RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
I Apache Indian: No Reservations (Island) He may be talkingoff-kilter trite ('watch out fe .-\ids'. ‘arranged marriages can be bad’. 'l‘ni de boss. the Don Raja. the (iuru. the Badd lndian‘ (lr/ infiniumi ). but Apache Indian's tri-cultural musical fusion makes for
sense. Dancehall ragga meets bhangra-muffin on a boogie night. but es en token honky fans w ho ttnderstand less than it he
vibes. l’ass me magic carpet on the left-hand
I Ry Cooder: Trespass— Original Score (WEA) and Various: Music ForThe Motion Picture Trespass
all haunted slide gttitary on us. much like he usually does when in need of a quick caslt injection and another soundtrack commission is just what the banker ordered. The twist is that 'l'res'puss - Original Score. dealing as it does with inrta city gangsta and loota. sounds edgy and dangerous. And pointless. save cult country man Junior Brown‘s hayride swinging 'l’arty Lights‘. the appearance of which is almost chillingly incongruous given the film‘s hard rap undercurrent. in much the same way as ‘Stuck In The Middle With You‘ chirps cheerfully to a backdrop ofsomc serioust savage torture in Reservoir [)ogs‘. But. hey. that's the movies for ya.
The contributions from main players Ices T and
great listening. if not great
were chatting in Cherokee can still feel the good-time
side. bwoy 3 (Calvin Bush)
(WEA) So there's Ry. going
Cube on the second album. along with those of Public Enemy and (iang
; Starr. is more suitably
I cutting-edge.cutting-face
! stuff. And the appearance
of some jazz inflections.
toasted rolls (we're talking ragga not bakery
l products).anda'kieking‘
theme from Mr (‘ooder all
suggest that the actual film might offer more than just
ho-humsneering and
posturing from the
toughest hoods in the
~ 'I lood. (Craig McLean)
I Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet: The Juliet Letters (Warner Bros) And for this year's model. Renaissance Man gets down with one of Britain‘s leading string qttartets. The bad news is that the setting encourages Costello. swinging between Brel. Brecht and Bart. to turn in histnost mannered. theatrical performances yet. lyrically. too. it‘s below par- though betterthan his last ‘proper' album. .Ulg/ily‘ Like .‘I Rust’. Still. it's by no means adisaster. “Iliitl the (.USICIIU Brodsky sound loses in tone colour and variety is more than made tip for by its intimacy. And since they had to feel their way asthey went along. without precedent to guide them. the resultsare good enough to make it all seem worthwhile. (Alastair .‘ylabbottl I Bill Frisell: Have A Little Faith (Elektra Nonesuch) I’riscll is hard to categorise at the best of times. but this project simply tears tip genre labels and throws them otit the window. It’s his first album using entirely other people‘s material. ranging from Ives and
Copland (a memorably off-the-wall re-invention of the Billy The Kirlsuite) through Sonny Rollins to Bob Dylan. John I liatt and Madonna. Some survive the distinctive I-‘risell treatment better than others. but it is provocative and highly enjoyable sttiff from a quintet which adds clarinet (the brilliant I)on Byron l and accordion to Bill‘s spectral guitar. Recommended to those with an open mind and a sense of humour. ( Kenny Mathicson)
I Superchunk: On The Mouth (City Slang) Well. it's that tricky fourth album kinda scenario that Superchunk find themselves in here. Several semesters of college rockingon a grunge (TM) tip has led them to an impasse. ls now the time to diversify and allow those latent V'iolinski influences to blossom‘.’ ()r deliver that I.l’ofbhangramuffin-style Leonard Cohen covers‘.’ Nope. they’ve again cut their cloth to the same old grubby pattern. Which means another forty minutes ofalley-cat vocals. lumpy bass. leaden guitar. and deadwood drums as executed to rip-roaring effect on current single "I’hc Question Is How Iiast‘ or tunelessly dissected on their previous yowlathon 45 ‘Mower'.
Superchunk are ctite and doggedly likcable in spite of themselves. btit regarding survival in an oversaturated area of musical endeavour the question is not how fast; the question is. how long'.’ (Fiona Shepherd)
I Tarilta SammyzFanatody (Rogue) With their eponymous multi
sunny foursome from Madagascar have built a firm following over their two visits to Scotland. A dozen unusual instruments. some self-invented. guitar and even concertina combine
as creamed coconut. the
percussion and dancing when not singing. The London recording ofthe
on bass and drums. and accordion maestro John Kirkpatrick. This is a captivating modern synthesis oftheir
country‘s varied rhythmic
) and melodic traditions
j and includes the famous
( song for reburial ofdead relatives. whom they dig up every so often and honour with a party!
instrumentalist leader. the
with four part vocals sweet
two young women playing
CD was aided and abetted by two ofthree Mustaphas
I Wendy Stewartllhout Time (Greentrax) It's about time she did too! Back from years in exile south ofthe border. Wendy Stewart is one of our great clarsach. or small harp players. and a musician of great sensitivity and feeling. Regularly heard on record and live in the folk band Ceolbeg. her harp shines here in a long awaited solo album. With uncluttered arrangements. and only occasional musicians dropping in for company. she also sings on a couple oftracks. including my least favourite. a Gaelic song a la Kennedy Fraser. But she reveals a repertoire ranging from Scotland to Scandinavia.
taking in Paraguayan harp styles. recent composition
and a beautiful old Irish air from Bunting‘s
collection.
I Michael Philip Ceilidh Band: At the Riverside
: (Springthyrne)Thc recent
renaissance of Scottish
| dancing amongthe
younger urban generation has given more work to some long established bands and created many new ones. Five years ago they would have been called Scottish dance bands. but nowadays ‘ceilidh band‘ implies a less restrained approach. more obvious fun in the playing and greater differences of playing style and instrumentation between the bands.
With the classic two accordions. keyboards. bass and drums Michael Philip's band lets rip with a bouncy. swinging authority and some unfettered drumming; enough of the old fashioned style to please the fiddle and accordion club purist. and enough hooch to intoxicate the dancers whose appreciation you can easily hear on the CD which was recorded live at that leading weekend ceilidh venue. Glasgow‘s Riverside Club. (Norman Chalmers)
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* l The List 2‘)January— 11 February 19933