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| Artist: | "CLARISSA" |
| Title: | "BLOOD AND COMMONS" |
| Label: | Mammoth Records |
| Reviewed By: | Marlene Taylor |
| Rating: |  |
| The trio of Michael Rank, Sara Romweber and Andy McMillan began in the
80's as the band "Snatches of Pink, who's headturning names was matched
in audacity only by their sound. Along with several other bands, they formed
the first wave of Indie rock in Chapel Hill. Unfortunately, trouble on the
business and personal front broke up the trio afger just a few "Snatches
of Pink" recordings. But two years ago, the trio took the name "Clarissa,"
and debuted their first album, "Silver." Now, with the release
of "Blood And Commons," word in Chapel Hill is that vocalist Rank,
Drummer, Romweber and Bassist McMillan, have finally come full circle and
made the record they were destined to release. "We really wanted this album," says Rank, "to be more representative of what we are like live. People kept telling me that the last record was really mellow, and I didn't know what they wer talking about. I was hearing those songs like we were doing them on stage at the time, and they sounded anything but mellow." With the help of producer John Plymale, someone they'd known since the early days, doing their demos that had landed them record deals, they found what they needed to make their music connect with people in a different way than the earlier album. "Clarissa's" music swims in an ocean of melancholy and mystery, ebbing and flowing from ghostly fragility to defiant clamor. The first song on the album, "The Opening Sea," lives true to it's name. The beginning of the song put me in deep-thinking mode and then it surprised me. This is a great song, though. I must say it was very in-rhythm and kept steady. "All But White" is the next song up on this album. It's starts off with a nice tone, but it's hard to describe - probably somewhere you've been before though. "Powder Blue" is probably the best song on this album. It's got a great beat, and it almost reminds me of the music I grew up with a million years ago. Other songs on the album include "Sub Gold," which is a really smooth song; "Apology," which is not only sweet listening, but right on target; "Words of the Pilot;" "Waterfield," which reminds me very much of "Pink Floyd," but at a different angle (really good!); "Blood and Commons," which makes the entire album come together and gives it total understanding, if you know what I mean. "Down Again" is a little too blue for my taste, but yours may differ from mine. You never know until you try. "In Winter," "Gone," and "Heavened" round out the remainder of the album. All are good listening. Take a dip, the water's warm. |
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| Artist: | "THE CRAMPS" |
| Title: | "BIG BEAT FROM BADSVILLE" |
| Label: | Epitaph |
| Available: | Most Major Music Stores |
| Reviewed By: | Bryan D. Smith |
| Rating: | |
| Lock up your daughters, draw the shades, alert the neighbors, and call
the cops - the new "Cramps" album has arrived, and its as hedonistic
and celebratory of illicit activities as any of its wacked-out predecessors.
"The Cramps" were the leaders of the psychobilly brigade when
psychobilly wasn't cool. Now that it's still not cool, well, they're still
plugging away, still doing the same damn thing. And doing it with a brio
only true believers possess. "The Cramps" sonic stew is an amalgam of disparate influences. Rockabilly, punk, sci-fi and horror flicks, kinky sex, and mind-bending substances that possession of can land the average ghoul in the clink for a depressingly long period of time. But there's nothing depressing about the music these proud freaks produce. They revel in vice and unapologetically suggest us adherents of the Cramp Way do the same. Last time around Lux (as in Lux Interior, lead singer) and the gang gifted us with a glorious anthem, "Let's Get Fucked Up". On a song from the new cd called "Wet Nightmare," Lux sings, "She-wolves in six-packs put on warpaint in an earthquake/ I drank booze from their shoes with no pants or brakes." No telling what it means, really, but, damn, it sounds like fun. Then they reference one of the greatest bands of all time, certainly the greatest punk band, the "Ramones," in the song titled "Sheena's In A Goth Gang." I don't know who this Sheena is, but she's been around for a long time and her shifts in musical tastes seem roughly equivalent to my own. I wanna meet this chick. This song is a funny sendup of goth chicks, the ones who don all black nearly every day, listen to "Sisters of Mercy" or the "Mission" to the exclusion of nearly all else, and whose jailhouse pallor makes them look like vampires. We all know at least one of them, don't we? If we're lucky, we do. Whether the Sheena in your neighborhood will dig this track, I don't know, but I do. Some of the other standout tracks on this CD are "Cramp Stomp," "Like A Bad Girl Should" and "Haulass Hyena." "Big Beat From Badsville" is a rollicking good time. I'd recommend it to anyone not easily offended. Unfortunately, there's too many of you out there. Get over yourselves, pop open a bottle of Voodoo Blackened Lager, pop this disc in your player, and let the debauchery begin. Also recommended for the uninitiated, "Bad Music For Bad People," a "Cramps" best of that came out well over a decade ago. It's still a kickass, sinful good time. Get it and the new disc, 'cause these battle-scarred veterans are still working the psychofreakoutmonsterama groove as well as they ever have. |
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| Artist: | "POND" |
| Title: | "ROCK COLLECTION" |
| Label: | Sony/Work |
| Available: | Any Major Music Store |
| Reviewed By: | Dave Merrill |
| Rating: | |
| Originally from Juneau, Alaska, both guitarist Charlie Campbell, and
bass player Chris Brady, moved to Portland Oregon in 1989. They formed the
band, "Pond" in 1991 with drummer Dave Triebwasser. "Pond"
has two previous albums to their credit, their self- titled debut album
in 1993 and "The Practice of Joy Before Death" in 1995, both on
Sub Pop Records. Campbell and Brady share the writing and vocal duties for
"Pond." My first impressions of "Pond's" third album, "Rock Collection," on Sony's Work label weren't all that good. The songs are pretty raw. They sound like garage band tracks at first. But they stayed with me, even after just one listen. I found them coming back into my mind even as I was listening to other CD's I had to review. The songs grew on me. Even the ones I didn't like very much. "Pond" reminds me most of "The dB's" and "The Connells," but they have a style all their own. The single, "Spokes," is raw and unforgiving, with a persistent driving bass beat. It's about a family that appears perfect on the surface and the favorite daughter that falls from grace. The truth is revealed that her family is really not so perfect. The skeletons in the closet are where her downfall stems from. It's a common story, but well told in the song. "She tattooed her failures on her arms/ Which ran wrists to shoulder blades/ She wore them above her charm bracelet/ Given to her on her birthday/. . . So bright back then, but tarnished since/ She used to be the favorite daughter/ That no longer applies/ Expiration date went by/ You used to be so pretty. . ." "You're Not an Astronaut" begins with soft acoustic guitar and voice, but it's as raw sounding as "Spokes." The song flies pell-mell into electric guitar, bass and drums. Backing harmony joins the vocal. The song slows for a moment, only to speed on again. It has a feeling of foreboding to it, driven by its downbeat. "Scoliosis" has a repetitious but engaging beat. The chorus with backing vocals stays with you. It opens with fast guitar and bass strumming, then the vocal starts when distorted guitar comes in. "One Day in the Future" is a dark, downbeat, acoustic piece. The vocal starts immediately with the instrumentation. It's a slow and plodding song with a theme of death. It's explored from the perspective of being destined to die drowning, and looks at possibilities of total world destruction. "All the souls upon the earth consumed by fiery clouds/ While presidents and kings will hide in caves under the ground/ That is their undoing just as swimming will be mine/ The plate tectonic forces will find fault with their design. . ." That's an awful lot for a 2 1/2 minute song with three verses. "Pond" even manages to make the song pleasant sounding. Wild distorted guitar distinguishes the opening of "Twins." The vocals mark the beginning of less wild instrumentation, and it has a catchy beat. The subject matter is quite off beat, though. It's about Siamese twins from the perspective of one half of the pair. The vocals on this track are superb. Both Brady and Campbell sing different words at the same time, similar to what "Duran Duran" did on "New Religion" from their "Rio" album. Of course, it sounds much different. "You're Not a Seed" has great guitar riffs. It's a loud rocker of a song, and the harmonies sound good between Campbell and Brady on this one. I wish the album had a lyric sheet. It's becoming clear to me that "Pond" has some awesome lyrics on this album. Sometimes, as with this song, they're difficult to follow. "Pond" increases the decibel level on "Flawed." Guitar, bass, voice, and drums come together in a clashing racket, but everything seems to fit together perfectly. It's a great song. Beginning with a quirky distorted vocal, acoustic guitar and a whiny guitar distortion, "My Dog is an Astronaut, Though," looks at the plight of experimental animals. "Strap the dog into a chair/ She tried to lick your face/ Then you counted backwards and you launched her into space/ You made no provisions for bringing her back home. . ." The song progresses and becomes less quirky, even catchy. It's kind of funny, but not funny at the same time. "Forget" has some interesting guitar plucking and awesome riffs. The drum beat and bass line drive the song along at an alarming rate. Try to keep up; it's a good song. "Golden" is about a girl whose family thought she was perfect growing up. "I guess in her mother's eyes she will always be golden. . ." It's a hard driving song, played very fast. "Greyhound" begins with quirky guitar work, on the order of Frank Zappa. It stays kind of quirky as the song gets louder and the vocals start. Opening with drumbeats, "Rebury Me" features a distorted vocal at the beginning. Next, an echoing vocal comes in. The music is manic, distorted. This song is very experimental. The overall effect of the song is overwhelming as the music relentlessly steamrollers it's way from one end of the song to the other. It's very well done, a roller coaster of a song. It derails at the end, into a whiny, distorted string piece, and it's worth the price of admission just to hear this song. "Filterless" is an awesome story song. It starts out softly, with scratchy vocals. It begins with the lyric, "Yellow brown stained fingertips/ Caused by too many filterless/ She crushes the ashy in/ Lift the lid and drops it down/ In an urn she carries round/ Her father resides/ Her heavy foot is on the gas. . ." After a couple verses the song gets louder with more instruments and moves faster. It's manic and wonderful. The 14th and 15th tracks don't have names, they're just numbered. They're each minute long instrumental pieces. Number 14 is heavy guitar and 15 is whiny guitar that sounds almost like a violin. The harmonies and guitar on "Ugly" sound a lot like "Simon and Garfunkle." It's faster paced, though. The big difference is the short, screaming, distorted guitar notes that violate the otherwise normal sound of the song. It's a pretty song made "Ugly." I'm finding it hard to imagine that I wasn't getting into this album when I first heard it. I'm really into it now. "Pond" has a unique sound that takes a bit of work to appreciate, but it's worth the effort. They reward the listener with clean harmonies, well written lyrics, and an unrelenting musical creativity. |
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