== ISSUE 176 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [May 9, 1999] Editor: Bob Gajarsky E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com Managing Editor: Lang Whitaker Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Joe Silva Correspondents: Michelle Aguilar, Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Tracey Bleile, Jason Cahill, Matthew Carlin, Patrick Carmosino, John Davidson, Andrew Duncan, Krisjanis Gale, Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Franklin Johnson, Steve Kandell, Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Jon Steltenpohl, Michael Van Gorden, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, David Landgren, 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: Tom Waits, _Mule Variations_ - Steve Kandell REVIEW: Robbie Williams, _The Ego Has Landed_ - Bob Gajarsky REVIEW: Super Furry Animals, _Radiator_ - Niles Baranowski INTERVIEW: Blake Schwarzenbach of Jets to Brazil - Kerwin So REVIEW: Poi Dog Pondering, _Natural Thing_ - Jon Steltenpohl REVIEW: Poster Children, _New World Record_ - Steve Kandell REVIEW: Velocette, _Fourfold Remedy_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: Atari Teenage Riot, _60 Second Wipeout_ - Michelle Aguilar REVIEW: Bouncing Souls, _Hopeless Romantic_ - Chris Hill REVIEW: The Delgados, _Peloton_ - Niles Baranowski REVIEW: Third World, _Generation Coming_ - Reto Koradi REVIEW: Travis Pickle, _Travis Pickle_ - Michael Van Gorden REVIEW: Trinket, _Trinket_ - John Davidson REVIEW: DDT, _Urban Observer_ - Chris Hill NEWS: Apples In Stereo, Tori Amos / Alanis Morissette, Mike Ness / House of Blues, Verve TOUR DATES: Aerosmith / Afghan Whigs, Beastie Boys, Black Crowes / Lenny Kravitz / Everlast, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Chapter In Verse, Delgadoes, Of Montreal, Pan Sonic, Splender Back Issues of Consumable --- REVIEW: Tom Waits, _Mule Variations_ (Epitaph) - Steve Kandell The most surprising thing about Tom Waits' new album _Mule Variations_, his first solo studio effort in seven years, is not its bang-on-anything-in-sight approach to percussion or the lyrical gems spewed forth in a distinctive croak for which the words "gruff" and "gravelly" were invented. These elements are familiar to anyone who has listened to Waits' work over the course of his esteemed 26-year recording career. No, the most surprising thing here is that Waits - clown prince of the down and out and the sinking fast, troubadour poet of the seedy urban underbelly - has made the feel-good album of the year. Just as Bob Dylan's _Time Out of Mind_ was acclaimed for being that rare effective rock album about growing old (seemingly a contradiction in terms), _Mule Variations_ is nothing if not about rural domestic bliss, seen from the eyes of a man just on the other side of middle age. Of course, Waits' skewed vision of middle age is short on PTA meetings or IRA funds and rife with the fringe-dwelling characters that mark his classic work. By toning down the Brechtian aspirations and carnival barker atmosphere so prevalent on his operatic 80's albums without sacrificing the humor and innovation that makes his music so unique, 1999 sees a kinder, gentler Tom Waits. For Waits neophytes, this is a perfect place to jump in, as is last year's greatest non-hits package _Beautiful Maladies_, his swan song for longtime label Island before jumping ship to punk stalwart Epitaph. For Waits aficionados, there is much on this album to keep interest high and is not the watered-down commercial pandering that the words "kinder" and "gentler" may have erroneously suggested. The cacophonous wail of opening track "Big In Japan," featuring Primus as a backing band, harkens back to Waits' phenomenally inventive _Bone Machine_ (1992) and "Filipino Box Spring Hog" might be what it sounds like when a jug band's tour bus crashes. But the rest of the album is comprised predominantly of understated, bluesy ballads, sparse where most ballads get soapy. In a perfect world, first single "Hold On," reminiscent of earlier Waits songs like "Blind Love," "Falling Down," and "Who Are You?," would singlehandedly be able to rescue the love song from the evil clutches of Celine Dion. But this is not that world, and "Hold On" is not coming to a commercial radio station near you anytime soon. The album has a familiar feel, due in no small part to the fact that backing musicians Marc Ribot (guitar), Ralph Carney (horns), and Larry Taylor (bass) are longtime Waits collaborators. Waits' wife and muse Kathleen Brennan co-wrote and co-produced many of the album's sixteen songs. Recorded in a chicken ranch and sounding like it, the tracks on _Mule Variations_ have an organic, timeless quality and could pass for exceptionally well-recorded 78 relics from the thirties. "Cold Water" is gutter blues at its best, followed immediately by the plaintive, homesick "Pony." Musically speaking, there is some redundancy over the course of the album's seventy-six minutes. Bluesy shuffles "Get Behind the Mule," "Black Market Baby," "Lowside of the Road," and "Chocolate Jesus" are all more similar than different in terms of style, yet each one is able to come up with at least a few lines or sonic twists that render the song indispensable. While Waits may repeat himself at times, everything about this album sounds utterly unique from anything else on the record shelves, save for other Tom Waits albums. Ironically, one song that nearly did not make the cut is one of the album's best. On the beautiful and haunting "Georgia Lee," Waits accompanies himself on piano and delivers an elegy for a slain schoolgirl that downplays piousness in favor of frustration, sort of the flipside of a Nick Cave dirge. Listening to Waits' body of work writ large, it is amazing how he can go from boho cocktail jazz to avant-garde experimental opera and back again without causing whiplash. _Mule Variations_ similarly blends disparate styles while remaining a singular coherent work. More than anything, these new songs ("Georgia Lee" and "Pony" not included) sound downright happy. Content but not complacent. Antique but not antiquated. "House Where Nobody Lives," "Take It With Me," the soaring closer "Come On Up To the House" and "Picture in a Frame," (which cribs a line from Waits' role in Robert Altman's Short Cuts) are all testaments to being in love and settling down in the country. On his records from the 70's, you could smell the whiskey on Waits' voice as he crooned and scatted his Beat-and-Bukowski-inspired barroom tales. If _Small Change_ made you want to drink boilermakers with Hollywood hookers, _Mule Variations_ makes you want to get married and live in a house in the middle of nowhere. --- REVIEW: Robbie Williams, _The Ego Has Landed_ (Capitol) - Bob Gajarsky As a member of a boy band in his teenage years, Robbie Williams and Take That conquered Europe and won the hearts of the usual screaming girls all across the continent. But in America, widespread success somehow eluded the teen group. That 'failure' to break in America a la the Backstreets and New Kids may turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to Robbie Williams. Williams' debut album, _The Ego Has Landed_ (a combination of his two European solo efforts), is merely outstanding. Robbie had already burned some of the teen bridges behind his unceremonious booting from Take That - after all, eschewing the virtues of ecstasy is a sure way to lose the support of the mainstream machine responsible for teen idol bands. The fickle British press initially dismissed Williams' solo career. However, when the poignant ballad "Angels" captured the hearts of the United Kingdom's music fans (think an updated version of Elton John's "Empty Garden"), even the critics were converted to the 'new' Robbie. Still cocky and not afraid to take the piss out of reporters, Robbie became celebrated rather than castigated. Samples from James Bond ("You Only Live Twice") on the lilting first single "Millennium" might cloud the admiration of first-time American fans, but this is one album which truly deserves to be looked at as the sum of all its parts. When Robbie sings "Let Me Entertain You", you know he means it. Harder rocking than most of his other tracks, memories of Gene, Ace, Peter and Paul are brought back to life from their made-up days as Kiss. And on the introspective and confessional "Strong", Williams admits that "Early morning when I wake up / I look like Kiss but without the makeup / And that's a good line to take it to the bridge". There's a few ballads thrown in - "She's The One", and the Embrace-esque "No Regrets", which features backing vocals by the Divine Comedy's Neil Hannon and the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant. It even includes a PSB-esque ending, where the song just 'drops' and ends - no gentle fade-out, as Tennant was prone to do on tracks such as "Opportunities". Other highlights on _The Ego Has Landed_ include the down and dirty, rocking "Man Machine" (from _Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels_, but not on the soundtrack), the anti-Who song (I hope I'm) "Old Before I Die", in which Robbie half-seriously asks if he's straight or gay, and wants to live to see the pope gets high...and for those looking for the spoken word Robbie, there's a hidden message at the end of "One of God's Better People" to those who naysayed Williams, culminating in "Bollocks! You can kiss my ass." A standout from start to finish and better than 99% of the schlock released these days, finally, _The Ego Has Landed_ - and Robbie Williams proves that self-assuredness, balls, and brilliant music are still a precious commodity. Take That, suckers! --- REVIEW: Super Furry Animals, _Radiator_ (Flydaddy) - Niles Baranowski It's a bitch for Welsh bands in this fair country of ours. After one album and a compilation, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci were unceremoniously dropped from Mercury Records. Meanwhile, the 60 Ft. Dolls had their career stalled when DGC decided they weren't selling enough (and this doesn't even touch on the saga of the Manic Street Preachers or the legion of great bands who can't even get signed in America, especially Topper and Melys.) Yet, there may be no band on the Welsh scene more unfairly treated than the Super Furry Animals. After their perky debut, _Fuzzy Logic_, their sophomore effort _Radiator_ met with English success, yet Sony Records sat on it for nearly a year stateside. Despite a small, rabid following, they were quietly dropped, only to be nabbed by indie label Flydaddy (who will be releasing the follow-up to _Radiator_ this summer), the home of Olivia Tremor Control among others. _Radiator_ will hopefully net the band some more attention and an increased following. It's the giddy, irresistable retro-pop record that Olivia and the other bands of the Elephant 6 collective have been racking their brains to write, so far unsuccessfully. _Radiator_ surpasses recent American puttering in psychedelia, ranking with Blur's _Parklife_ in terms of its offhanded acknowledgement of influences (everything from Zappa to Bowie to the Zombies), satirical sense of humor and accessibility. Indeed, it's hard to see why Epic Records couldn't make a mint of off this album. In our post-Hanson age, the Jackson 5 chorus of "Play it Cool" seems like a perfect hit. "Chupacabra" glorifies goat-eating bats with a short'n'sweet power pop blast, and "Demons" combines Bowie's dark swagger with some slippery editing to make for a song that seems to be missing parts or about to collapse (in a good way, naturally) at any moment. Part of the reason _Radiator_ clicks so well is that the Furries come from a techno background rather than one of rock'n'roll. They chase individual sounds and hooks, rather than a style of songwriting. It's not perfect nostalgia -- "Mountain People" succumbs to an uncharacteristic barrage of noise at the end -- but it's all the more fun, since they're willing to cut out what doesn't work in favor of the fun and bouncy or at least the interestingly twisted. The Furries have raised the bar for those who traffic in reconstructing musical history, as well as Welsh rock; let's see if the upcoming releases from Catatonia, the Manics or anything Elephant 6 has to offer can follow suit. --- INTERVIEW: Blake Schwarzenbach of Jets to Brazil - Kerwin So By now, most people know the story. Three years ago, Blake Schwarzenbach washed his hands of beloved California pop-punk band Jawbreaker and moved to New York, swearing never to make music again. Destiny held other plans for this songwriter who had not yet seen the end of his valuable creative output. By happy accidents, Schwarzenbach hooked up with recently displaced musicians with similar musical backgrounds (Chris Daly from Texas is the Reason and Jeremy Chatelain from Handsome). Things immediately clicked, and before they knew it, the newly-christened Jets to Brazil were signed to indie heavy-hitter label Jade Tree and whisked away on a European tour with emo-rock favorites The Promise Ring, all without even having released a record. Thus ended the whirlwind of 1998. It's now 1999 and Jets to Brazil has come full circle, having released a well-received debut album and returning on tour to their home country, and Blake's hometown. C.O. Online caught up with Schwarzenbach at a recent sold-out Jets to Brazil show at the Bottom of the Hill, in Blake's old stomping grounds of San Francisco. On the tail end of the tour, Blake was happy to talk about California lifestyles, sources of inspiration, and leaving the Jawbreaker legacy behind. Consumable Online: Welcome back to the Bay Area. How long have you been in New York? Blake Schwarzenbach.: Uh, three years. I'm not used to it. I'm Californian by nature so long winters really scare me there, because you just have to be inside the whole time. C.O.: Has it proved a good impetus for songwriting? Blake S.: I think I live in the wrong place, because I can't really make music in my apartment, because it's a New York apartment, so there's people all over the place. C.O.: Now that the record is out, is there a difference in the crowd reaction? Blake S.: Yeah! It's cool like, people get psyched about songs, they know them now. It's nice, sometimes there'll be applause when we start a song, so there's recognition there, and that's really great. A lot of people told me that they were getting married to the song "Sweet Avenue." Seems to be a thing that's happening on this tour. I've had three couples come up and say, "At our wedding we're gonna play that song." I'm totally cool with that. C.O.: I read some interview, I can't remember the guy, but he was like, "My friends named their kid after you." How do you feel about that kind of thing? Blake S.: I appreciate it you know, I think it's really nice. People get strange with band members, sometimes. Like their fixation on them. I've been the object of that kind of fixation before. Sometimes people really get what you do and it helps them in some way and I think that's cool, and sometimes it goes a little too far. (chuckle) C.O.: Really? Do you want to talk about that? Blake S.: Well, I just think that they forfeit their own identity in worship of someone else and that's really weird, you know. C.O.: Your reputation certainly precedes you. Your past band was very intense and I think people really threw in with that. Blake S.: Yeah...yeah. It was a real lifestyle for people. C.O.: How are you enjoying the tour? Blake S.: It's good. It's pretty grueling, you know we're playing every night pretty much. We had one day off for a drive. It's hard work. The shows have been really good, but just getting to the show and setting up and everything... we don't have a crew or anything so it's just a lot of work. C.O.: Do you sense that there's any sort of fallout with the previous fans? Blake S.: Yeah, I think that kind of happened on the last tour, our first tour. I think people know now what we're doing, so they've decided whether they're into it. Those people that were into our other band, they're gonna go to the next level with us or they're just like, "fuck you guys." But it seems like, if anyone's left, there's other people that are into it that've kind of filled in those spots-- it's really cool. I meet a lot of people now who _weren't_ Jawbreaker fans, and that's really refreshing. C.O.: Have you heard about the Jawbreaker tribute album that's coming out? Do you have any sort of input in that? Blake S.: No, I'm not a fan of tribute records. I did one once, Jawbreaker did an R.E.M. song ("Pretty Persuasion" on the hard-to-find _Surprise Your Pig_ ). After that I felt really...odd. Very leery of them. I've heard a couple covers that I've enjoyed, but in general I think it's kind of strange. _Especially _ when it's a band that you really like, to do their songs again is almost like saying you didn't do it right the first time. I mean, I have no gripe with this comp, this Jawbreaker thing, that's fine. But I've always felt that the songs I really love I wouldn't want to cover because I love them as they were. C.O.: Right. It also seems a little soon in my opinion to be doing this kind of thing. Blake S.: Yeah. You gotta wonder about the bottom line, too, like people making money off names. I think at a struggling independent label, sometimes just to put a Jawbreaker name on, or something, might get some interest. C.O.: Flood the bins along with the _Jawbreaker Soundtrack_ which threw some people off. Do you know about that? _Jawbreaker_, the movie? It has nothing to do with you guys. Blake S.: Oh, right. Yeah, yeah, I saw that. I didn't see the movie but I saw the poster. C.O.: Is Jets to Brazil writing any new songs, or do you plan on releasing any seven inches or any other new songs? Blake S.: We're just amassing songs now. We're up to about eight and that's what we've been doing the past couple months. Just trying to have practices and write. C.O.: How is the writing process, is it a collaborative thing or are you just the focus of it? Blake S.: It starts with me, and then it becomes really collaborative once I get an idea that I'm happy with. I used to demo songs and play 'em for those guys, it was a little more rigid. But lately I think we're really a band now, so they pick up in Jets fashion, they just jump in on a song and I think they always do the right thing. We have a pretty good rapport. C.O.: How did you decide on the band name? Blake S.: Well, Chris our drummer came into practice with it one day. C.O.: I kinda like that name, although sometimes I get confused between Jets to Brazil and Burning Airlines, Jawbreaker and Jawbox. Blake S.: A lot of people mention that. It's total coincidence. C.O.: What was it like working with J Robbins in the studio? Blake S.: Great. He's the man. We were lucky in that he wanted to work with us, so he managed to squeeze us into his schedule, but he was booked like crazy and he works all the time, so if he's not doing [Burning] Airlines, he's in the studio. And I think he likes it, seems like he's at the renaissance of his...youth, or whatever. He's always got something going on, so it's pretty cool. C.O.: What have you been listening to lately? Blake S.: I've been listening to a lot of Wilco, for the past year and a half. I find their new album pretty inspiring. And Neutral Milk Hotel, I love their records. I thought the last Smoking Popes record was incredible. C.O.: I know you're into literary pursuits and reading; what are your five top authors? Blake S.: Well, the last book that really blew my mind was _Jane Eyre_, which I never read in high school or college. That was a Bronte book. I really enjoyed that. And I think Raymond Carver was probably one of the first writers that made it okay to write. Like I felt like I could write reading him, and he was just a really big inspiration. I dunno. I read all over the place, a broad spectrum. And I'm always interested in living American writers, although I haven't found anything lately that's totally blown my mind. C.O.: How about guitarists or singers? Are there any that you consider especially inspiring or influential? Blake S.: Well, lately it's been Pedro the Lion, because we've been on tour with them. David (Bazan), their singer, is just an amazing vocalist. He's a good songwriter. I like people who write their songs so that you can hear the mechanics of their writing in the songs. I'm just interested in the way songs are put together. So I've been kinda favoring sparser arrangements where you can really hear someone singing. C.O.: Is there anything that you'd like to tell the world about Jets to Brazil that you haven't already? Blake S.: No...a lot of times people ask that as a last question. And all I really have to say is in our records. --- REVIEW: Poi Dog Pondering, _Natural Thing_ (Tommy Boy/Plate.tec.tonic) - Jon Steltenpohl Years ago, Poi Dog Pondering emerged as an organic, post Grateful Dead band from Hawaii with joyous chords and a huge band. Despite a number of much talked about albums, Poi Dog never really escaped beyond its initial billing, and became a fan's band supported by a rabid base of followers of their incredible live shows. Fast forward a few years from Hawaii to Austin and eventually to their current home in Chicago. Leader Frank Orrall has kept the band alive without major label support, and has established the band as a solid presence in Chicago to the point of even playing for Dennis Rodman's birthday partying. 1999 finds Poi Dog Pondering at another crossroads imposed on the band by Orrall. Bolstered by a love of the Chicago house music scene, the band covered Ten City's dance classic "That's the Way Love Is" last year, and Orrall began transitioning from a rootsy sound to one with a definite beat. The exciting release of _Natural Thing_ is a culmination of the new slant. It is, without a doubt, a dance inspired album. But it is also still very much a raw, uncut, musical experience. Orrall seems genuinely averse to samples and drum machines, and _Natural Thing_ seems to refer more to his style of music rather than just the title of track 3. Sure, there's a little bit of studio work going on here, but for the most part, this is dance and R&B music made with real instruments and voices. There's some synthesizers here for atmosphere, but the bass is real. So are the flutes and the strings and the bongos. Orrall takes the energy that makes a great dance piece and runs it through a group real live musicians. The results are invigorating. Tracks like "Diva (Live at the House of Sound)" and "Spend My Life" bounce and flit around like the best jazzy ambient dance you've heard. But it's real stuff. It has feeling and emotion and depth that most music made with a bunch of electronics rarely has. Songs like "Hard Sometimes" are jazzy, upbeat dance numbers, and there's even a Digable Planets style cool rap called "Berry". Of course, the danger in pursuing such a musical vision is the risk of alienating both audiences. This is certainly possible. Orrall risks not pounding out a driving beat for the dance fans or not being eclectic enough for the classic Poi Dog fans. The cover of "That's the Way Love Is" shows the best and worst of the new sound. The vocals and the groove are raw and soulful, but, assessed in a cynical light, it kind of sounds like a bad impression of George Michael sitting in with Erasure on an MTV unplugged session. The final verdict is that, if you're only into dance or only into organic rock, you'll probably be turned off by _Natural Thing_'s fusion of the two sounds. On the other hand, if you can't seem to get enough of new and interesting sounds, Poi Dog Pondering has created an exciting, eclectic album. There's nothing here that isn't borrowed from some other source, but the energy behind it is infectious. Poi Dog Pondering always had a definable groove bubbling underneath the surface, and Frank Orrall has finally decided to bring it to the forefront. _Natural Thing_ is an album that may ostracize some fans, but will certainly win a whole new set who love a groove no matter how it's played. --- REVIEW: Poster Children, _New World Record_ (Spinart) - Steve Kandell Though their stint on Sire Records may have failed to make them a household name, Champaign, Illinois' Poster Children have spent ten years forging what could lovingly be described as "geek rock." Returning to safe indie ground intact, the band is releasing _New World Record_. This new album downplays the sheen of 1997s _Rtfm_ and earlier releases in favor of a dynamic sound that is more representative of their athletic live outings. Driven by Howie Kantoff's hyperkinetic drumming and anchored by thick bass lines from Rose (whose nonstop onstage pogoing gives Superchunk's Laura Balance a run for her money) Poster Children are nothing if not a tight unit. Kantoff is actually the band's sixth drummer, proving once again that life really does imitate Spinal Tap. Guitarists Rick and Jim Valentin round out the quartet, with Rick providing the vocals in a reedy monotone that is somehow a cross between Marcellus Hall from Railroad Jerk and the B-52's Fred Schneider. The album gets off to a strong start with the bouncy, percussive "Accident Waiting to Happen," and the blistering "6x6." Other standouts include "Chemicals" and "Mr. Goodnight." "Planet Earth" is a bit more new wave than the other bottom-heavy tracks, and perhaps it's not a coincidence that Duran Duran had an early single with the same title. The pace slows down a little on the last song, the keyboard-laced "Deadman," but otherwise, this album is ballad-free and fairly heavy. Poster Children's guitar-driven songs steer clear of sampling or electronica, but they are still steeped in all things science and technology. Album titles like _Daisychain Reaction_ suggest physics classes long forgotten and the band has been at the forefront of new technology in music, capitalizing on such developments as enhanced compact discs and the web long before such things were fashionable or commonplace. If the twelve songs on the _New World Record_ CD are not enough to hold your interest, feel free to pop the thing into your computer and feast on the screensavers, live videos, and even a cute video game. Maybe they're not complete trailblazers: Journey had their own arcade game (if you were able to get all four band members to the stage successfully, you'd be treated to a version of "Don't Stop Believin'.") --- REVIEW: Velocette, _Fourfold Remedy_ (Beggars Banquet) - Chris Hill Nearly two years after "Get Yourself Together" earned "Single of the Week" honors in Melody Maker, Velocette's debut album lands on American shores. That song, described in NME as "fundamentally the best song never written by Saint Etienne", is one of ten found on an album lush with gentle strings and crisp guitars - blissful lounge music for cool summer evenings. If you buy the record expecting ten variations on "Get Yourself Together", you might be disappointed. The single is a gust of drum and guitar bravura, light and airy in comparison to the heavier atmospheres of the dour "Someone's Waiting" or the album closer, "That Ain't Mine" - which isn't a bad thing. Too much lemon meringue pie ruins a picnic. Velocette aren't wholly newcomers - the band began in/as Comet Gain. Philosophical and artistic differences led four of the five Comet Gain members to split from the fifth member, singer/guitarist David Christian: they, as Velocette, while Christian maintained the Comet Gain name and his penchant for punk rock elements and sonic adventure, a la Yo La Tengo. (Drummer Phil Sutton appears to have since left Velocette - he's thanked by the band, but unlisted in the song credits.) Sarah Bleach has assumed sole singing duty with black velvet confidence. Her sprightly, waif-like voice combines with retro-flavored music (strings, guitars, tambourines, shakers, congas, bongos) like peaches and cream. (Multi-instrumentalists Sam Pluck and Jax Coombes round out the ex-Gain, now Velocette, cast.) The three, joined by violinists, percussionists, horn players, and others, form an impressive ensemble. View "Get Yourself Together" as a teaser and you'll find _Fourfold Remedy_ a rewarding purchase. "Spoiled Children" and "Reborn", the subsequent singles, are similar pop nuggets: the former an uptempo, fuzz guitar rocker, the latter introspective, breezy, and drifting, with lazy brass splendidly offering wheezy atmosphere. Another potential single, "Unkind", provides an ethereal slowburn with violins and Hammond organ. "Bitterscene" offsets downbeat lyrics ("And I know that you're a liar/Always sick and always tired/And I don't want to be into your bitterscene") with cheery castanets. "Submarines", all swirling guitar and strings, mirrors the emotional whirlpool of the protagonist. "Where Are We?", ambles along sans vocals, a stroll past an outdoor cappuccino bar. "That Ain't Mine" ends the album with a contemplative moodiness, setting the right note of anticipation for something further - "always leave them wanting more." Quite right. Following their instincts and striking out on their own has provided them, and us, with a handsome payoff. All told, an assured first step in their new identity. --- REVIEW: Atari Teenage Riot, _60 Second Wipeout_ (Grand Royal) - Michelle Aguilar In 1975, Ralf Hutter of the pioneer German band Kraftwerk told Creem Magazine, "When you play electronic music, you have control of the imagination of the people in the room." A quarter of a century later, this is still the ideal of much of the electronica/rave nation, which dreams of transforming the dance floor into one unified aural and visual Borg Collective of beats and mind expansion. ("Why won't you trip like I do?") And, of course, in this metaphor, the center of the hive mind is the dj, the invisible queen, rarely seen yet clearly controlling the floor's zeitgeist. That scares the hell out of Atari Teenage Riot, the Berlin hardcore electronica outfit who two years ago made a nothing-if-not-startling U.S. debut with the genuinely ear-shredding disc _Burn, Berlin Burn!_ (distributed domestically by the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal label), and the group toured with Beck, Rage against the Machine and the Wu-Tang Clan last year. To hear ATR founder Alec Empire tell it, the atmosphere at your average Berlin warehouse party these days is a bit too reminiscent of fascist Germany for his comfort - too many drones, too much conformity, too little spark. The answer? Anarchy of course, says ATR, and that's the promise on their latest noise opus, _60 Second Wipeout_, a guaranteed lease-breaker of an album that weds hardcore punk to a harem of aggro, jungle and hip-hop, all with the express purpose of biting the trippy hand that fed it. The album starts out with what sounds like audience cheering distilled into hostile white noise and it never lets up from there. These angry nuggets are an ever-changing collage of breaks, beats, electronic noise, feedback and vaguely-familiar samples, all running white hot at 210 bpms, which at times makes "60 Second Wipeout a bit more of a rumpshaker than you might expect from a bunch of Marxist malcontents. Still, despite the melting pot of influences, this album is definitely steeped in hardcore, with lyrics not so much sung or rapped as much as shouted repeatedly, like anthems. In fact ATR's aesthetic only truly begins to make sense only when you hear the Sham 69 and Stooges samples they wear on their sleeves, and when you know that Empire's first musical experience was playing with the German punk band Die Kinder (The Children) at age 12, or that he didn't start deejaying until the late 1980s. The electronic equipment only allows ATR to be harder and faster then any of the punk bands Empire might have worshipped. Sometimes this works, and sometimes it doesn't. On songs like "Revolution Action" and "Atari Teenage Riot II," (think super-fast Public Enemy with no low-end) this approach makes for undeniable adrenaline. In other songs, like on "No Success" and "Too Dead for Me," the sound is a stone wall separating band and listener. But then, ATR has always rebelled against that image of the musical Reich, the band and the audience in homogenous symbiosis. A little alienation and disintegration is good for the soul, they would probably say. And any time you start feeling too out of touch with the album's rhythms, Hanin Elias' intense high-pitched scream emerges, making you feel like you just GOTTA get on your feet, NOW! Her pipes leave pretty much any Riot Grrl in the dust. Sadly, that's even true for Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna, who makes a guest appearance on "No Success." Hanna's performance practically slips into indistinguishability in the face of the Atari sonic assault, as does the work of other guest stars, like Fear Factory's Dino Cazares ("Death of a President D.I.Y.") and members of the New York hip-hop outfit The Arsonists ("Your Uniform Does Not Impress Me" "Anarchy 999" "No Success"). These famous guests may give the album even more cred (as if the Beasties connection and the countless gushing articles in NME weren't enough!), but they have little impact on ATR's sound. But then, to do so would probably be like trying to hold the waves of the ocean in your hands. All in all, a slightly noisier Teenage Riot than the last time around, but perhaps even more likeable. The next time you go driving with your old friend who thought Black Flag was God, slip this one into the tape deck and watch that surprised smile appear. Or do it to get a rise out of your hippy-dippy raver friends. Or just turn it up good and loud in your apartment and wait for the landlord to show up with your rent deposit in hand. --- REVIEW: Bouncing Souls, _Hopeless Romantic_ (Epitaph) - Chris Hill "Fun, loud party music" - the formative goal of the Bouncing Souls' members, and one they continue to succeed at, though the party appears to populated by slack-jawed Giovanni Ribisi clones, shouting "Oi!", slurping beer, and talking in one- and two-syllable words. "Monday morning, I woke up late/I feel like shit and I can't see straight/One last drink was a bad idea/I'm on the throne with diarrhea" from "Monday Morning Ant Brigade" ranks as the stalest writing I've heard in a long time. For a silver lining, there's guilty pleasure to be found in the vacuous lyrics and punk-lite music. "Ole'" and "Bullying the Jukebox" are aural spun sugar, fluffy and enjoyable, particularly the latter, with $20 monopolizing a jukebox, "because it's fun/You can't get near it, until we're done". "Wish Me Well (You Can Go to Hell)" *could* have been a pleasure, with the male/female duet of Greg Attonito and Kara Weathington, but instead falls flat, descending into inane back- and-forth patter: "So does this mean I really have to go?" "Um, yeah. What part of, uh, 'Get out!', didn't you understand?" "Wow, I mean, what happens if I want to call you or something next week?" "Um, well, what happens is that I won't be there, because I don't like you anymore. You're stupid." As humor, it's unfortunately ineffectual, like much of the disc. The handful of standouts (the two above, "The Whole Thing", "Night on Earth") display talent that should have been allowed to dominate the album, rather than serve as a hint of potential. --- REVIEW: The Delgados, _Peloton_ (Chemikal Underground/Beggars Banquet) - Niles Baranowski "Like Belle and Sebastian with distortion pedals," is how my horribly simplistic friend described this second album by Scotland's pop royalty The Delgados, whose Chemikal Underground label is the net that has caught all the fattest fish in Scotland's popscene. From Mogwai to Bis to Magoo, all these and more have a home on Glasgow's master label. And my friend is right about _Peloton_. "The Actress" and "Russian Orthodox" are kick-started by massive washes of guitar, igniting the pastoral melodies and vocal harmonies of vocalist Emma Peel (who also does work for David Gedge's Cinerama project) into a slightly bloodstained valentine. It's tuneful and menacing at the same time; a skeleton nicely adorned with jagged edges. But, my friend is wrong, too. _Peloton_ is much more than just a grunge answer to Orange Juice. The album also uses strange guitar tunings and slow, eccentric melodies to achieve a hummability that is neither too easy, nor lazy and atonal like Arab Strap. The glorious single, "Everything Goes Around the Water," has a bridge in call-and-response form (when was the last time you heard that in a pop song?) and a chorus that circles hypnotically. "Pull the Wires from the Wall" is melancholic and timid, with an off-kilter lyrical sensibility (you've got to love a chorus that starts with the phrase "For instance, I..."). However, _Peloton_ is not an achievement to equal those of their Chemikal underlings. _Peloton_ is too inconsistent, and it seems to fall apart at the very end. The band attributes this to their lives falling apart, but its far easier to see a hodgepodge of junk, like "Blackpool," as pure laziness. And no matter how bad I feel for what they went through, I won't be listening to "The Weaker Argument Defeats the Stronger" a second time. Still, in this age of increasing specialization, it's nice to know a group of people can do more than one thing reasonably well, and _Peloton_ is almost worth it for the four or five marvelous tunes present here. Consider your purchase a donation to the Scottish Pop Defense Fund, if that helps. A donation with some dividends. --- REVIEW: Third World, _Generation Coming_ (Gator) - Reto Koradi Reggae has certainly seen brighter times than the 90s. Apart from some smash hits by Inner Circle a few years back, its biggest chart bubbles came, somewhat ironically, from countries like Sweden, with Ace of Base, Dr. Alban, and the like. Artists such as Jimmy Cliff and Third World are keeping the flag up with tireless live appearances, but the mass public seems to have turned away since the much too early loss of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Third World, with more than 25 years of band history to their credit, are trying to span a bridge between traditional reggae and more modern influences with their latest album, _Generation Coming_. The first half of the album is dominated by the first category, with fine, solid songs such as "Clown In A Circus" and the title track, and the more catchy numbers "Tuff Me Tuff" and "Can't Afford To Lose". The second half gets much more adventurous, most notably with "Dem Man Deh" featuring heavy drum beats and sampled sounds, and "Millennium Symphony", an instrumental track with many classical elements, including strings. To complete these new originals, Third World throw in three covers. Considering how much Police were always affiliated with reggae, the choice of their classic "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" looks almost obvious, and they do the expected nice job on it. Next in line is "Love Train" by the O'Jays, and the set is topped off by the most surprising selection. "Baltimore" would probably win the award for best reggae version of a Randy Newman song simply due to lack of competition, but it also shows that real quality easily lasts over twenty years and a total style change. It is doubtful that _Generation Coming_ will change the regrettable shadow existence of the reggae scene, but if you are ready for a personal dose, Third World are certainly one of your better tickets. The official web site of the band is at http://www.thirdworldband.com . --- REVIEW: Travis Pickle, _Travis Pickle_ (LunaSea) - Michael Van Gorden What's in a name you ask? Well in this case nothing. And please don't let the name Travis Pickle fool you. I almost let the silly name taint my opinion of this record. But fear not - as soon as you hit the play button, all prejudices will disappear. Travis Pickle is a New York City quartet made up of talented, passionate music lovers, with a semi-warped sense of humor. "Motorcycle Man" opens the self-titled disc, but don't let the sweet vocals of Carla Capretto surprise you. She may sing with a breathy quiet voice but lines like "There's a time as least once a day when I want to kiss you / And a time, at least twice a night I'd like to kill you" let you know that there is a bite to that voice. There is also a bite to the lyrics; as the rest of "Motorcycle" unfolds, you realize that this is no healthy romance that is causing this pain. The band are well educated musically, and this can be seen in how easily they switch styles without sounding forced or awkward. Songs like "Better" and "Mr. Boyfriend" has the band venturing into the lounge-pop sound that is currently popular. While songs such as "One More Time" and the aforementioned "Motorcycle Man" have more of a guitar crunch to them, "13X's A Day" and "Deaf Dumb and Blind" lean more to the pop end of things. There is nothing more beautiful, other than the harmony of siblings, that rivals a male and female voice that can harmonize so perfectly. Add the fact that both can play the guitar well and you get a better idea of what Travis Pickle are all about. You can't help but appreciate how well the voice and guitars of Carla and Pete Min work so well together. Reminding you at times of the tortured romance of X and the bittersweet sound of the Reviers, adding a dash of the Cardigans' Nina Persson for good measure. The music is song driven pop music, beautifully crafted melodies that stay with you gladly. Yet the subject matter throughout the CD - while being about love and relationships - takes a darker turn. "Better" contains the line "I won't forget the words you wrote that I found, so save it for someone else cause it's better when you're not around". On "Mr. Boyfriend", Carla's wistful vocals tell a tale of infidelity as she looks on sadly at the other woman sitting beside her man - all the while standing up for herself by singing "you're not the only game in town". The pop sound of Tonya Donelly surfaces in "It's not U, it's me". Wherein what is usually a man's line, Carla tells her soon to be ex, they can "still be friends I hope and it's been fun but gotta run". If your still not sure where this band is at, a line from the last song on the CD "Deaf dumb and Blind" should clear things up: "I have dreamt for the day my skull is rid of you". This is the of music you will want coming from your car stereo or boom box over the next few months. Get it now, and avoid what will hopefully be a Travis Pickle rush. --- REVIEW: Trinket, _Trinket_ (RCA) - John Davidson While working on their first album on an independent label in 1993, Trinket had the good fortune of hooking up with Michael Stipe, who not only produced a few songs for the young band, but also advised the band in their early days. Things must have gone pretty well; Trinket has since toured the United States extensively and now find themselves with a debut album for RCA. Calling themselves "classic rock for the 21st century" is a guess in the right direction. They crackle and rumble under the weight of typical major label production: very polished, solid, catchy tunes that Def Leppard wouldn't be afraid to cover if they were Soundgarden. While tiny college faves such as bands in the Elephant 6 Collective or Vic Chestnutt will always be hipster-preferred, Trinket proves that becoming the next R.E.M. might mean playing straight-up, guitar-pounding pop songs. Though at times derivative in their sound, it's a competent debut that could respectably rise above the alternative pile. --- REVIEW: DDT, _Urban Observer_ (TMC/Elektra) - Chris Hill From the promo: "By unpacking the finest elements of their ska, punk, rap and rock influences, DDT have rejuvenated the dynamic power pop institution." Behind the supermall of influences and press hyperbole is musicianship which lends a legitimacy to this claim. You'd expect that from the first release on Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich's TMC label. Topical issues abound on the album: political hypocrisy ("Lie Detector"), the modern generation gap ("Blue Hair Crimes"), rampant consumerism ("Styrofoam"). With sixteen songs, there's also room for the traditional (the brilliant AOR should-be-staple "Liquid", the schizophrenic skank-rocker "Overripe") and the funny ("Hey Steve", with samples of Steve Austin's trademark bionic sound effects and a Sean Connery sound-alike reciting the show's intro, "Hounds" with band members baying to close out the album). Brian Howes has a voice build for rock, which plays well against Cory Perry White's rap and backup vocals, similar to 311's vocal combo. Point of fact, fans of that band will embrace DDT. DDT's arrangements are similarly tight (aided by veteran producer Matt Wallace), their music is punchy and upbeat, and their lyrics are provocative, positive, and humorous. _Urban Observer_ is an auspicious sign of future success for both band and label. --- NEWS: > Apples in Stereo fans can check out an MP3 of "Strawberry Fire" for 24 hours, beginning on May 19 at 9 pm EST, at http://www.insound.com > Alanis Morissette and Tori Amos will be touring together from August 18 through September 25. The tour is being co-sponsored by Best Buy and MP3.COM > Fans of longtime Social Distortion singer / songwriter Mike Ness will be able to listen to one of his future concerts on the web. The May 19 concert from the House of Blues will be broadcast at 6:00 pm (PST) http://www.LiveMusic.com/www.hob.com and http://www.ubl.com > British group The Verve have split again, this time officially as members of the band have left to pursue other projects. Guitarist Nick McCabe left last year in the midst of the band's worldwide tour. --- TOUR DATES: Aerosmith / Afghan Whigs May 11 Bakersfield, CA Bakersfield Center Garden Areana May 13 Sacramento, CA Arco Arena May 15 George, WA The Gorge Amphitheater Beastie Boys May 11 Paris, FR Palais Omnisports May 13 Zurich, SWI Hallenstadion Zurich May 14 Munich, GER Olympiahalle Black Crowes / Lenny Kravitz / Everlast May 11 Cleveland, OH Cleveland Blossom Music May 14 Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheatre May 15 Nashville, TN Starwood Amphitheatre Mary Chapin Carpenter May 16 Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Chapter In Verse May 12 Danvers, MA North Shore Community College May 13 Somerville, MA The Burren May 15 Haverhill, MA The Backstage Delgadoes May 10 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle May 11 Pittsburgh, PA Rosebud May 12 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell's Of Montreal May 13 Chicago, IL Schuba's May 15 New York, NY Knitting Factory Pan Sonic May 10 New Orleans, LA Mermaid Lounge May 11 Atlanta, GA Echo Lounge May 12 Carrboro, NC Cats Cradle May 13 Washington DC Black Cat May 14 New York, NY Tramps May 15 Philadelphia, PA Theatre of Living Arts Splender May 11 Atlanta, GA The Cotton Club May 15 New York, NY Don Hills --- 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 ===