Contempo
' Finer (Warp Records) a
. The Hymn For The Cigarettes (Too
through to the rough-aS-you-like closing cover of The Stooges' ’Funhouse', the set pummels the audience wrth staccato fury. Cave snarls, screams and havers like the Dark Lord of All Psychopaths ('I stuck a 6m gold blade in the head of a girl - are you listening, sonny?) in front of an audience that doesn’t know what's hit it. Two decades on, the live experience cuts with a sharper edge than the old studio recordings. (AM)
Grandaddy
The Broken Down Comforter Collection (Big Cat) * * it it
If we're talking grandpappy comparisons, this lot are less the kindly v-necked Werther’s chap and more South Park’s wheelchair-bound euthanaSia enthusiast. As you could guess by the album title, and know once you hear a snippet of its contents, Grandaddy are another example of indie popsters trying their damnedest to keep a lid on their prog-rock fascination. The Broken Down Comforter Co/Iecti'on is a set of frankly bonkerish soundscapes and wailing vocals tucked into bed by some genuinely melodic moments. Their ability to leap from the unlistenable - 'Kim You Bore Me To Death' — to the gorgeous — 'For The Dishwasher' - is pretty astounding. (BD)
mm:- Cut La Roc
Makin' It Hot (Skint Records) a x sir sir
A funky Millennium lurch, 'Makin’ It Hot' could be the Beastie Boys on their holidays. It's one of those records Mary Anne Hobbes Will slaver over, but don’t let that put you off. (RE)
Paddy Casey
Everybody Wants (52) as a
If Journalists should be banned from making records (as was suggested in this column a few weeks back), ditto buskers A Dublin troubadour discovered by U2’s manager, Paddy Casey plays a not unpleasant sub-Jeff Buckley strum, And surely that isn’t good enough (RE)
Nightmares On Wax
Luscious R B B With rather more grit than your l'LllT-Ol-Ihe-lUntable soul platter. Portishead, Isaac Hayes, Sly
Stone — that's mo' like it (RE)
U 8 Naughty (London Records)
It's that Saturday night/Sunday morning feeling, gate crashing a mod all-nighter and hogging the stereo With Dexys, Two Tone and Curtis Mayfreld. Naughty but here comes the nice (RE)
Hefner
Pure) s- s vs- «s s- Hefner have angst in their pants and
, don't we know it Bumming a tab from
Pete SlielleyNVreckless Eric/Jonathan
' Richman, they've made a wonderful
for you but it Sure looks cool in the
l l record that says smoking may be bad I mowes (RE)
New Electrics Get Together (Fruition) 1r
Mercy! This starts off half promisineg with a loan Jett/Reef riff, then goes all ham glam. A paean to paSSion, 'Get Together’ is about as sexy as nose hairs in your Cuppa Soup. If Marc Bolan had bought his missus a few dnvrng lessons . . . one hopes he'd never have made a record like this. (RE)
Blockster
Grooveline (Sound of Ministry) 31'
Any tune that starts off With some folk chanting 'ooh ooh, ooh ooh' deserves to be taken out the back and shot This appalling follow up to the travesty that was 'You Should Be Dancing' Will no doubt be huge on drunken dancefloors this summer, an admission that some people will dance to anything. BrandOn Block has done the people’s dance republic some serious damage, and not of the good kind. (SB)
Rhythm Masters featuring Baby
Spirit Of lbiza In My Soul (Neo) ****
Rhythm Masters have stayed true to their tried and tested hard house formula with this catchy and very dancable tune. No Surprises here' JUSI chuck together a few mad vocals, some break downs and bUIld ups then watch the kids go mental. A surefire anthem both in the UK and Ibiza this summer. (SB)
Afrika Bambaataa &
Westbam
City Of Shamballa (Mute) a is w There’s a remix in here for everyone
Westbam's Technoelectro mix is (ust that — drivmg techno wrth an excellent dirty bassline while the PF Edlt remix borders on big beat and 90-90 in the best DOSSlble taste Dr Rhythm offers up a Higher State of Trommelwubel remix which wrll, qune simply, do devastation on dancefIOOrs the world over, while the Dub remix completes the package. (SB)
Bows
Blush (Too Pure) a a
With the subdued sound of an old- time crooner, Luke Sutherland weaves his vocals and clever lyric play around a cool beat, lush orchestrations and
record reviews MUSIC
ROCK Billy Mahonie The Big Dig (Too Pure) '-
Can you dig in: Billy Mahonie
All those rumours about Billy Mahonie being put on the sonic planet for the sole purpose of being Mogwai’s poorer cousins can be put to rest. The Big Dig’s twelve instrumentals suggest they are burrowing away, desperately seeking their very own pigeonhole.
While the four-piece share some of the dischords from Come On Die Young, they are fewer and far further between on this debut produced somewhere in darkest Somerset by Head, who has controlled the buttons for PJ Harvey among others.
Not only does each track attempt to take a different tack from the others,
. the leaping around within tunes would make a hyperactive pogo-stick
f demand a breather. The first two minutes of 'Flagiolettes' has a sultry
' rock/noir tone brooding around it, before it is chased up an alley by a thrashy driller killer of a riff and ends up pretty much where it began. The nursery rhyme arpeggios of 'Manywhere M1' and its later refraining sequel ’MS’ juxtapose with the diet country-lite of 'Drago’.
But, while there is evidence that their reference points are more scattered : (from AC/DC to Charlie Mingus), a lack of focus ultimately prevails. Still, the g cheek of opening an album with a track entitled ’Watching People Speaking
I When You Can't Hear What They Are Saying’ can only be admired. ; (Brian Donaldson)
angelic vows Bt‘rrfiiitri,’ . enforced on B-side 'Down With The V/llll a (if-in mus Uzi/v 1‘, fa" JBOOZ' (AM) Jungle Brothers Melanie G
VIP (Gee Streetlf?)
Rap from the Sullll‘,‘ i, (It' i‘ 'l .2 set to a rolling beat, as t.':.'- - 5: int: Afrika Baby Earrtmtif :v: t'w H")
Word Up (Virgin) w w
The artiste formerly known as Mel 8 tries her hand at the Cameo ClaSSlC. It sounds like it's In tOO lOW a key for her
abom like a ‘ri<l'<~'- """"" " range, so she growls her way through first single l.".u’l‘ fr‘w ' t - i " a song that's pretty much all on one August, lii‘ts P: will”? -' " ' ' - i ' ' v - " limit" anyway Bring back the red
to old T‘.’ s' ' )(t’piece (AM)
i More S(‘ll.’.ii‘; ML; " 2
Dons Of Quixote
Jonny Blaze EP (R&S) a it
Take Prodigy at their ’Firestarter' iiir>aiiest, ‘.‘.’llll an up-for-it bassline, distorted guitar, punky snarl to the vocals, synths and dance-metal beat, Jilli’l you've got 'JOhhy Blaze', Wlth no category to Stick It In When the band not (into the churning gurtars of 'Dark Lords Of Satan‘, you know where yOu are, lionhtever (AM)
REVIEWERS THIS ISSUE:
siiiioiie Baird, Brian Donaldson, Rodger Evans, Miles Fielder, Kenny Mathleson. Leon l.chermott, Hannah McGill, Alan Morrison, lack Mottram, Mark Robertson, Kev Wright
STAR RATINGS a is / Unmissable Very ood Wort a shot Below average 6- You’ve been warned
Take a bow: Luke Sutherland 24 Jun—8 Jul 1999 THE LIST43