I MUSIC RECORD REVIEWS
{BEE-(BEIGE—
? Rory Weller sorts through the new releases.
Shampoo‘s 'Delicious' (Food) proves to us that the shouted \vliines on "l‘roiiblc‘ weren't just a quirky one-off: yes. Shampoo can shout and whine (or another three songs at least .-\s far as vociferousjailhait goes. they 're probably at the top of their profession. Their (hr/m. .ivvay l'oi'niula is
v. 1...: makes them so darned endearing. Live are
, hovy ever entirely repulsive
to: exactly the same reasons (throvv away
formula. that is). Despite
their l‘orcei'ul delivery of ‘l .-\loiic' (Radioactive).
there's absolutely nothing
behind their 10ft vvall of prefabricated angst. As l.ive are getting all testosteronal over their reviews in Ker/1mg}. State Of Grace would be right over the other side of the shop stealing cola cubes from the pick 'ti' mix. With ‘Hello‘ (3rd Stone) sounding like lilectroiiic vvithout Bernie and the lesser twe’: moments of The Fieldniice. the batid make you vy ant cravvl into a cotton vvool-lined box and hide until Live have gone very far away. ‘Boynierang' (Leaf Inc) by Boymerang is a \val‘ty. meandering atmospheric escape from the mind of Graham Stilton. l‘rontman of Bark Psychosis. and although it dreams along perfectly competently it lacks kick. The whole thing is just a bit contrived. lacking the visceral nature of Sutton's Bark Psychosis work. The new single from Bandit Dueen. 'Give It To The Dog' (Playtime). has all the energy and lyrical master that they displayed in their last release. ‘Miss Dandys'. positioning themselves coiiil‘ortably in the Pl l-laivey/Belly fold. The Hubiles. while matching the energy of Bandit Queen. lack their musical talent. This does however give their new single ‘l .ayabout‘i"Mother and l-aiher' (Lime Street) an unadulterated ravv edge. ()n a club tip. l‘ah releases of the fortnight include Perfecto All Starz. aka l’aul ()akenl‘old. doing a bit of house business to the old Pigbag classic. sliding in a pumping bassline. soaring chorus and renaming it ‘Reach Up' (Perfecto FC). ‘Message Of Love' by Love Happy (MCA) has been top of the club charts for weeks. This heavenly house anthem is now available for general consumption.
THE PASTELS
Mobile Safari (Domino) For years now, The Pastels’ card has been marked ‘must try harder’ by a series of commentators, each failing 3 to recognise one important fact, ie ‘no, they don’t’. The whole mystery of the Pastels Affair lies in their ability to trick us into believing that the gems they toss our way are just something they got around to — so that, when the songs caress your brain, it’s almost as though they’ve 1 always been there. and you think ‘oh, l yeah, of course . . .’ Straining is, after all, such an ugly sound.
assertion that ‘everyone should have a friend’, Mobile Safari closes on the whispered promise ‘everyone is the centre of someone’s world’, between which startling thoughts lies an exquisitely crafted maze of genius moments: the truant romance heartbreak ot ‘Mandarin’; the line ‘Panorama - gettin’ calmer’; the 605 mystery-Parisienne-spy-girl theme ‘Token Collecting’; the bit where Stephen’s voice cracks over the phrase ‘social whirl’.
If your heartstrings remain unsounded, the chances are very likely you’re a Nazi. The Pastels arrived in Coolport Utopia some while ago. If you can hack it without a compass, the safari takes you the long way round. (Damien Love)
i i Opening with the subterranean
: In:
( Em:- one kind or another - that’s probably ; the secret of their longevity — and ' THE HUMAN lEAGUE
‘Octopus’ serves up nine helpings of ( marital and political angst, all buffed l Octopus (East West)
up to a lustrous sheen. Funny that. Just as British pop is
It wouldn’t be the same, of course, without Phil Dakey’s strained, serious 1 having a jolly good revel in itself — to i the extent that there are even
lyrics. ‘Tolerating propaganda/And : rumblings of an 805 synth-pop revival
your girlfriend, Alexandra/With her i - along comes another Human League
secret memoranda’ is this album’s ; howler, right up there with that much- i album and, hey, it’s just like the 905 . quoted verse from ‘The Lebanon’. Does f ; hadn’t started yet. From the splendid . he do it deliberately? If so, why? ‘ single, ‘Tell Me When’, onwards, , ‘Octopus’ is the League being as daft,
' Sadly, the title that promises to reveal : all about The Human League’s view of ' handbaggy and suburban as ever. But ; that’s okay, because their gift for
' their place in the scheme of British light entertainment, ‘John Cleese; Is great pop is still far from used up. Behind all their prettiest, tinkliest
He Funny?’, is an instrumental. But it ? melodies has throbbed a heartache of
is as cheesy as hell, so that’s all right too. (Alastair Mabbott)
TYRREL CORPORATION
Play For Today (Cooltempo)
Really, the Tyrrel Corporation should never have made it this far. The [singles ‘Six D’Clock’ and ‘The Bottle’ flattered to deceive, and the debut album, ‘Horth East Of Eden’, can best be described as ‘plucky’. Credit, though, to Cooltempo for recognising that the boys from Hedcar are no stereotypical MCs. They are a thinking man’s Dzfleam, for though songs like ‘Ask Me Tomorrow’ and ‘Better Days
Ahead’ may sound upliftingly similar,
they are more controlled. Everything they say has been carefully considered and conceived, and they
remain one of the few bands around today who can see beyond the sheets
of lurve.
The real problem lies in the fact that this repast isn’t really very filling: the music just doesn’t seem powerful enough for the larger audience to appreciate. The introspective nature of the album is almost lost in superficial pop gloss, and I mostly found myself wondering what the title of the album meant; that we should have fun now, that we should educate ourselves, that the church is hypocrital in its abuse of the media, or that politicians are really only interested in re-election and mandarins up the bum? Sad that. (Philip Durward)
38 The List 27 Jan-9 Feb 1995
from a trio to a duo seems to have : helped adjust their focus. Forsey doesn’t seem to have been
I HEIGH—
l
i SIMPLE MINDS able to do much about their fondness
i I for plodding rhythms, and the thought 3 l Good News From The Next World springs to mind that had Pink Floyd
l (Virgin) recruited Bono as Roger Waters’
l ‘Good News From The Next World’ I replacement, they would in all
( marks the return lnto Jim Kerr and g likelihood have sounded exactly like
Charlie Burchill’s lives of Keith Forsey I ‘She’s A River’ - there’s that little
i - the man who gave them their biggest . between them. Anyway, this sounds about as good as
; US hit in ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ Simple Minds will ever get again, and
i only for them to disown it, the
' ungrateful sods - and it seems to have may entice back to the fold many who
l given them a kick up the backside. had lost patience with them over their , last few albums; though those who think the band completely lost the plot
There’s an unmistakable AOH sensibility anchoring the stratospheric after ‘Hew Gold Dream’ would be best advised to give it a wide berth.
l flights that renders ‘Good Hews. . .’ i (Alastair Mabbott)
more accessible than previous i outings. Meanwhile, slimming down
l l l l