angst%cs@hub.ucsb.edu (Hopelessly in love w/Donna Reed) (06/18/91)
Gigantic 2 - A Melody Maker/Rough Trade Compilation (MM RT CD 002) I'm not usually much for compilations, but this one looked so good that I had to buy it. I wasn't disappointed! It's subtitled "Nineteen for the Nineties" and it contains a really nice booklet with pictures of the band and whatnot (mostly whatnot). Here's a track-by-track rundown, along with my comments. Quotes are taken right from the booklet. The Breeders - I Just Want to Get Along (unreleased) For the uninitiated, The Breeders is a side project of Kim Deal of The Pixies. I'd heard a couple of things from their album _Pod_, and didn't really think much of them. But I liked this track (which is not on the album). This could've been a Pixies song where Kim Deal sings, if you ask me. Thumbs up. Pale Saints - A Deeper Sleep for Stephen (remix) Droning vocals, fuzzed guitar, and reverberated percussion. I like it, but I don't really know these guys so I can't say how it compares to their other stuff. Thumbs up. "They create a noise to immerse yourself in. Their turbulent guitars have a sickly pallor that infests even the brightest of melodies." Cocteau Twins - The High Monkey-Monk (unreleased from 1987) There's no mistaking that this is the Cocteau Twins, but it's a bit different because the percussion and Elisabeth's voice give this a decidedly Eastern flavour. If, like me, you were beginning to think that everything of theirs sounds the same, this should change your mind. Thumbs up. See See Rider - Rosy Singer (unreleased) The bass/drum intro reminds me strongly of Hanging Garden and/or other songs from The Cure's _Pornography_, but once the vocals and heavily-effected guitar come in the comparison is lost. I'm having a hard time describing this, so I'll just quote the book: "The languid sighs of May Rock Marshall and Stephen Sands adorn walls of guitars which yearn to come tumbling down. They twist rock's heritage like those dogs magicians make out of balloons." Thumbs up. Mazzy Star - Ride it On (from _She Hangs Brightly_) Kind of a country flavour here, and for that reason I'm a bit troubled by the fact that I like it. Acoustic guitar playing A-D-E (yep, yet another guitar song in A major), a tambourine, a harmonica, and a beatiful woman's voice (well, the woman is beautiful too, but I'm speaking of her voice). Thumbs up. Souled American - Buck Dancer's Choice (version of a traditional composition) I don't like it. I'll defer to the booklet: "Chris Grigoroff leads his will and weird rural marauders through a country blues soaked in narcotic bliss. A soundtrack for a more sinister and far more gory version of "Deliverance." Thumbs down. The Clean - I Wait Around (original version of a track from _Vehicle_) Jangly New Zealand pop a la The Chills. Something funny about the vocals, but I can't really put my finger on it. Thumbs Up. Galaxie 500 - Flowers (live) Fairly normal guitar music, but I'll just defer to the booklet: "Their sound dwells on the silences left lingering after the Velvets' third album. . . the hum of ageless youth daydreaming." Thumbs up. Lush - Scarlet (specially recorded for Gigantic) This is a different version of the song on _Scar_, which also appears on _Gala_ so for me, it wasn't really new. Lots of swirling guitars a la the Cocteau Twins, and the vocalist has a darn nice voice to boot. If you want to call these guys Cocteau Twins wannabes, then I'd have to say they succeed rather nicely, but still manage to maintain a style of their own. Thumbs Up. The Shamen - Pro-Gen (remix) Good dance music, plain and simple. If it wasn't a huge dancefloor hit, I'm stumped as to why. The groove grabbed me right off, and if I hadn't torn some cartilege in my knee, I would've jumped out of my seat. It's got an early 80s techno feel to it, so some may be put off be it. (Are these guys Frankie Goes to Hollywood by chance?) Thumbs up. "Pro-Gen is resounding; a big, vibrant slab of sound that fills the dancefloor and sends the blood coursing. The Shamen shower shards of psychedelia into a new dance setting." Kitchens of Distinction - Shiver (live) I think this is from their first album, _Love is Hell_, which has not been released domestically. I really love these guys. This song is more like the slower songs from _Strange Free World_. The swirly, ethereal quality is there, but the vocals are not very interesting. If I didn't own any of their albums, I don't think this track would inspire me to remedy that unfortunate situation. But it's still a reasonable effort nonetheless. Thumbs up. Lightning Seeds - 15 Reasons (unreleased) I've never heard these guys before, but I believe they are fairly big in the "college music scene." I really like this track, and for some reason it reminded me of Echo and the Bunnymen. Then I read the book and it said: "Ian Broudie inhabits a place where the Sixties bump effortlessly into the Nineties, where perfect pop is not a myth, but a gold-plated reality." (For those who don't know, Ian Broudie produced the first and third Echo and the Bunnymen albums.) Thumbs up. Band of Holy Joy - Right as Rain (unreleased) The picture shows 7 members, and I can make out an accordion, a trombone, and a standup bass (I think). Kind of reminds me of The Pogues for some reason. I don't tend to like that kind of intrumentation, and this is no exception. I think it's well done, but not my cup of tea. Thumbs down. Pussy Galore - Seattle (version of a Johnny Thunders track) Far be it from me to ever say anything bad about Pussy Galore. This track is more of the same out of tune, absolutely beautiful guitar noise that is the reason I adore these guys (well, the thought that maybe *I* could do that is another reason). Actually, I hear their new album (Historia de la Musica Rock) is supposed to suck, but this track harks of their older stuff like "Pigsweat", "Fuck You Man", "Yu Gung", etc. Thumbs up. "A love of gratuitously random noise and an ability to turn music inside out allows Nueva York's ultimate primal grunge exponents to sound both disaffected and engaged." Loop - Blood (from _A Gilded Eternity_) Dreamy, ethereal echoed vocals over a fairly straightforward drum track. Meditation music, maybe? Not too interesting for me. Thumbs down. The Sugarcubes - Eat the Menu (remix) I liked _Life's Too Good_ better than _Here Today..._, probably because the LTG sounded rougher and less poppy to me. So I didn't really like this track too much. Thumbs down. Marc Almond - My Death (from _Jacques_) I liked Soft Cell. I even liked "Tears Run Rings" and the other single from _The Stars That We Are_. But this I don't like. Thumbs down. "Only Marc Almond could tackle Jacques Brel's paeans of impossible romance and make them sound so chilling yet anguished, as though they'd been sculpted in dirt and snow." Cranes - Untitled (unreleased) A bit of pyschedelic guitar along with South Pacific rhythms (I don't know what that means, but it sounds good) and childlike droning vocals. I'm going to have to give this a thumbs down too, Bob. Birdland - Hollow Heart (deleted first single) High energy guitar pop that reminds me of The Buzzcocks. Nothing too exciting here, but I like it. Thumbs up. "Washes of light and deep heat emanate from Coventry's lean, mean and lustworthy princes of peroxide. They still have a head full of steam and a heart like a hand grenade--the very essence of adolescence." So, for me, it's 13 to 6 in favour of the Thumbs Up. And the good tracks are really good, so there's no reason not to get this. Your mileage may vary. -d "When I'm in the mercy seat I smile, and lay my weapons down."