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Money Mark
Mark’s Keyboard Repair
Mo’ Wax
Sometime in the latter part of the 80s, the Beastie Boys transformed from snotty, beer-swilling morons to sophisticated purveyors of 70s pop culture. From the look to the sound, the Boys looked back to their childhood for inspiration, discovering all sorts of weird and fun stuff along the way. That progression also saw the addition of Money Mark, who laid down most of the funky keyboard riffs on the last two albums. Mark’s Keyboard Repair is his solo debut, and it’s easy to draw a line between his solo musings and the jazz and funky forays of the B-Boys (recently culled on the band’s The In Sound from Way Out). On over 30(!) tracks (10 added to the original for domestic release), Mark sings, swings and screeches his way through a musical stew that is equal parts soul, funk and reverence for disco balls and the Jeffersons. Halfway playing it straight and halfway messing around, the songs range from Superfly grooves, as on “Ba Ba Ba Boom,” to maxed-out, as on “Slow Flames,” to generally fucked up, as on “Don’t Miss The Boat,” where Mark muses, “You may not like this type of shit, but somebody does.” Unlike most albums today, Mark’s Keyboard Repair holds up far better as a whole than any of its parts, sucking you in for the whole journey rather than throwing out bones peppered with indecipherable junk. For a wise and enjoyable piece of nostalgia, you can’t do much better. —B Mac
Pie
Strictly Seance
Big Top
A friend of mine who’s just learning to play guitar said to me the other day, “I can make some cool sounds, but now I’m trying to figure out what my point is.” Not point as in, “This song is for all the senselessly slaughtered dolphins as a result of tuna nets,” but more along the lines of, “Hey, why would someone other than myself be interested in hearing this?” Pie has got the rock sound down just fine, but they’ve yet to find their “point.” Several of the songs have interesting moments, but rarely can you find a time when you can say, “I’ve never heard that before.” Fine band, okay record, hopefully a brighter future. —B Mac
Busta Rhymes
The Coming
Elektra
As far as hip hop goes, the last few years have been generally pretty bleak. There’s been some okay singles and such, but mostly we’ve been stuck with wack ass Coolio shit. So when I caught the single for Busta’s “Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check,” I sensed some relief. Best known for his spot on A Tribe Called Quest’s “Scenario,” he’s mostly languished in obscurity with the mediocre Leaders of the New School. On The Coming, he gets to follow his own hysterically manic drives. And that works, for a while anyway. Lord knows this guy is a party in a box, just add beats. But over the course of an entire LP, it wears somewhat. Actually, my major gripe is the spoken word interludes that pepper many of the tracks. The first time they might be a yuck, but after two or three listens, it gets old. Unfortunately, they’re not indexed individually, so there’s no way to utilize technology to program them out. Still, songs like the aforementioned “Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check” and “Ill Vibe,” which has a guest spot from Q-Tip, make this record about as fun as any hip hop record out now. —B Mac
Youth Brigade
To Sell The Truth
BYO Records
The first time I listened to this CD, it was over before I knew what hit me… fast, man, fast! The Stern brothers are still kicking ass after fifteen years in the business of straightforward punk rock at its best. It’s hard to keep the sound fresh after so many years of making music, but the tunes are still rippling and melodic, blazing one after another in classic Brigade fashion. They’ve added new guitarist, Johnny Wickersham (CADILLAC TRAMPS) for a little extra spice to the mix of slamming rock and roll. The drumwork blew me away, with Mark Stern pounding the trap-kit like a rabid beast on the rampage. You still can’t beat their quick 4/4 style that nails the beat right on the head every time. Putting together another album of biting sarcasm and political consciousness, Youth Brigade are back to storm the masses with new music and a familiar sound to quickly embrace once again. —Billy Fish
Neutral Milk Hotel
On Avery Island
Merge
A few years back, Pavement’s Slanted and Enchanted solidified the lo-fi aesthetic as a legitimate medium within which to concoct brilliant pop songs, but the resulting morass of impostors has been vast and difficult to navigate. Few bands have the sense or flair to mix simplicity, noise and hooks in one coherent package. Jeff Magnum’s Neutral Milk Hotel, however, comes pretty close. His spare, hook-filled songs constantly challenge the border between beautiful pop and indulgent dissonance. The majority of the album is bookended by the best songs, the jangly opener “Song Against Sex” and the melodic balladry of “Naomi.” In between is an uneven mix of brilliance and fodder, which happily falls more on the plus side. As an added “Betcha never heard this” bonus, many of the tracks are so over-modulated that a strong buzz rests on top of the songs whenever anything gets louder than a whisper. My girlfriend kept saying, “I’m telling you, dipshit, that’s a manufacturing fuckup.” It’s cool for the first few minutes, but after a while, it just seems more intrusive than anything else. Still, Magnum is a talented songwriter, and On Avery Island is likely (hopefully) only a peek at much more to come. —B Mac
Cracker
The Golden Age
Virgin
I have to admit I was a little hesitant going into this review, still pissed off from the last two albums by Cracker. I still missed Camper Van Beethoven’s early stuff (yes, I like pop, dammit!) and had been greatly disappointed with David Lowery (lead guitar and voice) and his last attempts to produce anything worthwhile. But quickly into the first listen, I realized that this disc was good, real good! Somebody must have put a fire under his skinny butt, because this CD was rocking like Neil Young in the Free World! Lowry’s guitar work is harder and heavier, straining the limits of distortion on cuts like “I Hate My Generation” and “100 Flower Power Maximum,” both kicking out the jams with gusto. Throwing in a few slower numbers for the “lovers in the house,” The Golden Age is a well-rounded album with a little splash of something for old fans and critical listeners alike. I’ll probably get tired of it when MTV or X-96 start their death-rotation of its power single(s), but for now it’s cool with me. —Billy Fish
Feedtime
Billy
AmRep
The album Billy is the first offering from this until-recently defunct band that has seen the light of the 90s. Putting out four records and a slew of singles from 1985 to 1989, the Australian trio had supposedly gone “down under” for a variety of reasons, the most interesting that Rick (growler/guitarist) had joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses … wow, scary! But for whatever the reasons, the boys from the southern hemisphere are back to spread noise and havoc where they left off. With guitar work that is as distinctive as a lumberjack’s chainsaw and twice as loud, the CD immediately grabs your ears by force. Add a sloppy metallic bass and tinny drumming, and this old train is back on the tracks. Rick’s vocals are about as silky as Lemmy of Motorhead, grating out their brutal tunes to the fullest. Tough music for a nasty world, Feedtime comes across loud and clear: “Climb aboard or get the hell out of the way.” Buy a ticket only if you’re ready for a ride with the harsh and heavy conductors of Australia’s loudest secret! —Billy Fish
Tim Harrington
Master Frequency & His Deepness
Triple X Records
The first solo outing from the ex-guitarist of Masters of Reality, this complicated album is hard to pin down. Full of all musical styles (including blues, funk and jazz), Harrington has pieced a wild combo that really doesn’t fit in any category except good! The strength of this CD lies in the silky vocals and dominating guitar that always seem to stick out in every track. Songs like “Cake Boy’s Catwalk” and “Signify” still have the Masters of Reality feel, but shots like “Pet Theory” combine P-Funk grooves with eerie samplings that would add to any Stanley Kubrick film. The studio has definitely been good to Harrington, and let him branch out into a true renaissance musician, experimenting with all types of instruments and musical styles. Adding so many influences and sounds, Master Frequency is a CD you just can’t label or describe… it just has to be heard. —Billy Fish
Shonen Knife
The Birds & The B-Sides
Virgin Records
There is one thing about Shonen Knife that almost everyone agrees on — you either love ‘em or hate ‘em! I didn’t know what to think before I caught them live three years ago in Seattle, and I was blown away! These girls kick out the jams! I couldn’t believe how tight a group they were, especially Naoka on guitar and vocals, ripping out her beautiful power-pop chords. This album is a sweeter combo of both live cuts and hard-to-find singles that every Shonen Knife fan should own. Besides their familiar Carpenters cover that was beaten to death on most college radio stations, it also contains their versions of old Kinks and Vandellas tunes that were only released previously as imports. The highlight of the CD has to be all the live tracks, though (the true test of any band). This power trio has more energy than any other girl band I’ve seen. Very few bands can truly pull off an amazing show that combines high energy and volume while still sounding half as good as their studio offerings. I wish Shonen Knife would quit avoiding the Salt Lake area and come play here soon. Rumor has it that a new studio album should be out by the end of summer or early fall. Until then, the new B-sides will be enough to whet fans’ whistles while looking to the east for new material from this Tokyo trio. —Billy Fish
Skinny Puppy
Brap
Nettwerk
After fourteen years of electronic deviance and exploration, Skinny Puppy has finally thrown in the blood-soaked towel for good. The last two years had really been a challenge with the death of Dwayne Goettel sending tremors through the remainder of the gothic-industrial group’s creative core. Brap is a collection of outtakes and live recordings from the massive vault that contained all tapes produced by Skinny Puppy in the last decade. Based primarily on the exploration side of their music/noise, this double disc is a frightening voyage through the black sea of their angry and unsettling past. Pushing out more nightmarish imagery than a PROPAGANDA subscription, this is a must for any true Skinny Puppy slave/fan. With their last studio album The Process out as well, this should provide more than enough noise to satisfy their audience in the face of the band’s final completion. With this much turbulent junk available, fans will be able to overdose on the dark masters of the industrial macabre one last time with true decadence. —Billy Fish
Voodoo Glow Skulls
Firme (Spanish Version)
Epitaph
Originally released in October ‘95, Epitaph recently re-released this California seven-piece’s debut again — this time in Spanish. That’s easy to see, since most of the band is fluent in both English and Spanish with their cross-cultural backgrounds. The thing that makes this new album so damn tough is that listening to either version, the gang from Riverside kicks ass. Mixing the hardcore edge of punk with the blasting horn edge of ska, they create a fusion of what they call nerdcore. On tour with Red Aunts currently, Voodoo Glow Skills will cross into either language and still have the kids slamming in the front to everyone’s universal love of hardcore, kicking music! The Spanish version is great, drawing your attention from the maniac horns to the angry guitar and basement drumming. Energy seems to be the key ingredient to any band that takes it on the road, and with seven national tours behind this debut, Voodoo Glow Skulls are already road veterans. After listening to the latest version, find out why it’s called the language of love. Why? Cause you’ll love it! —Billy Fish
Babble
Ether
Reprise Records
Being the rookie for reviews this month, you can’t expect to get the breaks. I unfortunately got stuck with the last CDs to be reviewed, including this painful number that has more than a full day’s supply of cheese for this growing boy’s diet. Take the two primary members of the Thompson Twins and fool them into thinking the eighties aren’t over, and this is the record you end up with. I’m still having nightmares about Martha Quinn and Adam Curry giggling up a storm between vintage-crap videos on old MTV that this former group dominated far too long. What makes it even worse is that they have left the adolescent love songs and moved on to the topic of new age spirituality, which seems to be the big substitute for religion these days. This crap doesn’t slide with me, already being bored silly with the whole bougie-eastern crowd that clogs up the local coffee shops on the weekends. The whole CD ends up sounding like a really bad Sky Cries Mary rip-off. Describing their album as “post rave come-down sex music,” I hope the person who chooses it as mood music has an equally boring partner who won’t laugh in their face for playing it. If you’re a Thompson Twin or rave fan, give it a listen (you’re probably very accepting anyhow). The rest of you avoid it like the plague of the tired. There are too many new bands out there that need your money and attention besides these old pop veterans, anyhow. —Billy Fish
Rocket Fuel Is The Key
Consider It Contempt
ThirstyEar
Slapping this CD in the player over the weekend, I had no idea what I was going to hear. Seconds later, I was being subjected to the most hard-hitting music I got to review this month and wondering why I hadn’t heard these guys before. The answer soon came when I found out this is only their debut album, which slaughters the rest of the music I scraped together this issue to write about. These three boys from Kansas City sound similar to thrasher noise-makers from New York City, like Unsane or Helmet. That might have to do with the fact that they recorded this record at the Amphetamine Reptile recording studio in Minneapolis. Rocket Fuel Is The Key makes noise, loud and urgent. Working on what they call “the vibe,” the music created is obnoxious but completely addictive. I like a group that isn’t afraid to just tear through a song, and Rocket Fuel does just that. The twelve songs on the CD burn it up like a beater Camaro Saturday night on State Street. Opening up the past year for bands like Royal Trux and Stanford Prison Experiment, it’s time for this power trio to start making some waves of their own. Their latest recording is a prime example about how good new music still can be. Even with all the crap that seems to be out there, Rocket Fuel lets in some new light on a music industry that sometimes forgets to just let it rip and see where it goes. —Billy Fish
