New
Releases
Noteworthy bands you may
not have heard of
- Swirl
360-Ask Anybody (1998, Mercury).
 
- So the managers of
Hanson thought they could make
lightning strike twice. They
found twins Denny and Kenny
Scott, two Florida pop boys
(picture a mix, if you will, of
Matthew Sweet with Olivia
Williams from Rushmore. Yes,
these boys are pretty boys) with
the looks and the chops, in that
order. To sweeten the deal, they
brought in some songwriting
ringers to help the boys, like
Desmond Child, Adam Schlesinger
from Fountains of Wayne (and
writer of "That Thing You
Do") and Ken Stringfellow
from the Posies. The results are
bubbly, sunny and ridiculously
catchy though, like the Lightning
Seeds, this album has enough
sugar to rot out your teeth.
Songs like "Hey Now
Now" and "Ask
Anybody" sound like they
were taken straight off some lost
‘80s movie soundtrack, and
"I’ll Take My
Chances" sounds eerily like
the Rembrandts. Throwaway pop
fodder, definitely, but I’ve
always been a sucker for a good
pop hook, and this album has tons
of them. But the album stiffed. I
guess the little girls
aren’t ready for this yet.
What a shame. I wonder if the alt
pop community will embrace this
record now that the teeny boppers
have shunned it. God knows
it’s right up their alley.
|
- Dada-Dada
(1998, MCA).
- This barely made
my Top Ten list last year, but
that was only because I had just
picked it up and didn’t know
the album very well. Now I know
the album, and let me tell you,
it’s a doozy. The California
trio, best known for its 1992
song "Dizz Nee Land,"
is actually one of SoCal’s
finest, sounding like a modern
day version of the Zombies. Their
last album, 1996’s El
Subliminoso, left very
little to be desired. The tunes
were lacking, the production was
inappropriate, and they just
seemed tired. This album, their
fourth, is arguably their best
yet, with nary a lazy track to be
found. The opener,
"Information Undertow,"
has a singalong feel to it,
especially with the line in the
chorus of "Do people still
wave lighters in the crowd?"
"California Gold" is a
great radio song, subtly stealing
the riff from "Low
Rider." One of the best
unheard records of 1998, but then
again that describes just about
everything I bought last year,
doesn’t it…
|
- Marvelous
3-Hey! Album (1998, Elektra).
- . I read some great press
on this power pop trio.
Comparisons to Joe Jackson, The
Cars and Cheap Trick abounded. I
thought, this is right up my
alley. Will Harris, a music
associate of mine (who writes for
a REAL magazine and doesn’t
have to resort to creating his
own Web site to get
published…) said as soon as
I hear the opening track,
"You’re So
Yesterday," I’ll be
hooked. Well, that was all I
needed to hear. I went out and
bought it. When
"Yesterday" kicked into
gear, with lead singer Butch
Walker singing his "Do do do
do do" opening, a horrible
thought occurred to me: I’m
listening to Third Eye Blind in
disguise. The truth is, it’s
not as bad as 3EB. But it’s
not Joe Jackson, The Cars or
Cheap Trick either, by a damn
sight. His fake English accent
doesn’t help much, either.
It worked for Billy Joe on Green
Day’s "Longview"
because the song itself sounded
like a song by The Jam, a British
band. Walker’s tunes are
just straightforward American
pop, so no accent is necessary.
Walker may learn how to write a
pop nugget yet, and he came close
on the minor hit "Freak of
the Week." But that song is
hampered by the fact that the
verse is stolen nearly note for
note from the Byrds song "So
You Wanna Be a Rock and Roll
Star." His songs aren’t
bad, they’re just not good
enough to elevate him above the
pack. Maybe next time around.
|
- The
Merrymakers-Bubblegun (1999, Big
Deal).
- Here’s my
front runner for Album of the
Year. This Swedish band has been
quietly making some of the best
records that the US has never
heard. Finally, they get some
domestic exposure with Bubblegun,
a must have for any fan of San
Francisco’s late, great
Jellyfish. This album was even
co-produced by head Jellyfish
Andy Sturmer, who also co-wrote
two tracks. One of those songs,
"April’s Fool," is
sublime, with its ragtime piano
intro and Badfingeresque slide
guitar solo. There are also
elements of Squeeze ("A Fine
Line," which recalls
"Another Nail For My
Heart"), and good ‘70s
glam ("Superstar,"
which is half Sweet, half
Rembrandts). One valid criticism
of The Merrymakers is that they,
just like a slew of Japanese
bands (figure that one out), are
essentially a Jellyfish covers
band, though they happen to write
their own material. I, however,
thought Jellyfish was one of the
best bands of the ‘90s, and
while many bands have tried to
wave the Jellyfish flag in their
absence (you never heard of any
of them, because they were
unsuccessful), The Merrymakers
are the only ones worthy of
following in J-Fish’s
massive footsteps. Welcome to the
States, boys. Give us another
one.
|
- Julian
Lennon-Photograph Smile (1999,
Fuel 2000)
- John’s eldest
son hasn’t done an album
since 1991’s
blink-and-you-missed-it Help
Yourself, and that was far
from revolutionary work. So
imagine the surprise for many a
music critic to find that Photograph
Smile is actually
Lennon’s best album yet.
Julian could never hide the fact
that he was his father’s
son. His voice gave it away even
when the songs were up to the
date ‘80s throwaways. This
time, Julian seems to have
finally accepted his heritage and
written some songs that would
have done ole’ John proud,
even if they sound more like
songs Paul would have written.
There are some vocal melodies
that sample a bit from the
Beatles catalog: The last line of
the chorus to "Cold"
will have you singing "The
Long and Winding Road."
"Way to Your Heart"
lifts a bit from "Lucy in
the Sky with Diamonds," but
I suppose that’s okay, since
"Lucy" was inspired by
Julian anyway. If anyone is
entitled to stealing from the
Beatles, it’s Julian. And
since Photograph Smile is
better than anything I heard from
John’s last album, Double
Fantasy (the last one he made
while still alive, that is), I
will forgive him the familiarity
of the material. This album will
not sell well because
Lennon’s been out of the
spotlight too long (It’s
also very mellow, which
can’t help much). But I
would argue that Photograph
Smile is better than any
project by a former Beatle since
Paul still had Wings backing him
up.
|
- Blur-13
(Virgin).
- If
Blur were my girlfriend, this is
the point in our relationship
where I say "I don’t
even know you anymore." Blur
have mastered one of Matt
Groening’s tips for women to
make themselves irresistible to
men: Be unfathomable. We may not
like it, but we’ll spend our
entire lives trying to understand
it. That said, I’ve listened
to this new Blur album about ten
times, and after wanting to use
it as a beer coaster upon the
first listen, I’m starting
to hear some actual songs here.
The first thing Blur did was
replace longtime producer Stephen
Street (called the Fifth Blur, he
was to them what George Martin
was to the Beatles) with ambient
techno god William Orbit, who
produced Madonna’s Ray of
Light. Another title for this
album could have been Modern
Life is OK, Computer, as the
results sound like a mix between
Blur’s past and their
attempt to adapt to the future.
The opening track,
"Tender," is singer
Damon Albarn’s take on
"Give Peace a Chance"
or something like that. And while
it seems to fly right by, I still
don’t understand why they
felt the need to make it seven
minutes and forty seconds long.
My favorite song here is
guitarist Graham Coxon’s
"Coffee and TV," which
is also the most straightforward
song on the album (meaning the
bursts of noise are kept to a
minimum).
"B.L.U.R.E.M.I." is a
breakneck speed rave up in the
same vain as Parklife’s
"Bank Holiday" and the
last album’s "Chinese
Bombs," with Albarn’s
voice getting mercilessly
manipulated by Orbit’s
machinery. "Bugman" is
even closer to Bowie’s
"Suffragette City" than
Parklife’s
"Jubilee" was, though
this one sounds like it was mixed
in a blender. It also takes off
at the three minute mark into an
unfinished song even catchier,
with Albarn singing "Space
is the place." "Trailer
Park" was their contribution
to the South Park album, and
trust me, there was a reason Trey
and Matt rejected it. There are
some moments of clarity here and
there, but as a whole Blur seem
hell bent on making an
unlistenable record (which Coxon
has said he would like to do).
For a band with such uncanny
instincts for writing pop songs,
I don’t understand why
they’ve chosen this path.
But, just like relationships, I
stick around because I
occasionally see glimpses of the
band I fell so in love with all
those years ago, and that’s
a hard thing to let go. For
anyone who’s intrigued by
"Tender," I suggest
checking out Parklife or Modern
Life Is Rubbish first. 13
is a die hards only affair, and
half of us are still scratching
our heads over it.
|
- Ben Folds
Five-The Unauthorized Biography
of Reinhold Messner (Sony/550)
- Ben Folds takes
advantage of his street cred and
crossover popularity to make,
shudder, a concept album.
Remember those? A bunch of
progressive rock bands in the
‘70s made concept albums,
and after that the concept album
was left for dead (by everyone
except Queensryche). Here’s
the amazing thing: I love this
record. I can’t explain it,
but I love this record. It
doesn’t have the jump that
made BF5’s first album so
enjoyable, and it doesn’t
have the sure fire pop hit that
made 1997’s Whatever and
Ever, Amen a hit. But Ben
took a major risk here, both with
his audience and his credibility,
and I have to respect that.
I’m still putting the pieces
of the story together, but there
are numerous references to LA,
hiding the secrets of the past,
and Ben even samples a chord
progression out of the excellent
first single "Army" in
a later song,
"Regrets." The opening
track, "Narcolepsy,"
has an odd melody that
immediately tells you something
different is afoot. Along with
"Army,"
"Mess" is probably the
song most like Ben’s
previous work, with the sad
string section wailing in the
background as Ben sings "I
don’t believe in God, so I
can’t be saved/All alone as
I’ve learned to be in this
mess I have made." The one
major misstep here is "Your
Most Valuable Possession,"
which is little more than Ben
& Co. tinkering while an
answering machine message from
Ben’s dad plays. In a way
though, it fits, because all
concept albums contain more than
their share of self-indulgence.
The bit I love the most, though,
is the end of
"Regrets," where the
song takes a radical turn from
its lounge lizard shmooze into a
full blown Dark Side of the
Moon tribute. (Again, another
concept album reference)
It’s completely unexpected,
and a rather gutsy move, and pays
off beautifully. This won’t
sell as many records as Whatever
did, but I don’t think that
matters much to Ben. I just hope
he picks a better album title
next time. Even though they
explain exactly what Reinhold
Messner means, it’s still a
bad title. Great record, though. ****
|
- Owsley-Owsley
(Giant/Warner Bros.) Here’s another
major score for me, thanks to my
pop music colleague Will Harris.
A guy who writes unapologetic
power pop rock tunes,
Owsley’s album is a must
have for anyone who has longed
for a second album by Toy Matinee
or The Grays (in other words, my
friends Tim and Steve). He looks
a little like Sean Lennon mixed
with Frank Whaley on the cover,
but his voice sounds quite a bit
like late Toy Matinee frontman
Kevin Gilbert, and the
songwriting influences are many
and varied. "Sonny
Boy," a front runner for my
singles list at year’s end,
is like a perfect cross between
Ben Folds Five and Jellyfish,
with its bouncy piano riff and
velcro chorus. "Good Old
Days" and "The Sky Is
Falling" both recall the
work of members of The Grays,
though the former sounds like one
of Buddy Judge’s songs and
the latter is closer to a Jason
Faulkner (a former Jellyfish
guitarist, no less) song. The
more I listen to this record, the
more I like it. If there is any
justice, Owsley will get his day
in the sun, as this is one of the
best albums I expect to hear all
year.
|
| XTC-Apple
Venus, Volume I (Wax Trax). After a self imposed seven year
holdout to escape their contract with
Geffen Records, XTC return in a big, big
way with Apple Venus (a second
volume of Apple Venus is
promised at the end of the year). Before
I say another word about this record, I
should say this: I don't own any XTC
records. Yes, me, Mr. Beatlemaniac, does
not own any XTC, not even their recent
hits compilation, Upsy Daisy
Assortment, or Skylarking,
their 1986 Todd Rundgren-produced effort
that gave the world "Dear God."
That said, I can't really compare this to
other efforts, but I can say that on its
own, it's a remarkable achievement. The
opening track, "River of
Orchids," is less pop music than
experimental theater. It's a six minute
track that slowly builds string after
string and then adds layers of vocal
tracks. Immediately following that is
"I'd Like That," a great Andy
Partridge-does Paul McCartney acoustic
ditty that again shows Paul, the master,
being outdone by his students. Fellow XTC
cohort Colin Moulding chips in a couple
swell tracks as well (Moulding is kind of
like Steve Young to Partridge's Joe
Montana, a great songwriter who only sits
the bench because the starter is one of
the all time greats), most notably
"So Frivolous Tonight," where
Moulding sounds an awful lot like Peter
Gabriel. The unmistakable influence on
this album's music, though, is
Partridge's recent divorvce, as evidenced
on the song "Your Dictionary"
("F-U-C-K/Is that how you spell
friend in your dictionary"). My
favorite moment comes near the end, with
"Harvest Festival." I found the
rhyming of 'harvest festival' with 'what
was best of all' inspired, and then the
chorus, "The longing look you gave
me/The longing look/More than enough to
keep me fed all year," is the kind
of line I'm a sucker for every time. XTC
has been at it for twenty years and they
still seem to be at the top of their
game. How many bands can you say that
about? |
| Fluid
Ounces-In The New Old Fashioned Way
(Spongebath).Another major musical score for
me. A guy on the Aimee Mann list first
brought them to my attention, and when I
saw this in a used store for a buck, it
seemed a safe bet. What an
understatement. Take equal parts Ben
Folds Five and Todd Rundgren, mix in a
little Squirrel Nut Zippers, and you have
Fluid Ounces. For fans of Ben Folds who
have been turned off by the somber turn
his more recent records have taken and
miss the bounce BF5's debut had, this is
your album. "Marvel Girl" is
about a comic book herione ("better
than heroin," the lyrics claim),
while "Vegetable Kingdom" is,
well, I think it's a metaphor for the
place where he met the love of his life.
This steals from the Ben song "Uncle
Walter," but after a few listens I
hardly noticed any similarity. The ballad
"Bigger Than The Both of Us,"
is my fave from the album, because the
lyrics sounds like something I've tried
to write. "We were exactly the same
in different ways/The undisputed masters
of the makeup, breakup game," for
starters. "I know that things are
only new once," for finishers. Fan
of Ben Folds Five should love this
record, but its appeal is greater than
that. It has almost a vaudevillian feel
with its player piano and classic pop
songwriting that keeps Fluid Ounces from
being a Ben knockoff. I expect these guys
to get bigger, though not massive. |
| Soundtrack, Go
(Work/Sony). Or, Songs I Like By Artists I
Hate. I was excited to get this when I
saw it included Fatboy Slim and Air, but
equally nervous when I saw it also
included No Doubt and Natalie Imbruglia,
two people I've stayed far away from.
Imagine my surprise when I found the No
Doubt song "New" growing on me.
Perhaps it's the shamelessly New Wave
keyboard riff that draws me in, who
knows. I just hope, for their sake, this
doesn't get as overplayed as "Don't
Speak." The soundtrack overall is
very much a club kids' compilation, the
highlight of which for me is Philip
Steir's kickass remix of Steppenwolf's
"Magic Carpet Ride," with
turntables a-blazing. What led me to
buying this, though, was the song used in
the opening credits, Lionrock's
"Fire Up The Shoesaw," which
deftly uses Nancy Sinatra's "These
Boots Are Made For Walkin" but
doesn't lean on it for the whole song. It
could be the best song the Propellerheads
never did. There are some clunkers here,
like Jimmy Luxury's rap remake of Dean
Martin's "Cha Cha Cha," and
Goldo's "To All The Lovely
Ladies." But there are so many other
strong tracks, like DJ Rap's "Good
To Be Alive" (More on her in a
minute) and Len's "Steal My
Sunshine," (which might be the slack
rock equivalent to the Human League's
"Don't You Want Me," with male
and female leads trading sides of the
story), that it's, for me, the best
soundtrack compilation since Austin
Powers. |
| DJ
Rap-Learning Curve (Work/Columbia). Talk about a misnomer for a
name. Definitely DJ, but no rap to be
seen or heard from this British former
club DJ. And she's a woman, at that. If
Madonna had started her career in 1999,
it would sound a lot like this. Both
debut albums were very steeped in club
culture. Where Madonna used bubblegum
synth pop, DJ Rap borrows from drum 'n
bass, but fortunately only partly. The
opening two tracks, "Bad Girl"
and the insanely catchy "Good To Be
Alive," packs one of the best
one-two punches of any album I've heard
in a while. And she gets downright weird
on "F*ck With Your Head," a six
minute dub experiment that I find
fascinating the more I listen to it. The
rest of the record may not stick in your
head as readily as the first two tracks,
but it does have its merits. "Good
To Be Alive" will undoubtedly make
my singles list at the end of the year.
But that name is going to scare off a lot
of people who would probably like this
record a lot. For anyone who thought Ray
of Light was good but lacked some
balls, here's your album. |
  
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