MUSIC RECORD REVIEWS
W l m_ have kept him to themselves for too
thereunder.“ l MATTHEW SWEET “aft, w ,b ,, deep breath and dives l ' moo/ Fun (Zoo) 8 a um “is aware“ y Mo the new releases 0 named after Sweets throwaway '5 Matthew sweat 3" “ndersung remark, ‘my next album’s gonna be genius of guitar pop? Hard to tell at 100 per cent fun’, after the release of [Ex-Disposable Hero of . SUP“ Close quartets, but It seems 3 its predecessor ‘Altered Beast’ which Hiphoprisy Michael Frztntl falr bet that, ten or more years on, was frequently descihed as ‘dark and has got a novices}:wa some InuSIc-obsessed govston the weird’. 0n the surface this is neither, Egggzégaifrwx tilth SOUibsme 0' “3590)” WI“ View his as Sweet continues to refine his .Holc In The Buctct. records as a blueprint for melodic harmonies and brittle, chiming guitar
success. There’s an air of Alex Chilton sound, The presence or rormer
about Matthew Sweet they both have Television guitarist Richard Lloyd on “'9 same "betting ability to fashion many of the tracks brings to mind the poo hooks which are compelling way Tom Verlaine’s guitar and voice without being obvious. Sweet’s songs always sounded as it they were made always 90 a diiieteni war to the one for each other. Matthew Sweet also
(Capitol) catches Franti ill mellow mood pondering society's injustice and wondering whether it's best to give a homeless brother a dime if he's goillg to blow it on wine
m. WM. Muticuhv and Y0" exlfect. and d891," it. be’Stint has this gift and ‘100°/o Fun’ is one of
Shh-neatly, the noka i,- l New "'08- Sum” Ii 5 about tmitt those fabulous albums that gets you
similar to o loidbock 5 sweet bibke 3W3! "0m the first time but keeps you coming back.
version or Arrested fashionable New York art scene who (Eddie Gihh)
Developments ‘Give A
and almost dance-like drums. The Prio mix , , , - takes the rappingyfunhen Vibrator is, in short, all over the place. (Craig M0193“) cutting back on the
instrumentation while bringing out the beats.
Ma” A Fisl‘i- A b“ “0‘,” ma:- ' Generally, this makes for an album I
“;.tl‘[‘l"“.°‘ 6"" "I"! "3:";41‘1‘154 that is more interesting than fantastic. ‘
0 lle Cllrl‘Cll 0 'l . .
the release of ‘Something Terry’s siream 0' 9°“5c'9“s"ess '5
Worthwhile' (A84 M) front Vibrator (Columbia) i°_'e"°' !" spate; 'is [“a'f'io'd
the album .S'it'uggcr. The Mr T’s fourth album, and what a wild inbuianes leading him ""0 muddy
CD-single contains three ride it is_ the“, is the sinuous tuhk at | pools of confusrgn as often as they
mixes of the track: an Wishing Wells tmm slhtmdueihg the 3 find him luxuriatlng in oceanic depths
“""m’ “‘l“ "W M“ . Hardline’ as reworked in the title ‘ of soul- ‘Hoiding 0" To You’, for 3
Aim“ “"‘5 ““d “‘9 Prior-V track tsdhemodet Sandwich, first wracked ballad, comes nowhere near
m” The “N "Grim" ‘5 heard on the soundtrack to sp,et-5- the sublime achievements of the last
somewhat vacuous. loplng . lb , ,L t" n E s , while
over oolhosod rock Porter’, recalls the agresswe, crunchy f‘ "m S if 9' 0W" a V r
territory; the Mace Attack glam-slam of the last album’s ‘She SWSBNde' W00” b? kbbiike‘i batik by
mix is much better. Kissed Me’. And - it wouldn’t be a Marlah Carey forbelng too slight. ,
sparser and more jagged cosmic Terence a|bum any other way _ Vibrator is a SWltChbaCk tourney t
“"‘h 0““ rapping ' the likes of ‘T.T.D’s Recurring Dream’ ""009" soul, “"1", "Wk: “8'3 and l
roughly Over the guitar-s is in the setthhdulgeht, bonkers Terry’s loins. At least this iack-of—all- . , tradition of ‘Neither Fish llor Flesh’. trades is master of a few of them- I
bubblegum hippyisms of early songs like ‘Paper Sun’ and ‘Coloured Rain’
flips“ it ‘fofcfifiscg'gi‘fi i” STEVE WINWOOD (notice a theme developing here?) oridaiiy‘ eon u i“ l ’1 g l The Fine' Things (iSIandl quickly give way to Traffic at its
cc oors ln indie I . . . . . I clubs throughout the i this four-Cbset detailing the glorious peak — a style on which Pau country. : lrre5lstlble rise of Steve Winwood Weller has based his rejuvenated
could also serve as a potted history of career. These tracks are surely among three decades of British rock. From the very finest examples of organic, the youthful R 8r 8 of The Spencer semi-improvised rock. Even on the Davis Group, it sweeps us along to the eleven-plus minutes of ‘Low Spark Of ‘getting it together in the country and High-Heeled Boys’, ideas flow like stretching out musically’ phase of mercury and there’s no opportunity to Traffic, the bad-hangover blues of get bored.
Blind Faith and eventually to the point Throughout, Winwood’s unshowy but where technology enabled Winwood to effective voice is doing exactly what play all the parts, including producer, it should, and exactly what so many himself and in the process make his grandstanding white soul singers can’t crucial contribution to the streamlined seem to accombiiSbi dfaWiflg
Ann sound or the 303 and beyond, attention to the emotions in the song ' The lion’s share of the tracks is, rather than to itself. (Alastair
l quite rightly, given over to Traffic. The Mabbott)
On a different tip altogether is Delicatessens ‘CF Kane‘ (Starfish). Dark and morbidly delicious. they alternate between fuzzy nightmares with melodies and screaming feedback mismatched with deep and then high-pitched vocals. Intriguing stuff. but disturbing to the point where you'd pull your sleeve over your palm before shaking hands with them. Anyone who mis- spent their adolesence dressed all in black and back-combing their hair in the vain hope of trying to look like Robert Smith
l Stu!), morose vocals and downbeat l arrangements, Tindersticks are ' arrogant. As well you might be if you
will remember Fields Of
The Nephilim. Well. 1; TINDERSTICKS ' composed (I won’t sail merely ‘wrote’) i they‘re back from the l The Second Tindersticks Album (this such lush torch songs as this double grave wnh a new Way up) album flaunts at its best, VIZ - frontman and now called ‘Travelling Light’, ‘Tlny Tears’, ‘Snowy nub'con' Th“ gloomy Don’t you just hate songs where the ’ i" Fit Mi“°"s ‘Ta'k 7° M9,-
with lyrics are spoken? As if that’s going to j However (dramatic TinderstiCRS
the nour_covmd cowboy lend the track a greater potency, more 5 [18058 it" Optimum eiiect). “'9 baVe
costumes and their new gravity? I mean, it must be important , heard all this before - on the first single. ‘lnsatiable’ if the words are recited, right? l album. Where it was generally done (Beggars Banquet). seems Yet Tindersticks think they can get better. Apart from the wobbly to indicate a new lease of away with two on their new album instrumentals ‘Vertrauen II’ and life in the old (1038- NO (enigmatically titled the same as their ‘Verttauen "l’, nothing incredible is “‘9” Mi “WOW” M?" first album which they also didn’t added to the Tindersticks canon; flgg‘figfijgf‘lusmal bother thinking of a name for). It takes indeed Stuart Staples’s practically
. ges of . . frantic yet tight guitar an arrogant band to do that, And subsonic voice really starts to sound one, along (we, ,, underneath all the lyrical self- affected atter not very long and _ relentless skin battery, flagellation (‘these days I’m on|y there’s far too much ponderous chin- (Jonathan Trew) happy when I cannot move’ - cheers, l SifOking- (iiiona Shepherd)
l 40 The List 7-20 Apr 1995 t t