earpollution - album reviews [page 1] - issue 3.Ø1, january 2ØØ1

Aerial Love Feed - Aerial Love Feed
Cabal - Midian
The Chronics - Soulshaker
Cryptopsy - And Then You'll Beg
Download - Effector
Dry & Heavy - Full Contact
Elegy - Forbidden Fruit
Erykah Badu - Mama's Gun
Firebird - Firebird
Fuxa - Fuxa 2000
The Hangmen - Metallic I.O.U.
Infrasound Collective - Owasso Night Atlas
Internal Void - Unearthed
Juno Reactor - Shango
Kamelot - The Expedition
Marz - Lung Fu Mo She
Melodramatic - Melodramatic
Memorial - Enter My Megaron
Musiq Soulchild - Aijuswanaseing

Noctuary - When Fires Breed Blood
Nocturnal Rites - Afterlife
Oasis - Familiar to Millions
Outkast - Stankonia
Pete Namlook/Geir Jenssen - The Fires of Ork 2
Primal Fear - Nuclear Fire
Rage Against the Machine - Renegades
Salt - Re.wasp
Scorn - Greetings from Birmingham
Skyclad - Folkemon
Snog - Relax into the Abyss
Theatre of Tragedy - Musique
Thee Ultra Bimboos - Four Fans Can't Be Wrong
TRS-80 - Manhattan Love Machine
Vox Barbara - (de)Constructed Ghosts
Weston - The Massed Albert Sounds

Aerial Love Feed Aerial Love Feed Clairecords Links: Aerial Love Feed		Listening to Aerial Love Feed's debut EP, all those silly shoegazing clichés come rushing back to me--"cascading," "swirling," "vast," "ethereal," "hypnotic," "swelling," etc. In the late '80s and early '90s, a whole legion of rock scribes wore out their supply of adjectives trying to describe the rich, layered sounds offered by bands like Ride, Lush, Chapterhouse, Slowdive, and the deservedly immortalized My Bloody Valentine. Regardless of writers' fumbling attempts to wrap their words around the music, some of those albums--particularly MBV's Loveless and Slowdive's Souvlaki--represent some of the best music of the last two decades. Enter Aerial Love Feed: They may not be British and it may be the year 2000, but this New York group has turned out music that draws heavily on the shoegazers of yore. There's sprinklings of MBV's self-destructiveness (in the harsh washes of guitar noise that close out "Signal," for example); but Aerial Love Feed, whose true heritage lies in more melodic groups like Slowdive, find their real power in heart-aching melodies lodged deep in the rough of whooshing guitars. On the five tracks, guitars moan and swell around the placid, gorgeous center of singer Wade Settle's vocals. There are no throwaways here, but if you're looking for home runs, "Five Miles into the Atmosphere" is as melodic and powerful as anything that ever saw light during shoegazing's prime, while "Full Tilt" cruises prettily on a strong infusion of Psychedelic Furs. Alas, all of the best relationships are bound to be star-crossed, and just as I discovered Aerial Love Feed I found out that singer-guitarist Wade Settle and guitarist Greg Villepique had split with their rhythm section. The good news is that Settle and Villepique will continue to make music (maybe as Aerial Love Feed--I'll keep you posted) and will return to the club circuit in late January. There's a danger of painting yourself into a corner with all this shoegazing stuff--Slowdive's transformation to the countrified Mojave 3 and Kevin Shield's '90s stasis is evidence enough--and these guys may sense this. Greg says the songs he and Wade are currently writing are a blend of "garage slop, punk directness, post-punk menace, go-go beats and insanely catchy pop melodies." With a lot of groups I'd say this might be overreaching; with these guys, however, I'd suggest keeping your eye on them. *-Erik Hage* [ top of page ]
Cabal Midian Red Stream Records		Midian has a gorgeous digipak design and we all know the rule--the prettier the package, the less you should open it. Surprise! This artifact of one of Killjoy's (Necrophagia, Viking Crown and Ravenous) earliest projects and is absolutely killer. Seven tracks of furious death thrash designed to make you wish it were the '80s again. This origins of this gem is pure Killjoy--as well as Rob (could this be a future member of Malevolent Creation and Cannibal Corpse?), Dave, Mark and Paxton--and the production of Morrisound Studio. The production is pristine, the music superior and dangerous, and the musicians are stellar in talent. Killjoy's vocals are understandable, raspy growls raking over the utterly magnificent tag-team guitar riffs of Dave and Mark. The rhythm section of Rob (bass) and Paxton (drums) simply steamrolls the rhythm deep into your psyche. Every track is pure evil death metal. This kind of talent doesn't grow on trees. Get this before it is gone because this reeks of limitedness. *-Sabrina Haines* [ top of page ]
The Chronics Soulshaker Bad Afro Records Links: The Chronics		The Chronics from Sweden are helping to keep the Swedish garage rock scene going. With their affection for rootsy rock 'n' roll, '60s beat and garage rock, mixing it all together into a goo that is totally groovy. On Soulshaker, The Chronics have bits of the Doors, Yardbirds and some lost bands from Texas that starred on the Pebbles comps. They feature simple riffs with stunning backing vocal harmonies, also mixing in the organ and some female backing vocals. Their music brings to mind the Kool-Aid parties from the '60s. I can envision skinny bare-bellied gals dancing the night away to the psychedelic color shows on the overhead projector screen. With Soulshaker, you get just that: Enjoyable rock that stirs the soul and shakes it up to be sipped only with your dancing shoes on. The Chronics sound like the type of band Estrus Records would pick up and have play at their near-annual 'Garagefest.' If you are looking for that garage fix, then go out and find Sweden's The Chronics! *-Steve Weatherholt* [ top of page ]
Cryptopsy And Then You'll Beg Century Media Links: Cryptopsy		Okay, now it isn't None So Vile and Lord Worm is history. Mike DiSalvo is the vocalist at the helm. He tore shit up on Whisper Supremacy and saw no reason to stop there. And Then You'll Beg rocks just as hard as Whisper Supremacy and is just a tad more tuneful. Not wimpy, mind you, tuneful. And Then You'll Beg tears up the landscape with its brutality, but has just enough melody/songwriting ability to up the accessibility level. Now maybe a few listeners outside of extreme deathgrindheads can enjoy Cryptopsy. The technical level of Cryptopsy is barely matched by lesser brutal death bands. Cryptopsy has some of the finest musicians that have ever graced this world. Flo Mournier is the best drummer in the world. I defy any other critic's drumming darling to challenge Mournier's drumming abilities. No one can match his fury or precision. Without him, Cryptopsy would end. The vocals are superb...so stop whining about Lord Worm. Okay, he had a better moniker, but I've heard None So Vile and he was far more barky vocally than DiSalvo. DiSalvo doesn't weaken the brutality, just adds a level of smoother tunefulness to the proceedings. The dude still won't be nominated for a Grammy or compared to Pavarotti for God's sake. He still growls and powers his way through the musical din. Jon Levasseur has some of the fleetest fingers mortal men have ever been granted...perhaps he did sell his soul for the fastest fingers and righteous riffs that will rock your complacent world. My top cuts off And Then You'll Beg are "...And Then It Passes," "Voice of Unreason," "Shroud," "Equivalent Equilibrium" and "Back to the Worms." By any chance, you don't suppose "Back to the Worms" is a paean to Lord Worm? I don't know, but it's a neat thought. Hell, the way people go on about the guy, you'd think he was running for president. Oh yeah, they are from Montreal, Canada, so it's doubtful. I hope someday all those fans give Mr. DiSalvo a listen because he brings new ideas to the table for Cryptopsy. They can't play None So Vile forever. This is the perfect Christmas gift for the grindhead in all of us. *-Sabrina Haines* [ top of page ]
Download Effector Subconscious Communications/Nettwerk Links: Download		After a turn for the dubbier with Download III, Effector marks the return of Download in its truest form. This is without a doubt a swan song for Download. It is a perfect balance of influences from every musical project cEvin Key and Phil Western have graced. It's fraught with off-camber electronics set to aggressive industrial undertow. It's ambience beautiful enough to stop time. And it's funky as it employs some of the more current downtempo jazz elements that are coming out of Europe. All with the dark twist you would expect from anything that cEvin Key touches. An interesting note about this release, though, is that Phil Western is credited with writing the entire album. It's no suprise, considering his solo work and other projects (Floatpoint and Off and Gone). He is an amazing composer. Never has there been a Download album as ambitious or as consistent as Effector. Every moment exudes perfection. *-Jeff Ashley* [ top of page ]
Dry & Heavy Full Contact BSI Records		It's a testament to how music makes the world so small. Reggae phenomenon Dry & Heavy were born Shigemoto Nanao and Takeshi Akimoto respectively. Yet on Full Contact, their third record and first to hit the United States on BSI Records, Dry & Heavy sound as if they've been dug up in a time capsule that was buried in the sandy beach outside of Lee Perry's Black Ark studios. More than just mere imitators of the Sly & Robbie standard of reggae rhythm, these two aren't out to be the most nostalgic dub revival rhythm section. They're here to demonstrate the living vitality that still thrives deep within the echo chamber, lending their tracks a modern flair that makes them not anachronistic but forward-thinking, dragging dub out of its entropic state. With vocal duties being covered by Likkle Mai and Ao Inoue on about half the album, the thirteen tracks of Full Contact leave your ears bruised and the echoes ringing a long time in the base of your skull. *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Elegy Forbidden Fruit Noise Records Kamelot The Expedition Noise Records Nocturnal Rites Afterlife Century Media Primal Fear Nuclear Fire Nuclear Blast Links: Elegy Kamelot Primal Fear		Interesting name...Nuclear Fire rather appropriately points to the dismissal of Nuclear Blast America by their parent company. If you are looking for this release, go straight to the Nuclear Blast site in Europe or if in America go to Century Media since they are now doing Nuclear Blast's U.S. work. I liked Jaws of Death much more than Fire, but Nuclear Fire is a fine power metal release. It never varies from the precise power metal format of wanking guitars, screeching, understandable Rob Halford-ish vocals and lots of pompous, Wagnerian melodies. Elegy sparkles with power metal might on Forbidden Fruit. Ian Parry's vocals raise Elegy just a modicum above your standard power metal. Those who enjoy power metal will ooze over Forbidden Fruit which is a collection of ditties penned in tribute to man's pursuit of the "forbidden fruit." Florida's Kamelot offers a mostly live (with a few rare tracks tossed into the mix) Expedition into their kingdom. The sound and production are excellent and the interplay of band and audience well documented. It appears from Expedition that Kamelot is an extremely popular power metal band. Kamelot is technically adept and wails powerfully for eight songs. Three rare tracks are reprised for your listening pleasure: "We Three Kings," "One Day" and "We Are Not Separate." Is a power metal version of "We Three Kings" necessary for survival? Hell, no. Nocturnal Rites' Afterlife lyrically departs from power metal, but still retains the power metal sound. Jonny Lindkvists' vocals are a little too high-pitched and squeally for my taste. In fact, Lindkvists' squealing vocals really douse the sparkling metal that the rest of the band performs effortlessly. Nocturnal Rites has a lot of potential, but you gotta loosen Jonny's jeans a tad. If power metal is your cup of java then head straight to the nearest mall and purchase Kamelot first, Elegy second, hunt down Primal Fear's Jaws of Death first before purchasing Nuclear Fire and keep your eyes open for future Nocturnal Rites releases. All four bands are virtually interchangeable and remarkably well-versed in the power metal formula. I would recommend a harder evolution for any of these bands and a lowering of the old vocal chords for most all of them. Let's practice growling a little, guys. *-Sabrina Haines* [ top of page ]
Erykah Badu Mama's Gun Motown Links: Erykah Badu		Accessible out of the box, Eryka Badu's Mama's Gun quickly fills the void of anticipation set off by Baduizm. That same little brother I mention in my Outkast review would, some days later when we spoke again, change his vote for album of the year to Mama's Gun. Ah, youth; when excited, they have the attention span and decision-making skills of a Florida voter. Avoiding the sophomore jinx better than stealth fighters avoiding radar, Badu picks up right where she left off--atop the neo-soul music world with her eclectic brand of soul music. Comparisons to the legendary Billie Holiday will only increase with the release of Mama's Gun as Badu's distinctive phrasing and poetry continue to blossom. The three years it took to make this album haven't negatively impacted Badu's appeal one bit. Her mother earth/priestess/warrior mystique shows no signs of waning with her fans. Understanding that I enjoyed her first album immensely, it may come as a bit of a surprise to those that know me that I enjoyed this release even more. But I feel strongly that when all is said and done, years from now this album will be hailed as part two in a (so far) series of classics. *-Cecil Beatty-Yasutake* [ top of page ]
Firebird Firebird The Music Cartel		Boogiedoom. Sounds like you mixed Cream, '70s AM radio and Cathedral in a blender and poured it out into a dirty glass from a dingy roadhouse biker bar. Contains former members of Napalm Death, Cathedral, Carcass and Spiritual Beggars. Bill Steer (formerly of Napalm Death and Carcass) fronts Firebird on vocals and gee-tar. Leo Smee from Cathedral has been a favorite of mine and this only cements his blazing talent for a doomy bass riff in my mind. Guess what? Leon even plays organ on Firebird. Ludwig Witt (from Spiritual Beggars) puts on a better-than-average performance on the skins. Together they form a powerful trio reminiscent of the olden years (golden oldies?). You can't help but remember these songs and you'll be humming most of the tracks all the way to your nearest highway for a little cruise. Of course, there are a few tracks that are probably best skipped through like "Through the Fields" (which has an eerie Beetles-esque quality) and "Bollard" unless you are too stoned to reach the skip button. However, cuts like "Meantime" and "Torn Down" will embed themselves in your psyche. Hey, if you loved AM radio and enjoy stoner rock/doom, this is well worth the investment and may make the perfect gift for the stoner in your family. *-Sabrina Haines* [ top of page ]
Fuxa Fuxa 2000 Rocket Girl Links: Fuxa		Randal Nieman seems a little too relaxed in England. In the summer of 1999, the Detroit native, and now sole member of Fuxa, opted for a change of scenery and to check up on some old friends. He gathered Sonic Boom, Piano Magic's Glen Johnson and Echo Park's Spykid and Tye in the studio and whipped out the eight songs of Fuxa 2000. Despite the marquee names, the album is unassuming and lackadaisical, even for one familiar with Fuxa's slow-burn space rock. Nieman has progressively mellowed album after album, and Fuxa 2000 finds him with a dangerously low pulse. The finger-snapping muzak of "Techno Light" or the near stasis of "Rainy Day Dream Away" and its subsequent iteration as a strict instrumental at the end of the album could lead to breakthroughs in the treatment of insomnia. (Apparently, Jo Doran's slight vocals hinder the appreciation of the song's two-chord melody.) Fuxa's never tried to be loud or complicated, but it has never been quite this placid. At one point, Fuxa's music took a special place in late night aural excursions, but now it seems more fitting for a Monday morning. Tellingly, Sonic Boom's contribution is among the few songs with any punch. Ordinarily, he'd add a few dozen layers of synth drones, maybe whisper a few lyrics, but here he juices Nieman's easy strumming for a kinetic rendition of Suicide's "Girl." Nieman and Kember use to play the same mean game, but now it seems that only Kember can deliver. *-Edgar Ortega* [ top of page ]
The Hangmen Metallic I.O.U. Acetate Records Links: The Hangmen		The Hangmen have been forging a following for the past 15 years on the streets of L.A. Having endured the volatile nature of the short-lived wonders of the area, they have released a rock 'n' roll burner. Bryan Small, leader and only original member, has the band together and keeps playing the music that he loves. His vocal style reminds me of Axl Rose from Guns N' Roses at times. Metallic I.O.U. is pure and simple rock music with some country and western overtones. The Hangmen, instead of trying to make a sound for the record labels and MTV crowd, have stuck to their bluesy roots, delivering a blend of pick slides, power chords and short solo pieces. These guys keep playing what they want--mixing in the likes of The Stones, AC/DC and a bit of Neil Young in his Crazy Horse days. If I had to choose what to listen to between the rap-metal, nu-metal commercial crap or some straight up rock 'n' roll by The Hangmen, I would choose the latter, and sit back and revel in the simple rock that is played the way it was intended to be played. *-Steve Weatherholt* [ top of page ]
Infrasound Collective Owasso Night Atlas Infrasound Collective		I love the little tag line that came with this compilation of work from the artists associated with the Infrasound Collective: "a work of art sabotage sponsored by the muse." An explanation--I hope--for the assault that sweeps over you with track four on this disc. This is your only warning. Owasso Night Atlas begins with long, processed flute tones by Mark Fauver, drifting in from the distance like dissonant cries of wounded birds lost out in the darkness of the Everglades. It is the wind whistling through old, rusted auto bodies on the banks of dry rivers. Even in decay the muse must thrive because as these processed tones collapse into a striking snarl of near-static, there is something human and lonely about the sound. This team of brothers within The International Bankers layer static and thick bass over a mad calliope, spinning us into a dervish nightmare lost amid the circus tents. And then Ed Petry launches into his "I've got ADD and I'm whacked out on speed and crack but I'm a real huge fan of Jimi Hendrix" routine, which thoroughly fucks up the groove so nicely laid down by The Grassy Knoll just moments prior. Therein lies the art and the sabotage, dovetailed so precisely. And it smacks us again with the sudden gong of the "Steel Mill Improvisation" after the drifting seascape of Absorption's "Dead Slow." While Infrasound point man Brian Siskind does some impressive cut-and-paste under his fognode::: guise with material from Michael Shrieve, Bill Frisell, Wayne Horvitz, and Klaus Schulze, fellow collective member Layng Martine III heats us with "Globe"--something a little warmer than his usual outings under the Corporal Blossom banner. Christopher DeLaurenti haunts with the sounds of "Sylvian's Wood" and Siskind closes us out with a final ambient excursion. Filled with contributions from a number of luminaries on the Seattle avant-garde and experimental scene (including an excerpt from an illicit Tentacle-inspired improvisation inside an abandoned Seattle steel mill), Owasso Night Atlas takes you into the night and asks that you close your eyes and listen to the darkness. Not everything you hear is pleasant, but all of it moves you. That is what the muse does, after all. *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Internal Void Unearthed Southern Lord Recordings		When I first pulled this one out of the bubble wrap, I saw "Internal Void, Unearthed." Hmm, two Black Sabbath words in the title. This lead me to assume a thick bass line, strong drumming and the mighty axe, all throbbing together like how your thumb pulses after striking it with a ball-peen hammer. Well, I was very close in my assumption. This has the doom masters written all over it. There is nothing wrong with following the bludgeons of the occult. After repeated listens, Unearthed worked its way into my brain. I like the way Internal Void just doesn't copy the original, but expands upon it. Internal Void will bring the doom-and-gloomer many nights of evil headbanging, transfixing the listener into a hypnotic trance of lifeless body swirling. I could not think of another way of spending an intoxicated evening than with Unearthed blasting my eardrums into the void. *-Steve Weatherholt* [ top of page ]
Juno Reactor Shango Metropolis Records Links: Juno Reactor		My first reaction when hearing that Steve Stevens had done a flamenco album was to inquire as to the copious amounts of crack which must have been smoked in order to consider that as a savvy career move. Having heard "Pistolero" from Juno Reactor's earth-shaking Shango, I will dutifully take all that crack and smoke it myself. I'm only doing this out of the embarrassment of having shot my mouth off without leaving any room in my cavernous gullet for the possibility that Stevens--once known for his work with Billy Idol--could have any kind of range beyond the limited structure of the metal rock song. He ain't no Zakk Wylde. And that's a good thing. "Pistolero" begins with a terse vocal sample and then a hail of gunfire before breaking down into a wicked trance beat pounding beneath a thrilling flamenco guitar melody. If you're like me, you're standing there with your jaw on the floor while everyone else within hearing range goes into an ecstatic rave state. "Hulelam" tears off across the veldt, like the soundtrack National Geographic should be playing under footage of a wildebeest stampede across the arid plains. Even the more ambient tracks like "Badimo" and "Solaris" are underscored by an insistent pulse--an ethnographical footnote of cultures heretofore alien to the trance beat, yet somehow perfectly melded into the rhythm as if they have always belonged. With Shango, Juno Reactor takes on the world's musical heritages and blends it all into a stomping dervish of an eternal rave. *-Mark Teppo* [ top of page ]
Marz Lung Fu Mo She E-Magine Entertainment Links: Marz		Former Ministry guitarist Zlatko Hukic's debut release Lung Fu Mo She can best be described as a unique blend of industrial and hip-hop, with lyrics focused on sexuality and self-empowerment; something I found intriguing to say the least. Hukic's rap-styled delivery is head and shoulders better than that of Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit or Jonathan Davis of Korn. Simply put, the man has skills. Sonically, Marz sounds like a train wreck involving Nine Inch Nails and Funkadelic. Translation: serious hardcore industrial rap, with a funk underbelly. But wait, it gets even better. The entire album was written and performed by Hukic himself! If you like those other rock-rap acts then you've got to give the debut release from Marz a try. Future projects will include collaborations with Ministry bandmates Louis Svitek on guitar and Rey Washam on drums. Apparently talent is always in flux. *-Cecil Beatty-Yasutake* [ top of page ]
Melodramatic Melodramatic L-Tight Records Links: Melodramatic		Melodramatic's single "Melo Deez" was an intriguing listen, and their self-titled debut release isn't bad either. Relying on their rich musical backgrounds, bandmates Los and Rosko serve up an engaging array of musical sounds and samples reflecting a diverse multicultural influence. Threadbare themes of money, Moët and women-good-for-only-one-thing are thankfully absent from this Silver Springs, Maryland underground duo. The funky, twangy violin and rhythm scratching on "Eclipse," the leadoff track, caught my attention like a two-for-the-price-of-one Philly steak sandwich special at my spot, the Philadelphia Fevre. To say the joint is hot would be akin to saying it took a while to declare a president. Update to my heads out there: replace the tasty single "Melo Deez" with the succulent "Eclipse," and don't sleep on this debut because if these brothers continue to work hard they'll be on the side of underground milk cartons everywhere with a caption that reads "last seen headed up." This album definitely makes these young men worthy of mention in The Source's Unsigned Hype column. *-Cecil Beatty-Yasutake* [ top of page ]

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