Records
POP HORSE Hindsight . . . It’s A Wonderful Thing (Pinnacle) on
What a voice. It Joan Armatrading and Annie Lennox were handing out legacies to their powerhouse estates Horse would most certainly be front of the
queue. This gushing, unapologetically passionate slice of balladering is the Glaswegian's strongest effort to date. The opener ‘. . . And Ever I'll Be Yours' is a storming piece of love and affection defined through powerful production and simple lyrics. ‘Because' could be the Eurythmics at their finest. ‘Blush‘ is a nice piece of horn frenzy and the title track closes the album in a bliss of strings and vocal gymnastics. Though lyrically gauche in places. this is never less than impressively produced. One can't help feeling that here is an artist that will stand the test of time and hopefully experiment with many different genres. (Paul Dale)
PUNK THE NEWTOWN
GRUNTS
Disgruntled (F 8. J) 000
If there was ever a band that arrived . . . oh. say twenty-Odd years too late. surely it's the Grunts. ‘Wake up and taste the Buckfast!‘ proclaims their press blurb. and one can only imagine that's what they did while deciding how to soundtrack life in their native Glenrothes. Presumably someone vetoed nosebleed techno. leaving only this bouncy brand of council estate punk. often sung in a disconcertingly spot- on impression of The Proclaimers’ Skawtish tones (see alternative footie anthem ‘Toepokes And Tragedies'. for example). Fast. funny and full of swearing. this is the perfect antidote to every self-consciously
Scots band you wish you never heard in your life. (David Pollock)
COUNTRY
Roots Volume1 (Anti Inc) on
In the early 70$ Haggard released an excellent. now almost forgotten album called The Roots Of My Raising. 30 years on it's good to see the
reactionary old b0urbon- 3 face is still at it
reassessing his country heart. Roots shares with Johnny Cash's slightly superior American Recordings //l the will to strip away all that is superfluous in honky tonk instrumentation. In collaboration with Norman Stephens, original guitarist for Haggard's lifelong idol Lefty Frizell, this was never going to be a dull album and “Always Late'. 'My Baby's Just Like Money' and ‘Runaway Mama' are as good as anything Haggard has ever done. (Paul Dale)
METAL SLAYER
God Hates Us All (Mercury) 000 BIOHAZARD Uncivilization (SPV) m SYSTEM OF A DOWN
Toxicity (American) «00
Slayer are the granddaddies of all this metal nonsense and Reign in Blood changed the face of rock, showing it c0uld be done harder, heavier and faster than ever before. Here they try and recapture past glories on the deliciously titled God Hates Us All, complete with a cover so sacrilegious it can't be exhibited in shops. Ooh. scary. And what you get is 45 minutes of uncensored bile. Hard and heavy but not half as terrifying as they like to think it is.
Biohazard are positively middle-aged compered to the current crop of nu- metallers and have been comfortably combining rap and rock since before the term nu-metal was even invented. A bit repetitive at times but the hip hop beats. raw sound and some inspired guest appearances from Sen Dog (Cypress Hill) and Slipknot lift this above the
1 14 THE LIST 18 Oct-1 Nov 2001
masses. Finally onto the new breed: System Of A Down. But these guys ain’t young pretenders — they have given metal its most distinctive twist in years, making it funny, suicidal, political and hard as hell. This strange mutation of Fear FactOry and Frank Zappa is irresistible and you'll soon be slam dancing round your living room to this ridiculously up-beat racket. (Henry Northmore)
WORLD
VARIOUS ARTISTS
The Rough Guide To Afro-Cuban Music (Rough Guides) 0000
To hear West Africans singing Cuban music is sublime. Their empathy comes because the roots of Cuban music lie in the cultures African slaves brought with them to the Americas. This compilation scores with every track. from Lazaro Ros's ritual song to the Afro-Cuban god Olorun. to Cuarteto Patria and Manu Dibango's mellow ‘Rumba Makossa'. The mellow return of Cuban music to Africa. the most gloriously sensual sounds that can grace any dancefloor. come from Africando. Cheikh Lo and Ricardo Lemvo and Makina Loca among others. A contender for compilation of the year. (Jan Fairley)
JAZZ
HERBIE HANCOCK Future 2 Future (Transparent) 00
So his keyboard groove on 1963's ‘Watermelon Man' was an instant hit on the jazz/R88 scene. and sure. he picked up an Oscar for his soundtrack to ‘Round Midnight. and okay. the 1973 album Headhunters went platinum and 1983's Future Shock did likewise. But that don't
mean everything Herbie Hancock does is the
work of an unparalleled innovator. Future 2 Future might
drum kit. The musiCians
be eclectic. but it sure ain't innovative. From the electronica of ‘Kegero Part 1‘ (featuring guest programmer and Detroit techno legend Carl Craig). through the spoken word of 'Wisdom' to the contemporary jazz of ‘Tony Williams' (featuring. yep. his old Miles Davis Ouintet colleague Tony Williams on drums). this has all been heard before. Years ago. (Miles Fielder)
succeed in finding fresh things to say within both this venerable (not to say over-exposed) instrumental combination and the largely familiar material. built around classic jazz standards With the odd unlikely pop tune thrown in. As ever. Mullen is simply excellent. Spinning out his lithe guitar inventions in glorious fashion. while his younger collaborators ensure that this alternater cool and gritty album is more than a one-man show. (Kenny Mathieson)
saxophone band didn't exactly rush back into the studio after recording their first CD in 1995. but this strong follow-up has been w0rth the wait. In the interval. Keith Edwards (alto) has replaced Euan Ashley in the line up. alongside founder members Raymond MacDonald i (alto and soprano). Graeme Wilson (tenor) ; and Allon Beavoisin (bartone). The lack of a rhythm section will bug some. but the players treat it as an opportunity
' rather than a problem. i Their potent combination 5 of inventive : arrangements. absorbing soloing. sharp rhythmic awareness and occasional off-the-wall duirkiness adds up to a satisfying whole. with no sense of anything lacking. (Kenny Mathieson)
JAZZ
THE ORGAN TRIO 11 x 3
(Flamingo West) 000 JAZZ HUNG DRAWN QUARTET
Hey There You Hosers (Own Label) 00.
A classy SeSSIOTl from this Glasgow-based indie label, featuring the great Jim Mullen on guitar. with James Watson on Hammond organ and Matt Skelton behind the
The Hung Drawn Quartet have been around in Glasgow for over a decade now. The all-
NEW SCOTTISH MUSIC ROUND UP
Hey reader! Wake the fuck up! There's a whole country out there making music that no one bothers to listen to. Here at The List we get mOuntains of Scottish demos and self-funded smgles and EPs every week, so we thought it was abdut time to let you know what you're missing out on. Apologies to any artists missed out. but we do get hunners of the buggers — just keep on rocking, The Kids.
First up is Bendy Toy's ‘Fantastic Chicken EP' (Starshaped COO. ). which is like Beck versus Fatboy Slim at a game of Twister — entertaining as hell but you wouldn't want to ioin in. Locosea rock in a hoary old bluesy way. with their ‘Papa Said Believe The Hype . . .' (O. ) coming on like a less scruffy Black Crowes. Clean out and pristine sounding are Lunar Page. whose ‘Goldfish' (Uglyman 000 ) is an tasty slice of power pop. with just enough reckless riff- wreckage to keep you amused.
Post Diluvian have somehow managed to get Steve Albini to produce ‘Warsaw Pact' (O. ). but sadly their mediocre leftfield thrash leaves you wanting to hear the original Albini at work. Severin. on the other hand. have turned in a feisty treat. with their ‘Ubergospel' (Rhythm Of Life 00. ) being an insistent and original piece of echo-laden COuntrilied Yank rock.
Racing like young dalties out the blocks are August81. whose ‘Back To You' (0000 ) pure bursts out the speakers in a riot of post-grunge mayhem like a speed- soaked My Vitriol. only better. mind. Similarly energetic but more thoughtful are Serial P.O.P.. whose ‘Fuck You Jack We're Fireproof EP' (Smogcutter. 00.0 ) rattles along with a mixture of sloganeering. beats. samples and crunchy nut guitars that sounds like Pop Will Eat Itself transported to the new millennium.
‘Pilothouses' (And More SOund COO ) by Tacoma Radar is a much more sleepy affair, but with gentle country guitars and dreamy. echoey vocals. their laidback escapism is strangely alluring. Some bunch of well-meaning souls have been putting out compilations of Scottish artists under the moniker Smoke (checkout www.smokealbum.co.uk). Their current 'No Smoke EP' (.00 ) is diverse and adventurous. with Squander Pilots soulful melancholy standing out. Equally philanthropic are the people at Jockrock fan/iiie. Their sixteen-track compilation CD Ourselves As Others See Us (000 ) is eclectic as hell, with everything from glitchcore heroes Frogpocket to pop stars in waiting Dal/boy on display. The CD is free with the latest edition of Jockrock track it down if you've got any sense.
And last but not least. it it's real value for money you‘re after, check out the Handbags At Dawn (0000 ) album. A compilation covering five of Scotland's most inventive and inspired independent record labels. there‘s sixteen tracks over 69 minutes. and if you can't find something to tickle your palette here. you're freaking paletteless. Among the copious highlights are Toaster's post-baggy funk shambles, Sputniks Down's post-rocking ambition. Cruisers hypnotic mantras, Fridgehopper's anti—rock quirky weirdness and Khaya's eerie. folky rambles. Look, just buy it and see what we mean. OK? (Doug Johnstoi’iel
Handbags At Dawn is a refreshing slap in the Ripper