Record Reviews
Archived
Bill Ding
And The Sound Of Adventure
Hefty Records
This is the experimental pop/studio/muti-instrumental music I can really get into on a regular basis. Coming out of left field to smack you in the head, it’s impossible to really compare them to anyone in particular. The vocals of singer John Hughes (son of the director of 80s teen love films) are rough and charismatic, drawing you in like the fly to the web. His throat style and lyrics remind me of early Tom Waits, but with a heaping helping of abstract ideas and images that are more like They Might Be Giants. But don’t expect either comparison to be the exact sound, just a familiar flavor that will pop up in your head when spinning this disc. The gentle-yet-rough guitar and multi-layers of exotic woodwinds and brass blending together is misleading, since each song will roller coaster from mellow lows to angry and disturbing highs of industrial/metal/jazz fusions. The first listen will really keep you on your toes, both lyrically and musically, wondering where the next turn in the road will lead. Much like a schizophrenic first date, this CD will take you to all levels possible, both high and low, but still leave you anxious for another listen in the end. —Billy Fish
Buck O Nine
Water In My Head
Tang!
This new EP from the ska-meisters is a blistering set of new material and covers that is doing back-flips down State Street. Joined by members of Agent Orange for their ska-surf version of “Miserlou” (old Dick Dale classic/Pulp Fiction retro tune), the juicy jams are put to the test. The standout track is the messed-up-but-lovable “Dr. Kilch,” which switches from the standard third-person tale of the naughty doctor and his big needle to the doc himself talking about his favorite pastime of medical insertions of love to appropriate patients needing treatment. Twisted and subtle as a jackhammer, these boys put tongue in cheek right down the throats of the listener. Ska has always centered around energy and fun, both of which Buck O Nine are all about for certain! —Billy Fish
Crumb
Romance is a Slowdance
Quest/Warner Bros.
Why do the majors have to push these new bands on us? This is the exact reason why a major scene hasn’t happened since Seattle, because most of the country’s cities have mediocre bands doing the pop/alternative thing without an authentic attempt to create a sound of their own. They either listen to tired stations like X-96 or the buzz-clips of MTV and then try to copy everything from Bush to Smashing Pumpkins in order to get an audience or record deal. Meanwhile, those of us hungry for something new and original keep wading through the recycled garbage of today’s music, wondering, “Why do I even bother?” and just continue buying used copies of old favorites to abide the void. Enough preaching! If you like Gin Blossoms, Goo Goo Dolls and Radiohead this is the CD for you. A simple, repetitive style with little to offer, other than FM filler… You’ll love it! In the meantime, the rest of us will keep searching for used CDs to complete back catalogs and wonder why it seems so damn hard to just be original or sound unique…Hmmm??? —Billy Fish
Various Artists
Eyesore: A Stab At the Residents
Vaccination Records
Nobody really knows who the Residents are or were, but many people were affected by their influence anyway. Straining the limits of exploration and imagination in the underground world of music, the sounds created spread far and wide to infect the minds and ears of countless bands. This compilation is a tribute by a number of fans/musicians who received absolutely no cash or recording funds to be part of this project. Only their mutual respect for this mysterious group allowed the thirty some to be involved with covering some of the Residents’ most eerie numbers. Among others, Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, Idiot Flesh and Primus all put their two cents’ worth into the forum of wild and wonderful noise to amuse and delight all Resident fans alike. Of all the tribute albums out there, this is the one to have. Forget the tired ZEP and Kiss covers (boring!), try this new shit on and get set for a long set of disturbing tunes and that will get an A+ for uniqueness & integrity, guaranteed!!! —Billy Fish
Fitz Of Depression
Swing
K Records
The punky spawn from the bowels of Olympia have finally released a more fuel-injected tunage to put the jack back in your slap. These boys are still kicking and jamming with all the energy of horny little choir boys wandering the hillsides looking for love in all the wrong places. Another band that makes their living out of the back of a van while constantly touring, they took enough time out last December to hit the studios with Northwest god producer, Jack Endino, to release another full-length album of young, red-hot rock and roll. Fast and still very raw, these three can tear through a set like no others, making mush of your head before they’re finished with their tour de force of pure power. If these twelve new songs aren’t enough to curb your craving for this punk trio, catch them on tour this summer in support of Swing. Rumors say that a few 7-inches will also be filtering out in the next few months, but until then, this CD should quench the thirst for the loyal fans of the terrible three. —Billy Fish
Geggy Tah
Sacred Crow
Warner Bros.
Disillusioned fans of the Dead (and I don’t know why there aren’t more!) should give this disc a listen. Full of hoppy beats and funk riffs, this is definitely a rump-shaking album that would have any rat-hair doing the white trash shuffle. But what excludes it from the hippie style is the complexity of the lyrics and intelligent arrangement of instruments and sampling. It’s as if Syd Barrett and Dr. Seuss got together on the farm to create a happy nightmare that quickly keeps you on your toes with a wide spectrum of noise and bizarre tunes. The second album from this trio, Sacred Crow is a mystical journey through the experimental folk music and standard styles like punk and funk/hip-hop that drop on like a spring shower. Reminiscent of Ween or They Might Be Giants, these three put rhythm and tongue-in-cheek lyrics at the forefront of their lyrics. Give it a listen and see if you aren’t tapping or grooving by the end of the first cut! —Billy Fish
Guttermouth
Teri Yakimoto
Nitro
Riding the lifts with the crossover skaters/boarders last season at Wolf Mountain, the conversation always turned to music in the end. Most of these kids were in high school anyway, so what the hell else are we going to talk about? Going through their lists of punk/hardcore bands of choice, Guttermouth always fell into place with extreme reverence or ecstatic enthusiasm…and for good bloody reason! Their latest piece of speed punk is just what is needed to smack the bumps and ride the powder, even with the boarding season long gone! Hitting the sound of Pennywise mixed with the comedic lyrics of NOFX, these young strapping lads are all that and a big gulp at your local convenience store! This disc is so good, I can’t seem to keep my friends and roommates from constantly “liberating” it out of my possession, which we all know can be a very “deadly” mistake with yours truly… so keep that in mind when you try to lift music in the future (anybody)! But with all that bitching and threats aside, the new Guttermouth is a keeper! I may even get a skateboard myself to fully enjoy this disc this summer without waiting for winter to ride the pipes again at the mighty Wolf! —Billy Fish
J Mascis
Martin & Me
Reprise
The inside on this disc was negative before it even hit the critics’ desks or the local music shop. I myself was excited to hear more solo work from the master behind Dinosaur Jr., wondering which direction he was headed. I didn’t need some numbskulls from Spin or Rolling Stone ruining the anticipation for an album that I felt would just prove the genius of Mascis once again. I soon realized what the dips were talking about, but was pleasantly surprised anyway. It’s live, raw, and very cool!!! Sure, it’s mainly acoustic versions of old Dinosaur favorites and some weird covers (Smiths and Skynard — wow!), but it shows the basic show that Mascis has been putting on in the Northwest for the last year, where he lives as of late. My friend in Seattle has described this set to me, and it was sweet to hear it myself. The CD catches Mascis doing the basic run-through of old songs that any Dino fan will know by heart and dig all over some kickin’ stripped-down versions. Maybe not for the less familiar with the son of the Blank Generation, Martin & Me is a keeper for the true connoisseur of the simple verse backed by extraordinary guitar that still sends chills down the spine. —Billy Fish
Mineral
The Power Of Falling
Crank
Young punks playing their own tunes and living out of a van is the sound of this band coming to a town near you soon. Do you like Seaweed or Sunny Day Real Estate? Then this is the CD for you! Take a group of friends with a taste for fast music with a whole mess-full of angst and urgency combined with tight rhythms and mean chords, and the ending result is this tough album that will put the “kick” in the ass. The indie scene is becoming swamped with young and talented bands that try to pull this sound off, but Mineral puts the meat and potatoes behind every cut of this exceptional album. Fresh and mean, they sound like a band that cut their teeth on the road, playing to all-age crowds that always appreciate a voice and sound from the ranks of their own. Bands like this are why they publish Maximum Rocknroll! Check out this hard-working band before they come to town and end up sleeping on someone else’s floor without you even knowing they were playing here! —Billy Fish
Ovarian Trolley
Bullseye
Broken Rekids
San Francisco still lets out a tasty secret from time to time, and Ovarian Trolley is something that needs to be shared, and quick! This power trio with dual female vocals grows on you like a slow gin and tonic going down easy and kicking you in the ass later! It reminds me of old X or a female-led Fugazi, if you can believe that, and so very damn cool! The skin-playing is simply too tuff, playing out some amazing rhythms that are punched right on the head by the metal-sticky bass that leads most of the cuts. Heavy chords that break strings without much extra distortion add the final touch, making this fresh band the tightest group to come out so far this year. Creeping up on you to slip a kiss before cracking your skull wide open, Ovarian Trolley is a sure-fire choice for high-energy harmony and heavy rhythms that pick you up and sweep you away before you knew your thumb was out. A welcome surprise indeed!!! —Billy Fish
Smegma
The Mad Excitement…
Tim Kerr
Listening to this album is like trying to catch every piece of conversation in the rec room at the old folks’ home. Sound and noise filter in and out, covering each other with a murky coating, before disappearing into the background. Take the most experimental Skinny Puppy album and neuter it, then add the sounds of the circus and a crack alley in New York for good measure, and you’re there. This is very twisted and ugly, threatening with no direction and above all just fucking unnerving! I would love to be in the studio with this bunch and see what they’re eating and smoking during their sessions! The sound is more for effect than any point by far. This music could easily create strange behavior in humans, depending on the mood and the atmosphere created. Considering that there may be a universal sound that could produce people going mad and gouging out their own eyes, I think Smegma will be the first to eventually find and record it, making it an entire album based upon that notion. If you plan on having your own brain surgery or basement abortion clinic, this is the perfect music for the waiting room. —Billy Fish
Stiff Little Fingers
Get A Life
Taang!
I really had a hard time getting through this CD the first time, since past efforts have been so much easier. The guitar work is still urgent and crunchy, but lacks a true bite that puts you on the edge of your listening seat. I started getting deja vu of bad Alarm and Jesus Jones tunes and realized that the same vein was being tapped here. Ugh!!! The production might have something to do with it, being too slick and tight at times (or all the time!). The vocals especially grated on me, silky smooth in a schoolboy fashion that has been beaten to death by British musicians all through the 80s pop and new wave scenes. I was pretty disappointed with this latest effort, but wondered who was more responsible: the band or the studio. In either case, the ending result is a quickly-cooling, lukewarm album with nothing more to offer than bad memories of KJQ broadcasts and summers in the eighties. If you like that sound and time, then try it on again for size… it should fit! —Billy Fish
V.3
Photograph burns
American
When you’ve been spending long hours late at night trying to push out reviews for a deadline, you’re going to eventually cross the line. That all came clear when I got to this blackened nugget, which made me want to crawl the walls and break my D.I. furniture. Supposedly recorded in a friend’s house for $50 a day, this is a raw and cruel recording of two angry men and assorted drummers working out their frustrations in musical therapy. The sloppy and bleeding guitar work was especially annoying, going off like a barrage of fireworks while you’re trying to sleep off a hangover. I couldn’t figure out if the drummer(s) were playing stuffed pillows or Tupperware, but it definitely sounded weak and dragging. To top it all off, the singer really sounded too much like Crash Test Dummies, which has been known to cause suicide in laboratory test animals in clinical studies outside the U.S. I didn’t have the heart to subject myself to this album more than once. Can you? —Billy Fish
