Crayola Summer
Kirans Dollar e.p. 7" vinyl
Inner Psyche. psy01seven.
by Scott Zimmerman.
May 26, 1997.
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In the grooves of this vinyl we've got a cool raw edge of pop energy
revealing itself in songs of three distinct, yet similar moods.
"Caffeine" leans towards drone, "7th age" towards snappy, and the
third, "This is Mad," falls down sobbingly in the land of the
introspective. With the hip male vocals, combined with basic, yet yummy
guitars, the final sound at times reminds me of the Beat Happening, which
is a very good thing indeed.
the Softies
Winter Pageant CD
K. KLP 61.
by Jonathan Fink.
February 2, 1997.
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I want to marry Rose Melberg. I have this all planned out. I want to
marry her and become her roadie. I'm sure it would work out if only
we could meet. *
Let me explain why Miss Melberg is so eminently crushworthy. Throughout her career in three different bands (Tiger Trap, Go Sailor and the Softies), she has consistently written and sung songs that sum up everything important there is to say about love. She sings about things that you always wanted to say, but were never quite able to put into words yourself. And she does it all set to the tune of absolutely lovely, catchy melodies.
While Tiger Trap had a slightly punky edge, and Go Sailor is very straightforward and (generally) upbeat pop, the Softies play sad songs. Well, maybe they're not all sad songs, they all certainly sound like sad songs. Both Rose and her partner Jen Sbragia sing and play guitar, and the way their voices harmonize is beautiful and heartbreaking in its simplicity. They sing songs about breaking promises and stealing covers "from no one at all."
Winter Pageant is the Softies second album on K Records (an eight-song EP on Slumberland Records came out last summer), and is filled with fourteen more modest songs about love and its complications. On the first few listens, I began to worry that Winter Pageant was too much like the band's other music. If there is a problem with the Softies' music it is that with just two voices and two guitars, the songs are limited by their simplicity and all begin to sound alike after a while. But as a friend reminded me, they might start to sound like the same song, but it's a really, really good song. And perhaps it's an inevitability -- a band's second album almost never seems as refreshing and original as their first.
However, as I've listened to this new album over and over a few songs have started to stand out. Perhaps the most surprising of which is "Splintered Hands," apparently about a post-breakup fight. "Tracks and Tunnels" is about a train ride that just takes a painfully long time and probably features the most memorable guitar part. In it, Rose casts herself as Cupid: "I raise my bow and aim / missing every time the same." They even do add a bit of musical variety with a piano on "Winter Pageant" and a xylophone on "Pack Your Things and Go."
I would recommend Winter Pageant to anyone who enjoyed It's Love or the self-titled EP and would like to simply hear more of the Softies. And watch out, because they should be touring soon.
* Author's note: In the middle of writing this review, I found out Rose is married. So my plans are foiled.
Space
Spiders CD
Gut.
by Keith Mclachlan.
February 2, 1997.
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You know everything I have ever read about these guys always seems to
have a quote from the repulsively smug singer about how weird they
are, how he can outweird anyone, and how he is just such a weirdo,
right to the point of nausea. Cause, obviously, anyone who is truly
that weird doesn't know it, and he certainly doesn't go around
proclaiming it to every tapedeck in Britain, but no Tommy Scott says
he's the weirdest guy in the UK and we'll test him, 'cause you know
for me the weirder the better, so I guess I should assumedly be
proposing marriage after hearing this record. Well, I probably should
cancel the gift registry cause this is the biggest slab of wonk to
emerge from the British Isles since Chapterhouse surfaced with maybe
the worst sophomore record of all time. Spiders starts off with
"Neighborhood" and well it gets awful pretty quickly, the vocals are
very studied in David Bowie-ism but the lyrics are beyond stupid, they
may have their own category, the music is a hybrid of dance and indie
pop (do i hear Chapterhouse in that groove?) and is pretty average.
Then comes "Me and You Versus the World" and the title isn't the only
thing cliche here, again the vocals reach epic disaster-like
proportions. The disc barrels on with this strategy of annoying the
heck out of most reasonable listeners, even the hit single "Female of
the Species" is tiresome, until finally you are relieved to hear the
final note. One for the recycle bin.
Lenola
Last Ten Feet Of The Suicide Mile CD
Tappersize. tp2003.
by Keith Mclachlan.
February 2, 1997.
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I picked up this album the same day I picked up the stupendous Lilys
record and well I gave Lenola a few spins and thought well that is
nice, but hey that Lilys disc is calling me again. But a few months
on I have come back and realize that what this lacks in the Lilys
grand pop masterworking, it makes up for in noise, cleverness and a
saved from the brink tunefulness. It is always compared to Polvo, and
sure that might be a dead on analysis, but this is less studied than
Ash and the boys are prone to create, and a thus little more
spontaneous sounding. "Rat Circle" is insane, "Shared a Route" has
plenty of My Bloody Valentinism in it, and the whole disc is highly
energized. It is definitely digable.
Various Artists
Family Album CD
Shyboy. 001.
by Keith Mclachlan.
February 2, 1997.
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You know, usually you get a box of chocolates and like Forrest says
"you never know what you're gonna get," but what Forrest forgot to say
is that most of the time you get the shaft after your relatives have
picked over the good stuff and you find yourself stuck with something
vile like nouget, and the same is usually true for compilation cds
especially those serving as first serves for rookie labels. But this
compilation cd from ShyBoy records is something of a revelation. For
years I believed the rule for Australian bands was INXS and the
exception was the Cannanes, but here is a generous portion of music
from Oz along with some US flavor and holy moly it is pretty darn
great, in fact the weakest tracks are from well known yank lamos like
Nothing Painted Blue and Butterglory. The treats are "Land of the
Long Weekend" from the Cannanes, Simon Joyner's "Hold Onto Your
Breath," Thermos Candy, Kickstand and the truly wonderful track from
Sulk. Eye-opening stuff, fer sure.
Melys
Fragile CD
by Keith Mclachlan.
February 2, 1997.
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A new? band on the Welsh label Ankst and well, they are maybe the
most commercial of the recent crop of Welsh bands, they come off
sounding slightly like early Saint Etienne, with nice clear female
vocals and a fey sense of melody and pop dynamics. Two songs in
Welsh, two in English, all four are rather nice, I look forward to
hearing more.