Record Reviews
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Einstürzende Neubauten
Faustmusik
Mute Records
Before I begin let me say that Einsturzende Neubauten (EN) is one of the most innovative bands of the twentieth century. Their use of any materials to create new and unique sounds is to be complimented. Their approach to music is artistic and refreshing. That’s why it breaks my heart to say that I don’t like this album. I have two reasons, first being that there is hardly any music on it (having said that, the music on it is brilliantly moody, which is what it is trying to do). The second thing is that the entire recording is filled with German dialogue. I know the record is about Faust, but be it the Goethe or the Marlowe Faust(us), I will never know. But then again maybe that is the point to it all, since the entire legend of Faust is based on a distrust of people who did incomprehensible things. like EN who are to this day still only understood by a knowledgeable few. Maybe they sold their own souls to the devil to gain this innovation; if only I knew German. —Sausage King
Veruca Salt
Blow It Out Your Ass It’s VerucaSalt
DGC
This is a four-song EP filled with catchy phrasings and girlie voices. The record is strong musically and weak lyrically. I don’t know much about this band, but they aren’t terrible, and they aren’t incredible; they just are. And like you, I couldn’t give two pulls on a sheep dick what happens to them. If you like the rocking guitar with sing-songy vocals and weak rhythm sections, this is the record for you, and so is Elastica, Hole and Juliana Hatfield. If you like your music to have substance, go some place else. —Sausage King
Various Artists
Mission Impossible Soundtrack
Mother Records
Fuck me gently with that chainsaw. The phenomenon of “hip” soundtracks has gotten completely out of hand. Let’s say you’re a Bjork fan and you’ve just got to have every Bjork song ever friggin’ released – you’ve got all the records and all the singles, even the imported ones with extra songs. The catch is you can’t have all the songs she’s ever released for the simple reason that you’ve just found out she just released six new songs on different movie soundtracks. Now a good soundtrack is very important, but it seems as though the movies are selling themselves by who has the hippest soundtrack. Some movies like Angus used the soundtrack to push the movie, which still nobody saw. As for this record, it’s an average soundtrack for a modern film: some good songs, some bad songs. My suggestion, though, is to use the record as a sampler to find out if you like these bands or not, but for god’s sake don’t buy it. Stop the madness. —Sausage King
Love/Hate
I’m Not Happy
Mayhem Records
Bad, bad, bad, badbadbad. ‘Tis a record that blows like moi after a good party. The lyrics are childish, and the music is almost like bad metal. It’s got no redeeming qualities, and I’ve got nothing to say about this record. The artwork is even worse than a good constitutional when you’ve got the creepy crud. I wish I had never seen this record. —Sausage King
Chum
Dead To The World
Century Media
Now that Forgach has stolen my old metal contacts, I can have some fun. He’ll probably review Chum as well. This is the “heavy, heavy, hangover your poor head” band covering Prince. Can someone stop this guy from screaming and kick him in the pants to get things moving? It is certainly heavy enough, but where’s the speed? Ah, forget it, they grabbed me by the hair on the third track titled “Kindling Kind.” It follows the first and second tracks and precedes the other six (hehehe). I was flinging the “hippie” locks about during the entire summer.
Since I stole an advance of the CD from some place, I don’t have a lyric sheet, but that “Kindling Kind” song scared me enough to hide under the bed for the rest. The “Angels in the Snow” song reminded me of “I’ll Write Your Name in the Snow” from the new Chet Atkins CD. It is incredible how a young band from West Virginia incorporated that clean, Gibson country sound into their music. “Darling Nikki” rocks dude, but I’m not singing my name on any dotted line. If heavy is for you, then so is Chum. —Lemmy Kravitz
Godheadsilo
Skyward In Triumph
Sub pop
What if a bunch of boys walking down a straight and narrow path arrived to find Sebadoh on a stage preceded by Godheadsilo? This event actually occurred in Salt Lake City on the University of Utah campus. Those with the creative logo on their chests milled about somewhat confused. They did manage to slam a bit to Sebadoh? Godheadsilo has a new record out. They still haven’t found anyone to play guitar so the rhythm section stands alone. Why are two-piece bands so good?
According to the press release, Mike Kunka (bass, vocals) has four amps now. Remember back to the live shows. The set-up had that “band-holds-a-garage-sale” look to it. In spite of the proclamation, again from the press release, that the new album focuses on the more melodic side, the disc sounds like two guys who picked up all of the instruments at the aforementioned garage sale, minus the guitar they couldn’t afford, and recorded an album. Skyward In Triumph comes off sounding like some kind of mutant cousin of the Flat Duo Jets and Doo Rag. The melodic elements cannot and should not overshadow the noise. The song dreams are made of is “Guardians of the Threshold.” A Michael Shrieve tape loop meets a live bass playing Robert Fripp. Bottle it. The show of the 90s would be Doo Rag, Flat Duo Jets and Godheadsilo. Think of the sixteen-person jam! As it stands, Godheadsilo will headline at the Bar & Grill with Stella Brass, Polestar and Punkadelic on June 13. If they play “Guardians of the Threshold,” the place will empty faster than a Mountain-sponsored Earth Day benefit at the Zephyr Club featuring The Mermen as headliners. —Gid Tanner
Feedtime
Billy
Amphetamine Reptile
We haven’t had a contest in quite some time. Name six members of The Skillet Lickers, describe their music and receive at least two, maybe more, free CDs. It all depends on what is lying about that I don’t like. Hints are included in the rag. You can e-mail the answers, but “they” won’t understand. I suggest USPS method. We don’t have a radio station to subsidize us.
What the fuck is this, Beavis? I don’t know dude, but they rock. Huh, huh, huh! Crank the motherfucker, it ain’t on MTV. Keep it short. Back to the sixth grade and bald-headed Mr. Wood. “Write an essay on the thoughts this music brings to your mind, Jimmy.” Well, Mr. Wood… the singer reminds me of the custodian when he’s the broom handle asking me, “Jimmy, do you want some of this?” The rest of the band had me thinking about the time my big step-brother, Bert Layne, beat my head on the toilet ‘cause I told mom that he had watched the videos she made with her boyfriend, Lowe Stokes.
“Vigilante Man” scared me really, really bad because the FBI and the ATF were shooting guns and lighting fires on the news when I was little. I saw tanks in Montana last night. Don’t let them do it again Mr. Wood, please. Can’t you make that homeless man stop banging on the 55-gallon drum of dioxin when I’m trying to do my homework? Last time I heard a throat this raw was when the city shut off the water, and I smoked a bag of skunk through a dry bong. Headbangers’ delight, moshers’ bloody nose fight, they’ll never play here, because the assholes are too tight. —Fate Norris
The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group
Oh Brother Where Art Thou?
Minty Fresh
The sound of a hollow body is easy to distinguish. Before opening the CD insert, I knew that music came from a big fat one. I’m not sure who reads this rag anymore, but I’m guessing that they aren’t into The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group. “My Bloody Yugo” is a shameless attempt to capture the forces of the consumer dollar. Without the bizarre lyrics that reggae beat would draw them in like lemmings. There are numerous minutes remaining on the CD. I’m guessing that the ultra-hip have already discovered Jim Ruiz. Please go back to that hollow-body guitar. Who plays these instruments? Barney Kessel, Chet Atkins, Deke Dickerson, Ashley Kingman and countless others. Jazz, country, easy listening or rockabilly it is not. The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group borders on lounge. Nice for bedtime or falling asleep in front of the television while reading the latest astounding corruption the Private Eye dug up. Oh Brother Where Art Thou? had me face down in the pages of the Private Eye twice. If for some reason all of this brings thoughts of Mike Flowers to mind, forget it. The combination of clean guitar, Ruiz and Stephanie Winter-Ruiz’s vocals, and the tight little be-bop combo assembled to record the project lift the platter beyond any mere retro attempt. —SLUG Staff
Lowercase
All Destructive Urges… Seem So Perfect
AmRep
AmRep has a new publicist. She sent me a couple of discs because she is totally unaware of my reputation. I’m not worried. Next thing you know, they’ll hire Brian away from Cargo and send it to the P.O. Box for Sausage King or Mr. Pink to massacre. The first is Lowercase. It’s an advanced release from May. The disc begins with acoustic guitars and lovely vocals. I was wondering if it was another bad pressing until the screaming kicked in toward the end of “As Your Mouth.”
I love noise almost as much as I love… sorry, I can’t reveal what else I love because of contractual obligations. The guitarist has no idea how to tune, or it’s an alternative tuning he learned from Guitar Player. Maybe it’s one string hooked to an old wash-tub. Whatever, the tone and the alternating scream/ballad vocals presented in “Palace Vaccine” are trademark. Three songs in, and Lowercase reveal themselves as anarchists. Structure, harmony, hooks? Forget that nonsense. They are probably Berkeley-trained, and the next thing you know, they’ll turn up in a metal band. Either that or the next release will be on Knitting Factory Works or Tzadik. This is more than enough aural stimulation to bring on premature ejaculation from bloody eardrums. —Fate Norris
Silverlake
What A Drag
Neurotic Records
Silverlake isn’t a band, it is a neighborhood. The most famous resident is Keith Morris, but his band isn’t on this compilation. His band doesn’t exist anymore. For more information on why, please check back issues of SLUG or the personnel of Bad Religion. Eight local Silverlake bands appear. The song titles are exceptionally interesting. “Spin Cycle,” “Prey For Old Men,” “Where Ford Falcons Come To Die,” “Rock In My Hand,” “Conformist C*nt” and “I Wanna Beavis You” are most interesting. Let’s take them one at a time. The first is about the laundromat, the second robbery, the third white trash society, the fourth masturbation or a riot, the fifth a blond sell-out bitch and the last is… well, have you ever met anyone who imitates Beavis while they stroke the “Rock In My Hand”? Just like Mr. Morris’ band, the music leans in the Richard Speck direction. If you don’t understand, then I guess you’ve never been in prison. “Rock and roll and fuck society?” That is a clever lyric, I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before. Have Lutefisk as the openers on the upcoming Sex Pistols reunion tour. Fuck, why don’t they gather together the Dead Boys, Stiff Little Fingers and the Saints add a few new American bands and hold a “No Future 1984” festival? Die, hippie, die! —SLUG Staff
Slayer
Undisputed Attitude
American
There’s a guy writing new release reviews for Phonolog who is an absolute genius. He hates heavy metal, and he can destroy a CD better in one paragraph than anyone I’ve ever encountered. Go into a shop and ask to see his work. The entire press release for the CD was one huge complaint about the current state of the punk rock nation. They still don’t like the “geek” music played by “guys we beat up in high school.” Slayer believes they can do it better. At least the album is only 32 minutes long. Unlike the Phonolog guy, I found Undisputed Attitude quite pleasing. Slayer were always at their best when they played as fast as they possibly could. They have no choice this time. Fourteen songs in 32 minutes equals over just two minutes per song. Call it a monster of thrash. For the most part, blood, guts, Satan and the rest are left for the next record. There are enough obscenities to gain the Parental Advisory sticker, including something about “I want to fuck you in the ass.” Take it for what it is. Brains aren’t needed. The brainy songs are left to the Circle Jerks and Bad Religion. Slayer, despite their bad attitudes and tough guy posturing, are out to entertain the kids. It is, however, important to remember that Tom Araya is not about to go hang himself like Richard. He’s too busy counting the money. Undisputed Attitude is a brutal blast of speed, negativity and noise, with the exception of “Gemini.” Can’t have a Slayer album without praising Satan. He’d call their souls home. If harmony, melody, hooks and positive thoughts are desired, don’t listen. Go buy Cannibal Corpse. —Lemmy Kravitz
The Specials
Today’s Specials
Virgin
The Specials have reformed. Their disc isn’t going to excite many of those in search of Orem’s version of “Too Much Too Young.” Stiff was a long, long time ago. The Specials slow the ska down to reggae tempo. The disc opens with a dub version of Paul Desmond’s “Take Five.” There isn’t an original song on the album. They cover Bob Marley, Desmond Dekker, John Holt, The Clash and others. This has a touch of dance-hall, some horns, female backing vocals and a former ska band masquerading as a rasta cover band. It looks like Roddy Byers and Neville Staple are the only original members. I’m thinking that the 2-Tone crowd is in for a disappointment when the Specials arrive at the Fairgrounds on June 16. Who knows, maybe they’ll crank it up live. The Specials will appear at the Horticulture Building on June 26. —SLUG Staff
The Wallflowers
Bringing Down The Horse
Interscope
Now Interscope has jumped on the bandwagon. The Wallflowers are yet another hippie band. Isn’t it interesting to see the term “hippie band” used by “journalists” working for more respected papers when it was actually pioneered in the pages of SLUG? Give The Wallflowers credit; at least they have some credibility due to one parent’s history as a pioneering hippie. The Dylan kid has some talent; to date, he’s demonstrated more than the Lennon offspring. For added credibility, look to who produced the deal: T-Bone Burnett’s “significant other,” Sam Phillips, Shaun Penn’s brother and some guy named Adam Duritz. For stand-out songs, I’ll pick “Josephine.” “You’re so sweet you smell like sugar and tangerines.” The Allman Brothers-inspired guitar soloing only adds to the pleasure. Boogie down, boys. It’s better than the Traveling Wilburys. It doesn’t suck at all. “But I hear voices and see colors.” Does daddy still have the best connections? The Wallflowers will appear with another breaking band, Dog’s Eye View, on June 25 at DV8. —Gid Tanner
