Monday, 5/19/97 Soundbites
Hooverphonic "A New Stereophonic Sound Spectacular" (Epic) The
name says it all. Count on hearing about this band very soon.
Though they lack the ear-splitting guitars, ska rhythms or trendy
techno beats of this year’s radio darlings, their supreme sonic
sense will garner them some well-deserved attention. Their
synth-guitar creations are hypnotic, surreal and light as air,
breaking all current stereotypes of what electronic and
guitar-driven music sounds like. The keyboards are atmospheric and
drift in an eerie futurism, much like the more subdued experiments
of Meat Beat Manifesto. Don’t think Chemical Brothers – think
Portishead meets (and permanently mentally disturbs) Enya or
Enigma. Even the guitars are weightless and serve only as
background licks that your ears can grab hold of until they float
away on the next billow of sound. However, each song is grounded in
beats that recall everything from ambient to R&B. All of this
is layered with Liesje Sadonius’ vocals, which are as smooth as
glass though not nearly as transparent. It’s almost impossible to
hear what she’s saying (some of it is in other languages), but it
doesn’t seem to matter. The mood comes through. It’s actually
better that she is unintelligible, as the occasional whispers and
voices that compliment her seem to be ones overheard from someone
else’s dream. Some repeat the album’s title; other ghostly voices
weave in and out of each other, echoing themselves as though heard
while on a big nitrous trip. Those who have had their wisdom teeth
pulled or who have been to a desert rave will be most familiar with
this effect. Other sound effects sound as though the band hurled a
microphone into the far reaches of outer space. Maybe they wired
the Hubble Telescope for sound. A few songs do skim along the
surface of reality, incorporating more traditional R&B and pop
arrangements and a more solid structure. They pale in comparison,
however, and seem only to link the more bizarre adventures into the
sonic stratosphere. Almost without fail, the longer and more
free-form the song, the better it is. These take the time to
experiment and stretch themes, wandering in and out of moods,
rather than plodding along through a more usual progression of
verse-chorus. The one thing that could keep the band off the radio
is its more lethargic feel that may slow down a rock station’s
manic pace. And the best tracks are the most drawn-out and
amorphous. However, the CD is great to play as a whole and flows
well. And without distracting lyrics and invasive guitars, it could
make for perfect study music – if it doesn’t lull you to sleep. One
can only imagine the psychotic dreams it would induce. Kristin
Fiore A- Various Artists "Songs of Janis Joplin – Blues Down Deep"
(House of Blues) As impossible as it may seem for anyone to try to
do justice to a Janis Joplin song, the blues are the blues and
Janis wasn’t the only singer ever to wail her raspy voice over a
scratchy microphone. Besides, who hasn’t wanted to rip into a
Joplin song like a madwoman with a passion for a bottle of Southern
Comfort and a hankering for a good man? "What Good Can Drinkin’
Do," cries blues singer Tracy Nelson for what was Joplin’s
lesser-known first written song. Smashing vocals into a slow-moving
guitar and a tinkling of ivories allows the song’s honky tonk to
gain more fame than Joplin mustered in her young career. Yet, even
the well-known classics which had Joplin spilling her rough,
bewitching voice through man-hungry line after man-hungry line of
tough-love lyrics provided a rich, familiar feel when attempted by
new voices. Of particular appeal are those works on the album which
husky male blues artists render masculine without stripping away
any of Joplin’s tender soul. For example, "Piece of My Heart,"
perhaps Joplin’s most often-played work, gains new insight when
performed by Otis Clay and a set of backup vocalists. It aches for
you to sing along, as the rambling melody takes a slightly slower
drawl and the singers practically weep the words as emotionally as
Joplin intended them to. "Well I love to go to parties/ And I like
to have a good time/ But things begin to pale after a while/ When I
start lookin’ to find/ One good man." Sing it baby, sing it. We’ve
all been there, some of us more than others, and Janis was there a
lot. While this song, "One Good Man," sums up the essence of
Joplin’s recorded life, it also calls to the base needs of all
people. Sometimes thought overtakes instinct and our silly race
reasons itself into a state of misery and mental torture. Don’t
think. Drink and find him and behave as the beasts. And never
forget Joplin’s mantra: "If someone gonna come along/ He gonna give
you some love and affection/ I say get it while you can/ Don’t turn
your back on love," sung by Koko Taylor as a strident gospel,
educates us on the virtues of a barroom existence. The queen of a
hard-knocks life, Janis Joplin will have been dead this year for as
many years as she was alive – 27. But her music lives on in this
loving tribute album. By altering her whirlwind works just enough
to add a touching, interpretive twist, "Blues Down Deep" leaves
Joplin’s artistic dignity intact, honoring her sense of musical
aesthetic and classy broad style. Vanessa VanderZanden A Jill
Sobule "Happy Town" (Lava) You know you’ll need to sort out your
love life when you hear a poppy female rock album like Jill
Sobule’s "Happy Town" and you find yourself identifying with it.
Song after song about boy problems are just so repugnant that when
you realize they mean something to you, you know it’s time to
sharpen up and get over yourself. OK, the lyrics "I can be clever,
I can be clever/ I can charm your pants off I can be clever/ I can
be funny, I can make you laugh," just doesn’t cut it. I mean, if
she’s so damn clever and funny, why doesn’t she write something
witty? Actions speak louder than words, babe. No wonder the guys
aren’t flocking to you – you’re a drag. But if that’s the case, why
does "Happy Town" fail to annoy like the mongrel-toothed album that
it so obviously is? Because mongrel-toothed albums, like any other
hideously misshapen beast, can be sort of endearing. Her soft
tunes, which zip around her spunky, innocent voice, remain so
hopeful for a pleasant moment that you can’t help but smile. Or
wink – yes, you’ll most definitely want to wink and skip to the end
of a rainbow, looking for a pot of gold. And you’ll think of boys.
Yep, winking and boys, and reverting to accepting the fact that
you’re nothing more than a fickle girl, will undoubtedly happen.
It’s simply sickening. You’ll just have to bear down and take your
medicine. But it’s not really your fault – Jill Sobule has plenty
of tricks up her sleeve. For instance, the song "Bitter" kicks the
album off with weird samples talking about a spacecraft and then
throws in some kind of garbage-can drum work. Next, the title track
"Happy Town," infuses a lounge-style synthesizer with chirping
birds and a cha-cha shaker to perk up your ears before it starts in
on the peppy chorus, complete with horn section and twirling guitar
work. Indeed, most every tune slips in a few out-of-the-ordinary
spices to deliver a tasty cuisine of zesty pop music. So put on
your frilly apron and begin cooking up visions of your special
someone to Jill Sobule’s frighteningly enjoyable album, "Happy
Town." Vanessa VanderZanden B- Soundbites runs Mondays and
Wednesdays. HOOVERPHONIC "A New Stereophonic … "