Welcome to A&A. There are 30 reviews in this issue. Click on an artist to jump to the review, or simply scroll through the list. If you want information on any particular release, check out the Label info page. All reviews are written by Jon Worley unless otherwise noted. If you have any problems, criticisms or suggestions, drop me a line.
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A&A #190 reviews (11/1/1999)
![]() Applesaucer (Toadophile) Jaunty (and I mean that) pop music. The beats are midtempo, but with a bouncy attitude. The hooks are sweet, but not cloying. The sound is something akin to glorious. Goofy, too, with a somewhat silly sense of humor. Musical humor, I mean, with chord changes that manage to bring a smile. Manipulative that way, I suppose, but loads of fun nonetheless. Applesaucer never quite kicks into overdrive, but that doesn't seem to be an aim. The sound is full without being overpowering, and the songs retain their elemental wacky natures quite easily. Basically, it's all in the arrangement. Applesaucer keeps the ideas simple, so that even when layered, they don't clutter the mind. Simply a pleasurable album, no more, no less.
Atomic Soul Experiences Run Through the Night CD5 (Syntax) The first of two single from this band reviewed here. The stuff is electronic, with breakbeat notions, but the construction is very much standard rock instrumental. In fact, the title track sounds a lot like an percussion-heavy college rock piece. Well, with added keyboards. "Ush.com," the second track, does utilize a few vocals, but the focus is still the music. I like that. Upbeat and fun. Not particularly experimental, but with a lot of nice touches which can't help but amuse. These are songs which burn themselves into the brain in short order.
Atomic Soul Experiences featuring B. and J. Hill Missiles and His Bankloan CD5 (Syntax) This disc contains the single (with spoken work vocals) and an instrumental take). In both cases, the music takes precedence over the lyrical content, which only serves to further drive home the somewhat dreary message of the piece. Again, not particularly inventive or exceptional, but simply enjoyable. Atomic Soul Experiences has an apparent knack for creating tasty little bites of musical abandon. Oh, the message of the lyrics is also instructive, but not terribly deep. Nah, this is just good-time fare. And I'm happy to be along for the ride.
![]() Letters from Round O (Black River) The accompanying press makes a big deal of the fact that David Lowery (of Cracker, etc.) produced the disc. Now, Lowery does sing and play on the album as well, which probably means he does like the band somewhat. I'm guessing he likes the Blue Dogs a lot. This album is right up the latter-day Cracker alley, bluesy roots tunes that paint life's downs in wistful tones. Easy on the ears, to be sure, and not at all cloying. No bite, either, but hell, nobody's perfect. Lowery's hand is sure here, simply allowing Blue Dogs to ooze nicely out of the speakers. Every moment is genuine, even if some of the color sometimes seems to be missing. I don't have any real complaints. This is commercial roots rock, with all the nice country touches on the side. There aren't any grand statements, true, but Blue Dogs also doesn't make any missteps. Highly enjoyable.
![]() (featuring B. Hill) Japan as the 51st State of the U.S.A. CD5 (Syntax) Not unlike the Atomic Soul Experiences singles in the somwhat workmanlike electronic beats, c.t.z.n. also manages to craft a catchy little tune, overlaid with somewhat more overtly aggressive lyric content. The song speculates on the possibilities of Japan becoming a part of the U.S. This is as much a satire on the attraction for America shared by younger Japanese as a comment on the Japanese political state. The point made is that Japan is the 51st state, in reality, if not in title. This is presented in integrated, instrumental and vocal-only tracks. An odd way to kick out the ideas, but it works. You can dance, contemplate, or both. Why not?
![]() Cobra Killer (DHR) Highly disjointed fare. Distorted beats overlaid with rants and screams. The DHR usual? Well, kinda, but usually the stuff comes together a bit better. Cobra Killer is crafting chaos for chaos' sake, and that only goes so far. For example, there just isn't a coherent thought anywhere. Even from song to song, the pieces jump about without any concern for anything else on the disc. I'm not a strict constructionist (concerning the constitution, music or anything else), but this just does not compute. It's not so much a failure of ideas as a problem with the intent. There isn't any, or at least, any common intent throughout the disc. Yeah, it's kinda interesting to hear, mostly to find out what comes next, but repeat listens do no yield increased meaning. In fact, the opposite is true. Anarchy can be a beautiful thing. But Cobra Killer needs to infuse its work with just a bit more continuity. Enough to explain just what the hell is going on.
![]() Amoeba (Loose Groove) Where has this shit been? Spacey ambient stuff, with lots of little side trips. A few years back, I was up to my eyelashes in the stuff, and now when I hear something like this it utterly takes me by surprise. Maybe I'm hanging out with the wrong people. The wanderings are alternately trancey or more introspective, but they certainly make a point. It is a snap to get lost within the grooves, to ride the sounds to a completely unexpected part of the mind. I'm not big into chemical trips, That's why music like this is so welcome for me. I can let my mind take off into any number of directions, flitting and splitting off as the songs dictate. There is plenty here to discover, too. Critters Buggin doesn't skimp on the inspiration. And so, I'm left riding the sonic waves. There's a lot worse places to be. I'm just happy wandering about. There's plenty of that here.
![]() Shut Up and Detune Your Guitar (Orange Entropy) The title does have some bearing on the sound of the album. The guitars are acoustic, and they're not always immaculately tuned. In fact, they're often used to a jangly ukelele effect. It works. I mean, I can't really believe it, but this sometimes utterly bizarro strumming thing really works. Vocals or no, the songs manage to convey some truly intense messages. In fact, the non-lyric-bearing songs are rather more intense. Alright, this isn't Jim O'Rourke picking, but actually, the disorienting effect is in the same ballpark. The sometimes less-than-tuned guitars can get spooky, and certainly, the sound can get violent. Really, I mean that. There's some heavy stuff here. It just keeps burbling out. Davis says he only releases this stuff to satisfy his need for attention. Well, the songs deserve it. This is wacked stuff, sure, but vital in its rage. Betcha never heard acoustic guitars sound so menacing.
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