LISTEN, THE SNOW IS FALLING EVERYWHERE
FRENETICS/NAKATOMI PLAZA
split 7" (available from Fans of Bad Productions Records, #3-225 Bagot Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3G3, CANADA, for $5 CAN/US or $6 US international, www.fansofbadproductions.com , [email protected], [email protected] )On a slab of cool red vinyl, Montreal’s The Frenetics (www.frenetics.com) bash out "Countdown Radio", a nifty pop/punk/mod piece combining the bite of "Radio Radio" with the sing-along bliss of "Roadrunner".
Conversely, NY’s Nakatomi Plaza (
www.bd-records.com/nakatomi ; c/o bd records, P.O. Box 860, NYC, NY, 10268-0860) do some slamming hardcore emo punky stuff.A keeper – and not just because the label is based in my hometown (though, much as I generally don’t care for any form of nationalism, that WAS a bit of a plus…).
MUM
Green Grass of Tunnel/In Through The Lamp 7" (Fatcat Records, www.fat-cat.co.uk )On the other hand, this Icelandic band (two boys, two twin sisters) probably would not know HOW to slam (oh, you know that’s not what I mean…).
It’s pretty, gentle, vaguely electronic material, very suitable for relaxing, though with enough little quirks and pops to keep your attention.
YOKO ONO
Open Your Box 12" (Mind Train Records, Phone 212.730.1035, Fax 212.730.1083, [email protected] )In which our heroine learns to be all tribal and dancey, without losing her edge (in fact, exhortations to open one’s mind, one’s legs and one’s closet seem even MORE apt when set to a thumping beat).
GYMSLIPS
Definition of a Renee CD-R (Rainier Records, no contact info whatsoever)My attempts to find any facts about this band have come up empty. I tracked down a single paragraph describing them as an oi outfit that put out one album about 1983. There ARE elements of rowdy skanky rhythms here, but not overly.
What they are, judging from the evidence on this collection of all their material, is a British grrrl band who veered from twangy roots-rock to snarly garage pop to the occasional heartfelt (but not sappy) ballad.
I wish I could find more information, but the document itself is wonderful and speaks volumes.
HIDDEN CAMERAS
, Ecce Homo CD (available from G.B. Jones at P.O. Box 55, Stn. E, Toronto, ON, M6H 4E1, CANADA for $13 CAN/US (cash best, money orders or cheques to G.B. if necessary); try www.musicismyboyfriend.com for more info)Nine tracks of one-man band endeavours by Joel Gibb (there is now an actual band which is supposedly working on new material), with a reverberating vocal style and sparse butcatchy arrangements, all in the service of songs about religion, sodomy, self-publication, theft and dominance/submission (what more could one want?).
One piece here is entitled "Steal All You Can Motherfucker." Perhaps you could practice this elsewhere – for this, you should try and pay, because it should be supported… J
INFINITE X’S,
s/t CD (Chainsaw Records, www.chainsaw.com )Jody from Team Dresch (oh, how we’ve missed you!!!); Tamala Poljack from Longstocking; Whitney Skillcorn and token boy Scotty Walsh got together to make an album of mathy pop-punk songs that will melt your heart, move your feet and rock your world.
Needless to say, they have already disbanded, or at least have decided not to play live, due to various members’ being some distance apart.
However, at least we have this wonderful CD by which to remember them.
KAIA
, Oregon CD (Mr. Lady Records, www.mrlady.com , P.O. Box 3189, Durham, NC, 27715-3189)The return of the acoustic-strumming folk dyke diva (though a track or two are embellished with a bit of percussion or bass or lap steel, and the cover of "Catch" by The Cure (I kid you not!) has a VERY OBVIOUSLY overdubbed guitar solo).
However, there’s nothing precious or traditional here, except possibly the brief hidden bonus track with yet another excerpt from baby dyke Kaia’s childhood recordings. It’s still uneasy, exploring, yearning material, especially the likes of "Storm" or "The World’s Greatest Haircut" – just without the volume or the abrupt tempo shifts of The Butchies, her main project.
Except for the sparse keyboard misfire of "Make Me Please" (which makes Suicide sound overadorned), it’s a splendid release indeed.
MIRRORS, Hands In My Pockets CD (Overground Records, P.O. Box 1NW, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, NE99 1NW,
www.overgroundrecords.co.uk )I suppose there is some form of irony in the fact that a record by a Cleveland band from the 1970s is being released now by a British label – but, as I try to be an internationalist, I don’t think there’s THAT much. Dare we bring up that hoary cliché about a prophet without honour in his own country?
Part of the unholy triumvirate of its day (along with Rocket From The Tombs and Electric Eels), this ensemble had the benefit of stronger musicianship (though all three worshipped at similar, Velvetsy altars) and also more access to professional recording technology. It also lasted a bit longer, if only through personnel changes and a loose definition of what constituted the group (the earliest recordings here are obvious two-person experiments).
Let’s just say Lou Reed had best not hear "Hands In My Pockets", which, I’m sorry, IS "Guess I’m Falling in Love" (and "How Could I?" bears a very close resemblance to "I’ll Be Your Mirror").
Despite these, er, tributes, originals like "Shirley" and "She Smiled Wild" (which were the only tracks actually released during this band’s lifetime) still sound polished and accomplished today.
MARY MARGARET O’HARA,
Apartment Hunting CD (OST) (Apartment Hunting Productions, 24 Ryerson Ave., Ste. 307, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 2P3, CANADA, www.apartmenthunting.com , [email protected] )Technically, this is the soundtrack to a movie. To my ears, it is the blessed return of Mary Margaret O’Hara, one of Canada’s most talented songwriters and singers, who has not put out anything under her name in over 10 years (unless you count her 1994 contribution to Count Your Blessings, an ensemble Christmas project).
There is jazz, country, blues, torch and even hints she has been giving an ear or two to Meredith Monk, Yoko Ono and Diamanda Galas in her spare time in evidence on this disc. "Hello Yellow Goose" is actually the oddest track – virtually hardcore!! – though "Scary Latin Love Song" lives up to its name as well. On the other hand, "Was You" breaks your heart and "Never Came Back Again" swings you hard, while the bass she is credited with ‘playing’ on "Have You Gone" would seem to be her voice, either pitch-shifted electronically or just showing her startling range.
All I can say is, if we have to wait until 2012 for more music from this goddess, there is officially no justice on Earth.
ORIGINAL SINNERS, s/t CD (Nitro Records,
www.nitrorecords.com )Exene and her crack team of two guitarists (she plays as well, in addition to her trademark vocal yowl), bass (the other girl) and drums crank out ten songs and three instrumentals, ranging from cowpunk to punk-pop to country and punk.
The lyrics are a bit simpler than her heyday in X, but, frankly, there were times that ensemble’s poetry could be a bit much, so that is not a terrible shame.
RUSSIAN FUTURISTS, Let’s Get Ready To Crumble CD (Upperclass Records,
www.upperclass.org; band at [email protected] , www.geocities.com/russianfuturists )Matthew Adam Hart may or may not be tired of being called a Canadian Magnetic Fields (come to think of it, we’re much closer to Magnetic North than Stephin Merritt is, so we should be better at doing things in his style J ); however, there! I’ve done it again.
There are distinct similarities. Each is more or less a self-contained unit that uses cheap synths and rhythm devices in the service of pop in which you can hear both the quotation marks (hint: although the title track of this disc claims that "I do pop ‘cause that’s what my heart goes", the verbose nature of the song and its layers of reference and allusion suggest otherwise) and the sheer love of classic melody (I defy you NOT to be singing along with "It’s Not Really Cold When It Snows" (who but a Canadian could write that?) by the first chorus). Both have a tendency to use way too many words and metaphors, usually to good or at least overwhelming effect. Guest vocalists, guitarists and trumpets drop in on each’s sessions on occasion. Also, and, to my mind, sadly, this CD is quite brief (27 minutes), just like Stephin’s earliest works.
What are the differences? Well, Matthew would appear to be heterosexual, judging from the lyrics, or at least mostly drawn to the opposite sex (it’s true that Stephin occasionally writes a 'straight’ love song, but he tends to either give it to a woman to sing or is clearly doing a ‘character’ piece). Also, Hart is still in the synth-pop phase, more or less, while Stephin has veered off in all directions.
Nevertheless, this is cool stuff from an artist who bears watching in the, er, future. J
THREE DOLLAR BILL
, American Dream CD-EP (self-released; Three Dollar Bill, P.O. Box 13167, Chicago, IL, 60613, USA, $5 US in that country/$10 US elsewhere, cheques and money orders made out to greendress.net (or concealed cash), www.threedollar.net , Ph. 773.750.2364)Everyone’s favourite queer hard-rockin’ band from Chicago with a male and female singer is back with a 4-song EP of doom!!
The title track kicks off, initially kind of quiet and introspective, then building up feedback and kicking into a long and aggressive diatribe against the contradictory nature of that concept by Jane (in her comparatively gentle voice), while Chris touches on similar areas in "Never Stop" and Jane goes for rough and raunchy on "Consolation Prize" and "As If You Even Wanted To" closes things with a hooky mid-tempo metal-pop rocker.
Evidently, the band has changed bass players since this was recorded, which is a shame, since that individual and the drummer were actually sisters. One hopes they find someone to enable them to continue their metal-edged, catchy, rockin’ sound.
THE VERMICIOUS KNID,
Days That Stand Still CD-EP (Anti-Antenna Recordings, #4-1528 Queen Street W., Toronto, ON, M6R 1A4, CANADA, [email protected] , www.antiantenna.com ; band at www.antiantenna.com/thevermiciousknid, [email protected] ) Okay, so I confess that, in addition to being sent this by the gentleman who runs this label, I might have bought a CD that included tracks entitled "Every Bear’s Life Guide" and "Belly Grasp" anyway. J
That silly proof that identity politics has corrupted me to some extent aside, I thought the way in which these tracks alternated between pretty singing and screaming was effective (not to mention that, like Sleater-Kinney, the two vocalists occasionally sing different things simultaneously), and certainly matched the abrupt shifts of tempo and dynamics in the well-performed music. I suppose this is emo-ish, judging from the pained and poetic lyrics (I’ve never been very good at genre characterizations, if only because I tend to think of anyone who rigidly defines their style as a little sad – what if you wanted to try a piano some day – if the song in your head had a piano on it – and you were so ‘hardcore’ you couldn’t do it, either because an audience wouldn’t accept it or the cop you’ve rented the rooms of your brain to won’t allow you to?) and is certainly intricate and complex, as done by Tim Ford (vox/guitar), Jesse Shanks (drums), Ryan Stanley (guitar/vox) and Brian Ward (bass/vocals). After six songs in roughly half-an-hour, I wanted more. Give it over, boys - "all the bears may be sleeping", but one has an eye and ear open. J
VARIOUS ARTISTS,
3 by 6 from Kingston CD (independent, www.thecave.ca for details)It’s 6 bands from Kingston and the area, each doing three songs, to benefit my hometown’s high school radio station, The Cave. Smackpuppy does intricate, polyrhythmic material fronted by the bluesy yowl of Wendy Bouwma; Saucepan Heroes have their strongest asset in the richly-voiced lead singer, though their songs are catchy and well-played pop-rock;The Manhattan Project is the oddity, doing blues jams; Lizticket and The Jollys explore grrrl-pop-punk and party-punk-a-la-Screeching Weasel respectively; while Zero-Hour use a wah-wah pedal to good effect and have a nasal vocalist I found charming and boyish on their yearning, earnest material. Cool stuff, and gave me an idea about the local scene, as I rarely go out. J
VARIOUS ARTISTS,
Fields and Streams 2xCD (Kill Rock Stars, www.killrockstars.com )It’s a huge collection of 45 songs, and I defy anyone to say they hate everything on here. There’s countryish folk from Neko Case; 60s garage pop from the likes of Mooney Suzuki and the long-awaited appearance of "Imbecile" by Fifth Column; experimental guitar noise from Mecca Normal; lo-fi electronics from Carla Bozulich or Gene Defcon; and so much more.
In fact, a lot of it is not even ON Kill Rock Stars (about ¾, actually) - it’s part of that label’s usual mandate to expose the diversity and talent of the underground. Give it a chance…
VARIOUS ARTISTS,
The Langley Schools Music Project: Innocence and Despair CD (Bar-None Records)Cast your mind back to a more innocent time, when children would bang on percussion, play one string on a bass, out-Animal that Muppet© on the skins and sing the likes of Beach Boys, Paul McCartney, David Bowie and Klaatu songs in large, vaguely frightening massed vocal ensembles.
I considered glibly describing this as what it might sound like if the Village of the Damned had a choir. However, that’s unfair, since it’s not exclusively terrifying or ominous (though, really…"Wildfire"?! "Saturday Night"!?) – in fact, "Space Oddity", "Help Me Rhonda" and "I’m Into Something Good" sound quite enthusiastic and fun (allowing for the fact that these recordings were made on two-track with two mikes in the mid-Seventies in "rural" Langley, British Columbia", which means they were lo-fi before lo-fi was cool).
Two different schools – two different vanity pressing LPs – now available for mass consumption. Tremble in fear and joy!
VARIOUS ARTISTS,
Punkzilla CD (Nitro Records, www.nitrorecords.com )This sampler from Nitro offers 20 cool tracks, ranging from The Damned’s theatrical flair to Original Sinners’ cowpunk to Offspring’s pop punk and A.F.I.’s thrashiness. It also includes detailed information on releases touched upon here and some videos (which my computer could not watch).
If you like your punk varied but raw, this would probably be the label for you. I quite like The Damned and The Original Sinners, which probably just means I’m old and set in my ways. J
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN,
Storytelling LP (Matador Records, www.matadorrecords.com, www.belleandsebastian.co.uk )After much delay, the new Belle and Sebastian is upon us. It was supposed to be the soundtrack to a film by someone named Todd Solondz, but he evidently used very little of it, and there was some dispute (this is hinted at in the coy liner notes), which may have accounted for the delay.
There’s 34 minutes of very pretty score, in the usual ornate, somewhat orchestral style of the band to date, and six songs, which may or may not relate to the themes of the film. Lyrically, they deal with the group’s typical obsessions: teen angst, gender politics and feeling outside of things. It’s not that I didn’t like the record – it’s simply that it does seem to be setting into a pattern. A very well done pattern, but one nevertheless. Considering the raunchier feel of some of the band’s stand-alone singles between this and the previous album, it’s simply a shame more of that was not transferred to this very lovely but sort of bland LP.
SAILORS,
Violent Masturbation Blues LP (Dropkick Records, 328 Advantage Rd, Highett Victoria, Australia, 3190, www.dropkick.com.au )The title should be a hint – the band’s name should ring a little warning bell – the back cover art should kick you right in the balls and get you down on your knees (a good start).
Yes, imagine if the Pogues were crossed with the Frogs and then went to a Pansy Division concert. That’s the sort of stumbling, drunken, sodomy-obsessed affair you’re in for.
This is a good thing, in my estimation. J
THANES, One Night As I Wandered On The Moors…The Best of The Thanes
2xLP (Corduroy Records, 41 Fellows Street, Kew, VIC 3101, Australia)It’s Scottish – it’s garage rock – it covers 15 years in a band’s career, and collects material you probably couldn’t find then, and certainly won’t be able to now.
It’s also extremely catchy, moody and sometimes has a very bad attitude and an arrested-juvenile feel. What on EARTH are you waiting for? Robbie Burns to rise from his grave and write you a poem about the band?
Hoot, mon!! Rock out with your kilt on!!J