Poundsign
"The Almondy Many" 7" vinyl
Fantastic. Fan-003.
by Scott Zimmerman.
November 23, 1996.
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Poundsign's quite likely the coolest thing going on in the Bay Area
popscene right now, and hopefully this 3-song 7" will give them a lot
more exposure. It's really great. It begins with "The Almondy Many,"
which at over 5 minutes, is almost an epic by pop standards. While
relying on only a couple of simple guitar lines, the song could get
tedious, but as the song persists you mainly get the impression that,
wow, something really classic is happening here! Stephen's on vocals,
while Alicia lets her voice flow along nicely in the background. It's
all encased in a raw, sharp, noisy atmosphere.
On the flip-side, "Button" brings Alicia to the lead. It's a whispy, kind of bouncy number. It's fresh and cool as an autumn breeze. A real nice one to whistle along too.
The last song "Our New Ways" shares a lot with "The Almondy Many." Stephen's back on vocals, the noise returns, and Poundsign proves that it's more than just some wimpy jangly band. Though, at the end of the song, they do end up going kind of jangly... which leaves you wanting more, more, more! No fair.
Helen Love
"We Love You" 7" vinyl
Damaged Goods.
by Aurore Bacmann.
November 23, 1996.
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Out of Stock.
Already the 10th release on Damaged Goods for Helen Love and this new
e.p. from the prolific Welsh trio looks like a summary of the previous
episodes. Hence no surprise as for the musical style (see other
reviews for further details!). The title song "We love you" is a bit
the story of Helen Love - form a band, record a few songs in your
kitchen with a giggle and... become a popstar! As we had already been
used to in the past with "Punk Boy" or "Rollercoasting," another song
on the e.p. has the same title "We Love You." Faster than the first
one, it states the soft riot grrrl side of the group by quoting some
lines out of "Formula One Racing Girls," the first 7". "Girl About
Town" tells a not so different story in the teenage heart Helen Love
style. And for those who'd missed both the 4th single and the
compilation CD, there is a version of one of the "Punk Boy" tracks
available on the e.p.
Powder
Deep Fried CD-EP
by Gil Magana.
August 1, 1996.
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Out of Stock.
Powder's 3rd single release finds them altering their sound just slightly.
After the first two releases which brought them many comparisons to
Elastica, "Deep Fried" completely obliterates any possibility of them
being compared to Justine and Co. any more. All 3 tracks are somewhat
slower than previously released material. "Deep Fried" is a mid-tempo
number with a more full bodied guitar sound and Pearl Lowe's most toxic
vocal delivery. "Memo From Turner" (a Rolling Stones cover) features a
buzzing guitar accompanied by dancy instrumentation, easily the best
track. "Sold Out" comes as a bit of a surprise: a semi-acoustic ballad
about addiction as a way of avoiding suburban discontent and parenthood.
Lyrically, it's Powder's best outing and proves they're more than most
journalists have made them to be.
Vinyl Shriner
Saving Children CD
Favorite Street.
by Scott Zimmerman.
August 1, 1996.
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Out of Stock.
The music of Vinyl Shriner, a guitars/bass/drums/vocals five-piece from
Indiana reminds me a bit of '80s modern rock super group Big Country,
which if you like Big Country you should certainly take as a
recommendation. I only really like a couple of songs by that group (the
ones you hear on the radio).
Incidently, (and I just have to get this out of my system) I saw Big Country perform a couple of years ago and they were beyond terrible. Their drummer, who I think was some big famous guy, was particularly obnoxious on those cymbals.
Anyway, this album starts off with a bang. So much so that my short attention span is somewhat disappointed that the entirety of Saving Children doesn't carry the same immediately magnetic, pop sprite as "Bold Vane," the album's short two minute, ten second lead off homerun of an introduction. I've listened to it about ten times more than the rest of the record, it being one of those songs you can't help but to put on repeat.
Although the remainder of this album did not live up to my initial expectation of twelve monster pop explosions, it does carry a lively pace, solid pleasant vocals, and a nice jangly spirit that sometimes gets replaced by noisy guitars. As far as I can ascertain, the group is having some fun, and that translates to a nice listening experience.
Now what I'm really trying to figure out is this cover--it looks like the playground could be printed in a 3D format, but all my pairs of 3D glasses are ever so elusive, so until I find one, I'll just have to wonder...
Scheer
Schism CD-EP
4AD.
by Gil Magana.
August 1, 1996.
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As one of 4AD's newest signings, Scheer are so completely inappropriate to
the label's past and present body of work that one wonders why they're
even there. On their "Schism" EP they offer up 3 immediately tiresome
songs and one pleasant but inconsequential tune. The first 2 tracks,
"Sometimes" and "You Said" offer up a tedious mix of prog rock and funk
metal. Worse is "Baby Size," a laughable attempt at "letting their hair
down" and doing the folk pop thing that evokes ridiculous images of Scheer
choosing out scarves and running to the nearest coffee house. "Take You
Anywhere" is about the only decent thing here and it's blunted by weak,
colorless vocals. It's almost as if 4AD is trying so hard to escape the
ethereal image that they'd sign anyone. Here they've found the missing
link between Letters to Cleo and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They can keep
'em, I sure as hell don't want 'em.
the Softies
the Softies CD
Slumberland. SLR 47.
by Melanie Cardenas.
August 1, 1996.
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Out of Stock.
If you couldn't get enough of the Softies' debut LP It's Love, then you
should get this 10" if you have any money whatsoever. This Slumberland
release has eight lovely tunes from those two lovely girls. Like all of
the Softies releases, this 10-incher is comprised of songs about love sung
most angelically by Rose and Jen. Accompanied, of course, with their
simple yet beautiful guitars. Sigh. This is perfect for walks in the park
in a nice, breezy spring afternoon. The Softies... swoon.