RECORD REVIEWS MUSIC
I liz Phair: Whip-Smart (Matador) The curse of the brilliant debut album strikes again. Exile In Gtrvt'ille rocketed Liz Phair from obscurity to dinner-dates with Prince. and had Stateside music hacks falling over themselves to extol her brilliance. Fantastic life. But reality. in the form of the dreaded follow-up. will insist on rearing its ugly head. Expectations raised by the oh-so- quotable opener ‘Chopsticks‘ and the Paisley Park track 'Supernova‘ (basically. a good Belly or Breeders
number. but not much more) pretty quickly fall back to earth. In contrast to Erilc In Gtrvville. which kept a firm grip on the listener from beginning to end. Whip- Smurt drags its weary way through long stretches devoid of its predecessor‘s inspiration.
, lt‘s brightened along the way by the odd ear-
catching lyric or the ‘Double Dutch‘ choruses of the title track. but this
i is a let-down for the
pundits who had already crowned her the queen of indie-dom. (Alastair Mabbott)
. I dEUS: Worst Case ’ Scenario (Island) After ; one quirky powerhouse of
' a single, ‘Suds & Soda‘.
dEUS could lay claim to being the most intriguing find of the year. With their sprawling. challenging debut album they reveal the potential to be your
favourite band in the world. ()nly potential. ) mind. because there are a
few too many passages of experimental excess and lyrical pretentiousness. But better to have tried and failed . . . When they do go for the jugular. the
thrill is worth the wait.
diiUS are great manipulators of sound. capable of something as
simple as the REM-like ballad ‘Right As Rain' or
as unpredictable as the chicanery of ‘Morticia Chair‘ or as unexpected as the title track where they provide the missing link between Captain Beefheart and Cypress Hill. Overall they most resemble Pavement‘s charming cut-and-paste
' technique. but song-wise
i their experiments work
more often. Search and enjoy. (Fiona Shepherd)
; I Prolapse: Pointless
Walks To Dismal Places
(Cherry Red) Leicester‘s
A Prolapse are a
: combination of two prime
candidates for World's
; Worst Neighbours — the
‘ pugnacious couple who
argue over who squeezed
the toothpaste from the
: middle of the tube and the student commune whose music taste betrays
eccentric ideas about what
7 constitutes a good tune — such that even the most
tolerant. open-minded
listener will be found
= sucking their thumb in the
corner and begging for
? mercy after a blast of this
album. The humorous
scenarios played out by
vocalists Mick and Linda.
over insistent punkoid
3 chords. are so realistically
f petty they couldn‘t make
it into an Earle/triers
i script. That's life. but do
we need to be reminded of
what a kitchen sink looks like? (Fiona Shepherd)
Fe; "T l
i ' i i . . .1 i L ' 5; l JAZZ CLUB Every Wednesday and Friday Colin Steele (Trumpet), Russell Cowleson (Sax)
Dave Milligan (Piano), Tony T. (Bass) Stu Richie (Drums)
T h u rs d ay 8 Gary Fimister Trio/Flamenco Saturdays Bill Kyle's Jazz Pool ADMISSION FREE
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I Hamish Moore: Stepping On The Bridge (Greentrax) Three tracks in. around ‘The Yetts Of Muckart'. my feet started tapping — no bad thing. as this album sets out to capture. with Hilda Chaisson‘s authentic piano accompaniment. the spirit and rhythmic drive of the dwindling world of Cape Breton. and through that. a lost art of Scots piping. Recorded mainly in Nova Scotia. with occasional guest musicians. it succeeds. for the most part. Moore gets a bit lost in the slow ‘Magregor‘s Search’. but that‘s valid; any expressive interpretation on the pipes is better than none. There are some rough overdubs. and an irritatingly chirpy solo piano version of Burns‘ ‘0' A' The Airts‘. but there are some great lifts. as in the final. live- sounding recording of some wild Cape Breton reels. Dick Lee‘s sax yelping like a dog under the dancer‘s feet.
I Wolrstone: Year or The Dog (Green Linnet) ‘Whiie Gown‘. a song about a KKK victim is leaden. but worthy; a song in memory of the clearances. ‘The
Braes Of Sutherland' is a
sentimental pastiche. but in view of the movement to get rid of the
' eponymous Duke’s statue.
topical. and worthy. Slipping into a gentle expressive violin air. it is
avalanched by a
ponderous bagpipe-and- drums production. In ‘Morag's Reels'. after the light touch of the opening tune. the drums and rhythm section arrive with the sartorial modesty of Nicholas Fairbairn. The album is very well produced and played. doesn't lack a sense of humour and puts them way ahead in the Celtic heavy metalwork department. but this reviewer looks forward to Duncan. Ivan and the boys unplugged.
I Aly Cain and Phil Cunningham: The Pearl (Whirlie) A refreshing return to the fiddle-and- box sound that is the backbone of our instrumental tradition. Not that it’s kept that simple. Cunningham uses his skills on keyboards. cittern and whistle to put a gloss on the production. Violet Tulloch. Bain‘s long-term Shetland piano accompanist is here too. But the overall sound will certainly delight the audience of ‘Take The Floor'. The tempo may
sometimes start to feel a : bit pushed. and there
; might be a tendency to
i milk a slow air. but there
i is bravura instrumental
; mastery and. though
Q exploring a wide variety
5 of material from Cajun to
i Cape Breton. the tunes are
i strongly centred in the
3 Scottish idioms. Well.
; perhaps they ignore the
! Strathspey. but nobody’s perfect.
I Janet Russell and
; Christine Kydd: Dancin’
| Chantin’ (Creentrax)
' Bohdran beats introduce
Bums‘ 'Rattlin’ Roan'n'
I Willie‘ and bongos boogie
‘ on three songs ending in a
, breathless ‘Tail Toddle‘.
’ Duncan Gray playfully
swings on the guitar a la
Joni‘s Blue album. There
are a couple of songs in
French. and some old
chestnuts are diddled.
diddley dutn. Guest
musicians appear and
disappear in the mix. but
the pure. unadulterated
vocals of Russell and
Kydd are captured. not
with clinical accuracy. on
an album which is a fine
representation of the two
women‘s delighted vocal
exuberance. Ewan
McColl‘s ‘Tbe Terror
Time' reveals best the
dark harmonic palette and
arresting tone colour of
their unique combined
voice. (Norman
Chalmers)
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The List 7—20 October 1994 35