earpollution album reviews - issue 1.07, july 1999

Cathedral - Caravan Beyond Redemption
Cleen - Second Path
Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band - The Mountain
Electric Wizard - Come My Fanatics / Electric Wizard
Front Line Assembly - Implode
Goatsnake - Goatsnake 1
Hate Dept. - Technical Difficulties
Haujobb - Ninetynine
Here - Brooklyn Bank
Hypocrisy - Hypocrisy
Kultur Shock - Live in Amerika

Las Cruces - Ringmaster
Les Lokey - Burned Up & Shining
Ministry - Dark Side of the Spoon
Linda Perry - After Hours
Petroleum - Emerge
Slick Rick - The Art of Storytelling
Snoop Dogg - No Limit Top Dogg
Sow - Je M'aime
Steadman - Loser Friendly
Tad - "Oppenheimer's Pretty Nightmare"
Therion - Crowning of Atlantis
UK Subs - Sub Mission

Cathedral Caravan Beyond Redemption Earache Links: Cathedral		Cathedral is one of the best doom bands in existence. They play a doomy rock 'n' roll style that begs you to compare it to anyone...anyone. The simple fact is there is no comparison. Cathedral tempers its doom with rock 'n' roll and all kinds of funky add-ons that no other band would ever dare. Lee Dorrian was born to sing doom; his voice is always perfect, low and mean, but funky and cool. When Cathedral jams you just sit back and enjoy the show...the Caravan of Redemption is coming for you. Lyrically, Dorrian is a storyteller. He is so spellbinding as a lead singer that you will find yourself engrossed in the tales of woe and shame that he weaves. Bassist Leo Smee burns the grooves into the melodies with blistering basslines. Skinpounder Brian Dixon just pounds along for the ride--nothing fancy, just solid drumming in perfect unison with Smee. Garry Jennings plays some of the biggest riffs on guitar that I've ever heard and just keeps pumping out the hooks. Garry also adds some really neat guitar sound effects (such as the little guitar grunts after the bongos in "Voodoo Fire") to each song. There truly is nothing fancy at all about Cathedral, just a hard-working, hard-living, hard-playing band. Cathedral also does everything they can to help younger, less experienced bands (see Rise Above Records--Dorrian's private doom-ridden label). Caravan Beyond Redemption starts burning with "Voodoo Fires" which is augmented with bongos to sound like voodoo drums. It works. My favorite cuts are "The Unnatural World," "Satanikus Robotikus," "Earth Messiah" and "Heavy Load." "The Unnatural World" rocks harder than an earthquake and the hooks will be rolling through your head all afternoon. "Kaleidoscope of Desire" didn't appeal immediately, but really grew on me. "The Caravan" was the only disappointment--it seemed too laid back for my tastes. How often do you find a disc where you love all but one song? You can try to resist Cathedral, but it is futile. They will get these songs so stuck in your subconscious that at an inappropriate moment you'll start humming "Satanikus Robotikus" and you know that Cathedral knows when you do it. These songs are so catchy it's perverse. Somehow I think the band planned it this way. This is their best album since The Ethereal Mirror. *-Sabrina Wade Haines* [ top of page ]
Cleen Second Path Metropolis Records		If I had a dime for every offshoot project electronic musicians conjure, I'd be filthy rich. Rich and happy, because I'm a sucker for most of this stuff. And it goes without saying that this latest offering from Haujobb sidecar, Daniel Meyer's Cleen, is right up my alley. With Haujobb off on an experimental drum&bass tangent, Cleen picks up where Solutions for a Small Planet left off. Dark and crisp programming with minimally treated vocals. Second Path combines the best of coldwave drum & bass with '80s gothwave camp, at moments recalling Depeche Mode or New Order in all of their glory. It works so well in this instance because no one else is doing it right now. Daniel Meyer is always one step of everyone, anyway. For more proof of this check the new Haujobb. *-Jeff Ashley* [ top of page ]
Steve Earle and the Del McCoury Band The Mountain Warner Brothers Links Steve Earle		With his latest record, Steve Earle writes a big valentine to one of the towering figures in traditional music, Bill Monroe. I didn't know much about folk music, especially bluegrass, which Bill Monroe was the founding father. This music is one of the cornerstones of modern American music, along with the country blues, gospel and jazz, that most of our current musical cosmology wouldn't even exist if it were not for these giants. That brings us to modern music. I find that a lot of contemporary artists who imitate (or "flatter," if you prefer) musical forbears never do the masters justice. This is rarely due to the musicality of the later talent, but more that they don't have the insight of the originator. How does this insight come to the listener who doesn't know of the forbear, as is too often the case, when presented with the two side to side? That's easy: the masters always embody their work. Steve Earle has been on the outskirts of country music for two decades. He is one of the most accomplished songwriters of his generation, and a forbear in his own right. His outsider status, while appearing to be an exclusion that pays benefits via notoriety, actually has nothing to do with marketing or personal habits. He is simply more comfortable inhabiting the soulfulness of his craft, making songs that point directly at the listener as being honest, true, sincere, right on the mark every time. I don't know if there are many songwriters who put this much of what they know and what they are into their craft, but he's good enough at it to scare away most of Nashville from his door. They want little to do with the man from Guitar Town, as he embodies his work, making their "country" music seem soulless and trivial, yet more sufferingly derivative work. So what happens when Steve Earle decides to become one of the flatterers? A good record. Of this record, Mr. Earle comments that it was a bluegrass fantasy camp and that the home team was the Del McCoury band, veterans of the idiom, masters of the art of bluegrass. The recording sessions took place around a single binaural microphone, a type of microphone that simulates the stereophonic listening environment you'd find if you were sitting among the musicians. As each instrumentalist has a solo, he would step up to the mic, the result is that the balance is shifted to the player. As the solo ends, he steps back into the musicians. There was no mixing, no overdubs, no studio fixes. The sound is so warm, of the good nature between the musicians, of the humanity of folk music, there is no doubt that this is the real article. The songs are about people. They are about feeling happy, sad, lonely, forgotten, loved. They are the essence of country music, of all vocal music. They speak of human dimensions to action, reactions to the pieces of life we find we cherish, all spoken with a Texas twang. Standouts on an album of standouts include "Pilgrim," "Harlan Man," "I'm Still In Love with You," and "Texas Eagle." There's a real warmth between the musicians (Earle also plays acoustic fingerstyle guitar) and that interplay is core to bluegrass music. Known for its very technical fingerstyle playing, most bluegrass bands don't get their due as ensemble bands. You feel the real compassion each musician shares to the song and to each other on this record, and it gives, again, the sign of authenticity to the work. I couldn't recommend a record any higher. I find that its humanity from the first bar to the last strum wonderful and redeeming. There's no saccharine sentiments, no knights in shining armor, no pretensions. Steve Earle commented in the liner notes that he wanted to write at least one song that would be played by at least one band at every bluegrass festival in the world hereafter. He's got a shot. *-Kenny Younts* [ top of page ]
Electric Wizard Come My Fanatics / Electric Wizard The Music Cartel		Holy Shit! This brings a whole new meaning to sludge! This low-tuned, bud-inhaling-influenced, bottom-feeding sludge just eats at my heart. Jeez, this is heavy. I don't believe (although I could be wrong) that it gets any lower than this. This slow-moving continent-sized musicmass may be working its way into an earthquake. This disc will cause the speakers to simply melt down in a huge pile of ash and smoke... little wires just frizzed to the max. Aye Carumba. My ears are still vibrating. This is essential. Let's make descriptions real easy...take Black Sabbath, get them really stoned--I mean really stoned--and let them listen to Eyehategod and St. Vitus, then tell them to play whatever they hear buzzing in their burnt out brains...this is it. You may hear people tell you that a band is heavy, this will crush every heavy band you've ever heard. Your bonus is that you get two of their earlier albums (Come My Fanatics and Electric Wizard) that have never been issued Stateside. According to their press release this special two-cd set will be followed (sometime) by their new release in honor of the anticipated mayhem of the new millennium, Dope Throne. Oh goody! That should cause plenty of mass mind destruction. Come My Fanatics is sheer bass-heavy, down-tuned, destructive, bud-burning stoner sludge. Only six songs long...you want to cry at the end because you want more (but luckily disc two is to the rescue). You'll hit that repeat button so often, your finger will stiffen into a stick. Imagine a bud so sticky that it's like superglue that accidentally got stuck inside your cd deck, causing everything you play to get filtered through the smoky haze of wires and skunk. Yes, this is dangerous music. I've heard sludge and this is beyond it. I've heard slo-core and this is slower. I've heard stoner rock and this is far more intelligent. These guys may be stoned, but there is a huge mass of brain behind it. This must be a master plot to destroy all other musics. Yes, that's it...whoa maybe it's just the paranoia setting in from the aftermath of bud-burnt music. Regardless, this is the kind. Come My Fanatics starts out with a track that was lifted from Black Sabbath's Paranoid and then mutated until it turned in a behemoth of burnt-out sludge that sloshes poetically in front of your ears. "Ivixor B/Phase Inducer" definitely shows a strong Pink Floyd influence and exhibits a gaggle of studio gadgetry that will seriously mess with your mind. It's quite annoying when you first hear it while driving. Bear in mind--it's only the cd, your whole car is not coming apart. "Wizard In Black" rocks (relatively speaking) hard for your enjoyment. This stuff is just so heavy and so perfect. Did I mention the really cool cover art? It's different from the original because this time the singer, Jus Oborn, designed it. It all stays with the theme and is nicely packaged. If you didn't know they were stoners the cd art (black and yellow with a large cannabis plant) would give it away. These boys are trouble waiting to happen...and while they are waiting they might decide to destroy a speaker or two with their brand of bud-brandishing bass-truction. Electric Wizard is their debut disc and it is almost as good as Come My Fanatics, but not quite. You can really hear the growth between the two discs. Electric Wizard is still heavy and very Sabbathy, whereas Come My Fanatics has more developed song structures, melodies and riffs. Electric Wizard will still kick your ass half way across the continent, though, so don't think this is an inferior disc. Songs like "Behemoth," "Devils Bride," "Black Butterfly" and "Electric Wizard" will just blast you out of a stoned-coma. "Mountains of Mars" is another Pink Floyd-influenced dirge filled with atmospherics. I'm just telling you that once you hear Come My Fanatics you will realize that Dope Throne (if that name sticks) is going to rock your world. I think I'll just kick back and wait for the next bud-laden blast of Electric Wizard. *-Sabrina Wade Haines* [ top of page ]
Front Line Assembly Implode Metropolis Links: Front Line Assembly		This album was extremely anticipated by both those who loved Flavour of the Weak, Front Line's last album, and those who hated it. Reports had it that Bill Leeb and Co. were returning to the Tactical Neural Implant sound. Arguably FLA's best album. The reports were correct. Implode sounds like Tactical Neural Implant, Part 2. The good: Implode has a great mix, the guitar is mixed nicely into the background as well as the vocals. The bad: Implode lacks the intoxicating, thick bubbly flow and point/counter-point sense of urgency that made Tactical Neural Implant such a gem. Implode finds FLA just sort of copying themselves halfheartedly instead of making any real forward progress. Not that bands should always have to make progress; FLA have a great formula, but this time around it doesn't really sound like they mean it. Nonetheless, it will make a dance-floor barnburner and please most who have liked FLA's later work. *-Jeff Ashely* [ top of page ]
Goatsnake Goatsnake 1 Man's Ruin		This is a supergroup of sorts, consisting of ex-members of various now defunct Washington, D.C. bands--"heavy metallers" Greg Rogers and Guy Pinhas from The Obsessed, "punk rawkers" Greg Anderson from Engine Kid and vocalist Pete Stahl from Scream and Wool. With this line up of punk meets Sabbath, what does it sound like? Well, if you throw in Sabbath, Melvins, St. Vitus, Sleep and a mix of Ian Ashbury/Chris Cornell/Ozzy vocal style all rolled into one, you'll get Goatsnake's slow powerful head banging hair flopping dirges from hell. We were kind of wondering if the guitar player cut off one of his fingers to sound a little more like Tony's. We liked most of this disc, but after about 4-5 songs they kind of lost it. The promo poster that came with it was so goddamned evil that we had to opene another cold one to wash down the demonic taste in our mouths. This prompted another listen, which brought back the crushing doom-laden dirge that had our heads banging, all of which had led Peter to think that Man's Ruin was becoming the "hot" new metal label. *-Steve Weatherholt / Peter Markham (Moshable magazine)* [ top of page ]
Hate Dept. Technical Difficulties Restless Records Links: Hate Dept.		I've been putting off reviewing this record for about a month. Let's just say that for no good reason other than that I love this band live (I won't miss them). But in the studio, something gets lost in the translation. I don't really understand this because Siebold, the bandleader, is such a rock star. His magnetism and energy put the crowd's attention in the palm of his hands throughout an entire live show. He's also a perfectionist, you can just tell by watching him. So I can't understand why he would let the power and attitude of his live show get so watered down in the studio. Except for the first album, this seems to be the case with all Hate Dept. releases. Technical Difficulties has all of the great Hate Dept. elements, super bassed-out synth rhythms, crunchy and wah-wah guitars, and enough punk attitude to make you flip everyone off. The production value of it is the rift between the live sound and the studio sound. The mix is muddy and the instrumentation and vocals sound thin. This is the exact opposite of their live sound, which is huge, powerful, and thick. Siebold needs to get himself a good production team and things might liven up. The songs are good and all the attitude is there; this band has a shitload of potential. With the right production this album could have the monster punch that, say, Pitchshifter has. So although I don't enjoy it, I can't wait to see them live again. *-Jeff Ashley* [ top of page ]
Haujobb Ninetynine Metropolis Links: Haujobb		If you read my review of the Haujobb single, Less, in the February issue, you might remember me mumbling some oxymoron like "the new sound is just like Haujobb always has been, and nothing at all like they were." Well I'm face-to-face with that exact feeling multiplied 10x. My feeling that Myer and Samardzic were up to something different was only the half of it. If you heard Less and like me thought that this was the new direction, Ninetynine is going to fuck with your whole Haujobb world. Each song on Ninetynine is a new direction. Myer and Samardzic merge drum & bass, jazz, trip-hop, and a very polished industrial nerve into a dark and somber trip into their world. The album version of Less doesn't even sound anything like the single. It's all very confusing...at first. But after repeated listens and an open mind, the stride comes to life. Without treated vocals or an aggressive stance. Album opener "grounds" starts out spatial and simple, Vanessa Briggs (Daniel's ex-girlfriend) sings the next track, "Overflow," with all the Portishead conviction you could ask for. Then things get very strange when jazz elements (including vocals) start to infiltrate the crisp drum&bass electronics. The songs yearn back for a simpler time, a la Kraftwerk, but press forward with the sound of technology. And it works like a charm. I call it a very calculated and professional move. With electronica taking over the world like some Orwellian prophecy, it's either carve your niche or get left way behind. *-Jeff Ashley* [ top of page ]
Here Brooklyn Bank Invisible Records		If you haven't heard this new release by Invisible artist Here, you should. I have yet to turn someone onto it that isn't flat out enamored with it. Brooklyn Banks' 12 tracks defy categorization as it melds a thousand different ideas into one very meritable concept of song. M. Teho Teardo and J.F. Coleman comprise this Italian/American (respectively) duo. Each coming from such formidable past projects as Meathead and Cop Shoot Cop. Brooklyn Banks' overall theme lies in the darker realms of your musical experience. But unmistakable elements of hip-hop, pop, rock, classical and even jazz rear their heads for a turn in what can only be called a musical merry-go-round. With a host of guests jumping on and off that include Lydia Lunch, Scott McCloud (Girls Against Boys), Bill Bronson (Swans), David Ouimet (Foetus), Jim Colarusso (Elvis Presley's trumpet player) and Carolyn Honeychild. Every song is an unfolding little drama that creeps up on you like a bad dream, and is so captivatating you are forced to play along. Lydia Lunch can do no wrong as her poetic rants seem perfect over the creepy cello that seems strung through every song. This album as a whole is subtle, spider-like, and at the same time beautifully irresistible. *-Jeff Ashley* [ top of page ]
Hypocrisy Hypocrisy Nuclear Blast Links: Hypocrisy		Hypocrisy is so difficult to tag�Futuristic technical death metal...maybe. Peter Tagtgren composes some of the most interesting mid-tempo metal songs that I've ever heard. Normally I find producer's albums to be very bland, but not Tagtgren's. This disc is rife with strong melodies, infectious riffs and creative touches that tell you that they worked a long time to get this disc just right. This is a three-piece band that sounds as tight as a philharmonic orchestra. On this disc, you can hear the players bounce their instruments off of each other's, the interplay is mind-bogglingly good. Comparisons are few, perhaps a more death metal Meshuggah or In Flames. They play a very technical death metal which has a lot of sci-fi thrown into the mix as well as a liberal dose of melody and unusual song structures that require your undivided attention. "Fractured Millennium" is the ignition switch for this disc; it automatically transports you into the world of Hypocrisy. It starts slow and just drags you into the song, before it ends you know you are hooked for the rest of the disc. The more you listen the more you hear. "Elastic Inverted Vision," "Until The End" (a rare, beautiful ballad that will grow on you) and "Reversed Reflections" are my favorite cuts on this disc. "Reversed Reflections" combines power with a gorgeous melody and could be a radio smash if radio cared about quality. Tagtgren's vocals and guitar work are spectacular, but his bandmates Mikael Hedlund (bass) and Lars Szoke (drums) contribute mightily. Hypocrisy is a highly technical disc that requires and demands your complete, undivided attention and will reward the listener richly for their time. The one thing that scares me most is the nasty rumors of demise for such a wonderful band as Hypocrisy. The band now admits it was a serious consideration that has been forgotten. Whew! *-Sabrina Wade Haines* [ top of page ]
Kultur Shock Live in Amerika Pacific Records		Listening to the first track "Il Je Vedro Il Oblachno," a solo a cappella lament, it's easy to forget this was recorded live. The crowd seems to be holding its breath. It's not until Gino Srdjan Yevdjevich's quiet thank you and subsequent eruption of applause that you remember this debut album was "recorded live through 1998, playing rock clubs in U.S.A." It's no surprise that Kultur Shock's debut American release is a live album--it's hard to imagine them confining their exuberance to a soundproof booth when it's the direct connection to the audience and adrenaline surge of performing that propels them forward and gives their music its richness and force. More than a live album, this is an alive album, an aural map of energies expended across the North American continent at the end of the century by a band of Bosnian �migr�s whose nomadic proclivities texture their Balkan gypsy funk with a variety of musical influences--Eastern European folk music, old school hip hop, and a variety of Mediterranean flavors among them--and infuses their performances with a reckless celebratory air. It is this spirit that is captured on Live in Amerika. I'd been listening to it on repeat as background music, a continuous loop for long afternoons too transfixed to step across the room, the relentless drive of the music just the impetus I needed to log long sessions at the computer. It's not that every song is an out and out rocker (though there are those) but every song is intense. In some you're in the eye of a hurricane, watching majestic clouds roil around you but you feel safe, a false sense of security. Others strike out of nowhere like tornadoes, lifting and spinning you. No wonder people twirl like dervishes at their shows. The album was recorded live in a variety of venues, and the record itself is a tour of diverse musical destinations. "Emigrant's Song" is a personal declaration of independence that includes a Starski style rap sandwiched between haunting muezzin-like wails: "You know I am an immigrant / and I would like to say hello / to the black to the white / to straight and to gay and lesbians--to all / but first I'm going to slam Europe to the Europe / say up up jump the Europe to the slam slam Europe..." The band's signature song "Wild Wedding" is a bilingual marriage of electrified jazz, sitar-sounding synth, and Tone-Loc guitar crunch which seems to start out as a cover of "Wild Thing" but soon goes its own way to chart unexplored musical territory and ends with a summation of the band's mission: "I'll do anything--to entertain you." It's absurd. That's the point. It works. It all works. Kultur Shock borrow a little from here, a little from there, all of it adding up to a strong and inimitable voice. The liner notes state, "While listening to this live CD, if in any song you don't have a feeling that we are doing the last song of our lives, then we failed badly." They haven't failed. Kultur Shock delivers. *-Robert Zverina* [ top of page ]
Las Cruces Ringmaster Brain Ticket		Picture this...cross Led Zeppish bluesmetal with Doom Metal and unleash upon an unsuspecting society. These five Texans stand tall and proud and push out waves of slightly psychedelic bluesish deadly doom. Mark Zammaron reminds me of Robert Plant crossed with a demonically-possessed, doom-laden 1930s-era blues singer (I'm speaking hypothetically--it's not Robert Johnson) with just a dash of early Danzig. This is no-holds barred bluesdoom. George Trevino definitely updates the classic blues sound with a healthy dose of feedback-laden doom metal guitar. Ben Regio Montano beats the skins and cymbals into submission and controls the slowly building sludgemonster. No beat shall escape his grasp without paying the price. Occasionally the band softens their brutal assault with a quiet moment, but it only makes the sledgehammer hit harder when they bang it out in the next few minutes. Some songs start slow and tender then build towards its an apocalyptic, bullish finish. Best cuts are "Behemoth" and "Pigz." They have learned much from their producer John Perez (with Mike Trujillo) of the seminal doom band, Solitude Aeturnus (read a review of Adagio in April's issue). They take the doom-laden with sorrow style of Solitude Aeturnus and increase the bottom end forcing an unnatural heaviness upon an already heavy genre, then they toss in a spoonful of blues to strengthen the approach. With Ringmaster, Perez has helped elevate Las Cruces to the next level. These songs burn the heart and brain with their acid-drenched bitterness and pain. This is not a band to be taken lightly. They will crush you if you underestimate their power. A quick note here to tell you about the Stoner Hands of Doom (ShoD) Stoner Rock Doom Festival being held Saturday, August 14, 1999 in Centreville (west of Washington, DC) at Bull Run Park Special Events Center. Tickets are $15 (pre-sale) or $20 at the gate. Performing will be Las Cruces (okay now you need to go) and Spirit Caravan (excellent doom), Pentagram (only performance this year), Revelation, Drag Pack, Fireball Ministry, Pale Divine, Internal Void (East Coast Doomsters), Smoke in Sunshine, Solace, Gut Soup and Penance (incredibly awesome doom band). Later that night at Phantasmagoria will be Trouble (legends, baby, legends), Clearlite, Unorthodox, Rotors To Rust and While Heaven Wept for an additional $5 with SHoD stub. I would strongly consider giving up a right arm to see these doomsters play their stoned best. For more info or for tickets, go to: http://stonerrockdoomfestival.cfug.org/home.htmll *-Sabrina Wade Haines* [ top of page ]
Les Lokey Burned Up & Shining Firefly Records Links: Les Lokey		Les Lokey's debut album is like playing Twister. You never know quite what "color" the arrow is going to fall on, but chances are it is not the same musical styling as the last spin. At times this works well, but not always. She would like to have you believe she is a coffeehouse musician in the Lilith Fair vein, searching for a larger audience; but more noticeably, both her style and the album's production are more along the lines of Alanis Morissette and her debut, Jagged Little Pill. Where Lokey's voice, lyrics and overall delivery fail to impress, you can lose yourself in the lush production by Grammy-winning bassist Joe Puerta (who also contributes much of the music to the album). It's the more straight-ahead numbers that fail to come across. With its lyrics of "Hearts cannot be broken / they're small squishy things / they don't break like glass," "Being Simple" had me sticking my fingers in my ears and going "nah, nah, nah...I can't hear you!" And the quirky up-tempo pop of "Landmine" left me seriously contemplating the killing of small children and animals. However, as the Twister arrow goes 'round, all is not as disappointing as this. The sultry, bluesy burn of the album's title track is quite impressive. "Lullaby for Love" is a quiet number that haunts with its simplicity, and the interplay of guitar, drums and violin on "Hollow Bodhisattva," along with Lokey's dark lyrical ruminations, showcases the strengths of both Lokey and Puerta. It's too bad the album doesn't find more musical highs like these. Burned Up & Shining closes with a cover of John Lennon's (R.I.P.) deeply personal "Mother." I had mixed feelings about this one; while Lokey doesn't disgrace the song, she misses the mark by not adding anything to it. In this instance, it's best honored by leaving it untouched. *-Craig Young* [ top of page ]
Ministry Dark Side of the Spoon Warner Brothers Links: Ministry		[at the request of some of our writers, i've been told to let you know that no one--absolutely no one here at eP noise control--fought over, pulled straws, or otherwise roshambo'd to see who would get the glorious honor or the toilet cleaning assignment (depending on your p.o.v.) of reviewing dark side of the spoon. --ed.] If Psalm 69 was the sonic equivalent of getting hit in the face with a 2x4 for the first time, then Filth Pig was that same 2x4 wielded by a 300-lb. linebacker who had just come off a six-game loosing streak. Dark Side of the Spoon is that same 2x4 and that same linebacker. The difference is, you've been hit in the face before and you're already a little numb and it doesn't hurt nearly as much. It doesn't matter that the linebacker in question has refined his art of slapping you in the face with a piece of wood; doesn't really register that last contact was a piece of gnarled, knotted oak and this time around you're getting spanked with a slab of fresh pine. It's still a smack in the face and you've still had one before. It is called "going through the motions." It pays the bills, keeps the audience aware that you're still breathing, and stops the label from taking your name off the active web pages. And, dutifully, the audience lines up for their pummeling like the little horde of S/M freaks that we all are, and, dutifully, get our smack in the noggin. You know what? I didn't dodge this one, but if the next one looks familiar, if I can call the punch before it even begins, I think I'll duck. *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Linda Perry After Hours Rockstar Records		Having never heard 4 Non Blondes, I won't be able to serve this review of Linda Perry with any historical reference. So bear with me. After Hours is a package of 10 songs that seems a half-baked throwback to the epic rock sound of the '70s. A mish-mosh of styling including Jefferson Starship, David Bowie, Neil Young, and mostly Janis Joplin are dabbled with throughout the entire disc. And although Linda falls short of actually conjuring up any of the power of any of these influences, she does a damn fine job of creating a homogenous white noise that borders on ultra-annoying. Not one song on After Hours sticks out or demands attention. Wait, I take that back. The last track, "Carry On," sums up the entire album quite nicely. It is just enough to keep you listening, but still annoying enough to make you want to turn it off. Linda's raspy vocal stylings are a little tough to swallow, although she sounds like she really means it. And the dinosaur song structures just make it simply uninteresting. It's hard to tell whether this would even work with the Lilith Fair crowd. The whole affair is ridiculously out of context in today's musical climate. I'm not buying it. *-Jeff Ashley* [ top of page ]
Petroleum Emerge Digital Vinyl Records Links: Petroleum		A couple of fellows with determined D.I.Y. ethics have put together 40 minutes that blend "electric guitar, heavy bass, synthesizers, acoustic instruments, and deep vocals with industrial/rock rhythms." And it pretty much looks like they're a two-man show from the management to the sleeve design to the music and all the production that goes along with it. Kudos for their effort. Sandwiched among Led Zeppelin, Joy Division, Nine Inch Nails, and Bowie as their cited influences is Bauhaus. They should really move this influence up front and name the part of that quartet with which they have the greatest link. Petroleum sounds like the lost Peter Murphy tapes. If Murphy hadn't discovered religion and disappeared into Turkey and had gone to L.A. instead after the breakup of Bauhaus, his sound could very well have gone this route. Brady Poirier has an uncanny vocal resemblance to Peter Murphy. Eerily so. And the music definitely has some catch to it. Petroleum just falls a wee bit short with the lyrics. I'm not entirely sold on the necessity of lyrics; but, if you're going to have them, make them tight or make them Michael Stipe free-associative. This in-between state is distracting. "You stow away in a big black car, you take that road to nowhere, the life you lead is the life you choose, so you became a showgirl..." First verse of "Julip's Ride" and I'm already scratching my head and wondering how we got to that final statement. It's song structure like this which trips me up and stops me from completely enjoying this disc. *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Slick Rick The Art of Storytelling Def Jam		Slick Rick the Ruler returns after a three-year leave of absence with his fourth joint entitled The Art of Storytelling. Judging by the current state of affairs in the world of rap music, the timing couldn't have been better. Capitalistic dreams, pop-culture dominated punchlines, and that high-schoolish I'm-better-than-you mentality rule today's Hip-Hop musical landscape. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy a good battle/braggadocio cut, but damn everyone's doing it, and only a few are worth listening to. Take for instance the cut "One on One" featuring Ras Kass and Punchline from Kid Capri's CD. Soundtrack To The Streets, now that sht was tight. But songs like these are rare; instead, everywhere you look MCs are talking loud and saying nothing, to hell with a good story! With the release of The Art of Storytelling,* the Ruler devotes himself to returning rap music to its storied past, the very same past that made his first solo joint The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, a Hip-Hop classic with songs like "Treat Her Like A Prostitute," "Children's Story," and the R&B duet with Al B Sure "If I'm Not Your Lover." And, unlike his last two releases The Ruler's Back and Behind Bars (both of which were done while Rick was doing time in prison for shooting his cousin), this latest joint combines smooth-as-silk Iceberg Slim-styled delivery with near perfect musical landscapes. If that's not enough incentive to put you in a buying mood, the guest MC list on this album features: Redman, Ed Lover, DJ Rev, OutKast, Nas, Canibus, Q-Tip, Peter Gunz, Snoop Dogg, and Doug E. Fresh just to name a few. Tracks that stood out for me were "Kill Niggaz," a bouncy, swaying-type groove that's sure to get plenty of play in car stereos everywhere this summer, and "Street Talkin" featuring Big Boi from OutKast another up tempo bouncing type groove that'll have heads nodding on both coasts and everywhere in between, guaranteed. It's been said that Slick Rick is the master of bragging, conceited style rap. A shining example of this can be found on a cut called "I Own America Part 1." Here Slick's ego runs amuck unlike any other MC's in the game today. I swear the Ruler was killing me with the shit talking he did on this track. At one point he says "Even your kids tell you that you ain't shit to Slick Rick..." Trust me when I tell you there's plenty more where that came from and he's just getting warm. "Who Rotten 'Em" is a story set in ancient Egypt about a slave who avoids being fed to the lions by entertaining the King with his rhyme skills. And once again the Ruler dazzles the listener with his storytelling skills. "Me and Nas Bring It To Your Hardest" and "Unify" featuring Nas And Snoop Dogg respectively as guest MCs rounds out my must-hear list for this LP. I'll be making room in my six-disc CD holder for this joint, as I'm sure to be spending serious time listening to the UK-accented, hypnotic vocal skills of rap's current master of The Art of Storytelling. Slick Rick the Ruler. *-Cecil Beatty-Yasutake* [ top of page ]
Snoop Dogg No Limit Top Dogg No Limit Records Links: Snoop Dogg		Snoop Dogg is back, back in California, back with Dr. Dre and back to his G-Funk musical roots. His name was etched in music history with the release of Doggystyle, the first debut album from an artist to enter the charts at Number One. Death Row Records loomed large on the rap landscape; Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were rap's new Dynamic Duo, a hit-making, cash-generating platinum machine. Together they were unstoppable, Death Row Records was poised to become rap's version of Motown. Then out of the blue Dr. Dre up and left the very label he helped make a household name. Without Dre behind the boards, Snoop fell prey to the dreaded sophomore jinx on his follow-up album Tha Doggfather, which ended up being produced by DJ Pooh and Dat Nigga Daz by index. Although this album would also debut at Number One, it didn't stay long, selling only half as many copies as Doggystyle, and receiving mixed reviews from fans and critics alike for not having the authentic G-Funk creative energy of his earlier work. Snoop himself must have known Dre's absence from Tha Doggfather was going to be an issue because he recorded an angry little skit about this very issue on a track called "Freestyle" on which he claimed not to "Give a Fuck About No Beats!" which we all know is bullshit otherwise he'd be writing books of poetry instead of doing rap music. In January of 1998 Snoop abandoned the sinking ship that was fast becoming Death Row Records, stating he feared for his life in the wake of the deaths of both Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. In March of that same year, he shook up the rap world once again by signing onto Master P's label, No Limit Records. He also changed his name from Snoop Doggy Dogg to just plain Snoop Dogg. In August of 1998 Snoop released his first LP for his new label, Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told. Recorded in a mere three weeks, this album still managed to debut at #1 on the charts like its predecessors, selling half a million copies in its first week of release. But by November--just three months after its release--Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told slipped from #1 all the way down to #65 on the SoundScan top 250 chart. In less than a year's time, Snoop has returned to rap music attempting to make amends for two past disappointing albums with his new joint called No Limit Top Dogg, featuring a Who's Who list of all star producers/practitioners of the West Coast G-Funk sound: Ant Banks, DJ Quik, and the man himself, the legendary Dr. Dre. For three brief moments, the magic and chemistry of Doggystyle are revisited on this CD as Snoop and Dr. Dre pick up right where they left off, making hit music. "Buck 'Em," the first offering from this reunited Dynamic Duo, opens with a low rolling, back door creeping bass line that is masterfully added to with a wild west flavored twangy gunslinger-like guitar riff. Meanwhile Snoop Dogg's letting loose an old-fashioned six gun styled lyrical barrage that sends would-be MC competition scrambling for cover. Man, I've missed these two. The other Dre-produced songs on the album are "B Please" featuring Xzibit, and "Just Dippin'" featuring both Dr. Dre and Jewel, a sure hit for the summer. "Don't Tell," "Somethin Bout Yo Bidness," and "Doin' Too Much" are all shinning examples of the consistent, quality production work done on this album despite the fact that Dre had nothing to do with them, thus furthering my belief that this is without a doubt his best to date since Doggystyle! Predictably the only low points on the CD come from songs produced by KLC for Beats by the Pound, songs like "Down 4 My N'S" and "Ghetto Symphony." You won't find Snoop Dogg making any excuses about his beats or production on this album. No Limit Top Dogg finds our favorite Dogg back in Cali', back with Dr. Dre, and back with the G-Funk sounds that made him famous. Some might even say he's back in Doggystyle form. *-Cecil Beatty-Yasutake* [ top of page ]
Sow Je M'aime Invisible Links: Sow		Martin Atkins has done a really lovely job rescuing master tapes from their premature placement in dusty archives. Anna Wildsmith's Sow project is one that well deserves its resurrection. Je M'aime, though saddled with a '99 copyright date is actually older than her other new album, dating back a few years to a time when Raymond Watts hadn't quite been seduced by the industrial guitar attack (not that I'm saying that as if it is a bad thing). Anna coaxes a much wider range of musical accompaniment out of Raymond (and Mr. Foetus himself on one track) that serves as a properly sexually-charged post art-rock/neo-industrial/dark atmospheric melange that mixes spoken lyrics in English, French, and Italian. Sounds like an unholy mess, doesn't it? Look at it from my perspective: I'm trying to convince you to add this to your collection and we're not at a point in our relationship where the phrase "just buy the damn thing already" is going to have the proper cash-separation effect on you. So, I have to use my wily skills and some bullet points to get you to the store. "The World is My Oyster" is the most disturbing song to which you will ever snap your fingers in accompaniment. It sounds just like it appears, a bright British afternoon in the park with Polly the plastic doll. "Tea with Polly under a tree/Getting sticky with Polly and cream buns." She turns on you by the end, sinks her fangs so far into your arm that you'll never be free of the mark. The title of "Face of Suede" is meant to distract you. Well, actually most of this distracts you until you're already mesmerized and wondering just how you got to this decadent place. (I don't remember asking for this ball gag...) The actual song is this orgiastic texturing of strings, electronics, drums, and Anna's voice into this overwhelming aural experience of a sexual encounter that probably only happens once in everyone's lifetime. If you're lucky. "Blood Sucking Bitch" is all in Italian. And some day I'll bother to run it all through some online translator and actually figure out what she's crooning about. But in the meantime, I'll just be happy with the pounding chorus that is actually in English and really cathartic if you have got some issues with past girlfriends to work out. Anna has said in more than one interview that she doesn't concern herself so much with the language she chooses to sing in, focusing more on her delivery to translate the intent and the meaning of the songs. "Je M'aime" is a rain-soaked juke joint song, complete with upright bass and wah-wah trumpet growling in the background. It's a seductive ode to one's self that is both adorative and abusive. The cover art for the '94 release of this disc is a perfect reflection of this song (a photo that survives in the liner notes). "Do you really want to go out there and meet the species?" A too accurate representation of the male sex floods "Manripe." Coupled with Stravinsky-styled strings and percussion, Anna plays both sides of the argument, flaying each sex for failing to transcend their baser natures. Or maybe it is just recognizing the primal states that drive us all. "Always/Forever." Be adventurous this month. Get a disc that will suck you under with its music and tap you hard with its lyrical content. Let Anna peel back your head and get inside, let her find those dark spots you didn't know were there, let Raymond Watts attach a little ditty to that specter she drags out of you. Let some of that Freudian repressed id out and find out just how much a good song can make you squirm in your skin. *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Steadman Loser Friendly Freeloader Records Links: Steadman		Loser Friendly is the first record by Steadman, formerly known as Dharma Bums. On this record, they have assembled a fine collection of pop songs, almost austerely arranged accordingly. The record was produced by the band and distributed by them, a DIY approach that suits their songs. In searching for some antecedents for their songs and record, I quickly draw some comparisons to the first Aztec Camera records.The production of the record is so focused on Steadman's vocals, both as a melodic instrument and as the lyricist, it feels claustrophobic. This is paradoxical, as Steadman are a live band. Listening to the record as a recording of the band makes this seem even more obvious; the songs have wide open choruses, good bridges--not arena rock, but live pop. In this regard, brothers Gallagher are also an apt description, minus the surliness. The songs, as implied from the title, are all first-person perspective. He frames his lyrics around the persona of the introvert, but without the self-edification of that role. The songs deliver a feeling of conclusion, more about finding what he knows is true and what he finds necessary to do. That's a tricky sell in a pop song. He (Steadman) gets there, though, and the result is an emotional stance that informs his lyricism. This suggests that he's a capable songwriter, and that is definitely the case. Due to the nature of the songs, it's tough to be too musically adventuresome, as the lyrics are the focus. Personally, I find much pop music to be far too heavy in its vocal mixing at the sacrifice of the music, pushing the instrumentation to the background. I find that the band is capable of framing Steadman's ideas, but too often veer into homogenizing accompaniment. This is a shame, but one that probably served a purpose. It may be that the band's arrangements for the songs couldn't find a studio sensibility, or perhaps there was not time to flesh out all of the arrangements. This is not the case on all of the songs, as some of them approach (and find) greatness when this balance is struck, especially the tracks "Life of Leisure," "Oceans of You" and "STML." These benefit from equal parts sonic input and lyrical input; the result is not a sacrifice of the song's message or impact, rather a more complete song. In essence, this is a pop record. I recommend it to listeners who have an ear for live pop, especially as this commodity is coming in rarer and rarer instances. I can only anticipate how great they are live, and surely some of the ideas on this record have that much better of an effect with a living, breathing audience. The effort the band achieves with this release is something to be proud of, and one I really like, shortcomings included. *-Kenny Younts* [ top of page ]
Tad "Oppenheimer's Pretty Nightmare" / "Accident on the Way to Church" Up Records Links: Tad		So long and farewell to the Gods of Thunder and Noise! This 7", released by Up Records, is the goodbye from a band who not only helped define the sound the Pacific NW became grudgingly known for, but who also has the body mass to back up their claim! After ten years without compromise or change, we are left with two songs that are definitive Tad. What else would you expect? "Oppenheimer's Pretty Nightmare" is a stop-go lead-footed stomp, with Tad Doyle's vocals coming across the turntable to smack you upside the head like Andre the Giant with a chip on his shoulder...a very big chip. Pulling ourselves back onto our feet and nursing a swollen lip, bloody nose and ringing ears, we flip the vinyl over to "Accident on the Way to Church" and once again duck and cover while Mike "Ice Water" Mongrain does his damndest to impersonate the rolling thunder of a passing train with his drum kit. This single will bring a tear to the eye of any crusty-hearted former rocker, and have you digging through your album collection for 8-Way Santa (You still have it, don't you?) and long forgotten memories of blissful noise. *-Craig Young* [ top of page ]
Therion Crowning of Atlantis Nuclear Blast Links: Therion		Therion are the reigning kings of symphonic metal. Crowning of Atlantis is a masterpiece of symphonic metal equal to their Theli disc. Symphonic metal fuses classical elements such as symphonic string sections, soaring classical marches or operatic voices with such diverse genres as death metal, black metal or perhaps just elements of the genre, i.e. guitars, death metal vocals, etc. There are bands that come off as wimpy when they fuse these elements (some seem as "macho" as those stupid "new romantic" bands), but Therion manage to sound powerful and beautiful. It seems that the guitars augment the classical elements to greater power and in turn the classical touches lift the metal to new melodic heights. When done correctly (as in Crowning of Atlantis) it is majestic, beautiful, powerful, inspiring and it rocks. Kicking off the disc is "Crowning of Atlantis," a gorgeous symphonic metal piece mostly utilizing keyboards and operatically-trained singers with guitars and drums setting the backdrop for the classical melodies. "Mark of Cain" is more metal than symphonic, but retains the chorale voices over a melodic metal guitar background that is strangely reminiscent of Ted Nugent' s "Cat Scratch Fever." Bet you would think guys smart enough to make these beautiful orchestrated metallic opuses can't rock, eh? Change your mind quickly, I think that Christofer Johnsson (the mastermind behind Therion) must have heard that a few times too many because Therion covers Loudness ("Crazy Nights"), Accept ("Seawinds") and Manowar ("Thor") and they rock hard. "Thor" is a scorcher with full metal regalia and a few operatic elements tossed in liberally just to claim it as Therion's own. They also toss in three live songs: "To Mega Therion" (from the excellent Theli), "The Wings Of The Hydra" (from Lepaca Kliffoth) and "Black Sun" (from Vovin) as benevolent bonuses. This diverse cd will take you the distance between heavy metal and symphonic metal; normally the travel distance is wider than 5", but not when Therion is involved. If you enjoy classical or metal, this will be a fixture in your deck. You might also want to check out their early benchmark Theli. *-Sabrina Wade Haines* [ top of page ]
UK Subs Sub Mission: Best of UK Subs 1982-1998 Jungle Records/Fall Out Records Links: UK Subs		The United Kingdom Subversives, well-shortened to what we all know now as the UK Subs are lead by the Godfather of Punk, Charlie Harper (how old is he, anyhow?). Having slogged through 22 years, numerous lineup changes, a few bypass surgeries and above all constant touring, the UK Subs have carried the true banner of Punk Rock spreading it to all or anybody who will show up. Charlie's goal is to release an album for every letter of the alphabet. With this release he has survived to letter "S." Sub Mission is a "best of" collection of 20 tracks that Charlie has selected from the albums F-R and a bonus live disc of unreleased Subs hits and live favorites from a 1991 show in Bristol. The lineup for the live disc includes Charlie Harper on vocals, Karl Morris on guitar, Brian Barnes on bass, and Mat McCoy on drums. Steve Harnett gives us a track-by-track summary of each "best of" song. Liner notes also include pictures from all the UK Subs members and a complete discography. The rumored "S" album was supposed to be a continuation from the reunion of Harper/Gibbs/Garratt called Speed. This reunion cranked out 33 songs in three weeks, giving us the great Quintessentials and Riot albums. Sub Mission is loaded with classics like "Police State," "Self Destruct," "Another Cuba," "Another Typical City." a Die Toten Hosen cover "Here Comes Alex," and the now classic "DF 118." Charlie and Co. are probably in the studio right now working on the next letter of the alphabet. If not, keep an eye out for them to stop by your city sometime soon. If you are looking for an introduction to the "Subs" or just would like a disc to play all the classics without having to flip the album over this is it! This summer in America catch the UK Subs on the "Chaos Tour." *-Steve Weatherholt* [ top of page ]