Various A Very Special Christmas 2

Various A Very Special Christmas 2

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Although not even half of this CD is outstanding, it was recorded for a worthwhile cause (the Special Olympics), and contains some great songs, most notably Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers' "Christmas All Over Again" -- this is jingle-jangle pop at its best. Boyz II Men wrap their a cappella voices around "The Birth of Christ," and the two Wall of Sound standouts, Darlene Love and Ronnie Spector bring their powerful voices together for the first time on "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." Bonnie Raitt duets with Charles Brown on his sexy "Merry Christmas Baby," while Aretha Franklin shows why she's called the "Queen of Soul" on "O Christmas Tree''

  

Various A Very Special Christmas

Various A Very Special Christmas 

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Recorded to benefit the Special Olympics, this has some of the biggest names in contemporary music, most covering seasonal favorites with mixed success. Outstanding tracks include the Pretenders "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," with Chrissie Hynde giving a touching performance. Run-D.M.C.'s topical "Christmas in Hollis" relies heavily on sampling "Back Door Santa," and may head you toward the dance floor. Alison Moyet's stately version of "The Coventry Carol" is beautifully Haunting

Ian McNabb Merseybeast

Ian McNabb Merseybeast

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Merseybeast (an album title to savor from the Liverpool native) marks McNabb's third solo collection of refreshing, heart-on-sleeve, no-hidden-agendas pop/rock. He communicates such an open, wide-eyed innocence through his work that it's difficult at first to believe he can be for real. But McNabb's willingness to express, from a male perspective, emotions uncommon for conventional rock's posturing swagger soon makes you a convert. When, for instance, was the last time a guy convincingly sang about "Camaraderie" in a way that could (at least, until the very end) apply in an equally touching way to a male or female respondent? The tone of McNabb's cosy-fireplace vocals -- especially on ballads like "Too Close to the Sun" -- sometimes evoke legendary crooner Scott Walker, likely through such second-hand bridges as David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, or perhaps fellow-Liverpudlian Julian Cope's (the Teardrop Explodes) influential 1981 Walker compilation The Godlike Genius Of.... At the same time, parts of Merseybeast (notably "Heydays" and "They Settled for Less than They Wanted") make me think of some lost Mick Ronson album. On his own sporadic solo releases, the late Spiders from Mars guitarist shared McNabb's talent for making an ingratiating, "golly-gee" naivete work to his advantage. (Speaking of "They Settled," I can also hear former Call vocalist Michael Been tackling this dense, lugubrious anthem of disappointment and missed opportunity, one of the rare downers on the disc.) "Don't Put Your Spell on Me" harkens back to Liverpool's postpunk salad days, a track that would have been envied in the early '80s by both Echo & the Bunnymen and the Teardrop Explodes.

Roddy Frame The North Star

Roddy Frame The North Star

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Roddy Frame emerges from his Aztec Camera moniker with a charming blend of jangling guitars and soulful crooning. "River or Brightness" is a particularly beautiful standout track, where Frame's mandolin creates poetical dense waves of charm. There's not really much sonic difference from an Aztec Camera release, as every album was basically a Roddy Frame solo affair, in that he's written almost every Aztec Camera song on his own. The North Star is a pleasure throughout the ten tracks, as he never fails to register sweet emotion or frolicking joy. "Bigger Brighter Better" suggests that Frame is both overjoyed with and at full-mastery of his endearing acoustic pop style. "Sister Shadow" sounds as if it has been produced by Phil Spector at the peak of his skills. For every song of happiness, there's a complementary track of subtle soul searching. The singer/songwriter has never sounded this confident over the full length of an album in the past. If The North Star isn't this artist at his best, then he must have purely transcendental songs up his sleeve for future releases. With this confident solo debut, as strong or stronger than any Aztec Camera release, Roddy Frame confirms his status as a first-rate emotional balladeer.

Haircut 100 Pelican West

Haircut 100 Pelican West

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If Orange Juice famously wanted to sound like a combination of Chic and the Velvet Underground, then Haircut 100 must have wanted to sound like a combination of Orange Juice and Chic. Heavy on the Juice. On their debut and only album with band founder Nick Heyward, Pelican West, the group display all the skittery beats, deep-voiced crooning, and pop smarts of OJ, while adding more funk and saxophone than Edwyn Collins and co. probably ever imagined. That Haircut 100 scored a bigger hit than the band they so clearly idolized must have rubbed the lads in Orange Juice the worst way, but it's clear from even one listen through Pelican West that Haircut 100 were more than just mere copycats. "Love Plus One" is that aforementioned mega hit and it deserved to be a timeless classic. Nick Heyward knew how to write pop hooks and the band fills it in with brilliant subtlety. There are siblings to that song scattered across the record. "Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)," "Marine Boy," and the ecstatic "Fantastic Day" all have wonderfully snappy melodies and huge choruses, "Milk Film," "Surprise Me Again," and "Snow Girl" have a refined pop sound that skews a little less gleeful and a little more melancholy. Sure, they are all prone to sax breakdowns and horn section crescendos that sound like Chicago happened by the studio, but the bulk of the album is first-rate '80s sophisti-pop. The few tracks that cast aside the traditional song structure and jump over to the Chic side of the equation are fun, though very much of their time. "Love's Got Me in Triangles" and "Calling Captain Autumn" are both quite British, with a sort of awkward kind of funk almost quaint in its unfunkiness. Heyward's attempts at rapping on the latter achieve beat poet-meets-Captain Sensible levels of uncoolness that circle back around to coolness in the end somehow. The entire record is a little like that. From their corny outfits to their lighter-than-air sound, Haircut 100 were never going to be dangerous or sexy. The best they could hope for was escapist, but never mindless fun and on Pelican West they bury their arrows dead center in the middle of that target. [Cherry Pop's 2015 Deluxe Edition of the album adds four bonus tracks on the first disc, including single B-sides and the post-album release "Nobody's Fool," which pointed to a guitar-heavy, sax-solo-free future the group never saw. The second disc is made up of 12" versions of album tracks, extended versions, and a live recording of "Fantastic Day." Of chief interest is the 12" version of "Love Plus One," because it's the big hit and it's fun to hear them stretching it out a little. The rest of the disc is also fun and it's a nice addition to the classic album with which it's paired.]

Thompson Twins Into The Gap

Thompson Twins Into The Gap

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Thompson Twins' atmospheric and moody 1984 album Into the Gap was their commercial breakthrough in the United States, and remains a classic as far as '80s new wave pop is concerned. Nearly every song on this set differed from the others, with each track taking the listener on a different musical journey. The song that cemented Thompson Twins as a presence on American Top 40 radio was their earnest ballad (and biggest hit) "Hold Me Now," which years later still sounded as fresh and innocent as when it was first released. The album yielded a couple of other hits, including the feel-good, percussion- and harmonica-heavy "You Take Me Up" and the mysterious, melodramatic "Doctor! Doctor!" "The Gap," the album's final single (and a definite standout), heavily leans toward Middle Eastern influences (as does "Doctor! Doctor!") and ranks as the album's most unstoppable (and unusual) dance cut. Other tracks, including "Sister of Mercy" and "No Peace for the Wicked," rank almost as high as the singles. Thompson Twins were quiet visionaries, blending intelligent lyrics, Eastern sensibilities, and new wave pop to create a wholly unique and unforgettable listening experience and an album that ranks as one of the '80s' most unique. [Edsel's two-disc 2008 Deluxe Edition featured 16 bonus tracks, including remixes, B-sides, and alternate versions.]

Various Close To The Noise Floor Presents Noise Reduction System (Formative European Electronica 1974-1984)

Various Close To The Noise Floor Presents Noise Reduction System (Formative European Electronica 1974-1984)

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During the late '70s and early '80s, a crop of British experimentalists emerged with positions on conventional rock music that ranged from indifferent to hostile. Prompted by early electronic music and the advancements made by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and Throbbing Gristle -- and eventually their peers -- they plied their trade on equipment with names like EMS Synthi A, EDP Wasp, Korg MS-10, and ARP Odyssey. For many of them, guitars and drum kits were obsolete. Synthesizers, drum machines, and tape delay units, many of them shrinking in size and cost, were the present and future way to sculpt jerking noises or strange pop songs. The fledgling musicians could record in bedrooms and release the results on cassette, or they could ally with independent labels and operate at studios like Blackwing, a haven for Mute and 4AD artists such as Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins. Released by Cherry Red, one of those original outlets for music of the margins, Close to the Noise Floor: Formative UK Electronica 1975-1984 collects four discs of the alternately thrilling, grim, silly, and just plain bizarre stuff. Some of the groups, such as Blancmange, the Human League, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, went commercial after they released their selected inclusions, while the likes of Wire's Bruce Gilbert and Graham Lewis appear here with a divergence into sound manipulation that resembles animal calls. Some of these tracks have appeared on widely available albums and compilations. The making of this set must have been an arduous undertaking, however, as the majority of the tracks were originally issued on cassettes and 7" vinyl in small quantities, previously heard by few sets of ears. Among the highlights of the accidentally obtainable and deliberately obscure: Thomas Leer's spangly narrative "Tight as a Drum," Adrian Smith's skeletal and crepuscular "Joe Goes to New York," and British Standard Unit's mutilation of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" There's also Gerry & the Holograms' delightful self-titled theme song, placed on high rotation by temporary WPIX DJ Frank Zappa. The Mute massive -- Cabaret Voltaire, Robert Rental, and so forth -- are surprisingly absent, though they're represented somewhat by Alan Burnham's "Music to Save the World By," produced by label boss Daniel Miller (aka the Normal, the Silicon Teens). Given that so much scarce material is discerningly compiled here, it's hard to gripe about it and other exclusions. A great essay and a fair portion of the track-by-track notes come from Dave Henderson, who documented the global post-punk electronic underground as it developed, after being lured by "reading dismissive reviews in the weekly music press." Henderson's own group, Worldbackwards, contribute a glum but enchanting ballad that drones and stirs, then fades out to a bit of Sylvia Plath's "Lazy Lazarus." Henderson's assessment? "Man, we were pretentious."

Various Harmony In My Head UK Power Pop & New Wave 1977-81

Various Harmony In My Head UK Power Pop & New Wave 1977-81

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Despite the way it sometimes seems, punk wasn't the only thing happening in the U.K. during the mid-'70s. A whole bunch of bands took the good-natured feel of pub rock, the hooky melodies of the original British Invasion, and the energy of punk to come up with their own kind of power pop. It was definitely inspired by the skinny-tie power pop scene happening in the U.S., but much of it had sharper, more ragged hooks. A few artists came out of this scene to have bigger careers, like Elvis Costello and Squeeze, and some bands were good enough to have lasting power, like Buzzcocks and Wreckless Eric, but a majority of the bands playing this jumpy, catchy pop were relegated to the dustbin pretty quickly. Cherry Red's 2018 release Harmony in My Head: UK Power Pop & New Wave 1977-81 seeks to redress this injustice by unearthing the good, great, weird, and genius acts of the era over the course of three discs that will have power pop fans beside themselves with nervy joy. The set's compiler, David Wells, does a great job of sprinkling in some well-known artists like Nick Lowe, Elvis Costello, and Buzzcocks, critical faves like the Monochrome Set, and power pop heroes such as Eddie & the Hot Rods and Bram Tchaikovsky among the one-offs, misfits, never-weres, and no-hit wonders that make up the rest of the set. It's a deep, deep dive into the underground that comes back with a very high gem-to-junk ratio. In fact, it's hard to single out anything for the latter column since the bands chosen are all very familiar with how to put together at least one song with a vibrant hook, unstoppable energy, and loads of enthusiasm. Some of the songs lean more toward punk (the Nips' "Happy Song," Chelsea's "Look at the Outside"), some are twitchy and strange like the best oddball new wave (the Dodgems' "Science Fiction [Baby You're So]," Those Naughty Lumps' "Down at the Zoo), and some give their U.S. counterparts a run in the chirpy pop department (the Monos!' "UFO," the Letters' "Don't Want You Back"). Mostly though, the collection charts that fleeting moment when punk, power pop, and new wave came together magically to create something new, great, and timeless. Songs like Fast Cars' "You're So Funny," Rich Kids' "Rich Kids," and the Users' "Now That It's Over" sound as fresh and vital as when they were first released. That applies to the whole set, which is required listening for anyone who loved the sound at the time or who loves the raft of bands who have been aping this sound with varying degrees of success in the many years that followed.

Various Action Time Vision A Story Of Independent UK Punk 1976-1979

Various Action Time Vision A Story Of Independent UK Punk 1976-1979

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In the early years of the punk rock explosion of the '70s, the record industry didn't know what to make of the aggressive new sound. Punk certainly seemed like the coming thing, but no one seemed sure of how to sell music that was built around open disrespect for authority figures -- which in the eyes of the punks included the music industry. Thankfully, punk was born with a passionate desire to document itself, and if the major labels weren't going to put punk rock on records, the punks would do it themselves. No previous rock movement was more closely associated with independent labels and the D.I.Y. philosophy than punk, and countless indie labels were launched to commit fresh talent to vinyl. Action Time Vision: A Story of Independent U.K. Punk 1976-1979 is an exhaustive and wildly entertaining four-volume box set that examines both the indie label scene in the United Kingdom as well as the bands that emerged on homegrown labels. The set opens, fittingly enough, with "New Rose" by the Damned, widely acknowledged as the first British punk single and the release that turned Stiff Records into a going concern. Just as that record still sounds fresh and explosive four decades later, nearly all of the 111 songs on Action Time Vision are filled with energy, passion, and a sense of discovery, as the musicians strive to find their place in a new musical landscape and have fun doing it. This set is also a potent reminder that early punk was never as monochromatic as many liked to believe (or as samey as U.K. punk would become in the '80s). Along with the foursquare punk attack of the Lurkers, the Cortinas, Sham 69, and many others, there's the speeded-up pub rock of Fruit Eating Bears, the joyous power pop of the Stoat, the prog-inspired twists and turns of Psykik Voltz, the arty minimalism of English Subtitles, the psych-inspired surrealism of Victim, the edgy cool of the Flys, and the acoustic guitar in a bedsit parody/tribute of Patrik Fitzgerald. And while the set includes lots of familiar names, the compilers have included plenty of obscurities that often prove to be as satisfying as the best-known tracks, another reminder of how fertile this era truly was. (There are also a number of tracks from artists who would go on to greater fame in the future, such as Billy Bragg in Riff Raff, Kevin Rowland in the Killjoys, and Shane MacGowan in the Nipple Erectors.) The liner notes from Andy Davis are a great read, and an impressive history of the many bands and labels featured here. This is hardly the first or best study of the U.K. punk scene of the '70s, but Action Time Vision is an impressive tribute to the early stirrings of indie culture in England, and it's great listening throughout.

Various Silhouettes & Statues (A Gothic Revolution 1978 - 1986)

Various Silhouettes & Statues (A Gothic Revolution 1978 - 1986)

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It's little surprise that Cherry Red - which over the fast few years has absolutely reinvented itself into a top-notch reissue and scene overview empire - is behind the latest attempt to clarify the questions of what goth is. There have been goth boxsets before - one 1990s entry was simply called Goth Box, and over in the US Rhino made a stab at it last decade - plus any number of random compilations or mixes. Rather than trying to address what ultimately has become something unwieldy, especially as newer bands emerge and older performers gain new attention, Silhouettes & Statues: A Gothic Revolution 1978-1986 sets out not only a chronological brief but a geographic one, concentrating on England, whether acts were local or relocated from elsewhere. It’s a smart decision: goth as conceived and haphazardly codified was first and foremost not merely Anglophilic but Anglocentric. Still, to get back to the original question: what’s goth? In her short introductory essay Natasha Scharf does a great job in noting how the term got associated with certain performers and acts from the late 70s on, in the creative space opened up by punk’s success. She also describes how certain musical forebears from the 60s on had laid plenty of groundwork - even digging up an intriguing use of the term "gothic rock" with reference to a 1967 Doors concert review. Still, as she flatly says at one point, “defining goth isn’t easy.” It’s just as important to look beyond the music to whatever was in the air in general. Was it due to a revived cold war? A revulsion towards Thatcherism? Just a new version of 'overeducated' (and notably white) teenage angst? Simply another return of glam in darker clothes? Present one way to approach it, and another way suggests itself. That, though, is part of what makes Silhouettes such an enjoyable (if perhaps daunting) five CDs. It may not be entirely the case with the later, younger bands on the set, but absolutely none of the earliest groups began playing together with the self-conscious idea of 'Hey, let’s be a goth band.' Genre founders by default can’t be wilfully creating something they didn’t know about until it was labelled. So the question becomes less “how do these groups all resemble each other?” and more “how does the new territory open up, and who were the explorers?” Setting aside non-English/English-based acts, it’s notable from the get-go that pretty much every name you would expect to find in such a collection is represented, except one. Siouxsie And The Banshees are absolutely noteworthy by their absence, though of course they never liked being confined by genre straitjackets. At the same time, they helped establish the idea of subverted expectations early on - not just musically but as a group who were able to maintain both an underground and a chart profile. And that’s what’s important to remember about this whole thing from a distance - it was simultaneously subcultural and impossible to miss, one of many sonic stews and approaches that could and did feature in NME, Smash Hits, Radio 1 and Top Of The Pops simultaneously in the ferment of New Pop.

Various Still In A Dream A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-1995

Various Still In A Dream A Story Of Shoegaze 1988-1995

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Let's get this out of the way at the beginning. Telling the story of the overdriven, dreamlike sound of shoegaze without including a song by My Bloody Valentine is like The Great Gatsby without Gatsby or Citizen Kane without Charles Foster Kane. The group pretty much invented the sound, went on to perfect it, and was always the one band that could be counted on to innovate and disrupt. Still, once you get past that not insubstantial hurdle, Cherry Red's Still in a Dream: A Story of Shoegaze is a pretty great collection. Over the course of five discs, it gathers up major influences on the shoegaze sound, rounds up all the main practitioners, travels around the globe and catches the best of the U.S. pedal pushers (Swirlies, Black Tambourine) along the way, and takes some mild detours into dream pop, baggy, and noise, all the while dropping classic songs one after the other. The compilers make full use of all five discs, digging deep and casting a wide net that yields both obvious choices and some much less so. Part of the fun going through the discs is hearing "hits" by big names like Slowdive, Ride, and Swervedriver; part of it is rediscovering bands like Sweet Jesus, whose "Phonefreak Honey" is a delightfully sugary blast of distortion and melody, Adorable, a stadium-sized band with tunes like "Sunshine Smile" that were built on huge, impossible to ignore hooks, and Majesty Crush, who impress with the archly pretty "No. 1 Fan." There also are bands that even someone who was around during the era covered here (1988 to 1995) may have missed. Jane from Occupied Europe's "Ocean Run Dry" is an early noise pop gem; Coaltar of the Deepers' Charming Sister Kiss Me Dead!!" is a chunky, almost metallic tune from Japan that shows how universal the sound became. By the time the set is over it's hard not to be impressed by how quickly the shoegaze sound spread and evolved, how many bands were able to use it to an advantage, and -- more to the point here -- how well the set is put together. Apart from MBV, it's hard to think of any bands they missed, just as it's difficult to think of too many that they could have cut. It might have been interesting to boil the track list down a bit, then spend a disc catching up on the post-1995 bands that have kept the sound alive. That being said, the story they do tell on Still in a Dream is a fascinating one, full of guitar-mangling bliss and soaring melodic grandeur suitable for a fuzzy trip down memory lane or a deep dive of discovery for the novice gazer.

The Lucy Show ...Undone

The Lucy Show  ...Undone

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This is like the 1979-1981 heyday years of English post-punk pop brought back and updated. Undone glistens and shimmers like a pool rippling with subconscious sensations. The two main songwriters/singers, Mark Bandola and Rob Vandeven, are apparently from Canada, but moved to London to take part in the scene that gave us a more ethereal wash of sound than anything Western Canada would know anything about. Their relocation has worked like gangbusters. "Ephemeral (This Is No Heaven)," the title track, "The White Space," and others hold a music fan spellbound in their textural beauty, the latest to take advantage of the endless brooding, moody undercurrents the best Brit-rock has been full of since Magazine, Joy Division, the early Siouxsie & the Banshees, Sad Lovers and Giants, and many others. And the songwriting is top-notch, too; you get the feeling these people know their classic ‘60s rock and pop too, and sneak in some of that great melodic sweetness to go with the shimmer and shake. Take this, the Sound's Shock of Daylight and Heads and Hearts, and the Chameleons' What Does Anything Mean? Basically, and 1985 has provided for you every quiet and inner sensation that you ever felt. Masterpieces all, but again, this is the most important of the four, since it’s the only one that’s a first album. Remarkable. Also remarkable: unlike the above, somehow the band got a U.S. deal with major distribution.

The Three Johns World By Storm

The Three Johns World By Storm

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Far and away the best Three Johns album. Funnier, sharper, and more focused than Atom Drum Bop, The World By Storm really lets the guitars rip, creating a more manic, tuneful wall of noise behind which the Johns rant and rave. The record featured the three best singles the band ever recorded, "Atom Drum Bop" (this is not a mistake -- there's no song by this title on the LP Atom Drum Bop), "Sold Down the River," and the scaborously funny "Death of the European" (with its John Lydon-like opening lines, "Big mouth/open wide/open up the pearly gates of freedom"). The lyrical concerns are the same as always -- mindless, conspicuous consumption, empty-headed conservatism -- but here the Johns sound more in control, and that begets a ferocity and urgency that makes this a compelling record. The Three Johns cult and Mekons fans lapped this up when it came out, but it was only available in America as an import (still is, as far as I know) and sank without a trace. Too bad, as it was one of the best records of 1986.

Silver Jews Starlite Walker

Silver Jews Starlite Walker

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Starlite Walker is a first for the Silver Jews on many levels. Not only is it the group's first full-length album, it's also the first recorded in a full-fledged studio -- Memphis' 24-track Easley Recordings -- as well as the first collection of songs penned almost entirely by David Berman. The album's lyrical and musical richness comes partly from Berman's retreat to the woods of Oxford, MS in preparation for the record, and partly from the understated, intimate production. As a result, Starlite Walker collects some of the Jews' most diverse and affecting songs. Wry lyrics like "I just got back from a dream attack" from "Trains Across the Sea" and "On the last day of your life/Don't forget to die" from "Advice to the Graduate" let Berman's easygoing charm come to the forefront, while jangly and crunchy guitars, Stephen Malkmus' backing vocals, and Bob Nastanovich's steady drumming punctuate his observations. Though Starlite Walker is a more low-key, reflective affair than the Silver Jews' EPs, the album benefits from it, combining the laid-back experimentalism of the Jews' early work with more sophisticated and expressive songwriting. "Advice to the Graduate" and "New Orleans" turn from humorous to poignant with a simple chord change; "Rebel Jew" draws on the group's affection for country music; and instrumentals like "The Moon Is the Number 18" and "The Silver Pageant" add to the relaxed, homespun feel of the album. Repeated listening just enhances Starlite Walker's warm, off-the-cuf appeal

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Buffalo Tom Let Me Come Over

Buffalo Tom Let Me Come Over 

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While Birdbrain was a marked improvement over Buffalo Tom's self-titled debut album, Let Me Come Over was truly the great leap forward for the band, sounding richer, more imaginative, and more emotionally powerful than anything they'd attempted in the past. Guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis individually displayed a greater command of their respective instruments, and collectively their interplay was certainly more confident and intricate, having traded in the muddy clamor of their first recordings for a more layered sound (complete with overdubbed acoustic guitars) that was clean, vibrant, and compelling. (Producers Paul Kolderie and Sean Slade certainly helped, bringing a clearer and better-focused sound to these sessions than J Mascis drew from the band.) And while Buffalo Tom were shouting less on Let Me Come Over, they seemed to have a lot more to say; the lovelorn "Taillights Fade" and the yearning "Velvet Roof" have heart and soul that dig a good bit deeper (and are also a lot easier to sort through) than their previous work, while even hard rockers such as "Stymied" and "Saving Grace" reflect a new maturity and seriousness of purpose. In fact, if Let Me Come Over has a flaw, it's that Buffalo Tom seem to display a bit less joie de vivre than one might have expected, though after gaining this much in the way of both skills and smarts, you can't blame them for wanting to show them off a bit. [In 2017, Beggars Banquet Records celebrated the 25th anniversary of Let Me Come Over's release with a special edition of the album that was expanded to a two-disc set with the addition of a 17-song live show recorded in London in 1992. The live disc confirms that, on-stage, Buffalo Tom were more than capable of delivering the same energy they generated in the studio. And if the live performance is a bit looser than the studio tracks, the strength of their attack and the passion they put into their performance are additional reminders of why this band meant so much to so many. Some fans might balk at the notion of buying Let Me Come Over again just to get the bonus live disc, but for those who were looking for a reason to replace their old copies of the album, this expanded edition may be all the excuse they will need.]

Skinny Puppy VIVIsectVI

Skinny Puppy VIVIsectVI

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Even when the industrial revolution happened, few North American bands sounded as manic and dense as the mighty Skinny Puppy. Tackling unpopular political topics, blurring distorted vocals into synth lines, sampling news broadcasts and horror films -- these were the tactics that Skinny Puppy utilized on VIVIsectVI, one of their true masterpieces. It takes multiple listens to the album to even get to the songs underneath, but once the sonic wall has been punctured it is easy to hear why Ogre is so volatile. His rants, which alternate between a lazy drug moan and a harsh screech, were one of the few in the genre that actually sounded poetic amongst the noise and beats. He can completely carry a noise collage and transform it into a brooding song ("Harsh Stone White") or he can stick to a fairly normal song structure and simply scream his lungs out ("Human Disease (S.K.U.M.M.)"). And the music is absolutely confounding, constructed out of sounds and noises that somehow never seem overbearing despite the sheer amount of them. The most important lesson that Skinny Puppy teaches here is the lesson of variety. VIVIsectVI is still a challenging, multi-layered album years later because the music never stays still. The beat will just disappear, Ogre's vocals will suddenly go from a whisper to a scream, everything will disappear but a creepy sample, then the song will kick back in with a different beat and a new synth part. And that's just "Who's Laughing Now?," one of the true classic industrial songs of any era. No album by this band is easy to start with, but this is easy to keep listening to, if only to absorb everything that happens on each track. Anyone with an interest in the genre should not overlook Skinny Puppy, and this is one of their shining moments.

Front Line Assembly Gashed Senses & Crossfire

Front Line Assembly Gashed Senses & Crossfire

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Often cited as Front Line Assembly's best album, 1989's Gashed Senses & Crossfire saw the Austro-Canadian ensemble fulfilling the underground promise of their early releases and riding the very crest of the industrial music tidal wave as it broke over the entire planet. The album may not have enjoyed the same sort of watershed sales or mainstream recognition as KMFDM's and Ministry's concurrent releases, but the creative versatility displayed by collaborators Bill Leeb, Michael Balch, and unofficial member Rhys Fulber, was truly second to none. In fact, it was precisely that eclecticism that made the album so challenging and less commercially successful, yet ultimately fulfilling, as listeners were forced to contend with acerbic dance numbers ("No Limit," "Digital Tension Dementia," etc.), hypnotic metal machine music ("Antisocial" "Bloodsport"), and hauntingly ethereal meditations ("Prayer," "Sedation") alike, without discrimination. In the end, the key elements binding all of these disparate constructions together were the atonal croaks and croons that passed for vocals, and Front Line Assembly's formidable production talents, which brought meticulous detail to the inordinate number of instrumental layers stacked within, and the innumerable sonic artifacts that peppered them with surprises. In short: a triumph of man, machine, and music. Notably, Gashed Senses & Crossfire was also the final FLA album to feature founding partner Michael Balch, who was replaced full-time by future electro-metal producer Rhys Fulber for the following year's Caustic Grip.

They Might Be Giants Flood

They Might Be Giants Flood

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On their major-label debut, Flood, They Might Be Giants exchange quirky artiness for unabashed geekiness and a more varied and polished musical attack. Although the album contains two of the group's finest singles in "Birdhouse in Your Soul" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)," the overall record is uneven, since the group's hooks aren't quite as sharp as before and the humor is either too geeky or leavened with awkward social statements like "Your Racist Friend." Even with its faults, Flood has a number of first-rate songs, and it's a strong addition to their catalog, even if it isn't as weirdly intoxicating as its predecessors.

Ween Chocolate And Cheese

Ween Chocolate And Cheese

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A brilliant fusion of pop and gonzo humor, 1994's Chocolate and Cheese is arguably Ween's finest moment. Building on Pure Guava's more focused approach, the album proved for once and all that along with their twisted sense of humor and wide musical vocabulary, Dean and Gene are also impressive songwriters. Over the course of Chocolate and Cheese, Ween explore virtually every permutation of pop, rock, soul, and funk, from the opening song "Take Me Away"'s rootsy rock to "Roses Are Free"'s homage to Prince's shiny Paisley Park era. On the dreamy, British psych-inspired "What Deaner Was Talking About," the Afro-Caribbean funk of "Voodoo Lady," and "Freedom of '76," their funny, sexy tribute to '70s Philly soul, Ween don't so much parody these styles as reinvent them. Indeed, "Drifter in the Dark"'s surprisingly traditional country and "Joppa Road"'s spot-on soft rock foreshadow 12 Golden Country Greats and White Pepper, respectively. Despite Chocolate and Cheese's polish and prowess, Ween prove they're still proudly politically incorrect with "Spinal Meningitis (Got Me Down)" and "Mister Would You Please Help My Pony?" two of the creepiest songs about childhood ever recorded. "The HIV Song" revels in its questionable taste and "Don't Shit Where You Eat"'s laid-back pop is one of the album's subtler jokes. Old-school Ween weirdness surfaces on "Candi" (the shouting in the background was recorded from the trunk of Dean Ween's car) and the crazed stomp of "I Can't Put My Finger on It." "Buenas Tardes Amigo," an epic, spaghetti Western-inspired tale of murder and revenge, and "Baby Bitch," a wry but stinging retort to an ex-girlfriend, show how good Ween are at taking silly things seriously and serious things lightly. That's exactly what makes Chocolate and Cheese such a fun, exciting album.

Josef K Entomology

Josef K Entomology

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Josef K's complete studio recordings can be had on two discs. Young and Stupid and The Only Fun in Town/Sorry for Laughing, both of which were reissued in 2002, tell the whole story, yet they were deleted by the time of Entomology's late 2006 release. The disc marks the first time anything Josef K-related has been released Stateside, and it passably packs the highlights. Half of the tracks are pulled from Sorry for Laughing (a 1980 album that initially didn't make it past the test-pressing phase) and The Only Fun in Town (a 1981 album that featured some re-recordings of Sorry for Laughing material), while the remainder wraps up all the essential sides from the band's singles, in addition to a 1981 BBC session for John Peel. If you have the 2002 LTM reissues, there's no need to obtain the disc; it would be completely redundant. If you don't have them, you'll be getting the vivid gist of a sharp and short-lived band -- one that delivered brief, spastic shards of over-caffeinated post-punk with skittish vocals on the verge of spinning out of control. Along with Fire Engines, Orange Juice, Associates, Altered Images, Scars, Simple Minds, Aztec Camera, and Cocteau Twins, Josef K were standouts of an extremely vital post-punk era Scotland

Eyeless in Gaza Rust Red September

Eyeless in Gaza Rust Red September

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Officially the band's fifth full vinyl release, Rust Red September finds the group further moving away from the brusquer hooks of its earliest days to a calmer reflectiveness. If anything, the duo also achieved a light, airy pop feeling with this album, slotting it alongside more successful sounds from the U.K. in the mid-'80s without actually breaking through or, on a happier thought, pandering to achieve such success. This newer approach comes courtesy of Bates' singing voice, here sweetly overdubbed at many points with butter-melting-in-mouth effect -- indeed, such is the purity he reaches here it almost sounds like he should be in a Scandinavian jangle pop act! "New Risen," the single from the album, balances both a catchy melody and a curious, unexpected keyboard/rhythm arrangement -- the closest parallel might be to the similarly not-quite-straightforward work of the Associates, if on a generally calmer level. The elegant arrangements he and Becker create truly, completely shimmer with a strange, sparkling power, light without ever sounding either airily new age or anything remote easy listening. Consider Bates' simple but effective electric guitar work on "Pearl and Pale," which had to have been an influence on any number of later acts on the Projekt record label, heartbreaking chimes, and atmospherics while avoiding simply turning on the effects pedals. Becker's abilities with rhythm work serve the duo quite well -- what initially seems like an intriguing-enough off-time drum pattern on "Leaves Are Dancing" takes a further subtle turn with the introduction of another percussion line on the chorus, steering away from 4/4 into differing realms. His many other understated touches throughout -- the accordion wails on "No Perfect Stranger," the beautiful synth backing on "Bright Play of Eyes" -- help further the beauty of this striking album. The CD reissue of Rust Red September contains some excellent bonuses for the appreciative fan. Three, "To Steven," "Sun-Like-Gold," and "To Elizabeth S.," originally from the Myths. Instructions. I compilation on Sub Rosa, are rougher, murkier instrumentals with an appropriately shady appeal. The remaining three are the B-sides from the Sun Bursts In EP that followed the album, resulting in a near comprehensive picture of the band's work at that time.

Sad Lovers And Giants Epic Garden Music

Sad Lovers And Giants Epic Garden Music

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Working hard to further their penchant for hashing together paisley underground psychedelia and classic post-punk, Sad Lovers and Giants followed their first two acclaimed singles with the hefty EP Epic Garden Music in fall 1982. With a delicious blend of gloomy guitar and bass infused with punch and verve that recalls early Cure, and a sophisticated wordplay that was uniquely their own, the quintet split the songs between seaside and countryside, between earth and air, and inflected a little of each into the music. Absolutely cohesive and completely on track, the songs on this set are slick and smooth. From the opening "Echoplay" and the foggy "Clocktower Lodge," which walk a quiet edge, to the pure pop of "Alice (Isn't Playing)" and the ominous closer "Far From the Sea," which sounds as if vocalist Garce Allard sang his part through a window outside the studio, each moment is a masterpiece. And, though most of the songs maintain similar a tempo and intensity, "Clint" snaps heads around, while "Lope" features a sublimely off-kilter sax solo from David Wood. It's an addition that brings the closing dregs of a traveling circus to mind -- or, perhaps in a nod to the side's vibe, a closing seaside town that has turned a woolen shoulder to November wind and rain. Sorely overlooked outside of England, Sad Lovers and Giants may have been lost in the wake of the post-punk generation's heroes, but they haven't been forgotten. They remain a small pearl -- a gem of the ocean that birthed them.

Television Personalities ...And Don't The Kids Just Love It

Television Personalities ...And Don't The Kids Just Love It

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The first full album by Television Personalities, recorded after a four-year series of often brilliant D.I.Y. singles recorded under a variety of names, including the O-Level and the Teenage Filmstars, is probably the purest expression of Daniel Treacy's sweet-and-sour worldview. The songs, performed by Treacy, Ed Ball, and Mark Sheppard, predict both the C-86 aesthetic of simple songs played with a minimum of elaboration but a maximum of enthusiasm and earnestness and the later lo-fi aesthetic. The echoey, hissy production makes the songs sound as if the band were playing at the bottom of an empty swimming pool, recorded by a single microphone located two houses away, yet somehow that adds to the homemade charm of the record. Treacy's vocals are tremulous and shy, and his lyrics run from the playful "Jackanory Stories" to several rather dark songs that foreshadow the depressive cast of many of his later albums. "Diary of a Young Man," which consists of several spoken diary entries over a haunting, moody twang-guitar melody, is downright scary in its aura of helplessness and inertia. The mood is lightened a bit by some of the peppier songs, like the smashing "World of Pauline Lewis" and the "David Watts" rewrite "Geoffrey Ingram," and the re-recorded version of the earlier single "I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives," complete with deliberately intrusive prerecorded bird sounds, is one of the most charming things Television Personalities ever did. This album must have sounded hopelessly amateurish and cheaply ramshackle at the time of its 1981 release, but in retrospect, it's clearly a remarkably influential album that holds up extremely well.

Sandoz In Dub - Chant To Jah

Sandoz In Dub - Chant To Jah

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On this record, former member of Cabaret Voltaire Richard Kirk spreads his wings and gives us this dub-soaked set. Not a mere homage, however, this is very modern music, albeit, at a pitch and a pace that will remind many listeners of the thunder that leaked from Tubby's during the '70s. The groove here, though, is gently complicated with sampled voices and sounds that never would have made it onto a reggae record. This is perfect soundtrack music for movies full of men with mustaches and briefcases striding purposefully, men turning to watch silver cars pass in the reflection of windows. Men who clearly know too much. This is a welcome sound, one that has strong roots, but one that always moves ahead. Strongly recommended.

Richard H. Kirk The Number Of Magic

Richard H. Kirk The Number Of Magic

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Similar to his first for Warp, Kirk uses an incredibly wide variety of sources for this album of gorgeous ambient ethno-funk, including electro, bleep, techno and Eastern melodies. In fact, on one track, "Monochrome Dream," Kirk combines jazz, dub, spacey ambient, and Latin rhythms, all at the same time (!). "Lost Souls on Funk" and "So Digital" are excellent as well, slightly more downtempo than the latest Cabaret Voltaire material and deftly produced like few others could do. Despite the disparity of genres, The Number of Magic holds together perfectly.

 

Thievery Corporation The Mirror Conspiracy

Thievery Corporation The Mirror Conspiracy

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Like their debut album, Thievery Corporation's second, The Mirror Conspiracy, is a pleasant album of sublime mid-tempo trip-hop, reminiscent of easy listening groove music, and continually referencing the breezier, atmospheric side of Brazilian, Jamaican, French, and Indian forms. The nocturnal dub-poetry of "Treasures" sets a tone for the bruising basslines and echoey keys throughout the album, and "Lebanese Blonde" is another early highlight, with the graceful vocalese of Pam Bricker framing live sitar by Rob Myers and a Jamaican-style horn section. Brazil represents with a triple-shot of "Air Batucada," "So Com Voce" (with vocals from Bebel Gilberto), and "Samba Tranquille." French chanteuse Lou Lou adds a bit of downtempo continental flair on "Le Monde" and "Shadows of Ourselves," and Thievery Corporation even samples Ella Fitzgerald on the ambient-jungle closer "Tomorrow." As on their first LP, Garza and Hilton occasionally appear satisfied to just push a few grooves and reference their favorite styles of music over the top -- at the expense of any new ideas -- but The Mirror Conspiracy is excellently produced and almost as stylish as the duo's swinging suits on

the cover. 

Fila Brazillia Power Clown

Fila Brazillia Power Clown

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The eclecticism and the organic warmth of Fila Brazillia's electronica continue to amaze on Power Clown, one of their finest efforts . Laid-back jazz-funk grooves straight out of the '70s are the foundation of the record, but hints of Stevie Wonder-esque soul, hip-hop, bossa nova, ambient, spacey techno, house, minimalist electro, big-beat, and trip-hop all pop up here and there, as do touches of ethnic percussion, acoustic guitar, saxophone solos, new age-y synth flourishes, and the occasional odd vocal sample or sound effect. What really pushes Power Clown over the top, though, is that the group maintains their focus throughout, never meandering and changing things up often enough to keep the grooves from becoming repetitive. One of the finest and most overlooked electronic-dance releases Of 1998. 

 

Fiction Factory Throw The Warped Wheel Out

Fiction Factory Throw The Warped Wheel Out 

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Any interest at all in Fiction Factory's Throw the Warped Wheel Out will most likely originate from the album's opening track, "(Feels Like) Heaven." With its church bell synths and Kevin Patterson's brooding vocals, "(Feels Like) Heaven" is an ‘80s new wave classic. Often mistaken for a love song, "(Feels Like) Heaven" is about the exhilaration following the disintegration of a painful, loveless relationship. The lyrics seethe with corrosive angst: "Twist the bones until they snap/ I scream but no one knows." Like Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," "(Feels Like) Heaven" deceptively buries its anguish beneath toe-tapping keyboards. However, one song cannot carry the weight of an entire LP; fortunately, Fiction Factory were talented enough to craft worthy successors. The light funk of "Heart & Mind" is derivative yet catchy, recalling Heaven 17. The heartbreaking "Panic," with its somber refrain of "Laughing, crying," should have been used in one of John Hughes' teen films; one can easily imagine Molly Ringwald wiping tears from her eyes after a bad prom date while Patterson sings, "I'm sad from within." Throw the Warped Wheel Out is a vastly underrated album, disappointing only record buyers who want every track to sound like "(Feels Like) Heaven." The slow groove of "The Hanging Gardens" or the brisk, soulful melodies of "All or Nothing" may not have the instant appeal of "(Feels Like) Heaven", but repeated spins uncover the finger-snapping hooks within. Those who feel that Fiction Factory's artistry peaked with "(Feels Like) Heaven" should immediately listen to the mercilessly hummable "The First Step." Resistance is futile.