More from 1994
Another set of reviews I sent to the EAR/Rational email list in 1994...
Hope you have/had a happy 4th! I was all set to sit back and watch USA beat Brasil (I can dream, can't I?) when I heard that Andres Escobar was killed by some lunatics for losing the game to USA and getting Colombia knocked out of the cup. Unbelievable. What kind of world are we living in when a star player is gunned down by his countrymen for making a mistake? Anyway, let's hope Brasil loses but all of the players on their team get through it unscathed.
Moose - Honey Bee/Uptown CDS/Bang Bang CDS (Play it Again Sam)
Moose once did an unsolicited station ID for KCSB, where I worked, and it was ont of the strangest things I'd ever heard.
After Moose were unceremoniously dropped from Virgin, they released a 3-track single called "Liquid Makeup" on the their own label, Kool Badge. I'm glad to see that they're back on a label and getting some reasonable distribution (import only in the U.S, unfortunately).
I'd have to describe them as light, quirky pop. I've heard them described as having a country edge, but I think that's reaching. They are fond of acoustic ballady songs, so perhaps that explains that comment. Half the time I have no idea what they're singing about it, but that doesn't seem to detract one bit. In fact, the Bang Bang CDS has a song called "Welcome to the Mind of Mr. Breeders," which sounds as though it's sung in Italian, but I'm fairly sure it's just made-up Italian. It's wonderful, though. They also have a song called "Ramon" which I'd guess is made-up Spanish.
I can't for the life of me understand why they aren't on a US label, and why they aren't big on college stations, or even "alternative" radio. My only guess would be because they are too quirky and too intelligent...
The Sun and the Moon - Alive; Not Dead EP (Midnight)
I offered this as a cutout during the last cutout go-round, and all of a sudden, some 15 people ordered it. Wanting to know what the fuss was all about, I ordered 20 copies so I'd have one for myself. I guess these guys have something to do with the Chameleons, but I'll admit I know very little about the band itself.
Wonderful! Four tracks of nice, straight-ahead pop, which at times is reminiscent of The Cure, and the last track "Elected" sounds a heckuva lot like Johnny Lydon. Had PiL sounded like this, I'd probably still be listening to them.
Action Painting - Mustard Gas EP (Sarah)
I suppose you either love Sarah (Records, that is), or you hate them. They put out loads of twee pop--the likes of Field Mice and Heavenly immediately spring to mind--which has earned them a reputation for it. Just like the Sub Pop sound, or the K sound (Heavenly being licenced to K in the US contributes to it), there is the Sarah sound. I would be extremely flabbergasted to pick up a Sarah release and find it to be grating, hard-edged, metal, or any of that.
I was pleasantly surprised to pick up this EP (for $1!) and find it more than the usual twee stuff (e.g., Blueboy). The first track, Mustard Gas (I can't for the life of my figure out why it's called that) is a nice little power pop ditty and the singer sounds like Johnny Lydon (again!). The second track, Art Student, is probably the weakest of the three, and reminds me of early Cure (think It's Not You or stuff from Three Imaginary Boys), but perhaps more musically advanced. The last track, Collapsing Cloud, is a slower number, pure 3-chord pop, but wonderfully catchy. Again the singer reminds me of a young Robert Smith, and this is meant as a compliment, to be sure.
The kicker is that I doubt this is going to readily available. If you see anything by Action Painting in the used bins, give it a whirl. I don't think you'll be disappointed. And if you are, you can always sell it to me.
Various Artists - 15 Minutes: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground (Imaginary)
A very limited item, which is probably not readily available, but worth mentioning. Stupid thing is, it's billed as a picture CD, which is pretty much a crock, as the picture is rather assinine.
But I didn't buy this CD for pictures. VU covers, that's what I bought it for. I'm a huge VU fan, and it's always great to see them get the nod from newer bands. This CD opens with Here She Comes Now by Nirvana. This is one of the best tracks on the disc, and Kurt really belts it out. I suppose fans should have this just for that track, as it's unavailable anywhere else to my knowledge.
Other notable tracks include Swervedriver's rendition of Jesus (also on the Satansville CDS), the New Fast Automatic Daffodils (another love them or hate them situation, seems to me) version of I'm Set Free, Echo and the Bunnymen (sans Ian, I'm afraid) doing Foggy Notion, and the Wedding Present performing an almost note for note version of She's My Best Friend. Also includes Ride, Lee Ranaldo, Buffalo Tom, Fatima Mansions, James, Eleventh Dream Day, Screaming Trees, Half Japanese, and the Mock Turtles.
Oasis - Supersonic EP (Creation)
Customers were asking about this even before it was released, so I figured I'd better check it out. I'm glad I did. Yer basic pop, made more memorable by Noel Gallagher's whiny (but not annoying) vocals and campy lyrics (I'm feeling supersonic/give me gin and tonic...can I ride with you in your BMW/ you can sail with me in my yellow submarine).
So much for the opener, Supersonic. I think the real gem is the second track, Take Me Away. An acoustic ballad, and Noel shows us he can actually sing well, and write reasonable lyrics, although the line "I'd like to be under the sea" trips the Beatles-reference meter with a dangerous two in as many songs.
The third track is live (who knows where--in studio, maybe?) and is a nice pop number which could easily be a college radio hit, as could Supersonic. (Locked up in chains for the rest of my life/there's no one else to blame but me/.../Cuz I can find you, living in my world/Dragging me 'round just like your dog on a leash/But when I find my own piece of mind/I will believe...)
The EP closes with Columbia, which is listed a "white label demo", so I'll assume it's an early version of something which will appear on their album. A bit on the psychedelic trip perhaps, it does remind me of some 60s stuff, but would be right at home in the stable of many an "alternative" band.
I suspect these guys will be big.
Guided by Voices - Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer (???)
Guided by Voices - Fast Japanese Spin Cycle (Engine)
Guided by Voices - Vampire on Titus (Scat)
Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand (Scat/Matador)
These guys seem to have been vaulted from anonymity to the big time in a matter of months, although apparently they've been around for some time now. I've listed the releases in the order I acquired them, although the newest, Bee Thousand will no doubt be the easiest to obtain.
I'd never heard of GBV before I saw Clown Prince on a fax with a 2-line description that made me curious, so I bought it. One of the best "impulse" buys I've ever made. Extremely quirky, bizarre, low-fi stuff, which at times is reminiscent of They Might be Giants crossed with Pavement, or some such marriage. But I hate TMBG, can tolerate Pavement, and I love these guys. And finally, with regards to sound, I can probably be labeled a heretic for saying this, but at times they sound exactly like The Beatles, no doubt on purpose. The vocalist (Rob Pollard, I believe) sound a heckuva lot like Paul when he wants to, and his harmonies (with himself, I believe) remind me so much of the Fab Four, it's uncanny. But rest assured, these guys have no designs of being the next Fab Four.
Let's say the lyrics are reminiscent of TMBG due to their weirdness, but music is more like Pavement with more variety: straight-ahead, sloppy, low-talent (seemingly) sometimes grungey pop, mixed with the occasional piano/organ accompaniment and weird harmonies. The are 6 or so tracks on Clown Price (I've lent it out, much to the dismay of my wife, so I can't say for sure), and some are 30 seconds, others are as long as say, 120.
I then bought Fast Japanese Spin Cycle, and almost gort rid of it until my wife put it on and what seemed to me to be a ridiculously childish piano piece for the opener, turned into a wonderfully catchy off-kilter pop tune.
Lyrics such as
...in the age of transfusion
busting out for a fast game of motorcycles
he finds a tag reading "fast japanese spin cycle"
and that's the code for go...
make it clear we're not exactly listening to a lyricist who's playing with a full deck. Which is partly why they're so wonderful.
But they have no problem just busting out into a "regular" pop song that makes you wonder what the fuss was all about. There's at least one of these on every release, and several on Vampire on Titus, which is two albums on one CD comprising 33 songs.
FJSC closes with Kisses to the Crying Cooks which is absolutely brill:
Onion lady blows
her precious prose
And so it goes
Kisses to the crying cooks
their beaks in books
with baited hooks
(I'd write more, but I can't figure out what the next couple of lines are!)
Anyway, if that doesn't convince you, just check out the song titles:
Superior Sector Janitor X
Cool Off Kid Kilowatt
Unleashed! The Large-Hearted Boy
14 Cheerleader Coldfront
Back to Saturn X Radio Report
Ergo Space Pig
Some Drilling Implied
The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Kicker of Elves
3rd World Birdwatching (the Fast Japanese Spin Cycle song)
Anyway, this has gone on long enough. Buy everything you can. Help them get the recognition they so deserve.
Cheers,
Dave
Hope you have/had a happy 4th! I was all set to sit back and watch USA beat Brasil (I can dream, can't I?) when I heard that Andres Escobar was killed by some lunatics for losing the game to USA and getting Colombia knocked out of the cup. Unbelievable. What kind of world are we living in when a star player is gunned down by his countrymen for making a mistake? Anyway, let's hope Brasil loses but all of the players on their team get through it unscathed.
Moose - Honey Bee/Uptown CDS/Bang Bang CDS (Play it Again Sam)
Moose once did an unsolicited station ID for KCSB, where I worked, and it was ont of the strangest things I'd ever heard.
After Moose were unceremoniously dropped from Virgin, they released a 3-track single called "Liquid Makeup" on the their own label, Kool Badge. I'm glad to see that they're back on a label and getting some reasonable distribution (import only in the U.S, unfortunately).
I'd have to describe them as light, quirky pop. I've heard them described as having a country edge, but I think that's reaching. They are fond of acoustic ballady songs, so perhaps that explains that comment. Half the time I have no idea what they're singing about it, but that doesn't seem to detract one bit. In fact, the Bang Bang CDS has a song called "Welcome to the Mind of Mr. Breeders," which sounds as though it's sung in Italian, but I'm fairly sure it's just made-up Italian. It's wonderful, though. They also have a song called "Ramon" which I'd guess is made-up Spanish.
I can't for the life of me understand why they aren't on a US label, and why they aren't big on college stations, or even "alternative" radio. My only guess would be because they are too quirky and too intelligent...
The Sun and the Moon - Alive; Not Dead EP (Midnight)
I offered this as a cutout during the last cutout go-round, and all of a sudden, some 15 people ordered it. Wanting to know what the fuss was all about, I ordered 20 copies so I'd have one for myself. I guess these guys have something to do with the Chameleons, but I'll admit I know very little about the band itself.
Wonderful! Four tracks of nice, straight-ahead pop, which at times is reminiscent of The Cure, and the last track "Elected" sounds a heckuva lot like Johnny Lydon. Had PiL sounded like this, I'd probably still be listening to them.
Action Painting - Mustard Gas EP (Sarah)
I suppose you either love Sarah (Records, that is), or you hate them. They put out loads of twee pop--the likes of Field Mice and Heavenly immediately spring to mind--which has earned them a reputation for it. Just like the Sub Pop sound, or the K sound (Heavenly being licenced to K in the US contributes to it), there is the Sarah sound. I would be extremely flabbergasted to pick up a Sarah release and find it to be grating, hard-edged, metal, or any of that.
I was pleasantly surprised to pick up this EP (for $1!) and find it more than the usual twee stuff (e.g., Blueboy). The first track, Mustard Gas (I can't for the life of my figure out why it's called that) is a nice little power pop ditty and the singer sounds like Johnny Lydon (again!). The second track, Art Student, is probably the weakest of the three, and reminds me of early Cure (think It's Not You or stuff from Three Imaginary Boys), but perhaps more musically advanced. The last track, Collapsing Cloud, is a slower number, pure 3-chord pop, but wonderfully catchy. Again the singer reminds me of a young Robert Smith, and this is meant as a compliment, to be sure.
The kicker is that I doubt this is going to readily available. If you see anything by Action Painting in the used bins, give it a whirl. I don't think you'll be disappointed. And if you are, you can always sell it to me.
Various Artists - 15 Minutes: A Tribute to the Velvet Underground (Imaginary)
A very limited item, which is probably not readily available, but worth mentioning. Stupid thing is, it's billed as a picture CD, which is pretty much a crock, as the picture is rather assinine.
But I didn't buy this CD for pictures. VU covers, that's what I bought it for. I'm a huge VU fan, and it's always great to see them get the nod from newer bands. This CD opens with Here She Comes Now by Nirvana. This is one of the best tracks on the disc, and Kurt really belts it out. I suppose fans should have this just for that track, as it's unavailable anywhere else to my knowledge.
Other notable tracks include Swervedriver's rendition of Jesus (also on the Satansville CDS), the New Fast Automatic Daffodils (another love them or hate them situation, seems to me) version of I'm Set Free, Echo and the Bunnymen (sans Ian, I'm afraid) doing Foggy Notion, and the Wedding Present performing an almost note for note version of She's My Best Friend. Also includes Ride, Lee Ranaldo, Buffalo Tom, Fatima Mansions, James, Eleventh Dream Day, Screaming Trees, Half Japanese, and the Mock Turtles.
Oasis - Supersonic EP (Creation)
Customers were asking about this even before it was released, so I figured I'd better check it out. I'm glad I did. Yer basic pop, made more memorable by Noel Gallagher's whiny (but not annoying) vocals and campy lyrics (I'm feeling supersonic/give me gin and tonic...can I ride with you in your BMW/ you can sail with me in my yellow submarine).
So much for the opener, Supersonic. I think the real gem is the second track, Take Me Away. An acoustic ballad, and Noel shows us he can actually sing well, and write reasonable lyrics, although the line "I'd like to be under the sea" trips the Beatles-reference meter with a dangerous two in as many songs.
The third track is live (who knows where--in studio, maybe?) and is a nice pop number which could easily be a college radio hit, as could Supersonic. (Locked up in chains for the rest of my life/there's no one else to blame but me/.../Cuz I can find you, living in my world/Dragging me 'round just like your dog on a leash/But when I find my own piece of mind/I will believe...)
The EP closes with Columbia, which is listed a "white label demo", so I'll assume it's an early version of something which will appear on their album. A bit on the psychedelic trip perhaps, it does remind me of some 60s stuff, but would be right at home in the stable of many an "alternative" band.
I suspect these guys will be big.
Guided by Voices - Clown Prince of the Menthol Trailer (???)
Guided by Voices - Fast Japanese Spin Cycle (Engine)
Guided by Voices - Vampire on Titus (Scat)
Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand (Scat/Matador)
These guys seem to have been vaulted from anonymity to the big time in a matter of months, although apparently they've been around for some time now. I've listed the releases in the order I acquired them, although the newest, Bee Thousand will no doubt be the easiest to obtain.
I'd never heard of GBV before I saw Clown Prince on a fax with a 2-line description that made me curious, so I bought it. One of the best "impulse" buys I've ever made. Extremely quirky, bizarre, low-fi stuff, which at times is reminiscent of They Might be Giants crossed with Pavement, or some such marriage. But I hate TMBG, can tolerate Pavement, and I love these guys. And finally, with regards to sound, I can probably be labeled a heretic for saying this, but at times they sound exactly like The Beatles, no doubt on purpose. The vocalist (Rob Pollard, I believe) sound a heckuva lot like Paul when he wants to, and his harmonies (with himself, I believe) remind me so much of the Fab Four, it's uncanny. But rest assured, these guys have no designs of being the next Fab Four.
Let's say the lyrics are reminiscent of TMBG due to their weirdness, but music is more like Pavement with more variety: straight-ahead, sloppy, low-talent (seemingly) sometimes grungey pop, mixed with the occasional piano/organ accompaniment and weird harmonies. The are 6 or so tracks on Clown Price (I've lent it out, much to the dismay of my wife, so I can't say for sure), and some are 30 seconds, others are as long as say, 120.
I then bought Fast Japanese Spin Cycle, and almost gort rid of it until my wife put it on and what seemed to me to be a ridiculously childish piano piece for the opener, turned into a wonderfully catchy off-kilter pop tune.
Lyrics such as
...in the age of transfusion
busting out for a fast game of motorcycles
he finds a tag reading "fast japanese spin cycle"
and that's the code for go...
make it clear we're not exactly listening to a lyricist who's playing with a full deck. Which is partly why they're so wonderful.
But they have no problem just busting out into a "regular" pop song that makes you wonder what the fuss was all about. There's at least one of these on every release, and several on Vampire on Titus, which is two albums on one CD comprising 33 songs.
FJSC closes with Kisses to the Crying Cooks which is absolutely brill:
Onion lady blows
her precious prose
And so it goes
Kisses to the crying cooks
their beaks in books
with baited hooks
(I'd write more, but I can't figure out what the next couple of lines are!)
Anyway, if that doesn't convince you, just check out the song titles:
Superior Sector Janitor X
Cool Off Kid Kilowatt
Unleashed! The Large-Hearted Boy
14 Cheerleader Coldfront
Back to Saturn X Radio Report
Ergo Space Pig
Some Drilling Implied
The Goldheart Mountaintop Queen Directory
Gold Star for Robot Boy
Kicker of Elves
3rd World Birdwatching (the Fast Japanese Spin Cycle song)
Anyway, this has gone on long enough. Buy everything you can. Help them get the recognition they so deserve.
Cheers,
Dave
posted by Dave, Owner of EAR/Rational Music at 7:18 PM
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