The Other 9/11
by Thomas Schulte
**************************************************************
Outsight brings to light non-mainstream music, film, books, art, ideas and opinions.
Published, somewhere, monthly since July 1991. Feel free to re-print this article.
Please, keep Outsight informed: 248-623-1601 or
Email Outsight at outsight@usa.net
Ratings are (1) = :(, (5) = đ
Outsight Radio Hours Internet radio Webcasts with live interviews:
Sundays 6pm-8pm EST http://www.new-sounds.net
</font></p>
THE OTHER SEPTEMBER 11
AK Press continue to jointly release spoken
word titles of relevance and import. The debut of the Freedom Archives series
is Chile: Promise of Freedom. This reminds us of September 11, 1973.
This date for Chile resulted in more societal disruption and the death of more
people than New Yorkâs September 11. This was the bloody coup that saw a U.S.-backed
Pinochet overthrow the democratically elected Allende. Of course, the U.S. has
never paid a tenth of the price for that compared to what it is exacting from
Al Qaeda. The interviews, music and narration of this audio documentary tell
the story of how a progressive democratic experiment crumbled under the pressure
of the CIA and neighboring countries. Noam Chomsky in The Emerging Framework
of World Power</i> offers a critical analysis of United States foreign policy
suggesting that the post-9/11 world is what the United States has orchestrated
from pre-9/11 actions.</font></p>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
Chile at Amazon.com</a>
to or </a>Buy
Chomsky at Amazon.com</a> </font></p>
NEW PRIMUS WEBSITE HAS LIVE RECORDINGS
Primus announces the launch of www.primuslive.com.
The band will be offering downloadable soundboard recordings of every performance
from the 2003 âTour de Fromageâ. The shows will be available in both standard
MP3 and CD quality FLAC audio formats. November shows will each become available
48 hours after the show. Downloadable Zoltron-designed artwork for use in CD jewel
cases will also be included with purchases. In addition, fans will be allowed
to tape the shows themselves. The 2003 âTour de Fromage,â which supports the current
release of the EP/DVD Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People (Interscope
Records), will be a multi-media theatrical stage production with two full sets
by the band.
</font>
DEMOCRACY IN ACTION: “LOST” INDIAN
TRUST
Estimates range from $10 billion to $176 billion in funds that have been âlostâ
by U. S. government agencies. Will mismanaged Indian trust funds ever be repaid?
Vice chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Daniel Inouye, says he has
been flooded with appeals from Native Americans and questions about whether âany
other group of Americans would be singled out in this manner for such treatment.â
The momentum stalled when members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
the Interior put last minute language into the HR 2691 conference report on Interior
appropriations, seemingly to delay or derail the prospects for repaying Indian
individuals and families. Implore Congress through your Representative to honor
U. S. trust responsibilities to Native Americans. The House of Representatives
bill already passed is HR 2691, the Interior Appropriations bill. Express your
disappointment to your members of Congress that a rider was added late and secretively
to the Interiorâs appropriation bill in the conference committee. Last minute
riders on appropriations bills are troubling and democratically unfair, especially
when they fundamentally change the direction of a bill before proper public discourse
is possible. This bit of information came to me from the legislative action arm
of one of the few religions with a truly non-violent past. That is, The Quakers.
Check it out at http://www.fcnl.org – where you
can sign up for their e-mail newsletter as well as learn how to contact your Rep
</font>
TWEAKER TO DO THEME SONG FOR WB’s “XIAOLIN
SHOWDOWNâ
Grammy Award winning artist, record producer and music composer Chris Vrenna,
a.k.a. Tweaker, formerly of Nine Inch Nails, will compose and produce the main
title song for Warner Bros. Animationâs new television series âXiaolin Showdown.â
The half-hour, action-comedy-adventure series debuts November 2003 on Kidsâ WB!
The series is based on the mythical Xiaolin martial arts inspired by ancient Chinese
monks. Each episodeâs showdown culminates in a fantasy universe showcasing gravity-defying,
extreme martial arts skills. âAnimation has always been a big influence on me,
so I am really very picky about what I like and what I donât like,â said Vrenna.
ââXiaolin Showdownâ is something pretty dynamic with intense action, so I was
very motivated to compose an equally dynamic and memorable theme for it. Itâs
totally a thrill to be able to do it!â More information on Vrenna is at http://www.tweaker.net
and http://www.waxploitation.com.
</font>
MUTATED FUGS
Michiganâs Mutant Press and friends come together for Blood For Oil (Mutant
Press</a>). Some of the Fugs songs are updated to reflect current political realities,
but a lot left untouched still hits home. Among the songs on the eleven-track
CD is âC.I.A. Manâ as âCIAâ, âKill for Peaceâ and âThe Bed is Getting Crowdedâ.
The band even includes the Fugsâ take on Ginsbergâs âHowlâ as âI Saw The Best
Minds Of My Generation Rotâ. The title track is a Youngman original, with lyrics
directed at President Bush and company. Mr. Yummy is credited as one of the Blood
For Oil guests and âMr. Yummyâ is one of the standout tracks on the new, self-titled
Mutant Press album. Both albums show the Jerome T. Youngman signature of simple,
direct programmed drum loops, distorted but not overly loud guitars and a penchant
for cynicism and lowbrow humor.
</font>
THE LEMON FLOWER IS SWEET
Cherry Red Records launched a brand new
reissue label, called Lemon Records. The object is to be âre-releasing rock and
new wave albums from the â70s, â80s and â90s.â I donât know how I feel about the decades
I grew up in being reissue material, but as Bowie said, âTime may change me/But
I canât trace time.â Among the first releases is the Mother Love Bone debut Apple
and a hot, rocking album from Vinegar Joe called Six Star General. Vinegar
Joe (formerly Dada) was Chris Blackwellâs formation to give Island Records a response
to Allman Brothers. This short-lived early â70s band launched the career of Robert
Palmer. Released at a time when Palmerâs demise is causing his career to be reflected
upon may be fortuitous for bringing deserved attention to this excellent rock
band and Cherry Redâs Lemon venture. Also out is a new release of the eponymous
Dan Reed Network album. This is the equally Prince-inspired and Night Ranger-inspired
attempt to erase color lines in rock that was eclipsed by the contemporaneous Living
Color. With The Official Art Vandelay Tapes, Lemon is not reissuing a period
album, but gathering Graham Parker rarities from the time. This will be of real
interest to collectors and a reissue of Parkerâs Up Escalator is also in the works.
Promising to release three CDs per month, Lemon also has out Trapezeâs You
Are the Music – Weâre Just the Band</i>. This was vocalist Glenn Hughesâ last album
for the jazz-tinged rock band before going on to greater fame in Deep Purple.
You will be surprised at his soulful vocals on such tracks as âCoast to Coastâ.
</font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
Apple at Amazon.com</a>
to or Buy Six Star General at Amazon.com</a>
to or Buy Dan Reed Network at Amazon.com</a>
to or Buy You Are the Music at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
DVD Reviews
Snog
Adventures in Capitalism
Metropolis Records
http://www.Metropolis-Records.com
DJ David Thrussell first brought wide recognition to his Snog project with the
1992 club hit âCorporate Slaveâ. That is the last of a bakerâs dozen of videos
on this compilation. Thrussellâs voice becomes the most Stan Ridgway-like on âFill
My Holeâ which closes out the first trio of videos. These all have a Chuck Close-like
fetishistic focus on the mouth-portion of a human face. Perhaps an allegory for
the consumption of consumerism, this approach yields John Waters-like shock value
in the close-ups of sloppy tooth brushing (âLate 20th Century Boyâ, âEmpiresâ)
and chicken eating (âThe Human Germâ). This mirrors the level of critical detail
Thrussell has for modernity, which reaches a feverish pitch recalling Emergency
Broadcast Network (EBN) on âBorn to be Mildâ. These videos are all obsessively
edited and feature-rich, allowing more to be discovered on repeated viewings. A
handful of interviews reveal Thrussellâs anti-corporate philosophy as well as
the fact that Americaâs freedom of speech laws gave life to the Snog Relax Into
the Abyss</i>, which was effectively quashed in Thrussellâs less conducive Australia.
Tracks found here off that album are âAre You Normal Enough?â and âReal Estate
Manâ. The slogan-based attacks on consumerist culture and the post-psychedelic
image collages are like a cross between Survival Research Laboratoryâs phrase
assaults and the neo-hippie look of a late-period Psychic TV lightshow. It is
video artist Richard Grant that works with Thrussellâs sounds to make these pieces
and he deserves at least as much credit as Thrussell for the final success. However,
the duo seems to be unable to move out of this formula of densely constructed
moving collages and socially aware content for any of the tracks. Thrussellâs
refreshing and witty radicalism aside, this DVD is good electronica for the headspace
or the dance floor, even if you say to yourself with apologies to Papa John: âThe
message may not move me or mean a great deal to me/But hey! It feels so groovy
to say!â (4) </font>
<
p align=”center”>More
on the DVD from Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Various Artists
The Slog Movie
We Got Power Films/MVD
Subtitled L.A. Hardcore Archives â81 – â82, this movie introduces the
dramatis personae that played the stage for the birth of L.A. hardcore.
Meeting Pat Smear (Germs), Randy Rampage (D.O.A.), Jordan Schwartz (SWA, Black
Flag) and more we see a scene that was not just anti-pop, but a radical counterculture as well. Funny and striking, the documentary includes plenty of vintage
live footage from Circle One, Red Cross, TSOL, Sin34, Fear, Circle Jerks, Henry
Rollins, and more. This extended version includes never seen before footage. An
audio commentary track has running narration from Mike Watt, Keith Morris (Circle
Jerks), David Markey and Jordan Schwartz. (3.5) </font>
<
p align=”center”>More
on the DVD from Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Steve Hanft & Ross Harris
Southlander: Diary of a Desperate Musician
This indie film really works. It is an imaginative journey by a struggling keyboardist
after his stolen mythical âMoletronâ vintage synth. The extreme characters and
extreme situations are buffered with song episodes and all of this rarely falls
flat. While being a travelogue through hell for a distraught keyboardist, it is
also a hallucinogenic musical with music episodes from Beck (as middle man to
a Luddite destruction artist), Hank Williams III (gun-toting junkman) and Union
- This film also includes music by the now deceased Elliot Smith. Beth Orton
acts and sings and Future Pigeon is central to the story with its dub pop. Jazz
drummer Billy Higgins helps create a Sun Ra-like space jazz scene. Also, do not
miss the extensive footage that not only includes complete songs but the impressive
Robosaurus car-toting prop. There are a couple of good character actors here you
will recognize: Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (âsweathogâ Freddie âBoom Boomâ Washington
on the TV sitcom âWelcome Back Kotterâ) and Richard Edson (Stranger than Paradise,
Do The Right Thing</i>) and Gregg Henry (Body Double, Sharonâs Secret).
(3.5) </font>
<
p align=”center”>More
on the DVD from Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Boris Karloff
Snake People
Sinema Diable/Eclectic DVD
The stage for this 1968 freaky horror flick is an island of the demented and dangerous.
Central to the freak show is Mexican cheesecake pinup Tongolele and her sensual
dances. Zombies, cannibalism, chicken beheading and voodoo in the name of science
are some of acts in this wild circus emceed by an evil dwarf. It is an interfering
new cop in town that stirs up this nest of ghouls and their caretakers, resulting
in mayhem. The film is over-the-top enough to be entertaining. This comes at the
very end of Boris Karloffâs career, being one of four Mexican films, which he
appeared in as a result of two weeks of filming in 1968 Jack Hill. It is the insanity
and creepy stylism that transcends the schlock to make this a B-plus movie. (3)
</font>
<
p align=”center”>More
on the DVD from Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Mario Gariazzo, Director
The Eerie Midnight Horror Show
Sinema Diable/Eclectic DVD
In the mid-â70s Italy had a cottage industry in knock-offs of The Exorcist,
sometimes resulting in legal action. Among such films are Beyond The Door,
House of Exorcism, Abby</i> and LâOdessa. The latter of which came to the
English-speaking market as Enter The Devil, The Sexorcist, The Tormented
and now The Eerie Midnight Horror Show. This current re-titling is the
most perplexing, although it may have been necessary to not use The Sexorcist
because of the same-name anime feature. However, the filmâs softcore porn angle
on The Exorcist seems to fuel its recurring resurgences. While there are
some picture quality problems here on this dubbed version it is, apparently, not
the worst print and audio edition available. Comparisons to The Exorcist
are most valid in the second half as the woman shows signs of being possessed
and priests battle her resident demon. The first half is a swinging scene of a
rose-whipped masochist mother (Lucretia Love) and the star (Stella Carnacina)
that gets sexually infected with demonic possession by a randy crucifix-affixed
diabolic entity (Ivan Rassimov). (3) </font>
<
p align=”center”>More
on the DVD from Amazon.com</a></font></p>
CD Reviews
Audra Kubat
Million Year Old Sand
Audra Kubat continues to excel and surpass herself as a vocalist. On this album,
she reaches a plateau where comparisons to Rickie Lee Jones and Joni Mitchell
become valid. The arrangements are largely acoustic and in this space, Audraâs
simple, unadorned phrasing compels the listener to listen, take in and be transformed
by the poetry of these songs. (4)
</font></p>
Paul Westerberg
Come Feel me Tremble (CD and DVD)
Come Feel me Trembleis 13 all-new tracks from Westerberg. The focus is
on the man himself with his songs and guitar, in the arrangements. The basic delivery
and this focus make the album approach classic The Replacements in spirit. A fourteenth
track is a cover of Jackson Browneâs âThese Daysâ. A separately released DVD documentary
of the same name is out that candidly shows a humble and down-to-earth Westerberg
bringing it to the fans. (3.5) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a>
on the DVD from Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Bottom Dollar
Sonic Records
Nathan Wiley is a clarion voice in neo-Americana, delivering compelling rootsy
songs that reverberate with the listener for a very real emotional content. In
these days of electric pop, the brushed drums and cleanly picked guitar lines
lend a nostalgic air to the music. But, Wiley is no mere time capsule. Full of
enough material to credit him as a stalwart roots songwriter of the first degree,
this independent debut also includes standout track âBetty, Betty (ride that hog)â.
This eerie track has Tom Waits production values of AM radio and alarm clock with
the electric guitars and vocal compression so that the song echoes down from the ceiling.
(4)
</font>
The Prime-Time Sublime Community Orchestra
( Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â )
</i>
Corporate Blob Records
The idea of this parenthetical titling is that you can put your own title in.
Thatâs right, write it right on the copy you should have of this album. Iâm calling
mine My Neo-Classical Runneth Over. I call it this because this orchestra
takes a post-classical substrate and spreads over it a thick jam of electronic
and ethnic seasoning. âHoly War in Your Pantsâ has Eastern and Western instrumental,
while âA Day at The Mallâ is an easy listening tune with free jazz, Chinese music
and Native American chanting. The rest of the six tracks are a post-bop infusion
into chamber work (âErectile Cognitive Bop Bitsâ) and more unexpected cross-genre
collages from the sophisticated sonic kaleidoscopes of âPomp and Vindalooâ (curried
â60s with bossa nova), âFelliniâs Pickup Truckâ (avant-bluegrass jazz) and the
grab bag of âInvocation and Fanfare of the Tahitian Garbage Fairiesâ with a Polynesian
percussion section. (5) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Connie Evingson
Let it be Jazz: Connie Evingson Sings The Beatles
A fully expressive vocalist, Connie Evingson is very interpretive in her renditions
of The Beatles songs on this album. Approaching them as an interpretive jazz singer,
you are going to like this album, even if you are a jazz fan that (gasp!) does
not like The Beatles. Fans of The Beatles lacking in appreciation of jazz, may
very well find a new appreciation for the genre on listening to this disc. Certainly,
Evingson is not a jazz ambassador seeking to bridge worlds, and this is nothing
like the lackluster jazz albums of pop covers prevalent from the mid-â60s to the
mid-â70s. Evingson makes these great jazz songs as she stretches out in phrasing
and lyrics on these tracks. Mary Louise Knutson on piano and Fender Rhodes gives
a hip, vintage feel to the keyboard side of things on this exquisite disc. (4.5)
</font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Various Artists
Letâs Copp a Groove!: Lost UK Soul â 1968-72
The funk is on fire on this collection of would-be lost UK soul singles. Most
material is from the Beacon label. Beaconâs label manager and promoter Roger St.
Pierre pens the liner notes for this compilation, every track of which is making
a CD debut. The cuts from Root & Jenny Jackson and Jon & Jeannie are explosive,
while the power blues of John Fitch & Associates shows why he received comparisons
to Jimi Hendrix. (4.5)
</font>
Momentary Delights
Equal parts Serge Gainsbourg Euro-lounge and Portishead slow-moâ trip-hop, this
is an after-hours contribution from Jeff Kettle (Suki Tawdry, Menthol Hill). The
deep, chill-out grooves on this album are becalming tones for midnight moments.
(3.5)
</font>
Saving Hill
Singer Mike McColgan (Dropkick Murphys) fronts this Boston hardcore band. McColgan
made a surprising move in 1998 when he left Dropkick Murphys to do what he always
wanted to do: fight fires. McColgan is a Boston firefighter so do not expect the
kind of touring Dropkick Murphys was famous for. McColgan received the help of
Ken Casey and Al Barr, both of Dropkick Murphys, as well as Dickie Barrett (Mighty
Mighty Bosstones) on this album. Dropkick Murphysâ drummer Jeff Erna is in Street
Dogs, making this nearly a new Dropkick Murphys album, at times. This is melodic
hardcore music from a distinctively Boston direction. (3.5) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
The High Llamas
Beet, Maize & Corn
It is instrumental music with alluring, but delicate melodies. The band eschews
guitars for a string section. It drifts you down a river of Pet Sounds
and Tin Pan Alley, â70s soft rock and cinematic scores. While the rhythms percolate,
melody and harmony weave and intertwine to sublime effect on this record of gentle
orch pop. Sean OâHagan is a master of the light touch with a wide palette of sounds
on this sweet pocket symphony. (4) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
The Iridium Controversy
Beautiful cover art by famed Roger Dean (Yes, Asia) ornaments this CD. This is
fitting to enclose the sophisticated art music inside. The quartet is a progressive,
art-jazz ensemble, light and limber as it deftly moves the themes from Ken Fieldâs
saxophone to the keyboardists (Erik Lindgren, Rick Scott) as Michael Bierylo nets
it all together with the guitar. This chamber rock is too hip to be merely intellectual
but well smart enough to appeal to fans of jazz and neo-classical music. All this
is done with a smile, making the music, done without bass guitar and only just
so much percussion, light and cheery. (4.5) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Robert Wyatt
Solar Flares Burn with You
Robert Wyatt, formerly of Soft machine, has released some great albums on a variety
of labels during his extensive career. Several tracks here come from two different
BBC broadcasts of 1972 and 1974. Then there are home and studio recordings, as
well as the title track being a soundtrack to the Arthur Johnsâ short film Solar
Flares Burn with You</i>. The film is included in QuickTime format. The five tracks
from the 1974 BBC broadcast are done with Curved Air keyboardist Francis Monkman.
The music lacks cohesiveness. Some of the live material seems unrehearsed (âSea
Songâ), giving this album an uneven quality highlighted by the ill-thought cover
of âIâm a Believerâ. That being said, the flashes of brilliance here and the rareness
of the material make it a must for fans of Wyatt and the Canterbury Scene. (3)
</font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
The Slow Poisoners
Days of the Soft Break
Andrew Goldfarb left the outrageous noise of Caroliner behind to create some pretty
darn good indie pop. The music of this album has something nostalgic about it,
but it is hard to say whether that is 1960s American rock, of 1860s British music
hall. Then of course there is the jazz and â70s soft rock elements. There is something
post-folk about the song-oriented approach and then combined with the sparkling
glam elements of the arrangements makes some tracks recall early David Bowie (âThe
God That Failedâ). This is a glitter-covered take on Ian Whitcomb crossed with
psychedelic San Francisco. (4)
</font>
..And This is our Music
Shimmering, neo-psychedelic cosmic space ballads fill this CD. The paisley-printed
music is stylistically uniformed and alluring in its sublime beauty. These songs
bask in the soft, lysergic glow of a multi-colored and expansive soundscape where
each track is an unhurried nugget unearthed between early Rolling Stones and Velvet
Underground. (4) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Bound to Ride
The standout track here is the same as the previous album Whiskeyâd Up.
That is, the rousing, pub rock anthem âClose to the Edgeâ. The Scottish ensemble
continues to offer a swinging, tough blues sound that this time is electric. This
adds substance to the music that matches the gravel voice of Dave Arcari. There
is nothing that strikes one as European about anything from this group. Radiotones
has so incorporated a working-class, electric blues bar band sound matched with
real skill and style that the group becomes representative of what it names in
the albumâs final track âHard Muscle Jazzâ. (4)
</font>
This Day & Age
Ghost Train
Vocalist Pinkie Maclure dresses up these electro-ballads with jazzy, patiently
delivered vocals. Providing the electronics and rhythms is John Wills (Loop, The
Hair and Skin Trading Co.). Willsâ accompaniment is melodic, but the ornamentation
is minimal. This puts the focus on Maclureâs smoky voice with the music framing
subtly and seeking not to distract. The result is artsy, but Maclureâs classic
approach to vocals makes it all seem natural and not at all contrived. (4.5)
</font>
Choose Your Own Title
This group is an extension of Hayseed Dixie, containing the same core members
as that project. Key here is the brother banjo and mandolin masters Don Wayne
and Dale Reno. This is a solid, rock ânâ roll album with bluegrass seasoning from
those mandolins and banjo. On Choose Your Own Title the music has come
down from the mountain and into the city for a visitation of Appalachian roots
music into a rock ânâ roll show. (4) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Cul De Sac
The Stranglerâs Wife
This tense score for Roger Cormanâs film hides malevolence under its surface (âSecond
Victimâ) that also occasional shimmers with a soft, moonlit beauty (âLovemaking/Maeâs
Themeâ). Cul De Sacâs instrumental music crosses genres and never fails to
expand upon itself, and is well suited to being the audio canvas for the complex motivations
for murder. Cul De Sac seeks to and succeeds at a creation inspired by â70s film
soundtracks with avant-rock leanings, such as Nosferatu (Popol Vuh) and
More (Pink Floyd). Going in an understated, ambient direction, the group
succeeded in this through a somewhat ad hoc approach. Some pieces of the composition
were brought in to the studio while other portions were composed on the spot or
improvised as the film played in the studio. (4.5) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Atrium Carceri
Cellblock
Sonic alchemist Simon Heathâs Atrium Carceri project here offers an album of dark
and brooding instrumental atmospheric electronica. The quiescent ruminations reflected
in this gloomy opus are just the sort of intellectual mystery Heath sought to
inject into the darkwave movement. The title of the track âMachine Elvesâ suggests
the mood of this music, a sort of thoughtful appreciation of an H.R. Geiger-like
vision. (4.5)
</font>
Wat
The Slovenian crypto-fascism (avant-totalitarianism?) that pervades this groupâs
art continues to provoke thought and confuse. The German-sung lyrics fit nicely
with the cold, industrial beats but does nothing to clarify the message for most.
The austere and authoritative delivery seeks a Nuremberg Cathedral of Light backdrop,
but without being intimidated by the groupâs stylism (Nazi officers always had
the best uniforms), we can agree there are two points worth considering here.
(1) This is a good industrial record that should not be missed. (2) Why? (3.5)
</font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Quasi
Hot Shit
Touch & Go
The tracks of Hot Shit deliver a perplexing and alluring experimental indie
rock that is at once romantic and disillusioned, rooted and progressive. A melancholy
feeling pervades the Byzantine complexity of slide guitar and a country-fried
singer (Sam Coomes) dropped into a noise-op project. Sampled strings drift in
and pushing it all is the powerhouse drumming of Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney).
(4) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Neurosis & Jarboe
Neurosis & Jarboe
A current of ambient noise occasionally wells to ominous thunderheads on this
recording. Vocalist Jarboe (Swans) exquisitely offsets the gloomy menace with
her exquisite, cold and crystalline vocals. Of course the music is not all doom-and-gloom.
Quite often glinting acoustic guitar and warm melodies break through to shine
down on the damaged land. This is an album of texture and mood that dispenses
with the shock-and-awe approach of the military industrial-metal complex to find
a rich and fertile land far from both the predictable hard rock derivatives and
the threat of new age. (4) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
KK Null
Atomic Disorder
KK Null achieved wide recognition in his landmark series of recordings as guitarist
for post-hardcore outfit Zeni Geva, a band deadly intensity and seriousness. Here,
however, Null shows us his side as an electronic composer for a cacophonous symphony
of electro-noise. The episodes of ragged drumbeats are the most engaging where.
With Japanese simplicity the low, over-modulated percussion is contrasted with
high, metallic clangs. This is exhibited on the first track of this CD where each
track is untitled. Otherwise, KK Null seems to flounder at the most basic level
seeking a direction for this incoherent opus. Perhaps that is where the title
comes from! (3) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Uppercut
Four Walls
This is more than a re-issue of the Uppercut Four Walls EP. The New York
hardcore bandâs sought after collectible from the late â80s/early â90s scene is
buttressed with seven tracks from the post-Uppercut Mindâs Eye. Mindâs Eye included
several Uppercut members as well as guitarist of Killing Time. Uppercut remains
a product of its scene, with similarities to Killing Time, Sick of it All and
Gorilla Biscuits as well as Agnostic Front. Uppercut has that muscular, big hardcore
sound whereas Mindâs Eye is a little more fun and sinewy heading toward Token
Entry territory. (3.5) </font>
<
p align=”center”>Listen
to or </a>Buy
at Amazon.com</a></font></p>
Fracas
On Trial
Cheetahâs Records
Fracas has a large sound, in fact it revs up with that throaty NASCAR sound. The
band faintly smells of the spilled race fuel found near such racetracks in all
areas of the country that when far North locals tend to append a â-tuckyâ suffix
to. These southern leanings come out magnificently on the rendition of Johnny
Paycheckâs â15 Beersâ. Another good cover here is Dr. Knowâs âWatch It Burnâ,
the only other cover on this 16-track CD of pretty darn good hardcore. (3.5) </font>
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Various Artists
WRCT/These Bricks Are Mine
This nice, 2-CD indie rock compilation comes from the live music show âAdvanced
Calculusâ and its archive of recorded one-hour sets. This Carnegie Mellon University
station show is like so much college radio in its daring focus on cutting edge
talent. This bevy of Philadelphia talent shows a lot of edgy, independent hard
rock on Disc One. Creta Bourzia has a nice mix of â80s retro and hardcore elements,
like The Police crossed with Fugazi. Nothing else really stands out, everything
is just as fresh and unfamiliar as heard on any number of edgy hard music shows
of the collegiate variety. Things really pick up on Disc Two, which has all
the best-produced and most musical cuts. The real standouts here on this post-electro
modern rock side is synth rockers Zombi, two-bass band Lorelei and Life in Bed,
the first three tracks. Also notable is Black Moth Super Rainbow, a rock band
featuring keyboards. Incongruously stuck at the end are two hip-hop tracks from
Beam and Strict Flow that, strictly speaking, donât go with the flow. (3.5)
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Clear Horizon
Clear Horizon
Clear Horizon is a continuation of Toledo, OHâs Jessica Bailiff on Kranky. This
inaugural release from Bailiff and David Pearce (Flying Saucer Attack) is a slow
tempo and lo fi release with Bailiffâs voice a soft and alluring call through
the gently ebb and flow off a moonlit white noise tide. Pearce and Bailiff assure
us this fertile cross-Atlantic collaboration will continue. (3.5) </font>
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Dean Roberts
Be Mine Tonight
This minimalist recording features prepared guitar from Giuseppe Ielasi and Christian
Alati. This post-minimalist indie production gently moves forward with Dean Roberts
showing marvelous restraint. Roberts plays acoustic and electric guitars, piano,
percussion, bass, harmonium and the seldom-heard glass harmonica all while maintaining
sparse, under-stated arrangements. Still, the disc falls short of perfection for
unsure, creaking singing that exudes a tentative mood over the album. (3) </font>
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Thrall
Lifer
Thrallâs Mike Hard (God Bullies) continues to deliver kick-ass hard rock with
lyrics to commit to heart. It is fitting that Thrall come onto the Alternative
Tentacle roster because Jello Biafraâs lifelong message of anti-authoritarian
individualism matches Mike Hardâs message. While this album does not rise to the
level of God Bulliesâ Mamawombwomb or Thrallâs Hung Life God, this
is a smart, post-metal hard rock album that has got more to say and a better way
of saying it than most comparable 2004 releases. (3.5) </font>
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Harold Ray Live in Concert
Harold Ray Live in Concert
The idea is so simple and effective that it borders on genius. Why not ditch all
music of the last several decades and recreate something that has already worked,
namely horn-driven scorching R&B. It is a â60s garage soul riot that comes out
running, right out of the gate. Of course, Harold Ray has some affinity groups
to look to and takes âBusy Bodyâ from The Lyres and âAinât Nothinâ But a House
Partyâ (J. Geils Band). This puts the band, an assembly of fiery human jukeboxes,
into a long line of rock ânâ soul torchbearers stretching back to first days of
rock. (4) </font>
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Various Artists
The Sound of San Francisco
This not merely a sample of San Francisco bands. Each track here was recorded
especially for this release. The selected band converges on a â60âs-inspired
edgy garage rock feel. Whether it be The Coachwhips, Big Midnight or Black Cat
Music, the sound is reminiscent of the amorphous proto-punk groups of the late
â60s that were primitive and stripped-down. Any of these could a long lost highly
sought after collectible from that era of Flaminâ Groovies and Television. So,
get this now, because these bands are going to be just as sought for after.
(4)
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Smogtown
Tales of Gross Pollution: Early Recordings â 1995/1996
This is the early, previously unreleased demos recorded by the band in 1995 and
- We can hear on the 19 tracks here that Smogtownâs inception found the group
forging elements of punk and hardcore into a sneering and cynical brand of rock.
Signature to the groupâs formula is the standout track, the Sex Pistolâs inspired
anthem âSecret Agent Superstarâ. Smogtownâs two albums placed it in the Hall of
Southern California Punk and this early demo material is fitting tribute to the
now disbanded group. (3.5)
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Sing Desire
Singer-songwriter Jennie Stearns offers heartland Americana that is more about
sincere songs than Southern style. Comparisons to Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams
become valid when listening to Sing Desire. There is a magical melancholy to Stearns
voice, subtly resonating with a light vibrato. This beautiful sadness heard in
songs like âKnoxville Girl (Parting Gift)â is epitomized by the mysterious tryst
called for in the Johnny Dowd-penned âGarden of Delightâ. (4) </font>
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Hala Strana
This self-titled debut CD is an instrumental album exploring through experimentation
the traditional folk music of central and Central and Eastern Europe. Like Steven
R. Smithâs other post-Mirza bands, this release is sweetly sad soundscapes built
up through music based mainly on guitar but featuring many other instruments.
Here Smith even uses the instrumentation of Croatian, Hungarian, Romanian, Czech
and Polish villages. To approach anew the melodies and scales of these people
Smith uses such instruments as gourd guitar, clay flowerpots, glockenspiel and
even glass bottles. This is a melancholy but magical, exotic and engaging album.
(4) </font>
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Matthew Shipp
Sorcerer Session
Thirsty Ear
On âKeystrokeâ the sounds of typing on a computer keyboard are the substrate
to this piece that merges the squeaking free jazz clarinet of Evan Ziporyn (Bang
On A Can Allstars) with the post-classical piano of Matthew Shipp. Such is the
setting of the entire album, a marriage of classical elements and free jazz
in a field of playful experimentation. The classical elements come mainly from
Shippâs piano and the violin of Daniel Bernard Roumain. Ziporyn and William
Parker (bass) hold up the avant-jazz end. FLAM uses programming and synthesized
to add programmer beats and more as he did for Shippâs Nu Bop and Equilibrium.
The interaction is insightful and meaningful as Shipper and company explores
the vast areas intersected by the farther reaches of jazz and classical. (4.5)
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