Rating Scale: to

Artist:	"FRONTLINE ASSEMBLY"
Title:	"RECLAMATION"
Label:	Roadrunner Records
Reviewed By:	Colette Engel
Rating:

"Front Line Assembly" was formed in Vancouver back in 1986 by Bill Leeb. The band has been "one of the most successful and influential bands working in the electro-industrial field over the last decade..." Michael Balch and Rhys Fulber later added to the mix and helped create a sound that is only now beginning to be picked up on by other bands. The band became a major force in the techno world with the release of the album, "Gashed Senses and Crossfire" in 1989. The album had several club hits that began to "rule dance floors everywhere," but the band was more successful over in Europe at the time. Several albums followed and FLA's sound evolved a bit with each until the release of "Millennium." in 1993, shifted from their previous European sound to a harder combination of metal and electronics. This opened up the U.S. market for them and their influence spread. "Reclamation" is a compilation of some of the best songs from 1989 through 1993 and includes several exclusive remixes. "Digital Tension Dementia" starts off with a nice rhythmic beat that had me dancing in my chair. Then the vocals start. That's where I was left behind. The voice is very rough and not particularly tuneful. "Violence is your point of view......and it always gets the best of you." You can almost hear his snarl as he sings these lyrics. Next is "No Limit." It starts out with what sounds like a police officer yelling "up against the wall, now!" Then the music begins. The effects in the song are great with a lot of percussion sounds going on, keeping the beat. Then the vocals. Once again I'm lost at this point. It sounds like he's trying to create an evil, monstrous kind of sound. There are repeated clips of "up against the wall" but it's pretty hard to make out what the actual lyrics are in this song. "Iceolate" is a bit better starting out with a great, upbeat tempo. The lyrics are still pretty dark but the singing is at least a bit better. "Seeing through the eyes of evil......confusion takes hold...." At least I think that's what he's saying. On this song the vocals are a bit more rhythmic and don't seem as much of an intrusion on the song as they did in the first two. I'd say that this is one of my favorite tracks on the CD. It's amazing how little attention you pay to the actual lyrics if there is a good beat and you can dance to it. I'm not sure if that's good or bad. "Virus" is another song that starts off with a good strong dance beat. This is industrial music meant to be played loud and I have no trouble at all picturing a crowded club with people moving to this music. I started to get tired at this point. So far the first 4 songs have run over 30 minutes and now the songs are starting to all kind of blend together. Other tracks worth mentioning are "Toxic" and "Mindphaser." They stand out as great examples of pulsating electronica, but, I'd have to say that my favorite song overall is "Millennium." It has a real edge to it and more of a metal sound than the rest of the songs. It is a fantastic blend of electronica and metal and is, in my opinion, one of the most interesting tracks on the CD. The lyrics are completely unintelligible to me but the music is hard and exciting. A headbanger's electronica. This is the kind of CD to have playing in the background at a party or something. I wouldn't really recommend it for anything else. I began to wonder if anyone actually listens to the words or if they just bounce around to the music. The lyrics are so dark that if you paid close attention I think you'd have to stop and wonder what you could possibly have to dance about. I enjoyed the CD, but towards the end I started wondering if I'd accidentally put my CD player on "repeat." This is one hell of a long CD! There are over 70 minutes of music here! If you love electronica and/or industrial music, pick this one up. You'll get your money's worth. If you're like me and can take it only in small doses, this may not be the one for you.

Artist:	"LORDS OF ACID"
Title:	"OUR LITTLE SECRET"
Label:	Antler Subway Records
Available:	Any Major Music Store
Reviewed By:	Jill Williams
Rating:

Hailing from Antwerp, Beligium, "Lords Of Acid" began recording music in '88. Their sexy technotronica has taken the underground music scene by storm. Little is known, however, about the band. They tend to stay out of the spotlight and let their music and their infamous concerts speak for them. Their music is comparable to "Thrill Kill Kult" but with a female lead. I'm struck by the lack of women in electronica and techno music, but this album should show the world that the girls can do it as well as anyone. The first song, "Lover," begins with some sexy, breathy moaning stuck in some kind of tape loop. It does give you a good taste of their music, but it's not really one of their better songs. The instrumentation is great, but the singing is a little boring. "Rubber Doll," on the other hand, is very exciting and easy to dance to. I would assume this is why it's the first single released from the album. The vocals are a tad rappy and the overall tone is rough and wild. This is a much better example of what they can do. Sexy is a good word for the whole album, so I'll try to refrain from using it too much, but the next song, "Fingerlickin' Good" is a perfect song to use the term with. Her voice is hot, slow, and inviting. "LSD=Truth" has some haunting music with sampling saying "a trip is an LSD experience" throughout the song. I probably don't have to explain the music, as it suits the theme of the song. Very disjointed, and yet it works well. All of the changes in tempo and general musicality are fun and suck you right into their world for a while. "Man's Best Friend" has some really beautiful vocals as well as some very exciting and fast music. Dance away, my friends. That's what this song is here for. Certainly the finest song in all respects. Beginning slowly, with a kitty mewling in the background is "Pussy." This song is hilarious! A real play on words, you can't help but laugh out loud when you hear "she turns into a tiger when she's ready to eat/my pussy's always hungry for a big piece of meat." Just for shock or humor value, this is one you can't miss. "Deep Sexy Space" is like Elvis on acid. It's the kind of rock-sounding vocals from the early 60's, with a techno backbeat and music. You'll want to dance to this no matter which area you preference lies in. Extremely fun and funny song. Spoken words with some low key music make up the bulk of "Me And Myself." It reminds me of the hit song "I Touch Myself" without having to think about anyone else. This is a very sensual tune with a woman talking dirty to herself. It's wonderfully done, though perhaps not as catchy at the "DiVinyls" song. The rap feel makes another appearance in "Spank My Booty." I just don't know about this song. It's a bit funny and a bit tragic, but any S&M fan should check it out. From daddy's knee to sex clubs, it takes us through the experiences of a woman with a taste for the whip. Similarly, "The Power Is Mine" is the story of a dominatrix. This is much slower but very strong. She leads a man through the trials of being a slave and tells us all about it. The last known song on the album is "You Belong To Me," which takes us on a very trippy, sexy (there's that word again) journey into the heart of dark techno beats and heavy music. It's perfect stalker's music about a woman who won't let go. However, there is a hidden track on the album. It's a really great song for a Halloween release. The title seems to be "I Wanna Go See A Horror Movie" and they name a ton of horror movies and sing about zombies. This is great to dance to and your Halloween party should not be without it. I had a really good time listening to this album and I'm sure you will too. It's well produced, the vocals are mostly terrific, and the music is top notch. If you love techno or sadomasochism, you should go find this right now.

Artist:	"TANYA DONNELLY"
Title:	"LOVESONGS FOR UNDERDOGS"
Label:	P&C
Available:	Any Major Music Store
Reviewed By:	Dave Merrill
Rating:

At sixteen, "Tanya Donelly" entered the alternative rock scene with her half sister Kristin Hersh. Together they formed the band, "Throwing Muses". In 1990 she and Kim Deal launched the band, "The Breeders." That wasn’t enough for her. She continued to grow in her career by heading up her own band "Belly." She earned a gold record and a Grammy nomination. Now Donelly is on her own. Her first solo album is "Lovesongs for Underdogs." Three drummers helped Donelly on the album: David Lovering, formerly of the "Pixies"; David Narcizo, who worked with Donelly on "Throwing Muses"; and "Veruca Salt’s" Stacey Jones. Rich Gilbert contributes guitars and many other instruments ranging from pedal steel to bowed saw. Donelly’s husband, formerly of "Juliana Hatfield Three," Dean Fisher supplies bass. The touring band will be Gilbert, Narcizo, Fisher and keyboardist Elizabeth Steen. Donelly co-produced the album with Wally Gagel. The album opener is the first single, "Pretty Deep." It’s about a relationship with someone who lies. She sinks 'pretty deep' into it and gets hurt. The song starts with a couple of drum beats and goes straight into the guitar work that marks most of the louder parts of the song. It varies nicely back and forth from loud to soft. Sometimes Donelly’s lyrics are a bit tough to penetrate. "The Bright Light," I think, is about falling in love. "I’m in for a love so tough I could break my teeth if I bit down hard upon it. . .I get sucked into it again." It opens with drumsticks hitting each other and slips right into the guitar and drum that prevails throughout the song. Her voice sometimes reminds me of Courtney Love on this number. "Landspeed Song" has quirky vocal stylings. It also opens on a drumbeat. The guitar work is good and there are some nice changes. I’m not sure what this song is about. "Mysteries of the Unexplained" begins with a light tapping beat and features soft acoustic guitar. This is a slow song about things that can’t be explained in life. "Lantern" starts out with 'Ooh Lalala' and breaks into a downbeat scratchy guitar. It’s about a late night love affair. "I’ve got a good game/ plus I’ll let you win again/ and it’s much too late for bed/ so shi- shine on me. . ./ I crave your company/ and fall in the dark/ so be my lantern." "Acrobat" is about a relationship. The woman wants to go slow, and the man wants to go fast. Donelly’s voice goes shrill to sing, "She throws out her feet/ he holds them/ he stands on her hands/ she trips him. . ." The song begins with acoustic guitar. This is one of the best songs on the album in my opinion. It’s quirky and soft. It fits the main theme of the album. It has great changes in the music. I didn’t like it at first but a few listens made the message and music’s strength come clear for me. The guitar work on "Breathe Around You" sounds a lot like "The Fabulous Thunderbirds." It’s gritty and hard. Donelly’s voice comes on sexy and weaves through it nicely. The song is about the different perspectives that men and women have about relationships. "I live underwater and you live on the moon/ you can’t breathe around me and I can’t breathe around you." Donelly’s vocal on "Bum" sometimes reminds me of Debbie Harry. Even the music could be "Blondie" at times. She begins the song whispering, "Oh, yeah Baby," then all instruments jump in at once. They sustain at this level through most of the song, until, near the end, they all drop off except the drum. She explores a relationship gone wrong. "Clipped" is another song I don’t quite understand. It says a lot about winter. The lyrics flow nicely together though. The guitar work is simple and pleasing to the ear. "Goat Girl" is a little countryish, which suits the subject matter. It’s a good song with changes that flow and keep it interesting. The song is about finding that the person you’re dating is not what you were looking for. "Manna" opens with a long acoustic guitar piece. Donelly weaves her voice into the music well. For portions of the song her voice sounds like "Sinead O’Connor." The lyrics go a lot deeper in this song than most on the album. "So photograph me/ in milky white dreams/ spill into my head/ and when I hold you like tomorrow you might die/ well that’s because you might/ but I’m here now/ and I am staying put for reasons my heart knows." The lyrics on "Swoon" are impenetrable for me. The vocals are a bit quirky and the instrumentation is thin. It reminds me most of "Sinead O’Connor’s" work. "Lovesongs for Underdogs" explores many areas of rock music. The album is held together mostly by the relationship themes within each song. I found the songs spotty in quality. Some are pretty good, but nothing really stands out for me as a great song.

Back to New Releases