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Sleater-Kinney is a three-piece female band, consisting of: Corin Tucker, guitar and vocals; Carrie Brownstein, guitar and vocals; and Janet Weiss, drums (and, yes, that is her real name!). They have had a great deal of media attention, and more than a bit of whinging about 'selling out' (suffice it to say I don't have a lot of time for that concept; in my opinion, 'selling out' can only happen to those who are never 'in'; I mean, if Michael Jackson were to sign to Chainsaw, would he suddenly gain INDIE CRED?).
As a taste of their upcoming album 'The Hot Rock' (this is, by the way, apparently also available as a CD single, with an extra track - I believe this is a first for the label, at least as a simultaneous thing), this is an intriguing proposition. 'Get Up' has a high-hat-swishing, simple, danceable beat, but the track never really kicks, and Corin's high-pitched warble bears an uncanny resemblance to Belinda Carlisle . However, Carrie's recited, deadpan lyrics underneath, and the intricate arrangement, go a long way towards making this a catchy little pop song. It hardly sounds like a call for revolution, words-wise, though; in fact, I'm not sure it's ABOUT anything (but it sounds nice, thanks to production by the band and Roger Moutenot, most famous for the delicate complexity of Yo La Tengo's ELECTRO-PURA album).
The B-side is more lively (and, of course, not on the LP). It has a kick to it, and some more gentle, contrasting sections - it's a slice of garage rock reminiscent of The Brood or The Pandoras.
Personally, I hope the album is more like the B-side, since it's catchy AND rockin' AND has social commentary to it.
All told, a good single, worthy of college radio play (not that I ever listen to college radio, since, based on glimpses of playlists around here, I'm not looking to it for guidance...).
Bettie Serveert is a Dutch band that has been around for quite some time, with occasional hiatuses (the name means 'Bettie to serve', and is derived from the Dutch tennis player Bettie Stove, who lost at the Wimbledon Ladies' Final in 1977 - and, no, I didn't just happen to know that...I looked it up...). It does music reminiscent of a lot of women fronted or 'alternative' bands (Pretenders, PJ Harvey, Blake Babies and, of course, the Velvet Underground), and consists of: Carol van Dijk on vocals and guitar, who happens to have been born in Canada; Herman Bunskoeke, bass and vocals; Peter Visser, guitar, vocals, xylophone and violin; and Berend Dubbe, drums, vocals, tapes and guitar.
They are usually on Matador Records, but have obtained permission to release this on Brinkman (or, more likely, Matador decided it could not sell this, given the movement of the band's ORIGINAL material in North America).
As the title suggests, it is a collection of Velvet Underground songs, recorded live in Amsterdam in late 1997. I will give the band credit for non-obvious choices; very few bands would include "Black Angel's Death Song" or "European Son", or possibly even "Venus in Furs" - at least without including, oh, "Sweet Jane" (and, more remarkably, it does a fine job at those most abstract of Velvets pieces).
All told, it is an extremely energetic and enthusiastic set, full of fire and obvious love for the material (to my ear, only "Stephanie Says" doesn't seem right - there's something off about it - perhaps the key is too high for Carol's somewhat low voice - but even that is relative to the rest of the set, which is stunning - particularly the nearly Swans feel to "Venus in Furs", or the ferocious roar of "Beginning to See the Light" and "What Goes On".
A wonderful set, and to conclude it with "Afterhours" - how perfect (it is my favourite Velvet Underground piece of all time)! (As an aside, the graphics inside the booklet point out what songs did NOT make the final cut, by reproducing the set list - this band could probably have kicked the jams out of "Guess I'm Falling in Love", "There She Goes Again", "Here She Comes Now", "I'll Be Your Mirror", "Run Run Run" and "Who Loves The Sun" so it's a shame this 52-minute sampler did not squeeze them in, or at least one or two). Now I'll have to check out its other material, since I really only know "Co-Coward" and "Kid's Alright". To quote the Velvets: 'My life was saved by (this) rock and roll'.
Jello Biafra, is, of course, mainly known for being the lead singer of the Dead Kennedys (and for being someone for whose work Tipper Gore has the greatest respect, despite her never having heard him and finding his poster obscene...), but he is also the purveyor of spoken word art of a particularly subversive and whip-smart kind, as this massive (but quite cheap) piece of work proves.
In the course of three more or less live hours (there is a certain amount of editing from one show to another within pieces, which occasionally results in some obvious sound drops and clear splices), Jello holds court over such subjects as: capital punishment (anti); the official version of the news (anti); censorship (pretty much anti); Marilyn Manson and Sheryl Crow re their banning from Wal-Mart (anti, but with great reluctance in the latter case - as he says: 'It's pretty weird to be here defending the very existence of (her)!').
It's funny and vicious and infuriating (as in inspiring fury at the forces of evil and right-wing nastiness - there aren't too many comments he makes that I disagree with...) and surreal in turns, and his command of tone and volume and impersonation/characterization is certainly a lot better than, oh, Henry Rollins', so it's definitely worth the investment.
Yes, Blondie is back - and, to borrow a line from its song "Rip Her To Shreds", entirely out of context: 'And not a minute too soon'.
I was a Blondie fan from the day, at about age 9 or 10, I saw its first album in a Halifax, Nova Scotia store and wanted it more than anything. Of course, my mother assumed I wanted it because of the big blonde woman at the front of the picture - actually, it was because of Clem Burke pictured just behind Ms. Harry...but I was hardly going to tell her that (I got into enough trouble by wanting a Leif Garrett poster just like my sister had).
In high school, during the days that such music was considered hopelessly uncool (about 1985-86), I was forever walking down the hall with the "Eat To The Beat" LP blaring on my Walkman (in fact, all most people remember about me in high school was that Walkman - it's a fairly accurate summary of how I spent my time between classes, I'll grant them...).
But to get back on topic...the new Blondie album is, to my ears, its most consistent since the debut (as someone who never cared for "Parallel Lines", other than some of the singles, this should indicate my biases in stark light).
Part of its consistency, ironically, is its very diversity. Blondie was never a purist outfit, and there is a little bit of everything here.
For the ska fan, there's the vaguely Germanic "Screaming Skin"; for the gothic rap devotee (oh, one must exist!), there's the title track; for the country afficionado(!), there's "The Dream's Lost on Me"; for the Delta blues/funk fiend, there's "Happy Dog"; for the powerpoppers, there are "Maria" (the first single), "Nothing Is Real But The Girl" and "Under The Gun" (the latter an utterly heartbreaking, but brisk, tribute to Jeffery Lee Pierce, the former lead singer of Gun Club, who died in 1996); the dreamy balladeers can take heart in "Double Take", "Boom Boom In the Zoom Zoom Room" (which, despite its somewhat cutesy title, is a nice piece of jazz that shows Ms. Harry's time in the Jazz Passengers to have been well spent) and the suitably ethereal "Night Wind Sent"; and you can hit the Eighties synth-pop sci-fi dancefloor with "Forgive And Forget".
What has changed? Well, the production style, of course - it's much more layered than most of the past Blondie albums, but seventeen years bring a lot of changes to the studio. The musicianship is certainly better and more varied, and surprisingly tight for a group that had not played together for many years - clearly, rehearsals were intense! Deborah's voice is much stronger and more nuanced - as she has said, putting on 'a little meat' has clearly helped her vocalization (and the time with the aforementioned jazz ensemble probably taught her a few tricks as well). She effortlessly soars, dips and growls through these songs (though the live take of 'Rapture' which is one of the three bonus tracks on the North American version shows that, at least that night, the falsetto used on the sung portions of that piece may be a bit high for her now, at least for extended use).
It is wonderful to finally be able to say to all those who have said, in response to my carping about No Doubt, Primitives' and Transvision Vamp's thefts from Deborah: "What has she done lately?", that she (and the boys) have done this.
Siouxsie(vocals/percussion/keyboards) and Budgie(drums/percussion/keyboards/guitar), late of Siouxsie and the Banshees, return with another album by their once-spin-off and now only project, Creatures.
I have never heard its first album, so I don't know how this compares to it. I have heard its second one, "Boomerang" (on - ick! - Geffen) and it is something of a departure (though some of the seeds sown here can be traced to it, particularly in the deep synth-bass lines that are used).
The previous album was pretty much only voice and percussion, with tasteful horns, accordion and minimal synthesizers here and there, as opposed to the ornate psychedelic post-punk of the Banshees. As the duo now no longer feels obliged to separate itself from a band that is defunct, the difference is less evident.
There is some stellar dance material, odd as it may sound from me - but it got my toe tapping along, and that's saying something ("2nd Floor," "Another Planet", "Disconnected" - the first in particular sounds like what might happen if Georgio Moroder were to do punk, or if Stephen Hague, the producer of the only bad Banshees LP (Superstition), had been reined in and not drowned the fire of the group). There is also an eerie ballad, "Don't Go To Sleep", which sounds like Siouxsie did it herself, since she is credited with toy piano and koto-zither, and those are the most prominent sounds on it, along with a droning organ.
Siouxsie is in fine, forceful voice, both musically and lyrically, and Budgie - well, as the thundering 'Turn It On' proves, he's still one of the best percussionists in rock 'n' roll (as opposed to drummer - that label doesn't describe him accurately enough - his style is too exotic for that staid image...).
This is the first release in three years by everyone's favourite Jewish All-American Lesbian folksinger, and, while it is not as upbeat or, dare I say it, funny as most of her previous work, it is still rewarding.
Her last release, 'Goofyfoot', had a little surf, a little folk, a little kitschy pop and a little lounge music. This one is more stylistically similar - folk rock (though 'Cuffs' has a funky stutter, 'Twirly' is carefree and sweet and 'Tzena Tzena' is, I'm assuming, a rather upbeat Jewish standard).
There is a touch of melancholy here, in songs like 'Gary' and 'Where Were You?' (both of which touch on the feelings about her brother's murder that she has not dealt with in song before), and even on 'Ozzie and Harriet', which, despite its touching on camp, is, at its heart, a rather regretful song about being an old-fashioned 'girl' in a modern world.
Even though I've never been a Judy Garland kind of grrrly-man, I'm as much a sucker for a tear in the eye and a catch in the throat as the next fag. Unlike some of 'Positively Phranc', or even 'Goofyfoot',� the musicians who accompany Phranc's marvelous voice and guitar on about half of the tracks never intrude or threaten to overwhelm. They're good for a bunch of boys.
So, while this is not a particularly cheery CD, it is still emotional, touching and ultimately another triumph.
Well - it's definitely more low-key than most Ani albums I've heard. Last year's "Little Plastic Castles" had horns and a rock god drummer guest. This one doesn't...
Evidently, she has gotten married. This is the point at which the rock critic will say: 'Ah-ha! That's why it's low-key and subdued - she's become a housewife!' One needs to point out, of course, that the rock critic rarely says this about male artists (the concept - not the literal content, of course...), and that the body of rock lore hardly supports it anyway (there aren't many LESS subdued records than, oh, Elvis Costello's "Blood and Chocolate" or Lou Reed's "The Blue Mask", both products of matrimony prior to their creation).
Nevertheless, here it is - a quiet record musically, and not all that 'loud' lyrically at times. "'Tis of Thee" has some things to say about the right-wing attacks on the poor - but it doesn't have many solutions or a sense of hope. "Angry Anymore" is a mature take on the war within her childhood family and trying to see both sides (as opposed to the paranoid delusion of the right that is the 'war ON the family' - the thing we radicals are supposed to be waging - sorry, but I'm not fighting THAT enemy - I'm just not invading its territory...).
A lot of the record focuses on personal politics and love, which are, of course, rich subjects for creativity, but they tend to be VERY personal songs that don't allow the listener in much (well, this one, anyway - but, then, while I DO have relationships with men (more precisely, one man), I DON'T have them as a pansexual woman, and I don't find I relate to the vast majority of love-songs...hard-hearted that I am...).
Ultimately, it's a very nice, well-produced, thoughtful record. It has some of her catchiest tunes, and the addition of organ and piano (and no obvious synthetics, other than the drum machine on the epic-length "Hat Shaped Hat" and some voice-processing) helps the tunes to breathe - but it isn't a fiery or captivating listen, in the final analysis.
This is another one of those ideally-suited-for-the-end-of-a-long-stressful-day LPs, by the frontperson of the band Sea and Cake, who tend to be the most commercial band on the Thrill Jockey label, because of their jazz-lightly-touched-with-classical-via-Brian-Eno style.
This LP is pretty much in the same style, though perhaps just a tad more pop and with a little more kick (it's by no means rock 'n' roll - the credit for 'percussion' is accurate, since there is no hyperactive kit work here).
The LP is of a piece, with a gentle, sweet sound based around guitar, piano, strings, bass and percussion, and Mr. Prekop's unobtrusive vocal style on seven of the ten selections (it's reminiscent of Brian Eno's albums "Another Green World" and "Before And After Science" - drifting and soothing, with the voice another instrument, even when there are words).
Throw away your Kenny G records - this is the one to play on a quiet romantic evening (or in the aftermath of a loud romantic evening, for that matter).
First things first. This is NOT some big sell-out LP. There are no banks of synthesizers here - there ARE some strings on a couple of tracks, but they are far from syrupy (in fact, even John Cale might balk at the dissonant arrangements - and it's ONE violin and ONE viola (played by the same person), not some Hollywood soundstage orchestra...) - it is much the same, instrumentally and vocally, as any other Sleater-Kinney album (well, the screaming of the first two is basically absent, but that has not been a facet of its work in some time anyway...).
There ARE some differences though. Janet Weiss, for better or worse, has become well-integrated into the band - some of her snazzy pyrotechnical drumming, as on 'Dig Me Out', would have been nice, but she provides solid support and is still wonderfully inventive. It's probably true that there is nothing as queer as 'One More Hour' or 'Dance Song 97' on here - but those of us who know about the women in this band (well, Carrie and Corin - I believe Janet might identify as straight...) already know that's a facet of their personalities.
Carrie (guitar/vocals) has become a more confident, prettier vocalist, though there are times she could open up a bit more. Corin (vocals/guitar) is still a fireball, though, much as with Janet's drumming, there is less wild sturm und drang here.
Production and arrangement wise, the material is very intricate, with a wide array of sounds (not just the fuzztone guitars of 'Dig Me Out' or the scraping attack of 'Call The Doctor' or 'Sleater-Kinney').
They do address the whole selling-out charges against them on 'The End of You', in a complex way, inasmuch as (and this is something that irritated me in high school, long before I was even all that aware of indie rock) some people don't want their favourite artists to reach out - I do wonder how young kids think people survive, or how artists work - you cannot continue if you do not have some response or income. It is not a crime to try and make your work sound as good as it can (though I remember an interview with Bryan Ferry once where he said that he had reached 72 tracks of sound on some songs, on an album that never appeared, and it wasn't done - um, maybe there's nothing THERE, Bryan...there are logical limits, I suppose...), and it is surely up to the artist to decide what his/her comfort level is, and not to the dedicated fan, who you would think should try to understand (if you think you cannot stomach a direction someone is going in, stop buying the material - but please don't think that gives you the right to dismiss any new fans as 'not in on the ground level' or 'poseurs' - because it doesn't...). We all make compromises of some sort, and sometimes they're good, while sometimes they're bad - but they're OUR compromises - not yours - and we have to live with the consequences of our decisions. Purity police have no real place in the world of art.
Whew - rant off! It IS, I suppose, mostly a record of love/relationship songs, but hardly sappy ones ('God Is A Number' has promise, but is a bit weak in its anti-corporate message...). It is lustful, assertive stuff, except for the concluding, rather sad song, "A Quarter To Three", whose fade contains the first keyboard instrument (I THINK it's an accordion...) to appear on the record (some of the organ from 'Dig Me Out' might have been nice, but that's quibbling...).
I liked it - not as much as 'Dig Me Out' - but I liked it. If your choices are Jewel or this, I'd have to say select the Sleater-Kinney.
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