== ISSUE 169 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [February 24, 1999] Editor: Bob Gajarsky E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Joe Silva, Lang Whitaker Correspondents: Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Tracey Bleile, Lee Graham Bridges, Jason Cahill, Patrick Carmosino, Andrew Duncan, Krisjanis Gale, Paul Hanson, Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Franklin Johnson, Steve Kandell, Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Simon Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann Also Contributing: Dan Birchall 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: Blondie, _No Exit_ - Tracey Bleile REVIEW: Paul Westerberg, _Suicaine Gratifaction_ - Chris Hill INTERVIEW: Gigolo Aunts - Al Muzer REVIEW: jimmyeatworld, _Clarity_ - Tracey Bleile REVIEW: Lo Fidelity Allstars, _How To Operate With A Blown Mind_ - Tim Mohr REVIEW: Jason Falkner, _Can You Still Feel?_ - John Davidson REVIEW: Prince Paul, _A Prince Among Thieves_ - Tim Hulsizer REVIEW: Colin James, _Colin James And The Little Big Band II_ - Bill Holmes REVIEW: Bill Wyman & The Rhythm Kings, _Anyway the Wind Blows_ - Dan Birchall REVIEW: Various Artists, _Old School vs. New School_ - Joe Silva REVIEW: The Ziggens, _Pomona Lisa_ - Bill Holmes REVIEW: Banyan, _Anytime at All_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: Guadalcanal Diary, _At Your Birthday Party_ - Bill Holmes REVIEW: Don Caballero, _Singles Breaking Up (vol. I)_ - Kerwin So NEWS: Black Crowes, Cravin' Melon, Depeche Mode, Sister Hazel / Gibson Guitar Award, Tom Petty, London Suede TOUR DATES: Absinthe, Afghan Whigs, All / Less Than Jake, Babe The Blue Ox / Trinket / Interpreters, Joan Baez / Hank Dogs, Better Than Ezra / Jude, Candlebox, Eve 6 / Marvelous 3, 50 Tons of Black Terror / Groop Dogdrill, Fleming & John, Flick, Flys, Godsmack / Grinspoon, Grandaddy, King Missile, Kodo, Korn, Offspring, Oleander, Placebo / Stabbing Westward, Plastic People of the Universe, Rusted Root, Samples, Sepultura / One Minute Silence / Biohazard, Ten Foot Pole, Waco Brothers THE READERS WRITE BACK! Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: Blondie, _No Exit_ (Beyond) - Tracey Bleile The high priestess of never-pigeonhole-me-cause-I-won't-fit, Debbie Harry, and the original lineup of Blondie have pulled it together from the disparate corners of the earth and sound as on the edge as they were throughout their career. _No Exit_ is far more energizing than you might expect. There's a lot of jumpy dance numbers, as fresh and defiant of being pinned down as they were in the early 80s. There's calypso, there's ska, there's punkiness, and it's all come by as legitimately as any of their early work. It's also quite amazing how tight Blondie sounds, working together for the first time in almost seventeen years. But what is just as great, is you know who this is instantaneously, earmarked with the classic, New Wave pulsating guitar and keyboards, and that wanton/waif/tough/sweet voice that is Debbie Harry. "Nothing Is Real But The Girl" would have tidily fit into the dance groove of the end of the disco/beginning of the dance club era. "Night Wind Sent" is another great track in the same mood; Harry's smooth and gentle croon wafting up over a shimmering up-tempo beat. Yes, the title track is an over-the-top rap featuring Coolio, a deep thundering bass and melodramatic sampling of Bach's Toccata and Fugue; a bit schticky, but not out of place. The single "Maria" is a little too processed and creamy (i.e. built for commercial success) for the rest of what's to be had here on _No Exit_, but hell, if Madonna can still surprise us within a dance-oriented album and Cher can breathe new life into her career for the umpteenth time doing the same, why not bring the originators up off their their laurels to see what they are yet capable of? Hey, Blondie broke the ground, so it's their territory to move in once again. So if you want or need a reminder of where the attitude was born and how that transcends labels of "disco" or "new wave" or anything else that ever made you groove on a dance floor, _No Exit_ evokes dance music's birthright and its ultimately pigeonholeless existence. --- REVIEW: Paul Westerberg, _Suicaine Gratifaction_ (Capitol) - Chris Hill On _Suicaine Gratifaction_, his third solo album since the 1990 Replacements swan song, _All Shook Down_, singer Paul Westerberg resolved to sonically exorcise the ghosts of his past for good. Then, asked by the label to perk up the gentle album he'd fancied completing, Westerberg complied, and what began as an Acapulco cliff swan dive now resembles a jumper changing clothes as he accelerates past the 35th floor: still committed to the course, just not as aesthetically pristine. But any complaints of stylistic schizophrenia arising from the patchwork construction of ballads and rockers are washed away by the heart- baring, honest emotion found throughout the album. _Suicaine Gratifaction_ is the closest thing yet to the soul of the man dogged by the success never achieved, but critically awarded in absentia, to the Replacements. The gentle acoustic side is bound to alienate more than a few of the hard-line Replacements fans, who don't care to contemplate ex-punk Paul singing a love song duet with Shawn Colvin. The horror! Westerberg's acknowledged that he's a different man now, that the Replacements were made special by the combination of four raw, blazing talents, belonging to a moment in time that can't (and couldn't) be recaptured. He's older, he's wiser, and he's opening himself up for scourging self-examination, hinted at with songs like "Answering Machine" and "Unsatisfied", but never to this extreme. "I believe I've started to go out of my head", he sings on "Sunrise Always Listens", a spare, beautiful, despairing confessional. If this was the original direction for the album, it makes me yearn for the dark twins of the rocking throwbacks "Lookin' Out Forever" and "Final Hurrah". Choosing to suffer for his art, Westerberg followed a downward spiral during the album's creation, plumbing his emotional depths for songwriting grist. "Sunrise..." explores the nadir of a manic depressive's cycle: the bewildered 2 a.m. feeling where no answers are forthcoming, and an act of nature takes on epiphanic meaning. The song carries the same throat-choking emotion found on _Eventually_'s ode to Bob Stinson, "Good Day". Westerberg is a master at crafting lyrics rife in double meaning, homonym wordplay ("only when you're chaste/chased, can you ever run fast"), subtle-as-he-wants-to-be sarcasm, and O. Henry ironic twists of phrasing. Missing is his overt humor. He's said, "This is a dark record--you'd be hard pressed to find a joke on it, which might be the greatest departure, because there's always at least one joke on my records, but I don't think this one has one." (The voice of his toddler, wailing 2:36 into "Whatever Makes You Happy" belies this claim, and I swear there's a barking toy dog layered in the middle of "Fugitive Kind". Perhaps these are winks, rather than jokes.) Self-deprecating, edgy honesty crops up even on the mandated upbeat songs - "I was the last thing that you ever wanted/still the best thing you never had", "Whatever makes you happy/I'm pretty sure isn't me". It's all part of the mirror Westerberg holds up to himself, a process he describes in song: "As the poet drags the darkness/within him to the light/it's only in self-defense". Almost as if he doesn't have a choice, risking his sanity to save it. Don Was, co-producer with Westerberg, says "It's a rare occasion when you get to make a record that has solidly good writing throughout, where every line has value and there's not a wasted word. I wanted the production to be sonically invisible so that there would be no remnants of the recording process that would get between Paul and the listener." True to his word, the acoustic numbers are given room to breath, echoing edgily, with small flourishes - an English horn on "Self-Defense", an accordion on "It's a Wonderful Lie" - goosing the song without calling attention to themselves. Maybe that jumper doesn't look so awkward. But next album, I'm hoping he's allowed to go the full distance to expressing that interior darkness. He relates his discoveries with a rare ability that deserves whatever protection can be offered. --- INTERVIEW: Gigolo Aunts - Al Muzer A criminally-overlooked musical treasure destined for Big Star-like after-the-fact respect, recognition and reverence, the Gigolo Aunts deserve to be blasting from your speakers this very second. Touring almost continuously since 1988's _Everybody Happy_ but, thanks to a contractual dispute with RCA Records, not heard on a full-length disc since 1994's _Flippin' Out_; group co-founder / songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Dave Gibbs, bassist/vocalist/ songwriter / co-founder Steve Hurley, drummer Fred Eltringham and guitarist / vocalist / Jon Skibic (the latter two taking over, as of _Flippin' Out_, for Paul Brouwer and Phil Hurley, respectively) have bounced back with _Minor Chords And Major Themes_. Audible fans of the Raspberries, Badfinger, the Beatles, Kiss, Velvet Crush (Gibbs was that group's touring guitarist in 1991), the Byrds, Teenage Fanclub and, of course, all things Cheap Trick; _Minor Chords And Major Themes_ is a watershed collection of hook-laden, buoyantly-catchy, lyrically-moving potential hits that compares favorably to its jangly forbears while it challenges such contemporaries as Nada Surf, Marvelous 3, Figdish, Sloan, Fountains Of Wayne, The Vandalias and Baby Lemonade. The first offering from Counting Crow frontman Adam Duritz's Universal-distributed E Pluribus Unum imprint, the charismatic young vocalist has been an ardent Gigolo Aunts fan since the grunge-heavy early days when their breezy, pop-based major label debuts were both being ignored by radio. Not just any label chief, Duritz requested the 'Aunts as the opening act for portions of the Counting Crows' 1997 tour; sings backing vocals (with Fountains Of Wayne frontman Adam Schlesinger) on "The Big Lie"; and was frequently spotted in the audience during their January residency at Hollywood's ultra-trendy Martini Lounge. In addition to the mega-star status of their dreadlocked label president, a year-old UK Top-30 hit and British TV theme song in "Where I Find My Heaven" and considerable chart success in Japan; the Gigolo Aunts have also received attention for the inclusion of "You'd Better Get Yourself Together, Baby" on a recent episode of _Felicity_. Besides television, the 'Aunts have also made inroads into the lucrative world of movies and are featured on the soundtracks for _Dumb and Dumber_, _The River Wild_, _That Thing You Do_ and _Swimming With Sharks_ starring Kevin Spacey. As the Mike (Aimee Mann, Letters To Cleo, Jennifer Trynin) Denneen-produced _Minor Chords And Major Themes_ CD gathers momentum behind such FM-friendly songs as "Super Ultra Wicked Mega Love," "C'mon, C'mon," "For A Moment" and "Everyone Can Fly" - longtime fans have begun pinching themselves and asking anyone who'll stop long enough to listen, "will 1999 be remembered as 'The Year Of The Gigolo?' " "Just wait 'til you hear our electronic side project!" Gibbs jokes when the various musical trends that've charted since his group's guitar-pop debut was released are mentioned. "We're also working on one of those rap-metal hybrid things, you know...one'a those bands." "That'll be called 'Illy-Bar," offers Skibic. "And then, John's got a band that's called 'Skibic'," laughs Gibbs. "It's an all instrumental thing...a lounge-core, heavy-metal, drums 'n' bass, rap-a'la-Limp Biskit-and-Korn kind'a thing..." "I've also got a ska-Klezmere side project that I'm working on called 'Smock,' " adds Skibic. "Smock!" Gibbs says as though he really likes the feel of the name. "And then, well, there's always 'The New Jersey Guitar Army.' " [Note: TNJGA is an actual Gigolo Aunts offshoot that performed most of Television's Marquee Moon at an East coast club recently. "We were thinking of doing a real long version of L.L. Cool J's 'Mama Said Knock You Out', " confides Skibic. "But decided to go with Television instead."] "The New Jersey Guitar Army is, uhm..." Gibbs says with a searching pause, "it's a great release. We try to take things seriously when we're in the studio and on the road, you know? But the business aspect of this," he adds with the weary sigh of someone who has truly been there, "is such a fucking joke that, if you can't have a little fun you wind up getting...you get defeated because it seems so...so arbitrary as to who gets played on the radio, what records are in the stores and who gets all the press coverage. It really is something of a joke, so you've gotta try to have fun with it while you can." "And, if it becomes something that's no fun anymore..." interjects Skibic. "Sometimes I think, 'here's this thing that I love...this record,' " Gibbs continues in a torrent of words, " 'this record that is, like, a huge part of me and has been a part of my life...' I'm saying something that's really personal to me on this record...." "And...," prompts Skibic, a man who has clearly been on the receiving end of previous, and similar, examinations of the way things work by Gibbs. "And then you put it out there and you read some shitty review of it and you're like, 'Goddamn!' " Gibbs says sadly. "It almost makes you not want to do that [make music] again. That part, I dread." "It's really hard predicting what's gonna appeal to radio," Skibic deadpans. "Which is why we try not to worry about it and play what we like." "Which is why I'm happy every time I hear, like, a Barenaked Ladies song on the radio," Gibbs explains. "It may not be exactly like us, but it's at least got guitars, bass and drums on it." "I'm predicting a brass band revival," jokes Skibic. "Like, big high school bands. Really fucking good high school bands...Sousa!" "Sousa?" queries Gibbs. "Hey! Around the turn of the century ... the kids dig the Sousa! That's what I'm seeing as the next big thing. Sousa with big, phat break beats behind it! Everything always comes back to Sousa." --- REVIEW: jimmyeatworld, _Clarity_ (Capitol) - Tracey Bleile _Clarity_, the second full-length major release from Tempe, AZ's jimmyeatworld, or Jimmy Eat World, as you like it, was the release that almost wasn't. Or was it? I digress. The album was suffering from the strangest sort of sophomore jinx - not that it was coming out to a chorus of boos and hisses, rather, dead silence. Word on the street was their major wasn't going to support another release after _Static Prevails_ faded from view way too fast. The band was working their asses off anyway, after a long break following _Static_. They hooked up with Gainesville, Florida indie Fueled By Ramen and cut a kick-ass self-titled EP. The story gets weirder here, so stay with me. This punk-inspired, poetically-informed groups of guys have a little tune on this EP. Let's put it this way. If John Hughes were makin' a cut-across-all-clique-lines teen movie now like he did when I was watching them, this would be the straight-shooting, can't shake that melody credit-roller. Only a 1,000 copies of the EP were slated to be pressed. Seems a section of hell was indeed destined to freeze over. When an ambitious and intrigued DJ from the monolithic KROC in L.A. got their hands on the EP, they heard this song. Started playing it. Next thing you know, it gets added. Kiss of life. Goes into heavy rotation; a giant segment of an important musical market is hearing this song (at a minimum) 10 times a day. Kiss of eternal life. Guess who anted up to make sure this full-length release will indeed get the major support it deserves, after all? "Lucky Denver Mint" is just one prime example of what was already great and shows so much growth in this band. The restless, driving percussive backdrop (courtesy of Zach Lind's two-fisted assault) of "Lucky" is matched beat for beat with the heavy bassline (Rick Burch more than holds up his half of the rhythm) and speed-strummed (not thrashed) guitar. The band's obsession with patterns, like modern dancers, takes percussion and rhythm like dance steps, playing the same riff/same beat the same for ways, which ties back to the same essential moves within the same piece. You can count the beats clearly in every single song, in true metronome fashion, to great hypnotizing effect. "For Me This Is Heaven" (another holdover from the EP) takes a simple heavy guitar line and balances it with a clean, simple piano arrangement that makes your throat ache every time you listen to it. These songs show how clearly the band has learned the value (intrinsic and musical) of holds and pauses within the music itself. They've listened to their U2, circa _Joshua Tree_, the Cure, et al, and have picked up on the legacy of where music was heading in the very early 90s and brought it alive in time for the end of the decade. The band breathes the essence of punk, but feeds on the elements of surprise, and are quick-change artists at heart (a trait they've probably had from day one, it was what made _Static_ shine, and works to even greater effect here): quiet opening verse, one perfect bass line, tinkling piano or xylophones, dramatic violins and cello, sweet-sung vocals. Then it all suddenly explodes as Jim Adkins' puts his permanently-high-register reaching voice over the top and Tom Linton stomps on his wah-wah, and sends you staggering back a step or so. All of these elements come to bear at the album's mid-point, with a seven-minute raging and whispering beauty,"Just Watch The Fireworks", which builds and builds and then fades back, violins and xylophone and piano playing a delicate counterpoint to crashing drums. Philharmonic Punk Pop? Can't encapsulate it with a tag, I'm just here to try and interpret for you. More than a mere title, _Clarity_ is a theme at work. Every song takes a moment in time, just like that mythical Hughes movie, and with a song like "Crush", brings you to that terrible split-second when you realized that that one person is never gonna feel like you do, and sets it to music. "Simple discourse breaks you clean in half / Regret / Do try it once and then you know / Your move / Settle for less again" Adkins voice rails, and then trails away. The delicious ironic and snarling "Your New Aesthetic" is the band's call to radio and music's consumers to be more open, ready and willing to new things, and at the same time rejects the "flavor of the week" mentality. Given the fact that "Lucky Denver Mint" puts them on the horns of that very dilemma, I will make my semi-annual plea that programmers keep looking for depth, because this band has it to spare. Failing that, it's up to you to dig for the good stuff. _Clarity_ gives with every fiber of its existence, and jimmyeatworld welcomes you in to get what you need. Feel free to stay as long as you like. --- REVIEW: Lo Fidelity Allstars, _How To Operate With A Blown Mind_ (Skint/Columbia) - Tim Mohr Though the Lo Fidelity Allstars record for Skint, the hot Big Beat label that is home to Fatboy Slim, they are much like a Renegade Soundwave for today: like Renegade Soundwave, they don't fit conveniently into dance or indie. Abrasive bohemian-hop vocals layered over dense sound collages that draw from both camps. The Allstars are very much sample-based, using sources as obvious as "Planet Rock" and old Stax and Motown songs to a variety of semi-obscure easy-listening like Lalo Schifrin and Eartha Kitt. As is popular at the moment in the UK, many nods to early-80s Electro surface on _How To Operate_, from antiquated drum machines to the aforementioned "Planet Rock" sample. Here and there a touch of Dub also influences the tracks. The album opens with "Warming Up The Brain Farm" - a soup of dance elements, thicker than typical Big Beat. A vocal sample prepares you for the rest of the record: "Nothing seems that weird anymore." "Kool Roc Bass" also uses diverse vocal snippets, then actual vocals compliments of The Wrekked Train. Like Renegade Soundwave, again, Train's vocals are sneered more than sung. Hip-hop beats, scratching, and bass synth anchor the proceedings. Still, given the elements with which the Lo Fidelity Allstars craft their songs, _How To Operate_ feels like an album: you can tell this was created by a band, a collective effort (of seven people, in fact) rather than an insular DJ album. More ideas are used on each track; the many ideas have been hammered into cohesive songs rather than simply strung along to beats. The Lo Fidelity Allstars seem almost like an indie version of the Prodigy; cooler, lighter, less dependant on obviously teenie ploys to propel their songs. _How To Operate With A Blown Mind_ should broaden the appeal of sampler-based music because of the underground, even - dare I say - lo-fi, sensibility and attitude of the Allstars. --- REVIEW: Jason Falkner, _Can You Still Feel?_ (Elektra) - John Davidson "Take a chance with me. And you will find you're only dreaming. Dream awhile and when you awake. You'll find me gone." So goes "The Invitation", the lead track on Jason Falkner's follow-up to the best pop record of 1996, _Author Unknown._ Maybe it's a plea for recognition, or maybe it's a soothsayer telling it like it is. The music business takes no prisoners, and has a history of making fools who believe otherwise. Falkner, who played with The Three O'Clock, Jellyfish, the Grays, and others before heading out on his own, certainly has seen the downs and a few ups during his musical career, including _Can You Still Feel?_ which has been sitting in the can for about a year already as it went through the machinations at Elektra. That said, Falkner's talents are again seeing the light on _Can You Still Feel?_ As before, he is playing and singing everything, creating dense, multi-layered pop songs that often begin like sketches but end as musical portraits full of detail. This is not guitar-based pop rock in the order of the Gin Blossoms or Third Eye Blind. It's got more touch and grace to it, more craft applied, more personal flourishes, and considerably more ambition. That's probably why it doesn't sound much like a tight band blazing through some simple, three chord songs. The result is that his ideas take more time to soak in. While the requisite hooks and sugar-coated swirls have immediate appeal, it takes awhile to embrace the scope of the album. Quirky bridges, shifting tempos, and shuffling lyrics create eccentricities that seem to develop longer than they did on "Author Unknown." It's not the easy sipping drink of before; the bitters are stronger this time as Falkner wanders through old relationships ("The Plan", "Honey") and does some soul searching ("Revelation" or "Eloquence".) He's moved slightly away from pure pop veneer in his past, and become a little more contemplative. Ironically, the song "Author Unknown" seems as though it may have fit better on his previous album of the same name. Still, if you heard his last one, or his work with the Grays, you know what to expect and won't be disappointed. Ultimately, Falkner is a first-rate writer, knowing how to elaborate an idea without strapping on too many musical indulgences. A twist here, a turn there, but rarely in excess. It's one of the advantages of doing everything yourself, but as great as _Can You Still Feel?_ is, it's not the record that will break him wide into the mainstream. He's still just another singer-songwriter whose pop songs are probably too complex for mass radio appeal. However, he's one of the best working right now, and that leaves him a well-kept secret for the rest of us. --- REVIEW: Prince Paul, _A Prince Among Thieves_ (Tommy Boy) - Tim Hulsizer From one hip hop's finest minds comes one of the most ambitious works in recent memory. Prince Paul has pulled out all the stops here to make something better than your usual album. It's more of a 77-minute story, introducing us to Tariq (played by Breez), a young man who needs a thousand dollars to put together his demo and get a rap record deal. Unable to get the cash another way, Tariq's friend True (newcomer Sha) volunteers to set up Tariq as a dealer "just for the week." Of course, things never quite work out that smoothly. 30-year-old Prince Paul has come a long way from his days with Stetsasonic and his production work on De La Soul etc., but his tendency towards innovation remains at the forefront. While his peers are content to run the same rhymes over the same old, tired beats, Paul keeps stretching the boundaries of the form, with occasionally varying results. On this, his second solo LP, he brings together a large cast to flesh out the drama. Kool Keith, Big Daddy Kane, Chris Rock, and Everlast are among the group, each with their own part to play and dialogue or songs to perform. Prince Paul's mind works in strange ways sometimes, which may explain why he's such an underappreciated presence in the music industry. He moves among the tracks like a demented ghost, distorting a sound here or layering a noise there. A few recurring sound effects (a donkey bray, a man saying "freakin' lickin'") tend to distract after awhile, but they also add cohesion and tone to something that approaches the divine at times. Witness Kool Keith's eccentric performance as Crazy Lou, the owner of Weapon World, or check out the give and take between Tariq and True on the track "What You Got (the Demo)". More than just another hip hop release, _A Prince Among Thieves_ is along the lines of an experimental parable about the record biz. It combines elements of satire and wit, with serious moments as well. It's cinematic in the extreme, so it comes as no surprise that a film version is already underway. Expanding on Paul's old gift for the hip hop "skit" (he basically invented it back in the 80's), this album also functions as a look back at the past decade in the industry. It's evident that he's more of a detached observer watching things from the side, preferring not to speak until he actually has something to say. Prince Paul calls _Psychoanalysis_ (his 1996 solo debut) "the big middle finger up at everything". While the life situations surrounding the artist have since changed from when he put that album together, his work still has that exploratory feel to it. Let's hope this new album brings one of hip hop's great artist/producers back to center stage where he belongs. That could only mean more great things in the future. --- REVIEW: Colin James, _Colin James And The Little Big Band II_ (Elektra) - Bill Holmes As jump, swing and blues appeal to yet another generation, record labels are (ahem) jumping on the trend like they do any other, everyone searching for their Brian Setzer Orchestra. Colin James put his money where his mouth was back in 1993, however, and achieved double-platinum success in his native Canada. Six years later, the world has caught up with him - or rightfully, with Cab Calloway, Louis Prima and Louis Jordan. There's nothing groundbreaking here - bands like Chicago's late Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows have forged blues and swing for years - but at least James seems like a purist and not a bandwagon jumper. I've seen enough people detaching their nose rings and donning zoot suits to last me a lifetime, thanks, and what comes out is the same lame attempt to ride the wave that's already passed them by. James eschews posing for some nice turns of Ray Charles, Jackie Wilson and Memphis Slim in addition to two of his own cuts. If he weren't sincere, this would be a dance party recording; instead, slices of blues pain like "You Know My Love" are prominently included. Naturally, the main features are all there - rollicking drumbeat, crack horn section, standup bass, strong keyboards. James' voice has the right soft rasp for the material, and his guitar playing is solid but not showy, (think B.B.King and Robert Cray). The result is a record that sounds fresh, not dated, which, of course, is the point of all this. --- REVIEW: Bill Wyman & The Rhythm Kings, _Anyway the Wind Blows_ (Velvel) - Dan Birchall History has a strange way of repeating itself in the music business, and the 90's have been no exception. The recent revival of "Swing" bands (actually mis-labeled "Big Bands") introduced us to a horde of little-known acts, and reminded us that musical styles never die. The second Rhythm Kings album, _Anyway the Wind Blows,_ revives sounds that dominated the mid-century. But the Kings aren't mere retro wanna-be's - their roster reads like a "Who's Who" of classic rock. Organized by former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, the project also features Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, and Mick Taylor. Ten classic blues and jazz tracks are mixed with a half-dozen originals by Wyman - good luck telling them apart! There are quite a few catchy tunes, and some Stones-esque lyrical double entendres. These aren't the Stones, of course - few songs even approach rock - but the legendary talents involved turn out good results. If you liked the "Swing" revival, this could further broaden your musical horizons. It could also help you find common ground with other generations - your parents or grandparents will recognize the toe-tapping style. And with rock 'n roll gods like these in the liner notes, your rock-fan friends won't think you've lost your edge. --- REVIEW: Various Artists, _Old School vs. New School_ (Jive Electro) - Joe Silva Considering the depth and urban stature of their back catalogue, offering up this wealth of material to the whims of a new generation, was probably an act of high seduction. The choices might not be all that you might expect (who'd pass over Mystikal for a whack at a Stone Roses track?), but the overall results are fresh enough to subdue any complaints. Employing a couple of heavy hitters (Fat Boy Norman Cook, Grooverider), and some lesser known faves (Rabbit In The Moon, Aphrodite), the mix of talent is enticing and diverse enough to tug at a listeners attention, for "back in the day" nostalgia if nothing else, throughout the disc. Leading off with the Whodini classic "Magic's Wand," rehabbed by Big Beat Brit-boys Freestlyers, the collection gets off on the good foot. This track and a fair portion of the others aren't so much disassembled as they are decorously updated. Even more surprising is that with one exception there's not a track that clocks in over seven minutes. The coming vinyl treatments will undoubtedly stretch out some. Immediately worthwhile is Pimp Juice's reclamation of A Tribe Called Quest's "Go Ahead In The Rain." Equally well re-spun is Aphrodite's take on the Tribe's "1nce Again." But if the interest factor dips a touch during the Bassbin Twins' assault on Boogie Down Production's "A Crate of BDP" where the interest dips are fairly acceptable, it touches bottom when Bad Boy Bill has his way with Kool Moe Dee's "I Go To Work." That was a track best left to the inner vault. Norman Cook's go at the Tribe's "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" may skank some, but ultimately it disappoints. More redeeming are items like DJ Icey's account of Whodini's "Five Minutes of Funk" and the well-executed Hybrid Mix of Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "Summertime." With enough worth-while stuff on display, here's to looking for Volume II. --- REVIEW: The Ziggens, _Pomona Lisa_ (Skunk) - Bill Holmes As you might be able to tell from the album title, these guys have a sense of humor. They're also crackerjack musicians and masters of many styles. My first introduction to them was a song from their _Chicken Out_ record called "Goober's Got A Girlfriend"; besides the obvious visual shudder a title like that would generate, the guitarist sound-checked everyone from Led Zeppelin to The Beatles with throwaway fills. On _Pomona Lisa_, Dick Dale and Brian Wilson get a workout, along with country moaners, tight-bun waitresses and Abe Vigoda, among others (and the Mayberry jokes live on in the booklet's artwork). Surf punkers at heart, they can keep pace with The Ramones on songs like "Stranded On Clicker Island" and "I Took My Mom To The Prom" ("Didn't have to buy a corsage/the car's parked in the garage"). They even name-check their website in "Surf3", a Jan and Dean style song about waxing up that keyboard. Then there are several reverential surf instrumentals that will make your tiki lamp glow; "Surfin You Say" and "Surfin Buena Park" are tasteful and sincere. But just when you get soft, Dick Dale gets dusted with "Goin Richter" while Rodney King's non-anthem "Can't We All Just Get A Longboard" blasts from the jukebox. Even when writing love songs, they're slabs of twisted poetry and desperate cries for therapy ("Pony Up" and "What To Do" especially). The Skunk label is most famous for breaking Sublime, and if they could get an overrated stoner band like that onto the radios of America, I would imagine that these twisted wise guys will be a big deal pretty soon. Few bands match irreverence with such talent - The Colorblind James Experience comes to mind - but the Ziggens have the chops to back up their smirks. They must be amazing to witness live. Elliot Easton (yes, THAT Elliot Easton) produced the record and plays some guitar, and he probably hasn't enjoyed himself this much in a decade. Probably two. --- REVIEW: Banyan, _Anytime at All_ (Higher Octave) - Chris Hill 1997's _Banyan_ came about thanks to CyberOctave's keen interest in the jams recorded the previous year by Porno for Pyros and Jane's Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, Mike Watt, Nels Cline, and Money Mark (and produced by the Dust Brothers). The follow-up, _Anytime at All_, was a planned event, but the spirit of improvisation remains dominant. Perkins redrafts Watt and Cline (for what is essentially his solo outlet) and adds new cohorts Rob Wasserman, Flea & John Frusciante (from the Red Hot Chili Peppers), Buckethead, Bad Azz, and a slew of others to the lineup, then steps back from the command chair, giving the musicians room to follow their creative inclinations, and making each an equal contributor to the final, free-form product. Because of the loose structure, a mnemonic slipperiness pervades _Anytime at All_. The songs melt their way into the ears, play, then slide on, evading recall scant minutes later like mental mercury. Devoid of a meaty "whole album" presence, the cd fleshes itself out with funk and jazz jam riffs galore, each song an organic, transitory creation: conceived, gestated, and delivered day by day in the studio. Some of the thirteen tracks teeter on the brink of wank, and some plunge blissfully over. In particular, the 14:52 opus "The Apple and the Seed". The song's final minute segues into a drums, percussion, and bass-driven jungle soundtrack motif that should have been the song's centerpiece, rather than its climax. It's a litmus test for your own free-form appreciation limits. That's the downside. On the upside, there are numerous moments when a drum riff, a horn note, or a fine bass run rises from the sonic bog, grasps the earlobes, and demands proper attention. Willy Waldman from the Memphis Horns (on trumpet) and hip hop engineer Dave Aaron (on clarinet) are responsible for a number of these tugs, as is Perkins, who displays his playing versatility. He uses the full range of a drum kit, plus kettle and steel drums. Even water becomes a percussive soundboard - a fine creative touch on "Early Bird". It's the dot on the i in "organic". "Keep the Change", another standout, combines blissed female vocals ("I had a dream I was covered with mushrooms/ There's malice behind these questions.") over a trip-hop beat. Herb friendliness a plus in the listener, I imagine. Totaling 69 minutes, _Anytime at All_ makes a decent soundtrack for a relaxed Sunday 3C (coffee, croissant, and crossword) morning. Also useful as road-rage antitoxin during the daily commute. http://www.cyberoctave.com/ for further album/group info. --- REVIEW: Guadalcanal Diary, _At Your Birthday Party_ (Guadco) - Bill Holmes Back in the early 1980's, a four piece band from Georgia astutely forged a new and exciting sound from their influences. The lead singer wrote about odd topics - religious paranoia, cultural injustice, famous dead comedians - but the band created music as a democratic process. The lead guitarist was inventive and could squeeze just about any sound from his instrument, while the rhythm section was locked in seamlessly, alternately driving and supporting the thrust of the music. College radio jumped all over their first album, and rightfully so - this was something that signaled a new fusion of American musical roots with the interpretive genius of new voices. The band packed themselves into a van and headed out to play every bar and club that would have them. Their live shows whipped crowds into a frenzy, and it seemed like only a matter of time before they would be blasting out of every radio in America. But Guadalcanal Diary never got that shot. See, radio had finally caught up with this other band called R.E.M.....and everyone radio wizard knows that you can't have two great bands from the same place. Unless it's Seattle, of course. But radio and good music had ceased walking hand in hand years before, so Guadalcanal Diary just kept kicking ass and taking names, releasing four records for Elektra between 1984 and 1989 before finally calling it a day. Murray Attaway took his acerbic vision to Geffen and a solo deal, while the others signed on with Love Tractor and Hillbilly Frankenstein. Fans of the band cherished their vinyl legacy, another bug on the windshield of the music industry. Fast-forward to 1995, as Attaway is recording his second (and still unreleased) solo effort. Calling upon old bandmates to join in, the spark reunites. Rumors fly. Hopes are raised. Finally, in 1996, a reunion show that not only blows the doors off the room, but energizes the band into a reformation. _At Your Birthday Party_ was recorded over two nights in January 1998 and features a sampling of songs from their past catalogue. Unlike some bands who have reformed out of financial need or boredom, Guadalcanal Diary sounds explosive. Jeff Walls incinerates stompers like "Watusi Rodeo" and the Stonesy "Likes Of You" (the record's high point) while Attaway sounds like a man possessed raising the roof at a revival tent. You can't see Rhett Crowe's angular frame pogo-ing at a manic pace, but you know she is. And how Poe gets through a night with the same drum heads is beyond me. Their attack of "Dead Eyes" and "Cattle Prod" would put most psychobilly bands to shame, but more melodic fare like "Pretty Is As Pretty Does" ("Dizzy Miss Lizzie", swamp style) and "Trail Of Tears" are as powerful and hypnotic as ever. Sixteen cuts deep, crisply recorded but the stink of beer and sweat is unmistakable. Radio hasn't gotten any kinder, so although the band has recorded some new material, they are in the process of finding the right outlet for it. In the meantime, however, this self-released live document should keep old fans happy while it opens the ears of those who weren't fortunate enough to share it the first time around. Those who wish to testify are strongly advised to head over to http://www.guadalcanaldiary.com without further delay. --- REVIEW: Don Caballero, _Singles Breaking Up (vol. I)_ (Touch & Go) - Kerwin So Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, chorus, bad solo. The fearsome foursome known as Don Caballero not only eschew the conventional pop formula, they pound it to a bloody pulp. Don Cabs music resembles a sonic train wreck: terrifying, brutal, yet awesome to behold. While death metal might be the closest genre to identify this band with, Don Caballero is decidedly not metal. Their sound is dark and violent, to be sure, but in a more fragmented and pointed way - intermittent shards of harsh guitar and thundering bass scrape against fusillades of chaotically controlled percussion. Drummer and band leader Damon Che nails his drum kit down onto the stage before performing live, a ritual that, along with stripping down to his skivvies, clearly demonstrates his power and seriousness behind the drums. Don Caballero further refuse to add vocals to their songs, placing them in a class of their own. Now if you're already a fan of the Don, then _Singles Breaking Up_ will definitely be up your alley, particularly if you jumped late onto the bandwagon. While the CD doesn't technically contain any new Don Cab songs, it does feature a host of B-sides and session tracks left over from the past few albums, as well as one previously unreleased track. To the new listener, however, it may be difficult to tell the difference between songs, especially upon first listen. Despite the reference to the Buzzcocks _Singles Going Steady_, this is not a collection of Don Caballero's greatest hits, nor will any of the songs ever likely achieve broad commercial success. But if you can stick with it without sustaining a migraine, it may just pay off: you'll start to pick out parts and changes you hadnt noticed before, and begin to appreciate the force and sheer ability of drummer Che (particularly in the shorter songs). Besides Che's blistering stickwork, the real beauty of Don Caballero is the sheer density of its compositions; once you get over the feeling of being overwhelmed, there's something new to be heard and discovered every time. In short: if you're feeling musically adventurous, give this CD - and this band - a try. --- NEWS: > The Black Crowes will be appearing on Late Night With Conan O'Brien on Thursday, February 25 and performing the new single "Only A Fool" from _By Your Side_. > Cravin' Melon will be returning to the studios at the end of March to make the followup album to _Red Clay Harvest_ . > Depeche Mode's _The Singles 81>85_ has been domestically released and remastered for the first time by Reprise Records. Previously only available in the United States as an import, this collection includes fifteen songs, along with two remixes: "Just Can't Get Enough (Schizo Mix)" and "Photographic (Some Bizarre Version)". > Sister Hazel's Ryan Newell, Monster Magner's Ed Mundell and the Wallflowers' Mike Ward have been nomatined for a Gibson Guitar Award for "Les Paul Horizon Award - Most Promising New Guitarist." > Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will be performing seven shows at San Francisco's Fillmore Theatre as a prelude to the April 13 release of their new album, _Echo_ (Warner Brothers). Each show, beginning at 8 p.m., will have a different opening act. > The London Suede will be releasing their new album _Head Music_ (Nude / Columbia) in the U.S. on June 8. This will be the first album without longtime producer Ed Buller, with Steve Osbourne taking his place. --- TOUR DATES: Absinthe Feb. 28 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle Afghan Whigs Feb. 26 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse Mar. 1 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues Mar. 2 Baton Rouge, LA Variety Theater Mar. 5 Chicago, IL Cabaret Metro All / Less Than Jake Feb. 27 Salt Lake City, UT Canyons Ski Resort (Daytime Show) Mar. 2 Hollywood, CA The Palace Mar. 3 Reno, NV Rodeo Rock Babe The Blue Ox / Trinket / Interpreters Feb. 26 Birmingham, AL Nick Feb. 27 Tallahassee, FL Down Under Mar. 3 Nashville, TN Exit Inn Joan Baez / Hank Dogs Feb. 26 St. Petersburg, FL Jannus Landing Feb. 27 Jacksonville, FL Florida Theater Feb. 28 West Palm Beach, FL Carefree Theater Better Than Ezra / Jude Feb. 25 Orlando, FL House of Blues Feb. 26 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club Feb. 27 Atlanta, GA Roxy Mar. 2 Greenville, NC Attic Mar. 3 Charleston, SC Music Farm Candlebox Feb. 25 LaCrosse, WI Hollywood Theatre Feb. 26 Wausau, WI Bases Loaded Feb. 27 Appleton, WI TCF Center Feb. 28 Madison, WI Kit's Corner Mar. 2 Grand Rapids, MI Orbit Room Mar. 3 Fort Wayne, IN Pierre's Hank Dogs Mar. 2 Washington, DC Birchmere Mar. 3 Philadelphia, PA George's Eve 6 / Marvelous 3 Feb. 26 Old Bridge, NJ Birch Hill Feb. 27 Philadelphia, PA Theater of the Living Arts Feb. 28 Syracuse, NY Lost Horizon Mar. 2-3 New York, NY Bowery Ball 50 Tons of Black Terror / Groop Dogdrill Feb. 26 Detroit, MI Alvin's Fleming & John Feb. 24 Birmingham, AL 5 Points South Feb. 26 Nashville, TN 328 Perform. Hall Feb. 27 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse Flick Feb. 25 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol Feb. 26 Baltimore, MD Whfs Radio Show Feb. 27 Norfolk, VA Boathouse Mar. 1 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall Mar. 2 Charleston, SC Music Farm Mar. 3 Lake Buena Vista, FL House Of Blues Flys Feb. 26 New Orleans, LA House of Blues Godsmack / Grinspoon Feb. 25 Salt Lake City, UT The Zephyr Feb. 26 Colorado Springs, CO CO Music Hall Feb. 28 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar Mar. 1 Milwaukee, WI The Rave Mar. 2 Chicago, IL The Metro Mar. 3 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Grandaddy Feb. 26 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall King Missile Feb. 26 Austin, TX Electric Lounge Feb. 27 Denton, TX Rubber Gloves Feb. 28 Oklahoma City, OKVZD/Mind Candy Mar. 2 Albuquerque, NM Launch Pad Mar. 3 Tucson, AZ Club Congress Kodo Feb. 28 Boston, MA Symphony Hall Mar. 3-5 New York, NY Beacon Theatre Korn Feb. 26 Tucson, AZ Convention Center Arena Feb. 27 Albuquerque, NM Tingley Arena Feb. 28 El Paso, TX Coliseum Mar. 2 San Antonio, TX Freeman Coliseum Mar. 3 Dallas, TX Reunion Arena Offspring Feb. 27-28 New York, NY Roseland Mar. 2 Troy, NY RPI Fieldhouse Mar. 3 Mississauga, ONT Arrow Hall @ Intl. Center Oleander Feb. 26 Sacramento, CA The Crest Feb. 28 Memphis, TN WMFS Show Placebo / Stabbing Westward Feb. 25 Pittsburgh, PA Metropol Feb. 26 Baltimore, MD HFS Radio Show Feb. 27 Norfolk, VA The Boathouse Mar. 1 Charlotte, NC Tremont Music Hall Mar. 2 Charleston, SC Music Farm Mar. 3 Orlando, FL House of Blues Plastic People of the Universe Feb. 25 Toronto, ON el Mocambo Feb. 26 Washington, DC Black Cat Feb. 27-28 New York, NY Knitting Factory Mar. 3 Oberlin, OH Oberlin College Rusted Root Feb. 26 Rochester, NY St. John's University Feb. 27 Syracuse, NY Landmark Theatre Feb. 28 Canton, NY St. Lawrence University Mar. 2-3 Washington, DC 9:30 Club Samples Feb. 25 Boston, MA Paradise Feb. 26 Dover, VT Snow Barn Feb. 27 Hamilton, NY Colgate University Feb. 28 Ithaca, NY Ithaca College Sepultura / One Minute Silence / Biohazard Feb. 25 Dallas, TX Deep Ellum Live Feb. 26 Corpus Christi, TX Yellow Rose Conv. Ctr. Feb. 27 McAllen, TX Villa Real Mar. 1 St Louis, MO Pop's Mar. 2 Chicago, IL H.O.B.'s Mar. 3 Detroit, MI Harpo's Ten Foot Pole Feb. 26 Minneapolis, MN The Whole Feb. 27 Green Bay, WI Concert Cafe Feb. 28 Chicago, IL The Metro Mar. 2 Detroit, MI Shelter Waco Brothers Feb. 27-28 Chicago, IL Schuba's --- THE READERS WRITE BACK! > The quote from "Come Out" in the Reich Remixed review is nearly correct in your piece. Substitute the word "bruise" for "blues". In the liner notes for the original recording of "Come Out", Reich refers to the quote while explaining the sound bite. Briefly, it is the voice of a youth explaining events surrounding a beating he suffered during a Harlem riot in 1964. The police were only taking people to the hospital who were visibly bleeding, so this youth squeezed open a bruise on his leg in order to be taken to the hospital. - Todd B., Washington (Ed. Note: Many of the critics do not have a 'final' copy of a disc, or a lyrics sheet, when reviewing an album. At least it wasn't a Hendrix "Excuse me while I kiss this guy" mistake...) --- 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 ===