MUSIC RECORD REVIEWS
SEME- _ '"°"°""""‘”"""”'"°"""‘ irritatineg pompous lyrics to drab,
Gavin Inglis mingles with ponderous musical backing. ‘This is
the si les THE BLUE AEHOPLANES very sloppy writing,’ admits Gerard on
I! - . lite Medel (38998? 8 38min“) the latter. ‘it’s all content here and no It’s really horrible admitting to style here,’ he says on the former, yourself that one of your favourite digging his own man when many no hands might just be suffering a deficit think; in"; pandemic, 0' genius- “maps "'0 193's 0' Where are the hooks that used to dig .
unstable line-ups have finally taken into your flash? They’ve been
their to" 0'1 Gerald tangle! (' "80d '0 substituted for a smoothly-produced think the constant flux in personnel "on veneer, with rename, tastatui was What “in "'0 WWII 80 0‘9! and guitar solos, like Clapton on his tea
dimlcl but '0' What"!!! “8500. "'0 break. The intennlnable ‘Fragiie’ is . ""39 599m ‘0 ha" “mm” mm and listless enough to fit on to a Beverley i ' his veritable orchestra of fellow my” album. an, wrung (“mm ‘8
u“ "3‘ Shows her face “Sick” 0' “'9 mm"- retained: dancer Woitek Ilmochowski again with ‘Skip To My Things start auspiciouin enough is still compulsive and intrinsic L". (Pendmum' 3 “WI "309'" Single ‘BI’OKBII and enough to merit a credit on the sleeve 5:18:23 mum”: and ‘irm A) 3'33“ “WW and truly, the dancing on ‘life Model’ leaves little trace after the cm.” along “my enigmaucall” but is the highlight (Fiona Shepherd)
passing of its four or five mixes. Much more insistent is the subtle blend of dance beats.
trio of Biteki and llew York duo Michael Bowie (bass) and Smitty Smith (drums), although the latter gives way
is i BHEK' MSELEKU to Elvin Jones in stereotype-defying Ordinary Angels. by I Timelessness (Verve) mood on the impressionistic ‘My mm! (Mushroom) and london-based South African Passion’.
which also features some expatriate Bheki Mseleku has Africa saturates the music, as does
attracted a lot of media attention in the shadow of Coltrane. Joe
the past couple of years, culminating ilenderson is typically magisterlal on in a recent ‘South Bank Show‘ about tenor saxophone in the stand-out title the making of this record. The pianist track, while P‘haroah Sanders is richly and saxophonist (playing both attire sonorous (if unusually restrained) on same time is his party piece) can be the same instrument in ‘Yanini’. Abbey genuinely inspirational when the mood liflcoln 8099"” both Mic and "‘00 takes him, but he can also be listless, on ‘ThiOIIsh The YBaI'S'i Kent 10m“
nice backup tracks. Curious how some of the shortest songs are the ones that stick in your head.
ilig scoop themselves a groove somewhere between Catherine Wheel and Smashing Pumpkins with ‘Beiieve'
(Radioactive), a restrained as in the ountiee Jazz Festival last figures twice on flute. and Bodnev
number whichiuses much year, and sometimes uses sheer Kendrick plays piano to Bileki’s tenor
Ln the way of ligglermg d energy to substitute for real invention. sax on ‘ilomeboyz’. This major label 68W guitar 8" aye“? Such players can fall flat in the debut is another step on a long road to
vocals. Handy ifyou’re looking for a twilight zone between guitar noise and ambience.
studio, but this is a strong set, with recognition for the mercurial pianist. several guests augmenting the basic (Kenn! Mathias“)
°' usin ss. c 0 do ’ Eomefhmgwim " sAlllr ETIENNE :lover’. The ravey fairy-lights of “Pale ; 'Insomniac’ (Fauve) that Tiger Bay (ileavenly) i Movie’ and ‘ilrban Clearway’, are i I ' induces that delicious At last, Saint Etienne forget their over- L made by neither space cadets nor 3 ' Spine-shiver. If Y9" could zealous pop education. With their 3 automatic pilots, but captains of 1 16” exacily W’m‘ " was “ recent Christmas trifle (‘l Was Born (in i inspired industry. It is these chaps , "‘6 Cons'de’ed hard Christmas iiay’), their B-sides ,5 who invited onboard Stephen Duffy g
harmony of the guitars. ; i the references to punk.s collection and, ultimately, last year’s I and Shara ilelson, flamenco guitar and .
strengths. 0, just the way ‘80 Tough’, the twinkling trio favoured oboe and fleets of strings, Mark Stent i the vocal tins n-gm up to intellect over instinct - the music ; and the Original ilockers and one of
the heavens for the chorus came packed with nudges, nods and Underworld. These contributions bring - you could bottle it and winks, as made by deaf horses. What an ambient ciassicism (true) to
be rich- Single Of The joy, then, that ‘Tiger Bay’ has no filler Stanley and Wiggs’ freeze-dried pop ! ~ Fortnight. if you Please. dialogue, filler tracks, or disco-daze : nous, and mark Saint Etienne’s final
A Change Of Pg“ “d : crack-papering. Less what they know, elevation from plastic pop zliganmififeagarim. more what they feel. scam(p)sters to Milli titans. (Gee Street). A record [0‘ Much of this third album is simply I llext week: Saint Etienne score Luc listen to on you, feel. (his beautiful, like the pimp-roiling Bresson’s new movie. (Craig McLean) one. not through any orchestral grooves of ‘On The Shore’,
compulsive dance vibes. but because you'll have to do that hunched homeboy step-around to properly appreciate it.
Finally, if you‘re the one who hasn't bought the soundtrack album to Jane Campion’s The Piano. here’s a cheap alternative. Michael llyman’s ‘The Piano singie’ (Virgin) features edits (ie early fade-outs) of two main themes from the movie. Memorable. but then you knew that already. Various formats include a variety
_ to convert the heathen unbelievers. Most of the McComb trademarks, the swooning romanticism, the brooding ‘beer-in-the-cooler, heart-on-my- DAV", MCCOMB sleeve’ intonation are unchanged. love Of Will (Mushroom) What has gone is the kitchen-sink In the 808 McComb led the matchless production of McComb’s recent past, mm“. V1110 hm" 88 8 “find” replaced by a simple country, blues Gothic country combo from Perth (02 and gospel feel that harks back to rather than Tayside) and developed early Triffids. into perfect purveyors of bleak pop Occasionally languid to the point of anthems and ‘lleighbouls’ wedding lassitude, McComb still has the gift oi themes (fact!). Since then he’s been slapping in a sweet skipping pop “Him 1' b86980!“ "I "'0 Gillie"! "'0' singalong, all harmonies, chorus and atfilming Blackeyed Susans, playing hooks. ‘lifelike’ and ‘lover Sister’
of Nyman tracks from this ' “med count" 8“ enema" ha! 0"" 'nmnt Ummcaflont bl" than and other films. There’s mun": 3‘ w." 33 his 0'" POIUMM am “It”. "Mail"! treats here 88 also 12in dance and composmmu- I WON. “Inside 0' "0’ is a mo! ’ll’ sour
As it is, he’s delivered a mlppod- 13k. on romance, mpyoachful,
‘ down. occasionally awkward record plaintive and verging on bitter, typical ;, that won’t disappoint McComb of the McComb worldview. A small
,7. I aficionados, but probably Isn’t going classic. (Tom tannin)
fifteen-minute ambient remixes . . . hahahahahaha. just kidding.
30 The List 1 i—24 March 1994