Monday, November 23, 1998
Soundbites
MUSIC:
Ron Sunshine & Full Swing, "Straight Up"
Kids continue to swing as more good and bad bands pop out of the
woodwork. Ron Sunshine & Full Swing luckily represent the good
rather than the ugly with its new release "Straight Up."
Leaning more toward the big-band sound influenced by Ella
Fitzgerald and the swinging oldies, Sunshine’s crew pulls off some
good tunes that master quality melodies without most of the generic
patterns of today’s swing wanna-bes.
Claiming to have been around for most of the ’90s, the band
denies being part of the newest Swing Revival, although the trend
is helping in recent record sales.
The album remains a compilation of the old favorites and new
creations. Sunshine’s own "Enough for You" blends right in with the
picks of old such as Fats Waller’s "Lounging at the Waldorf" and
King Cole Trio’s "Hit that Jive, Jack." The listener, however, may
have trouble distinguishing the old from the new. Both follow in
the same standards of classic Swing Era style.
The album mixes the upbeat with the slow, sweetly soothing tunes
such as "Is That the Moon" and "Do You Know?" Great sax and
harmonica solos punctuate the beat and the rhythm at perfectly
timed moments within an ensemble number.
Ron Sunshine & Full Swing know how to use the new trends to
their advantage without compromising the classic sound for the
trendy quirks of the newest fads.
Michelle Zubiate
You Am I, "#4 Record"
Rock tends to give birth to either really wonderful energetic
bands or those that make your ears bleed. Only once in awhile do
you find a rare group that falls exactly in the middle of the two
extremes. Neither good nor bad, just sitting there, You Am I’s
newest album, "#4 Record," shows that the band is capable of
straddling the fence.
Its melodies demonstrate mediocre talent. A little pop, but
definitely not compelling enough to stick in your head all day.
Songs such as "Junk" and "Top of the Morn’" have nice beats, but
little moves you to do more than bop your head once in awhile.
Strictly a modern rock style without much creativity or
uniqueness, the album holds some noteworthy drives. You don’t need
too much thought to feel the punkier rhythms. You don’t need much
brain power at all for the album. The lyrics remain simply
unoriginal.
If anything, the album holds the potential to be a great study
tape that helps your blood circulate without riling up any overly
exciting enthusiasm for the tunes.
Michelle Zubiate
Various Artists, "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer"
The soundtrack is the only merchandising tie-in from the film of
the same name that doesn’t enjoy the advantage of being able to
extensively feature Jennifer Love Hewitt’s breasts.
As these were the film’s major stand-out features, the album is
just about as generic as they come. It’s not a bad collection, but
there’s nothing to recommend it above any other movie soundtrack on
the market.
There seems to be an ongoing trend in CDs nowadays to have one
line repeated over and over. "Sugar is Sweeter" sounds like a
rip-off from the "Command and Conquer" Video Game soundtrack and is
mostly just CJ Bolland singing "sugar daddy, sugaaaaah daaah-dee"
ad nauseum.
Jennifer Love Hewitt does a decent job with "How Do I Deal."
Deetah’s "Relax" is some sort of reggae lullaby. Swirl 360 performs
"Hey Now Now" which sounds like the closing song for a retro
sitcom. Orgy’s "Blue Monday" is the only song that really holds any
interest, a cross between the Eurythmics’ "Sweet Dreams" and Johnny
Fogarty’s "Vance Can’t Dance" that ends up sounding like the theme
song from "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" Jory Eve’s "Try to Say
Goodbye" tinkles and chimes and sounds like it ought to have the
phrase "Circle of Life" in it somewhere.
In the end, the soundtrack is just like the movie: bland and
forgettable but ultimately inoffensive.
Michael Rosen
Unbelievable Truth, "Almost Here"
Former World Wrestling Federation wrestler Jesse "The Body"
Ventura – the new governor of Minnesota. Unbelievable! Alanis
Morissette – still taken seriously. Unbelievable! Katherine Hepburn
– still alive. Unbelievable! The Unbelievable Truth – unbelievably
bad!
The most conspicuously named member of the Unbelievable Truth is
Andy Yorke. Yes, he’s the brother of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke. Yes,
like his brother, he, too, is the primary singer and songwriter for
the band.
No, he’s nowhere near as talented.
The album crawls along at a snail’s pace, daring you to be
bored. Bored is exactly how you’ll feel with Unbelievable Truth’s
ultra-slow, ultra-mellow songs.
None of this would be so bad if it had any of Radiohead’s lush
musical textures or heart-rendering lyrical angst.
Instead, all you get on the 11-track album are simple chord
progressions accompanied by straightforward and unmemorable lyrics.
Yorke strives hard to match his brother’s beautiful, high-pitched
vocals, but he fails at it miserably.
It’s not the band’s fault that unfortunate comparisons will be
drawn to Radiohead. And it’s not your fault if nepotism is the
first word to pop into your head once you realize that "Almost
Here" goes almost nowhere.
Tristan Thai
Afrodisiac, "Afrodisiac"
As "Afrodisiac" steams its way out of your stereo, you may find
yourself wondering what year it is. It may say 1998 on the
calendar, but with those wah-guitars and soft-funk groove, it
sounds like the ’70s are back. The retro sextet goes for a sound
akin to the disco-funk of Jamiroquai with mixed results.
Individually, they’re all fine musicians, but they don’t always
jell completely, giving the tunes an uneven sound. Most of the 11
tracks sound like they’re on the verge of being good songs, but not
all of them can completely capitalize on this potential.
In any kind of funk music, you’ve got to have badass basslines.
Afrodisiac knows this well, and Alex Pope can always be counted on
for a steady, solid ground for the other instruments to lead off
of.
Shawn Ford and Marjun Advincula also add subtle guitar, grooving
coolly in the background. This, combined with a variety of
percussion, makes for a strong instrumental foundation. Best
illustrated in "Gotta Be Free," these elements combine to blend
funk and R&B in a tight hybrid.
They don’t even have to be playing in unison to pull off a good
blend; the break, with only Pope’s low-key bass and a soft guitar
solo, is actually the best work on the album, by far.
"Cruisin’," a dreamy acoustic number, is another strong point,
with a carefree Caribbean feel. The album also has its weak points,
such as "Transit 19," which begins well, but it loses its energy
when the vocals enter.
"Sau Siva" is also a mistake, borrowing the Aboriginal
didgeridoo from Jamiroquai unsuccessfully and sounding like
posers.
When they stick to funk, however, they’re usually OK.
Brent Hopkins
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