Peter Astor & The Holy Road Paradise

Peter Astor & The Holy Road Paradise

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After his group the Weather Prophets split, Peter Astor kept on writing and recording songs that showcased his rock-solid vocals and songcraft. Both of his first two solo albums for the Creation label (1990's Submarine and 1991's Zoo) were full of tender melodies, restrained instrumentation, and heartfelt sophistication. In other words, they were painfully out of step with what was going on in the world of indie music at the time and due to this, Creation cut him loose. Undaunted, Astor formed a new group -- the Holy Road -- made up of players who had been in Felt, Everything But the Girl, and the Oyster Band and found a new home on France's Danceteria label. This new assemblage's first album, 1992's Paradise, is a cracking batch of songs shot through with Astor's effortless charm and full of singalong choruses. The band sounds like a looser, fuller version of the usually stripped-down Weather Prophets; the guitars jangle and chime, the bass darts about melodically, and Astor glides above it like a heartbroken crooner. The songs that leap out the first few times through the album are those with a gently sprightly pace and lighter touch: "She Took the T.V." and "Almost Falling in Love" are fine folk-pop heartbreakers; "The Hotel at the Edge of the World" is a rambling country rocker; and "Secret Life" is lovely post-Felt pop that makes good use of lightly phased guitars. The soul of the album reveals itself on further listens and the slower, more meditative tracks sink in more deeply. Astor's burnished vocals, the band's subtle playing, and the restrained ache of the lyrics combine to create a mood as melancholy as the end of summer -- or the end of a relationship. Sometimes he and the band wrap the sadness in straightforward guitar-led songs that slide around the feelings ("Love, Full-On," "Lost Soul") in the same way the best Weather Prophets songs did, sometimes they conjure up fine French Chanson as on the slinky "Sideways and the Golden Egg," other times they strip the sound down to Astor, a single guitar, and some atmosphere. "Guy Fawkes Night" tells a nostalgic story simply and truthfully as the phased guitars come back to color the song, and "Paradise" ends the album on a soft cloud of peaceful regret. Through the album, Astor and his band work the flip side of Brit-pop, writing and playing thoughtful and restrained songs that provide comfort, not hedonistic thrills. It's another in a long line of such albums from Astor, each one worth checking out when you need a musical cuddle or a quiet word from a kind friend.

Sacred Spirit Chants And Dances Of The Native Americans

Sacred Spirit Chants And Dances Of The Native Americans

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What's the thing with Germans and their long-standing fascination with Indians, or Native Americans, if we're gonna be politically correct? Comics, books, music and not least the hugely popular TV series about Winnetou, which was also based on a book series. Sacred Spirit also originates from Germany, of all places. A kind of New Age Electronica with songs taken (mostly) from American indigenous tribes. I say mostly because in their creative zeal they missed the Native American concept a bit with the song "Ly-O-Lay Ale Loya" ("The Counterclockwise Circle Dance"), where they used a Sami joik. Something that Sámikopiija (organisation representing Sami rightsholders) didn't like at all, and sued Virgin Records. A case that seems to have passed by in complete silence. I was initially very curious about this record. But as it turnes out, this is just generic stuff that seemed to pop up in countless numbers during The 90's.

Visage Visage

Visage Visage

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With apologies to Spandau Ballet, Ultravox, and even Duran Duran, this is the music that best represents the short-lived but always underrated new romantic movement. That's fitting, because Visage's frontman, Steve Strange, was the colorfully painted face of the movement, just as this album was its sound. Warming up Kraftwerk's icy Teutonic electronics with a Bowie-esque flair for fashion, Strange and the new romantics created a clubland oasis far removed from the drabness of England's early-'80s reality -- and the brutality of the punk response to it. And no one conjured up that Eurodisco fantasyland better than Visage, whose "Fade to Grey" became the anthem of the outlandishly decked-out Blitz Kids congregated at Strange's club nights. With its evocative French female vocals, distant sirens and pulsing layers of synthesizers, "Fade to Grey" is genuinely haunting, the definite high point for Visage and their followers. But the band's self-titled debut is a consistently fine creation, alternating between tunes that share the eerie ambience of "Fade to Grey" ("Mind of a Toy," "Blocks on Blocks") and others that show off a more muscular brand of dance-rock (the title track, filled with thundering electronic tom-tom fills, and the sax-packed instrumental "The Dancer"). Strange and drummer/nightclub partner Rusty Egan had wisely surrounded themselves with top-level talent, primarily drawn from the bands Ultravox and Magazine, and the excellent playing of contributors like guitarists Midge Ure and John McGeoch, bassist Barry Adamson, synthesist Dave Formula, and, especially, electric violinist Billy Currie, all of whom give the album a depth unmatched by most contemporaneous techno-pop. And despite the group's frequently dramatic pose, Strange and his bandmates were hardly humorless; the first single, "Tar," is a witty anti-smoking advertisement, while the Eastwood homage "Malpaso Man" adds some incongruous cowboy twang to the dance beats. Only the closing track, the instrumental "The Steps," is inconsequential -- the rest of Visage proves the new romantics left a legacy that transcends their costumes and makeup.

The Chameleons What Does Anything Mean Basically

The Chameleons What Does Anything Mean Basically

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Easily the high point of the Chameleons' fascination with digital delays, pedals, and making the studio an instrument, the band's second album still is seen by many a fan as being just a little too lost in the production to have the same impact as Script of the Bridge did, despite equally excellent songs. The decision must ultimately be the listener's, but in the end the production argument is much more a quibble than a condemnation -- no matter how you look at it, What Does Anything Mean? Basically proved to be that rarity of sophomore albums, something that at once made the band all the more unique in its sound while avoiding a repetition of earlier work. Ironically, the first track, "Silence, Sea and Sky," turned out to be the least Chameleons-like track ever, being only a two-minute synth intro piece played by Mark Burgess and Dave Fielding. But with the gentle intro to the absolutely wonderful "Perfumed Garden," lyrically one of Burgess' best nostalgic pieces, it rapidly becomes clear exactly which band is doing this. The empathetic fire that infused Burgess' words for songs like "Singing Rule Britannia (While the Walls Close In)," a poetic attack on the Thatcher government, finds itself matched as always by brilliant playing all around. John Lever's command of the drums continues to impress, and Fielding and Reg Smithies remain guitarists par excellence; the searing, sky-bound solo on "Return of the Roughnecks" alone is a treasure. The sublime combination of the rushing "Looking Inwardly" and the soaring, blasting rip "One Flesh," leading into a relaxed instrumental coda, anchors the second side, while "P.S. Goodbye" provides a lovely, melancholic conclusion to an astounding record

Gang Of Four Entertainment!

Gang Of Four Entertainment!

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Entertainment! is one of those records where germs of influence can be traced through many genres and countless bands, both favorably and unfavorably. From groups whose awareness of genealogy spreads wide enough to openly acknowledge Gang of Four's influence (Fugazi, Rage Against the Machine), to those not in touch with their ancestry enough to realize it (rap-metal, some indie rock) -- all have appropriated elements of their forefathers' trailblazing contribution. Its vaguely funky rhythmic twitch, its pungent, pointillistic guitar stoccados, and its spoken/shouted vocals have all been picked up by many. Lyrically, the album was apart from many of the day, and it still is. The band rants at revisionist history in "Not Great Men" ("No weak men in the books at home"), self-serving media and politicians in "I Found That Essence Rare" ("The last thing they'll ever do?/Act in your interest"), and sexual politics in "Damaged Goods" ("You said you're cheap but you're too much"). Though the brilliance of the record thrives on the faster material -- especially the febrile first side -- a true highlight amongst highlights is the closing "Anthrax," full of barely controlled feedback squalls and moans. It's nearly psychedelic, something post-punk and new wave were never known for. With a slight death rattle and plodding bass rumble, Jon King equates love with disease and admits to feeling "like a beetle on its back." In the background, Andy Gill speaks in monotone of why Gang of Four doesn't do love songs. Subversive records of any ilk don't get any stronger, influential, or exciting than this.

Hothouse Flowers Home

Hothouse Flowers Home

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Hothouse Flowers continued their exploration of Irish folk and gospel on their second album, Home. Their debut album, People, had introduced Hothouse Flowers to the world, largely through the strength of the single "Don't Go." several singles were released from this disc, namely "I Can See Clearly Now," "Give It Up," and "Movies." The shadow of Van Morrison looms large over Home, from the slow, piano-driven ballads "Sweet Marie" and "Shut Up and Listen" to gospel choir-backed rockers like "Giving It All Away" and their cover of "I Can See Clearly Now." Hothouse Flowers aren't simply a pale imitation of their influences, though, and their songwriting and musicianship are excellent throughout. From the clever anthem "Movies" to the Eastern-tinged "Water," Hothouse Flowers have created a masterful collection of pop songs. Home is an underrated gem

Billy MacKenzie Beyond The Sun

Billy MacKenzie Beyond The Sun

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Ex-Associate Billy Mackenzie was working on the tracks which comprise Beyond the Sun when he committed suicide, leaving this planned comeback bid unfinished; the Cocteau Twins' Simon Raymonde, among others, completed the demos for release, and the results are frequently impressive, if bittersweet. Mackenzie is in fine voice on each of these tracks, which veer between his trademark synth-pop sound and a more contemporary Britpop flavor; while clearly in its rough stages at the time of Mackenzie's death, Beyond the Sun is a potent reminder of his eccentric gifts -- he will be missed.

David Sylvian Everything And Nothing

David Sylvian Everything And Nothing

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Singer/songwriter David Sylvian's career spans a long and enigmatic scene of experimental rock and emotional restylings. Not one to fully absorb the conventional ways of a certain circuit, Sylvian is a realist musician. He is ambitious in molding his own catharses within layers of woodwinds, horns, and homegrown synth beats, and 1999's Dead Bees on a Cake was only a small cue to Sylvian's forthcoming work. The new millennium brought the release of the double-disc Everything and Nothing, a reflection of Sylvian's previously unreleased older material. Sonically gorgeous with vocals comparable to Bryan Ferry, Everything and Nothing is a vastly expressive record of 29 tracks lost in the vaults of remixes, time, and creative changes; it is certainly a moving package of lush elevations and underrated wordplay. The two-disc set hums with eclectic instrumental constructions and tinges of Middle Eastern material, especially on tracks such as "Ride." "Pop Song" is more attractive with its abstract guitar riffs and whimsical synth loops, and "Some Kind of Fool," a long-lost Japan song intended to be on 1980's Gentleman Take Polaroids, is electronically driven. It's naturally abrasive in lyrical poetry, and Sylvian's atmospheric nature to float over the initial song composition is classic. "Jean the Birdman" echoes the sultriness of Peter Murphy, but Sylvian is shiftless at the same time with his funkadelic mood. The textural differences among the cuts make Everything and Nothing particularly inviting, reflecting the wholehearted desire that continues to make David Sylvian a fresh contributor. He is surprising, professional, and unattached to what's common. Everything and Nothing is undoubtedly a firm recognition of Sylvian's musical wizardry.

Gary Numan & Tubeway Army Replicas Redux (Expanded 2008 Tour Edition)

Gary Numan & Tubeway Army Replicas Redux (Expanded 2008 Tour Edition)

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By the release of their second album, Replicas, Gary Numan was the undisputed focal point and leader of icy electro-punkers Tubeway Army. And the move proved to be massively successful back home in the U.K., where both the album and the single "Are 'Friends' Electric?" topped the charts. The band had made a conscious effort to streamline the sound heard on its 1978 self-titled debut -- the distorted guitar riffs were played on Moog synthesizers instead, and Numan had perfected his faux-space-age persona. And the paranoia that is very evident in the lyrics and vocals on Numan's next release, The Pleasure Principle, can be detected on Replicas. Another near-perfect album by the band, highlights are many -- "Me! I Disconnect from You," "The Machman," "You Are in My Vision," and one of the most underrated new wave/synth-driven compositions of the whole era, the chilling ballad "Down in the Park." And out of all the Gary Numan/Beggars Banquet reissues, Replicas contains the strongest bonus tracks, such as never heard outtakes from the recording sessions, including "The Crazies," "Only a Downstat," and the B-side to the original "Are 'Friends' Electric?" single, "We Are So Fragile."

Sparklehorse Good Morning Spider

Sparklehorse Good Morning Spider

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Recorded after singer/songwriter Mark Linkous' accidental, near-fatal drug reaction and subsequent 12-week stay in London's St. Mary's Hospital, Good Morning Spider dwells in the liminal spaces between dreaming and waking, sickness and health, and living and dying. The album takes these grey areas and makes a world out of them, blending classic songwriting with an experimental sound that borrows from hi-fi and lo-fi. A natural progression from Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot, Good Morning Spider adds bubbling synths, ambient electronics, horns, and drum loops to the mix, giving songs like "Painbirds" an unclassifiable -- but distinctively Sparklehorse -- blend of darkness and childlike innocence. From driving songs like "Pig" and "Cruel Sun," to frail, winding ballads such as "Saint Mary" and "Come On In," to the experimental pop of "Ghost of His Smile" and "Sunshine," the album encompasses a rainbow of sounds and emotions but never loses focus.

The Comsat Angels Sleep No More

The Comsat Angels Sleep No More

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Sleep No More, the second Comsat Angels album, is a confident follow-up that contains a tighter and more cutting version of Waiting for a Miracle's alluring insularity. Going by "Eye Dance," the torrid opener, one might expect a more aggressive affair, but that's not necessarily the case. The album turns out to be neither as pop nor as fast, with a majority of the material playing out at a dirge-like pace. There were no singles. Like Magazine's Secondhand Daylight, or the Sound's All Fall Down, Sleep No More can be a trudge and quite bleak, perhaps even impenetrable at times. However, as with Waiting for a Miracle, the dynamics of the album become increasingly perceptible with each play, and the slowest, austerest passages begin to seem as intense as the few that slam and punch. With the exception of "Restless," a mood piece of harmonic flickers, light whispers, and low throb, the album is driven by Mik Glaisher's booming drums, which were recorded in a manner -- near a lift shaft, to be precise, with microphones placed on six surrounding floors -- that makes the album wholly enveloping and, occasionally, imposing. (Imagine Joy Division's "I Remember Nothing" and Talking Heads' "The Overload" on top of one another, doubled in heaviness.) The subject matter: not a big surprise, given the title of the album, with further adventures in malfunctioning-relationship purgatory, along with topical matter like "Dark Parade" (about the volatile hostage situation at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran), a song that hardly repeals the level of turmoil expressed elsewhere. Regardless of the continued strength in the songwriting, it's impossible not to get caught up in the album's sounds. The title track overwhelms with its swirling layers of guitar and keyboards over an unchanging drum pattern. The storming "Goat of the West" wastes no time in whipping itself into a controlled frenzy of churning guitars, punishing drums, and bewildered vocals ("Did you see what happened?/It's so funny that I'm not laughing"). On "At Sea," the rhythm section does the riffing, with Glaisher's thumping drums suctioned to Kevin Bacon's cavernous bass. While it's not as easy to enjoy as Waiting for a Miracle -- for a lot of listeners, it's that kind of album that requires some mental preparation -- Sleep No More is certainly more powerful, and it's also a greater achievement. Here, the Comsat Angels became one of the era's most exceptional bands

The Creatures Boomerang

The Creatures Boomerang

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Returning to full action after Siouxse and the Banshees revitalized themselves with the Peep Show album and tour, the Creatures once again recorded an album that took full advantage of their surroundings. Instead of tropical Hawaii, it was Spain that they and longtime producer Mike Hedges found themselves in, reflected in both the stark location photography from Anton Corbijn and the mix of Spanish-tinged music and lyrical themes. The lead-off track was also arguably the strongest: "Standing There," with a rhythm and horns assault Foetus or Yello would be proud of and Sioux at her most cutting against wolf-whistling male taunters and their ilk. The rest of the album proved a worthy follow-up to such a memorable start, whether creating Iberian-inspired pieces like the flamenco and trumpet-tinged "Manchild" or the strut of "Strolling Wolf" or following other individual impulses. Sioux's singing is some of her best both in and out of the Banshees, still retaining the shadowed mystery that she makes her own while drawing on an interesting range of styles, from cabaret to Nico-esque chanting. Budgie, meanwhile, continues to demonstrate why he's such a fantastic drummer and percussionist, from tribal stomps to lighter bell, marimba, steel drum, and other combinations, even a few electronic loops for good measure. The busy "Fury Eyes," which became the second single from the album, has the same quick pop feel as "Miss the Girl" with a more immediately fun edge. Blues/jazz influences crop up throughout Boomerang -- the wheezing harmonica on "Willow," the slow crawl of "Killing Time," and more -- and get a great new lease on life as a result. One of the best numbers marries a sassy low R&B base to futuristic ambient sound and very glam lyrics, "Pluto Drive," which on the CD version blends into the vocal/instrumental mood piece "Solar Choir" nicely

Alternative TV The Image Has Cracked The Alternative TV Collection

Alternative TV The Image Has Cracked The Alternative TV Collection

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Starting with a nuttily bombastic synth intro (courtesy of Squeeze's Jools Holland!) which sounds just like the music punk was supposed to be destroying might seem an unusual move for a band founded by the guy who chronicled the original London explosion. But it's that very contrariness in Mark Perry which made the original Alternative TV such a thrilling prospect, and which makes The Image Has Cracked an unfairly neglected classic from the late-'70s upheaval. Seizing on the promise of punk as being a new means of expression rather than a new set of musical rules to be adhered to, Perry, along with a solid-enough band, whip up a series of incendiary pieces that explore as much as they thrash, caught somewhere between the Fall's divine ramalama and three-chord snarls. "Alternatives" captures the tense spirit of the band's work perfectly, a live recording where over a gentle groove Perry invites audience members to come up and "use the soapbox," only to have a bunch of chancers and screamers talk a lot about nothing much at all, until Perry spits vitriol at a pair of people in a punch-up and complains about "diluted sh*t." As an expression of going down defiant while punk became a new fashion, it's fierce and brilliant. A good half of the album comes from the same concert, including the harrowing final track, "Splitting in Two," as perfect a capturing of nails-dug-in-flesh paranoia and indecision as anything in music history, revived as a live favorite years later by the Chameleons. The studio cuts include a solid run-through of Zappa's "Why Don't You Do Me Right?" and the closest ATV ever came to an anthemic single, "Action Time Vision." The 1994 CD version adds 11 extra tracks to the original album, including the reggae-inflected "Love Lies Limp" and "Life After Life" singles, among many others, making it the edition of Image to look for.

Faithless Reverence

Faithless Reverence 

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Maxi Jazz, the maestro behind Faithless, is well titled as "the grand oral disseminator." The tales he spins make this album a manifesto, religious experience, sexual escapade, and 24-hour rave all rolled up into one tightly constructed package. As Jazz explored hip-hop through the 1980s and his path converged with dub superstar Jah Wobble, the ultra funky Jamiroquai, and the Soul II Soul amalgamation (among others), the foundation was laid for the delicious blend of genres and sounds that would break through in the mid-'90s. Reverence is the culmination of all those experiences, as Jazz unleashes a fat packet worth of songs that are really an acid house tapestry in disguise. This album is best heard in one sitting, where all its styles work together to tell the story. But break it apart, peel the layers back, and the songs stand alone as well. The hypnotic title track serves nicely as an introduction, before it's waylaid by the downtempo soul ballad "Don't Leave," which is replete with needle, pops, and skips throughout. "Salva Mea," "Insomnia," and "Dirty Ol' Man," three very different songs, tangle themselves together and pick up the thread from "Reverence." "Angeline," meanwhile, emerges as a perfectly impassioned love song. The U.S. release includes the bonus "Monster Mix Radio Edit" of "Insomnia." Maxi Jazz hits a deep chord with this album. It's clubby enough for the kiddies, but is incredibly complex beyond the dancefloor. The songs are great, the beats are compelling, and it's almost impossible to not bounce around the room while listening. But this album is also a collection of shadows, of mirror images, where songs mimic one another before spinning off to do their own thing. Moments are caught and lost, tangled, and straightened out. Really, it's brilliant.