Wednesday, November 25, 1998
Soundbites
Pseudopod, "Pod"
A little blues, a little jazz, a touch of rock – you can find a
plethora of different sounds in this eight-song offering by local
band Pseudopod. A fusion of many different musical elements, the
music is hard to pigeonhole.
You can find elements of diverse influences in the musical
blend: R & B drumming, ’70s wah guitar, jazz saxophone and funk
basslines. This results in an interesting amalgam, successful at
times, unbalanced at others.
One of Pseudopod’s strengths is jumping around so as to avoid
stagnation. The repetitive riff that opens "’C’ The Killer Clown"
should become monotonous, but as Carlsberg’s vocals enter, they
pull focus away from the guitar, taking the song in a new
direction.
Changing gears before the sound sours is a theme repeated
throughout "Pod." Whenever it seems like a particular groove is
getting old, a new sound enters, whether in the form of Jeb
Bunker’s squealing tenor sax or Ross Grant’s electric guitar,
playing a new pattern previously unheard.
This doesn’t always have the best results, evident in the uneven
funk number "Lackadaisical Memory." The track begins decently, but
stumbles towards the end, closing with an uneven rhythmic
feeling.
True to form, however, Pseudopod recovers and resurfaces in
"Shrinks" with a different, more jazz-inflected sound. This
versatility is the true appeal of the album. If "Pod" is flowing
poorly at one moment, it will most likely right itself in the
next.
Brent Hopkins
Various Artists, "You’ve Got the Fucking Power"
So, if you don’t know this whole Digital Hardcore story yet, it
goes like this. Alec Empire and his bandmates from Atari Teenage
Riot, in possession of a large quantity of cash bestowed upon them
in lieu of releasing their first album, started up their own label,
Digital Hardcore Recordings, out of their native Berlin, in
1994.
Since then, the riot sound has caught on, and Mike Diamond has
taken them under Grand Royal’s wing. A slew of seven inches have
helped to establish American fan-bases, leading to a U.S. extension
in 1998 of DHR’s international London office.
As part of the whole inaugural spiel, DHR has released this
$1.98 album featuring tracks from all the mainstays: Atari Teenage
Riot, Christoph De Babalon, Shizu, EC80R, Patric C., The Curse of
the Golden Vampire, Bomb 20 and Alec Empire. You love the names.
Chances are, you’ve heard at least one of these titles if you’re
anywhere near the electronic scene.
ATR had a great song on the first AMP comp, "Sick to Death."
Listen to this song if you forgot what punk was all about. DHR
basically takes the punk rock ethic and fuses gabba, noise and
jungle, establishing a rough-hewn, garage-style production in a
series of hard-edged electronic forms, like musical counterpoints
to their commercial dance antecedents. The now-familiar and
almost-cliche synthesizer, sampler and sequencer arsenal take on an
incensed idealism. Hell, it’s a virility that you just don’t get
out of any other electronica.
If you’ve already heard the ATR riot-drum, anti-rave sound and
you were flinching or strangely bored (like I was), take some
advice and pick up this comp. Two bucks is not a big commitment.
Plus, some of this stuff is sort of interesting. Shizuo in
particular has really invigorated the whole sample-based concept,
layering, rearranging, and distorting four different jungle beats
beneath the cadence of female vocal samples pumped up almost past
coherence (you figure it out after a while, through) and a thick,
stunting synthesizer bass line.
Bomb 20 sounds like DJ Shadow’s abused or neglected younger
brother, utilizing contrived TV movie samples, and industrialized,
"feedbacky" hip-hop rhythms. Christoph De Babalon’s moody, melodic
jungle or Alec Empire’s distorted, kick-your-ass jungle might
appeal to the jaded Photek listener.
Wes Medina
Nate Dogg, "G-Funk Classics – Volumes 1 & 2"
Two years ago, the single of "Never Leave Me Alone" made a
noticeable impact on the billboard charts. It promised to be one of
many hit tracks showcased on a soon-to-be-released double-disc
album by Nate Dogg, called "G-Funk Classics – Volumes 1 & 2."
Finally, a few months ago, it happened. But the jury is not
impressed.
After having to wait that long, one would come to expect plenty.
Unfortunately, like other two-volume hip-hop albums (Notorious
B.I.G., Bone Thugs ‘N’ Harmony and most recently, Ice Cube) it
tends to fall short and settles into mediocrity.
On the positive side, there are the well-known songs like "Never
Leave Me Alone" (featuring Snoop Dogg) and "Nobody Does It Better"
(featuring Warren G), which exemplify vintage Nate Dogg style.
He is smooth, appealing and a promising producer. The beats are
consistent and mellow, the rhymes smooth and concise. And the album
features loads of guest artists, such as Kurupt the Kingpin, Daz
Dillinger and the seemingly immortal Tupac Shakur.
But the tracks begin to sound all too similar to one another.
The repetitive choruses and the slow, methodical pace of the music
almost transforms the CD into an 135-minute lullaby. Sadly, the
Long Beach native includes unoriginal themes that are constantly
recurring in rap or hip-hop and lack any sense of real value.
Teron Hide
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