Blatherings from a hairy mouth
Excerpts from 'Santa' Chris Marlings reviews in issue
23 of R*E*P*E*A*T; buy the full thing here,
if you dare...
LONG ONES
Ian Brown - The Greatest (Fiction)
The Stone Roses were a great band, and Ian Brown was part of that, but
as is so often the case the band was more than the sum of its parts.
A few tracks on this stand out for me - Corpses in their Mouths has
a nice chilled out vibe, Dolphins Were Monkeys is a good pop song, but
pretty much everything else is second rate and his vocals can't save
the day. Sad really but I guess he has to make a living.
The Black Velvets - The Black Velvets (Vertigo)
From Liverpool, apparently, but boy do they wish they were from LA,
hanging with their hair metal friends. They've supported Mottley Crue
and The Who, which is probably where they fall between - stadium pomp
with a bit of a Zep edge and some big riffs and "smash smash smash"
drums. Probably mighty fine if you like that sort of thing.
Envelopes - Demon (Brille Music)
I was starting to think I wasn't going to get any albums worth keeping,
but this saves the day and then some. I hear good bits of lots of very
cool bands in here - all the quirkiest bits Herman Dune, Pavement and
Pixies. What more do you want? The two crazy Herman Dune frontmen singing
for Pavement with Kim Deal on bass. Now we're talking.
Various artists - Escalator: The Right Direction
Arts East and The Junction spend our hard earned taxes on a compilation
album, instead of on the buses or the nurses etc. As a showcase of good
regional bands its ok at best. Noisy long-time under achievers Miss
Black America and Right Turn Clyde prove its sheer bad luck that's stopped
them making a living out it, but few of the newer names stride forward
to take a serious swipe at their mantles. The Urban Myth Club do a quality
Morcheeba rip off, The Shivers do the Rolling Stones thing they do so
well, but what stands out most from these 12 tracks is a startling lack
of originality and star quality.
Chris T-T - Nine Red Songs (Snowstorm)
The eleventy-millionth brilliant album by Mr T-T and he shows no sign
of tiring. Political song mastery every bit as good as Billy Bragg but
with a slightly more assessable voice, it just needs Blair to become
what he has always craved (the new Thatcher) and once public opinion
really starts to turn, maybe T-T will get the recognition he deserves.
A Huntsman Came a-Marchin' and Preaching to the Converted are up their
with his best, while a good half-dozen others are also keepers. If there's
any criticism, it's the few shabby ones - but I can forgive the occasional
Court of You when the rest is this good. Buy this CD, if only for the
lines "you loved the fucking poll tax, you propped up Maggie Thatcher,
and you didn't give a fuck about Tony Blair 'til he threw your hobby
back at ya" (about the Countryside Alliance) and "well poverty's
bad, war is bad, racism's bad, well done have a biscuit" (about
himself). But there are so many others too.
The Singing Adams - Problems (Track & Field)
Steven Adams, of Broken Family Band and Hofman (near) fame, has done
a solo album with money scrounged off the council, and its money well
spent. But it ain't country. Or indie really. Problems is a disparate
bunch of tunes hung together by the loose thread of his emotions, and
it would seem the album's title is an apt one. Where BFB are a joyous
romp through his imagination via some stonking alt.country songwriting
from the band, the one man show is the little fella laid bare for all
to see. The songs are a little tentative but suit the mood, while the
lyrics are every bit as good as you'd expect - "you and your star
sign can fuck off" is one of the best lines I've heard this side
of anywhere. A must for any fan of his wit, and frankly for anyone with
a pulse. And I'm not going to him the disservice of comparing him to
other people - you should go and find out what he sounds like if you
don't know. You'll thank me later.
SHORT ONES
The Lodger - Watching/Not So Fast (Double Dragon)
Quality double-A side of indie pop from this three-piece from Leeds, with
the emphasis on the pop. Lightning Seeds would be a slightly unfair comparison,
as they're better than that, but you get the idea - a bit jangly, catchy
as hell and the sort of songs you expect to hear in the background when
they do those photo montages on the tele. And believe it or not that's
a compliment.
Oblique - Going Going Gone EP (Maximum Vibe)
There's a bit of Fergal Sharkey about this lot, which is no bad thing.
Two jangly and poppy tunes sandwich a nice mellow one which has a nice
lyric and generally it's a competent debut, although there's no sign
of anything that makes Oblique slant away from the pack. Geddit?
Ipanema - Me Me Me (Boss Tuneage)
When we have all died, and rooted to dust, and the world has cleansed
itself of mankind, there will be a hill, with a hut, it will be three
quid to get in, and Wiz from Mega City 4 will be inside wondering why
no one has turned up. This is the best thing I've heard from him for
a long time, going back to the noisiness that made him a household name
on the toilet venue circuit in the first place. No one does it better
than Wiz.
Bloodhound Gang - Foxtrot, Uniform, Charlie, Kilo (Geffen)
It would seem they haven't got bored of knob gags yet, and who am I
to judge? The music's so mediocre you have to listen to the lyrics,
and if you want more Porkies/American Pie humour you're in the right
place. "Put the you know what, in the you know where" etc
etc. Tepid, Immature, Rueful, Easy, Dull.
Multi Purpose Chemical - Cult EP (Honey Records)
Fuck me, this is fun. MPC are hardcore/metally in a System of a Down/Soulfly
way but there's something playful mixed in with big fat head-banging riffs.
Apparently cracking live, I'd be surprised if they didn't make some serious
waves. Nice to hear some political lyrics too, with religion and the arms
trade getting a good telling off.
BABY ONES
blaglegboomasta @yahoo.co.uk
Well here's a thing. A very nice man with dreads and his friends make
compilations of original music, a lot of it very food indeed, ranging
from spacey rave to noisy punk to poetry, and distribute it for free.
All you have to do is email him and you'll probably be able to sort
something out. I highly recommend everyone does this, as the free distribution
of music can only be a good and positive thing. Tell him I sent you.
The Branches - Demos (demo)
Lovely twee acousticness from Kent. This nice little CD is worth the
admission fee for I'm not Afraid of Country alone, which would be a
highlight on an album by Ballboy or Milky Wimpshake - two bands I hold
in high esteem. All the usual alt.country influences are there too -
Smog, Will Oldham, Grandaddy etc - but there's enough extra to make
The Branches stand out on their own (ahem). An EP is in the offing,
and I for one can't wait.
Decline (demo)
New-ish Cambridge punky band and one of the better ones by the sounds
of this demo. Nothing blisteringly original here, think Blink etc and
a lot like local boys Right Turn Clyde, but everything's in the right
places. Certainly worth checking out if they're playing a pub near you,
and young enough to start to plough their own furrow given a bit of
time.
Spooky Hifi - Magic Ears (demo)
I was convinced this was going to be a cover of Pretty in Pink at the
start, but it wasn't. A lot like it musically though, which is no bad
thing, and his voice isn't quite as nauseatingly theatrical as Mr Furs'
either. I'm sure this is one of those bands I've often seen live but
been too drunk to remember who they were. I shall look out for them
in future. Last track is actually quite spooky too.
Xmas Lights - Enron Ate My Baby (demo)
Well I presume it's a demo, although it might be an album. Anyway, its
got another funny press release claim, as they were apparently "formed
with a desire to ignore established dogmas on what music should or should
not be". I can only presume they hadn't heard Mogwai or death metal
then, unless they think combining the two is in some way original. Well
let me tell ya boys, it ain't.
Driving Holden (demo)
Now that's more like it. Fugazi are an obvious reference point, with
the under produced sound particularly reminiscent of the good old days
of early Dischord. A nice quirk is the harmony bits come from a shouty
girl instead of a shouty boy, and when she's involved its reminiscent
of Th' Faith Healers too, and they're a band I miss heaps. Great stuff.
Chris Marling
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