== ISSUE 184 ==== CONSUMABLE ONLINE ======== [August 11, 1999] Editor: Bob Gajarsky E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com Managing Editor: Lang Whitaker Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim Kennedy, Al Muzer, Joe Silva Correspondents: Michelle Aguilar, Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Mike Bederka, Tracey Bleile, Jason Cahill, Matthew Carlin, Patrick Carmosino, John Davidson, Andrew Duncan, Krisjanis Gale, Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Franklin Johnson, Steve Kandell, Reto Koradi, Robin Lapid, Karen Mulhern, Linda Scott, Don Share, Scott Slonaker, Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Jon Steltenpohl, Michael Van Gorden, Simon West Technical Staff: Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription information is given at the end of this issue. ================================================================== All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the editor. ================================================================== .------------. | Contents | `------------' INTERVIEW: Speech - Lang Whitaker REVIEW: Guided By Voices, _Do the Collapse_ - Steve Kandell REVIEW: Pretenders, _Viva El Amor_ - Joann D. Ball REVIEW: Freedy Johnston, _Blue Days, Black Nights_ - Michael Van Gorden REVIEW: Superchunk, _Come Pick Me Up_ - Steve Kandell REVIEW: Los Lobos, _This Time_ - Tracey Bleile REVIEW: The Verve Pipe, _The Verve Pipe_ - Karen Mulhern REVIEW: Various, _No Boundaries - A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees_ - Mike Bederka REVIEW: Len, _Can't Stop the Bum Rush_ - Michelle Aguilar REVIEW: Kristin Hersh, _Sky Motel_ - Chelsea Spear REVIEW: Verbena, _Into The Pink_ - Tracey Bleile REVIEW: Various, _Surf Monsters_ - Michelle Aguilar NEWS: Caroline Distribution, Shalamar / Midnight Star, Rhino Records 21st annual Retrofest TOUR DATES: Atari Teenage Riot, Black Sabbath / Godsmack, Blondie / Reel Big Fish, Duran Duran, Julian Lennon, Alanis Morissette / Tori Amos, Pietasters, Pretenders, Sevendust / Skunk Anansie / Powerman 5000, Splender, Mike Viola And The Candy Butchers, Ween, Weird Al Yankovic Back Issues of Consumable --- INTERVIEW: Speech - Lang Whitaker I knew I was going way out in the country when the directions to Todd "Speech" Thomas's house included "after you get on the two-lane road, turn down the dirt road with eight mailboxes mounted in a cluster on the corner." But country living suits Todd "Speech" Thomas just fine; Lord knows Speech is relishing his peace and quiet these days, after living the hard knock life the last few years. After the dissolvement of his pioneering hip-hop group Arrested Development, Speech ran into a spate of legal hurdles that arrested his artistic development. Now, with a solo record about to drop through TVT Records, Speech is still thirsty. CONSUMABLE ONLINE: Tell me exactly how it went down with Arrested Development breaking up. SPEECH: Basically, Arrested Development started having problems even during the touring of our first album (1992's _3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days In The Life Of..._). We were having problems with egos, and people being jealous of each other, money and greed -- all of those things started really taking effect. We basically were not getting along, but we were really holding it together for the sake of the group, because we were really taking off. Here was a band that had been broke, and all of a sudden we had a chance, and we didn't want to mess that up because of some personality differences. CO: So then why didn't you stay together? SPEECH: We would have stayed at it, but the tension continued to grow. So, by the time we did the second album, _Zingalamaduni_, that was really like pulling teeth to even do that album, because the dissension had gotten so bad. After _Zingalamaduni_ came out, we did a lot of touring. The last tour was did in Asia, and when we came back from Atlanta there were offers for other tours and offers to get back in the studio, and none of us answered; nobody was willing to do anything. We didn't really decide that we should break up, it was just that no one said anything. It was something that was uncommunicated, but known. We just couldn't do it anymore. CO: Then you released your first solo album, _Speech_, right? SPEECH: Yeah. I'm a musician, so I continued to write music. EMI had heard it, but we didn't know what to do with it, but we both wanted to release it. So, we did a solo album and entitled it _Speech_, and it was just a bunch of songs that I had written. CO: And then your label, EMI Records, collapsed... SPEECH: Yeah, they just totally fell apart. I don't know what happened to them. CO: So you were kind of stuck, right? SPEECH: What happened was, once EMI closed down, I couldn't release records, as Arrested Development, which wasn't even an issue at that time, or as Speech. At that time, I was about to release some of songs, so I was basically stuck. So, EMI in Japan had had huge success with _Speech_. It sold very well, and the single "Like Marvin Gaye Said..." was number one on the charts there for nine weeks. They called me and said, "Hey, we heard you did some new stuff. Can we release it?" I wasn't sure, so we got with all the business guys and the lawyers and stuff and found out that I could actually release music overseas. But I couldn't do anything in the states, because even though the label wasn't capable of releasing records, I was still signed as an artist. So for about two years I was releasing stuff in Asia. I released an album called _Disciples of a Lyrical Rebellion_, and I released _1998 Hoopla_. I also released records from two groups I represent, Nadirah and El Pus. So, I released four records in Asia over a two year period, and all of them did pretty well. I was also touring consistently over there, which was great. All of that was sort of just biding me time. Finally I was able to get off the label here. So, we started shopping some stuff, and I talked to a couple of labels, and TVT was one of the labels we talked to and decided to go with, ultimately. CO: Why did you pick TVT to do your album? SPEECH: I like independent labels, in general. I've been with a major before, and generally their philosophy is to throw an album up against the wall, and if radio or video bites at it, to go ahead. But, there are too many games with majors. To me, they're not really great at working a record. They're great at making a really good record become huger than life. Like, I've never seen anything like what happened to AD. We lost track of why people were likin' our record so much because of the machinery of a major label. They just have this power to be take something from here (gestures down by his waist), to way beyond anything you could imagine. But on the other hand, if your record doesn't get radio play and video play, they have no clue what to do with it. CO: What kind of stuff is AD going to do? Are you going to be writing most of the stuff, or will it be a collaboration? SPEECH: Oh, definitely, it will be a collaboration. I have about six or seven tunes I'd like to put on the record, but we'll have to wait and see what ends up making the record, because I'm sure we'll end up writing a bunch of tunes. But I'm really excited about working with AD again. CO: I heard that until recently, you didn't own a suit. SPEECH: (incredulously) Yeah, I just got one. CO: You went down to Saks Fifth Avenue at Phipps Plaza to get it, right? SPEECH: Yeah! How did you...how do you know about that? CO: I can't tell you that, man, but I heard you were picking it up for some kind of big shindig. SPEECH: Yeah, it was for Puffy's restaurant opening, Justin's, just recently. I heard it was a suit and tie affair, so I bought a suit. I had suit coat jackets and stuff from vintage stores, but I never had a full suit, you know... CO: ...that matches. SPEECH: (Laughs) Right. With parts that were meant for each other. I mean, my mom used to buy me suits when I was in high school. So, it was my first suit purchase. CO: Have you worn it again, since then? SPEECH: Yeah. I've worn it for shows. I liked it actually. I sort of freaked it out, meaning I untucked my shirt and didn't wear the tie. But it's just cool; it's an Armani suit. It fits really well. I never was into designer clothing, until I tried it. For some reason, it actually does make you feel a little cooler. (laughs) Once you get it on, you sort of get the point. --- REVIEW: Guided By Voices, _Do the Collapse_ (TVT) - Steve Kandell After years of threatening to record an album that doesn't sound like it was recorded in a small bathroom, Dayton's frighteningly prolific lo-fi hero Robert Pollard has finally followed through with the brand new _Do the Collapse_. A few tips for those fans disenchanted with this decision: 1. Listen to _Do the Collapse_ in a small bathroom. 2. Unplug at least one of your speakers while listening to _Do the Collapse_. 3. Turn your stereo up as loud as it can go, then listen to _Do the Collapse_ from your next door neighbor's house. Guaranteed decline in fidelity. 4. Make a cassette copy of _Do the Collapse_ and only listen to it on one of those mono tape recorders from 1979. As ludicrous as these suggestions may sound, all are preferable to dismissing the new Guided By Voices (GBV) album outright, as tempting as that may seem to the hardcore faithful. While Ric Ocasek's production undoubtedly gives the music a sheen it has never had, this is still at its core a GBV album, complete with willfully obscure lyrics and faux-British Invasion intonations. Nowhere is the former Cars leader's stamp more evident than on the album's opening track, "Teenage FBI," which boasts synth bass and enough keyboard flourishes to make it sound like a refugee from _Candy-O_, or maybe the first Rentals album. _Do the Collapse_'s most obvious departure is the lighter-waving, arm-swaying, strings-enhanced arena rock ballad "Hold On Hope," a bid for Top 40 glory that couldn't be more blatant if it came with a box of chocolates for your local radio programmer. But it's hard to knock Pollard for this. He's written and released about three thousand songs in the past eight years; he's allowed to want a hit, and he's certainly worked hard enough for it. Anyway, the idea of Guided By Voices actually gaining mainstream acceptance, of "Hold On Hope" becoming a prom theme standard or popping up on the soundtrack of a very special episode of Dawson's Creek, is too brilliant to resist. Fans can take great solace in the fact that this will never, ever happen. Less a band than a brand, Pollard has changed GBV members so frequently that Andy Warhol's legendary aphorism might be amended to "In the future, everyone will be in Guided By Voices for fifteen minutes." It is becoming increasingly hard to discern what makes an album a Robert Pollard solo effort (he's released two) or a Guided By Voices project (counts range from 13 to 16, depending on what you're calling an "album.") It seems as if Pollard himself isn't sure either; the low-fi fragments that used to comprise GBV albums are now saved for his solo records as he tries push Guided By Voices towards greater pop legitimacy. This time around, former Breeder/Amp Jim MacPherson plays drums, part-time GBV associate and full-time Dayton attorney Greg Demos plays bass, and guitarist Doug Gilliard is the sole survivor from the Mag Earwhig band of two years ago. (Just to keep things confusing, the album photos show no less than six current GBV'ers, including touring bassist Tim Tobias and touring rhythm guitarist Nate Farley, also late of the Breeders and the Amps.) What Ocasek seems to have done is rein in Pollard's tendency to leave songs half-finished, as _Do the Collapse_ boasts sixteen full-blown pop songs -- no fragments -- many of which are more than three minutes long. A few, such as the mid-tempo "Things I Will Keep" and "Liquid Indian" hold up against any in the stunningly large GBV catalogue, and "In Stitches" is the best one-chord GBV tune since "Postal Blowfish." And for those who simply cannot abide by this new trend towards more conventional pop composition, a new Pollard solo album or one of his collections under the pseudonym Lexo and the Leapers is due to be released in about twenty minutes. --- REVIEW: Pretenders, _Viva El Amor_ (Warner Bros.) - Joann D. Ball "They don't make 'em like they used to!" That's the message the Pretenders convincingly deliver on the new release _Viva El Amor_ . The memorable line, taken from the CD's lead track and current UK single "Popstar," is a sharp response to a strayed lover who should have realized that he never had it so good. But the sentiment also neatly sums up the Pretenders incredible staying power. Exploding onto the post-punk scene twenty years ago, the Pretenders took the musical path less taken by combining punk attitude with rock stylings and pop sensibilities. The Pretenders forged a distinctive sound with singer/songwriter Chrissie Hynde's trademark tough and tender vocals framed by a guitar-driven melodic approach. And as the Pretenders prove on _Viva El Amor_, the winning combination is timeless and still irresistable. On the band's seventh studio effort, Hynde, original drummer Martin Chambers, guitarist Adam Seymour and bassist Andy Hobson are as fresh and energized as ever. Kicking off with the catchy buzz of "Popstar," _Viva El Amor_ showcases the full range of the Pretenders' musical essence. "Who's Who" and "Baby's Breath" overflow with the chiming guitars and magical moments one expects from the band, while "From the Heart Down," which features the Duke Quartet, captures the stripped down beauty displayed on 1995's unplugged _Isle of View_. Tender moments can also be found on the sensual "Samurai" and on the cover of the Spanish-language song "Rabo Du Nube." The Pretenders balance the soft and hard on the emotion-filled "Dragway 42," and display their characteristic edge on the raucuous rocker "Legalise Me." Complete with a count-off from Chambers and guest guitar work from Jeff Beck, "Legalise Me" recalls the full-on aggression last heard on 1994's _Last of the Independents_. The first UK single "Human" (also the theme for the short-lived American television show "Cupid"), however, has to be the best Pretenders song the band never wrote. With Jules Shear on board to further sweeten the backing vocals, the Pretenders infuse the Divinyls' original with their definitive brand of shimmering pop. And Hynde gives the song's lyrics and especially the "I'm only human on the inside" chorus such a personal touch that "Human" actually seems autobiographical. The revealing "Biker," for which the release was originally to be named, closes the 45-minute _Viva El Amor_. Demonstrating that wisdom comes with age, the twelve tracks on the record skillfully explore the familiar subjects of love and the human condition. And packaged with a striking cover photo of Chrissie Hynde in a propagandist revolutionary pose (taken by the late Linda McCartney), _Viva El Amor_ delivers exactly what it promises. Long Live Love, indeed! For Pretenders information online, visit the official Pretenders Archives website http://members.tripod.com/~PretendersArchives and the related site http://www.pretenders.org --- REVIEW: Freedy Johnston, _Blue Days, Black Nights_ (Elektra) - Michael Van Gorden With the opening line of "I sail alone in a homemade boat," Freedy Johnston perfectly sets the mood for his latest and most emotionally moving album to date. Ever the master storyteller, on _Blue Days, Black Nights_, Freedy uses his simple melodies, well-chosen words and a very spare sounding record to tug at our heart strings, bring up old, long forgotten memories and just plain get under our emotional skin. "Underwater Life" opens the CD with the above line, and proceeds to paint a picture of a lonely man who uses his homemade boat to haul trash, all the while enduring the jeers and jokes of his peers, until one night he realizes that he would be willing to "trade his own today, for the underwater life." The characters in Freedy's songs have always been fleshed out by the well chosen words and the haunting, rolling melodies that are so subtle, yet seem to ingrain themselves in your mind. Freedy again takes the simple approach to these songs, much like he did on "Western Sky" from his previous CD _Never Home_. In fact, if songs like "Western Sky" and "Evie's Tears" are some of your favorites, then this CD is tailor made for you. There are no loud crunching guitar sounds (ala _On the Way Out_), but Freedy has constructed a very intimate setting for his stories of loneliness hurt, alienation and emotional pain. For those that already think moving can be a sad, somber experience, try "Moving on a Holiday," with lines like "old address book in my hand/How'd I lose my place again/The only thing not packed away/moving on a holiday," which evoke memories of the finality of moving away from something dear. In another sad tale, "The Farthest Lights," an astronomer wonders whether all the time he spent gazing at the stars has caused the light to go out in his wife's eyes. Again using imagery so vivid and alive, the astronomer asks himself "I will ask but you won't say/Do I watch the sky too much/familiar and so far away." The central character of "Pretend It's Summer" remembers when he met the love of his life, and how "a summer storm wasn't over yet / We discovered our initials matched." When things don't work out he longs for the old days so much he begins to pretend it's summer, going out in the winter and "picks flowers in the snow all day." As the story comes to an end, the music also begins to fade, and you hope that the pain and the memory fade along with it. As sad as this CD may sound, the melodies and Freedy's singing seem to give the character's hope. No matter how bad off they may sound, you find yourself pulling for them, buoyed by the melodies and the exceptional playing of Freedy's band. With Cameron Grieder on guitar, Jim Keltner on drums, and Andy Hess on bass, the music is subdued yet powerful. This album is perfect for those "3 a.m." moments, when you're trying to sort through the cobwebs in your mind. This album ranks right up there with Jules Shear's _Between Us_, on which Freedy guests. With the growth this CD shows, I look forward to Freedy's next album, while I wallow in the beauty of this one. --- REVIEW: Superchunk, _Come Pick Me Up_ (Merge) - Steve Kandell Rare is the band that remains intact after a decade. Rarer still is one that remains valid after this long a stretch. But a band that manages to put out a ninth album that not only stands with its best, builds on the advances made on previous releases to push the songs in interesting new directions without sacrificing an iota of what made the band work in the first place? that's beyond rare. It's a statistical anomaly. And it is, I am delighted and relieved to report, Superchunk. With nothing left to prove musically and requisite talk of commercial breakthrough long since dismissed as fantasy, it would be easy for Chapel Hill's venerable Superchunk to go the way of so many of their contemporaries and simply fade into the indie rock woodwork. They should be broken up by now, or sounding tired at best. Most of the bands who started out the decade as their peers are either long gone or in trouble. Rumors abound that Pavement may not last the month, and Sonic Youth desperately needs new gear and a better padlock. But the songs on _Come Pick Me Up_ go far beyond complacent, and are hardly the work of a band on its last legs. Superchunk frontman Mac MacCaughan puts it best himself in "1000 Pounds" when he sings "You came through/When no one expected you to." From Jon Wurster's synthy metallic drums that start off the album's spirited opening track "So Convinced," it is clear that the band intends to show off some new tricks. With Chicago post-rock impresario Jim O'Rourke manning the boards, Superchunk's pogo-happy punk pop tunes now boast such adornments as keyboards, strings and horns, but are used with restraint and never overwhelm the songs. The organs got a workout on the last record, 1997's _Indoor Living_, but nothing Superchunk has ever put out hints at the Clarence Clemons-like sax solo at the end of "Pink Clouds." 1994's _Foolish_, still their strongest album, was actually criticized when it came out for daring to slow things down and stress melody over crunching power chords. Each subsequent album has managed to take the songwriting advances of the one before it and add new flourishes, all without taking away from the elements that make Superchunk so simple but distinctive. _Come Pick Me Up_ is actually a logical progression from _Indoor Living_, which itself was the next step from 1995's _Here's Where the Strings Come In_. Lest the skeptical faithful lament that this is all just the further watering down of a once furious punk band, the new album actually rocks harder than _Indoor Living_, and is more consistently innovative than any band whose music publishing company is called "All the Songs Sound the Same" has a right to be. And for all the talk about new sounds and new directions, the album's best song actually would have sounded right at home on _No Pocky for Kitty_. "Good Dreams" is as raucous and infectious as anything the band has ever done, from "Seed Toss" to "Without Blinking" to "Precision Auto." And they are not bringing a brass section out on the road; live, even the most ornate songs are stripped to their punk cores while Mac and bassist Laura Balance bounce around so much they make Angus Young look as sedentary as John Popper. On any given night in any given city, countless rock bands with two guitars, bass, and drums get together somewhere and play frenzied punk pop songs about frustrations romantic or otherwise. It is not unique, and it is not brain surgery. But for some reason, and I can't even put my finger on why, Superchunk is simply better at it than any of them. See them before they break up or get tired. --- REVIEW: Los Lobos, _This Time_ (Hollywood) - Tracey Bleile The members of Los Lobos are closing in on a major anniversary, somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty-five years as a group. And like any long-term relationship, the Lobos have learned the secret lesson of making it work - over the past year and a half, the various members have taken the time to do their "own thing". Sometimes that is the ultimate key to how you approach the original relationship, and infuse it with new life - don't be afraid to have separate interests. The added change of a new label for the first time in a very long time may also have something to do with this. _This Time_ takes this cue beautifully, exploring all the different avenues the various members have ventured recently. The Lobos have always been way ahead of the curve when it comes to defying genres (or is it defining their own?). The more traditional R&B and blues foray by Cesar Rosas (who released his first ever solo record this year) lends a new aggressive touch to the proceedings. "That's Why We Wish" has that same dance party feel that some of the great tracks featured on the Rosas release. So take your good ol' R&B groove. Now link it in a jaw-dropping seamless fashion to the percussive, experimental twists of the Latin Playboys (David Hidalgo and Louie Perez, joined by their longtime producer friend, Mitchell Froom and Tchad Blake, who are on board with this release as producers as well). This end result with this record melds into some of the most buzzy, funky blues these guys have slung yet. The wah-wah's turned up high on "Viking", and "High Places" smokes just right with that sharp plucked guitar punctuating every beat. Toss in the spice of many of Los Lobos' members participating in the Cali-Texas Latin supergroup Los Super Seven, and it makes the traditional Latin/Nortena stripe of Los Lobos' nature a little more tigerish. The mariachi snap of "Cumbia Raza" is pure summer pleasure, and "La Playa" has a punchy, loping beat that will indeed have you dreaming of sun, sand and dancing outside. Even the ballad this time (no pun intended) 'round, "Corazon" gives you visions of torrid tangos, not longing or bereft lovers. Saying too much more seems almost excessive. This is a tough, cool, tight record by a bunch of guys who know what the hell they are doing, and make it easy to buy what they're selling. After the stylized beauty of _Kiko_ and the over-the-top smeary mess of _Colossal Head_, Los Lobos shows once again their knack for death-defying twists and turns musically. They know each other well, and here's hoping the honeymoon never ends for this relationship. --- REVIEW: The Verve Pipe, _The Verve Pipe_ (RCA) - Karen Mulhern The self titled, _The Verve Pipe_, is a study in the redefinition of a band. Where _Villains_ had a consistent, if somewhat overproduced sound, The Verve Pipe_ does not. Each song varies in styling, tempo, and poetic appeal, yet all share a central theme of lessons learned the hard way. Nowhere is this more evident than in "F-word", an examination of post-"Freshmen" self doubt and the difficulty in moving on. Brian Vander Ark's description of moshing (assault diguised as dancing) and the metaphor that follows (so part the wave and drop the dead as driftwood surfer) make for powerful imagery. In a similar but more upbeat way, "Hero" is a self deprecating look at reconciling who we are with who we think we are. The hard-driving "Supergig" is an expose of fear and the fences thrown up to keep it at bay. "We used to care, we don't anymore," and the repetitiive "there's not a missing link" are said defensively, not as statements of fact. And what of love and relationships? In "Headlines" they're strictly physical but the narrator is taken to task for being superficial. In the end he realizes "my all was just medium." "Television" explores the sadistic way we wallow in pity when we know we should move past the pain. "Turn it up, turn it down, tune me in, tune me out" clearly shows the quandry. But sometimes relationships are sheer perfection, as seen in the beautifully poetic "Kiss Me Idol." With angelic vocals and a dreamlike melody, Vander Ark sings ,"so close your eyes and catch your breath and I will wait right here." He describes a love so perfect, even a casual listener would be impressed. The band has described _The Verve Pipe_ as the "record of our lives." With candor, emotion and incredible songwriting, the band has shared with us their growth not only as musicians but as people. In "She Loves Everybody" Donny wrote, "flashing lights, the music's loud, I'm questioning if this is destiny." Without question, this eclectic mix of songs is certainly that and more. --- REVIEW: Various, _No Boundaries - A Benefit for the Kosovar Refugees_ (Epic) - Mike Bederka With an album such as this, you almost feel guilty criticizing it. What kind of heartless person would disrespect these artists? The Kosovar refugees have lost everything and now a bunch of bands donated some tracks to help them out. What's not to like? Well, how about a third of the album? But for the most part, "No Boundaries" is quality mix of rare, live and unreleased tracks from old-timers and some fairly fresh meat. Neil Young provides a riveting live version of "War of Man" from the "Harvest Moon" album. When he utters, "No one wins / It's a war of man," it's hard to ignore the relevance. And when his grandchildren, Pearl Jam, bookend the album with a pair of covers, the band's dipping popularity should stop dead its track. "Last Kiss," the 1964 hit by J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers, has been gracing radios for the past few months. And their rocking version of Arthur Alexander's "Soldier of Love" should also do the same. Rage Against the Machine equally deserves some recognition for the turn-the-stereo-up cover of Bruce Springsteen's "The Ghost of Tom Joad." Honorary mention goes to The Wallflowers and Oasis for playing some actually decent, non-whiny numbers. As for the flip side, Bush and Jamiroquai get the yesterday's news honors. Bush does the acoustic (!) thing on "Come Down." Great, all we need, a bland version of an already bland song. C'mon guys, you pump out singles like they are going out of style. I'm sure you have something new and tasty in your collection. And that guy with the big hat offers the pointless, instrumental number "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing." Hey Jamiroquai, just stick to making slick videos okay. Korn and Ben Folds Five also do nothing for themselves with their disappointing additions to "No Boundaries." Korn's remix of "Freak on a Leash" is mediocre, and Ben Folds' ditty "Leather Jacket" meanders nowhere and lacks the band's usual fire. Of course the cause is greater than the music, but at the very least you wished some of the artists would have put up more of a fight. --- REVIEW: Len, _Can't Stop the Bum Rush_ (Sony / WORK Group) - Michelle Aguilar Do you remember the first time they started running ads for mail-order '80s music compilations a few years ago? You know, where they always put some poor-bastard aging bit actor or ex-Mtv veejay into a suede vest and jeans and had him read excitedly off a cue card, "The '80s are back!" Well, when I first starting noticing these commercials, I was soon struck by the utter diversity of the titles scrolling down my television screen -- ranging from forgotten singles by bands like Haircut 100 to hits from the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack to Young MC. There was no regard to genres, to levels of success, or any kinds of musical signposts; really, a remarkably democratic view of music of the decade. I guess the diversity makes sense, once you sit down and think about it. The fly-by-night record labels who put together these compilations aren't exactly aesthetes or even '80s devotees, out to further a certain genre of '80s music. They're guys in their forties, in ill-fitting suits barking over phones from offices in East Rutherford, N.J. that have fake wood panelling on the walls. ("Flock of what? What the hell kinda name is that??? Well if they come cheap, I guess...Ahhh, who gives a damn?") Toronto's Len, whose major label debut album, _You Can't Stop the Bum Rush_, is a bit like one of those compilations. The group, which is made up of brother and sister co-founders Marc and Sharon Costanza, along with D Rock and DJ Moves (of the Toronto-Vancouver-Halifax hip hop project The Cryptik Souls Crew) leisurely and unconcernedly strut all over the musical map, from hip-hop, to New Wave, to urban dance. The one thing these songs do seem to have in common is the 1980s, in just about all its permutations. Meaning that the album is a postmodern patchwork of incongruous influences, mixed together by Dust Brother John King, and name-checked by a few industry legends along the way. Len delights in working with the now-dusty cliches of the 1980s. For example, Kraftwerk is recalled in the song, "The Hard Disk," which even features German vocals. Glam metal gets its moment in the sun with "Feelin' Alright," and even gets a quintessinal solo by Poison guitarist C.C. DeVille. Even the '80s invention Smooth Jazz is evoked in "Junebug," featuring utterly appropriate trumpet and sax and cheesy Casio beats. The inimitable Biz Markie lends his atonal vocals to the choruses on "Beautiful Day," easily outclassing host mc, D-Rock, whose phrasing style at times hints at a hopeless yearning to have grown up below the Canadian border in south central Los Angeles. D-Rock's hour-by-hour description of the events of his day recalls thematically the songs of N.W.A. and Snoop Dogg, except D-Rock's days are filled with Monty Python movies, phone calls from his friends at Yale and bailing his friends out of the city jail for miscellaneous mischief. Overall, there's enough empty cliche mining fun here. There's a certain amount of appeal to hearing songs that are bound to make your grin despite yourself, and I would feel uncomfortable recommending against it unequivocally. This album is bound to call up a smile if you're the right age to know the reference points. But this aspect is also a potential Achilles heel for "You Can't Stop the Bum Rush": After all, if someone wants to hear a collection of parodies of well-known artists, there is always the danger they'll just go out and buy Weird Al Yankovic records. The problem becomes even uglier when you start to realize that Len (perhaps themselves even unwittingly) has called in supposed heroes like Blow, Markie, and DeVille to participate in creating cliches of their former glories, cliches that were innovative when the artists first thought of them. To me, it comes as no surprise that this album's stand-out single is the mellow, gently catchy boy-girl duet "Steal My Sunshine," which was featured on the "Go" soundtrack in March. The trippy single, with its undeniable sample of the Andrea True Connection's, "More, More, More," is striking for its originality in comparison to the rest of the album, perhaps because songwriter Marc Costanza wrote it after getting seriously messed up at a rave. "Sunshine" is the only song on the album that doesn't overtly sound like something else. It is the only song that almost sounds spontaneous, which automatically raises it exuberantly above the rest of the material. It's as if for a brief moment, Costanza's carefully constructed defenses against showing his real self were momentarily broken down, even though he claims he was only trying to write a Human League song. At times, listening to this album feels like eating cotton candy: Its musical texture is a sweet novelty at first, but the pastiche aspects of these songs threaten to undermine their staying power, like the fluffy sweetness that eventually turns into a pile of sugar in your mouth, utterly lacking in redeeming nourishment. But then again, a pile of sugar can sometimes be just what you're craving... Ahh, who gives a damn? --- REVIEW: Kristin Hersh, _Sky Motel_ (4AD) - Chelsea Spear Ignore the gauzy photography and beautiful packaging of _Sky Motel_, the photos of singer/songwriter Kristin Hersh looking all twinkly and happy. Disregard the enveloping, SurroundSound production and the chirpy-sweet first single and leadoff track, "Echo." Within the pits on this CD, Hersh has documented the long, dark night of the soul that has engulfed her in the three years since she was forced to dissolve her internationally renowned first band, Throwing Muses. The songs on _Sky Motel_ revel in strange, minor-chord tunings (such as "San Francisco"), rarely used time signatures and odd rhythmic patterns (the haunting "Costa Rica"), as well as melodies that both swoon and dirge ("Clay Feet"). As usual, Hersh's lyrics are usually cryptic and rife with disturbing imagery, as on the effectively molasses-paced "Caffeine," though even at their most direct they can unsettle listeners with nerves of steel, as with the album closer "Faith": "Was it me or the heat?/Made you not believe/Made you lose your faith in the afterlife," Hersh pleads with listeners. Even the joyous bossa nova skip of "Echo" cloaks a less-than-innocuous lyric ("I'm scaring everybody, I'm wearing everybody down") that seems to warn of tumult to come. Anyone buying this record in search of the cherubic joy of _Strange Angels_ or even parts of _Hips and Makers_ will find this jarring, to say the least. That said, Hersh's first album with a band is an exhilarating, emotionally involving listen from beginning to end. The contrast between the at times wrist slashingly depressing lyrics and music and the brightly-coloured production serves to remind listeners of a popular theme within Hersh's lyrics, and, indeed, her life: the fact that happiness and misery can co-exist. Even at its bleakest, the music retains a playful side, demonstrated through the bongos that dance through "Costa Rica" or the Ravellian snare drum that keeps "Faith" moving forward. Hersh's new-found songwriting ability also adds a new dimension to the songs that grace _Sky Motel_. In years previous, Hersh didn't write songs so much as channel them, as they came through her walls and entered her cerebral cortex. Her muse, the muse that gave her band a name, abandoned her before she had the chance to write this album. Hearing the songs she writes from scratch is another testament to her ability as a songwriter - the all-out rocker "A Cleaner Light" and glidingly melodic "San Francisco" - are as affecting as "Juno" and "Devil's Roof" were a decade ago. The one song she wrote with the aid of a muse, "Cathedral Heat," is one of the most affecting things ever committed to recording device, a moody environment that engulfs the listener and refuses to let go. In short, Kristin Hersh has created a masterpiece with her first solo-album-with-band, _Sky Motel_. Adventurous listeners not shy to things that go bump in the night will greatly appreciate such an intuitive, stunningly beautiful album. On my short list for Record of the Year. --- REVIEW: Verbena, _Into The Pink_ (Capitol) - Tracey Bleile This band's major label debut also marks off a new production credit for Foo Fighters' mastermind Dave Grohl (who previously scored the film Touch). The end result is a snarly, wound-tight, percussion heavy power pop punk effort. Word has it that their label, Capitol was the winner in what turned out to be a battle royale to sign this Birmingham, AL trio. Grohl's discovery of the band's Merge full-length _Souls For Sale_ started them down the road to a shared tour in the U.S. and overseas, and when the time came for Verbena to begin _Into The Pink_, the mutual respect led them to working with Grohl in this capacity. The results are surprising - the harmonizing on many tracks of guitarist Scott Bondy and bassist Anne Marie Griffin is reminiscent of L.A. punk heroes X ("Baby Got Shot"), the splashy drums and feedback recall, yes, no getting around it, Nirvana ("John Beverly") and the last traces of grunge. Let there be no hue and cry of recycling - this is what you get with smart musicians and an equally smart producer. The only drawback to this kind of album is tendency for the songs to begin to blur a bit together - the sound is highly consistent without a lot of variance. But if you dig drony and thunderous with a touch of that punk attitude (check "Submissionary" for line, chapter, and verse), you won't be sent awry here. One of the great misleading things about this record is the gentle piano and quiet vocals of the opening track "Lovely Isn't Love" and the single guitar/voices of the closer "Big Skies, Black Rainbows". Beautiful bookends that hold up all the volumes (and volume) _Into The Pink_ possesses in its catalog of talent. --- REVIEW: Various, _Surf Monsters_ (Del-Fi) - Michelle Aguilar The runaway success of Quentin Tarantino's film "Pulp Fiction" in 1994 was perhaps both the best and worst thing to happen to surf music in the last thirty years. On the one hand, it elevated a whole archive of excellent surf instrumentalists from subculture status straight into the mainstream. On the other hand, this meteoric revival ensured that within a year surf would be dead on arrival for your average twentysomething, who was already casting it aside for the more fertile ground of gym shirts and bell bottoms. Before long, surf was a suspect fad. The genre deserves better than that. The lengths to which '60s surf musicians went trying to recreate the sound of a surfer caught inside his perfect wave are still as impressive today as they were in 1964. Guitarists may have gotten speedier these days and may be able to play more notes at once (though Dick Dale's dexterity is still a force to be reckoned with). Yet, for the most part, the sonic atmospheres of '60s surf bands (like the Tornadoes, etc.) have remained elusive to many musicians in the past decade who discovered their parents' surf records and began trying to emulate them. The problem is this: Instrumental Surf was a fairly short-lived, indie label phenomenon, meaning that the techniques of its artists were poorly documented. For the most part, the answers to the mysteries of the elusive surf sound remain only in the cheap, rushed recordings that small, singles-oriented labels could produce. And even today, Dick Dale knows better than to give up any of his secrets. While the Tarantino surf craze may be over, there is still a goodly number of bands out there playing around with the surf mythology, as there were several years before Amanda Plummer ever uttered the words "I love you, pumpkin" on celluloid. Seventeen of those bands, old and new, appear on _Surf Monsters_, a summer compilation by Del-Fi Records. A handful of the more interesting new surf artists out today are featured here, although none owned by Del-Fi, the grandaddy of '60s surf which was recently resurrected by its 76-year-old original owner, Bob Keane. Whoever put together _Surf Monsters_ was wise to open the disc with Man or Astro Man? Their "Flotation Devices For Frequencies Yet To Be Detected" is a contender for the most innovative of the modern tracks on this album. Computer effects, odd uses of keyboards (like the Moog, the Arp, and God knows what other wonderful gadgetry) get very equal time with vintage sounding surf guitar and '60s production values. The result is an almost unclassifiable hybrid that uses the surf genre as a touchstone, rather than getting bogged down in exact mimicry. Another modern surf band, The Tiki-Tones, take a similar approach to the genre with their lounge-exotica inspired "The Island of Lost Soul." The band uses authentic-sounding surf guitar, in combination with sampled bongos, bird noises and keyboard loops, to create what is essentially a dance track. Of course, the compilation has its share of exact mimicry as well, such as the second-generation surf bands The Bomboras ("Plant of the Apehangers"), Satan's Pilgrims ("Harem Nocturne") and The Space Cossacks ("The Apes of Wrath"). These bands all do a fine job of figuring out the elusive alchemy of cavernous reverb, distorted instruments and vaguely Middle Eastern-sounding tonality that defines the surf sound. (Satan's Pilgrims are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing, in fact. They sound quite at home alongside the next track, by an actual '60s surf band, The Original Surfaris, who contribute their seminal "Bombora.") However, the problem with going down the mimicry road is that only a select few bands today can manage to get out of a modern studio the je ne sais quois that makes a traditional surf record sound authentic instead of stilted and postmodern. With a whopping 20 tracks, _Surf Monsters_ goes against the odds and loses on three or four occasions. But that's still a pretty good ratio, when you consider the nine vintage tracks that are on this album. A few are repeats from the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack/Rhino _Legends of Surf Guitar_ compilation. But there are plenty of other nuggets to enjoy, especially if you're a relative newcomer to the surf catalog; check out the two excellent tunes each by Dave Myers and the Surftones and The Sentinals. For those of you in the past who have relied solely on Quentin Tarantino and your local oldies station for your surf music needs, it may interest you to hear what other '60s bands like The Lively Ones and The Impacts were doing with "Miserlou" and "Wipe Out." Then, shuffle the disc player and find out what the next generation is up to. --- NEWS: > Happy birthday to Caroline Distribution! The distributors who provide music for labels including Astralwerks, and have helped in the success of bands including Smashing Pumpkins, Offspring, Green Day, Fatboy Slim, Ben Folds Five, Chemical Brothers, Nirvana and Hole will be turning 16 this month. > EMI / The Right Stuff have recently released greatest hits albums for two top R&B acts of the 80s, Shalamar and Midnight Star. > Rhino Records will be celebrating its 21st anniversary with their first annual RetroFest. The pop culture festival will take place both indoors and outdoors at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in Santa Monica, Calif. on Friday, August 13; Saturday, August 14; and Sunday, August 15. The all-day $15 ticket admission will include admission to all concerts, events, and exhibits for that day. Although there are numerous events during the weekend, concerts from Berlin, Missing Persons, Sam Moore, Sugarhill Gang, Ohio Players, Dick Dale and more are the highlight of the fun. For more information, check out http://www.rhino.com/retrofest --- TOUR DATES: Atari Teenage Riot Aug. 11 Kansas City, MO Memorial Hall Aug. 13 Denver, CO Fillmore Aug. 14 Oklahoma City, OK Boars Head Aug. 15 Austin, TX Emo's Aug. 17 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade Black Sabbath / Godsmack Aug. 12 Hershey, PA Hershey Stadium Aug. 14 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion Aug. 16 Cincinnati, OH River Bend Aug. 18 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena Aug. 20 Cleveland, OH Blossom Blondie / Reel Big Fish Aug. 11 Boston, MA BankBoston Pavilion Aug. 12 Cleveland, OH The State Theatre Aug. 14 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre Aug. 15 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theatre Aug. 16 Minneapolis, MN Guthrie Theatre Aug. 18 Salt Lake City, UT ECenter Theatre Aug. 20 Concord, CA Concord Pavilion Duran Duran Aug. 12 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center Aug. 14 Boston, MA Bank Boston Pavilion Aug. 15 Lawrence, NY Jones Beach Ampitheatre Aug. 19 Tunica, MS Horsehoe Casino Aug. 20-21 Biloxi, MS Grand Casino Julian Lennon Aug. 12 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues Aug. 13 San Diego, CA Viejas Casino Aug. 14 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues Aug. 16 Scottsdale, AZ Cajun House Aug. 17 Tucson, AZ Gotham/New West Aug. 19 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre Aug. 20 Denver, CO Soiled Dove Alanis Morissette / Tori Amos Aug. 18 Ft. Lauderdale, FL NCR Arena Aug. 20 Orlando, FL Orlando Arena Pietasters Aug. 11 Cleveland, OH Euclid Tavern Aug. 12 Lancaster, PA The Chameleon Club Aug. 13 New York, NY Irving Plaza Aug. 14 Washington DC The Black Cat Aug. 19 Ljublana, SLOVENIA Hala Tivoli Aug. 20 Vienna, AUSTRIA Arena Pretenders Aug. 12 Cleveland, OH Nautica Stage Aug. 14-15, Atlantic City, NJ Hilton Casino Resort Aug. 21 Oporto, Portugal Villa De Mouros Festival Sevendust / Skunk Anansie / Powerman 5000 Aug. 16 Los Angeles, CA The Palace Aug. 19 Denver, CO Odgen Theater Splender Aug. 11 Dallas, TX Bronco Bowl Aug. 12 Austin, TX Paradox Aug. 14 Wichita, KS Kansas Coliseum Aug. 15 Lawrence, KS Granada Theater Aug. 19 Shreveport, LA Malibu Alley Aug. 20 Lafayette, LA Shanahan's Mike Viola And The Candy Butchers Aug. 18 New York, NY Torch Ween Aug. 11 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre Aug. 13 Austin, TX Stubbs Bbq Aug. 14 Dallas, TX Deep Ellum Live Aug. 15 Oklahoma City, OK Will Rogers Theater Aug. 16 Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall Aug. 18 Memphis, TN Apocalypse Aug. 19 Birmingham, AL Sloss Furnances Aug. 20 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues Weird Al Yankovic Aug. 12 North Tonawanda, NY Majestic Theatre Aug. 13 Rochester Hills, MI Meadowbrook Music Festival Aug. 14 Eureka, MO Six Flags, St. Louis Aug. 15 Cleveland, OH Nautica Stage Aug. 18 Cincinnati, OH Music Hall Aug. 19 Chicago, IL Navy Pier Aug. 20 Columbus, OH Metrostage --- Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest music reviews publication on the Internet. 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