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Mogwai are back, but are they better than ever? Fans of these Scottishlads and their music tend to be rabid, so this is one of the mosteagerly awaited CDs of the year. Much more concise than their otherreleases (read: shorter), Rock Action is Mogwai's most musicallyambitious release in terms of arrangements and their finest effort todate, warts and all. Gone are the 16 minute epics that marked "YoungTeam" and later releases; here to stay are killer melodies and lovelyarrangements. Yes, there are a few let downs. The opening track, "SineWave," while scary and malicious, sounds a bit too much like "A WarmPlace" by Nine Inch Nails/"Crystal Japan" by David Bowie. And "RobotChant" sounds like what Mogwai ends their shows with: distortion pedalson stun + volume on 11 = fuck the audience! The high notes leave thesemissteps in their dust. The finest track, "2 rights make 1 wrong" willthrill fans everywhere with it's melodic beauty, and "you don't knowjesus" sounds just like the title suggests, destroying your faith atits basic levels. There's even vocals on four tracks, including a fineguest appearance on "dial:revenge" by Gruff Rhys from Super FurryAnimals singing in his native Welsh. On "Take Me Somewhere Nice," it'sclear just how much guitarist/vocalist Stuart Braithwaite's deliveryhas improved, and the lyrics are far more understandable this time. Allin all, a great release for them and you. Earplugs are recommended,even with your headphones on.
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The brand new full-lengther from former Throwing Muses vocalist/lyricist/boss is undeniably her greatest solo achievement. The rocky road Hersh has endured over the last few years has surfaced into an explosive collection of gut-wrenching songs. After fifteen years of hearing her voice, I can safely say there is absolutely no comparison to this one-woman powerhouse of skill and talent - her voice, playing and writing styles are all part of the package deal.
As a writer, both alone and with the Muses, there are volumes upon volumes of songs she once claimed are just "floating in the air," that she only pulls out. While this is her fifth solo full-lengther, it's the most complete to date in terms of instrumentation — with piano, bass guitar, drums, acoustic and electric guitars — all played by Hersh herself. "Sunny Border Blue" includes ten originals and one Cat Stevens cover tune (which oddly enough appeared in last week's 'ER' episode). As captivating as her electric blue eyes, the songs almost always begin in a sincere, vulnerable and painfully direct way, then build to a lashing out with none of her personal feelings held back. From the first track, "Your Dirty Answer" when she cries out with the scathing "It's not my fault you don't love me when I'm drunk" through the last story, "Listerine" where she recounts "How did I sleep through a kidnapping?", these tunes depict bleeding personal interpretations of relationships, experiences and fictitious stories. Kristin Hersh is a national treasure and deserves to be regarded much higher as one of our times' most impressive singer/songwriter/performers.
 
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- James Graham
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I must admit at the first few listens I wasn't quite blown away by the latest release from yet another instrumental rock band of Germans who refuse to admit they're influenced by Neu! 'Profane' is their fourth full-length album, and first release to be issued in Europe, North America and Japan simultaneously (as opposed to 'Fantasy': out on Kitty-Yo in 1999, surfacing on Matador USA and Japan in 2000).
In its defense, the beats are quite meaty while the production allows each member's contribution to be well-defined. Unfortunately most of the tracks are entirely too repetitious, often lacking a strong 'lead instrument' such as a trumpet, voice, organ or even guitar melody to carry the songs. My excitement perks up by the third track, "Was alles hält." Directly translated as 'Which Everything Holds,' this gem is a compelling electronic bubblebath with sounds and tunes to satiate any To Rococo Rot fan anxious for a new release. Following that, "12 Sind Nur 4" (12 is only 4) is an upbeat, energetic jam that opens strong, builds nicely and basically rocks out, displaying the group's performance talents as a cohesive element. The rest of the disc actually builds well on this foundation, following a pattern of bringing an instrument to the foreground, coloring the background with horns and cello from special guest musicians including Marcus Acher (The Notwist, Lali Puna, Tied and Tickled Trio). All in all, it's a fairly decent record, which makes me anxious to see the group perform live rather than satiate me 100%.
 
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A fictitious bio describes Hank & Slim as a 60+ year old duo fromTexas who collaborated and then had a falling out, moved their separateways and never spoke again. In actuality it's Robin Storey (of Rapoon)and Nigel Ayers (Nocturnal Emissions) and the fictitious story is themost entertaining aspect of this disc. 'The World Turned Gingham' is asomewhat sparse and limited version of KLF's timeless monumentalclassic 'Chill Out'. It's laden with old western tunes twanging away ingated echoes, meshing in with a sparse Angelo Badalamenti-wannabekeyboard background, mixed with radio broadcasts which could be real,but probably fictitious. While the disc worked for unobtrusivebackground noise while filing taxes and recovering from a fatteningEaster dinner, I honestly couldn't stop thinking of how I'd rather belistening to "Chill Out."
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- Damian Cote
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"Substancia 3" gathers mostly exclusive/forthcoming tracks from 11artists on Belgium's Quartermass roster: DJ Wally, Bisk, Benge,Freeform, Shudo, Fisherofgold, Mash'ta, Bump & Grind, Rip-OffArtist, Richard Thomas & Jon Tye and Tal. Now I know why I don'town anything from the Quartermass roster. There is variation -illbient, electro funk, breakbeats, sample mania (think Coldcut, onlynowhere near as cool) - but not much of anything of interest. Justtired and tedious sounds, samples, effects and sequences and songs thatgo nowhere. Freeform's "Cantho" wins the coveted 'sucks the least'crown by trading off atmospheric thumps with cacophonous outbursts ofpots and pans percussion. Benge and Fishertogold's space technoofferings grow dull quick. Shudo's "Bringing Together the Best" failsto do that in its mess of drum loops, drone and cliche scratch sample.Richard Thomas and Jon Tye do something a bit more experimental withvarious samples, but in the end it sounds like a funeral march througha pet store. That's it. I can't take anymore. I want to wash my earsout with something good now.
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- DJ Wally - I Must Be Mad
- Freeform - Cantho
- Tal - Breaks, Rattle & Roll
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While listening to the Trifid Project EP, it became known to me that anumber of email list members have been wondering what Jimmy Plotkin hasbeen up to lately. While the man hasn't been releasing material on thebigger indie labels, a few things have managed to surface. The TriffidProject is a collaborative effort with members of Ant-Zen superstarsCelluloid Mata and Ultra Milkmaids which takes the form of a shortsix-track CD and clear 10" record (limited to 400 copies). It's beenreleased through the young Vacuum label through some unknown agreementwith Ant-Zen. The music is abrupt and attention-grabbing, with quirkysamples, spinning tapes, distorted aggression, processed vocals andchunky beats. While it only stretches about 22 minutes, these are someof the finest electronic manglings I've heard recently — combining awonderful atmospheric makeup with unobtrusive guitar, live bass guitarand coldly calculated, crunchy, intelligent, overprocessed beats.
Atomsmasheris a new group which features Plotkin, DJ Speedranch and David Witte ondrums. While we wait for a full-length release, a pre-release CDR-EPhas managed to find its way into a small number of shops, courtesy ofthe Boston-based noise-loving label, Hydrahead. Atomsmasher, unlike theTriffid Project, is almost pure aggression, with speed-metal resoundingriffage, drilling distorted vocals, and tons of computerized electronicreprocessing. Strangely approaching jazz-like in the way everybodywished Praxis would pursue following their 'Sacrifist' LP. This disc isfairly short too, three tracks and under 10 minutes, but for thesticker price, it's a must-have. Unfortunately its scarcity (limited tosomething absurd like 100 copies) has given this release the potentialto become inflated far beyond the musical value on future onlineauctions. A new full-length should have these tracks. Speaking of thefull-length album, when I looked at this label's website I find nothingon this release or a full-length. What gives, guys? Now you know whatPlotkin's been up to.
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- Ed Lightner
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Although firmly rooted in the realm of power electronics, Morgenstern'slatest release tends to use this footing more as a springboard forother ideas and actions, rather than as an end in itself. Unlike Slogunand Control, just to name two others who use power electronics,Morgenstern is using this framework as the building blocks that enablethe exploitation of rhythm, distortion, tribal trance and other,darker, elements. Atmospherically, 'Cold' is all about opposites;aggression vs. meditation (or loud vs. quiet).The first track, which gives the album its name, is a good example ofthe quiet side of this release. Calm, brooding, trance-like, but in theend very unsettling. This trance atmosphere, with the help of somebackground voices, ushers in the second track, which uses similartechniques to heighten the sense of disquiet. The electronics are alsointensified, so while this is not an assault of the type Whitehousemight produce, the sense of serenity is now missing. This bridgebetween the two tracks also a microcosm of the overall release. Worksslowly build and fade, forming a unique texture and flow. It is thethird song "Hypnotized," however, in which the potential of the firsttwo is in bloom. The distortion is way out there, the rhythm ispounding, driving, and the vocals are handled in such a way as to leaveany goth fan speechless (that and the constant church bell in thebackground). This track is a marriage between power electronics attheir finest, and all the best of Muslimgauze's later distortion, withthe fourth track takes expanding on this theme. Thundering, pounding,weaving in and out, the harsher elements are actually somewhatdiminished here, yet the distortion and rhythm are magnified.Furthermore, whatever is being done with the vocals, both in theforeground and background, is a flowering of pure evil. After a ratherghostly ending, an even harder song, the centerpiece of the album'saggression, "Insight" begins. Here the power electronics are at theirmost impressive, the distortion is constant, and the droney elementsare turned way down, which allows the vocals to take center stage.
The unique flow of this release is then restored on the next song,aptly titled "Interlude." Near playfulness a la Nurse With Wound over aheavy undercurrent. Here we are given time to rest and collectourselves, yet when we become aware of our sonic surroundings, they areno less disturbing than everything that has come before this. On theseventh song the slow build starts again. By the ninth track, after asuccession of builds, the intensity subsides again. Swirling anddreamy, the rhythm resembles the beat of a human heart, and one getsthe sensation of gaining entrance to another realm. The last piece,"Over," brings the listener back to the mood created by the one withwhich Cold began. More rhythmic than the first, but is no lessparadoxical, and just as its title suggests, that is how Morgensternleaves us.
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How long after an album is completed does it take to be released? A few weeks? A few months? Red House Painters' sixth full-length album came out earlier this week - three years to the month of its completion, tied up in major label buyout limbo and searching for a worthy new home. Thanks to the folks at Sub Pop for realizing this record, a warm welcome after years since Songs for a Blue Guitar.
To put this into chronological perspective, step back a few years, before the John Denver, AC/DC tributes and compilation appearances, drop the needle or hit play and it seems like almost no time has passed since Blue Guitar. Make fun of singer/songwriter Mark Kozelek all you want for his taste in music (Yes, Wings, Cars, Genesis, and Kiss covers to name a few) but the man has written some of the most poetic lyrics and memorable melodies in the last ten years. RHP albums go through a few phases when they enter my collection: first there's the embryonic period, where it's a very personal thing - listening late at night and alone. Shortly they begin to accompany car trips and walkman usage, and only after a long while do they become introduced to a select few close friends. Years later, the songs become memorized classics in my mind, and this album is no exception.
Unlike the preceeding album and the second eponymous release, this disc is entirely made up of original songs, totalling over 70 minutes with only ten tracks. From the time the needle drops (or the CD player starts to whirl) until the end, RHP is a coherent band, executing with precision the wishes of Kozelek. The album's opener uncontrollably forces a smile when half way through the first verse you realize this is a song about missing his pet cat while on tour. By the fourth track, the Painters are in full rock band mode, with the distinct brand of distorted guitar-driven slow tempo oomph, sorta like a slow-moving Mack truck, similar to the sounds created on 95's Ocean Beach. Throughout the course of the disc includes familiar stories of traveling, memories and bad music references like Hanoi Rocks and Social Distortion. The sweet sustained guitar up against a slow motion last-call melody on "Smokey," a song written in tribute to John Denver shortly after his death is something one of Kozelek's biggest idols would be proud of. "Kavita," closes the album with another endearing, personal, heart-wrenching song of devotion, which in the last few seconds includes in-studio sounds like the ones that opened the album. Was it all done live to tape? Perhaps that's the impression we're supposed to get.
Kozelek's writing style has progressed from the first releases on 4AD, where most of the tracks were introspective first-person tales of life, love and childhood. In the period between '95 and '96, it seemed many of his songs were written for people, addressing them (basically using the second person), while here on Old Ramon, his lyrics have evolved to paint pictures, relaying stories that have affected Kozelek's life. Now that it's finally arrived, many RHP fans can breathe a sigh of relief and absorb the lastest batch of songs to learn and sing, but unfamiliar folks interested in a starting point would probably be best served by the Retrospective collection. As for me, I can already count about four times in the week since I've had this that I've started the music again right after it ended!
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- Diane Lewis
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Exactly 57 minutes. Ten songs. Slightly sinister. Very sensual. Damn depressing. Though the title refers to the Eastern supposition that each of us is connected to our one, true love by an invisible cord, 'The Red Thread' unravels a fascinating and devastating mess of frayed relationships and tattered egos. It's like watching a violent movie spectacle: you can't help getting sucked in, as much as you believe in real life you'd turn the other way. Aiden Moffat's lyrics, often muttered or tossed off in a thick Scottish accent, grow gradually decipherable with each listen.
With pleasure and curiosity and perhaps a bit of distaste one can slowly piece together his narratives in searing flashes of desperate sex, deception, and fragility. Most tracks start in a mode of trashy minimalism: the ceaseless chug of a chintzy drumbeat, Moffat's ragged and mumbled croon, a few acoustic chords from guitarist Malcolm Middleton (plus the occasional squeal of his fingers sliding across the frets)... "Scenery" inches forth from such beginnings, trimmed by a slender, high-pitched keen of feedback. Moffat sings, "And on the way here, I swore to myself / I'd fuck whoever I please," and suddenly a lush wash of strings and guitar slices in. "The Devil-Tips" sometimes sounds a bit between [the London] Suede (glistening guitar arpeggios, meandering piano, and just the right drench of reverb) and My Bloody Valentine (some amazing rushes of distortion here, but used sparingly). The repetitive groove of "Long Defective" reminds me of beats on the Fall's recent 'The Unutterable'. A few synthesizers add extra color, while Moffat confesses the discovery of his lover's sex diaries and his ensuing nausea and paranoia. On these and other tracks, plenty of adjectives spring to mind: narcotic, erotic, sleazy, seedy-it's a great album. Overall, a glittering prism of misery as beautiful as it is dirty and desperate, both delicate and raw.
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