TongueBath©1993

TongueBath #6 - September 1997

  • it's da liks!THA ALKAHOLIKS Likwidation (Loud) It's da Liks Bab-y. IT'S DA LIKS! Singing and playing tunes exactly about what their name implies----alcoholism. Tha Alkaholiks are leading mankind into the 'terrifying' age of complacency. Their ideas on the topic are audacious, uninhibited, and timeless. Their latest shebang, Likwidation, is unstoppable. AND, this release proves to be as alkee-anthemic as their 1993 release 21 & Over with songs like "Pass Out" and "Contents Unda Pressure." They deconstruct hip-hop in "Tore Down" and "Killin' It" peddling black funk with dry bounce and super-catchy liks and lyriks. Not only is this trio lexicons of hip-hop/rap, but they are visionary in their promotional campaign------by being the only hip-hop/rap group on The Warped 1997 Tour, AND by advancing a tasty taste of pinches of their forthcoming full-release. [The segue skits have much ent-value to be had as well.] Brilliant, genius, and "Tore Down." -Kimgerly

    • ANOTHER GIRL In the Galaxy (BMG-RCA) Somethin's out of whack and Better Homes & Gardens won't true it...It's the buzzed voice, too wishy washy to accomplish the Maverick Femme (revisit Frente/No Doubt)... Save track "P12B" which mutes vocals and flourishes subterranean electronics with post-pubescent success + and "Favorite" which pulls off throttled bass and percussion variety (despite the rerun of Epicene Betty Show)...She is too disjointed to play amongst the Go-Go's and Moon Unit Zappa's "Valleygirl" instant kitsch...By audio-mechanics alone a voice strikingly similar to Edie Brickell/Susan Vega and a melody the Cranberry's did in "Do you want me to" still has training wheels. -GreeGree

    BICHOS Four Legs in the Morning (Self-produced) A dead poet, reading with the varied rock and fusion of a no-longer band. -pIZZA mAN

    BICYCLE Bionic CD single (Spoke Productions) You've heard of the fabled concept album, now there is the concept band. It ain't just a name. This band tours on Schwinn ten speeds. The guitarist's mother got tired of driving their gear around in her pop-up camper so now they tow their stuff around in trailers attached to their bikes. Coming soon to a town near you. Go out and support `em for god sakes! -pIZZA mAN

    BLACKFORK Rock for Loot (Lookout!) I have a feeling these kiddies were posted atop a PA when they were in the womb. They're about 20 years late---but, they definitely have the 180 bpm angst-ridden punk-o-rama thumps. Don't have a hissy fit. -Kimgerly

    MICHAEL BLAKE End of the Century (Pik/Solid) A small-time release entry into the proliferating genre of spoken-words and music. The first track is the best, the poetry is not extraordinary, but together, with the rollicking music track, it vaguely recalls some of John Trudell's best rant-n-roll. What annoyed me though, was the bleeped dirty words---you guys gonna let Tipper push you around like that!?!? C'mon ya weenies! -pIZZA mAN

    BLITHE Verse Chorus Verse (Alias) Euro-rock that fluctuates between your basic noise-rock and lilting guitar licks. Nothing extraordinary, but "Losefer" is groovy. -piZZA mAN

    DEANNA BOGART New Address (Viceroots) A Baltimore-Washington area regular that does the standard bar-band rock-n-roll thing with a level of playing and variety of styles that's a notch above. This album is well-done, however she hasn't quite managed to get the energy and emotion of her live performances down on tape. -pIZZA mAN

    BRAVE COMBO Group Dance Epidemic (Rounder) Why, an album of group dances from the purveyors of polka? "Because it's fun...it is for everybody, even the shy and uncoordinated...and because we lose ourselves in the synchronzied movement like schools of fishes or flocks of migratory birds and experience our inter-connectedness with others." As usual, this band's basic objectives are to get people to dance, and to have fun. And, as usual, they succeed, by putting their own stamp on group dances like The Hustle, The Hokey Pokey, The Mexican Hat Dance, and many others. No one can escape their spell! Slap this baby on at work during your next staff meeting, and you'll all Bunny Hop 'til lunch. Weeeeeeee... -pIZZA mAN

    BRILLIANTINE Vain Glory (Hep-Cat) Help! Hands out of the Ovaltine, tiny tots! Opening with, on the safe side, patty cake baker's man namby pamby Jaded Boy (Green Day dosy does with Smiths/Lou Reed) opens and drones on with the faucet leak standard beat (whoa on that 4/4) far too long. One can't resist the urge to offer check-out counter psychotherapy..."Don't Self-Impose"...And too late: even with at best cacophanos us tracks MAMED collectively "Weakling/Mistaken/Lying Around/You Are What You Eat" they didn't learn from the Greek Tragics. Even though they claim "somethin' about you can't put my finger on" I think they answered their own question. Even mopey muppets requiring saline infusions can break out of their cage. By track #11, ¡Digame!, the dead have become vertical again sounding almost Latin Playboys curious, and by "Virtue", they pick up the dance pulse. Please do not use this as a daily supplement for prolonged durations. -GreeGree

    BUCK-O-NINE Twenty-Eight Teeth (TVT)WARNING! This album causes severe boredom and persistent un-inspiration. -pIZZA mAN

    BUDDHA STICK Soundtrack for: The Movie in Your Head (Entertainment Music Enterprises) Hopefully these guys were so stoned when they wrote and recorded this that they can use their condition to explain the utter worthlessness of what they have created. -pIZZA mAN

    DAVID BYRNE Feelings (Luaka Bop/Warner) A Ken-doll likeness of Byrne on the cover warns of the soullessness inside. David tries to write pop songs that incorporate his many internation musical influences, and he just does not pull it off. Others have been successful at this, but David's songwriting---and frankly his voice---just don't cut it. -pIZZA mAN

    desoto recordsTHE CANDY MACHINE Tune International (Desoto) Save yourself a few biffs, and don't waste your beans on bands with the latest chi-chis and vanity of the moment. Reality speaks louder than hype. Hype-free and raging in the dogma of drab, these darlings hail from Charm City, U.S.A.----Baltimore, MD; a mid-sized American city whose indie bands have yet to be taken completely serious. Well, if there ever was a band to be take seriously that's from Kill City that exudes the flavor of what it is to live in a hard, crapped-out town, it's these guys. The Candy Machine is a very cool atypical `90s band. Lyricist Peter Quinn is a world-class visionary in content, and unique in delivery; 0% bull-shit----100% despair, desolate, and disgruntled. Lyle Kissack, Jamie Panzer, and Daniel Papkin on drums, bass, guitar (respectively), will slap your slumbering conscience into action. Jaded bastards should check out "Nerve Central", "6 Months of Light", "Air Station to Al Green", "9428H", and "R retreats." You're next on the list. Evolve; else, if you only want an average sounding plush indie guitar band, go away. -Kimgerly

    NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS The Boatman's Call (Reprise) Like nodding out on herion. -Curtis Bay

    CHUG Metalon (Alias) Double guitar riff-n, not-so riot-grrl singin', trap poundin' blaster that got me dancin' with the devil. -pIZZA mAN

    CITIZENS' UTILITIES Lost and Foundered(Mute America) This band's finest hour was probably at a frat party in 1989 when a basement full of drunk football players actually liked them. -pIZZA mAN

    COAL CHAMBER Self-titled (Roadrunner) Victorious at Oz Fest `97!! "Loco" is reason enuff to score this....metal agitprop visually compared to sharks circling and waiting to devour. Don't be a woos. Chew on cardboard, it will strengthen muscles you never knew you had. -Kimgerly

    COMMANDER VENUS The Uneventful Vacation (Thick) Everyone wants to be a rock star. Uneventful. -Kimgerly

    DELERIUM Karma (Nettwerk) Released in 1995, Delerium features the soaring falsetto of Sarah Mc Lachlan, Kristy Thirsk, Camille Henderson, and Jacqui Hunt who trade-off airy vocal duties on this pan-cultural, hallucinatory work. Stylistically danceable art rock, Karma is flavored with samples from various regions worldwide; it's blessed with delicate soundscapes that effectively blend rich orchestral and folk instruments with `90s electronics and techno vamps. Eno, Bill Laswell, Dead Can Dance, Cocteau Twins, and This Mortal Coil fans will lap this up. -Kimgerly

    DEUS In a Bar, Under the Sea (Island) Auricular mise-en-scene. Lyrical dialogue is like a Rocky Horror Picture Show. Overall, a great example of avant-garde/doppelganger. Very cool. -Kimgerly

    DFL Grateful...Dead Fucking Last (Epitaph) I have come to the conclusion that the Ass Boy and the DFL Bodiless Boy should get together and slam a Forty. Three-chord-thrusts of punk prevail. Abrasively promising and kick-in-the-head lyrics. Anthemically, punk through and through. Bonus: they tinker around with a Tabla, a Saranghi, and a Flute, too. -Kimgerly

    DISMEMBERMENT PLANIs Terrified (De Soto) Funk-punk played with abandon and crying out for better writing and a producer. -pIZZA mAN

    THE DRUGS Self-titled (Ng/BMG) I wanna new drug...and, this is not it. -pIZZA mAN

    EDISON Picture Postcard (Kinetic/Reprise) Thickening ingredients consist of a controlled, syncopated riffs and a rousing vocalist. This release sees Edison finally getting their balance right. -Kimgerly

    BRIAN ENO The Drop (Thirsty Ear/All Saints) On this release,Eno has combined his use of electronics with jazz melodic structures. It varies between pieces that almost resemble his ambient work, to more intense and angular cuts that sound like several big steps further down the road from Herbie Hancock's Future Shock. -pIZZA mAN

    FISH Sunsets on Empire (Viceroy) Not the group, the former Marillion lead singer. This album is intense and dark, yet it retains some of the prog-rock sound. Fans may want to check it out. I personally found the production a little too perfect, and the music and lyrics overly dramatic and over-wrought. -pIZZA mAN

    FLOATING OPERA Everybody's Somebody's Monster (Ismist) Nice enough folk rock band that makes nice use of a violin, cello and trumpet to fill out their sound. Didn't light my fire though. -pIZZA mAN

    FRIENDS OF DEAN MARTINEZ Retrograde (SubPop) Another long-player from the will-not-be-called-a-lounge-group guys who play music for surfing in the desert. More lush and varied than their debut; also, this one does not swing quite so much as the first one. But, the pedal steel still bites and the vibes float about. It brings you to eerie desert spaces, and the desolate heat that melts blacktop and cracks the dash vinyl of your old Chevy Nova. -pIZZA mAN

    DIAMANDA GALAS Shrel X (Mute) We're all familiar with the phenomenon of calling something performance art when we really should call it shit. I know, that's not nice -- but I warned you. -pIZZA mAN

    GO!DOG!GO! Glad to be Unhappy (Risk/Ichiban) Yell and scream! Jump and shout! Crank up your amp and play in a punk band with a sax player. Not usually my brand of ear candy, but a fine frollicking foursome. -pIZZA mAN

    GRITHER First Man on the Sun (Cherry Disc) They ain't bad enough to trash, but they ain't no good either. I suggest that your hard-earned $12.95 is better spent on a six-pack of Red White and Blue and a couple of frozen pizzas. -pIZZA mAN

    gusgusGUSGUS Polydistortion (4AD) Hi-tech wizardry doesn't mean squat if it doesn't take on innovation. This composition is evolutionary----the downbeat is down, vocals are plush without fluff and zero defects. Especially strong-songs include the vampy opener "Oh", "Gun", medium-speed thrill "Believe", "Polyesterday", "Cold Breath", "Rememberance", and down-nasty mix "Purple." Bejeezus, that about covers it. Stay loose. Thanks for the toons! -Kimgerly

    (hed)pe Self-titled (Jive/Silvertone) Hardcore hip-hop from California's Orange County. Mix-masters and head-bangers unite! -pIZZA mAN

    LIDA HUSIK Fly Stereophonic (Alias) With borrowed bits of psychedelia as widow dressings for her pop/rock songwriting, Lida's voice works well with multi-track harmonizing on a mix straight-up rockers and acoustic dream-rock. -pIZZA mAN

    ISMAEL LO Lammu Africa (Triloka) Talented Afro-pop singer/musician from Senegal. Triloka has collected his best work on this album. He has a crystal clear voice, mixes native and pop music well and plays a variety of styles with diverse influences. -pIZZA mAN

    JACK AND JILL Fancy Birdhouse (Magnetic) A warm and soapy album that wallows helplessly in mediocrity, despite the band's attempt to spice it up with cello, farfisa and "whatever else." -pIZZA mAN

    JACK DRAG Unisex Headwave (Hep-Cat) By combining elements of pop and psychedelia, they have created a nice-enough sound that is occasionally catchy and largely devoid of any distinctive qualities. "Venus" had a somber groove that I dug a little, and the unnamed last track was a pleasant-enough consciousness altering guitar-mantra. The rest never got that far under my skin. -pIZZA mAN

    JANE JENSEN Comic Book Whore (Flip/Interscope) What?! A Jane Austin, er I mean, a lame A. Morrisette attempt, treated to sound like Mr. NIN - T. Reznor. Rather, it came out sounding like New Order; not that that was the intent. Weak drum beats. The programming on Track 9 sums it all up----"Clumsy." If she ever had an original thought, she didn't put it on this release. -Kimgerly &Curtis Bay

    J.U.R.S. Driving the World (Self-produced) Anyone can work this kind of equipment. This guy is just lame. It takes more than tech-know-how to be able to construct a competent, electronic composition. -Curtis Bay

    J.U.R.S. Driving the World (Self-produced) "Double Q", "Paradoo" and "Ratina" are boss. This one-man-show who dips back into the late `80s technotronic grooves is a techno time bomb. http://users.deltanet.com/~mediaeng -Kimgerly

    KATELL KEINEG Jet (Elektra) (Pronounced CAT-ell KAY-nig)Behold the perpetual music force, Archaelogy's new grave-digging of the Proto-sense. This lithe Wundersprite is inversely proportional to her solid-fuel rocket larynx --choreograph to her 2nd album (10th release) ad infin., but PLEASE don't fool yourself out of catching the phenomenon in action [Tour locations upcoming (including LILLITH) -> to be found @ http://www.users.interport.net/~slambert/kkatell/tour.html]. A Kelpy version of a Gyuto monk this later "20'somethin" Welsh/Breton pop missing link rattles the sense + (es) with her personal flair for Mozart's Magic Flute and dignifed tastes, her perspective shattering repertoire of influences - Janis J./Led Zep/Requiem choir/Troubadour/S. America n/E. European/Welsh/Irish/Joni Mitchell/medieval revival/Malaysian - will titillate the soul similar to a full tantric choir's polyovertone texture, her conch shell being a novelty instrument - bag of sand (shaken in "Ole Conquistador" for backdrop). Joan of Arc flirting she adds umph to Natalie Merchant performances/borrows P.J. Harvey's Eric Drew Feldman, could compete with a hyperstrained Bass line live, prompting an admirer to remind her that "her voice is that much more beautiful, but she could lighten her load a bit". At once feathery and bon vivant of self-described "erotic yearning" (can you say lyre/tamboura)[tracks like "Leonor"], she can easily rethink the Package with a raging tempest of Irish wails, E. European bird clacks and somberous howls (de ja vu Sinead/Sugarcubes) --- Ok Magician, you exceeded the aim of the album, with time to kill!! Watch out Sea-monsters this electrifying schizo-dose of tragic realism and zealous effort in divine truth is sticking with you...catch her between Dublin Windmill Lane and New York Axis Studios next time. -GreeGree

    KILOWATT HOUR Self-titled (Self-produced) A tight little trio from Cincinnati who don't beg to be compared to anyone, and do their own thing well. -pIZZA mAN

    CHANTAL KREVIAZUK Under These Rocks and Stones (Columbia) Who is Sony/Columbia kidding?! I give Mz. Kreviazuk credit for working the Rickie Lee Jones accoustics----this is formula and accessible thru and thru. I, however, am not convinced that she's lived the 'hard life' that R.L. Jones cunningly chokes-out in her arrangements. Back to the drawing board, honey. -Kimgerly

    kSk Degenerate (Cleopatra) A techno Slaughterhouse 5 of sorts----there are worse possible things in a meaningless existence. "Shitkicker" includes a cameo pinch of Slim Pickin's choice holler from Dr. Strangelove. -Kimgerly

    CINDY LAUPER Sisters of Avalon (Epic) Here's a half-baked attempt by a great vocalist to be an R&B, mega-pop diva. For her, it does not work. Let's hope she's invested wisely from her multi-platinum 1984 release She's So Unusual and her sit-in vocals on the Pee Wee's Playhouse Theme. -Kimgerly & Curtis Bay

    LIFT Lifelike (Daemon) Pretty standard not-so-alternative rock music with above average song writing and a lead singer with a future. -pIZZA mAN

    LITTLE RED ROCKET Who Did You Pay? (Tim/Kerr) I couldn't help but think if the Beatles were female, members of Generation X, and lived next to My Bloody Valentine, they may have sounded something like this. Lennon and McCartney they're not; but, they put together some nice tunes that combine dissonant chords, pop song arrangements, and pleasing harmonies. -pIZZA mAN

    THE LIVING ABORTIONS Self-titled (Blacklist) So what. Formula; another obtuse Rock of Ages Band. Blacklist this one? -Kimgerly

    LOTUS CROWN Chokin' on the Jokes (Reprise) Sparklin' brand of pop. Prolific romanticism, lyrically. Like My Bloody Valentine without the wall of distortion. Worthy and recommended. -pIZZA mAN

    LUTEFISK Burn in Hell Fuckers (Bong Load Custom Records) Yeah, whatever. -Kimgerly

    MOLOKO Do You Like My Tight Sweater? (Warner Bros.) I don't watch nor subscribe to MTV, but if I did, I'd probably see these guys all the time, and like `em at first, and then get really pretty sick of `em. Hey, it's The Thompson Twins of the `90s! -Curtis Bay

    MUDDY FRANKENSTEIN Dance with Evil (Rock Bass International) Five guys from Japan doing a reasonable '90s impression of the MC5. -pIZZA mAN

    µ-ZIQ Lunatic Harness (Astralwerks) Strap yourself in (at the back) and watch the Disneyland house of illusions take you deep through a trans-psychic tunnel of Future Sound of London, Husikesque (Astralwerks brethren), Tangerine Dream and Patrick O'Hearns "Indigo" release. But don't go loopy over the digitizer FX popping to a Mexican Jumping Bean marching band, Sci-Fi cartoon-oid pathologi-ticks, and deliriously gut-splitting co-dependency frolics like "Wannabe"--once you recognize your rearward projection, you'll be dreamily lulled into the haunting echo chambers of Renaissance sepulchres that host Dead Can Dance and musky moods a la movie sound track haven (I predict the transcendental glimmer "Brace Yourself Jason"/Track #1 will co-direct a Greenaway film, yet) -GreeGree

    MXPX Life in General (Tooth & Nail) Maybe these guys can get a gig on the TV show Friends. www.toothandnail.com -Kimgerly

    NAPALM DEATH Inside the Torn Apart (Earache) Mr. Scorn (Mick Harris) is back straddling the kit on this outting. Revel in the destruction, and name your next dog, Napalm. -Kimgerly

    OBITUARY Back from the Dead (Roadrunner) Never under estimate the power of a double kickdrum pedal. Brainhammer party! -Curtis Bay

    PENNYWISE Full Circle (Epitaph) Structurally and stylistically, they've got this genre downpat; AND, have improved with age. Everyone's out of ideas though where worn-out guitar bans are concerned. Time to quit rehashin' the same old hash. This is The Fall, U2, Minor Threat forwards and backwards all rolled into one. If the lead singer isn't from the UK, he's an asshole----Jimmy "The Hole" is that you?! Dinosaurs before their time. -Kimgerly & Curtis Bay

    PerFect ThYroID Musical Barnacles (Shanachie) Funk-punk played with abandon and crying out for better writing and a producer. -pIZZA mAN

    PIGMASTER ... for Boys and Girls (Watchmen) All redeeming qualities of this album are unrecognizable. -pIZZA mAN

    PINK NOISE TEST Plasticized (Interscope) Industrial punk with a couple of melodic (sort of) cuts thrown in to break up the monotony. Interscope becomes more and more like its parental major everyday. Time to cut the chord boys and girls. -pIZZA mAN

    POLARA C`est la vie (Interscope) I really do not have much of a capacity anymore for rip-offs. This band does sound like they are from Mpls---Vertigo rip-offs to be exact. I would have preferred listening to a Vertigo or Pixies reunion Lp instead of this. Yeah, well, you know... -Kimgerly

    POSTER CHILDREN Poster Children International: RTFM (Reprise) It's The Who! No, it's The Cure! No, no, it's The English Beat! Whatever. -Kimgerly & Curtis Bay

    PROBOSCIS Stalemate (Progress/Diehard Music Worldwide) The brisk gruesomely catch hardness that is meaner and harder than grindcore and grunge metal. Even when things ease down, high-energy intensity is never more than a few seconds away. Proboscis playing style is best summarized as guitar piledriver fury; outrage rasp throat action; full-speed-ahead, steady-as-she-goes wallops on the kit. It's apparent that folks over in Europe are cranking out better metal than U.S. labels. Dain bramage insured. diehard@cybernet.dk, www.cybernet.dk/diehard -Kimgerly & Curtis Bay

    PURSE 10,000 Miles of Turntable Monotony (Lucky Garage) This album invokes the 40-ounce malt liquor and percodan evening with precision. -pIZZA mAN

    PUZZLE GUT Self-titled (Trauma/Interscope) And how many times have we heard these chord progressions? Enough already. Steak, eggs, and home fries breakfast on the back cover made me want to head to Denny's. A better pick by the Publicity Dept. would have been Track #11 "Kiss the Mirror"---naturally, you'll have to place the lyric sheet up to the mirror to read the lyrics; this track rocks angst out of socks. puzzlegut@puzzlegut.com -Kimgerly

    THE REGRETS New Directions: Results Beat Boasts (Crank!) Nearly pathetic vocals and lyrics----quasi-bellicose is a word that comes to mind. A collection of lo-fi scratchy ditties and misguided arrangements from a Topeka, KS trio. They ain't no My Dad Is Dead. -Kimgerly

    AMY RIGBY Diary of a Mod Housewife (Koch) Slacker countryish music for those who take growing up too seriously. Rigby reminds us that you can do the normal life thing and still find time to frolic like little bunnies. -pIZZA mAN

    The ROCK A TEENS Self-titled (Daemon) A low-fi reverb rave-up straight out of the garage but with a gothic sternness to make you sad. -pIZZA mAN

    ROCKERS HI-FI Mish Mash (Warner Bros.) Europeans think "mish-mash" is a cool thing to say. And Rockers Hi-fi is a cool band name. How is it that a bunch of dorks can come up with some of the best grooves in an 'electronic music' scence? Check out "Fuzzwalk"...it's their made for pop radio song; sure to hit the charts. -Curtis Bay

    SAGES OF MEMPHIS Year of the Elephant (mt) I recommend these guys be the official band of the annual beach week festival in Uppernavik, Greenland. -pIZZA mAN

    STEVE SHEHAN & BALY OTHMANI Assarouf (Triloka) Shehan plasy a bus load of percussion instruments he has picked up in his travels, Othmani sings (with accompaniment from his vocal ensemble), and plays the oud, a traditional lute. This collaborative effort is simultaneously modern and traditional; it's a rare example of how an indiginous sound and spirit can be preserved and even enhanced by the modern studio. Othmani's singing and playing is beautiful, and complemented well by Shehan's percussion and supportive use of keyboards and other western instrumentation. -pIZZA mAN

    SMART BROWN HANDBAG Lullabies for Infidels (Stone Garden) I was waiting for the sky-rockets in sight...an afternoon delight. -Kimgerly

    SON VOLT Straightaways (Warner Bros.) Admittedly, not as fresh as Trace. However, the songwriting is still top-notch, and the band still rocks. I had the pleasure of seeing them live, and they have incorporated Eric Heywood's pedal steel playing more into their sound---and I'm a sucker for it. -pIZZA mAN

    STAR.STAR Star Period Star (Super 800) They should become an AC/DC cover band. -pIZZA mAN

    SUBPLAY Self-titled (As Is) This is a compilation of studio recordings by some of the best musicians of the thriving subway music scene in New York City. Between each studio track are "musical interludes" recorded live underground. The styles range from modern r&b to rock to Chinese classical. Although not all of the music here appeals to my personal tastes, I am reminded to take a moment to check out the efforts of the musicians I come across regularly, performing in public places. Many of them are talented and can speak to all of us as effectively, and perhaps with more poignancy and relevance than the highly produced and marketed pop coming from the board rooms of major label madness. Next time you come across someone belting it out underground or on a street corner, stop a moment, take it in, and if you choose not to offer your spare change, at least flash 'em a smile to remind them that they are not alone. -pIZZA mAN

    TARNATION Mirador(Reprise) If Sergio Leone directed Repo Man, this would have been the soundtrack. -pIZZA mAN

    TEN FOOT POLE Unleashed (Epitaph) Lyrical and poetic prowess. These guys took a new spin on a lot of the same old, heavy thematic topics already beat-to-death in the straight-edge/punk rock genre----suicide, rape/incest, fucked-up familial and interpersonal relationships, life's woes in general. Nothing matters, nobody cares---something matters, somebody does care. Distilling the feeling of promise that lies within the grasp of man, the fabric of the promise of a possible future. Woe. -Kimgerly

    HENRY THREADGILL & MAKE A MOVE Where's Your Cup? (Columbia) This album has a new line-up including bass, drums, accordion and harmonium with Branden Ross on guitar brought along from Very Very Circus and of course Threadgill's alto and flute. I always think of Henry's music as primal punk jazz. He can thread together a mean groove and yet at times his music isn't even pleasing to the ear so much as it stirs up your soul. He shakes you up hard, makes you sweat and contemplate down deep, to your most inner essence. -pIZZA mAN

    TRANQUILITY BASS Let the Freak Flag Fly (Astralwerks) Orchestrated ambient funk with various ethnic music influences woven in. There are lots of times I expected this recording to take off into the stratospheric groove, but unfortunately, it never quite gets off the ground. -pIZZA mAN

    U2 Pop (Island) Bringing back the Manchester beat, Pop is a misnomer. They shuda titled this Techno instead. A guitar band no more? Guess they decided to get with the `90s. In my opinion, they should have re-released (everyone else is doin' it) Boy and October----now, there's an identity! -Kimgerly

    UNION 13 East Los Presents...Union 13 (Epitaph) Yes, punk is still alive. These guys do it the old-fashioned way. While not my cup o' java, those of you still into stage diving may want to catch `em if they come thru your `burg. -pIZZA mAN

    VASOLINE TUNER Beyond Repair (T.O.N.) What started out as promising-sounding dissonance rock turned out to be underdeveloped monotony with truly inane lyrics. -pIZZA mAN

    VA: (Don't Forget To) breathe (Crank!) Compilation of guitarrrrrock laden with dissonance and powr chorrrds. Some catchy, some lame. Who knows, maybe the next big thing is in there... sommmmewhere. -pIZZA mAN

    hellcat records presentsVA: Hellcat Records presents...Give `em the boot (Hellcat/Epitaph) This is a high-intensity party mix for your money with plenty of skankin', dance-ready, and easy-listening toons by the likes of The Hepcat, The Gadjits, Skinnerbox, Silencers (**!!!) and The Dave Hilyard Rocksteady 7 to name a few. Rancid, U.S. Bombs, Choking Victim, and F-Minus pluck out a savage republic of conventional punk wisdom with verve, vigor,and whammy outrage. And, The Voodoo Glow Skulls deftly sit inbetween both genres. -Kimgerly

    VA: In Their Own Voices - A Century of Recorded Poetry(Rhino) How would you like to hear uncle Walt's barbaric yawp, live and in person? Thanks to Thomas Edison's circa 1890 wax cylinder recording of Whitman reading "America", you can. Included in this 4CD set is an amazing collection of some of this century's greatest poets reading their own. To name just a few, included are classic bards Yeats, Frost and Pound, beats Ginsburg and Kerouac and contemporary poets like Lucille Clifton and Tess Gallager. While by no means exhaustive (an impossible task) this set is an extraordinary compilation of poetry recordings giving poetry enthusiasts the opportunity to hear some of the world's best. -pIZZA mAN

    VA: Jazz Jamaica Skaravan (Hannibal/Rykodisc) In trying to fuze Jamaican music and jazz concepts, Jazz Jamaica reinvents ska. Some of the best 'old school' ska I've heard in awhile. Recommended Earnest Ranglin fans, and vice versa. -Curtis Bay

    VA: Moonshine Mixer No. 1 (Moonshine) Does this ring a bell? `70s. Bellbottoms. Polyfibs. Disco. Straight-up Disco. Bring on the Saturday Night Fever, strobe lights, and spinning, mirrored ball.We're in the 1990s. A new millenium is upon us. Music should be moving like electrons bouncing around in solid state devices---chaotic flux, semiconduction, emf, and like a corona discharge in a electrostatic precipitator. Chaos is emminent; music should be reflecting the time. This, however, does not. -Kimgerly

    VA: MTV's AMP (Caroline) A surprisingly marginal release by Caroline; especially after last year's on-targer products VA: Werks Like a Twelve Inch, Freaky Chakra VS. Single Cell Orchestra, and both of Spacetime Continuum's releases. All that can be said here, is MTV's antics for mass-market appeal has ruined what was once a beau-tiful thang. Case in point, The Chemical Brothers, Tranquility Bass, and The Future Sound of London stink with 'accesible' written all over their selections. Aphex Twin's identity is not Jungle; and in my opinion, Caroline could have picked another selection in the Twin's armory for this outting. Orbital is a complete disappointment; especially after their brilliant, early-`90s releases such as 'Orbital 2.' The only worthwhile, bottom-heavy tracks credibly synonymous with 'amp', 'brute force', or 'power' are Underworld's "Pearl's Girl", Prodigy's remix of "Voodoo People", and The Crystal Method's "Busy Child." Get busy. -Kimgerly

    VA: Muggs Presents...The Soul Assassins Chapter 1 (Columbia) Dramatic interludes between songs are often more entertaining than the songs themselves. KRS-one is the only rapper who stands out...but, that's no surprise. RZA & GZA/Genius and Wyclef from Refugee Camp Mugg's grooves sound like nothing more than sampled loops----mundane funk. -Curtis Bay

    VA: Ovum Sampler (Ovum) Sylk transcends `70s funk nostalgia and neo-jazz stylings without the frilly shirts and paisley polyfibs on "The Couch." Wink is just techno-kitsch. Jamie Myerson's lovely vocals are fashionably automated---although arrangements tend toward formula=accessible. -Kimgerly

    VA: Ramp/Primitive Reason/Flood/Capitao Fantasma/Polo Norte (Uniao Lisboa) This compilation from Portugal covers a lot of ground stylistically and is appropriate listening material while eating cheese balls in the tub... really, I've tried it myself. -pIZZA mAN

    VA: Saxphobia (Capitol) What we have here is a collection of instrumentals from the late `50s through the `60s. Styles include actual jazz greats, "catered-to-50s-white-America" slop, jazz guys and jazz wannabe guys, (see if you can tell who are the jazz greats and who are the wannabe guys...if you can't tell by listening, you'll probably be partial to the "catered-to-50s-white-America" slop) with lots of studio hacks reading clever arrangements. -Curtis Bay

    VA: Ska Down Her Way Women of Ska (Shanachie) Meant for conspicuous consumption. -Kimgerly

    VA: Skankalous All-Stars Hit Me (Shanachie) In the decade of remakes, this is a skadaptative permutation of tracks made popular in the 1980s and early-90s. White Zombie's "More Human" is choice; it's anything but lysergic and strangled---rather it's tight, turgid, intelligently remixed, and skazzified---this REALLY swings! Another pix is The Breeders' "Cannonball"---Brit Savage's vocals flutter and swoop in a most affecting way. -Kimgerly

    VA: Skandalous I've Gotcha Covered (Shanachie) Whimsical tracks from TV sitcoms and cartoons. Scholars of Ska/Skalars appear on this release---The Toasters, The Skatalites, Bim Skala Bim, beNUTS, Regatta 69, Ruder Than You, PErFect ThYroID, Madadog, The Jinkies, Skavoovie & The Epitones, and Blue Killa. -Kimgerly

    VA: This Are Moonska, Volume 2 (MoonSka) 22 skadoodles on the compilation that are spiked with twists and turns featuring Let's Go Bowling, Skinnerbox, Spring Heeled Jack, Ruder Than You, The Articles, Dr. Ring Ding & The Senior All-Stars---but there's lots more to be had. Of particular interest is Issac Green & The Skalars track "High School" which provides a full-bodied arrangement, and lyrically wonderful correspondence. Hup, Hup, Hup! Pickitup, Pickitup, Pickitup! -Kimgerly

    VA: Trance Planet Volume Three (Triloka) A collection of music from all parts of the world that combined with the right state of mind will encourage you to discover your Buddha nature, have out of body experiences and develop the ability to spontaneously produce red, ripe, juicy strawberries to feed to your paramour. -pIZZA mAN

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