SHORT TAKES Mini Reviews! Rating Scale: TO

Artist: "ELCKA" Album: "Nothing To Lose" Label: Island Rating:

This cd single is a joy to listen to. Mix "U2" with the "Psychodelic Furs" and you might have some idea what this peppy alterna-pop is like. The title song is wonderful and some interesting changes in the music keep it fun and light. I'll listen to this song a lot, I'm sure. The second song is called "Roast Beef," and it's quite a bit slower and stranger, but equally fun to listen to. Despite the unlikely tempo, I found myself dancing through the entire tune. "Polish Kiss" isn't exactly to my liking, but it's worth a listen. This dark sounding and nearly monotonous music is very unlike the previous tracks and yet, it's one that you can't seem to get out of your head. I have a feeling it will grow on me. Try this single out. It will be a nice change from what you find elsewhere on the CD racks these days.

Artist: "SYMPOSIUM" Album: "SYMPOSIUM" Label: Red Ant Rating:

What we have here is a perfectly functional example of a damn decent rock band. Lots of those out there these days. Competent bands who meld the familiar elements of poppy song stylings and relatively loud guitars amidst a familiar "alternative" milieu. Few of these bands are flat out bad. Unfortunately, another identifying characteristic of too many of these bands is a flat homogeneity. There's too many geeks in bowling shirts producing bland material that sounds like some annoying "Weezer" side project. The trick for purveyors of this genre is to somehow distinguish themselves from the crowd, to somehow not sound too much like the latest dweeb who thinks watered-down Nirvanaish guitars combined with Cars-like new wave synth sounds is a cool thing. Symposium, who are approximately the ten zillionth damn decent rock band to be absurdly hyped into the stratosphere by elements of the hyperbolic British rock press, manage to accomplish this daunting task. To an extent. They have forged a sound identifiable as their very own. It's not a great sound, not yet, but it is their own. The songs crackle with an energy too many other decent rock bands lack. Of the five songs on this e.p., three I can take or leave. But the other two, "Farewell to Twilight" and "Drink the Sunshine" (particularly the former), I genuinely enjoy and are reasons to hope for better things to come from this band.

Artist: "GENESIS" Album: "Congo" (parts one and two) Label: Virgin Rating:

As the first single from the new album "Calling All Stations", as well as the first Genesis single with new front man Ray Wilson, "Congo" is about as appropriate as any other track on the disc to get the attention of radio audiences around the world. True to form, Virgin records released this one as a two-part package. Each of the two discs (sold seperately of course) contains different material, making this format a boon for collectors, if a bit of an extra expense. Of course, the folks at Virgin aren't stupid -- they know they'll pump more units through the system this way, thus making "Congo" potentially look better on the charts than it is actually doing. Ethics aside though, both versions of the single contain something worth having. Part One contains a stripped-down (radio edit) version of "Congo". This version is essentially the same mix as that on the album, except the extraneous intro material is cut out. There are two bonus tracks on this disc as well, both being songs that are not currently available elsewhere. I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed in these non-album tracks though. Ever since the Gabriel days Genesis has always been known for throwing in some really cool songs as B-sides with their singles. While the two tracks on this disc, namely "Papa He Said" and "Banjo Man" are not bad songs, they're obviously B-side stuff that would have probably ended up on the cutting room floor otherwise. Actually, "Banjo Man" is a somewhat interesting song because it gives us an insight into some of Wilson's vocal capabilities. In this song he strains a bit on the high notes and his somewhat rough voice reminds me a bit of Sting -- albeit a half register lower. If you're a collector and can't live without the non-album tracks, Part Onc is not a bad buy, but I wouldn't kill myself to get out there and buy it. Part two is a bit more interesting, but not so much musically. The full album version of "Congo" is featured on this one, as well as a rehashing of "Second Home By the Sea" -- complete with an awkward fade at the end of the instrumental (where Phil Collins' vocals carry the song to its close). I was surprised to see that, other than the fade at the end, this is the exact version as is on the "Genesis" album where it was originally published. I thought this was a rather cheap attempt at filler material -- but then I popped the CD into my PC. Along with the music, this disc contains several enhancements that can only be seen by a computer or CD player capable of playing "enhanced" CD's. The interface to the enhanced part of the CD was easily navigable and well-done, featuring interview footage with Tony, Mike and Ray. Many interesting questions are answered in this footage and you can go through it by topic or by band member. Once you've seen all the interview footage, you can take a look at the video for "Congo". While it's in a small window and best seen by a computer with a little bit of muscle to flex, having the video on the CD is a pretty cool concept -- and it's not a bad video to boot! The best part of the CD enhancements however is the 3D rendering of the stage setup which is slated to be used on the band's world-wide tour. This is where "Second Home By the Sea" comes in handy as it is used for a backdrop as the "camera" takes you on a pretty realistic tour of what looks to be one of the most interesting multimedia stage setups ever. I'm not even going to try to describe this stage other than to say that the backdrop consists of what looks like dozens of huge video screens which are capable of some pretty impressive synchronized movement. Raising and lowering like curtains, moving from side to side, splitting up and coming back together again -- these screens are likely to turn this concert into a very memorable experience! So as a recap: Part one of "Congo" contains the radio edit of the song along with two mediocre B-side tracks. Get it if you are a collector bent on owning everything the band has ever recorded. Part two contains the full version of "Congo", a strangely truncated version of "Second Home By the Sea" and CD enhancements which include interview footage, a full-length video and a very cool 3-D rendered tour of the stage setup to be used on the band's world tour. This is a must for all die-hard Genesis fans!

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