==== ISSUE 151 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [August 15, 1998] Editor: Bob Gajarsky E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Reto Koradi, David Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Joe Silva, Lang Whitaker Correspondents: Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron, Jason Cahill, Patrick Carmosino, Krisjanis Gale, Emma Green, Paul Hanson, Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Franklin Johnson, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker, Chelsea Spear, Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, 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 their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' REVIEW: Liz Phair, _whitechocolatespaceegg_ - Tracey Bleile CONCERT REVIEW: Beastie Boys, Scotland - Robin Lapid REVIEW: Billy Bragg and Wilco, _Mermaid Avenue_ - Daniel Aloi REVIEW: Eagle Eye Cherry, _Desireless_ - Lang Whitaker REVIEW: Candlebox, _Happy Pills_ - Linda Scott REVIEW: They Might Be Giants, _Severe Tire Damage_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Tragically Hip, _Phantom Power_ - Chris Hill INTERVIEW: Love In Reverse - Al Muzer REVIEW: Sand Rubies, _Return of the Living Dead_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: Soundtrack, _54 (Vol. 1 and 2)_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Ana Voog, _anavoog.com_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Henry Fool_ - Chelsea Spear REVIEW: Language, _Language_ - Linda Scott REVIEW: Various Artists, _Late Night Beats_ - Franklin Johnson REVIEW: Pissing Razors, _Pissing Razors_ - Paul Hanson NEWS: P.J. Harvey TOUR DATES: Tori Amos / Devlins, Bauhaus, Beastie Boys, Blink 182, Blue Oyster Cult, Chocolate Genius, Culture Club / Human League / Howard Jones, Dakota Moon, Dream Theatre / Deep Purple / Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Flick, Front 242, Nanci Griffith (Newport Folk Festival), HORDE Tour, Irving Plaza, K's Choice, Paul Kelly, Lilith Fair, One Minute Silence, Phish, Bonnie Raitt / Jackson Browne Smokin' Groovies Tour, Superdrag, Vast, Verve, Wilco Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: Liz Phair, _whitechocolatespaceegg_ (Matador/Capitol) - Tracey Bleile Today's vocabulary word is indulgence. Which is the word that sticks in my brain throughout the 60-plus minutes that is Liz Phair's newest effort, _White Chocolate Space Egg_. A lot of songs. A lot of songs that just kind of...set their own pace. Phair has abandoned much of the punchy snottiness that made her stand out on _Exile In Guyville_, but not her wah-wah pedal, leaving her in a languid groove, and only rarely does it snap the way _Exile_ ever did - but from time to time it works. If you already like her, you're not going to change your mind. It's a grabbag of earnest college-radio pop with thought-provoking lyrics and jangle-buzzy guitar. If you were on the fence about her after her sophomore release, well...the jury might stay out on _Egg_. With a great deal of production work by Scott Litt, (and back up on one song from three-quarters of R.E.M., and their session musicians) she has appropriated a lot from the talent around her and infused it wherever she can with keyboards, accordions, and utter seriousness wrapped in her rise-above-it attitude. She has unabashedly dipped her hands into past decades for inspiration here. The quieter songs are psychedelia-edged, including the goofy lead-off title track, and some are downright folky (down to the scratchy chord changes on "Perfect World"). "Ride" takes its surfy chorus from "I Get Around", harmonies and all. Her voice will never be the strongest, but in the mid-to upper-range she still sounds fresh and original. It's that sing-songy slide from up to down, and then down farther still where her voice falters and quite often trails off that gets annoying after you realize that most of _Egg's_ songs are phrased and sung almost exactly the same way. And you can't help but feel like you just know you've heard a lot of the guitar work before...either from her or from 60's and 70's standard folk-rock structure. The songs that stand out are definitely the ones where she pushes it to be a little noiser and angrier. There's nothing as downright in your face as "Supernova", but she's still exorcising her feelings in dealing with the opposite sex; "Johnny Feelgood" and the first single "Polyester Bride" are next to each other on the album, and are polar ends of the same emotion - don't want to commit at all, when should I commit? Hope with all your hear that the confessional-chatty "What Makes You Happy" gets some airplay - it provides a great fast-slow, jumpy-quiet moment near the end of the disc. Married and a mom now, nevertheless, Phair still has something brewing beneath the surface that hasn't quite boiled over, and she continues to contain it on this release. The snarling of her stream of consiousness is completed belied by the sweetness of the music, but she's dulled the impact of her words this time by padding them with a layer of softness. I think the way to absorb this release is to take in the spirit it was offered; one song at a time for their individual effect. At your own pace. --- CONCERT REVIEW: Beastie Boys, T in the Park Festival, Scotland - Robin Lapid Have you ever been to an outdoor festival -- in the summer, mind you -- where the rain pounds on you relentlessly and you slosh around in mud for 10 to 48 hours? Apparently this is de rigueur in England. Unfortunately, being from sunny California, I wasn't quite prepared for Scotland's cold and wet welcome at this year's Tennants in the Park Festival in Kinross. About ready to ditch the bands and prevent hypothermia, I resolutely decided to stick around for the Beastie Boys' 9 p.m. set. Thank goodness I did. Dressed strangely, albeit somewhat appropriately, in lab coats and knee-high rain boots, the three MC's, along with DJ MixMaster Mike of the Invisibl Skratch Picklz and old friend "Money Mark" Nishita on keyboards, delivered old-skool flava with new-skool vibes. Apart from headliners Pulp, this was probably the most anticipated set of the day, considering the four-year wait for the Beasties' newest album, _Hello Nasty_. That considered, the performance was loose but fun, and showed clear signs that the now-thirtysomething trio are still getting settled into playing live again. AdRock, Mike D, and MC Adam Yauch set it all off with "Shake Your Rump" from second-album masterpiece _Paul's Boutique_. The hyper-raps on this track felt slightly neutralized by MixMaster Mike's super-scratching, but the playful vibe still won out, and it's a treat to hear the old-skool roots take over from _Ill Communication_'s less rap-heavy fare. If you weren't jumping and cheering along at the opening lines of this track, you would be for the rest of the set -- not just because of the crowd's energy, but also so you didn't sink into the mud. Spurred on by the crowd's collective jump-start into the festival spirit, they showed off their stop-action robotic moves and ran through a bunch of Nasty tracks as well as greatest hits, including "So Whatcha Want," "Root Down," "Super Disco Breakin'," and "Intergalactic." From the between-set banter (including a lot of shout-outs to nonviolence and world peace), the setlist and the vibe seemed pretty flexible. "Yo, what song we doin' next?" asks MCA as the boys take an impromptu vote amongst themselves. AdRock shouts out the opening lines to "So Whatcha Want" with gangsta fury only to have everyone abruptly start over. He shrugged his shoulders and explained to the crowd with a smile, "Sorry, sorry...these things happen sometimes, you know." Their punk roots also figured heavily, with the three getting behind their instruments and banging out tracks like "Egg Raid On Mojo" and "Sabotage," of course, which was part of the mix-mastered encore that gamely teased us with samples from "Brass Monkey." Non-song highlights included a birthday cake in the face of their tour manager, and Money Mark ending the set by smashing his keyboards like a banshee. The 3 MC's walked off quietly, with cordial goodbyes and smiles all round. After a good 40-minute workout, the mud in my shoes was now a warm, comforting goo. --- REVIEW: Billy Bragg and Wilco, _Mermaid Avenue_ (Elektra) - Daniel Aloi In the 1930s and '40s, Woody Guthrie worked across the country, but his real work, as a voice for the disenfranchised, grew out of that. His experiences among small communities of migrant fieldworkers and hometown factory hands inspired thousands of songs, speaking out for children, the poor and and subversives. , and aimed at fighting fascism, economic oppression and jingoism - "This is a real angry song," Bruce Springsteen once said of "This Land is Your Land." Huntington's chorea effectively ended Woody's rambling life and musical career in 1947, but for most of the remaining 20 years of his life, living with his family in a little Coney Island house, his mind and his pencil never stopped. He left behind volumes of song lyrics never set to music - which his daughter, Nora, discovered while compiling her father's papers for a 15,000-item archive of his writings. Rather than relegating them directly to the Smithsonian and Library of Congress folk archives, to gather dust and the dry observations of scholars, Nora turned the lyrics over to Socialist and British folkie Billy Bragg, who in turn enlisted the Midwestern roots-rock band Wilco to help him set Woody's long-lost words to music. They convened in Dublin's Totally Wired Studios in January and recorded some 40 songs, 15 of which now belong to the world. The songs on "Mermaid Avenue" add up to 50 minutes of good fun, beauty and heartache, from the writer's most private thoughts to his most pointed political broadsides. The songs carry not only Woody's vision but that of the musicians, following as they do such Guthrie acolytes as Bob Dylan, Springsteen and Phil Ochs. Bragg is as qualified as anyone to sing Guthrie's songs, and Wilco, one of the finest American bands of the day, has equal billing. With Bragg and Jeff Tweedy (plus special guest Natalie Merchant) each taking lead vocals throughout the album, they have realized Nora Guthrie's intention to give Woody's words a musical life, no more and no less. The first three songs hook the listener, and shatter any fears of contemporary artists tampering with a cultural icon's work. In "Walt Whitman's Niece," a stomping beat and police whistles accompany Bragg's proud telling of a bawdy story (about a night on the town "with a seaman friend of mine"). He's answered on every line by a spirited Wilco chorus's disclaiming double-entendres ("I'm not sayin' which seaman") about the night before ("or the night before that"/"I won't say which night") sung as if they're gathered at a tavern, the tale growing with drunken bravado. Then comes Tweedy's choice, a beautiful, uptempo reading of the love song "California Stars" - that could be an unofficial state anthem. Bragg does well by "Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key," a wistful daydream drawn from Guthrie's Oklahoma childhood, with harmonies by Merchant. She then has a solo turn with the sweetly sad "Birds and Ships," wondering "where can my lonesome lover be?" Then Tweedy rips into "Hoodoo Voodoo," and we're off again with same sense of fun the album begins with. Yes, there are socialist, and socially conscious songs here - "Eisler on the Go," done in Bragg's own downcast folk style, has Guthrie empathizing with a friend called before the House Un-American Activities Committee. "I guess I Planted" is a union anthem, a rallying cry livened up by Wilco's country-rock arrangement. And in "Christ for President" Tweedy and Wilco make Woody's case against politicians and for Jesus ("the Carpenter") as the ultimate working man's hero; with the populist lyrics set to a jug-band stomp. The album is cohesive, although it incorporates both personal and political ideas, sad songs and silly ones - the brilliance of the principals is the glue. From the songs chosen, you can arrive at a few observations about Guthrie's psyche, and what a complicated, evolved man he was: > Woody was a Christian ("Christ for President") whose humanism was his union card, more than his legend as a populist rabble-rouser would indicate (although he does relate to Robin Hood, in Bragg's closing "Unwelcome Guest"). > Woody was full of lust ("Walt Whitman's Niece" and "Ingrid Bergman," by Bragg solo, a sexual fantasy in which Guthrie imagines making love to the actress on the slope of a dormant volcano, her beauty awakening the fire inside the cold rock). > Woody was a feminist ("She Came Along to Me," a melodic, sweeping piece of Bragg-Wilco folk-rock). > Woody was a romantic (not only "Birds and Ships" and "Ingrid Bergman," but the gorgeous "One by One," "California Stars," "At My Window Sad and Lonely" and "Hesitating Beauty" -- all sung by Tweedy; they could have been on either Wilco album). > Woody was a loon ("Hoodoo Voodoo," one of several nonsense songs he apparently wrote for his children; Tweedy and Wilco give it an intensely crazed carnival-band treatment). Wilco member Jay Bennett's piano is one of this elegant album's most tasteful elements, and his slide and steel guitar lend a faraway, dreamy quality to Tweedy's singing of "One by One" and "California Stars." Ken Coomer's drumming and John Stirratt's bass pace these slower, moodier songs and they drive the real rave-ups as well. "Mermaid Avenue" is more than a mere tribute, it's a collaborative and inventive interpretation of Woody Guthrie's unheard source material. And for its heart, it's also one of the best albums of the decade, if not the latter half of the century. But it deserves more than year-end Top 10 lists -- it needs to be heard by everyone. (I recommend buying copies to donate to public libraries.) As mentioned before, more than another album's worth of songs is already recorded, so there may -- should -- be a followup. Although they did not mount a full-fledged joint tour, Bragg and Wilco have already brought some of these songs to audiences, performing together at Guinness Fleadh dates (as one another's guests) and at the recent WOMAD festival in Seattle. Wilco is currently finishing up its third album in Austin between these selected dates, and Bragg has been touring with his own band as well. For more background, a good place to start online is Wilco's site at http://www.wilcoweb.com; with a photo essay on the sessions and links to two Guthrie sites, Bragg's site and Elektra's artist information pages. TRACK LISTING: (all lyrics by Woody Guthrie; performers noted) Walt Whitman's Niece (Bragg/Wilco), California Stars (Tweedy / Wilco), Way Over Yonder In The Minor Key (Bragg/Wilco/Merchant), Birds and Ships (Merchant/Wilco), Hoodoo Voodoo (Tweedy/Wilco), She Came Along To Me (Bragg/Wilco), At My Window Sad and Lonely (Tweedy / Wilco), Ingrid Bergman (Bragg), Christ for President (Tweedy/Wilco), I Guess I Planted (Bragg/Wilco), One By One (Tweedy/Bennett), Eisler On The Go (Bragg/Wilco)), Hesitating Beauty (Tweedy/Wilco), Another Man's Done Gone (Tweedy/Wilco), The Unwelcome Guest (Bragg/Wilco) --- REVIEW: Eagle Eye Cherry, _Desireless_ (WORK) - Lang Whitaker Let me go ahead and get this out of the way, because if you can embrace this, it will make your listening experience ten times more pleasureable: Eagle Eye Cherry sings like Ben Harper. A lot. I'm talking *identical*. It's not a once in a while thing like the Adam Duritz/Van Morrison comparisons; this is almost mind boggling. So you got that? You cool with it? Good. Now you can listen to Eagle Eye Cherry's melodious debut release _Desireless_ without prejudice. The extravagantly named Cherry is indeed kin to Neneh Cherry (the singer not the porn star), she of the, "Buffalo Stance," hit single from the early part of this decade. It doesn't take an eagle eye to see several songs destined for mainstream radio. "Save Tonight," a plea for one final hook-up before the morning comes, is already making a dent at Top 40 stations around the US, and Cherry is reportedly hotter than the weather has been lately over in England. The sound of _Desireless_ is sort of Ben Harper (again) meets Paula Cole. Airy acoustic guitars drive the music, with similarly pressing percussion underneath. Cherry also has a great ear for melodies; each song has a sing-along chorus suitable for a campfire near you. In fact, despite the heavy subject matter of several songs, _Desireless_ is harder to hold down than Puff Daddy. The songs project an inner sunshine that would bring smiles to even those forced to sit through an episode of, "The Magic Hour." Cherry tends to dwell on love during _Desireless_, as many of the songs ("Save Tonight," "Comatose (In the Arms of Slumber), "Worried Eyes,") touch on commitment and the renewing of that commitiment in relationships. The perils of drug usage is also a popular topic, in songs like, "Shooting Up in Vain," and, "Death Defied by Will." Aiding and abetting Cherry are a collection of assorted musicians with names that enjoy throwing consonants around haphazardly (Niklas, Kviman, Fjallstrom). As a Ben Harper fan, I've always wondered what would happen if he took the chip off his shoulder and had a little fun. Now I know. --- REVIEW: Candlebox, _Happy Pills_ (Maverick) - Linda Scott Candlebox is looking for a musical change of direction with their newest release, _Happy Pills_. This Seattle-based band came along in the wake of the Seattle grunge groups like Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Nirvana. Their self-titled first album sold over three million copies. Then grunge went into a tailspin, and the band's _Lucy_ was an unsuccessful followup. Change is what's happened to Candlebox and their music on their third outing. The band spent time rethinking their relationships, their sound, and their lyrics. After three years, Candlebox returns with a new drummer and a revised playing and writing style. They're hoping their old fans will support the changes and a lot of new ones will come on board. _Happy Pills_ is a mixed bag of rockers such as the title track and the first single "It's Alright". "It's Alright" is a great first release and may well be the best song on the album, but there's also "10,000 Horses" and midtempo songs such as "Sometimes" and "Breakaway", both having some interesting grooves and sounding more like the old band. Another link to the old band is vocalist Kevin Martin. Martin's distinctive voice became well known with "Far Behind" from the first album, and his vocals are easily identified. Martin pours his heart into the lyrics and vocals here, and it shows. Sometimes you wish his voice were not so thin, not so reedy, but for the most part, the tracks on _Happy Pills_ are sung well. Also doing a good job are guitarist Peter Klett and bassist Bardi Martin. Now with the departure of their original guitarist, they have been lucky enough to pick up Pearl Jam's Dave Krusen. _Happy Pills_ is an album for Candlebox to be proud of. If you like rock music, this is a good one. Candlebox fans would do well to get this one and decide if they want to change directions with their band. The old one doesn't seem to becoming back any time soon. --- REVIEW: They Might Be Giants, _Severe Tire Damage_ (Restless) - Bob Gajarsky Brooklyn-based They Might Be Giants got their start almost 15 years ago. In that time span, they've gone from indie label to major and back again to an indie, have released 6 proper albums and countless B-sides and outtakes. This doesn't take into account their own Dial-A-Song, which has housed numerous unreleased tracks. So, the only question that remains with a live album is 'What took so long'? A mixed bag which is more likely to appeal to fans of _John Henry_ and _Factory Showroom_ more than their self-titled debut, _Severe Tire Damage_ combines new and quirky with old and classic, along with a few (non-live) new songs. For the new and innovative, check out their cover of "Why Does The Sun Shine?", in which the children's song is turned into a punk slam-dancing, high energy educational jaunt. Or, look at the 'acoustic' (well, with accordion) version of "Meet James Ensor". However, it sounds as if They sleepwalk through some of their major hits, specifically "Ana Ng" and "Particle Man", where the vocals are a chore to listen to, if not to perform. The seventies sound which TMBG first embraced on "S-E-X-X-Y" is more evident on the live version, and seeps over, this time in the form of a faux game show from that same decade, onto the new single, "Doctor Worm". Another new track which will appeal to fans is "They Got Lost", in which the band jest about getting lost. Some of their older wit is back, when trying to find their way, noting that 'there should be a big crinkle, assuming this map is right.' Another treat for longtime fans, in addition to this album, will be unveiled next month. The Dial-A-Song service that was formerly only available via phone (It's free if you call from work!) will also be offered on the Internet, at http://www.dialasong.com - for a preview of forthcoming and unreleased material. --- REVIEW: Tragically Hip, _Phantom Power_ (Sire) - Chris Hill A friend asked me the other day, while listening to _Phantom Power, "Can they MAKE a bad album?". My answer - no, they can't. Twelve songs form their most cohesive album since '92's _Fully Completely_. Warm and personal, the disc is replete with organic themes: growth, love, nature, maturity. Gordon Downie's oblique, literate songwriting is a joy to experience. "You said you didn't give a f*ck about hockey/and I never saw someone say that before/you held my hand and we walked home the long way/you were loosening my grip on Bobby Orr" (from "Fireworks") - there's the burgeoning crush, the clash of man and woman, all couched within a sports reference. Another song, "Membership" uses the current of a river as a metaphor for surrending the self to love and life. Downie's singing swoops, soars, and stuttersteps through the material, even trying a falsetto chorus during the bouncy, acoustic "Thompson Girl". With their backing vocals, guitarist Paul Langlois and bassist Gord Sinclair offer a distinctive, welcome counterpoint. Rounded out by drummer Johnny Fay and guitarist Rob Baker, the Hip shuffle tempos from rock ("Save the Planet", "Poets") to ballads ("Bobcaygeon", "The Rules") to somewhere in-between ("Chagrin Falls", "Emperor Penguin"). This album will please the longtime fan and enchant the newcomer - what more to ask for? The Hip also have one of the best Web presences around at http://www.thehip.com . Check out their site and see how these songs germinated and grew. Fascinating reading. --- INTERVIEW: Love In Reverse - Al Muzer Ask any other three musicians to deal with what Love In Reverse endured following the release of their 1996 major label debut and you just *know* you're gonna wind up with three exploding, imploding, possibly lock and loading long-haired former friends on your hands inside of a year. Bolstered by a major label deal with Warner/Reprise; a management contract with Megaforce Records founders Jon and Marsha Zazula; radio airplay for the lead single taken from their five-song EP, _I Was Dog_ ; opening slots on successful Stabbing Westward, Gravity Kills and Republica tours; a show-long profile on ABC TVs _Turning Point_; and the high hopes and high praise of a score of national music publications and critics - the Ocean County, New Jersey-based trio comprised of guitarist/vocalist Michael Ferentino, bassist/keyboardist Andres Karu and drummer/tape loop wizard Dave Halpern got to live every bands ultimate dream when _I Was Here_, their 11-song, Russ (Eric Clapton) Titelman-produced Reprise Records debut, hit the nations retail racks in the summer of 1996. The only problem, it seems, was that the number of Love In Reverse CDs actually *in* those retail racks appeared to be somewhere in the virtually non-existent category while the retail racks themselves were, apparently, few and very far between. "I have a few theories," laughs Ferentino when asked about possible contributors for the less-than-Hootie-like sales figures garnered by his group's critically-acclaimed first effort. "If you saw that _Turning Point_ show you know bad marketing decisions were made. They didn't go to alternative radio, there was no video, there was *really* bad distribution - so the record didn't get out to anybody. The only thing we did right was tour," which, he reasons, normally, would have been great "except for the fact that anyone who saw us play live and then went to buy a CD the next day generally couldn't find one." "The band and the label," proclaims Ferentino as he correctly anticipates the next question, "seem to be on the same sheet of music this time around." "One thing thats' been a real saving grace for this group," he offers when it's pointed out that most groups receive one shot at the brass ring while his outfit not only got a retry - but their own studio in the process, "because we haven't sold a whole shitload of records, is the fact that the fans we do get are real fanatical. I mean *really* hardcore fans. Love In Reverse is their favorite band kinda fans. Which has," Ferentino adds thoughtfully, "always been one of my dreams, actually. A cult. To be more of a cult thing. Man, If it ever grows beyond that, well - that's just shit I'm not expecting to happen anyway, so..." The conversation wanders off on tangents that include the label's difficulty pigeonholing - and therefore marketing - LIR's debut ("They had no idea. They were so confused by that record."); musical influences (the Beatles, Kraftwerk, Cabaret Voltaire, Prince, Tangerine Dream, Pink Floyd and old German electronic stuff); life on the road (most of 1997); his long-time friendship and fruitful creative partnership with Andres and Dave; and songwriting. Rumored to have composed well-over 300 songs before anyone at Reprise knew he or his band existed, the unusually prolific Ferentino and his freewheeling creative partner, Karu, are childhood friends who spent most of the late-1980s and early-1990s as Dog - a deep, dazzling, baffling, moving, confusing, quirky, confounding, occasionally outrageous, continuously-mutating outfit that sported a huge sound, an intense light show (courtesy of unofficial fourth band member Matt Schmidt), deliberately out-of-sync go go dancers, smoke, silver sparkles and an ability to play their swirling, sprawling, edge-of-darkness hum and agitated, atmospheric, end-of-the-world excursions to 10 people as though they were performing in front of ten thousand. Surveying the decaying Jersey club scene one day in the latter half of 1994, Ferentino and Karu weighed the prospect of yet another year playing for beer and gas money at the handful of remaining bars that understood (or pretended to, anyway) what Dog was all about. It was time, the two friends decided, for a few changes. Jettisoning everything but a basic guitar/bass setup, the duo put in a call to Mr. Reality drummer Dave Halpern and invited him to join them in their journey to strange new worlds. Christening the new trio Love In Reverse, the group wrote, rehearsed and recorded a slew of exciting new songs and began shopping a demo that eventually wound up in Jon and Marsha's mailbox at Crazed Management. Intrigued by what they heard, the Zazulas visited Long Branch, New Jersey to see the band perform at the Brighton Bar and were quickly convinced that their initial impression of Love In Reverse - a major talent in need of a minor push - was on target. A call to Reprise Records resulted in a showcase at The Saint in Asbury Park, New Jersey that was all the label suits needed to convince them that it was time to take pen out of pocket. One EP, one CD, one brand new recording studio and a solid year on the road brings us not only up to date, but to the trio's brand new 15-song Reprise Records release, _Words Become Worms_, as well. "We really got lucky when it was time to make this album," Ferentino says with genuine enthusiasm, "they [Reprise], literally, gave us free reign in the studio. At first, they wanted us to go back in and do a new record right after _I Was Here_ was done. The first thing we told them, however, was that we wanted to do the new album by ourselves. They, much to my surprise, said yes!" "I was, like, Really?!?" he laughs. "I couldn't believe it! They told me that they didn't hear that much of a difference between my demos and the last album, so there was no need, really, to spend all that money on a producer. I told them I had a few ideas, you know? And, that, if we could just build our own studio, we could do the album completely on our own." "So, instead of them giving us an advance that we'd only wind up wasting on someone else's time in someone else's studio," Ferentino reasons as though he still can't quite believe his own audacity in asking for it, "I said they should give us the money so we could buy our own studio. We built a 32-track digital studio in Andres' house. We wanted creative control and that's what we got." "We all feel really good about this record, you know?. A lot of it gets back to the feel of our old Dog stuff," he reflects. "In fact, some of it is old Dog stuff! 'Vast Garden (North and South)' was originally recorded in 1994 and 'American Cream' is also a couple of years old." "The only real concession (if you could call it that!) we wound up making," he adds when asked about any conditions or suggestions Reprise may have had for the band, "was on the first single, 'Load Of Motivation', in that we brought John Fryer (Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward, Love In Rockets) in to work on the song with us. Otherwise, we were pretty much left alone and allowed to do whatever we wanted to do." "Some of what wound up on _Words Become Words_ was premeditated. But, a lot of it," he laughs, "well, we went into the studio not knowing *what* was gonna come out. We tried to expand things beyond where we've been before, you know, by just layin' down tracks and fuckin' with 'em until they turned into something all three of us had heard, ya know - but none of us had ever really *heard* anywhere else before." --- REVIEW: Sand Rubies, _Return of the Living Dead_ (San Jacinto Records/Contingency) - Chris Hill When a band breaks up, only to return years later, I expect a new release equal in size to the amount of time the band's been gone (Hill's Law of Just Repayment for Emotional Damages and Loss). 1993 saw the last studio album from the Sand Rubies, their self-titled major label debut on Atlas/Polygram, which threatened to be both a masterwork and a swan song. In their earlier incarnation as the Sidewinders, this band released two prized albums: _Witchdoctor_ and _Auntie Ramos' Pool Hall_, full of words and music that evoke feelings of desolation, loss, hope, struggle, love, and victory. Rich Hopkins' extended guitar notes define the Arizona rock sound of the late '80s and early '90s for me - he's a guitarist who produces resonant notes of tangible emotion. Five years on, _Sand Rubies_ still sounds fresh to me, and my favorite song on the cd never settles on one choice, but vacillates with every listen - a personal hallmark of a great record. Would the new one have this same quality? Yep. _Return of the Living Dead_ isn't the three cd set they owe me, but its ten songs are a worthy addition to an incredible catalog. "Paper Thin Line" leapt out on the first listen. From the pounding drums opening the song, I was hooked. Hearing Slutes' crooning "I know you'll never listen to me/but what you're doing, well, I have my doubts/I once tried the big city myself/and trash like us just gets tossed right out" and Rich's wailing guitar - BAM! I was back in the groove. This song and the revenge fantasy "Turn off Your Stereo" beg to be singles. "Undone Again" - this was the next to sink in. A sad outsider's look at a habit that took over and wrecked a life - "the money was wired/now there's no smack left in Manhattan" - it's as chilling as it is enthralling. "Primevil Love", a live standard for years, hadn't caught my ear on the '96 _Sand Rubies Live_ cd, but now it's the song I'm waiting to see them play live - that hypocritical turn of opinion that makes music such a wonder. _Return..._ also shows the band stretching out. "The Loner" is more straightforward rock and roll than previous recordings, with distorted vocals used to augment the song's theme. "Cut Me Out" finds them looping the guitar sound for ambiance. This song also contains my favorite song closure of '98, but I won't ruin the surprise. The cd's two covers - Del Shannon's "Stranger in Town" and Johnny Thunders' "Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" - do justice to the originals, yet I couldn't help but feel a tad thwarted by two covers in place of two more original songs. Post-breakup, Hopkins has released a handful of albums as Rich Hopkins & Luminarios, yet even the finest of these releases, _El Paso_, somehow misses the Sidewinders/Sand Rubies vibe. So, _Return..._ is like a postcard from an old friend. It's not an eight-page letter filling you in on a separate life, but it is a hello, a reconnection, and an implied promise of further, future contact. For further information on the Sidewinders and Sand Rubies, check out their label's website at http://www.contingency.com --- REVIEW: Soundtrack, _54 (Vol. 1 and 2)_ (Tommy Boy) - Bob Gajarsky Long ago, in a galaxy far away, the high and mighty - and those who wanted to be - partied well into the morning hours at Studio 54. Now, at its 254 54th Street location, the 'studio' might get more notoriety for lost Seinfeld tourists looking for 'the soup man's shop'. However, that might change - yet again - with the release of the soundtrack to the film _54_. Don't be misled by an old motto; for those who hated disco 20 years ago, time isn't likely to heal the wounds that this collection could easily reopen. The diva sound, driving beats, and funky soul are all here. In their full glory. From classic songs later covered ("I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet" by Gonzalez; Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way) to classics covered (the Animals' "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" by Santa Esmeralda); songs sampled for a new generation of dancehall freaks (Chic's "Dance Dance Dance", Dan Hartman's "Vertigo / Relight My Fire"), songs still played today (the S.O.S. Band's "Take Your Time", New York's own Blondie's "Heart of Glass", Sylvester's "Mighty Real") to a fine collection of hard-to-get cuts, they're all here. You'll be hard-pressed to find Brainstorm or Jimmy Horne, now or then, near the pop charts. However, they - and all the artists on here represent a feeling, a vibe, a groove which can't be captured with gold records, or American Bandstand appearances. From the new material, a cover of "Knock On Wood" hits the mark, while the "Studio 54" megamix on Volume 1 could relight a fire for disco the same way that ESPN's "Jock Jams" mix did for rock. Gordon Lightfoot's country classic "If You Could Read My Mind" is turned into a Hi-NRG 90s song by Stars on 54 (no medley with this one, despite the clever inverted group name), better known as Amber, Jocelyn Enriquez and Ultra Nate. It would have been so simple to create the 'Best Disco Album in the World, Ever!', but this soundtrack chooses to focus on a feel rather than hit singles. In so doing, it helps to create more of the atmosphere from the late 1970s when disco was flourishing, as opposed to a wedding dance today. And next time you're looking for the Soup Kitchen International (it's on 55th Street), take a walk one block south to check out the place where it all took place 20 years ago... --- REVIEW: Ana Voog, _anavoog.com_ (Radiouniverse) - Jon Steltenpohl Long before words like electronica and techno were coined, electronic artists focused more on melody than beats per minute. Yello, Art of Noise, and the Eurythmics dazzled as much with melody and composition as they did with grooves and samples. _Anavoog.com_ captures some of that forgotten art. At times, Voog is avante garde and abstract; at others, she is pulsing and penetrating. "Beautiful Accident" captures both sounds in one. It features a bubbling bass line that embraces the melody as well as the beat. Over it, Voog chants nonsense words along a string of consciousness: "password, word play, playground, ground hog, hogwash, wash line, line drive, drive-in, insect, sight see, see-saw, saw dust, dust pan, pan cake, cake walk, walk on, on rush, rush hour, hour glass, glass eye." Add to that a dreamy layered chorus of Voog's little girl voice, and you have a great track. Likewise, the rest of the album intrigues and excites. There is a jittery energy to her music that keeps you on edge. Melodies, sounds, and lyrics appear and disappear for no apparent reason. From one track to the next, Voog changes characters from artist to diva. But switching roles isn't anything new to Voog. In a previous life, her name was Rachael and she had a group called The Blue Up?. (See the interview at http://www.consumableonline.com/1995/08.19/revblueu.html ) To toss things up on that album, the last track of the CD was the entire album played backwards. Today, her life is broadcast to the world at http://www.anacam.com . Major publications have compared it to a real life Truman show, but the reality of the site is often hours of dirty clothes, Voog sleeping, and Voog watching TV. Net geeks with raging hormones may find themselves waiting for days to catch her changing clothes, but those with an eye for art will be intrigued and surprised by the galleries of days when she's used the camera for performance art. Voog paints her body with swirling lines and puts filters and lenses on her camera to see what it all looks like. Simultaneously, Voog is a stunning musician, a skilled performance artist, and a normal person with a messy room and a mundane life. In her role as musician, being a solo artist has allowed for more experimentation. Electronic music suits Voog's unconventional style very well. She can take a song like "Terrified" and sound somewhat like Tori Amos or Kate Bush, and then the next minute, offer up the shimmering electronica of "Hollywood." On other tracks, she recalls the Eurythmics in the mid 80's. "Ask the Dragon" is a palatable cover of a Yoko Ono song that is spooky, avante garde, sexy, and completely accessible. "I Was Waving At You" is a spoken word dream without a clear beat that easily matches the more experimental songs by The Art of Noise. And while Voog obviously has her influences, her music is exquisite and avoids being derivative. Along with producer Bobby Z, she has crafted unique new soundscapes rather than regurgitating the 35th iteration of the satellite beep, the techno thump, or whatever the dance sound of the moment is. There is a myriad of sounds on _anavoog.com_ that have never appeared in electronica before. In fact, Voog uses few of the devices modern electronica relies upon. Eliminate the constant bass thump, eliminate the diva with a single catch phrase, and eliminate the NIN/Ministry ghoul wannabes, and electronica doesn't have much left. But Voog thrives without any of it. She manages to be vibrant, engrossing, and abstract while having a completely easy to listen to sound. _Anavoog.com_ is an album which pleases and surprises after many listens. For a interesting video clip of Ana Voog and a few song samples, visit http://www.anavoog.com ;the streaming Real Video and Real Audio on this site is high quality. --- REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Henry Fool_ (Echostatic) - Chelsea Spear Filmmaker Hal Hartley has an undeniable ear for music. His background as a musician comes through with the pacing and symphonic arrangements in his intuitive epics, and his movies are overstuffed with an impeccable array of music, from the icy, dreamy score and Greek chorus of pop songs found in _Amateur_ to the bizarre adaptation of European pop in _Flirt_. For his latest film, _Henry Fool_, Hartley has assembled a crack team of previous musical collaborators, including superb singer/songwriters Hub Moore (interviewed in the July 17th issue of _Consumable_) and Lydia Kavanaugh, drummer Bill Dobrow, and keyboardist Jim Coleman. Like the film from whence the music comes, _Henry Fool_ is a sprawling mass of ideas and musical styles, some of which work wonderfully, and some of which are harsh and dischordant. Unlike his previous scores, listening to much of this outside the context of the film is unreccomended. Two of the previous incidential music collections, _Music from the Films of Hal Hartley_ and _Flirt_, were beautiful and poignant in their minimalist melodies, and hearing those segments of scores was what actually piqued my interest in his movies. _Henry Fool_, on the other hand, contains some music that is ugly and well-nigh impossible to listen to, such as the industrial-sounding cues that set an angry or violent mood within the film. Listening to them on the CD, without the context of the images and words, the songs are annoying. They're especially frustrating when surrounded by the pure beauty and sweet melodies of some sound cues surrounding them, such as the Prokofiev-inspired bounce of "Henry Fool's Theme" and the plodding funeral march of "The Mother's Death". Especially frustrating are the songs to which Lydia Kavanaugh lends her voice. "Not Me" in particular shreds my nerves, since her etherial voice does not blend well with the whipcrack percussion, slashing guitars, and careening anti-melody. The best reason for the non-Hartley completist to purchase this score is Hub Moore's two contributions as vocalist and lyricist. "If I Could" in particular is a poignant cry of positive change to a former lover, aided by Moore's urgent vocal and the desperate slide of the melody brings out another side of his music, a cathartic, Bob Mould-esque angle that his dreamy solo debut was lacking. If _HUB_ was his _Lunapark_, then I can't wait to hear his _Copper Blue_. --- REVIEW: Language, _Language_ (T21 Records) - Linda Scott South Carolina is not known as a hotbed for up and coming bands. If you start anywhere in the South, you have to work unusually hard to get known beyond the region. Southern rock is an accepted genre that is even sought after by those national labels, but musicians working with other styles push hard for recognition. Language is a melodic pop band out of South Carolina that's hoping to build a strong regional base but ultimately make the leap to a national setting. Built on the base of the now defunct band, The Revolvers, the band's mainstay is William Bates. Bates is the singer/songwriter, guitarist and bassist on _Language_. Next in the Language trio is Joe Jogodka on drums, percussion and electronica. Renee Goforth, an orchestral veteran, handles the string arrangements. _Language_ has 14 tracks full of heartfelt emotions and romance. The style of the songs is much like Sting's or a softer McCartney, the kind of album you could play during a candlelight dinner. The lyrics are gentle and the music never overwhelms them. Bates has a clear, strong voice, and he gives each of his songs the effort and phrasing it deserves. Goforth's arrangements provide support and accents. Especially likeable are these tracks: "Tell Me How You Want Me" (lead-off track), "I Don't Want To Hurt You" (probably the catchiest tune on the album), and the final track "Dusk". The Language trio is getting out their first album, but the band's experience level is high. Bates and Jogodka were both in The Revolvers and several other bands while Goforth performed with the Atlanta Pops and the San Antonio Symphony. The talent is definitely there. _Langauage_ is the first demonstration of their work together, and we'll likely be seeing more from them. Keep track of this new band at their web site: http://www.mindspring.com/~t21music --- REVIEW: Various Artists, _Late Night Beats_ (Music Club) - Franklin Johnson Here it comes. The future of club music, the way it was meant to be, in the wee morning hours. Too bad most people will never get to hear it live in a club. For those folks, Music Club's _Late Night Beats_ offers the perfect solution. No need to stay out til the wee morning hours, this collection of underground club sounds from 1996 to the present gives you the lighter than trip-hop blips, beats and feel of the new keyboard generation. I can't help thinking of the KLF's classic ambient _Chill Out_ while listening to this collection, and I'm sure you will as well. John Beltran's seven-and-a-half minute epic "Gutaris Breeze" is a perfect example of this ambient trance. Subtitled "The Post-Club Sound of Britain", this aptly sums up the feeling which permeates this little round object. While not a 12" piece of vinyl, we'll excuse Music Club for this minor technicality and revel in the 4 am Brit-club atmosphere, coming down from the E-high of the last few hours. ARTIST LISTING: Doris Days, Kushti, Pnu Riff, Modaji, Jimi Tenor, John Beltran, Back 2 Earth, Receiver, Crazy Penis, Bim Sherman, Plaid --- REVIEW: Pissing Razors, _Pissing Razors_ (F.A.D. Records) - Paul Hanson Known for aggressive music, Texas makes another stab at being declared a hostile state. From Pantera to Skatenigs, from Miss Universe to Sufferance, from Frognot to Helen's Ready, Texas is one moshing musical state. The latest mosh pit entrant is Pissing Razors. In the same vein as Pantera and Sufferance, P.R. explode into "Dodging Bullets." Vocalist Joe Rodriquez is confrontational and in your face as he explains, "Made it thru the day, I didn't kill myself/ My gun was loaded, I'll point it at someone else/ I'll pull the trigger cause I'm not really sane/ I'm a mortal man, gotta stake my claim." And what a claim it is! Ferocious guitar and double bass interplay extract images of a damn good metal band cutting loose the shackles of a Slayer mosh pit. Add their recent European tour with Pro-Pain and you get the makings of a soon-to-be veteran band. As song titles like "Tortured," "Life of a Lunatic," and "World of Deceit" imply, P.R. is a band peeved at the world. Thankfully, that aggressiveness and hostility has been translated into excellent heavy metal. For further information, check out http://www.noiserecords.com --- NEWS: > Fans of Polly Jean Harvey will be happy that a website dedicated to the singer, located at http://pjh.org , is now working closer with her management as well as Island Records, and has plans to deliver numerous 'latest and hottest' information to all PJ Harvey fans. Further information is available at the website or at info@pjh.org --- TOUR DATES: Tori Amos / Devlins Aug. 17-18 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre Aug. 19 Orlando, FL Univ. Of Central Florida Aug. 21-22 Sunrise, FL Sunrise Musical Theatre Aug. 23 Tampa, FL USF Sun Dome Aug. 25 Nashville, TN Grand Ole Opry Bauhaus Aug. 17-18 San Francisco, CA Warfield Aug. 20 San Diego, CA Golden Hall Aug. 21 Las Vegas, NV Joint Aug. 24 Denver, CO Mammoth Events Center Beastie Boys Aug. 16 Montreal, QUE Molson Center Aug. 18 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills Aug. 20 Philadelphia, PA Core States Center Aug. 21 New York, NY Madison Square Garden Aug. 22 East Rutherford, NJ Continental Airlines Arena Aug. 24 Uniondale, NY Nassau Coliseum Aug. 25 Worcester, MA Worcester Centrum Blink 182 Aug. 17 Chicago, IL House of Blues Aug. 18 Minneapolis, MN Quest Club Aug. 19 Milwaukee, WI Rave Ballroom Aug. 20 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's Aug. 21 Columbus, OH Newport Music Aug. 22 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol Aug. 23 Cleveland, OH Odeon Concert Club Blue Oyster Cult Aug. 16 El Paso, TX Summerfest @ Fort Bliss Aug. 21 Pittsburgh, PA Wings Cook-Off Music Festival @ I.C. Light Amphitheatre Aug. 23 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Summer Jam '98 @ Ft. Lauderdale South Beach Park Chocolate Genius Aug. 19 Chicago, IL Schubas Aug. 21 Minneapolis, MN Zoo Aug. 22 Chicago, IL Metro Aug. 23 Detroit, MI State Theater Culture Club / Human League / Howard Jones Aug. 16 West Allis, WI Wisc. State Fair-Central Park Aug. 18 Nashville, TN Starwood Amphitheater Dakota Moon Aug. 16 Irving, TX Irving Mall Aug. 18 N. Little Rock, AR Mccain Mall Shopping Center Aug. 19 Wichita, KS Town West Square Mall Aug. 20 St. Louis, MO St. Louis Center Aug. 21 Omaha, NE Crossroads Mall Aug. 22 Flint, MI WWCK - Radio Show Dream Theatre / Deep Purple / Emerson, Lake and Palmer Aug. 17 Quebec, Canada L'Agora Aug. 18 Montreal, Canada Molson Ctr. Aug. 19 Toronto, Canada Molson Amph. Aug. 21 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center Aug. 22 Tinley Park, IL World Music Theater Aug. 23 Hinckley, MN Grand Casino Amph. Aug. 24 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amph. Flick Aug. 17 Kansas City, MO The Grand Emporium Aug. 18 Sedalia, MO Seventh Heaven Aug. 20 Little Rock, AR Smitty's Aug. 22 Kansas City, MO New Earth Coffee Shop Aug. 23 Nashville, TN Third And Front 242 Aug. 17 Cleveland, OH Odeon Aug. 19-20 Chicago, IL Cabaret Metro Aug. 21 Minneapolis, MN Quest Club Nanci Griffith (Newport Folk Festival) Aug. 16 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pav. Aug. 20 Noblesville, IN Deer Creek Aug. 21 Tinley Park, IL World Music Ctr. Aug. 22 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Aug. 23 Burgettstown, PA Star Lake HORDE Tour (Blues Traveler, Barenaked Ladies, Alana Davis, Ben Harper, and many others) Aug. 16 Atlanta, GA Georgia Int'l Horse Park Aug. 18 West Palm Beach, FL Coral Sky Amphitheater Aug. 19 Live Oak, FL Suwanee Park Aug. 20 Birmingham, AL Oak Mountain Amph. Aug. 22 Austin, TX South Park Meadows Aug. 23 Dallas, TX Starplex Amph. Aug. 25 Phoenix, AZ Desert Sky Pav. Irving Plaza (http://www.irvingplaza.com - New York concert hall) Aug. 19 My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult Aug. 20-21 Guster K's Choice Aug. 15 Philadelphia, PA Theater of Living Arts Aug. 17 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Aug. 18 New York, NY Shine Aug. 19 Hampton, VA Mill Point Park Paul Kelly Aug. 16 Washington, DC Metro Cafe Aug. 17 Annapolis, MD Ram's Head Tavern Aug. 18 Cambridge, MA Kendall Cafe Aug. 19 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Aug. 20 New York, NY Mercury Lounge Aug. 22 Los Angeles, CA Largo Lilith Fair Tour Aug. 15-16 Toronto, ON Molson Amph. Aug. 17 Buffalo, NY Darien Lake Perf. Arts Ctr. Aug. 19-20 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amph. Aug. 21 Minneapolis, MN Canterbury Park Aug. 23 Denver, CO Fiddler's Green One Minute Silence Aug. 18 New York, NY Coney Island High Aug. 21 Jackson Hts, NY Castle Heights Aug. 22 Uxbridge, MA Serendippity's Aug. 23 Elmira, NY Chuck Clarks Aug. 24 New York, NY Coney Island High Phish Aug. 15-16 Limestone, ME Lemonwheel Bonnie Raitt / Jackson Browne Aug. 24 Lenox, MA Tanglewood Music Theater Smokin' Groovies Tour (Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Wyclef Jean, Busta Rhymes, Gangstarr and more). Aug. 16 Concord, CA Concord Pav. Aug. 18 Seattle, WA Key Arena Aug. 21 Minneapolis, MN Target Center Aug. 22 St. Louis, MO Riverport Amp. Aug. 23 Noblesville, IN Deer Creek Music Ctr. Superdrag Aug. 16 Sacramento, CA Harlows Aug. 17 Santa Cruz, CA Palookaville Aug. 18 San Francisco, CA Slim's Aug. 20 Santa Barbara, CA Coach House Aug. 21 W. Hollywood, CA Troubadour Aug. 22 San Diego, CA Brick by Brick Vast Aug. 16 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's Aug. 18 Toronto, Canada Horseshoe Tavern Aug. 20 Portland, ME Asylum Aug. 21 Boston, MA Middle East Aug. 22 Providence, RI The Met Cafe Aug. 24 Philadelphia, PA Nick's Aug. 25 New York, NY Elbo Room Verve Aug. 17 Seattle, WA Mercer Arena Wilco Aug. 16 Washington, DC Nissan Pavilion Aug. 20 Indianapolis, IN Deer Creek Aug. 21 Chicago, IL The World Aug. 22 Detroit, MI Pine Knob Aug. 23 Pittsburgh, PA Star Lake --- 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 (Delphi) Music Fandom forum; GO ENT MUSIC 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". 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