==== ISSUE 152 ==== CONSUMABLE ======== [September 2, 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: Korn, _Follow the Leader_ - Sean Eric McGill CONCERT REVIEW: V98 Festival (Stereophonics, Seahorses, Morcheeba, Polly Jean Harvey, Ian Brown, Charlatans, St. Etienne, Green Day, Iggy Pop, Verve and more) Leeds, England - Tim Kennedy REVIEW: Rancid, _Life Won't Wait_ - Eric Hsu REVIEW: Shudder to Think, _High Art_ - Chelsea Spear REVIEW: Plastiscene, _Seeing Stars_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: Cracker, _Gentleman's Blues_ - Tracey Bleile REVIEW: Richard Buckner, _Since_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: Sinead Lohan, _No Mermaid_ - Dan Aloi REVIEW: Rob Zombie, _Hellbilly Deluxe_ - Sean Eric McGill REVIEW: Local H, _Pack Up The Cats_ - Jason Cahill REVIEW: Howard Jones, _People_ - Paul Hanson REVIEW: Tommy Keene, _Songs from the Film_ - Joann D. Ball REVIEW: John Hiatt, _The Best Of John Hiatt_ - Reto Koradi REVIEW: Culture Club, _Storytellers/Greatest Hits_ - Paul Hanson REVIEW: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, _Best Of_ - Scott Slonaker NEWS: Punk O Rama , Smoke City, A Tribe Called Quest TOUR DATES: Tori Amos / Devlins, Anthrax / Grinspoon, Bauhaus, Beastie Boys, Candlebox, Connells, Creed / Fuel / Finger Eleven, Dakota Moon, Fear Factory, Flick, HORDE Tour, Massive Attack / Lewis Parker, Metallica / Jerry Cantrell / Days of the New, Bob Mould / Varnaline, One Minute Silence, Vast, Wilco, Josh Wink Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: Korn, _Follow the Leader_ (Immortal/Epic) - Sean Eric McGill Of all the interesting changes that we've seen in music in the nineties, Korn has been the one that has probably interested me the most. Sony marketed the band with the intriguing tag line of "Time to Vent", but nothing would have prepared me for what I heard on the album. I've often said that if Anthony Hopkins was the personification of evil in Silence of the Lambs, then Korn's sound on their debut was the personification of pure anger, leaning heavily towards hatred. Needless to say, I liked it a lot. Then came 1996's _Life Is Peachy_ , which clocked in at number three on my own top five that year. And while I did like it as much as I did the debut, I also noted that Korn should be careful to try the same structure a third time, lest they come to look like a one-trick pony of sorts. So, I eagerly awaited _Follow the Leader_ for a couple of reasons. One, I just wanted to hear some new Korn, and two, I wanted to see if my prophecy had come to pass. Well, it hasn't. Of course, the album still sounds like Korn, but it's a different Korn sound - more experimental than in the past. With assists from Ice Cube, Tre Hardson from Pharcyde and Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit, Korn brings more of a - and I really hesitate to say this, but I can't think of how else to put it - hip-hop sound to the album. Nowhere is this more evident than on "Cameltosis", which features Hardson solo through most of the verses over a rolling bassline, just begging from someone to take an 808 to it and turn it into a remix. Ice Cube's contribution, "Children of the Korn" is a passable attempt to meld the two genres, but it doesn't seem to progress much farther than the catchy title. But with Cube going on the road with Korn for their "Family Values" tour this fall, it should be interesting to see what other collaborations the two can come up with. But perhaps the most interesting is when Durst and Korn vocalist Jonathan Davis square off against one another on "All in the Family". Imagine the rap showdowns of the early eighties between the likes of Kool Moe Dee and others, but with guitars and a little more brutal, with shots being taken at each other's appearance and their respective talents. It's much more fun than similar tracks from _Life is Peachy_ , where shock value was the key element to adding a lighter touch to the album. More highlights on the album include "Pretty", which counts as the overt child abuse song on the album, or, as a friend of mine puts it the "someone touched my area" song. If you heard the first two albums, you know that child abuse played a major role in the lyrical content, and perhaps Jonathan Davis can be believed when he said in a recent interview that he has "exorcised a lot of demons" on the first two albums. This album is certainly more engaging musically than the previous two, partly due to the wealth of experimentation the band uses in getting their music across. Other tracks of note include the first single "Got the Life", the epic closer "My Gift to You" and my own personal favorite "Reclaim My Place". And don't stop the CD after "My Gift to You", otherwise you'll miss Korn's version of "Earache My Eye" - complete with guest vocals from Cheech Marin. _Follow the Leader_ is Korn's best effort to date, and the perfect way to bring what has been an absolutely brutal summer to a close. --- CONCERT REVIEW: V98 Festival, Leeds, England - Tim Kennedy The V98 Festival - run by Richard Branson's Virgin Corporation - covered a good spread of talent old and new - mostly from the UK. The organisation was pretty good and the Leeds site was not too remote to cause access problems yet was rural enough to provide sufficient space for the vast crowds attending and in many cases camping at the festival. Security was efficient yet not heavyhanded, as certain other English festivals have been in recent years, and likewise policing was light - I didn't see a single uniform inside the site all weekend and no-one was arrested anywhere near me. The crowd were very relaxed too, and in great humour. Day 1: Sunny Stereophonics reproduced their excellent debut album onstage to perfection. However it is much more satisfying to hear a band who can make their back catalogue work for them by reinterpreting their old songs. There is no doubt the Welshmen are one of the premier rock acts in the UK, but they should check out their countrymen Manic Street Preachers to see a band generate something unique whenever they play. In the meantime, theirs was definitely one of the better performances of the weekend. It will be interesting to see what they will sing about on the next album, having now transcended their previous small town subject matter. Theaudience singer Sophie plays Barbie Doll in a black dress to the hilt, and went down quite well with the crowd at the NME Stage. The band do a reasonable line in Blondie-style power pop to help advance her claims to the vacant throne of La Harry. Sadly they still have some way to go in terms of strong material. They are OK but not great, however persistence could pay off in the long term although some may find her presentation a tad to clinical for their taste. Republica are an act some may find very irritating. A large degree of their show is generated by backing tapes, leaving the drummer, underemployed guitarist and a very busy synth/tape operator to fill in, whilst the admittedly vivacious and pretty Saffron exuded much energy and bounced around like an 'indie' Janet Jackson. Her lyrics are cliched in the extreme, It is beyond belief that a supposedly serious rock act in the late 1990s can without a shred of irony use phrases like "Ready To Go" or "Drop Dead Gorgeous" in a song. Despite the rapturous reception by the Leeds crowd one couldn't help feeling that much of what they performed had been prepared months ago in the safety of the studio and that we'd been cheated. If one is pleasantly stoned and relaxing in convivial company, the reggae music made by Morcheeba is probably quite the kind of thing to listen to. Their female singer, whilst having a bewildering sense of style, is quite sweet and friendly. However their material is a bit too much of the same thing. Whilst being reasonable, they end up making you realise that there is actually some great reggae music about - but this isn't it. Polly Jean Harvey has had her ups and downs, but her set was a stunning return to form. She played fierce psych blues filled with the devil, sex and madness, a truly manic lady preacher. She truly challenged her audience's preconceptions of what rock music should be about with a fiery yet happy glint in her eye and grim themes that we hear precious little of these days. The material was mostly new, with only "To Bring You My Love" recognisable to this writer. For someone who supposedly hates performing live, she looked absolutely terrific by the end. Ian Brown walked a fine line between 'dying' onstage and providing a fascinating performance. His voice was out of sorts as it has been since the final stages of the Stone Roses, and he looked as before like a dosser in his zipped up anorak and hat, marching on the spot in a disturbing fashion. Then he opened with Hendrix's "Little Wing", his slick sidemen demonstrating superb skills, and left many a jaw slack with amazement as to why the choice. The rest of the material came from the solo album and he sounded more vengeful than ever, though fading out on occasion. His adoring legion of fans cheered him to the echo and roared along to the lyrics, a somewhat bizarre sight when faced with such a diffident and almost autistic figurehead. His songs are quite strong - especially when performed by such good musicians - and at times show a soulful touch, but the negativity of the lyrics lead one to wonder what he will write about when he gets over being abandoned by John Squire - which, incidentally, was more than two years ago. The Charlatans' set was the climax of the first night and showed how in their element this band are in a stadium. Their polished performance wowed the thousands massed before the main stage. The only downside was that perhaps the anarchy that is part of true psych music has gone out of the Charlatans forever, now that they are one of the top-grossing acts in Europe. One wonders where the band can go from here. Day 2: Raining Swedish band Whale had the unenviable task of vibing up a wet Leeds Sunday early afternoon, but by golly they set about the task with enthusiasm. Their small, long dark haired female singer has presence and charm, and the lads backing her delivered a competent rock barrage. They got a good rapport going with the medium-sized crowd at the front of the main stage and the very tall guitarist launched himself from a considerable height into the crowd below which drew warm applause too. Smiler delivered a set of fairly anonymous garage fare. Superstar's connections to the Teenage Fan Club go further than just that they are Scottish and are friends - their set was similar the TFC of a couple of albums ago. They were reasonably melodic in a Neil Young kind of way, and liked to solo in the time-honoured Crazy Horse manner. Sadly their lead singer (Joe McAlinden) is short, fat and ugly; and he and his high pitched voice seem bizarrely paired. Without any charisma, they will remain well adrift of the goal that their name implies. The Montrose Avenue are a competent bunch who in all respects take their cue from the late 60s West Coast guitar bands, with nods to worthies such as the Byrds, the Association and Love. The problem is that this path has been well trodden by R.E.M. and latterly Tim Finn and his old group Crowded House. It takes an extremely good set of tunes to compete with that lot and TMA aren't there yet. They do make for a pleasant hour's listening however and they've certainly got the clothes and hair right. Well, you've got to start somewhere. Gomez are much touted in some quarters as this season's contenders. However it will take more than what sound like outtakes from Boo Radleys 1993 _Giant Steps_ album to convince the cynics. They started brightly enough with a puff of coloured smoke and a whiff of psych guitar but sadly degenerated into directionless guitar meanderings set to an amateurish reggae beat. Vocals are performed in turn by most members, one of whom sounds like a drunk (i.e. more than usual) Jim Morrison circa _Morrison Hotel_ . Chumbawamba proved that they really only have one song worth bothering with, and that has worn out its welcome after a year or so. A timely reminder was then forthcoming from the father of punk rock Iggy Pop (he started it all back in the 60s, you know) to the young and foolish on how to do the deed. He danced like a demon, sang his heart out, his band rocked like a rocking thing on a very rocky day, and he even insulted the crowd heartily, much to everyone's pleasure and amusement. All favourites were present and most disorderly, plus a few more this writer (admittedly not a big fan up till now) didn't recognise. Green Day gave the most amusing set of the weekend. They took the main stage by storm, with their very derivative material but highly entertaining style. Anyone who has seen GD in operation will recall the following : indecency, drum bonfires, smashed equipment, much running around and crowd invasions (by the band). They livened up a rather soggy crowd, and were most spectacular if a little pantomimesque. Cynics may remain unconvinced by the music, especially those who saw rather too many such also-ran punk outfits during the tail end of the 70s. St Etienne are really an elaborate joke played on gullible pop-pickers. Singer Sarah Cracknell's style takes precociousness to lengths not seen outside of junior school musical productions. Her sidekicks are music paper journalists who obviously kill themselves laughing in private. Their ditties are recycled 70s naffness personified. You keep expecting her to burst into "I've Got A Brand New Pair Of Rollerskates" a la Melanie. Her carefully groomed appearance - long blonde hair and white suit, is one strange sight in a crowded muddy field outside Leeds. But they've been at it so long now (8 years if you include their first single which didn't feature Cracknell) with their clever-clever titles and fey semi-tunes that they're now accepted as old timers on the music scene. A bit of a waste of everyone's time, their critics would say. They would never catch on in the U.S. (Ed. Note: Sub Pop sure hopes they do!), where such inconsequential fare would be seen for what it is. Rearrange the words 'clothes', 'emperors' and 'new' to form an appropriate phrase. Seahorses were the highlight of the weekend. The band took the stage to exultation from the thousands at the main stage and did not disappoint. Former Stone Rose John Squire demonstrated what it is to be the only cult guitar hero in an 'indie' band. He paraded in psychedelic finery (the same stuff he's always worn, as is his floppy fringe). He soloed a la Page. He strutted up and down the stage with consummate arrogance. Chris Helms voice was in superb form and he also looked cool and confident with cropped hair and smart casual attire. He had his solo spot with an acoustic guitar and passed with flying colours. The new material sounded great and the stuff off the last album sounded so much better live. They strike a superb balance between the pure pop of Squire's early days in the Roses and the rock guitar machismo that he developed latterly. The band look set to be the best band in Britain, especially in the light of subsequent events on this night... Tonight's headliner was to be the glorious highlight of Verve's astonishing year and a half in which they have outstripped their friends Oasis to become the top UK rock act. But instead, the departure of guitarist Nick McCabe looks to have wrecked everything. Ashcroft took the stage looking even more mournful than usual - but now he really has something to look upset about. The quality of his singing was not in question, but the absence of lead guitar and the predominance of the slide guitar in its place left the Verve's set sounding bedraggled. They began with the more spaced out and ambient tracks from _Urban Hymns_ , emphasising the lowkey performance further. The crowd had clearly looked forward to seeing them, stood ardently by their campfires in the gloom and mud, and would not be robbed their moment, so their reaction was still adulatory, but it was clear to anyone but a blind fanatic that the Seahorses had blown them off stage. Sure enough the following day Ashcroft announced that Verve were to split (again). All in all then a good festival, with some ups and downs but some clear pointers as to who to watch in the next few months. It wasn't possible to see everyone - James Brown made an appearance as did Catatonia and the Jesus & Mary Chain plus many more, but sadly I couldn't catch up with them. --- REVIEW: Rancid, _Life Won't Wait_ (Epitaph) - Eric Hsu "What you are about to hear may well revolutionize your way of thinking," begins Rancid's new record (recalling NWA's album opener "You are about to witness the power of street knowledge!" ), before the single "Bloodclot" charges in the door. On the first listenings, it sounds like just another recent Rancid song: dual vocals, energy to spare, big chorus singalongs, and "Hoover Street" follows with a fuzzed up intro that promises more of the same old, and suddenly the song becomes, dare I say it, delicate. Sure, the song kicks in with loud guitar chorus, but these sound halfhearted somehow, and it's the hypnotic and quiet "it's a glass pipe murder" phrase that stays with you. And the chorus singing "oh yeah!" actually sounds tempered with sadness about drug abuse and not the wall of marching soldiers chanting of "Salvation". It's enough to take the edge off of Lint Armstrong's annoyingly stylized slurring (has it gotten worse?!) which turns relatively passionate words into a big glob of spit. Consistently great singing from Lars helps too, as well as guest vocals from a lineup of (presumably) from ska and dancehall all-stars (from the Specials, Hepcat, Buju Banton, even the Mighty Mighty Bosstones! ) scattered throughout. I'm not qualified to judge their credibility, but their presence uniformly adds variety and texture to the record. And, I find the pseudo-authentic stylings of old-school ska and dancehall here to be way more appealing and bearable than the toiling masses of punk-ska bands, probably because I don't personally have any notions of ska-authenticity and just listen to the pretty sounds. And of course the playing is sharp throughout and the singing gravelly and energetic. Despite the opening warning of a revolution, this record traces an evolutionary path. After "Hoover Street" Rancid serves up a great string of songs that progressively strays from their mastered _Out Come the Wolves_ sound: "Black Lung", words spilling out dreaming of a workers revolt and the end of day; "Life Won't Wait", a medium paced ska with the chant "the vision is a new world order" (I think) which implants itself into your brain; "New Dress", a rather pretty song... bellowing vocals backed with restrained guitar and vocals; "Warsaw", Rancid doing a Pogues song (not literally); "Hooligans", another infectious speedy ska song busting into "Crane Fist", the most hypnotic and looping and unusual and braingrabbing song on the record. "Leicester Square" finishes off a great run of music with energy and a great sounding guitar riff - Rickenbackers, according to the press release. Most of the second half of the record hasn't grabbed me nearly as much as the first. "Backslide" and "Who Would've Thought" are huge letdowns after the great run. "WWT" sounds like a rewrite of "Ruby Soho" minus the excitement and even the pretense of street poetry. The snare sounds good, at least. Anyway, you'll probably get to judge for yourself since I have a horrible feeling they're going to release this song as a single. Then follow "Cocktails", pretty ordinary; "The Wolf", as little of a departure from the last record as the title suggests; and "1998" could have been an average Rancid song in 1994. "Wrongful Suspicion" is a bit better with return to a ska sound, but then follow a string of unobjectionable songs ending with Lint's vocal at its irritating worst in "Corozon de Oro". "Coppers" seems like a weak and weary end to a long affair. It's probably made worse by Long Record Syndrome- 22 songs is a lot to handle - but I do think the second half is not as strong, interesting, memorable, or good as the first. The only standout song for me from the second half is "Cash Culture and Violence" which proves that if you start with a great title, take Matt Freeman playing his usual precise and ornate bass, annoying vocals saved with a brilliant sounding echo, and toss in a chorus that makes your heart soar, it doesn't matter if you can't understand the words, it could be just a jumble of protest-type words and phrases, but it rocks. I prefer to imagine that Rancid released a brilliant single record (the first ten tracks) which ends with "Cash Culture and Violence", and then threw in eleven bonus tracks. And, thanks to the magic of CD programming, you can imagine it too, --- REVIEW: Shudder to Think, _High Art_ (Velvel/Bottom Line) - Chelsea Spear Shudder to Think create music that demands attention. Their blend of raucous grunge guitar, primal rhythm and operatic vocals high-pitched enough to make Pavoratti cross his legs makes for great theatre, but isn't exactly the kind of thing you'd expect to hear as a film score. So it was anyone's guess what director Lisa Cholodenko was thinking when she cast the theatrical trio as the braintrust behind the score for her hallucinatory and disarmingly fresh examination of the art world, _High Art_. Surprisingly enough, StT pull off their star turn with admirable aplomb. However, in listening to the score for _High Art_, you'd hardly guess that this is the same power trio whose spectacular live sets opening for Pavement breathed new life into the intriguing but much-maligned genre of psychedelic prog rock. Instead of taking the velvety approach that first turned heads, score artists Craig Wedren and Nathan Larsen don a slinkier coat and use a trip hop-influenced manse to provide the background music for the film. Thus, their extensive contributions to the _High Art_ soundtrack bear more resemblance to Luna's use of pure, droney guitar riffs set to a loping drum loop on their most recent album, _Pup Tent_, than to any of Shudder's previous musical output. However, where Luna's sound is more crystalline and dispassionate, Shudder's music suggests someone strung out in the corner, heavy eyelids lowering; someone who once cared, but can't bring themselves to feel anything anymore. Perfect music for a movie whose molasses-slow pacing and limpid, burgundy-tinted cinematography gives a shimmering exterior for someone trying to kick their craving for horse, but can't help but feel seduced by the sublime numbness it offers. --- REVIEW: Plastiscene, _Seeing Stars_ (Mojo/Universal) - Chris Hill The Dandy Warhols' were touted by Rolling Stone as "the best British group to come from America". Well, not anymore. LA band Plastiscene appropriates the crown with cocksure ease. Maybe they have an unfair advantage - British-born singer Roger Gisborne oozes a 90s Ziggy Stardust air, all impertinent style and confident swagger. However, the six-member band rates high on musicianship as well. Fuzzed-out guitars, a tight percussive backbone, & lively organ/keyboards combine for a thickly-layered opus. Gisborne, the primary writer for the group, has a knack for short, bursting couplets: "You'll go down/Boy, you'll live underground/Yeah, you live in today/It's the American way" on the first single, "Lemon Yellow". The terse, infectious lyrics are quickly ingrained in the consciousness. "What are you gonna do? What are you gonna say? When it all comes down to you?" ("Sundial") - personal awareness is a strong theme on the record ("Who Are You", "Big Wheel"), but there's room for pure fun, as well. The effervescent "Around the World" has a Herman's Hermits/Beatles lively joy to it. "On Your Own Time" hits the Oasis target squarely on the head, while "Times Don't Change" has a vocal hook vastly superior to the _Dawson's Creek_ theme. In keeping with 60s influences, _Seeing Stars_ also has its share of psychedelic imagery ("Super girl is scary green", "The superglue man with the shiny hand", "When the spaceship lands/You know I'm going on"), yet the album avoids foolishness or parody. If they aren't huge within the year, it's the result of a market glut. I actually wanted to dislike the band on first listen - they're accomplished and precise, with a maturity that belies their youth. But with every listen, a euphoric glow sparked and flamed, upon recognition of a consistency I haven't heard since School of Fish's _Human Cannonball_. Much credit must go to producer Rich Costey for crafting such a cohesive release. As Kelly LeBrock said, "Don't hate me because I'm beautiful". Okay. There's plenty of room at the table for another good band. Give Plastiscene a chance. Set a place and crank the amp to 11. --- REVIEW: Cracker, _Gentleman's Blues_ (Virgin) - Tracey Bleile The master of sad, ironic humor has come back to the campfire to spin his yarns about the unkind and highly amusing thing that is David Lowery's alter-ego life. Yup, Cracker's back. And they've brought a whole circus with them. Lowery is the hobo clown, scary and funny once more and he's got Don Smith as his ringleader, back in as producer/engineer. What's resulted is a glowing patch of swampfire for us to stumble onto in the dark with _Gentleman's Blues_. Lowery's back with his own brand of sneaky savagery after doing it someone else's way (1996's _The Golden Age_) which drills the industry in the bitterest and best track on the disc, "Star". "Gonna make you a star../We'll blow you through the door/into a million bits / We'll even sample it/That's how we'll make a hit/And make you a star..." Insert one chill down one spine here. The current Cracker state of things draws on the circus analogy of long roads and freak shows on more than one track, and it's no cute Barnum & Bailey big top...more like the carnival from "Something Wicked This Way Comes". Do you dare peek between your fingers at the "unholy circus camp...a drunken trapeze act" featuring many guest musicians on the first single "The Good Life"? Do you dare ride the psycho-calliope brawl of "I Want Out of the Circus"? Get on kids, there's more where that came from. It's easy to forget you're screaming your head off when you're laughing at the same time... There are touches of hootenanny, gritty Southern twang and a fair amount of desert rock to be found all through _Gentleman_. Johnny Hickman, faithful guitar player and rodeo clown keeps the wild animals moving in a circle and not escaping to eat the audience. The tasty swamp blues (the smoldering title track) with more than an edge of gospel ("Lullabye" and the mercifully easy-to-get-to hidden track) gives him a place to stretch out. A lot of the mid-tempo stuff is way more accessible and bouncy like mid-era Camper Van and earlier Cracker, and much more readily enjoyable, "Waiting For You Girl" and "Wild One" keeps the show on the road. I would even venture so far as to say he could have pulled "I Hate My Generation" from _Golden Age_, replaced one of the more repetitive numbers that does drag this release a bit ("The World Is Mine" is a pale imitation of "Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now"), and probably could have dispensed with the previous album altogether. But that's what you get when you take a clown out of his element and try and make him be the star of the show. But leave it to him to make it his own show once again, it is as it should be; part sideshow, part revival meeting, all entertaining. --- REVIEW: Richard Buckner, _Since_ (MCA Records) - Chris Hill "Faith, hope and courage, all that, it's a scam to keep people on their toes. I don't believe in any of that; what happens happens, and that's it", said Richard Buckner in an interview with William S. Burroughs. This resigned fatalism underscores the simple beauty prominent throughout his impressive third album, which mines the country, folk, and alternative veins with polydextrous ease. There's a cathartic quality to the soul-baring honesty unapologetically bleeding from Buckner's words: "All cure and comfort/Where's the bed I called you for?" ("Hand @ the Hem"), "Honey, I can hear your heart from here/It hasn't always seemed to be the truth that lays us down/Well, the truth is tonight I truly want you/But I'll still slip away somehow" ("Jewelbomb"). We sympathize with the pain in the words, and perversely, experience pleasure through the music. The 16 songs are divided almost equally between lush and spare instrumentation. Some ("Slept", "Boys, The Night Will Bury You") evoke deep South back-porch sing-a-longs, while others ("Goner w/ Souvenir", "Jewelbomb", and the viscerally powerful opener "Believer") employ a full-band sound. There's no awkwardness in this - Buckner's comfortable in both arenas. Depending on the mood, his voice is rough-hewn then fragile, tender then merciless, a whisper then a roar. Listen with headphones. Small sonic gifts are scattered through the record: an eerie, slithering stereo effect opens and closes "Coursed", a wood block clocks in on "Believer", strings swell on "10-Day Room", bongo drums keep time on "Lucky Buzz". Buckner's previous efforts, _Bloomed_ and _Devotion + Doubt_ made multiple "year-end best" lists. Odds are good _Since_ will make it a threepeat. --- REVIEW: Sinead Lohan, _No Mermaid_ (Interscope) - Dan Aloi Sinead who? At first I was skeptical about this Irish singer-songwriter's American debut, given the hype she's received. And not just in the press clips -- the fates were somehow determined to make me hear this album. I was handed a 2-song sampler by a Lilith Fair vendor a few weeks ago (a date she wasn't on the tour, by the way), then I had an advance album to review. (The fully finished product arrived a few days ago.) Once I had the advance CD, I kind of half-listened, warily. No response. A few days later, I'm working around the house, taping a Neil Young album. After Neil, Sinead creeps on the changer. And... Wow. "I am no mermaid, I am no mermaid..." Lohan's voice carries over waves of distant drums and guitar strums on the opener; the oceanic folk is a nicely atmospheric but forceful background. The song seems to be a statement of empowerment. Joan Baez even sang it on the recent Newport Folk Festival tour, an endorsement of this young Irish talent. Lohan and producer Malcolm Burn must have sensed that it could become tiresome if all the songs sounded like this, so they mix it up. So "Loose Ends" is a cabaret blues, while other tracks use just voice and guitar to stark effect. Percussion and keyboards layer into a modern femme-rock arrangement (in terms of beats), on "Hot On Your Trail." A lot of the advance word had her compared to that other Sinead, but to me, Lohan's singing and songs are closer to Suzanne Vega, particularly on "What Can Never Be," a plainly arranged ballad of powerful emotion that doesn't need the angry-grrrl treatment to get its point across. At the end of the album, "Diving to Be Deeper" has a fun, new wave beat, a nice poppy little summer single on its own, a further reward for listening. Sinead Lohan has all the artistic vision and personal grit of Vega, the grandeur of fellow Celt Van Morrison, and the incise mastery of words and music of a Richard Thompson or a Paul Kelly. And did I say hype? Damned if it's not deserved. I'm going to turn my 15-year-old daughter on to Sinead Lohan -- the most promising voice from the British Isles I've heard, at least since Beth Orton and _Trailer Park_ . --- REVIEW: Rob Zombie, _Hellbilly Deluxe_ (Geffen) - Sean Eric McGill Rob Zombie has become the Roger Corman (or Fred Olen Ray, the choice is yours) of rock music. The music of White Zombie and his new solo album _Hellbilly Deluxe_ have the same sort of schlock to them that makes them the sonic equivalent of a B-Movie. There's something to the overall spookiness of it that makes you realize that the music (or its creator) isn't taking itself all that seriously, so why should you? At least, that's what I hope. Because if Rob Zombie isn't the freaked-out carnival barker that he seems to be and is truly serious about not just his music, but its lyrical content, he might well be headed into a claymation deathmatch ring to challenge Marilyn Manson for the title of "Most Evil Man Alive". _Hellbilly Deluxe_, Zombie's first solo album, is full of song titles like "Demonoid Phenomenon" and "The Ballad of Resurrection Joe and Rosa Whore", and my own personal favorite "Dragula" (named after Grandpa Munster's car). And even without the actual band White Zombie (save for drummer John Tempesta), Rob Zombie and fellow producer Scott Humphrey put together a band and a sound that adds a more industrial flavor to Zombie's past efforts, but still maintains the core that lets you know who the creator is. Outside of Tempesta, the lineup for the album is fairly simple, including Charlie Clouser and Danny Lohner from Nine Inch Nails and Prisoner No. 896876 himself, Tommy Lee, who plays on "Meet the Creeper" and "Resurrection Joe". And now, here's the problem. This is the part in the review that you usually use to describe the sound of a band. But the biggest problem I've always had with White Zombie, and am having again with _Hellbilly Deluxe_, is that I've never been able to pin down what it was about their sound that I liked so much. It is a full, rich mixture of different genres (mainly hard rock and industrial) that I particularly enjoy, but perhaps the concept of the band struck me as much more interesting. And the concept that Zombie started with the band White Zombie continues here with _Hellbilly Deluxe_ . Much like the old A.I.P. pictures like The Raven with Vincent Price (or newer A.I.P. fare like Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers with Linnea Quigley), _Hellbilly Deluxe_ delivers cheap thrills that don't really leave any lasting substance behind with them. Of course, that's not bad - that's what entertainment is for sometimes. Not every song on every album by every band should be loaded with deep meaning, and I just hope these songs aren't. Then, I would be truly frightened. --- REVIEW: Local H, _Pack Up The Cats_ (Island) - Jason Cahill When Local H released their breakthrough album, _As Good As Dead_, two things happened. First, the song "Bound For The Floor" pushed the word 'copacetic' back into the pop culture lexicon and, more importantly, attention was called to a band equally adept in creating both hard rock diatribes and softer, more acoustic based songs. "High-Fiving MF" and "Eddie Vedder" fell on opposite ends of the musical spectrum, but fit nicely on that album, a diverse and eclectic hodgepodge of sound. The only question which remained was which direction the band would take with their next effort. Well, with the recent release of _Pack Up The Cats_, Local H have provided us with the answer, showing that a perverse maturity does indeed fester behind the band's hardened exterior. _Pack Up The Cats_, the third release from the Chicago based duo, seems to be a more cohesive album than 1995's _Hamfisted_ and more focused than _As Good As Dead_ . The album opens with the band's concert staple "All-Right (Oh, Yeah)", a noisy rocker with Local H's trademark blend of overpowering drums and nonsensical lyrics. From there, it's on to the pure unfiltered rock of "'Cha!' Said The Kitty" and "Hit The Skids Or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Rock", both laced with Local H's effective blend of cynical sarcasm and testosterone filled beats. But, unlike on their debut album, _Hamfisted_, the band shows their maturity here by switching moods, playing with styles and trying their hardest to make an album that screams of diversity and musical growth. It works. "Lead Pipe Cinch" is nothing short of breathtaking in its pure stripped down simplicity, "Stoney" is an instrumental which takes its cue from Van Halen's "1984" (the song, not the album), eventually leading into one of the album's better songs, "Laminate Man", a straight rocker which owes more to Chris Mars than perhaps Local H would care to admit. Lyrically, Local H are the same playful bunch they've always been. There are times when the album's lyrics are completely nonsensical ("sickle cell anemia, carpal tunnel and bulemia") and downright strange ("I don't know where I'm at / I think I killed my cat"); word phrasings which give one the impression that Local H are somewhere laughing hysterically at what passes for lyrics these days. Yet start to write them off as lyrical hacks and Local H will begin to surprise. Because underneath all the inside jokes and utter silliness, the band can be downright touching. From the gentle beauty of "Lead Pipe Cinch" ("something in my mind won't let my heart and head and mouth connect") to the simplistic, yet dead-on "All The Kids Are Right" ("All the kids, they hold a grudge, you fail them and they won't forget it"). Like the Replacements before them, Local H have discovered that a sense of humor coupled with a sarcastic irony can be a wonderful thing. In all, _Pack Up The Cats_ represents the maturation of Local H's sound. It's an album filled with the band's blend of playful sarcasm, hyperactive energy and, in its simplest form, fierce melodic rock. --- REVIEW: Howard Jones, _People_ (Ark 21) - Paul Hanson As an 80s child, I grew up with Jones' syrupy synthpop songs. "No One Is To Blame" always seemed to be on the radio, blasting through the speakers at the roller rink and even the local record stores. Then, magically, I grew up. Jones' dominance on the American Top 40 dried up like ice in the desert as words like "grunge" and "Seattle sound" took over. I didn't mourn Jones losing his status as a major player in the 80s pop scene - - I barely noticed his absense or the absense of bands like Culture Club and Human League, two other 80s bands that have released "new" releases. So, on holding the 1998 release _People_ from Howard Jones, I expected an 80s sounding disc, with fluffy vocals and silly synthesizers puncturing Jones' appealing voice. This is, though, definitely a 90s disc with sophisticated drum programming, outstanding background vocals and a scorching electric guitar on disc opener "You're the Buddah." The next track, "Tomorrow is Now" screams out "Top 40 comeback!" to programmers willing to give qualified songs a chance. "Everything" dips into a reggae groove while "If you love" - which gives me goosebumps - is the closest Jones gets to his "No One Is To Blame" vein. What strikes me most about this disc is Jones' unpredictablility. My preconceived idea of "Wedding Song" was a full-blown drippy ballad. Jones takes the words of a could-be ballad and puts them into a mid-tempo track with success: "I need you to help me to find the strength to walk with me all through my life/ my lover, my husband, my wife/ Share this journey with me/ Write our story with me" are some of the great lyrics here. This disc surprised me a great deal. I am equally surprised with how often I find it in my CD player while other discs find less air time. --- REVIEW: Tommy Keene, _Songs from the Film_ (Geffen) - Joann D. Ball More than ten years after its initial issuance, Geffen Records has finally released Tommy Keene's major label debut _Songs From the Film_ on compact disc. For those who have treasured Keene's unique brand of power pop since the record's critically acclaimed 1986 release, having _SongsFrom the Film_ on CD is a wish come true. Finally, there's no need to worry about how to replace a well-worn vinyl or cassette copy of what was a hard-to-find musical gem. After relishing _Songs_ on disc, one can only hope that a re-release of Keene's second and final long-player for Geffen, 1989's stellar _Based on Happy Times_, is also planned. Even though the CD revolution was well underway when _Based on Happy Times_ hit music stores, few discs turned up in the racks because Keene was dropped from the major label around the same time. But let's go back to the mid-1980s, when the snap, crackle and pop of records was a common experience, when portable cassette players were still somewhat new and when college radio was energing from campus basements. Back then, Tommy Keene was hearalded as The Next Big Thing and it seemed as though a pop revolution was just around the corner. Coming out of the same Southeastern U.S. scene as college radio faves R.E.M. and Let's Active, Keene attracted a host of major labels majors by virtue of the strength of the EP's _Places That Are Gone_ and _Back Again (Try)_, his two releases on North Carolina's Dolphin Records. Geffen eventually signed Keene, and recognizing that his sound was descended from the classic pop of the Beatles, sent him and his band off to Beatles' producer George Martin's Air Studios in Montserrat to record. The magical result was _Songs From the Film_, produced by the Fab Four's old engineer Geoff Emerick, who captured the essence of Keene and company's sound and the spirit of unfettered and straightforward pop. The record's title itself is Keene's nod to his Liverpudlian forefathers' influences as it refers to the way the movie soundtracks to "Help" and "Hard Day's Night" were prefaced by the unforgettable phrase "Songs From the Film." Listening to it now, it's not too hard to figure out why there was much talk about Keene and the heightened anticipation about the release of _Songs_. Keene's unmistakable pure powerpop stood out amidst the New Wave of the period and recalled a pre-MTV era when songs were memorable without the aid of a video. Keene's sincere and emotional vocal presence is wrapped in and around irresistible melodies and textured, chiming guitars on songs like the opener "Places That Are Gone," "In Our Lives," "Call on Me" and "As Life Goes By." And as the record's first US single, the bass and beat driven swirls of "Listen to Me" put Keene on the airwaves of hip commercial FM stations and cool college stations. Remember how great "Places" sounded next to David & David's "Welcome to the Boomtown" and 'til Tuesday's "What About Love," two other great singles from stellar 1986 releases? The 1998 version of _Songs From the Film_ features 21 tracks, including the original 12 cuts (slightly altered here by the previously unreleased "Take Back Your Letters" slipped in as track #11) plus bonus songs. Resurfacing here are five of the six cuts (minus the live version of "Kill Your Sons") from the _Run Now EP_, which was released almost a year after the long-player. The song "Run Now" has the electricity and charge that has always been one of Keene's most distinctive features, and the stories that are "Back Again" and "They're In Their Own World" capture the quirks of relationships and friendships. Rounding out the musical flashback are three other previously unreleased tracks including the cover of The Flamin' Groovies' "Teenage Head", which Keene and his band often performed live. The resurrected and enhanced version of _Songs From the Film_ has a musical flow that takes the listener on a memorable sonic journey. It works amazingly well, because it has an inherent balance between Keene's softer introspective songs like "Underworld" and "The Story Ends" and more aggressive and upstart assaults from that are "Papaer Words and Lies" and "Gold Town." Geffen was wise to release _Songs_ in such a way that it captures a critical moment in Keene's career and in pop music history. While one wonders what would have happened if Geffen had stuck by Keene almost a decade ago, releasing _Songs_ at a time when power-pop once again emerges as a viable option for listeners otherwise burned out by the latest music fads may finally give the sound the push it needs to finally breakthru from the underground. Despite the meteoric rise and subsequent crash and burn of his major label excursion, Keene persevered and continued to ride the rock 'n' roll roller coaster by returning to his indy label roots and playing the clubs. Since the early 1990s, Keene has looked back not in anger but with true dedication to his passion by releasing a collections of old and new material. And actually his Spring 1998 effort _Isolation Party_ on Matador Records - bristles with the same kind of promise of his two major label records. Perhaps once and for all, the long overdue CD release of _Songs From the Film_ will get Keene's name up on the big, bright marquee of rock and roll. --- REVIEW: John Hiatt, _The Best Of John Hiatt_ (Capitol) - Reto Koradi With a career that has been spanning 25 years, John Hiatt never really got out of the twilight zone between stardom and well-kept secret. His music always had the potential to appeal to a wide audience, and he is arguably one of the most gifted singer/songwriters in business. The latest attempt comes in the form of this compilation covering mostly his work from the 80s and 90s, his earlier output having been collected before on albums including _Y'All Caught?_ and _Living A Little, Laughing A Little_. Not surprisingly, _The Best Of_ has a heavy focus on Hiatt's most successful phase during the second half of the 80s and his career with Capitol. His masterpiece album _Bring The Family_ from '87 is represented by 3 songs: the groovy "Memphis In The Meantime", probably his strongest upbeat song, the essential ballad "Have A Little Faith In Me", and "Thing Called Love". _Slow Turning_ from '88 makes 4 appearances with the title track, "Drive South", "Tennessee Plates" and "Feels Like Rain". A number of other albums are represented with mostly one song only, starting with "Take Off Your Uniform" from the '79 release _Slug Line_ up to "Cry Love" from the '95 album _Walk On_. The previously available material is completed with two new songs, the ballad "Love In Flames" and the catchy midtempo number "Don't Know Much About Love". Both of these neither stand out or fall off compared to the older songs. The only real disappointment is that some songs are presented in re-recorded versions; "Have A Little Faith In Me" was pretty much slaughtered in this process, adding drum machines and unnecessary background vocals. Alternative track selections would certainly have been possible in some cases, but the choice of 17 songs from such a wealth of material must always leave some gaps. If you missed out on John Hiatt so far, this CD is a good opportunity to change that. People with a dislike for compilations and a preference for original version of all songs may instead consider picking up _Bring The Family_ and _Slow Turning_ from the mid-price section of their favorite record store. --- REVIEW: Culture Club, _Storytellers/Greatest Hits_ (Virgin) - Paul Hanson I lived through Culture Club vocalist Boy George being called everything from "talentless skinny transvestite" to "odd" with zillions of other adjectives in between. Whatever your adjective, the fact that Boy George and Culture Club enjoyed a plethora of success on the American Top 40. This two CD collection, one a full-fledged Greatest hits the other from VH1's Storytellers, therefore, captures the best moments of the band's 80s success with 28 total pop gems. Unfortunately, there seems to be a marketing ploy in the works. If you strip away the songs found on both CDs, you end up with seventeen tracks, the perfect amount for ONE CD. But since no one would buy a full-fledged box set (or would you), this two CD collection will have to do. Don't be misled into thinking that CC had 28 greatest hits. When you get past the statistics, however, you begin to really hear how catchy this music is. I think the lead-off on the Greatest Hits "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" epitomizes what the band was about. A simple reggae rhythm with simple lyrics and a simple intent. The band never claimed to be musical geniuses - - they would have been laughed off the planet. The hypnotic drumbeat, though, is catchy. "Time (Clock of the Heart)" is equally appealing. "I'll Tumble 4 Ya" is probably my favorite song on this collection. "Church of the Poison Mind" rang out numerous times on Sunday afternoons at the skating rink. "Love is Love" is perhaps their finest ballad, complete with lyrics like "Love is every second we speak" and "Open up your eyes and you will see/ Love is love is everything to me." As aforementioned, the _Storytellers_ disc is from the VH1 special. Recorded live, the upbeat Motown-influenced "Church of the Poison Mind" features a delectable gospel singer (not Helen Terry this time around) who compliments Boy George's rushed vocals. This disc proves that calling the band "talentless" is a gross misstatement. I gained a greater appreciation for the band as musicians through these two discs. For the 80s enthusiast, most of these songs can be found on the "Best of the 80s" series advertised on television. For the casual listener, this collection serves as a memory jogger to the days of synthesizer pop and roller skating. For me, it served as a springboard to remembering a simpler time. Judging by the crowd's applause on the _Storytellers_ disc, it springboarded a lot of people. --- REVIEW: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, _Best Of_ (Mute/Reprise) - Scott Slonaker In case you've ever been interested in the music of Nick Cave but didn't know where to start, he's got his first US best-of compilation (can't really call it a "greatest hits") that does an excellent job of sampling Nick's ten or so studio albums, from the primal wail of the title track to 1984's _From Her to Eternity_ all the way up to the elegant, spare UK single "Into My Arms", from last year's _The Boatman's Call_. Gorgeous duets with Polly Jean Harvey ("Henry Lee") and Kylie Minogue ("Where the Wild Roses Grow") are also included. Since the closest any of Cave's music has ever come to the mainstream in the US outside of a 1993 Lollapalooza spot and the placement of "Red Right Hand" (included) in several movies and episodes of _X-Files_, he tends to appeal more to a cult audience. That said, however, he's one of the most eloquent songwriters of the last twenty years. No one, excepting maybe Leonard Cohen or Elliott Smith, covers life's dark underbelly like Nick Cave. Highly recommended, particularly for Nick neophytes. --- NEWS: > Epitaph has released _Punk-O-Rama 3_ , a compilation of 25 songs from groups including Rancid, Bouncing Souls, Wayne Kramer and unreleased tracks from Pennywise and NoFX > Smoke City's "Underwater Love", a top 5 UK hit which was featured in a Levi's ad, has finally been released in the States - with remixes by David Morales, Aphrodite, and Lionrock - by Jive Records. > After having been together for more than a decade, A Tribe Called Quest, which consists of Q-Tip, Phife and Ali Shaheed Muhammed, has decided to disband. The group will release their last album, _The Love Movement_ , on September 29 and are currently on tour with the Beastie Boys. --- TOUR DATES: Tori Amos / Devlins Sep. 2 West Valley, UT E Center Sep. 9 Vancouver, BC General Motors Place Anthrax / Grinspoon Sep. 3 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's Sep. 4 Kansas City, KS Sandstone Sep. 6 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit Sep. 8 Memphis, TN Daisy Theatre Sep. 9 Atlanta, GA Masquerade Bauhaus Sep. 2 Toronto, ON Warehouse Sep. 3 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Sep. 10-11 New York, NY Hammerstein Beastie Boys Sep. 2 Atlanta, GA Lakewood Amphitheater Candlebox Sep. 2 Oxford, MX Grove Sep. 4 Kansas City, KS Sandstone Sep. 5 Maryland Heights, MO Riverport Amp. Sep. 6 Oklahoma City, OK All Sports Stadium Sep. 7 Springfield, MO Holiday Drive-In Sep. 10 Minneapolis, MN Quest Club Connells Sep. 5 Virginia Beach, VA American Music Festival Sep. 6 Manteo, NC Roanoke Island Festival Creed / Fuel / Finger Eleven Sep. 2 Kansas City, KS Memorial Hall Sep. 3 Wichita, KS Cotillion Sep. 4 St. Louis, MO American Theatre Sep. 9 Cleveland, OH Nautica Stage Sep. 10 Pittsburgh, PA Light Amph. Dakota Moon Sep. 6 Oakland, CA Oakland Col. Fear Factory Sep. 2 Rochester, NY Armory Sep. 3 Montreal, PQ Verdum Auditorium Sep. 4 Quebec City, PQ The Agora Sep. 5 Worcester, MA Palladium Sep. 6 Asbury Park, NJ Convention Center Sep. 8 Hartford, CT Webster Theatre Sep. 9 Baltimore, MD Michael's 8th Avenue Sep. 10 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Flick Sep. 5 Bonner Springs, KS Spirit Fest Sep. 7 Springfield, MO Edge Fest Sep. 10 Columbia, MO The Bocomo Fall HORDE Tour (Blues Traveler, Barenaked Ladies, Alana Davis, Ben Harper, and many others) Sep. 3 Boise, ID Idaho Center Amph. Sep. 4 George, WA The Gorge Sep. 5 Portland, OR Portland Meadows Massive Attack / Lewis Parker Sep. 3 Miami, FL Cameo Theater Sep. 4 Ybor City, FL Ritz Theater Sep. 6 Atlanta, GA Roxy Theater Sep. 10 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Metallica / Jerry Cantrell / Days of the New Sep. 3 Portland, OR Portland Meadows Sep. 4 Vancouver, BC Thunderbird Stadium Sep. 5 Quincy, WA The Gorge Sep. 7 Ogden, UT Stewart Stad. Sep. 8 Englewood, CO Fiddlers Green Amphitheater Bob Mould / Varnaline Sep. 10 Fargo, ND Playmakers Pavilion One Minute Silence Sep. 4 Newburgh, NY The Avalon Sep. 5 Amityville, NY Dr. Shea's Vast Sep. 2 Oklahoma City, OK Boar's Head Sep. 4 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater Sep. 6 Salt Lake City, UT Holy Cow Sep. 8 Portland, OR Roseland Theater Sep. 9 Seattle, WA RKCNDY Wilco Sep. 5 Columbus, OH WWCD - Radio Show Josh Wink Sep. 5 Orlando, FL Zen Festival Sep. 6 Columbus, OH Red Zone --- 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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