Reviews

Weekly Reviews For October 29, 2006

Review Index

I am Managing Editor at Metal4Life

I also contribute reviews to getreadytorock

I am also featured reviewer at spacerock.co.uk

I was Editor & reviewer at MetalUK.

New Reviews

Outgrabe - Bullet The Blue Sky

I'm never sure it's wise to introduce yourself with a cover version, especially when the Sepultura version of this U2 song was so definitive. But this San Francisco duo manage to twist things enough to keep you listening for more.

And when their original music begins it was certainly worth the wait. 'We Like Angels never Weep' could have sat easily on one of Jefferson Airplanes early seventies albums and 'Kingdom Of La Lo Lay' on an early Jefferson Starship album. You get where I'm going with this:-)

It's very West Coast, very out of time and because of that, quite timeless. Definitely one to investigate.

Ben Weaver - Blueslivinghollerin'


Now I know I'm playing catch up here but this such a good album I had to mildy salivate over it, despite my tardiness.

A combination of three previous releases - 'El Camino Blues', 'Living In The ground' and 'Hollerin' At A Woodpecker' - hence the title, this is the finest collection of acoustic roots I've heard in a long while.

Blurring the lines between country and blues, this is damn near flawless. I say near because of the mild desecration caused by the inclusion of a Bob Dylan song. Whyyyyyyyyyy?

But when he sings his own songs, helped along by fiddles, mandolins and hub caps, Mr Weaver is magnificent.

The Barcodes - With Friends Like These

And here come The Barcodes with a rather delightful set of jazz tinged blues.

A largely self penned set, peppered with a few well chosen covers of songs by Taj Mahal, Mose Allison, Little Walter and Peter Green, it's a bit of an understated gem.

They've roped in a bunch of friends (aha! slow on the uptake reviewer), hence the title, with Zoot Money, Roger Cotton, Paul Cox and Gypie Mayo among them, but it manages to remain all about the songs.

There's plenty to enjoy but I keep going back to the Mise Allison tune 'I Don't Worry About A Thing' and the harmonica drenched 'Everything Or Nothing'.

Gina G - Get Up And Dance

And here's oor Gina, back for another crack at pop princes success.

And, you know, she really is good at the whole dance, high energy malarkey. From the openeer 'Heaven' through 'Shock To My System' into the Shakira tinged 'Where Would You Be Now', it's top quality stuff.

There are a couple of balladic moments we could do without and, as I virtually always say, it's too long an album but there's easily half a dozen songs here that would make great dance singles.

Considering that the songs were recorded across the world and across the years, it's ended up as cohesive album, which says a lot for Ms G and a cracking one at that, although some fact checking on the sleeve notes would have stopped me growling!

Schnauser - Kill All Humans

First impressions of Schnauser- Byrdian jingly jangly, Arthur Lee's Love inspired inventive melodic otherwordy, at the cutting edge of psych rock.

If this review is reading like a stream of consciousness then that's because the music is so hard to define. Hey, but how's this for a list of influences? Egg, Blossom Toes, the Doors and the Kinks. Soft Machine is also cited and it's hard to see why except for the playfulness of the lyrics and restrained experimentation. One of the early songs had me thinking of the bluesier moments of early Colosseum until the McCartneyish bassline kicked in. 'Kill All Humans' is Schnauser's 'Mr Kite' and The Beatles are obviously a big influence. Don't be alarmed by the title- the song is about humans' tendency to render extinct all other species with the story line centring on the last tiger in Hobart, Tasmania. (This is brilliantly depicted on a Pink Hedgehog DVD sampler I was sent by that nice man Simon Felton) The fairground organ on the mind blowing 'There's A Fist' also shows a touch George Martin would have been proud of but the overriding impression here is that this song would not have been out of place on 'Forever Changes'. One could say the same about 'Toys for Boys'- where on Earth did Pink Hedgehog find a band as good as this? (Apparently they formed in Armenia hardly a hotbed of classic psychedelic rock I would imagine).

There's a sardonic irony in the lyrics that has Ray Davies or maybe even Mothers of Invention all over it- 'Hail to the Corpse' is a good example. If you took the words away the slow Latin rhythm and Hollies harmonies suggest something a lot softer then the synth and punch line come in and a few guitar licks borrowed from Steve Howe show that Schnauser are at a seriously good creative and musical level. There is an astonishing consistency about the music. The 3:23 of 'What is Postmodern?' left me quite breathless. There's even a song about Walt Disney's head waiting in a cryogenic lab! A list of guest musicians add greatly to the fullness of the sound and bassist/ vocalist Ken Hauser's production is good. 'Kill All Humans' is quite simply the best psychedelic rock album I've heard in ages and will appeal to all who like serious subject matter in their music done in a humorous and infectious way with songs that would certainly grace the Love songbook! Highly recommended.

(Reviewed by Phil Jackson for Zeitgeist)

Silver Sun - Dad's Weird Dream


Oh, to be young, dumb and full of, um, fun. Although to be fair Silver Sun can't possibly be young anymore. After all, even I remember them. So I'm gonnae guess 10 years. Which if I was a proper journalist would entail a comment like [E: check band history - insert actual date here] but I'm no. And yes I know we have the tinternet but who has the time for that. Ten years it is, which means they really ought to have grown out of their Chipmunk like power pop by now. But they haven't and that has to count as a good thing. If they had they would have hit their serious phase by now and we'd be doomed, I tell ye, doomed to listen to seven minute epics about emptiness. Do you think I should be worried that when I typed the word 'phase' it came out as 'pahas' and that I didn't notice until now? Ach well, it was only a matter of time.

The self described 'cross between Pilot and Candlemass' aren't as good as that rather splendid description makes them out for said cross would be the best band. Ever. Especially if you bunged in the Electric Light Orchestras stage show circa 1977. And some beards. But they do have a nice turn in a bouncy tune that, temporarily, makes the world seem like a better place. Which it isn't. But we can pretend.

OK, on to the important bits. The only track that really sucks is 'Getting It Together In The Country'. So if you're downloading the album, do the math and see if it works out the same minus that track. If you have the CD, programme out Track 10. Or Track 7. My promo track seems to have a different running order to the one on their website. (damn, caught researching). You'll thank me. Really. The out and out must haves are 'Rock n Roll Widow', 'See Me In My Dreams' and 'You Can Love'. If you've only got the money for a few tracks to download, make it those. If you only have enough money for 1 track buy 'Rock 'n Roll is a Vicious Game' by April Wine, which is one of the great lost rock ballads of the seventies. Awesome.

Daniel Rachel - A Taste Of Money


We had a level of appreciation for 'Dear Friend / An Englishman Abroad' by Daniel Rachel bordering on the illegal, saying "It's a captivating hybrid of Squeeze and the edgier moments of Britpop, underlaid with a hint of acoustic effervescence". So it was with mixed feelings that we received a copy of his second elpee. Bitter disappointment or (another) restraining order. Well it's good news for me and lawyers everywhere (gits), for this is an utterly splendid release.

After a low key opening track you're hit with a quartet of songs back to back, as good as you'll hear all year. the Kate Rusby band backed 'Hearts And Bones' which makes absolutely no sense, the swelling hit single in the making 'Let It Be Mine', the grubby torch song 'Tivoli Flicks' (it was the Classic round my way) and the boogie protest of 'The Bucket And Broom Song'. Oh, and just to clarify it's not a song protesting about boogie, for that would be wrong and I would be forced to kill all participants in said protest.

These songs provide a backbone to the album that the other songs can work off and thrive on. There are a couple of songs that miss so you may want to skip over 'Pearl' and another revisit to Squeeze in the shape of 'Dancin' Round The Bend' but this is, overall, one of those albums that doesn't oversty its welcome and cause RSI on your skip finger.

Catherine Duc - Visions And Dreams


I'm surprised they're allowed to get away with this sort of malarkey in the non-existant Antipodes, a mythological land populated by a primitive, near-human race who burn their food in the open air, and where the water swirls the wrong way. As the map say, "here be monsters".

But then along comes Catherine Duc combining elements of ambient, Celtic and electronica in an attempt to rewrite the myth and legend. But you're not fooling me with your evocative, melodic and captivating instrumental excusrsions, especially the stunning 'In The Light Of Day'.

One for the Enya fans to help fill the vast expanse in between releases, this is music to make things seem alright, even if just for a moment.

Mandorla - Invisible Intelligence


Once upon a time there was a jazz rock musician called Clive Stevens who as well as releasing a couple of sought after releases back in the seventies - 'Atmospheres' and 'Voyage To Uranus' - yes, really has worked with the likes of Billy Cobham. None of which prepares you for the shift his music has taken over the years.

If I tell you that on this album he has worked with Chris Brann from the Wamdue Project you may get a better idea of the direction he's moved in. More Zero 7 than Mahavishnu this album reflects the downtempo rhythms that have graced the work of Massive Attack and Tricky. And to a large degree it works remarkably well as the fusion of jazz heritage and dance motifs blends into a fine example of nu jazz.

There is only one real clunker and that's the rap track 'Rhapsody 4 Nu Times' which jars badly, but the smooth delights of 'Everything You Are' and 'Palace Of Tears' have already worked their charms by then, so you can forgive one bad lapse. It's a brave attempt to bring together disparate forms of music into one new whole and is definitely one to give a chance to.

Amy Winehouse - Rehab


After a platinum selling, Mercury Music Prize nominated debut, Amy Winehouse's record company must have been jonesing for a follow up. In which case the appropriate response appears to be ya boo sucks.

There's little of the debuts jazz leanings as Amy delves back into the girl groups of the sixties for this soul drenched little cracker. The hook will either grab you or repel you as it underpins the whole song. Never thought I'd still be here for the Helen Shapiro revival, but here it is!