PREVIEW MUSIC
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Lush: ‘no one wants to be a star’ ‘l’m not Jarvis Cocker. I’m not even signed to 4Ao within a year; a
fackin’ louise from SIeeper.’ No. its relationship which has served them not a snippet from Jesus Jackson’s well. ‘I like the idea that everyone at post-Brit awards press conference. that label is really into music,’ posits The speaker is Miki Berenyi from Lush eerenyi ‘Being on a maier label has Dumng lief lingef 0" one reason Why its benefits, mostly financial, but a lot
world domination has never, and of people on major labels don’t seem probably won’t ever, reach their to like music or you get press people shores: the lack of a focal point for who know nothing about the bands their two parts ierky and one part they’re working on. I quite like the mellow guitar pop in the shape of an cosiness of 4AD.’
out and out superstar. The new Lush collection Lovelife has
‘I’m quite happy kicking away as a been welcomed with cries of ‘blimey, band’. She maintains ‘Wbile obviously that’s a radical departure.’ Berenyi is you want loads of people to bull your quick to shoot down that charge. ‘I music. I think what everyone in the don’t really think it is a change or band is a little bit afraid of is that no direction but looking at it from the one wants to be a Star-’ Fair “’8, yet inside out is probably quite different,’ “15" "3‘"? been around long enough she claims. ‘lt’s only now that I realise
(Eight Years) to masquerade as a ' the last album was pretty downbeat. coherent combo. There’s a more positive feel around stem'aa la la la la lab Formed by Berenyi and co-writer this one,’ (Brian Donaldson) formed Stereolab in l99l afterjumping collaborator) and backing vocals that Emma Anderson with Chris Acland on Lush play The Garage, Glasgow, Thurs ship front disintegrating political indie go loo/l la lu-Iu la la. drums and Phil King on bass, they ; 14; The Venue, Edinburgh, Wed 13.
group McCarthy. Pooling their various Most Stereolab songs. of course. are :1 likes — German groups Can. Neu! and bit of both. There’s a whiff of tlle
Faust. minimalist composers like Steve unreconstructed punk. too. on the track m
Reich. primitiViSt VClVClS/MOdL‘m ‘The Noise ()i' Cai'pet'. Which brings
Lovers-type rock and Burt BaCharaCh - us to those crazy Stereolab titles. Just I
they came up with a unique sound. with what are names like ‘Slow Fast l'iazel'. early analogue synthesisers playing a ‘Percolator‘ and ‘Motoroller Scalatron‘
. _ I crucial part. meant to evoke. Tim‘.’ ‘When the early synthesisers came ‘I don‘t want this to sound too
out.‘ Gane says. ‘there was a big fad for grandiose. btlt l like the sound of words
making famous songs. but with Moogs as a description of the music. but not Ireland’s only touring opera company, and electronics. They were really tacky. actually a direct description. more like the Dublin-based Opera Theatre often. And people used them with all a kind of metaphysical connection or a Company, comes to Scotland this sorts of incongruous music. I‘ve got poetic thing. So you'd see a title. and month for the first of two productions hundreds of these records. and that would make you think about things which can be seen at the Edinburgh sometimes orchestras and silly- in a certain way. and then the music Festival Theatre. Later in the year sounding electronics were mixed would come in . . . I'm fascinated how there is Handel’s exquisite Amadigi, together. i have one where, by mixing sleeves and the design of labels and the but for this first visit it’s Mozart and together electronics with someone titles of albums lead listeners into a the Turkish-set rarity Zaide or, as the
The Opera Theatre Company are tormented
doing a James Brown cover version. it certain mindset while they‘re listening. company have interpreted the title,
actually sounds a little bit like techno. btit at the same time keep it completely Prisoners aflove. by love back in l968.‘ open so that there‘s nothing precise as It is not only the title the company and how being in prison is almetaphor ‘We’re very attracted to late-60s, such. just a general feeling. Emperor have had to use their imagination for, for being in hire, for how helpless one early-70s electronic music.‘ he adds. Toma/o Kerr/mp was the name of an but the opera as a whole since Mozart reels; says Conway. ‘and even though some of it was very early Japanese avant-garde film. and l left it unfinished. ‘He wrote it for a me music, including the cynically done i think it actually thought the title summed up the music German touring companyr, explains orchestrations, is all Mozart’s and for opened some new doors. and there without actually knowing any reason OTC’S Director James Conway. ‘bUt OTC, who normally work with an were some things I really wanted to why. That‘s just how I wanted the when he was unsuccessful in finding orchestra of fourteen p|ayers but this take further.‘ music to be seen — with that name.’ one to perform it, he left it and moved time team up with the are concert The new LP. Emperor Tomato Confused“? You will be. Their next onto something else. Any performance Orchestra, it is their first experience Kerr/mp. bears all the hallmarks of a surprise is a track on the forthcoming now is therefore a new realisation.’ of a to" orchestra in the hit, ‘The German influence. There‘s that Can- instalment of the Red Hot/1nd Blue The traditional staging 0t German score is dominated by very beautiful like bass sound. as percussive as it is compilations. Entitled Red Hot And opera in this period - the 17808 - was love songs with only one really comic melodic; the hypnotic grooves; the Rio. it‘s a celebration of the music of with spoken dialogue in between the number,’ says Conway, ‘The soprano repetitive keyboard riffs turning over Brazil, and Stereolab will be there in musical numbers, and that is the line aria fluhe sanft is probably the best and over; the occasional unorthodox the company of Sting. George Michael taken by dramaturg Ian Burton in his known through its use in the film time signature. But the other side of and Everything But The Girl. So if this approach to the piece. ‘Ian has Amadeus, but there are three really Stereolab gets plenty of space to isn‘t the year they go supernova. at completed it in traditional fashion to beautiful tunes and I’m tormenting breathe as well: the summery. cod-60s least we’ve got some bossa nova to make it into a story. He could have myself - and everyone else - by French pop songs with organ. stn'ngs look forward to. used lots of tricks, but he has chosen whistling them non-stop.’ (Carol Main) (arranged by Sean O‘Hagan of The Stereolab play The Garage. Glasgow to be direct, very contemporary and to [aide is at Edinburgh Festival Theatre, High Llamas. a longtime friend and on Sun 10. keep it simple. The opera is about love Sat 15 Mar,
The List 8-21 Mar 1996 37 J