio, and they represent, along with "(eye) Hate U", the weakest songs on the album. Both "Dolphin" and "The Gold Experience" are typical of O+->'s "good" twin, and their esoteric spirituality and fluffy orchestrations can be vaguely catchy but do little to excite the eardrums. The truth is that, while the singles may be weak, the other nine songs on this album are 100% pure Prince. They are funky, freaky, and phenomenal in the way that only the old Prince could have delivered, and _The Gold Experience_ sounds like the album that should have followed _Sign O' the Times_ or _Lovesexy_. In getting rid of his name, the artist formerly known as Prince sounds more like his old self than ever. Those fans who lost faith in the past few years can finally rejoice... Prince is back. --- TELEVISION CONCERT REVIEW: Bruce Hornsby (Upcoming PBS Special, "In The Spotlight") - Bob Gajarsky For ten + years, when mentioning pop piano players, the only names present were Elton John and Billy Joel. As many readers know, in the late 1980's, Bruce Hornsby added his name to that list. An upcoming PBS Special, "In The Spotlight", shines the light on this talented performer. Fresh on the release of his recent _Hot House_ album, this special splits time between Hornsby's "solo" (with his traditional backing band) performances and surprise guests adding their talents. One of the first guests on the show was Gregory Hines, who tap danced his way through part of "Talk of the Town". Hines was the only non-musical guest; Don Henley came out to sing the song he and Hornsby co-wrote, "The End of the Innocence", with Bruce taking over the lead vocals on the final verse of the smash. Hornsby's duet with Bob Weir on "Jack Straw", which previously appeared on the _Deadicated_ tribute album, stirred up the Grateful Dead fans in the front row. This performance makes one wonder - if the remaining members of the Dead decide to perform live (for a benefit concert), would they ask Bruce Hornsby to sit in and take some of Jerry Garcia's vocals? Hornsby already has played with the band for 1 1/2 years during one of their tours, and "Spider Fingers" (which also appears on this show) was the nickname bestowed upon him from the band. The exclusion of "The Way It Is", Hornsby's #1 song which first brought him national acclaim, is probably for the better; this evening was focused on free-form jazz and expressing the different avenues and vehicles which Hornsby's music can utilize - whether through his co-writing partners or just the fellow musicians whom he respects and who respect him. Although most live shows lose a great deal of the power and impact when broadcast via television, Hornsby's remains strong and intimate. Taped at a special October filming in New York City, this is one showing that viewers will want to mark on their calendars. This concert will be broadcast throughout most of the country in 1996. However, it will be appearing sometime in December on PBS' "In The Spotlight" music series in New York, Washington (DC), Orlando, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Salt Lake City, Grand Rapids and Portland, Oregon. In addition, parts of the concert will be shown on VH1's "Duets" series. Bruce is currently finishing up his European tour and will return to the States in early 1996 for more of his _Hot House_ tour. TRACK LISTING: Spider Fingers; Talk of the Town (with Gregory Hines); The End of the Innocence (with Don Henley); Walk In The Sun (with David Hollister & Levi Little of Blackstreet); White Wheeled Limousine (with Pat Metheny); Mandolin Rain; Jack Straw (with Bob Weir); Rainbow's Cadillac (with Bonnie Raitt); The Valley Road; Fields of Gray; Cruise Control --- CONCERT REVIEW: Hagfish/Sick Of It All/Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Roseland, New York City - Jason Cahill For at least one night in November, punk was alive and well and seeping from every speaker into the eager ears of the youthful masses scattered throughout the Roseland Ballroom. By evening's end, the crowd, a large majority of which had come solely to hear the Bosstones, bore witness to a concert which highlighted both the sublime and the ridiculous elements of the current state of punk music. Hagfish opened the show and set the fever pitch pace for the rest of the night, ripping through selections from their impressive release, _Hagfish...Rocks Your Lame Ass_. The power punk quartet seem to follow the current trend of punk bands who refuse to take themselves too seriously, thus avoiding any activity which might serve to diminish the irony and wit which is so apparent in their songs. With a sound which might draw comparisons to both Down By Law and Civ, Hagfish solidly sped through a brilliant, yet all too brief set of pure, unfiltered and infectious material, including both "Stamp" and "Bullet", two standout tracks from their current effort. After a short break, the hardcore punk band Sick Of It All took the stage to promote its latest effort, _Blood, Sweat And No Tears_. Whereas Hagfish seemed to represent the recent onslaught of incisive, cutting and witty punk bands which have come to symbolize the most current stage in the evolution of punk music, it quickly became most apparent that Sick Of It All took its cue from many of its monotonous and all too abrasive predecessors. Selections like "Pushed Too Far", "World Full Of Hate" and "No Cure" were packed with impressive energy, yet were not much more than angry diatribes which lacked any degree of maturity or wit. Hardcore punk is inconsequential if it is nothing but an outpouring of anger minus the insight and humor which makes it relevant. Fortunately, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the most eagerly anticipated band of the night also happened to be the finest, treating their fans to a variety of selections which spanned the band's entire catalog of music. The Bosstones' trademark of gruff vocals over a ska rhythm with punk guitars interjected throughout had never sounded better, the nine piece unit was tight and on the mark from start to finish. Highlights included "Where Did You Go?", fresh from the film _Clueless_, "Someday I Suppose", a selection from their 1993 album _Don't Know How To Party_ and "Kinder Words" from their latest release _Question The Answers_. To their credit, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones have brilliantly created a new and inventive twist to the standard punk music sound, showcased impressively at the Roseland Ballroom in midtown Manhattan. --- REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Strange Days_ (Lightstorm/Epic) - Dan Birchall & Maisha Marsh Much like the movie, the _Strange Days_ soundtrack propels listeners through a weird, apocalyptic alternate reality. Featuring a diverse mix of artists and styles, the collection should have something for almost every listener. Naturally, on such a broad-ranging compilation, it's difficult to label one track as the best, but a good pick for standout song is Strange Fruit's "No White Clouds." Spoken-word verses of beat poetry over jazz instruments build the illusion of a cozy coffee shop, which is promptly torn down by choruses screamed over crunchy guitar chords. Imagine King Missile and Courtney Love appearing in Dot's Poetry Corner on "Animaniacs!" and you've got the idea - refreshing even to jaded alternative-rock fans. Also exemplary, if not conciliatory, is "Here We Come," a sermon of vengeance on the upper class by Me Phi Me and Jeriko One. If you're angry at members of the white upper class, you'll relate to this song. Of course, if you happen to be a member of the upper class, or have recently been beaten by people who mistook you for one, it's very unsettling. Our other favorites include the title track, a delightfully gothic cover of the Doors' "Strange Days" delivered by Prong with assistance from sixties relic Ray Manzarek. With a swirling organ, crunchy guitars and growling vocals, this song has appeal for everyone from flower children to metalheads. At the other end of the musical spectrum, Kate Gibson's near-lullaby "Dance Me To The End Of Love" is well-done, and ideal for a slow dance at the end of a hard night. The most anticipated piece on the album, "While The Earth Sleeps," is also a winner. Featuring Deep Forest's world-music rhythms and the distinctive - if unintelligible - vocals of Peter Gabriel, it is upbeat and enjoyable. Deep Forest's other track, "Coral Lounge," features a bass line so overused in dance music that somebody must be collecting some serious royalty money by now. Joining it on our unremarkable list are "The Real Thing," a dance-trance synth piece by the Lords of Acid, "Overcome" by Tricky, and "Walk in Freedom" by Lenny Kravitz wanna-be Satchel. Skunk Anansie's two hard-rock tracks, "Selling Jesus" and "Feed," also fall short of exceptional, except in volume. Of the two remaining tracks, Lori Carson and Graeme Revell's "Fall in the Light" is slightly more poppy than "Dance Me," with simple music and breathy vocals, but still good. "Hardly Wait," sung by actress Juliette Lewis, is an interesting experiment, and for those who can hardly wait to find out whether she can sing, we're not exactly sure. Her voice is distinctive, but between verses she sometimes sounds pained. Musically, though, this is a very easy song to listen to, with guitar work reminiscent of Pearl Jam. --- CONCERT REVIEW: Letters to Cleo - Flood Zone, Richmond VA - Stephen Lin According to front-woman Kay Hanley, "anybody on stage has a certain amount of sex appeal, just because they're up there, even if they're completely ordinary." Not to say that Ms. Hanley was completely ordinary, but sex appeal was virtually leaking out of her body while on stage. Rarely does a single performance alter the viewer's perception as greatly as Letters to Cleo's performance at the Floodzone. I'm generally a happy person with somewhat dark tastes in music: Nine Inch Nails, the Cure, Portishead, and Bauhaus. However, the self proclaimed "goofy, smiley, happy loser pop band" became my absolute favorite band of the year as they displayed an array of songs from both the slightly somber _Aurora Gory Alice_ and the upbeat _Wholesale Meats and Fish_. It seemed that the same sort of frenzy over took most of the crowd as they danced nonchalantly through the night. The Cleos opened the show with the hard rocking first track off of _Wholesale_, "Demon Rock." The crowd instantly proved very receptive to the song as well as the stage presence of the ever-lovable Kay Hanley. Her enthusiastic and at times sultry body movements on stage helped bolster the strength of each ensuing song. Any remaining stigma tied to Melrose Place and monster hit "Here & Now" was instantly forgotten. The quality of sound and skill easily matched, if not surpassed, that of the studio recorded albums. At times, the band needed to rearrange some of their songs for live performance. For instance, "Acid Jed" has an incredibly melodic and memorable organ part which was instead replaced by fierce lead guitar. In addition, the acoustic and skeletal original version of "Step Back" was replaced by a full-band, electric version of the song. These changes made the songs no less effective. More so, the differences kept the audience from falling into a lull of expectancy as well as displayed the band's actual ability to perform live. The body of the show lasted 13 songs consisting mostly of material off the then newly released _Wholesale Meats and Fish_. In contrast the four-song encore contained "I See," "Step Back," and "Rimshak" off of _Aurora_. The surprise performance of the encore was a version of Dillon Fence's "Living Room Scene." The difference between Dillon Fence's Greg Humphrey's voice and that of Kay Hanley's virtually transformed the song's appeal from pure emotion to sex appeal while leaving the substance of the song essentially unchanged. It may be true that everyone on stage has a degree of sex appeal; but few can match the personality and presence of Kay Hanley and Letters to Cleo. --- REVIEW: Poi Dog Pondering, _Pomegranate_ (Pomegranate Records / Bar/None Records) - Jen Sansbury The skeptics lose: there's finally a new Poi Dog Pondering album. No longer dormant to the world outside of Chicago, Poi's first recording foray in three years produced a somber, sobering reflection on the curveballs life has thrown in the direction of band leader Frank Orrall. Orrall, the man who once portrayed the "Happy-Go-Lucky Guy" in the movie Slacker, exposes his vulnerability and rejoices in his strength on the dark, yet life-affirming _Pomegranate_. The album opens up with a short instrumental piece that could have come straight off of the Palm Fabric Orchestra CD, _Vague Gropings in the Slip Stream_ (the instrumental Poi album released on Carrot Top Records in early '94). It leads straight into the title song, "Pomegranate," more of a PFO song with lyrics. In fact, the words are almost distracting, but they offer the first insight into Orrall's new mindset: "Time is a bastard. It won't let me patch things up." "Catacombs," a chillingly beautiful song for anyone who's ever lost anyone, is timeless Poi. It flies in the face of anyone who dares suggest the current incarnation of the band bears no resemblance to former ones. Orrall weaves his words around Susan Voelz' haunting midnight violin sounds, and when the trumpet joins in it's nearly enough to make skin prickle. True to its name, there's a little too much going on in "Complicated," which, nevertheless, may be the best Poi song ever. It's an invigorating tune, both physically and emotionally: "Sorrow is an angel that comes to you in blue light and shows you what is wrong just to see if you'll set it right. And I fucked up so many times in my life, that I want to get it right this time." Fundamentally, it's the quintessential, toe-tapping, arm-swinging Poi song, but there are too many sounds in the mix. This is the first indication on the album that this is NOT the same old Poi Dog Pondering. This is the Poi that's about to cross over to (gulp) the DANCE genre. That's right. It's a little funky. It's a lot dancy and not in your standard moving-around-the-floor kind of way. Some might call _Pomegranate_ a soul album. In fact, Poi now has three soulful backup singers -- a woman and two men -- including the vocally astounding Robert Cornelius. Aside from Orrall, Voelz and multi-instrumentalist Dave Max Crawford are the only mainstays and the newer members of the revamped band are seriously redefining the Poi sound. _Pomegranate_ continues with a fair mix of heavy, groove-laden tracks and the simpler, straight-forward songs that have been characteristic of Poi for nearly a decade. Orrall's no-holds-barred sexual imagery captivates the senses. After all, as he sings on "Diamonds and Buttermilk," "Man must make a beast of himself if he is ever to be truly free." "God's Gallipoli," named after a WWI battle in Italy, is Frank's bittersweet spoken-wordish tribute to his significant other. Brigid Murphy, a saxophonist with the band, has battled cancer of the lymph nodes, which may just be the single most influential emotional factor behind Pomegranate. "Cancer took the spring from my lover and gave us forever autumn," but Orrall's "back in the ring now with eye held just high enough to see the prize; head bent forward and hip into wind as always." As a matter of fact, with the band's first full-length release NOT to be on a major label, Orrall proves that he'll do whatever the hell he wants, even if the odds seem to be stacked against him. --- REVIEW: 311, _311_ (Capricorn) - Jon Steltenpohl 1994's _Grassroots_ put them on the map as a must have funk/rap/punk outfit, but 311 decided to travel the galaxy for this year's self titled album. "Gray" alien icons and diagrams of the moon landing are displayed prominently on the cover, and inside, planets dot the landscape along with a Chili Pepper-esque picture of the band with alien eye make-up on. Fortunately, the space theme is pretty much left out of the album itself. "Random" starts to wax philosophical about space aliens, but then it thankfully turns into a lesson on love and playlists. The new album zigs and zags through many turns that keep your head pumping and your speakers thumping. First of all, the band is expanding their simple funk and rap. Although "Down" starts out the album with the same old 311, there is a new spirit in 311 right up until when the last track, "T & P Combo", blasts out the funk with fury, dynamics, change-ups, and melody. The songwriting has definitely improved, and the band is doing better with the slower songs. "Sweet" is a psychedelic and sad ballad about a disillusioned friend, and "Don't Stay Home" is a melodic wake up call to the hopeless hermits of the world. Lyrically, 311 is taking on deeper topics than how dope their rhymes are. "Guns (are for pussies)" lays out just what its title proclaims. Later, they take aim at violence against women. "If you hurt her again, I'll fuck you up, fuck you up" is the rap tag of "DLMD". Both "Guns (are for pussies)" and "DLMD" flow better than your average "crusade" song because they don't preach. Nicholas Hexum and Count SA write lyrics that read like true stories of pain and anger, and it's the honesty that makes their emotions stick. Like _Grassroots_, the new 311 album touches heavily on drug use. On some songs, it sounds as is the band has really cleaned up. In "Misdirected Hostility", they slam some other band for being heroin addicts and then say "I speak from experience/because I didn't see clearly once/acting like a dunce/In 1989 I was cocaine and Jim Bean/but now it's '95 and I'm ginseng." But don't think that Nancy Reagan has gotten to the band. They're only on a spirituality trip that is geared to calmer, less addicting drugs. Two songs later, "Loco" turns up the funky rhythms and proceeds to explain how to "trip the 'shrooms fantastic". With their new self-titled album, 311 seems to have finally defined the 311 experience. It's not a big leap from _Grassroots_, but it is in the right direction. They've gotten out of the "sounds like Rage" or "sounds like the Peppers" umbrella and matured to a sound with more melody and more variety. --- REVIEW: Supersuckers, _Sacrilicious_ (Sub Pop) - Martin Bate With cowboy hats askew, corny horned-devil hand signs aloft and tongue wedged firmly in cheek, the Supersuckers are back to dirty up the streets. Last year's pheonomenal second album by the band, _La Mano Carnuda_ saw them honing their speedy punk'n'roll to 28 minutes of dynamite that put them right up there with the mighty Rocket From The Crypt in the fucked-up rock'n'roll stakes. But the new Sacrilicious sound of the Supersuckers is, well...a little ordinary. "Bad Bad Bad" kicks open the starting gates in an infectious, riotous rock'n'roll style, wiping the floor with the likes of Green Day's skinny asses. "19th Most Powerful Woman in Rock" is equal parts Chuck Berry and Motorhead (ie., immense!). And "Money Into Sin" is AC/DC touched by the hand of the Ramones. But elsewhere, _Sacrilicious_ sees the 'Suckers take their foot of the gas leaving the infectious melodies without the adrenalin rush and a handful of too-obvious choruses. On this outing the Supersuckers sound like a bar band, where before they sounded like a bar fight. The worst offenders are "Bad Dog" which drags its tail lethargically (hey puns? I got 'em!) and the ill-advised moment where new guitarist and punk veteran, Rick Sims, takes over on vocals on "Run Like a Motherfucker" and succeeds in making them sound like yesteryear glam boys LA Guns. Oh dear. But the day is saved by the boys expanding their sound on the last two songs, with "My Victim" the big show-stopper complete with Vegas horns, and the slow gospel-tinged blues of "Don't Go Blue" seeing the Supersuckers sprint the final straight. An average album by a superb band. You can do without this, but go out and buy _La Mano Carnuda_ and a gig-ticket right NOW! --- REVIEW: Peter Finger, _Between The Lines_ (Acoustic Music, Europe) - Ali Sinclair In the middle of a mediocre week with mediocre skies and weather, this disc arrived like sunshine bursting through a leaden-grey autumn sky: like a fountain in a desert, like birdsong at midnight. Acoustic steelstring guitar, played solo, Finger-style... and among the best I've heard. Musical classification? Difficult... remember "Flight of the Bumble Bee"? Mix its drive and energy with that of the best jazz and rock guitarists, and a touch of latin Europe and the middle east, and you might have an idea of what _Between the Lines_ sounds like--but better to listen to the music itself, and make up your own mind. Fingerstyle, Peter Finger-style, that's what it is. Each track, from first to last, is beautifully executed. Spellbinding- how does he play that fast? how does he play that cleanly? where did that tune come from? - and fascinating. Peter's CD offers a "guitar book with music and tablatures" for _Between the Lines_. But I suspect that the book does not supply the hours-and-years of playing, and compulsion to play, nor the inspiration behind the music. Sometimes I wonder if there is a Secret Guitarists' Club somewhere, where all these great-but-little-known musicians hang out and are recognised. Like another dimension to this world, this everyday world of commercial radio and mass-media marketing, where the mediocre are praised and lauded. Another dimension that occasionally forgets itself and gives us a glimpse of what music truly is and can be. I am just thankful that it does - that sometimes, the clouds roll back, and we see the sunshine beyond. The title track is stunning, "Dialogue at Daybreak" is birdsong captured in the strings of a guitar while "Pictures" for some unknown reason made me think of a tranquil middle-Europa forest, and a cuckoo clock; why, I don't know--the picture was painted. And yours will be your very own. _Between The Lines_ is distributed by Rough Trade and was recorded at Acoustic Music Studios. For further information contact Acoustic Music Records, Postfach 1945, 49009, Osnabruck, Germany. (Telephone +49 541-70205, Fax +49 541-708667). --- REVIEW: Prophets of Da City, _Universal Souljaz_ (Beggars Banquet) - Martin Bate Comin' straight out of Azania (That's' South Africa' to the settlers) come Prophets of Da City with a devastating mix of old-skool meets new-school rhythyms and enough tongue-twisting rhymes to keep your head in a spin until 1996. Live, the Prophets are something else, with rapper/DJ Ready D, and his cohorts Ishmael and Ramone battling for stage space with 3 break-dancers and poppers who are an integral part of the band and the closest most post-Public-Enemy rap fans will have got to the adrenaline rush of '84, where the hip-hop culture first began to make real waves in the mainstream. Prophets of Da City have been far removed from the rest of the world until now and are distinctly on their own tip, assimilating traditional Azanian sounds (the first person to mention Paul Simon gets smacked!) and the distinctive South African accent into their favourite elemnts of US hip-hop. Their scope is impressive, taking in a little of everything from the past 15 years of hip-hop, although if you had to narrow it down to one major influence it would be the militant abrasive funk/soul of P.E's _It Takes a Nation of Millions..._. The fact that the band have lived all their lives through South African apartheid (which makes the African- American experience look a little slight in comparison) suggets the Prophets should have enough ire to make most US hip-hop acts sound like House of Pain, but not so. There's an air of celebration about the Prophets - nowhere better summed up than in "Neva Again"'s opening line of "EXCELLENT! FINALLY A BLACK PRESIDENT!" - that's infectious and invigorating. Songs? You'll be checking out the likes of "Wild Stylz" where the 3 rappers go through as many styles and flows as you can imagine in 4 minutes without ever losing the song, with Ramone in particular demonstrating an erratic, staccato flow that would shame 95% of American rappers. Partners in crime Ishmael and Ready D have equally distinctive styles with Ishmael switching between a pure Stevie Wonder soar and a gruff ragga flow and Ready D tearing it up in a more traditional, though no less impressive, gangsta style. The only real problem with _Universal Souljaz_ is that with such a wide ranging scope over the 18 tracks offered some can't help but miss the mark. Still, better to fall a little flat by over-reaching enthusiasm than by sitting on your backside too scared to try. If I was *really* nit-picking I'd mention the fact that a little lack of definition in the vocal production makes some of the more complicated rhyming a little unclear. But then Ramone is obviously on another planet, so we can clearly forgive them. America should be listening to the likes of "Universal Souljaz" with its off-kilter drums, the traditional South African flavour of "Bushtekniks" and "DJ Explode Vs Hit Pop", and the welcome return of frantic turntable skills on the 100% electro "Planet Cape Town" and alternately rejoicing and getting just a little worried. --- REVIEW: Skylab, _ Skylab #1_ (Astralwerks) - Daniel Kane Skylab's first collective presentation to the music business, _#1_, takes the listener on a ride of sound effects characterized by chaotic order: Programming was minimized in favor of an open aesthetic of experimentations, intuition, precision, conclusion and spontaneity. The members of Skylab] discovered a mutual love for all things funky, groovy, beautiful, bizarre and psychedelic. Thus in early 1994, the Skylab project was born. Matt Ducasse, Howie B, Tosh and Kudo -- collectively Skylab -- have created an impressive first work, primarily because of the truly ordered chaos. _Skylab #1_ is a collection of various sound effects and experimentation, a dreamlike sequence with a general flow and distinctive quality. Though the consensus that the music could be classifiable as trip-hop exists, Matt Ducasse suggests that #1 is experimental and not necessarily classifiable. In a 1994 interview with The Face, he said, "People are already labelling us trip hop, just because we mix ambience and drum beats, but the album is more of an exploration of sound. Sometime we just sat around banging tin cans or bits of rubbish. "River of Bass" is something you would expect to hear as the suspense segment of a science fiction film circa the eighties, an exploratory journey into a new dimension. The slow, systematic rhythm of "Seashell" mixes interestingly with the vocals to reinforce Ducasse's statement of unclassifiability. Like night and day, one further hears "Depart," the ultimate techno-cowboy blues lament, then "Next," a serene contribution to the collection, analagous as the concept of surrealism is to art: distinctive and integral. Similarly, "Electric Blue" tends to evoke images of a mystical, barren and windy landscape. _Skylab #1_ is an eclectic walk through an ethereal environment. --- REVIEW: Thurman, _Lux_ (Righteous - European Import) -Tim Mohr Thurman is a new English trio whose debut is full of catchy songs. This is no surprise, however, as the band has an amoral approach to songwriting: better to steal from the best than write mediocre originals. Which would be fair enough if they wanted to record a set of covers, but instead they cough up a post-modern stew of regurgitated but undigested morsels of past pop meals. Almost every song echoes another: "Loaded" is "Children of the Revolution," "Now I'm a Man" is _Double Fantasy_-era John Lennon, "Clowns" veers from the opening of the Kinks' "Sunny Afternoon" through the Beach Boys and into Bowie. "Cheap Holiday" threatens to be Tears For Fears' "Seeds of Love" but turns out to be a Blur song. Some might say that such appropriation can be justified by a number of factors: the post-modernist flair for excusing plagiarism, or the overwhelming nature of pop-consciousness, or the legacy of the British Invasion (Beat) bands' rise to prominence playing American R&B. And it's true that many of the direct rip-offs on _Lux_ may be unfamiliar to contemporary listeners, as the songs of Jimmy Reed were when the Rolling Stones covered them. But early Stones, Beatles, Animals, or Yardbirds albums are littered with writing credits for the original artists - every song on _Lux_ is said to have been written by Thurman. Even the songs that don't pull a specific song title from your memory are clearly meant to sound like the various stars of current Britpop. Put it this way: in 1966 the Knickerbockers' "Lies" was a good song, a hit, and its still fun to listen to. But the Knickerbockers will never be remembered as more than a Beatles rip-off band - aiming for success not with a musical vision but with cold calculation (even if based on genuine admiration). If Thurman is remembered, it will be in exactly such a light. With a modicum of justice, thurman actually will be remembered as "the Knickerbockers of the 90s": a definition that, like a Thurman song, has no inherent significance or content because it rests entirely on a reference to something else, lacking substance in itself. --- NEWS > The music magazine focusing on Cleveland, appropriately enough titled CLE, has returned to record shops after a 14 (!) year hiatus. The newest issue, numbered 3X, covers news and interviews with many of the alternative bands breaking out of Cleveland. The feature on the history of Pere Ubu, with a time line and family tree of not only this band but many other Cleveland bands, is enough for fans outside of the Ohio city to want to purchase a copy. The 32 page issue costs $11 and also includes a free 65 minute compact disc full of Cleveland's best music. If not available at your local record shop, CLE can be contacted at Box 16613, Cleveland, OH 44116 and also via e-mail at ab563@cleveland.freenet.edu > Reader Ernest Millan reports, from the Mute Internet site (at mutelibtech.com), that contrary to rumors of a breakup following the loss of keyboardist and drummer Alan Wilder, Depeche Mode are currently working on new material. Remaining members Martin Gore, David Gahan, and Andy Fletcher are working with producer Tim Simmons (Bomb the Bass), and Doug Wimbish (Living Colour, Tackhead) contributed on one of the new songs. > Robert Forster, formerly of the Go-Betweens, will be having a live chat on the Internet at 23:00 hour GMT on December 19th. The URL of the chat will be http://www.thehub.com.au/~forster It will be up at least about a week before the event, and will have info on how to participate, and also some stuff about Robert's current doings. > Minimal, New York's Thursday night party, is having two upcoming events: December 14 is the 2nd Instinct Records nights, featuring Dietrich (Prototype 909), Terre Thaemlitz and Rye and a live show from Jim Tenor (Warp Records). December 21 is Sonicnet's Christmas blowout, with the activities filmed live for direct transmission on the Internet. Minimal is located at 81 Avenue A (between 5th and 6th St.) at 10pm. Admission is $6. > Full length music videos have finally come on the Internet at NAMS International's World Wide Web site. Selections available include Queen's "Somebody To Love", 2 versions of Beautiful People's "If 60's Were 90's" featuring Jimi Hendrix vocal and guitar samples and Michael Quatro's "The Ocean Song". Users can access and download the videos as promotional shareware at no charge from NAMS WWW site, but be prepared to let your modem do a lot of work; the average video, at 28,800 modem speeds, takes 30-40 minutes to download. The WWW site is located at http://www.mw3.com/nams/ while ftp users can connect to mw3.com in the pub/nams/video directory. --- TOUR DATES AC/DC Jan. 12 Greensboro, NC Coliseum Jan. 13 Charlotte, NC Coliseum Jan. 15 Columbia, SC Carolina Coliseum Neal Casal Dec. 21 Norfolk, VA Poorboy's Dec. 23 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Lisa Cerbone Dec 30 Arlington, VA IOTA Cravin' Melon Dec. 22 Greenville, SC Characters Dec. 30 Charlotte, NC Amos Dec. 31 Raleigh, NC The Ritz Jan. 11 Greenwood, SC Greenwood Civic Center Jan. 12 Charleston, SC Music Farm Jan. 13 Greensboro, NC Blind Tiger Cypress Hill Dec 20 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore Dec 21 Los Angeles, CA House Of Blues Dec 22 San Diego, CA Belly Up Tavern Mary Ann Farley Jan. 6 Hackettstown, NJ Greene Beans Cafe Phish Dec. 30-31 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Poi Dog Pondering Dec. 13 Los Angeles, CA Troubador Dec. 14 Scottsdale, AZ Rockin Horse Dec. 16 Dallas, TX Trees Dec. 31 Chicago, IL Riviera Urchins Dec. 22 New Brunswick, NJ Court Tavern (with Wake Oolo) Jan. 5 New York, NY Red Room Jan. 12 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's (with Noiseaddicts) Vinyl Devotion Dec. 15 San Francisco, CA Edinburgh Castle --- ERRATA: In the December 4 issue, we conducted an interview with Eskimo; unfortunately, the spelling on one of the members' names was incorrect. The proper spelling is John Shiurba. --- 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. Address any written correspondence to Bob Gajarsky, Consumable Online, 409 Washington St. #294, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 ===