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Underground > Radio & Music >

So, is it any good?

  
  

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Matthew Fluxington
15:32 / 03.05.02
I really quite like the last two Fall records, especially The Unutterable - how could you not love "Cyber-Insekt" and "Dr. Buck's Letter?", or "Crop-Dust" and "My Ex-Classmate's Kids" from the new one?

Thinking back on it a bit more, I'd actually endorse Hip Priests and Kamerads is actually the best introductory Fall record, it's a de facto best-of from the Hex period -

1. Lie Dream of a Casino Soul
2. The Classical
3. Fortress
4. Look, Know
5. Hip Priest
6. Who Makes the Nazis?
7. Just Step Sideways
8. Room to Live
9. Mere Pseud Mag. Ed.
10. Hard Life in Country
11. I'm into C.B.!
12. Fantastic Life
13. Jawbone and the Air Rifle
14. And This Day

It's just so good, and the best Fall song ever ("The Classical") is on it!

This Nation's Saving Grace is a strong record, it's got "Couldn't Get Ahead", "Bombast", "Rollin' Dany", "Cruiser's Creek", "I Am Damo Suzuki" and "L.A." on it, I would never discourage anyone from getting it.

I'm pretty fond of Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall too, there's a lot of classics on that one - "Oh! Brother", "Clear Off!", "Slang King", "No Bulbs", "CREEP"... You can't go wrong with this one either.
 
 
suds
15:34 / 03.05.02
didn't careless talk say that the yeah yeah yeahs sounded like peaches beating up the strokes?
 
 
Saveloy
15:36 / 03.05.02
Re: YYYs
Ta to Riz and Flux, sounds tempting. Sounds like.. Railroad Jerk?

Re: Fall

I understand the limited single thing will be one of the studio tracks on the next album "2G + G". For latest Fall related news and gossip, go 'ere:

http://liquid2k.com/fall/

Hex and TNSG are both mighty and both very different. I was gonna say that Hex is the Fall at their most Fall-like; more accurate to say maybe that it's the Fall sound that is most often copied. TNSG is super butch and super pop, it's their equivalent of Stereolab's "Transient Random..."

Flux: good call with Hip Priest, it's got the right mix of typical Fall type weirdness and pop.

For the early stuff, probably even better intro than Early Years or Palace is the cheapo box set "Psychic Dancehall", which seems to be easier to get hold of than the others as well as covering more ground.
 
 
_pin
19:54 / 06.05.02
But of course, being awkward buggers, they only made 300 copies or something, so we'll all just have to hope John Peel plays it again..

Well.. yes. But they were giving it away free, so they're kind of allowed to amke only a few copies. But they did refuse to give Peel any to give away... What is going on between Smith and him, anyway?
 
 
Margin Walker
20:49 / 06.05.02
I'm curious if anybody's gotten "Blazing Arrow" by Blackalicious yet? It looks worth getting for the all-atar line up if nothing else. Here's the short list of everyone who's on it:

Money Mark, Miho Hatori, Cut Chemist, Zach De La Rocha, members of Jurassic 5, Saul Williams, Ben Harper, and Gil Scott-Herron.

So, um, any of y'all got it?
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
21:41 / 06.05.02
I haven't heard the new Blackalicious LP, but I have heard the single "Make You Feel That Way" is fantastic, it immediately pardons them for their last record (NIA) in my mind. Good sweet Jesus, I hated NIA. I still do. It's probably the single worst hip hop record that I own.
 
 
_pin
07:23 / 10.05.02
Some more for you:

Sleater-Kinney, Huggy Bear and Gene Defcon
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
11:06 / 10.05.02
didn't careless talk say that the yeah yeah yeahs sounded like peaches beating up the strokes?

Yep, and I actually did give credit where credit was due when I quoted this - I just think it's a really accurate summary of a couple of their tunes. I actually like the whole EP... 'Mystery Girl' is my favourite track, but I think 'Miles Away' (straight-up, high speed rock) and 'Art Star' (playful Marlene Dietrich verses, screamed metal chorus) are pretty cool as well.

Glint: I reckon the Sleater-Kinney album to get is The Hot Rock. Pretty much flawless all the way through.
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
11:08 / 10.05.02
Oh, has anyone heard the Tweet album (Lyra, Flux?)?
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
12:41 / 10.05.02
Sleater-Kinney is wonderful. All of their records are great for different reasons, so I'll tell you what is what, and you can get the record which suits you best.

Sleater-Kinney - This is their first record, it's more like a demo. This is the only one that I would tell you to avoid, though it is a worthwhile little record. This one is the punkiest and most riot grrrl record in their catalog. Sleater-Kinney is always a very emotional band, and this record seems very painful and angry. The highlights from this record are "The Day I Went Away" and "Her Again", plus "Slow Song" which is something of a precursor to the sound of The Hot Rock LP.

Call The Doctor - This one is a logical progression from the riot grrrl punk on Sleater-Kinney, but they've improved their songwriting a great deal, the songs on this record are a lot more melodic. This record is definitely their most political album, but makes time for the bittersweet breakup song "Good Things", which remains one of the most popular S-K tunes. Other highlights from this record are "Anonymous", "I Wanna Be Yr Joey Ramone", "Call The Doctor", "I'm Not Waiting", and "Hubcap". This record *might* be off-putting at first, it's very raw and angry, but it's a must-have for sure.

Dig Me Out - this is the most popular Sleater-Kinney album. All of the biggest hits are on here - "Dig Me Out", "One More Hour", "Little Babies", "Turn It On", "Words and Guitar". This record is more polished than the previous two, and the melodies and hooks are plentiful. I think that this record is the most accessable S-K album, the one I'd recommend to go for first. It's passionate, it rocks, it's fun. It's varied too - "One More Hour" might be a very sad breakup song, but "Words and Guitar" can barely contain itself in expressing the joys of rocking out. "Little Babies" is probably one of the most fun songs ever written about domestic labor.

The Hot Rock - this is my favorite Sleater-Kinney record, one of my favorite records that I know. This record is mostly about failing or failed relationships, there's only a few political songs on this one (see: "God is a Number" and "The End of You"). This record is musically very unique - the overlapping 'point/counterpoint' vocal and guitars which S-K had been trying out on Dig Me Out come to the fore here. Most of the songs are written as a conversation between two different singers, sometimes to the point where it seems like two songs have been transposed (see: "Burn, Don't Freeze"). This record has a very sad rainy-day feeling to it, it's a very sustained state of melancholy with only sporadic bits of joy (see: "Banned From The End of the World"). I have a very sentimental attachment to this one, and I know a lot of other people do too, though there are a number of punk purists who dislike this record as a follow-up to the three previous LPs. Other notable songs on this LP are "Hot Rock", "Start Together", "A Quarter To Three", and the brilliant single "Get Up".

All Hands on the Bad One - the most recent record, this record is in some way a reaction to the fans who thought that The Hot Rock was too sentimental and apolitical. This record is somewhere between the poppy politics of Dig Me Out and the more emotional Hot Rock - almost evenly divided between the two, actually. This record has some real gems on it - the opening anthem "Ballad of a Ladyman", the Go-Gos pop of "You're No Rock And Roll Fun", the summer break-up ballad "Leave You Behind", the sexy "Milkshake and Honey", the heartbreaking "The Swimmer" and the strident "#1 Must Have". This record is a bit lacking in flow and consistency, but is very enjoyable and worthwhile.

by the way - haven't heard Tweet's LP yet, sorry!
 
 
rizla mission
12:47 / 10.05.02
"Little Babies" is probably one of the most fun songs ever written about domestic labor.

quote of the decade.

So Leslie Seroni's "Cooking for Two" doesn't get a look-in?
 
 
Saveloy
14:26 / 10.05.02
So what about:

The Somatics

Never heard of 'em before, but they've got a single out for 99p on 7", with a nice photograph of a house on the cover. I know, 99p, I should just risk it, right? But I'm that skint, and I've bought about 1000 quids worth of rubbish 99p singles during my life so far.
 
 
_pin
12:04 / 11.05.02
Buy it. And if yr wife get's miffy, tell her yr son is possessed and made you do it. Yes, thats right. He is possessed. With love. With the The Love Of 7"'s.

And if she doubts this, then tell her that he fucking well should be <NOTE: swearing is optional>, and that you are doing The Lord's Good Work and spreadin' the vinyl love. So there.
 
 
Margin Walker
13:54 / 12.05.02
Re: Blackalicious "Blazing Arrow", I agree that "Make you feel that way" is a cool song and I like the CD. It's a little bit all over the place, but it's kinda growing on me. Perhaps the best bit is they reduced Zack de la Rocha's contribution to a very small cameo. And the cheap-ass in me still can't get over the fact that a brand new CD that clocks in at a whopping 75 minutes can be sold for only $9. I think my namesakes in Fugazi would be impressed....
 
 
rizla mission
15:17 / 12.05.02
Yes, thats right. He is possessed. With love. With the The Love Of 7"'s.

That's a handy excuse actually .. I bought two 7"'s the tracks on which I already owned last week just because, dammit, they look so cool..
 
 
Saint Keggers
17:24 / 12.05.02
Well thank you all for making me feel really old...I think Ill go find my Iron maiden vinyls and grab a rocking chair...
 
 
Not Here Still
17:42 / 13.05.02
OK; who can point me towards a good Cramps album to get?

I have a hunch they are one of those bands whose albums are nigh interchangeable (but in a good way). Could someone point me in the right direction?
 
 
Fengs for the Memory
10:35 / 14.05.02
Just get 'The Cramps' it is fantastic, and has the great Brian Gregory on it. No bad tracks, you will not be dissapointed. Sunglasses after dark/oh/it's so sharp.
Of the later ones I gonna say 'Date with Elvis' just for 'People ain't no good' with the intro being sung by a local school choir.
 
 
Saveloy
14:32 / 20.05.02
What's the opinion on Black Rebel Motorcycle Club? The name sucks big dogs' cocks, and I vaguely remember someone here slagging them off as chancers and wagon-jumper-on-ers, BUT I heard a track on the radio t'other night, thought "this is meaty, who's this?" and it turned out to be BRMC. Are they bad or are they good?
 
 
rizla mission
15:10 / 20.05.02
Well I think they're shite.

They sound like a piss-poor watered down version of Spaceman 3 singing mind-numbingly slow and repetitive Zombie-rock (in a bad way) with lyrics consisting entirely of meaningless platitudes involving 'love'.

So, er, rather like Spiritualized.. and everybody except me likes them.. ah, well, who knows.. maybe they're actually great.

(And, from listening to a near monosyllabic radio interview, they seem to regard Ride as the be-all and end-all of musical cool. Which is a frankly terrifying proposition.)
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
15:35 / 20.05.02
Hmmm. Based on the handfull of songs I've heard by the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, I think they sound more like a poor man's early Jesus and Mary Chain than a poor man's Spacemen 3 or Spiritualized.

They certainly are the poor man's version of whatever they are. And christ, what a crap name for a band, right?
 
 
Ethan Hawke
15:59 / 20.05.02
BRMC sound exactly like that band Loop.

Q: How is Hefner's album Dead Media? I love their first two and the singles comp, was less impressed by We Love the City, and I'm downright scared of this one. Anyone?
 
 
Seth
17:07 / 20.05.02
Can I get a second opinion on Blackalicious' Blazing Arrow? I checked it out (admittedly very briefly) on a listening post and was not impressed. Is it a grower? Bear in mind I don't have much money or a fast net connection, so I'm gonna have to be ruthless here...
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
17:43 / 20.05.02
Re: Blackalicious

I've heard the record now, and I think you should get a copy (download, tape, cd, whatever) of "Make You Feel That Way", and ignore the rest of the record. It's nothing special, but that song is pretty great.
 
 
Seth
20:16 / 20.05.02
It's such a shame that Blackalicious are so... average. Gift of Gab in full stride can be virtually omnipotent, and Xcel's given him some great tunes. They really seem to need a bit of quality control.
 
 
Margin Walker
21:10 / 20.05.02
Flux = Reams of Character wrote: Hmmm. Based on the handfull of songs I've heard by the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, I think they sound more like a poor man's early Jesus and Mary Chain than a poor man's Spacemen 3 or Spiritualized.

I saw them a couple of months back and Firewater blew BRMC off the stage. I can't justify why I disliked them so much, but they really bugged me. You're probably better off listening to Brian Jonestown Massacre instead.
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
21:20 / 20.05.02
I think part of the problem with Blackalicious is that they can't seem to avoid making a lot of songs that are bland and innocuous, it really is a shame cos when Gift Of Gab is given a really strong track to work with, he shines. This is just too rare, I think.
 
 
Saveloy
11:48 / 11.12.02
Your verdicts, please, on:

Sparks - L'il Beethoven

BBC Radiophonic Music - the re-released 1975 album (not the '68 one)
 
 
The Natural Way
12:11 / 11.12.02
I loike!
 
 
Saveloy
12:18 / 11.12.02
Is that both of them, Runspeckle? And does you loike 'em loads, or loads and loads, or just a bit?
 
 
rizla mission
13:25 / 11.12.02
Haven't heard the BBC Radiophonic stuff, but I'm pretty confident it'll be good .. I mean, numerous experimental pieces meant to soundtrack a variety of bizarre TV & radio programmes, from the people who brought you all the music off Dr. Who.. what could possibly go wrong?
 
 
Regrettable Juvenilia
15:32 / 11.12.02
Q: How is Hefner's album Dead Media? I love their first two and the singles comp, was less impressed by We Love the City, and I'm downright scared of this one. Anyone?

Well, that's tricky, cos I absolutely love We Love The City... All the things I like about Hefner prior to it seem to peak on that album, and then Dead Media is in places quite a shift in another direction (in the way that good bands tend to do after a defining album, see Tindersticks post-Curtains for a relevant analogy). Dead Media has all these weird analogue synth sounds on it (although it's been a while since I listened to it), and a lot of it is more subdued, less catchy, than the Hefner I prefer - some of the subdued stuff is great though, like the single 'Alan Bean' and 'Half A Life', which for the first time features fourth member Jack singing in his "oi've just been darrrn the dorrrcks" voice. Having said all that there are some classic upbeat Hefner songs on there too, like 'Trouble Kid' and 'King Of The Summer', which are two of the most poppy and grin-inducing tracks they've ever done.

But... what's not to like about We Love The City? Really?
 
  

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