== ISSUE 162 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [November 19, 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: Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Jason Cahill, Patrick Carmosino, Krisjanis Gale, Emma Green, Paul Hanson, Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Franklin Johnson, Steve Kandell, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, 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: Portishead, _PNYC - Portishead Live_ - Simon West INTERVIEW: Kent - Tim Mohr REVIEW: Yo La Tengo featuring Jad Fair, _Strange But True_ - Chelsea Spear REVIEW: Mercury Rev, _Deserter's Songs_ - Niles Baranowski REVIEW: Grooverider, _Mysteries Of Funk_ - Simon West REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Velvet Goldmine_ - Patrick Carmosino REVIEW: Grace Jones, _Private Life - The Compass Point Sessions_ - Joann D. Ball REVIEW: Sepultura, _Against_ - Linda Scott REVIEW: Mogwai, _Kicking A Dead Pig - Mogwai Songs Remixed_ - Tim Mohr REVIEW: Matthew Good Band, _Underdogs_ - Daniel Aloi REVIEW: Frontline Assembly, _Monument_ - Lee Graham Bridges REVIEW: Various, _In Their Eyes: '90s Teen Bands Vs. '80's Teen Movies_ - Chris Candreva REVIEW: Motley Crue, _Greatest Hits_ - Linda Scott REVIEW: Bare Jr., _Boo-Tay_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: The SunKings, _Adios_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: Seam, _The Pace is Glacial_ - Kerwin So REVIEW: Ultrababyfat, _Silver Tones Smile_ - Christina Apeles ERRATA TOUR DATES: Better Than Ezra / Bic Runga, Buffalo Tom / Goo Goo Dolls, Cracker, Deftones / Pitchshifter / Quicksand, Evelyn Forever, Everlast, Irving Plaza, Marilyn Manson, Miles, Motley Crue, Offspring, Rev. Horton Heat / Amazing Crowns, Tricky / Whale, Underworld THE READERS WRITE BACK! Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: Portishead, _PNYC - Portishead Live_ (London) - Simon West Portishead kicked off the 1997 tour in support of their self-titled second album with a now legendary one-off concert at the Roseland Ballroom, New York City, backed with a 30 piece orchestra. The show has now been released on a videocassette and, in edited form, on _PNYC_. A couple of songs on the album were taken from concerts later in the tour, notably "Sour Times." Grittier and slower here than in its original format, it prowls around for four minutes like the soundtrack to some otherworldly Western before exploding into a faster approximation of the studio version, Gibbons' voice wailing and growling above the guitar. Great stuff. For the most part, the 11 songs presented here stay pretty true to the original versions - the orchestra does a fine job of emulating the studio tape loops and beyond, adding a new layer of atmospherics to the band's haunting songs. On top form as expected is Beth Gibbons. Possessed with a truly astonishing voice, she does full justice to these songs live, rising from a whisper to a scream, and all points along the way, clenching the microphone and puffing endless cigarettes. The crowd is enthusiastic and knows the material, but lets itself down occasionally - the people responsible for the clapalong during the magnificent "Roads" should have been shown the door immediately. Portishead fans will want to snap this up, but the video is obviously a much better souvenir of the actual Roseland concert, providing the unexpurgated set and also the accompanying visuals. If anyone at London is listening, this concert would be absolutely perfect for release on the DVD format, so that both sound and vision can do justice to this most unique of bands. Meanwhile, the album is highly recommended to fans of the first two albums, and the video is essential. A surprisingly great live band. --- INTERVIEW: Kent - Tim Mohr Instead of fending off the darkness of the long winters in their native Sweden, Kent embrace it and usurp its power for use in their dramatically emotive songs. Kent produce a guitar-based sensation of longing, similar in feel to Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, or Geneva. Consumable quizzed the band about their music during the recent CMJ festival in New York. Unlike many prominent Swedish bands such as the Cardigans or Wannadies, Kent play music that, due to certain perceptions of Sweden, seems more appropriate. Is the rest of the world stuck with a false image of Sweden--high rates of alcoholism and suicide, months of sub-zero temperatures and near-darkness--or is the blissed-out faction of Swedish pop music just compensating for genuinely depressing conditions? "The other bands are lying. The people who say they're going to have a party--you know, 'throw you're hands in the air...'--they're the ones who are really depressed. The ones most likely to commit suicide. And we, who are always singing about killing ourselves ["Not really," they chuckle], the moody ones...we are the opposite." So popular perceptions of Sweden are true? "I don't really know if Swedes are that moody. I mean, I know everyone says that it's depressing, and that Sweden is *the* suicide country. But it isn't actually true...because the Finns commit suicide more often than we do." And some people rather like darkness... "But for eight months?" Both the sound and the lyrical themes on _Isola_ have such depth and genuine emotion. How did your style develop, how did you muster the confidence to sound so different from other successful bands? "We've got our own way of playing songs. I think it's also that the Wannadies come from a power-pop background--they play distorted pop music--and the Cardigans come from jazz. Jazz and classical music...well, and heavy metal." "We come from...the Cure. The depressing side of 80s music: Depeche Mode, Cure, Joy Division, the Smiths..." Kent's recent European tour demonstrated that _Isola_ has already garnered a loyal following: Kent sold-out four nights in a row in London, as well as most of their continental appearances. But that's nothing compared to the reverence they inspire at home. Some Swedish indie-kids told Consumable that Kent are as important to the contemporary Swedish scene as the Smiths were to England in the 80s. "That's impossible to say--but that's one of the best compliments we've ever gotten." So you want to be that big elsewhere? "We would just like to hear one of our songs on the radio while riding in a taxi here. It happened in London, and it was a great feeling." --- REVIEW: Yo La Tengo featuring Jad Fair, _Strange But True_ (Matador) - Chelsea Spear It was a fine idea at the time. Inventive indie icons Yo La Tengo were to work with Jad Fair, whose playful work with the bands the Residents and Half-Japanese had influenced legions of detuned avant-rockers to not take themselves so damn seriously. On this proposed outing, Yo La would provide a kalidescopic sonic background to support Fair's bizarre stories, with titles taken directly from the pages of the _Weekly World News_ and other tabloids. The track "Ultra-Powerful Shortwave Radio Picks Up Music from Venus" has already become a classic on mix tapes, after being included in the odds-and-sods collection _Genius + Love = Yo La Tengo_. Unfortunately, to quote the rest of Elvis Costello's famed lyric, now that _Strange But True_ has shipped to stores, it can be regarded as a brilliant mistake. The song titles are hysterical, and Yo La's musical accompaniment provides some intriguing textures to the twisted tales with names like "Helpful Monkey Wallpapers Entire House" and "Dedicated Thespian Pulls Teeth to Play Newborn in High-School Play". However, after listening to one or two tracks, you get a general idea of what the songs are going to sound like, and after a while they start to blend together. A collaboration between Hoboken's favourite musical children and the guy behind Half-Japanese certainly suggests a musical equivalent to the two great tastes that taste great together found in every Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, but the results leave much to be desired. For best results, read the song titles in the store, or wait for someone to include a snippet or two on a mix tape. This disappointing collection is intended for completists only. --- REVIEW: Mercury Rev, _Deserter's Songs_ (V2) - Niles Baranowski At once panoramic and claustrophobic, Mercury Rev's fourth album is a slap in the face to anyone who dismissed them after lead singer David Baker left the band. Equal parts symphony, psychedelia and pop, the band has managed to anchor its disorienting soundscapes in the conventional and rather than compromising them, it has made them even dreamier and more seductive. Most astonishingly, the band has even managed to turn out three fantastic future hit singles (astonishing for a band once considered the pinnacle of inaccesibility); "Opus 40", which is the ballad to end all ballads; a sexy Roxy Music-esque number (complete with slick saxophone solos) about riding the rails called "Hudson Line" and best of all, the jaunty "Cat's in the Cradle"-esque "Goddess on a Hiway," all of which are probably better than anything you heard while driving to work. Any of these songs would be great enough done by anyone, but Mercury Rev brings a gentle, rather than a bludgeoning, touch to them that's particularly welcome. Vocalist Jonathan Donahue's falsetto is the opposite of, say, Richard Ashcroft's preachiness or Noel Gallagher's begging; rather, it's the sound of a young boy afraid to talk macho to the girl he's wooing because he's doing all this for the first time. Similarly, Suzanne Thorpe's flute and Jimy Chambers's harpsichord are slight and shy, hiding in the shadows only to emerge briefly as on "Endlessly," which has a few bars of "Silent Night" thrown in to make it even more bleak and pure-sounding. Even though _Deserter's Songs_ as a whole shares this bleak, virginal feeling, it's hardly an unwelcome one. Even so, the few upbeat tracks present here are needed to keep focus. "Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp" could pass for a more old-fashioned (dig that harpsichord!) Charlatans playing a hoedown at the world's end. And veteran guitarist Sean "Grasshopper" Mackiowiak's lead vocals on "Hudson Line" are all about motion, with each line being clipped as if jetting off into the horizon. "Gonna leave the city/ gonna hop a train tonight" he promises, restless and full of hope. A few of the grouchier longtime Mercury Rev fans may feel slightly cheated about most of the 12 tracks on _Deserter's Songs_, grumbling about "sell-outs" and the like. But there's only so long that you can stay true to an abstract ideal, like noise, before the loneliness begins to eat at you (as it seemed to on 1995's _See You On the Other Side_) and the desire to connect with someone else (like your listeners) takes over, be it through hooks or humor (there's a lot of unself-conscious mockery here, like in the Dali-esque "Moles"). For the first time, Mercury Rev sound like they give a damn and it makes _Deserter's Songs_ one of the warmest, most artful and alluring records you'll hear this year. --- REVIEW: Grooverider, _Mysteries Of Funk_ (Higher Ground/Columbia) - Simon West The man they call The Godfather of drum & bass finally gets around to putting his own album out. Grooverider has been part of the DJ scene for a dozen years, including a four year stint spinning discs at London's Heaven on Rage night and heading up Goldie's Metalheadz nights. Name-checked by all, from protege Goldie to minimalist master Photek, Grooverider is credited by many as the inventor of drum & bass. The expectations for _Mysteries Of Funk_ are rather high then, given the history and reputation. Unfortunately, what we get is rather less than expected. _Mysteries Of Funk_ is by no means a bad album, it's simply less inspired than you might have hoped - the bar has been cleared, but not raised. First off, it's too long by half. This is not uncommon with the drum & bass set, or indeed albums as a whole these days, but someone's got to realize eventually that less can indeed be more. Second, and substantially more importantly, there's not a lot here that's truly revolutionary. The usual ingredients are thrown into the pot - brass samples, science fiction soundbites, the odd ethereal vocal. It's all been heard before for the most part. There are moments of greatness - the aggressiveness of "Where's Jack The Ripper?" brings to mind Photek's clean, savage beats, with a touch more instrumentation, "560 Degrees" drops the jazz noodlings in favor of a hard beat and an industrial feel, and "Time & Space" has a cool jazz feel and clean beat to it. Not a bad album, and drum & bass fans will doubtless want to pick it up in order to hear the master at work. Ultimately, however, _Mysteries Of Funk_ sounds like the teacher has spent a little too much time listening to his students. An unfortunately unadventurous album, in this most adventurous of musical genres. --- REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Velvet Goldmine_ (London) - Patrick Carmosino Let me preface things by saying that it would be difficult for this soundtrack to be as woefully disappointing as the self-indulgent wankfest that the film it came from was. However, if there is a use for it besides having on record Radiohead vocalist Thom Yorke's rather nifty Bryan Ferry impersonation and an astonishing new Pulp track - well, I somehow fail to see it. Quite like the film, this 70's Glam exploration gets off to such a promising start with Brian Eno's anthemic "Needle In The Camel's Eye". It is this track that fuels the opening Hard Day's Night/Trainspotting-ripoff fan chase sequence. After that, soundtrack and film alike flounder into, yes, an authentic 70's hedonistic haze of overwroughtness and dreck. Along with Eno's opener, it is the occasional appearance of originals from Roxy Music (of which there is 1 versus 4 covers!?!?!), T-Rex, Lou Reed and Steve Harley that make most every other track: cover version and new 'period piece' alike pointless. As far as covers go, it is fair from a marketing standpoint to appeal to the 'alternative' fan by bringing in the likes of Yorke and his guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Bernard Butler (whose former band Suede, would be quite capable of making grand contributions to this), Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and Steve Shelley, Mike Watt, Mudhoney's Mark Arm, Gumball's Don Fleming, former Stooge Ron Asheton, Placebo, Teenage Fanclub and Elastica's Donna Matthews. But to put these people together and just have them do note-by-note versions as opposed to just using the original tunes is futile. These artists have gotten where they are by virtue of their uniqueness, so why not have them present the songs in their own context? Fleming, Moore and Shelley as well as A&R god/wanna-be rock star extraordinaire Jim Dunbar have already proven this formula to fail via the _Backbeat_ soundtrack. Ultimately, the most noteworthy things here are the above mentioned Bryan Ferry impersonation by Yorke on such poignant pieces such as the Humphrey Bogart-elegy "2HB" and "Bitter's End" (which as perhaps intended, has this writer taking a closer look at Roxy Music's pre-"Love Is The Drug" catalog) as well as Teenage Fanclub's take on the New York Dolls' "Personality Crisis" with Matthews on vocals. Ultimate lowlight: Ewan McGregor's heavily produced shriek of a vocal on the Stooges "T.V. Eye" which sounds only less awful than the sight of him as a way too chubby Iggy Pop character performing it in the film. Think of David Bowie and T-Rex having their own versions of the Rutles and you have the essence of the 'period pieces' written for the film by Shudder To Think and Grant Lee Buffalo - no more, no less. All have that dramatic, string-enhanced, dry 70's production. If you have to compare, then pit S.T.T.'s "Ballad Of Maxwell Demon" against Bowie's "Ziggy Stardust". Here, Shudder To Think miss a bit of the feel by using none of the anthemic sensibilities that made "Ziggy" the classic it is, whereas Grant Lee's "The Whole Shebang" has a vibe that is pretty reminiscent of "Oh! You Pretty Things" and tunes like that. Though it is through efforts like these, that you realize how badly this presentation is missing genuine Bowie tunes from the period. Pulp rise so far above this lot with "We Are The Boys"; an absolute corker that finds singer Jarvis Cocker losing his cool croon and whisper for some full throttle vocalizations. Mix his voice with an overdriven, compressed mix of fat horn and buzzing guitar and you get an idea of perhaps what the album and the film meant to get across in the first place: that underlying the fashions and new sexuality of the time was a driving sound. Sadly enough, "Velvet Goldmine" will not do for resurgent interests in Glam Rock what "Austin Powers" did for 60's Lounge Kitsch. --- REVIEW: Grace Jones, _Private Life - The Compass Point Sessions_ (Island/Chronicles) - Joann D. Ball Shocking, exotic, bizarre, strange, striking and incredible. Singer and vision thing Grace Jones was all of that and more. Eddie Murphy brilliantly captured the extremes of Jones' public image in the brilliant but overlooked 1992 film "Boomerang." And now _Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions_ features the best of Jones' genre busting musical output. With sixteen tracks and a running time of two-and-a-half hours, the release is the definitive Grace Jones collection. With but one exception, the selections included here are from Jones's short but electric heyday of 1980 to 1982. In that post-disco, early new wave period, the Jamaican born model, actress, performance artist, and dancefloor dominitrix defied the conventional and flaunted the outrageous both in the studio and on the concert stage. With Jamaican reggae riddim twins Sly Dunbar on drums and Robbie Shakespeare on bass backing her in the studio, Grace Jones generated a number of club favorites and a few chart hits. "Private Life" was a U.K. hit while the single "Pull Up to the Bumper" from the album _Nightclubbing_ marked Jones' Stateside debut. An R&B Top 5 hit, "Bumper" never achieved much crossover success at pop/rock radio. In general, Jones' sound defied categorization. It was neither Black nor White and it was as international as Jones herself, drawing on American soul and R&B as well as British rock, Jamaican reggae, world music, and more. As the tracks on _Private Live_ reveal, Grace Jones was not afraid to tackle any artist or any musical sound. She had an uncanny ability to reinterpret a song and make it her own. Her cover of the Pretenders' "Private Life," a favorite of songwriter Chrissie Hynde, captures the reggae vibe that the Akron native and her English band couldn't quite pin down. Jones also put her unique brand on such diverse selections as the Smokey Robinson-penned "The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game," Roxy Music's "Love is the Drug," the Police's "Demolition Man" and Joy Division's "She's Lost Control." But the most unusual song ever covered by Jones has to be Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." Fortunately, the unreleased demo version of the classic is included here along with long versions of the previously mentioned songs. While Grace Jones may have been too far ahead of her time in the early 1980s, _Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions_ is proof that she was always great at whatever she did. Although her productive prime was nearly twenty years ago, she continues to influence popular culture and music. Her visual antics have influenced other artists and video producers while her pre-techno grooves are frequently dropped into house and electronica records. Rap artists have paid tribute to Jones since the very beginning of the music form, starting with The Mean Machine's sampling of "Pull Up to the Bumper" for the 1981 Sugarhill Records cut "Disco Dream." More recently, Patra did a steamy rap cover of "My Jamaican Guy" and L.L. Cool J sampled the Jones original for his blockbuster hit "Doin' It." Despite of the samples and covers, Grace Jones herself has remained outside the musical limelight. Perhaps the renewed interest in her cutting edge back catalogue will lay the groundwork for an eagerly awaited return. TRACK LISTING--Disc One: Private Life (long and dub versions); Love Is The Drug (long version); Breakdown; Warm Leatherette (long version); The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game (long version); I've Done It Again, Pars (long version); Use Me (long version); She's Lost Control (long and dub versions). TRACK LISTING--Disc Two: Walking in the Rain; Cry Now, Laugh Later; Nightclubbing; The Apple Stretching; Nipple to the Bottle (12" version); My Jamaican Guy (12" version); Feel Up; I've Seen That Face Before (Libertango); Demolition Man (long version); Unlimited Capacity For Love; "Ring Of Fire (demo); Man Around The House; Living My Life (7" version); Slave To The Rhythm (Hot Blooded version) --- REVIEW: Sepultura, _Against_ (Roadrunner) - Linda Scott In 1996 Sepultura frontman and co-founder, Max Cavalera left the band over business management disagreements (the remaining band had fired its business manager who happened to be Cavalera's wife). In the scheme of things, that could have been the end of Sepultura; or two, weaker bands formed from the halves. Against the odds, the Brazilian thrash metalists on either side of this public feud have strong entries on the metal charts. Previously reviewed was Max Cavalera's self-titled _Soulfly_ which debuted to metal community raves earlier this year. Sepultura shows off new, bellowing, American vocalist, Derrick Green, on _Against_ - and both bands seem to be on their ways again. Sepultura, post-Cavalera, shows some progression and experimentation, but their metal base is as solid as ever. Influenced by Metallica, Motorhead, and Slayer, Sepultura is a ferocious band that began as almost pure death metal but quickly moved to songs about rage, frustration and violence. Rage Against The Machine would be challenged by lyrics inspired by governmental destruction of entire peoples and the environment. Songs that reflect the poverty and pain of living unknown in a Third World country have become Sepultura's hallmark. And now the band moves into experimenting with world music touches that soften some of the speed metal tracks. _Against_ is make or break for lead vocalist Derrick Green. Can an American from Cleveland really understand and express where the Brazilians and the band are coming from? Green says he is not a Cavalera clone, but his style is nearly perfect and he has the right, roaring vocals for this band. In some cases the vocals seem to be mixed low so that they are only occasionally intelligible, but the overall effect is blasting rage. Metallica fans will be blown away by guesting bassist Jason Newstead's track, "Hatred Aside". Newstead shows off his hardcore roots and makes you wish Metallica would do a track like this to end those sellout rumors. Other solid tracks on _Against_ are the title song and "Choke". These are real Sepultura roots songs as opposed to the four instrumental tracks in the second half of the album and songs like "Kamartachi" recorded in Japan with bizarre whistles and Koto drumming. Tracks like "Kamartachi" show the band stretching to be more than just thrash metalists known round the world. Produced by the band and Howard Benson (Motorhead), _Against_ is Sepultura's Brazilian war cry. Their name may mean "grave" in Portugese, but Sepultura is alive and blowing the lid off on _Against_ . --- REVIEW: Mogwai, _Kicking A Dead Pig - Mogwai Songs Remixed_ (includes "Mogwai Fear Satan" e.p.) (Jetset) - Tim Mohr This is an incredible package: a double CD (or limited-edition, triple, colored vinyl) containing stellar remixes of Mogwai by a dozen different mixers including names like Alec Empire, u-ziq, Kid Loco, and My Bloody Valentine. Scotland's Mogwai craft dramatic, wind-swept instrumentals, often building from a light, single-instrument-breeze to a full, wind-tunnel-guitar-howl over the course of a song. Their music mimics the structure of life, metaphorically juxtaposing experiences of revealed beauty with moments of personal anguish, finding quiet resolutions amidst the noise of anxiety and depression. Though Mogwai songs have a sense of inevitability, the addition of beats (along with a host of other effects used by the remixers) gives immediacy to the progression of their songs. Take the remix of "Tracy" by France's Kid Loco. An understated atmosphere of sorrow still envelops the track, but Kid Loco's slow, trippy percussions offer a buoy in a sea of sadness--even as his dubby echo-effects emphasize the watery surroundings. This is remixing at its best. The Hood remix of "Like Herod" loops a spooky keyboard line to create a feel similar to the haunted dancehall of Witchman. Max Tundra reverses the structure of "Helicon 2" by starting with a burst of white noise and then moving into what had been the long introductory phase of the original. "Summer" gets a drum'n'bass rework in Klute's "Weird Winter Remix." The remix sticks to the minimalist school of drum'n'bass but gains immeasurably from the interesting pieces of Mogwai material inserted between the drums and the bass. Some of the songs have been more seriously altered, also with excellent results: Surgeon makes of "Mogwai Fear Satan" a six-minute, single-note, mock symphony, substituting the whir of a hundred warped computers for the crescendo of an orchestra. Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine takes liberties as well. MBV are often credited (by critics) as the most significant influence on Mogwai--and this seems to be reinforced both by the way Kevin Shields understands the structural and logical extremities of "Fear Satan" and by the way he takes the song to these outer limits with such a deft touch. The My Bloody Valentine remix is a sixteen minute voyage to hell and back: Shields lets the tension of the song build for five minutes, releases a barrage of noise, then--just as the noise threatens to overwhelm--creates a quiet denouement. Then he repeats the cycle a second time but this time leaves the listener craving a final resolution. Fellow Glasgow residents Arab Strap put together a Stars On 45-style medley of Mogwai songs, running through several distinct musical genres in the process. They start with a fairly Big, complicated, David Holmes-esque beat, segue into dark house, and fade into jumpy hi-hat patterns borrowed from drum'n'bass. Of all the remixers, only u-ziq proves incapable of not sounding too much like himself. His signature distorted percussions deprive his mix of "Fear Satan" of any Mogwai personality. Even Alec Empire--not exactly "Mr. Subtlety"--manages to add his (also trademark) frenetic, scatter-fire breakbeats and retain something of a Mogwai atmosphere. _Kicking A Dead Pig_ succeeds in a way that similar recent projects from High Llamas (_Lollo Rosso_), Low (_owL_) or even Primal Scream (_Echodek_) do not. Granted, the cinematic soundscapes of Mogwai make excellent foundations for remixes due to their sprawling, a-traditional structures and hold-your-breath sense of timing and dynamics. But the success of _Kicking A Dead Pig_ is not limited to remixers who only managed not to screw up the original songs too much. On the contrary: with few exceptions, the remixers have altered the songs in significant ways, put them in completely different contexts, or drastically changed arrangements in a manner that should be interesting to fans of Mogwai and to fans of the remix artists. --- REVIEW: Matthew Good Band, _Underdogs_ (Mercury) - Daniel Aloi Compromise. Any band with a major label deal knows it well. And it's what I hear a lot of in the new Matthew Good Band album, their U.S. debut. When I saw the MGB play a North By Northeast showcase in Toronto in June 1997, what impressed me was the obvious debt their sound owed to other meaningful Canadian bands like 54-40 and The Tragically Hip. Now, though, that sound has been almost entirely scrubbed of its Canadianness. The Vancouver-based band now more closely resembles the Tonics and Matchbox 20s of the American FM world than anything like 54-40... not a bad thing, if you're fans of those two bands (I'm not). Good now says he hates "people who emulate bands." There remains a lingering, sublimated echo of The Hip, particularly in Good's vocals, but that's about it for any connection with his band's past. Onward into the saturated American radio market, with a stab at commerciality. It seems a little too calculated, but... The album is very powerful-sounding, interminably edgy, and the songs are largely emotionally driven. I actually could bring myself to like the premise of "Middle Class Gangsters" and "Look Happy, It's the End of the World," sounding like some great social commentary of old from the likes of the Manic Street Preachers or Pure. In the lyrics, there's a lot of cynicism about material values, in songs like the single "Indestructible," the existential "The Inescapable Us" and "Everything is Automatic." Chalk one up for artistic integrity. With other influences including the Pixies and Afghan Whigs, and that aforementioned Tonic/20 sound, the MGB should now have no problem fitting in (and being forgotten) on American radio. But at what cost? It's kind of a shame, really. There are plenty of Vancouver and Canadian modern-rock bands who deserve a shot at success and still plow their own course, from Odds to Pure. Maybe given a little growth, and a chance to experience what U.S. success really smells like, the Matthew Good Band may become nostalgic for its days as a platinum independent Canadian act. --- REVIEW: Frontline Assembly, _Monument_ (Roadrunner) - Lee Graham Bridges From rattling, pounding drum machines to the distinct sound of the sawtooth waveform emanating from the synthesizer - some of the most widely known early conventions of the electro-industrial-dance genre were designed, implemented, and delivered by Frontline Assembly. The band formed in 1986 by Bill Leeb, FLA represented a new and different sort of industrial from earlier, staple bands of the scene like Einsturzende Neubauten and Throbbing Gristle. Bands like Front 242, Skinny Puppy, and FLA brought an '80s new wave flavor to a dynamic type of music that, nonetheless, seemed very rigid and straightforward at the time. _Monument_, while not delivering a comprehensive history of the band, tries to sum up the band's style with twelve remixes and rare/b-side tracks from the band, mostly during their productive early '90s era. For better or worse, the songs comprise a fairly uniform package; the same tempo, synthbass lines, and menacing vocals (reverbed and heavily distorted, of course) can, to the uninitiated listener, sound tired by the end of the disc. Strangely, however, such constant reiteration is exactly the point of _Monument_ - the album's tracks are not meant to represent the band's full repertoire. As the title hints at, the album is a celebration of FLA's classic style, and the songs selected are meant to demonstrate that style to new listeners. "Re-Animate" sports some catchy vocals, while remixes of "Virus", "Big Money", and "Resist" reinforce the nostalgia factor for FLA fans and, at the same time, put a unique spin on classic FLA tracks. The sad truth is this: electro-industrial is slowly being edged out by oh-so-"sophisticated" breakbeats, jungle, and pure electronica (many Front 242 fans were recently disappointed in just such a way by the band's _Reboot: Live '98_). With the hope of fans everywhere riding on the revival of the genre, it seems that _Monument_ is just as likely as anything to repopularize the unique style of music FLA constructs. --- REVIEW: Various, _In Their Eyes: '90s Teen Bands Vs. '80's Teen Movies_ (Rhino) - Chris Candreva An interesting idea to launch their new "Cheap Date" records, this Rhino release features teen bands of the '90s covering songs from teen movies of the '80s. You remember the John Hughes era: Pretty In Pink, The Breakfast Club, Fast Times, Ferris Bueller, etc. It's an interesting idea that could be a win for all involved. The nostalgia value of the songs is likely to pique the interest of many, in the process giving visibility to the new label, and hopefully at least some of the young artists on the album. I'm just not sure they've succeeded. What came immediately to mind when I first played this album was a fraternity basement in college. A bunch of us would get together with our instruments, in the basement of the house where the guy with the drums lived. We'd have a few beers, think of songs someone knew the chords to, show everyone else, then play really loud just the rhythm part, while someone sang into a mike. You know - a cover band. A good number of the tracks sound basically like an average frat house cover band. Given the average age of the musicians is 16 (some are as young as 9), this may actually be a compliment. The live feel is refreshing, especially on these songs which started life fairly processed. These kids have energy. Some of the tracks, though, sounds very much like some people who just got together to jam out some chords. You don't, however, come away with a feeling for what style, in any, the band has. You know - a cover band. There are a few notable exceptions. "Bring on the Dancing Horses" by Round House stands out in its arrangement of chords and harmony vocals. F.O.N puts a Mighty Mighty Bostones' spin on The Cars' "You Might Think", resulting in a tune might just get me into a mosh pit one more time. It's a neat concept, but what we really end up with is a disc of tracks by high school cover bands. It could be worth buying as a novelty, but don't expect to find a lot of musical depth. TRACK LISTING: Pretty In Pink - The Grown-Ups; Don't You (Forget About Me) - The Godjits; A Million Miles Away - Dyslexic Church; Somebody's Baby - Phantom Planet; If You Were Here - Ben Lee and Spitoon; Bring On The Dancing Horses - Round House; Oh Yeah - Crazy Glue; You Might Think - F.O.N.; I Melt With You - The Rondelles; In Your Eyes - The Stinky Puffs; If You Leave - Marigold; Weird Science - The English League; Raised On The Radio - Slimer; Johnny, Are You Queer ? - The Knock-Ups; School's Out - The Donnas --- REVIEW: Motley Crue, _Greatest Hits_ (Motley Records/Beyond) - Linda Scott Motley Crue, together for 17 years with 35 million records sold and 25 million concert attendance, needs no long introduction. These guys live their professional and private lives in the media. In the turmoil, let's not lose track of the fact that these guys have made some terrific music together. Their rock style is more Kiss and Aerosmith than the hard rock, in-your-face image. And just like Aerosmith, amazingly, some of their best music has been their sweetest soft rock ballads. _Greatest Hits_ is one for Crue fans and first time Crue album buyers. The hardcore fans will find two new tracks, "Bitter Pill" and "Enslaved" leading off the album. Both are solid Crue, but they are overshadowed by the monsters behind them. The selection and track arrangement are excellent. Songs from the best selling albums _Dr. Feelgood_, _Girls Girls Girls_, _Shout At The Devil_, _Theater of Pain_, and the first hits collection _Decade of Decadence_ are all here. Consider this track list: "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Same Ol' Situation", "Wild Side", "Glitter", "Dr. Feelgood", "Kickstart My Heart", "Home Sweet Home", "Afraid", "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)", "Without You", "Smokin' In The Boys Room", "Primal Scream", "Too Fast For Love", "Looks That Kill", "Shout At The Devil". They're all here making this one album the one for new to Crue shoppers to try. A couple of personal favorites didn't make it ("Angela" and "You're All I Need") but there are none that should be discarded. With what the Crue has given us here, let's not quibble over one or two more tracks. _Greatest Hits_ is the first album on the Crue's new label; 17 great tracks that rock hard and soft. Their latest tour (in support of this album) is happening now - and with the band's interest in the Internet, their site (http://www.motley.com) is updated frequently. --- REVIEW: Bare Jr., _Boo-Tay_ (Epic/Immortal) - Jon Steltenpohl When people think of Nashville music, they usually assume that you're talking straight ahead country music a la George Jones. Bobby Bare, Jr., son of the semi-famous country singer, has recently emerged with his twisted vision of how music really should be. The result is a band called simply "Bare Jr." and a debut album entitled _Boo-Tay_ (as in, shake that...). Where most of Nashville seems to be just fine with making light rock with twang, Bare Jr. sounds a little country and a lot punk. And they do it right. Like relative unknowns such as Killbilly and Slobberbone, Bare Jr.'s takes classic country, injects a little humor back in it, and puts it in the garage. While Wilco and Son Volt seem content to look back with a quiet gaze on the backroads of the heartland, Bare Jr. tears it up at the roadhouse bar. With titles like "Tobacco Spit" and "I Hate Myself", you don't have to worry about things getting too serious here despite some heavy lyrics. Bobby Bare, Jr. and his father are friends with Shel Silverstein (writer of "A Boy Named Sue") which should tell you something about this album. The guitarist's nickname is "Grimey", and the band's featured instrument is a distorted dulcimer played by one Tracy Hackney. The nice thing about Bare Jr. is that they never sound like they're trying to be goofy as a gimmick. This is genuine music that's just slightly twisted. Imagine Green Day and the Georgia Satellites sharing the same stage, and you'll start to get the picture. Their producer, Peter Collins, has such diverse credits as Queensryche, Indigo Girls, Suicidal Tendencies, and Jewel, and at times you hear everything from Faith No More to Lynyrd Skynyrd floating around _Boo-Tay_. Songs like "Tobacco Spit" and "Give Nothing Away" are melancholy rockers that recall Buffalo Tom. On "You Blew Me Off", Bare Jr. finds the energy of free spirited pop-punk of bands like the The Offspring. The shout out chorus trades "You blew me off" with the revelation that "It turned me on!". Both the acoustic and electric Dylan are represented with "Soggy Daisy" and "Naked Albino" respectively, and the album closes with "Why Won't You Love Me". It's a crazy, frantic romp filled with delicious anguished screams and even a completely unnecessary drum solo thrown in for good measure. It's easy to see exactly why a group like Bare Jr. got signed to a major label like Epic. They're quirky, have a great pop sense, and they rock. The best song on the album is a track called "Love-less". It's got crunching guitars, a sing-along chorus, a mournful harmonica, and a country flavored double meaning on the title. Despite the potential pitfalls of their country pedigree, Bare Jr. ditches any cliches at the door and seems satisfied with just delivering great music. _Boo-Tay_ is a fun album that deserves to be played loud. --- REVIEW: The SunKings, _Adios_ (San Jacinto) - Chris Hill Abhor the mass marketing of Hootie and the Blowfish all you want, a pleasurable honesty permeates their music. The same magic is captured in the SunKings' _Adios_. This is ideal bar band music, with tequila-laced guitar, powerful vocals, and smooth drumming, something to pull the Friday drinking crowd up to the stage in awed appreciation. If you listen close, the smoke-filled bar room atmosphere springs to life. Robert Pounds' raspy voice draws immediate attention as "Hey Hey" kicks off the eleven songs on _Adios_. Rough at the edges, his voice elongates notes or cuts them off with a bluesy yelp. Backed by Greg Galbraith and Dave Gwinn on guitars and Trey Wheeler on drums, the SunKings form a tight, weathered unit, with songs of simple subjects: life and love, to which we we can all relate. "Brand new life with a brand new face/but the same old song in another place ... Now it's coming around again/Spread the truth that you like to bend" from "Believe" is a nice example of taking familiar themes and infusing them with heart and soul. The structures and singing on _Adios_ urge comparisons to Hootie, the Black Crowes, and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. All are musicians who take pleasure in classic songwriting: guitar solos, sharp fills, and clever hooks crashing against emotion-laden lyrics. Yet each has their individual flairs which comprise a unique identity. _Adios_ is produced by the band and San Jacinto label- mate Rich Hopkins with few frills. Hopkins also steps in with a guitar lead on "Believe", a sound immediately recognizable to fans of Rich's music, either with the Sand Rubies or his other band, Rich Hopkins & Luminarios. Hopkins and the band are a good match. They focus on what they do best - belting out Southwestern music with a passion. The only hiccup is a "hidden" track following the last track, "Never Sent": Pounds, singing unaccompanied what sounds like a vocal track they decided not to include on the final product, and rightfully so. A jarring note is not the way to close up such a comfortable album. However, if that's the door charge, it's a small one for such gems as "Turnaround" (with Thomasina Jones adding wonderful backing vocals), "Rain's Gonna Fall", and "Find a Reason". Online availability at http://www.contingency.com --- REVIEW: Seam, _The Pace is Glacial_ (Touch & Go) - Kerwin So Three long years have transpired since Chicago's venerable kings of indie rock, Seam, have released any new songs to satiate fans hooked by 1995's critically acclaimed _Are You Driving Me Crazy?_ Has it been worth the wait? In a word, yes! Seam's fourth and long-awaited LP, appropriately titled _The Pace is Glacial_, offers another satisfying platter of solid, moody and complex songs for the Seam-starved masses, along with a few forays into stretching the band's sound. The album opens with up-tempo rockers (a la "Kernel) that will make you swing your skinny mod hips, notwithstanding the elegant intermission of "Wig". "Kanawha" finds Seam testing out some new effects on both guitar and drum treatment: a delayed guitar wash, heavy reverb on the snare, and a poignant E-bow solo offset Sooyoung Park's trademark whispered vocals, leaving the listener enthralled and meditative. The brooding continues into "Nisei Fight Song", a heavy, controlled number featuring some of the dynamics we've come to love about Seam, including an unusually aggressive Sooyoung shouting, "I cannot remember/ My history reflected/ I haven't said anything/ That's the glaring omission." The song's plaintive ending refrain builds and fades on itself until you realize you're no longer in the same place you were when the song began. At this point the new version of the Mariachi-inspired "The Prizefighters" snaps you from your reverie. I think this version sounds more inspired than the one found on the Lounge Ax Defense and Relocation CD. Then, _The Pace is Glacial_ reaches a fascinating contrast between the only Seam song that I don't like-- the awkward, unSeamly chant- along "In the Sun" - and the album's standout track, the magnificent "Inching Towards Juarez." While there isn't exactly a smooth transition after "In the Sun", the closing tracks on this record will remind you how great Seam are. The pristine, expansive beauty of "Juarez" will make you stop whatever you happen to be doing at the time, only to be drawn in by the precise guitar work, brooding bass lines, delicate drumrolls like desert breezes, and the subtly painful lines, "Rub out your eyes/ This ship is sinking." "Pale Marble Movie" opens similarly to one of my favorite songs, "Rainy Season": a lone guitar dryly strumming a melancholy, descending progression. Universal relationship rule #343: "I could be there for you, better to you/ But you make it harder, harder, harder." By the time you've finished absorbing the "autopilot"-esque spiritual instrumental "Aloha Spirit", you'll have to summon the effort to get up off your back and scramble for the repeat button. As it should be. Seam, notorious homebodies, are currently planning a sprinkling of December and January shows on both East and West coasts. Be sure to catch them now lest ye have to wait another eternity. --- REVIEW: Ultrababyfat, _Silver Tones Smile_ (Velvel) - Christina Apeles I was a bit skeptical of this release after viewing the less desirable artwork, which isn't fair, but then I listened to _Silver Tones Smile_ and even if I could get over the cover of the album, the music couldn't keep me interested. Just as I would've passed over the release in the stacks at a music store just due to its packaging, I wouldn't have given Ultrababyfat a second thought if I heard their song on the radio. Within fifteen seconds of the opening track "Trick," one band came to mind: Veruca Salt. This release consists of quirky melodies, girly concerns, and mostly nondescript pop rock. The vocals of founding members, Shonali Bhowmik and Michelle DuBois, were raspy at times with harmonized out of key choruses, but without the aggressive punch of female-headed rock bands like Sleater-Kinney or raw charm of the Breeders/Amps. Ultrababyfat is close to the Amps in terms of musicality on "Stupid" and "Bent On," meaning simple guitar chords with plenty of distortion, but lacking the highs and lows in the vocals or timely breaks in the music, that makes the Amps worth listening to -- being creative within limits. On "TCBA," Ultrababyfat did hook me with their opening "Doot, doot, doot's," groovy bass line and lively drumming, with poppy vocals layered on top of one another, but that was the only song in that genre. This is a vocal-heavy release and if you don't like their voices in the first song, it's likely you won't be able to stand listening to their rants in the tracks that followed. Such was the case with me, where I could never really get into Bhowmik and DuBois' singing, and the music rarely offering much relief, without any quality guitar solos or long intros for me just to appreciate the sounds of Ultrababyfat sans vocals. --- ERRATA: > Reader Arush K. pointed out that B.B. King and U2 collaborated on "When Love Comes To Town", not "Angel Of Harlem" as stated in the review of U2's _Best Of_. --- TOUR DATES: Better Than Ezra / Bic Runga Nov. 21 Las Vegas, NV The Joint at The Hard Rock Cafe Nov. 23 Santa Cruz, CA Palookaville Nov. 24 Sacramento, CA Crest Theatre Nov. 25 San Francisco, CA Slim's Nov. 27 Portland, OR La Luna Nov. 28 Seattle, WA Crocodile Cafe Buffalo Tom / Goo Goo Dolls Nov. 21 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre Nov. 22 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue Nov. 24 Denver, CO Ogden Nov. 27 Boise, ID Doubletree Ballroom Nov. 28 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre Nov. 29 Portland, OR La Luna Cracker Nov. 21 Columbus, OH Mekka Nov. 22 Pontiac, MI Clutch Cargo Deftones / Pitchshifter / Quicksand Nov. 21 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory Nov. 22 Worcester, MA Palladium Nov. 23 Providence, RI Lupos Nov. 24 Montreal, PQ Metropolis Nov. 25 Toronto, ONT Arrow Hall Nov. 27 Rochester, NY The Dome Nov. 28 Cleveland, OH Agora Theatre Nov. 29 Detroit, MI State Theatre Evelyn Forever Nov. 21 Providence, RI Century Lounge Nov. 27 Long Branch, NJ Smart Bar Everlast Nov. 21 Lafayette, LA Grant St. Dance Hall Nov. 23 New Orleans, LA House of Blues Nov. 24 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre Nov. 25 Omaha, NE Ranch Bowl Irving Plaza (New York City Concert Hall) Nov. 20-21 Saw Doctors Nov. 25 Cowboy Mouth Nov. 27 Holly Cole Marilyn Manson Nov. 21 Poughkeepsie, NY Civic Center Nov. 22 Boston, MA Tsongas Arena Nov. 23 New York, NY Hammerstein Ballroom Miles Nov. 21 Zuerich, Switzerland Luv Nov. 22 Ulm, Germany Cat Cafe Nov. 23 Augsburg, Germany Kerosin Nov. 24 Erlangen, Germany E-Werk Nov. 25 Muenchen, Germany Atomic Cafe Nov. 26 Innsbruck, Austria Utopia Nov. 27 Wien, Austria Flex Nov. 28 Schaerding, Austria Gasthof zur Alm Nov. 29 Feldkirch, Austria Sonderbar Motley Crue Nov. 21 Kansas City, MO Memorial Hall Nov. 22 St. Louis, MO Fox Theatre Nov. 24 Fargo, ND Civic Memorial Auditorium Nov. 25 Duluth, MN DECC Nov. 27 Evanston, IN Victory Theatre Nov. 28 Springfield, MO Shrine Mosque Nov. 29 Tulsa, OK Brady Theatre Offspring Nov. 21 Pomona, CA The Glass House Nov. 22-23 Las Vegas, NV The Joint Nov. 24 Reno, NV Rodeo Rock Nov. 25 San Francisco, CA Maritime Hall Nov. 28 Denver, CO Ogden Rev. Horton Heat / Amazing Crowns Nov. 21 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Nov. 23 Indianapolis, IN Vogue Nov. 24 Memphis, TN 616 Club Nov. 27 Fayetteville, NC JR's Ballroom Nov. 28 St. Louis, MO Mississippi Nights Nov. 29 Chicago, IL Cabaret Metro Nov. 30 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue Dec. 2 Milwaukee, WI Rave Ballroom Tricky / Whale Nov. 21 Cincinnati, OH Annie's Nov. 22 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Nov. 24 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue Nov. 25 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall Nov. 26 Chicago, IL House Of Blues Nov. 27 Omaha, NE Sokol Hall Nov. 29 Salt Lake City, UT DV8 Underworld Nov. 20 Montreal, QC Metropolis Nov. 21 Chicago, IL House of Blues Nov. 23 Los Angeles, CA The Mayan Nov. 25 New York, NY Hammerstein --- THE READERS WRITE BACK! > I saw ? And The Mysterians with the Fuzztones at Los Angeles' Space Lounge earlier this year and yes they still rock live, thirty years on. - Chris R., Australia --- 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". Web access contributed by WestNet Internet Services (westnet.com), serving Westchester County, NY. Address any written correspondence to Bob Gajarsky, Consumable Online, 409 Washington St. #294, Hoboken, New Jersey 07030 ===