rpk (02/14/83)
Bananarama: Shy Boy b/w Don't Call Us (London single, Britain) Banarama treads the thin line between silliness and pure pop with its updating of the girl-group sound, and here they hit the latter square on the mark. This is their strongest outing to date, relying less on remix and DOR-style (read: mixed too loud) percussion. The A-side sounds vintage 1962 (it was written by the producer); the B-side, which gets less airplay but which is just as good, is more melancholy (kind of like the GoGos' ``He's So Strange'' crossed with the Fun Boy Three sound), and was written by the group. Elvis Costello and the Attractions: Party Party b/w Imperial Bedroom (A & M single, Britain) From the film, already released in Britain. I admit that I'm a big fan of the King, but there's nothing special here -- the lyrics are the usual clever observations, the arrangement is good, but his voice seems rather strained, as if he were reaching for a 78-era snide sneer and couldn't get it. The B-side was previously released on the B-side of the 12-inch version of the ``Man Out Of Time'' single. Much better than the A-side. Depeche Mode: See You; Now This Is Fun b/w The Meaning of Love; See You (Sire EP) Even though you get two versions of the same song here, it's still a pretty good value: this frothy pop group has managed to deepen, even after they lost their biggest songwriter (Vince Clarke, now with Yazoo.) The two other songs are just as good, and contain entertaining aural surprises. Thomas Dolby: Blinded By Science (Harvest EP) From one of the most intelligent pop writers around comes this new, worthwhile EP. It contains ``She Blinded Me With Science,'' ``One Of Our Submarines,'' ``Windpower,'' ``Airwaves,'' and ``Flying North,'' all in their full length (>> album length) versions. The last three cuts do appear (in shorter from) on the Golden Age album. The first two together comprise the new British single. ``Science'' is a catchy, witty song that seems to play off his slightly awkward image. It has a great hook -- an old professor exclaiming, in a veddy British manner, ``She blinded me with science !'' Flipper: Get Away b/w The Old Lady That Swallowed A Fly ! (Subterranean single) Wow ! An excellent hardcore/art/fun record if there ever was one. A-side is heavy metalloid, heartfelt, and combines their most ``conventional'' beat underpinnings with liberal amounts of gtr/bs/dms chaos. The flip(per), played at 33, is a surreal treatment of that absurd children's song. The Jam: Beat Surrender (Polydor double single, Britain) This is, most likely, the band's last single. The first song (of five) is Mod R & B reminiscent of the Gift LP, with good vocals. The other songs, including a cover of ``War,'' are in pretty much the same vein, although the sense of the Jam playing together is much stronger that the previous single (``Bitterest Pill'') with tended to mix down the guitar to almost inaudible level, while making the horns prominent. The B-side, ``Shopping'' is a nice jazzy cut, very different from the usual sound. Robert Wyatt: Shipbuilding b/w Memories (Rough Trade single, Britain) Robert Wyatt's voice does take a little getting used to, but one can take Peter Gabriel (or a reedy Phil Collins) as a reference point. Both sides are vaguely jazzy, like a torch songs. The A-side (written by Mr. Costello and Alan Winstanley) is about the uneasiness of working in a shipyard, which can be a dangerous place. Very understated. (Instrumentals on the song were done by the drummer from Madness and the Attractions.) The B-side is the old Eubie Blake tune -- nice melody and ambience, 'tho Mr. Wyatt's voice does tend to wobble on the high notes. The Jam: Dig the New Breed (Polydor album, Canada) Unless Polydor decides to release a greatest hits compilation, this is the last Jam album, a record of their live shows, spanning from 1977 to 1982 with at least one cut from each of their studio albums. The earlier stuff is delightfully rough; and ``That's Entertainment'' and ``Ghosts'' stand out as quiet, intense jems. Very good. New Order: (Factory EP) This record contains the group's second two British singles, recorded without the famed Factory records house producer Martin Hannett. The first source was ``Everything's Gone Green'' and it's B-sides ``Mesh'' (on the original British and Benelux 12-inch) and Procession (on the 7-inch version, where some couldn't figure out what the A-side was to begin with). These cuts feature a dark, moody, vaguely 60s psychedelic sound. ``Temptation'' and ``Hurt,'' presented in their full-length versions, are more striking as real SONGS; for the first time, the vocals are not swimming in a sea of echo (a holdover from the Joy Division sound), and are supported by other members of the group. The long versions allow the instrumentation to bring the songs to almost orchestral climaxes. Material: One Down (Elektra album) The last album from this group was a challenging and interesting jazz/new-wave fusion album entitled ``Memory Serves'' -- if you find a copy of it (on the Elektra/Musician label), grab it. This time, the group (really just a frame for guest musicians) has decided to work with some of the hipper people in the New York scene, like the gospel-styled vocalist Bernard Fowler of the Peech Boys, Nona Hendryx (remember Labelle ?), drummer Tony Thompson, and Bernard (?) Rogers, the guitarist of CHIC. Fred Frith appears for one cut (``Time Out'') as well. Anyway, the results are mixed. It's rather straightforward disco, although there's a sharpness and sophistication to the sound that no ordinary collection of funk musicians could produce. I hope their next effort is more jazy, since there fusion is more attractive to me than that of, say, Weather Report. Modern English: After The Snow (4AD album, England) If New Order's sonic evolution owes something to the aggressive-yet-poppy psychedelia of the VU/Seeds/13 Floor Elevators breed, then this British group owes quite a lot: it is MORE than vaguely 60s psychedelic. Perhaps you have seen the ``Melt With You'' video on MTV, or heard the sound, which has also been released as a 12-inch domestically by Sire. The single typifies their sound, and the songs feature some interesting textures. One of the best covers I've seen in a long time, but perhaps the single is the better purchase. Someone and the Somebodies: Newvo b/w Ian (Modern Method single) This Boston band (originally from Florida) has been scoring successes in the area with their witty, danceable, and musically meaty approach. Vocalist/bassist/songwriter Tristram Lozaw does not conceal his adoration of the Velvet Underground (perhaps you have read his work for Boston Rock). This is their second release (much delayed), their first being an EP entitled ``Bops On the Head,'' which features a cover of ``Working In a Coalmine'' that predates DEVO's. As for the single: ``Newvo'' seems to be about musical fashion and its followers, while ``Ian'' deals with the death of Ian Curtis, ths singer with Joy Division. Both feature a very clean, entrancing sound. Moev: (Go! EP) This three-piece San Francisco synth band (with gtr) stands out from the pack with its moody, yet danceable, sound and female vocals, which sound more like those of a folk singer (very stately, like some of the British folk stuff in the 70s) than the current crop of squeaky ``girls'' and flat, post-modern male drones. Of the three songs, ``Rotting Geraniums,'' is the best, combining the afforementioned elements in an entrancing manner. ``Sunday Crisis,'' one of the other two cuts, sounds too deadpan and ``weird'' new wave (in the formulaic sense) to be taken seriously, though. Recommended. Steve Almaas: Beat Rodeo (Coyote EP) As the name might imply, this record features pure pop laced with country. No, there's no steel guitar, but the acoustic guitar playing and melodies do evoke some country feeling. Mr. Almaas played guitar with the Bongos before he made this record with Richard Barone (of the Bongos) and producer Mitch Ryder. Very pleasant. ``Bob'' ARPA: RpK @ MC UUCP: ...!genradbo!mitccc!rpk