Subject: Re: Nearly God
Subject: Re: Music! Happy!
Subject: Re: Area CDs
Subject: non4ad- unsubbing help needed
Subject: STP Toronto Part 2: Miki's Purse
Subject: commerical music
Subject: Demystification is done by...
Subject: new Cure lp?
Subject: whot Da duck??
Subject: Re: THE THIS RIMY LIMITED
Subject: Re: Bob Mould Alert!! (non-4ad)
Subject: Whirlpool Online!
Subject: Kim Deal
Subject: Just an Opinion...
Subject: Re: Nearly God
Subject: Even more eyesore updates
Subject: music and TV/Mojave+Lush in-store
Subject: Re: Area CDs
Subject: Area CDs
Subject: CT v23/Rachel's spots
Subject: Re: THE THIS RIMY LIMITED
Subject: Bill Nelson appearance
Subject: Re: Demystification is done by...
Subject: Dead Can Dance: Spiritchaser, short review
Subject: Scheer & other stuff
Subject: Re: DCD short review
Subject: LUNA / ELYSIAN FIELDS
Subject: (Nearly God) for sale
Subject: Shaving The Pavement update
Subject: Re: LUNA / ELYSIAN FIELDS
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 00:49:49 -0400
eye agree with frank. the whole american underground goes through
tortoise. i think that tortoise are one of the best super groups ever made
in america. listen to rodan. my god they are awesome. i think john
mcentire is a genius. i might not like everything he has touched or
produced, but i respect it all. Millions Now Living Will Never Die is one
of the best records that i ever have heard. i think most bands stay
underground because they really can't play. like all the people in prison
who are innocent. however there are bands that are just way to good for
the mass public. i don't mean this in an elitist type way, but i think
tortoise bring to the table something we haven't heard before. i think
that they were ten-fold better live and if you have heard the record then
you know that ten times better is almost legendary.
star vein...
On Fri, 3 May 1996, Frank Brinkhuis wrote:
> >Tortoise
> >I don't know what this album's called, but it's grey and blue.
>
> "Millions Now Living...", maybe?
>
>
> >I had expected them to sound like Stereolab with a vibraphone for some
> >reason. (Why?)
>
> Yes indeed, WHY!! Ever heard of Slint, Squirrel Bait, Bastro and Shrimp
> Boat? The guys who are now in Tortoise where making music long before the
> Stereolab's members' mums and dads had met each other (so to speak).
> It's rather weird that so many people think Tortoise are some kind of
> Stereolab rip-off.
> Hey, try: Rachels, Rodan, 5Style, Seam, Tel Aviv, Sea And Cake, Gastr Del
> Sol, June Of 44, The For Carnation, Codeine (and other things with Brad Wood
> or John McEntire involved).
>
>
> >Have they released other stuff that I have to own?
>
> Full discography:
> 7" 'Mosquito' (Torsion)
> 7" 'Lonesome Sound' (Thrill Jockey)
> LP/CD 'Tortoise' (Thrill Jockey)
> LP/CD 'Rhythms, Clusters & Resolutions' (Thrill Jockey)
> 12" 'Gamerea' (Duophonic)
> 7" 'Why We Fight' (Soul Static)
> LP/CD 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die' (Thrill Jockey)
> 7" split single with Stereolab (Duophonic)
> 12" 'Djed (Remix)' (Thrill Jockey) IS THIS OUT YET????
>
> ALL worth to have.
>
> Frank
> +++++++++++++++++++
> Frank Brinkhuis
> [email protected]
> +++++++++++++++++++
>
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 01:27:27 -0400
hello,
my e-mail address changed recently, very minorly. i am still receiving
forwarded mail which is sent to my old account- including 4ad mail which i
am getting because i didn't unsub from 4ad-l like i needed to.
soon i will stop being forwarded mail, and who knows what will happen to
the messages sent to my old account...i really need help here! i've tried
contacting the list-owners but with no luck. and i have no way of
unsubbing from my old account.
can anyone help? contact the listfolks for me if possible?
lorelei
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 01:43:22 -0500
Mojave 3 off the top. They were excellent and the
harder edge of the electric guitars of SIMON (who
I mistakenly called Chris last time) gave Mojave
a different sound than the quiet Ask Me Tommorow.
Rachel and Neil were totally in sync and I think
that they were really having a good time on stage.
They were suprisingly rocking. I was expecting
them to be more acoustic but it was quite a great
show for them. They also made mention that
Toronto was special as it was their last ever
Slowdive gig as a band.
Next up was Scheer, who after seeing them previously
at the HMV acoustic set that afternoon, were incredibly loud
and powerful. They rocked the house. I was not
very aware of their stuff admittedly before seeing them,
but I would definitely recommend picking them up.
I wasn't expecting much from them so I was greatly
surprised by them.
Lush were excellent. Miki was as charming as ever
making cross-eyes and joking around on stage
especially at bassist Phil King. King had his eternal
David Byrne dead-pan look the whole show. Emma was true
to form and was very good on guitar if a little to static in
her on stage movement. Miki rocked and did a
lot of walking and swaying on stage. I liked the set
and I thought that they did a great performance
and even some old gems like For Love and
a song that I believe must have been a Buzzcocks
song (Demystification?) in the encore. I thought that the opening
song before they hit the stage sounded kinda Mission Impossible-ish
and was kinda cool.
Chris Acland went from grooving along to one point
looking like he was in total ecstasy. When he hit
the rimshots in Sweetness and Light he was in
the best form. One thing more about Lush that is kind
of an aside. I was impressed by the light show that
accompanied the performance and wanted one
of the cool black light Lush banners that they had
up behind them. Lush had incredible power and its
true that the performance of Undertow was exceptionally
good as has been mentioned by listies before.
On their encore one guy screamed out "We Love You Miki,
we want you to stay forever" to which Miki replied "Tough!"
with a sweet smile. Also funny was when Miki
announced that she had lost her purse again and
she went into detail about what it looked like.
Best song of the show? Undertow for sure.
Other good tunes were Ladykillers, Hypocrite
"Nothing Like Slagging those old boyfriends, eh?"
Miki said of Hypocrite. The Childcatcher was also
exceptionally good as was Heavenly Nobodies
both off of Lovelife. It was nice to see Miki put
a different emphasis on her voice and the way
she sang in some cases was quite rougher
than on the albums. Sweetness and Light
added a nice closing number before the encore.
At one point the wash of guitars sounded like a jet
plane taking off in the Opera House, truly cool.
Generally one of the better concerts I have seen
so far this year. Mojave 3 is definetely worth
seeing in this context as are Scheer who I was
surprised with.
If you are in Detroit, tommorow night STP
hits you guys and if you miss this show, then
get a life. You have to go, that's all there is to it.
One thing that bugged me was that there
were no STP tour tapes available or given
out. I was looking forward to that but the vendor
told me that they were long gone. Oh well.
Steve
***********************************************************
You wanna see me? Know about me?
Look on this web page under Stevenn:
Atelier Design Communications
Steven Venn, b.f.a. - Graphic Designer
139 Golfclub Court, Richmond Hill,
Ontario, CANADA L4C 5E1
(905) 884-2601
"Listen pal, you can't just waltz in here, use my toaster
and spout universal truths without qualification!"
-Jude from Hal Hartley's
"Surviving Desire"
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 02:48:54 -0400
>This brings up an interesting thing that's been bugging me for a l o n g
>of a better word) "our" music for their very non-appropriate purposes?
>It's really a mystery to me - so baffling to the point that it makes me
>very upset and sick sometimes... I've recorded a few instances for your
The creatives at the ad agency that create the ads like
music, think it will fit the mood of the visuals
or somehow illustrate the "message" (it's
always the same thing though, right? "BUY ME!"),
And then they try to get the rights?
-B
MBV for Nickelodeon? I'm astounded. "Daddy, will you
buy me a Fender Jaguar and an Alesis Quadraverb
f/x processor for Xmas?"
=====================================================
Brendon Macaraeg
http://www.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~brendonm
Finger [email protected] for my PGP Public Key
Date: Sat, 4 May 1996 23:49:46 -0700
>and I thought that they did a great performance
>and even some old gems like For Love and
>a song that I believe must have been a Buzzcocks
>song (Demystification?) in the encore.
No, It was a song done in 1980 by a band called Whammy! (I think)
Anyone own it?
Brian!
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 02:38:08 -0400
>>Today I bought their new cd 'Wild Mood Swings'. After listening to it once
>>I rushed back to the record store and asked if they would take it back!
>>This is the worst record they've ever made. I've got almost every cure
>>record since 1979 but this one has made me realise: cure is over (for me)
>Please! Be more precise... is it that bad? I=B4m pretty scared of this album
since I heard the nasty '13th' (HORRIBLE SINGLE).=20
>being curious...
>Pepe
Jeeze, is it really that bad? Did you give it a few listens?
The cover story in the latest Pulse (freebie mag you
get at Tower Records) made it sound very interesting.
It's a double CD right? I understand that stylistically
Robert Smith wanted to incorporate World Music
elements and they also used a different producer
from Dave Allen. Maybe that wasn't so good
a decision after all....?
-B
=====================================================
Brendon Macaraeg
http://www.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~brendonm
Finger [email protected] for my PGP Public Key
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 16:57:09 +1000
suicide songs,
The Cure new album sux,
who's song on what TV ads,
Cranberries ripping off other bands song ,
Cocteau Twins on Baywatch,
MAN! This beats cable......
While we're here>>>I hope Liverpool trashes the shit out of Manchester
United in the FA Cup final.....
and to you >>Strick9....YOU'RE CRAZY
ARTc
later
Artc
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 16:57:05 +1000
Whott? $250 for a Rimy River Limited?? Wow!! That IS a lot of money.. I
didn't realise it was THAT expensive... You guys are really devoted to 4AD
to spend that kinda money for something that you can't really see/read.
*my hats off to you*
later
Artc
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 03:42:30 -0400
Yup, it is good. On first listen, it didn't blow me away
like previous Sugar/Mould LPs. Still, anyone into MBV should pick this up.
LOTS of stuff going on in the mix (Mould's a rabid MBV fan): plenty of
distorto/feedback ala Kevin
Shields going on in "Eg0verride", "Hair Stew" and "Deep Karma Canyon"
(I LOVE that synth/keyboard thing going on before that song!);
in "Anymore Time Between" there's this total sonic undercurrent
that bubbles just below the surface/foreground vocal and
instruments. Lyrically, the only two misses are "I Hate Alternative
Rock" and "Art Crisis"; they're just too opaque and personal and
my reaction is a total "huh?" Emotionally, they do nothing for me.
The stellar tracks like "Fort Knox, King Solomon" and
"Next Time That You Leave" with their high-flying melodies and
sing-along/hummable choruses make it worth
getting (especially at that price!).
-B
=====================================================
Brendon Macaraeg
http://www.itp.tsoa.nyu.edu/~brendonm
Finger [email protected] for my PGP Public Key
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 00:35:51 -0800
Hello, just a quick note that Whirlpool Magazine will be online within the
next two-three
weeks. I will post the URL on the list as soon as it is up. First
installment will feature the
Boo Radleys, IVY (long interview w/ pictures... ooh la la) Rocketship
(recording talk)
Edwyn Collins, Starflyer 59, and possibly The Ropers. Reviews will be
posted as we write 'em
as well as live show reviews. Of interest to the gear-heads out there is
the full blown guitar geek
section featuring full color diagram and equipment run-downs on Catherine
Wheel, Halfstring,
Boo Radleys, Alison's Halo, loveliescrushing, Astrobrite, Ropers, Edwyn
Collins, Ivy, Slowdive,
Lush, Bowery Electric, Six String Malfunction, and more! The Site is
shaping up nicely. Post me links to any Labels and Bands who lurk here on
the list and we'll make them available on the page.
Thanks and have a fun swim in the swirling undercurrents of music!
Adam
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 01:05:58 -0700
>>it's not 4AD but she appears on the new sonic youth record singing a duet
with kim gordon called "little trouble girl." she has also produced the
latest guided by voices record.
Yeah, I read awhile back that she was going to marry one of the guys in Guided
by Voices; but didn't sound too happy about it, so I don't know if it ever
happened. It's great to hear that she's producing, though. That woman has t a
l e n t !!!
Jon
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 03:29:36 -0700
Over the last two or more weeks we�ve been discusing how 4AD has 'lowered
it�s standards' (for a lack of a better phrase) regarding it�s music. We�ve
heard how Scheer�s 'heavy metal wanking' (boy, that phrase stuck with me)
made it�s way to 4AD; Lush selling out, wanting to be Elastica; etc.
I think that music has to evolve, the problem is that that evolution isn�t
always for good or bad... For example, Dead Can Dance have mutated themselves
from gothic band to world music band. I�m sure that many of us miss the Goth
side od DCD, but their new direction is quite interesting; i�m sure that the
new cd, Spiritchaser, is going to be quite centered in world music. It is a
change that Lisa and Brendan desire and they don�t want to be stuck in the
same kind of musical style... anyway they are evolving into different but
uncommercial ground (note that this is an actual example).
On the other hand, bands like NewOrder, The Cure, etc (not all my favorite
bands come from 4AD land) began making sublime music: Neworder with albums
like 'Lowlife', 'Power, Corruption & lies', 'Brotherhood' and even, at some
extent, 'Technique'; the Cure with 'Faith', 'Kiss me, kiss me...', 'Head on
the door', etc; and ended up with commercial shit that (Republic, Wish, etc)
completely changed the group�s vison from leaders to follwers...
I believe that this 'back evolution' has to do with the fact that the members
are getting older and, finally, they don�t care if they innovate or not...
they just simply 'se duermen en sus laureles' (sleep on their laurels,
mexican phrase that means that someone aquires a reputation and then does
nothing to continue with it, just let the fame do the work) and forget about
the initial drive or motivation that made them 'cult heroes' and finally, end
up with the buch or the current trend.
I just hope that our favorite band (4ad and non 4ad) don�t fall into this pit
that has mostly to do with money and, sadly but true, lost of interest in the
true fan out there.
Like always, an opinion
Pepe
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 05:03:05 -0400
cz wrote:
>I've heard lots of people talking about *Nearly God* on the list but i
>haven't found it in the CD stores (in Seattle). Do you all have promo's?
Is it
>released in the UK but not US? Is it not under the name "Tricky"? Why
can't
>i get it.
Don't count on a US release. The Nearly God cd/lp is on a UK label called
Durban Poison, not Tricky's usual Island. It's worth any price and I believe
my oft-mentioned friend, John ([email protected]), can still get it for you ...
that's where I got mine. :)
>Is it really Nearly Godlike?
Yes. Completely Godlike. Awful title - should be called "God". Oh - wait.
Then it'd be confused with another Godlike group. How ...er... tricky! :-b
Can't write more - look for a full review sometime soon. I'm online and
paying by the minute!
Off again into the ether (speaking of which - NPL/Field Mice fans ALERT!!!
Bobby(?) from both groups is back in action as Trembling Blue Stars. New 7"
came out this week on a post-Sarah offshoot label with a really odd name.
I'll post more info as soon as mine arrives...)
GuerillaG
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:24:42 +0000
eyesore (the red site) now has bunches more sleeve scans thanks to the
much appreciated efforts of Shane, Brant, and Ralf. I think something
like 100 new scans have been added, bringing the total up to ~320.
Main additions this time are new sleeves, really old sleeves, and
sleeves of promo releases. Nice chance to see what those rare items
look like.
browser.
--
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
[email protected] * Lars Ingebrigtsen
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 10:31:32 -0400
>To answer the questions about how these things happen, it's really
>quite simple. A lot of people who work in advertising are fairly
>young (20s to early 30s); even though they won't usually be in charge
>of a product, when a campaign is directed towards us "Gen Xers" or
>whatever you want to call us the bosses will ask them for their input
>on music that "speaks to our generation" or whatever.
I don't know about that - the results tend to be pretty patronising and
still quite mainstream, as if to say, "We know what you like and by the way,
here's a product you might like to buy". A really annoying example is the ad
campaign for Twix ("it kicks!") - if a Subaru is "like punk, only it's a
car", this could have been "like grunge, only it's a candy bar" for its
ridiculous assumption that young people are all flannel-wearers.
>If you worked for an advertising agency and they asked you for some
>ideas of music that young people could relate to wouldn't you suggest
>"Sweetness and Light" or something else of a similar vein? I would
>be trying to stick in the music I like every chance I got.
There's still something about being featured in a commercial that cheapens
the music and makes it just another commodity. Plus there's always the
chance that people will get into a band because they've heard the music in a
commercial, which is an extremely cheesy way to become known.
>A bespeckled Rachel kept testing the mic to see
>if it was on and no one was helping her.
Don't you mean "bespectacled"?
>Lush were
>stalled in getting across the border last night coming into Canada
>because Miki forgot to bring her green card with her
Why would Miki need a green card in the first place? Does she live in the US
now or something?
Larry
Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 00:47:10 +1000
>So, greedy-ass shithead, are you trying to get,lets say, 25 listies to send
>$10 apiece for two of your CD's? That would be $250 bucks for your two
>fucking CD's, which more than covers the cost of the CD's, and a "little"
>extra to buy a "Lilliput" or two.
D I T T O
I had the (almost) same thoughts here...
What's this Radio Caroline Thing?
later
Artc
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:22:46 EDT
>From the pen of [suppressed]:
>>>So, greedy-ass shithead, are you trying to get,lets say, 25 listies to send
$10 apiece for two of your CD's? That would be $250 bucks for your two
fucking CD's, which more than covers the cost of the CD's, and a "little"
extra to buy a "Lilliput" or two.
If I misunderstood your message, pardon me.<<<
Yes, [suppressed], you did misunderstand my message, but I don't think your
response is worth the enourmous effort of a pardon.
I DID set the price of a chance to win the FOUR CDs, NOT TWO, at $10.00
each. I chose this price simply because I had about 6 offers to buy the CDs. 6
listies times $10.00 is $60.00, which is about what I paid for them, and it's my
understanding that these releases have become quite rare.
(BTW, where did you get the idea the I was selling two CDs? I
specifically mentioned four CDs FIVE TIMES in my original message. Please note:
TWO <<< >>> FOUR
The words look nothing alike.)
Now, in the paragraph after I mentioned the price, I disregarded
"netiquette" and typed the next sentence in all capitals, since I felt is was
important (obviously it didn't work, since either your limited intelligence or
your attention-span deficit prevent you from noticing.) It said, quote, "THE
ENTRY COST WILL BE LOWERED IF THERE IS A LARGE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS." So if 25
people entered, to use your example, I would set a price of about $2.00.
Personally, I'd like to set the price per chance at $1.00 each, but I'm not
going to raffle off four CDs if only five people entered.
To all members of the list:
Since this is the first of what I expect to be a long stream of hate
e-mail, I'm going to forget the whole lottery thing. If you are interested in
the following CDs:
Radio Caroline
The Perfect Dream
Between Purple and Pink
Fragments of the Morning
please send an offer privately. Offers for trades or "what would you take for
them" inquiries will be ignored.
Sorry about the crap above, but unfortunately we can't keep all the
intelligence insomniacs of this list like what's his name above.
Glen
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 11:56:32 -0400
Oh...and so when is that new Cocteau Twins going to be released in the U.S.?
And what is this box set everyone's going on about?
And on design issues...I'm very torn. Part of me loves all of the new Cocteau
sleeves (trendy blurry type and all) and part of me thinks it's pathetic how
close these come to looking like they were done by v23. Mixed feelings about
leaving 4AD?
Then again "H or LV" seemed to do that too and they were still on 4AD at the
time. Maybe 'ol V. suggested they put bull's balls on the front. Hmmmm.
Ponder.
>> >A bespeckled Rachel kept testing the mic to see if it was on and no one
was helping her.<
Don't you mean "bespectacled"?<<
Actually, when last I saw Rachel, she was covered with mysterious little
spots. I don't think she wears glasses (unless she's also recently injured
her eyes on an airline flight).
Oh... and this one's for Andie. Download #567. HA!!!!
Bye,
Ry
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 10:19:25 -0700
> Whott? $250 for a Rimy River Limited?? Wow!! That IS a lot of money.. I
> didn't realise it was THAT expensive... You guys are really devoted to 4AD
> to spend that kinda money for something that you can't really see/read.
And I believe that was only the advance-purchase amount too.
Arcana books in Santa Monica has repeatedly said that they'll
be selling it for between $300 and $400.
| Brant Nelson | 1817 Corinth Ave. #10 | open your eyes
| Dewdrops Records | LA, CA 90025-5567 | to northern skies
| Uncommon music that deserves to be heard |
| http://www.astro.ucla.edu/students/nelson/dewdrops.html
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 10:37:55 -0700
Attention! Alert! Emergency!
This is something I didn't think I would ever say.
The legendary Bill Nelson is doing an in store appearance,
signing autographs and even performing, at the Tower Records
on Sunset in West Hollywood this Tuesday the 7th at 6pm.
He's been one of my heros for *ages* with over 40 releases,
from the glitzy 70's band Be Bop Deluxe, to the futuristic
sci-fi Red Noise, to the funky, samplefest of Orchestra Arcana,
loads of solo albums, and most recently as a part of the
new agey Channel Light Vessel. This is his only LA appearance
and I have no idea where else he's going, so don't miss this chance
on Tuesday to see one of the unknown geniuses of uncommon music.
| Brant Nelson | 1817 Corinth Ave. #10 | open your eyes
| Dewdrops Records | LA, CA 90025-5567 | to northern skies
| Uncommon music that deserves to be heard |
| http://www.astro.ucla.edu/students/nelson/dewdrops.html
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 16:06:53 EDT
>>and I thought that they did a great performance
>>and even some old gems like For Love and
>>a song that I believe must have been a Buzzcocks
>>song (Demystification?) in the encore.
>No, It was a song done in 1980 by a band called Whammy! (I think)
>Anyone own it?
> Brian!
Demystification was originally done by English sometime anarcho-punks Zoundz. It
was their first single on Rough Trade, and came out in 1981 (RT069 - fact fans).
They'd previously done a single for Crass records called Can't Cheat Karma. They
only did one LP - The Curse of Zounds in '81. All of this stuff is of course
long out of print.
Dez
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 21:44:57 +0200
Hi,
I've got a promo-cassette of the forthcoming Dead Can Dance
'Spiritchaser' now for a week or so, and think I have to
share my thoughts with you.
The 'Spiritchaser' album tracklisting:
A1. Nierika
A2. Song of the stars
A3. Indus
A4. Song of the dispossessed
B1. Dedicace Outo
B2. Snake and the moon
B3. Song of the nile
B4. Divorzhum
As said before the album is far more percussive than other
DCD albums. Therefore I have the idea large parts of
Brendan Perrys solo-album are incorporated in this record.
His solo-release is cancelled, well, better said: removed
from the 4AD release schedule for 1996.
It took me a while to love the album. Now, after playing
it for the 15th time or so, there are still songs that aren't
as strong as we might expect. Maybe I long to much for
expressions of the soul, like happens in the live edition of
Cantara (ref. Toward the within), where Lisa almost 'flips'.
Then again there are tracks on this album I enclose in my
heart forever. Song of the dispossessed is a hit, I think.
In short: being more rhythmic than previous albums, it's
the perfect record to use in your car, played very loud if
you've a high quality HiFi-set.
Drum on your steeringwheel for miles and miles while in
autoreverse...
Huite
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 16:06:50 EDT
Some brief reviews of new stuff
Scheer - Infliction.
Been out in the US a while, I believe, but doesn't get a UK release until May
27th. Contrary to some reports, the 'heavy metal wanking' element, although
present, isn't totally dominant. Shea is a great punk-blast, and a great way to
start an LP. The rest of the LP is a mixture of good points, and dire riffing.
At its worst, I see little difference between this stuff and the likes of Stone
Temple Pilots, Alice In Chains and the surreally bad Smashing Pumpkins (Yes
really - that awful). But there are moments where a little bit of thought shines
through, like Babysize, Screaming and The Howling Boy. I wouldn't really
recommend it, but there are far worse records out there. I think artistically,
4AD made a mistake with this one (although not of Spirea X proportions).
Commercially, though, I wouldn't be surprised to see the label's decision
vindicated. The metal band it's OK to like.
Come - Near Life Experience.
Another guitar band - another band drenched in volume. But oh so different. For
those who don't know them, Thalia Zedek was originally in brilliant New York
noiseniks Live Skull, a band often unfairly compared with Sonic Youth. Chris
Brokaw was with the equally brilliant Codeine. Last year the band supported the
Muses on their UK mini-tour. In Glasgow, Come were truly phenomenal and the
Muses a bit off-colour. In Manchester the tables were turned when Kristin's mob
played one of the greatest shows I've seen them do. Anyway, I digress. The new
LP is less epic in flavour than '94s Don't Ask Don't Tell, and perhaps a little
less intense. But for all that, this is still a brilliantly wracked sound.
Thalia still sounds like she's been to hell, and been scarred for life. This is
not happy pop. Along with Pavement, the Muses and Sebadoh (and very few others),
Come manage to make guitar rock seem relevant still, and not some historical
art-form to be endlessly recycled.
Him - Egg.
You wait for ages for an ex-Codeine drummer's record, and then two come along at
once. Him is Doug Scharin, and I would stick my neck out and say that this is
the best solo LP of all time by a drummer! (oops - forgot those Ringo and Phil
Collins albums). Obviously percussion heavy, the mood of these seven tracks is
closest to abstract electronica in the tradition of Main, with a soupcon of
Tortoise thrown in for good measure. Not instantly memorable, but an interesting
ride.
Pell Mell - Interstate
Pell Mell have been going for ages, and I have to admit that this is the first
record of theirs I've heard. But I remember them being contemporaries of the
likes of Sonic Youth, Husker Du and Dinosaur Jr on SST. The times have caught up
with them, and the appetite for instrumental, slightly-leftfield rock is greater
now than ever. At times they sound uncannily like Dif Juz, but on the whole this
is very pleasant, but not particularly involving music. Good, though.
Orbital - In Sides.
How could they top Snivilisation? Well, in truth they haven't tried. The
indications on Times Fly that they might go on a drum 'n' bass trip proved a red
herring too. In Sides is pastoral. Not to the extent of becoming an ambient
snooze-fest like so much downtempo techno these days. This is definitely not
hippy shit. But the sharp edges are largely rounded, and the mood mainly mellow
- and in parts the album is quite breathtakingly beautiful. The edit of The Box
loses something from the epic build of the 28 minute single, but there isn't a
duff track amongst the six on show. Best of the lot are the two closers,
Adnan's, and the full 24 minutes of Out There Somewhere, which really is. All
this and a nice black and blue striped cardboard box to keep it in too. I'm
going to see them live on the 15th, so I'll post a report.
Richard Thompson - You? Me? Us?.
Not very this-listy (but then how do you define that anyway?). This double album
contains one CD of Thompson rocking out, and one relatively unplugged. For me,
for every classic Thompson song, there's always been one irritating one. And his
attitude to women is a little suspect, though like Nick Cave, this is usually
done by the singer taking the role of a fairly repellent character. So there's
never really been an essential Thompson record, but there are plenty of
essential songs. This latest release is perhaps lighter than most on songs set
to become standards - The Bridge of Darney may be the only one of stellar
proportions. But there is plenty of great fretwork on the first set - and after
all, this man is the most gifted English guitarist of his generation.
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 14:06:19 -0700
> Therefore I have the idea large parts of
> Brendan Perrys solo-album are incorporated in this record.
There's no way this can be true, because his solo stuff was
quite guitar based folky, and it didn't sound like the kind of
thing that would be considered standard Dead Can Dance
material (his songs in Toward The Within, for example). His show
at All Virgos and the one he did right after that were acoustic
sounding with little percussion.
| Brant Nelson | 1817 Corinth Ave. #10 | open your eyes
| Dewdrops Records | LA, CA 90025-5567 | to northern skies
| Uncommon music that deserves to be heard |
| http://www.astro.ucla.edu/students/nelson/dewdrops.html
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 17:19:42 U
So I went to see the Luna show last night at the Roxy.
Opening were Elysian Fields, which i happened to have mentioned on the list a
couple of weeks ago. Very good performance. It was kinda short, it felt like
they played for about 30 mins or so. Very loungy, jazzy type of music.
Jennifer Charles' vocals are very smooth, warm and "sensual". The perfect mood
setting, opening act. I can't wait till their debut comes out in august (i
already have the 4 song EP).
Luna came on stage a little later. They were amazing. Never seen them before
but really liked "penthouse". So this was a sheer joyous moment. The set was
pretty long. Once again, i won't go into the set list (mostly because I don't
know the titles to most songs).
Let me just say that Dean and co. rocked. The guitar playing was really good.
They had a way of launching into guitar solos in the middle of songs that
makes it seem like a smooth transition between 2 verses (most guitar solos
seem like they don't belong in the middle of a song to me.)
And it wasn't really guitar solos as much as the band getting down and
jamming. It was really good.
I guess this review is vague. I am really bad at describing stage performances
but the overall feeling for Luna was that they "rocked" and "jammed" (2 very
cliche words but at this point who cares).
argh!!! *Sonic* gets upset at his inability to express himself and smashes the
keyboard and sends the message away into 4AD-L hell.
Flames over here please :)
-Sonic-
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 17:53:09 -0700
I just bought _Nearly God_ on a whim, but it's not my cup of tea. So, i'd
like to sell it. if you want it, i'll sell it for $20 (postage
included). as always, please don't send responses to the list, but to me at:
[email protected]
thanks,
selwyn