GitoGito Hustler “We are Japanese Girls Band!!” All are produces
for oneself itself. I want to send wonderful music. There is no
border in music. Happy!! Happy!! Happy!!. Sure the cover of this
demo disc the band gave me at CMJ reads like a bottle of Dr. Bronner’s
Peppermint Castile Soap, maybe without the Jesus babble. Cute
Motown covers by a band that rocks a lot harder live, is how I’d
describe this quirky punk CD. You’ll recognize “Locomotion” because
its all sung in English and sounds just like “Locomotion.” Beyond
that, you’ll enjoy the shooby doo-waas. You can hear the Ramones
influences in the beat, and the way the songs are slower than
you’d expect them coming out of the studio, But really, I recommend
the live show. For more on this band, including a great Website
with quick-time flicks from their visit to the States, point your
browser to www.gitogito.org. - Ment
Candy Ass “Orgy” R.A.F.R. Records, Sudio City, Ca. I listened
to this disc a lot, when it first arrived and leading up to their
CMJ appearance at my least favorite NYC venue, Irving Plaza. Then
I didn’t touch it for months. Maybe it’s a warmer-weather kind
of thing. Candy Ass runs the gamut to fair to great, all in six
quick songs. Maybe they’re trying to be too cute (police line-up
photo on cover) or (I Like) Brenda’s Boyfriend, maybe they’re
too authentically time-worn? Rings too true on “Queen of the Crazies”
“ Spend my life on a morphine drip ... dementia .... “ bla bla
bla. Anyway, waited a while to get into that Irving Plaza show,
then bailed when the goons insisted I check my bag. Do I look
like Osama? When will they close that club? I’ve had two experiences
there in 20 years - Johnny Cash and the Ramones - which was supposed
to be “the eve of destruction” I need to see Candy Ass live in
a club that suits them, like Cbs. I think they even played the
Woodstock body art fest, but I missed that too. - Ment Digital Underground, “Playwutchalike,” Tommy Boy/Rhino Did DU establish itself as a clown prince of funk or relegate itself to being regarded as a novelty act and forgotten? This collection allows you to answer that question for yourself. Like George Clinton, DU has balanced its goofy humor with juicy, beefy beats that get dance floors broiling and definitely approaches the P-Funk ethos of maximumisness. These Oakland based funk pioneers started dropping science and playing with live musicians in the 1980s and still hold up well in retrospect. EAK
El Centro, “Prohibido!” Finger Records These punk rockers on Orange County’s Finger Records serve up high quality punk with that Southern Cali sound we love at the Urban Rag. This disc will surely please fans who love the punk versions of rockabilly offered up by bands like Social D and the Paladins. - EAK
Karney “All Connected” Tangent Records, San Francisco, Ca. Influences from punk to rap, reggae, and middle eastern music all find their way on to what’s promoted as Karney’s “Latest and Greatest recording.” I hear a little Chrissie Hynde on “All Connected,” when Karney hustles to get the lyrics in - though I’m not sure what Hynde would make of “Drug War” with Steffen Franz adding a little vocals or “My Little Bush’” also with Franz both commentaries on the state’s persecution of basically harmful habits. Since others have compared Karney to Edie Brickell, I listened for that and came to the conclusion that the band can occasional sound like New Bohemians, as in “Something Like Eden,” but recently having landed my mitts on Brickell’s most recent solo effort, I don’t hear it any father than a certain acoustic melodic echo. “All Connected” is best when Karney avoids simple rhymes for rhymes sake,” Out of Body,” and uses them to deliver a real message, “My Little Bush,” ... “Growing there so innocently, it’s going to make me lose my property.” If that confuses you, forget it. If you find this CD, pretend I didn’t ruin the ending of the film for you. - Ment
Blank Pages “45 and 33” FDR/Face Down Recs - Too smoothly cool
for their own good, these folks. Polished performance brings harmony
rich rock to the disc in force. Think of the straight-forward
stuff in your collection, maybe starting as far back as the Beatles
and to the 90s, when Mathew Sweet was a regular in the pages of
the Urban Rag. Now blend, and pour. - Ment.The Pinkerton Thugs “End of an Era” Go Kart Records. Never surrender, never forget. These guys are marking the end of an era - but fortunately the era shall return. I hear a touch of Ramones in tunes like “Where the Money Goes,” though the lyrics are a little deeper than beat on the bratz. “A mans gotta work if he wants to live. But is a life of labor for the highest bid a life worth liven’?” I hear a touch of The Clash in tunes like “No Heroes No Justice,” “There’s no more heroes. There’s no more justice. White collar crime from the office.” - Enron? Mostly though it’s vintage punk the way you like it.
De La Soul, “Timeless, The Singles Collection,” Tommy Boy/Rhino In 1988, my friend Juan was excited to see De La at the New Ritz until he realized he was the only person of color in the house. Were we in the company of particularly hip white-folk or had De La Soul been pigeonholed as a pop act based on the lovably silly “Me Myself and I”? Let’s give the audience credit for possibly discovering an alternative to MCs getting ‘gangsta’ to the strain of Motown samples De La featured more complex musical references banjoes!?, vocal harmonies, and positive messages under the flag of daisy power. This group may have laid the groundwork for positive hip-hop acts like J5 or Fugees but never really escaped its cute image. Getting fierce on their somber sophomore release “De La Souls Dead” backfired and the band continued to fly under the industry radar. They got props on their 2001 release Art Official Intelligence” with guest spots by Redman and Chaka Khan, and are highlighted as quiet legends on this fine collection. - EAK
Julia Darling self-titled/self-released. Find Darling at www.juliadarling.com.
No really, find her. It’s got a much bigger sound than the solo
shows I’ve seen, but Darling’s CD stand tall as any record in
the bin. “There is no blue in my rainbow when you’re here with
me.” That’s a line. No? That’ someone with an thought, who writes
it down and makes it a song. Other side of the coin? “I wake up
smoke write songs drink smoke make out that’s my Monday ... I
make a list of things I could buy if I had fifty grand that’s
my Friday.” Barely any thought at all, as far as I can tell. Tad
self-indulgent, too. If you like sweetly sung songs with attitude
try these. - Ment.
The Birth of Western Trance - Pitchfork Wreckerds. When hear anything described as “trance,” I think of a bunch of
low-rent club hoppers taking X and overly promiscuous sex. Maybe
that’s what Peter Head had in mind when he recorded this gem at
Rock Ledge in August 2002 - but I think it rises high above all
that. Sometimes derivative, rarely repetitive western musical
landscapes fill this most-listenable disc. Referenced are the
western heroes you might expect to find and at least three tracks
inspired by Raymond Burr. Go figure. I find those old Perry Mason’s
on the Hallmark channel often unwatchable - but I wonder if Head
was tuned in that summer. - MentYa-Ne-Zniyoo “All is not lost,” self-released. If you can’t enjoy this, you’ve got no sense of humor. Or you’re not drunk enough. I don’t drink but I do know how to laugh. Black cats do love their mothers, you know. Plugging away earnestly, no doubt, in New Jersey - these folks must play the bar circuit. If they don’t they should. Sure, there would be a fare dose of abuse form greasy-hared unappreciative types. But I bet the sound man would enjoy their non-offensive melodic approach. (Even if the lyrics are at times troubling, as in “Cop Show”) “Porn queens ... Smack, crack, Special-K and Ex.” They’ve got issues, these folks. I’d like to hear the electronically-peppered minimalism. For more, including an explanation of the name which is derived from Russian, visit www.ya-ne-zniyoo.com - Ment
The Allstonians “Bottoms Up!” Fork In Hand Recs., Boston, Mass. Someone’s got to keep playing ska. Otherwise the skankers will have to hang up their felt hats and skinny ties. There’s a difference between these boys and the bands that make it big, big, big playing this stuff. The Allstonians got soul. They’re got spirit They’ve got horns that don’t sound like they were programmed in the studio. AND they’ve got my vote for the best ska CD reviewed in this issue. OK. I think they’re the only ska CD reviewed in this issue, if you don’t count a few random tracks here and there on other albums and DVDs. - Ment
Dipsomaniacs “Freakin Eureka” Face Down Records Burlington, NJ.
And then there were pop bands. And this was one of them. And it
was good. I think the Dipsomaniacs could sing about cars, or girls,
or Apple Jacks, and would be very much the same. This is not to
say the band is without range, but they rarely stray far from
their major chords. After all, “Everybody wants to hum that tune.
If you’re alive then you’re not immune.” Right? Just ask label
man Mich Chorba, the front man in the band. That’s a line from
“Calvin,” actually just about the only line. And sure there are
a few minor chords. Chorba’s got a unique sense of humor. How
many of you could write about a “low level search for God” What’s
wrong with that? (also his line) Anyway. Get it? Don’t be afraid
of the pop. Come into the light. - Ment.Bill Popp and the Tapes, 50 Years of Popp, self-released Okay so he fudges it a bit by claiming 50 years in the music biz this 2-song disc marks the 50th year since Popp sang in his 2nd grade class choir. His music does however harken back to the music of yore with sweet poppy creations that I would place with the Age of Aquarius. EAK
Spring Heel Jack “AMaSSED” Thirsty Ear Recs, Norwalk, Conn. Jazzy, atmospheric, and altogether good. This, what I believe to be Spring Heel Jack’s almost-most-recent release, is more avant garde than the Charles Mingus “Mingus Ah Um” I’ve been listening to. Of course, the Mingus has been in the dashboard player all week and this would probably distract me unfavorably on those late night drives. Tasty nonetheless. Pass the biscuits. - Ment
Audio Learning Center, “Friendships Often Fade Away,” Vagrant Records As the title implies, this disc is full of vaguely sad, haunting tunes about love, loss, and the foibles of life. The trio has a clean, circumspect guitar line running
through its songs with an upper register vocal which might remind you a bit of Garageland or Modest Mouse. EAK
Terror Fimer Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Go Kart - Well-picked
and just shy of two dozen, these tunes by the likes of Lunachicks,
Anti-Flag, NOFX, Vandals, and Bouncing Souls make for an excellent
compilation. From so-Cal, (when did Lunachicks “Terror Firmer”
get so so-Cal sounding) to near h metal, Vision of Disorder “In
the Room” It’s just a good listen. Don’t forget Down by Law “Fly
the Flag,” and Entombed “Amazing Grace.” I think this played through
three times one afternoon and I didn’t notice the repeats. It’s
just that good. - Ment.