Bidston Moss
Bidston Moss CD-EP
Ramjet.
by Scott Zimmerman.
December 26, 1996.
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If you keep your multi-disc cd player stocked with the likes of
Scrawl, Veruca Salt, Throwing Muses or other edgy guitar groups with
girls singing, then here's another one to add to the rotation.
In Bidston Moss, Beth (bass) and Christine (guitar) are the starring pair, combining their voices to form sweet harmonic confections. Mung (lead guitar) and Christian (drums) make up the remainder of this Victoria, Australia four piece.
"Penguin" and "Orange Couch," the two most frenetic and energetic of the six songs on this ep, so far have been giving me the maximal thrills. The guitars are delicious. "Junior" isn't far behind (nice melody on the vocals!), and "Muttonbird" and "Cerulean" work in a similarly pleasant way. In the middle of the ep is "Silver Top Taxi," the most unique sounding of the compositions. It features some groovy sliding guitar work and particularly warm, attractively bluesy vocals. Smashing!
Trampoline
I Want One Of Everybody CD
Spin Art. spart 49.
by Keith McLachlan.
December 26, 1996.
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Power pop seems such an odious term, but it seems odiously appropriate
for the new Trampoline record, which is so far from odious as to be
almost floral. This disc has the same sort of spirit as the first
Charlatans UK record, the songs aren't particularly deep or emotional
but they ring and chime with strong melodies and pleasant enough
vocals especially on the title track and on the lovely "Coronado" to
make the lightweight-ness of it all seem inevitably ignorable. Kinda
cool, pretty nice.
Pram
Music For Your Movies CD-EP
by Keith McLachlan.
December 26, 1996.
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New ep from the grooviest of all the Too Pure-ees, here they are a
little closer to being terrestial-bound than on their previous
records. In fact a lounge feel is prevailing in the first two tracks,
sorta similar to Mars... era Stereolab, kinda fitting since it is
on the labsters label Duophonic. Rosie is in different voice but the
overall effect is just as mesmerizing as anything else they have done.
The last song "Eggshells" ranks up with their best efforts ever. A
success in that it makes me long for a new full length of Pram
madness.
the Olivia Tremor Control
Music From The Unrealized Film Script, Dusk At Cubist Castle CD
Flydaddy. Fly012.
by Keith McLachlan.
December 26, 1996.
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So now I have figured it out, this whole Elephant6 thing. Somewhere
along the line a bunch of guys with an intense love of the Beatles,
Beach Boys and all things classically pop circa '67 met up, in
Louisiana of all places, and decided they were gonna change the face
of American indie pop. Well maybe that is overstating it, but
following on the heels of the brilliant Apples in Stereo and Neutral
Milk Hotel, fellow elephanters Olivia Tremor Control have constructed
a masterwork debut album. 27 tracks in all, it includes a concept
album within a concept album, and comes with a bonus ambient cd
designed for simultaneous play with the first cd. What it sounds like
is Let it Be/Abbey Road/White Album era Beatles, the harmonies are
sweet, the guitar gentle and the piano sprinkled just so to add the
perfect hallucinatory touch. The record is hardly imitative though,
as near the end the pop experimentalism is set on high and such gems
as "Gravity Car" and "I Can Smell the Leaves" are revealed. I guess
they were thinking of releasing a debut box set and if this is an
indication of what they have stored up then I can't wait for their
next audacious move.
the Minders
"Paper Plane" 7" vinyl
Elephant 6. e6-006.
by Keith McLachlan.
December 26, 1996.
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Martyn Minder has the Elephant 6 stamp of approval on this record, I
guess I sound like a broken record but truly it is a stamp that pretty
much guarantees a swinging pop record. And the tradition is
maintained here. The a-side is a looping guitar number sorta
reminiscent of Pavement and well it is ok. The b-sides then step up
and they are fabulous: a stringy love song and a groove infested
number to finish it up. Lots of vocal harmonies, clean guitar and
real melodies, nice.
Trembling Blue Stars
Her Handwriting CD
Shinkansen. Shinkansen 3CD.
by Keith McLachlan.
December 26, 1996.
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Just when you thought Bob from the Field Mice couldn't get any more
sad, along comes his new solo album Her Handwriting, a beautifully
constructed album about the end of his relationship with his life's
love Annmarie. This is an amazingly courageous album, to place your
emotions completely above board for everyone to feel empathy towards,
or more likely in the case of vermin British journalists, to mock and
jeer. But this is such a special album, a treasure for anyone who has
ever loved and lost. I read Everett True's startling review and I
completely agree with it--this is music for the lonely when they are
alone. Musically, it has elements of both the Field Mice and Northern
Picture Library, but its soul is all Bob's. "What am I gonna do, I
don't want to live without love, but I don't want to love nobody but
you"-from "Nobody but You"- here's hoping Bob finds another love that
could have such powerful influence so as to drive him to create such
emotional perfection. Sniff-Sniff.