music
record reviews
POP/ROCK Wolf Colonel
Vikings Of Mint (K) it at: it *4:
Once in a while an album comes along and reminds you why you ever liked music in the first place. This is a collection of fifteen songs, most of which clock in well shy of three minutes, of simple, upbeat, fuzzy American indie pop rock. Reminiscent of when the Lemonheads were just scuzzy teens and when HUSker Du ruled the world (sort of), Wolf Colonel seemed to have made this record because they had to get all that latent energy out of their systems. No five year marketing plans, no seven album deals, just good music. (MR)
Eels
Daisies Of The Galaxy (Dreamworks) it ‘k A *
Swearing in ballads — there’s not enough of it, is there? Until now that is. Halfway through this gorgeous album comes the aching ’It's a Motherfucker’, in which enigmatic Eels mainman, E, whispers ’it‘s a motherfucker being here without you’, succinctly summing up what millions of us have often thought about getting our hearts broken. Naughty word sad songs aside, this is a surprisingly upbeat collection of eccentric beauties, considering Eels previous form. 'Tiger In My Tank’ is typical, carried along on waves of their customary sweeping keyboards, with queer horn and string sounds playing superb silly buggers with your head. (DJ)
The Jesus Lizard
Bang (Touch ’n’ Go) ‘kfi'i'i'
The influence on indie rock of this now defunct Chicago based four-piece has never been fully realised. Over eleven years and six studio albums The Jesus Lizard showed how exciting, insane and spectacular, unpretentious, alternative rock could be. This album pulls together their various limited single releases and while it comes up with some of their most incendiary moments (the epileptic ’Mouthbreather’ being one dandy example) it fails to capture all of their tongue-in-cheek beauty. Dig out their live album Show too, to see what else
you missed. If you ever did see them live, you should consider yourself privileged. (MR)
Oasis
Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants (Big Brother) kit
'It simply isn’t good enough, is it?’ my mate Scott said on hearing ’Go Let It Out’, the first single from Oasis's fourth slab of uber-pub rock. And he was bang on the money. This album doesn't have any of the spark that their first two feisty albums had, it’s drowned in overproduction, and Liam’s trademark drawl sounds bored throughout. There are SOme high points, like the Noel-sung ’Where Did It All Go Wrong?’, but mainly it’s tired platitudes and tedious riffs. Put it this way, it sometimes sounds like sub- standard Cast. Mind you, it’s still better than ’Be Here Now’. (DJ)
POP Various Artists
Classic Cocktail Music (Apollo Sound 2000) "it a: a: at
Pure kitsch from the smiley, alpine cardi-clad lady on the sleeve right through to the leopard skin printed on the CD itself, Happy Hour is a celebration of the tunes for cool cats commonly known as lounge music. All the mainly upbeat, catchy tracks are vaguely reminiscent of the plinky plonky theme and incidental music used on 605 TV shows, and include intriguineg titled numbers such as ’Not To Worry’ and ‘Watch This Man.’ Although it’s packaged in a camp/retro styleee the music's pretty damn good. A veritable must for all lovers of (ch)easy listening and fun background sounds for all those James Bond theme parties. (DK)
YbungerYbungerZBk Soap (V2) at
It’s easy to slag off Younger Younger 28’s. So here goes. In the forthcoming film Being john Malkovich, John Cusack discovers a portal into the head of the baldy actor in question. In the real world, YY28 have found a similar portal into the head of The Human League, and are trapped in there until the end of time. To while away the hours they churn out embarrassineg ham-fisted and cringeworthy attempts
44 THE LIST 2—16 Mar 2000
A blessing and a curse: Eels
Geneva, . ,. _ _ ; Weather Underground (Nude) and:
Positive forecast: Geneva
TWO years down the line after making a tidy little impact on the charts with their debut album Further, charming indie fellas Geneva return with a far more sophisticated and complex sound. As the title of the album suggests. the boys have weathered pop appeal and now they‘re digging deeper
underground.
Helped along by producers Howie B (Bjdrk. 92) and Tommy D (Catatonia). the band are evidently trying to break away from the straight indie~gultar ‘ mould and incorporate ambient electro dimensions. These add vigour to an album of Travis-like wistful ballads, of which the new single, flf You Have To Go'. is representative, with Andrew Montgomery’s honeyed vocal Well: 3'5 suited to the subdued, gently lulling tunes. Highlights include the first‘track. 'Dollars in The Heavens', a sweeping euphoric pop burst with largejdoses of wah wah guitar. 'Killing Stars' has a funky little backbeat and vocal range ‘ that reminds you of Freddie Mercury. In fact. Queen would be a comparison to make here, especially on ’Museum Mile’ where Geneva are emulating‘the epic peaks and troughs so well loved by Britain's favourite rock band. If . ‘ Geneva can recreate the complex arrangements on the album live. they'll achieve both chart success and musical credibility. (Catherine Bromley)
at northern kitchen-sink disco. The song titles say it all — ‘Next Big Thing’, ’Teenage Mum’ — a band trying far too hard to be something they clearly are not. (DJ)
Lene Marlin
Playing M Game (Virgin) k
Poor little ene Marlin. There she sits all huffy and puffy on the album cover and little wonder. It must be pure hellish being a sensitive Norwegian singer and having Richard Branson's megacorporation chucking squillions of Kroner at you to turn you into the new Natalie lmbruglia. Playing My Game is spectacularly offensive in the banality of its slightly indie pop. This has nothing to do with music, it’s an evil marketing plan to brainwash kids into accepting dross with no artistic merit as music of talent and soul. Whoa there, Dobbin! Sorry, almost lost control of my high horse. (DJ)
ELECTRONIC Anthony Pappa
Nu Breed (Global Underground) *‘kshlr‘k
Cast your mind back to the Global Underground series that showcased just about every DJ worth his fee, responsible no doubt for adding a great deal of kudos to your music collection. You’ll be pleased then, that
their next set of compilations — entitled the Nu Breed — are just as brilliant. First off the mark comes Anthony Pappa, famed resident DJ at Renaissance. The C 05 are appropriately progressive house, the first is sweeping and ethereal with a few marching and beefy tracks to make sure that you’re paying attention, while the second gets a little deeper and definitely darker but retaining a funky feel. Essential. (SB)
Superfunk
Hold Up (Virgin France) *1H: t Thank goodness the French don’t take their house music as seriously as their blockading of Channel ports. Hold Up shows former Fiat Lux stars Superfunk embracing hip hop, electro-funk and disco then turning it all into a big bold musical cartoon. Although the attitude is reminiscent of fellow gallic tricksters Daft Punk, the sound has a warmer, disco feel. Tracks like ’Last Dance In Copacabana’ and the recently released single, ’Lucky Star' put the smiley back into house with a quirky humour rather than illegal substances while ’From Marseilles To Paris’ is an out-and- out loony tune. Tres sexycool. (TA)
Recon
Liquid (Mute) *inht
Suitably dark and brooding, one-time Depeche Mode man Alan Wilder