rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (11/04/83)
As uw-june!eli has said, the Bongos are a part of the "new music renaissance" in Hoboken, including the dB's (with Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple) and the Individuals. They all seem to fall into a category that has been called "new pop", meaning that they are on the poppy side of the new wave spectrum (in that their songs are part of a progressive pop tradition) but are more innovative and experimental than commercial. Their instrumentation is usually straightforward---guitars, bass, drums, and vocals, with additional "atmospheric" keyboard work. (The Bongos have added of this on their new EP.) They are generally under-produced, meaning that there is not a lot of added flash on their recordings. Sometimes this hurts the song, making it sound like all the others on the same record, but often there's just enough production to make each song distinctive. An actual description of the style is hard to put into words, but if you like the progressive side of the Beatles and the Beach Boys, the Jam, and pop music that's not pap music, then these bands are for you. A short (and probably incomplete) discography: BONGOS: Drums Along the Hudson (PVC) "Telephoto Lens", "The Bulrushes (You, You Know I'm Right)", "In the Congo", "Zebra Club"---this album combines previously released singles with other material; cameos by members of Throbbing Gristle Nuts and Bolts (PVC) [RICHARD BARONE & JAMES MASTRO] Two members of the Bongos do some of their own songs produced with Mitch Easter (R.E.M.), including "I've Got a Secret" and a cover of Tommy Roe's "Dizzy" Numbers With Wings (RCA) EP contains title cut, also "Barbarella". More produced than earlier work. Don't own this one yet. dB's: Stands for Decibels (ALBION) Really incredible pop band. I now like these guys even more than the Bongos. "Black and White" (British invasion), "She's Not Worried" (Beach Boys a la Surf's Up), "Cycles Per Second" and "Dynamite" (kickers that are hard to pigeonhole) are the songs that really stand out. Chris Stamey and Peter Holsapple are the main songwriters here, but I've heard that Stamey has left. Repercussion (ALBION??) I don't own this one yet (still looking), but what I've heard from it (Living a Lie) is really good, yet different from the last album. INDIVIDUALS: Don't know much more about this band, but they had a minor hit with "Dancing with My 80 Wives". They seem to be more weird/avantgarde than other new pop bands. Other records: Chris Stamey - "It's A Wonderful Life" Bizarre work from dB's songwriter Mitch Easter and Let's Active - the man who produced work by the dB's, the Bongos, and REM on his own; just heard some of this on the radio, and it's pretty good Shake to Date - Albion Records compilation: includes "Black and White" by the dB's, "Wild Moose Party" by the Cosmopolitans, plus Peter Holsapple, Mitch Easter, Richard Hell and the Neon Boys. Worth getting. Start Swimming (STIFF) - live sampler of US acts in UK. Includes "Telephoto Lens" and "In the Congo" by the Bongos, a cover of "Cold Turkey" by the Bush Tetras plus work from the dB's, the Fleshtones, and the incredible Raybeats (the best surf instrumental band in many years)