Monday, December 7, 1998
Soundbites
Squirrel Nut Zippers, "Christmas Caravan"
It seems like when November draws to a close, there’s a deluge
of bad Christmas songs everywhere. You can’t walk into a mall
without hearing those dogs barking "Jingle Bells" at least once,
and you’re lucky if you can escape those overblown star
collaborations that ooze saccharin while they belt out anthems of
joy.
Even if you’re lucky enough to get traditional songs once in a
while, you’re bound to get a little tired after hearing them every
year. Those interested in an alternative to the old time Christmas
ditties can now look to the Squirrel Nut Zippers for a bit of spice
in their eggnog.
The Zippers have put together the kind of present everyone wants
to unwrap. It’s different, it’s catchy, it’s original, and there
are absolutely no singing animals whatsoever. They offer a range of
different melodies, from their usual swing sound on "Hot Christmas"
and the chilly, but touching "My Evergreen," to simmering blues on
"A Johnny Ace Christmas," in which singer Katherine Whalen sounds
only a few steps removed from Tina Turner.
They can serve up throwback Jimmie Rogers-style country, on
"Gift of the Magi," and sample a host of styles on "Hanging Up My
Stockings." Their finest moment, though, comes on the jump blues of
"Indian Giver," with its honking sax solo, swinging guitar, and
smooth background harmonies.
"Christmas Caravan" is such a melting pot of styles, it’s
difficult to resist.
Brent Hopkins
Various Artists, "Psycho: Music From and Inspired by the Motion
Picture"
Now that the movie has already been revamped in a 90’s style,
what better than to kick its music into gear with recent trends.
The soundtrack for "Psycho" does just that by adding a different
edge to a classic musical theme. If it doesn’t work for the movie,
it’s just interesting enough to work well on the album.
All of the film scores are given new life by one already
established in the trade of hit scores: Danny Elfman ("Mission
Impossible," "Men In Black"). You still feel the old chills all
over again but with a slightly modern scare added in.
The most notable track on the album remains Rob Zombie’s "Living
Dead Girl," which combines a hard rock, metal bite with a fairly
impressive rhythm. Right away you can see Vince Vaughn doing his
creepy thing all over the place as Norman Bates.
Other noteworthy picks include Mono’s "Madhouse," which gives
the album an ethereal, eerie feel while Teddy Thompson’s "Psycho"
remains amusing, even if it doesn’t move you rhythmically.
Unfortunately, it just missed Halloween, but this soundtrack is
sure to get anyone in the mood to explore the darker side of
music.
Michelle Zubiate
Whitney Houston, "My Love is Your Love"
It’s appropriate that the first single, "When You Believe," off
of Whitney Houston’s latest album, is a duet with Mariah Carey.
Because much like the pop-turned-R&B diva, Houston has
recruited a little hip-hop flavor to rejuvenate a career molded by
soulful anthems and heart-warming ballads.
Ironically, Houston and Carey share the mic for the "Prince of
Egypt" soundtrack with a sweet inspirational tune that belies their
new urban sounds. While Carey chose to throw her creative talents
into the mix of Puff Daddy and Bone Thugs & Harmony, Houston
took a subtler route that incorporates her classic crooning with
the collaborative efforts of Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott. The
result is a collage of hits and misses for the now-legendary pop
queen.
Surprisingly, only her fourth studio album in her illustrious
career (after an eight-year break sprinkled with film and
soundtrack work), Houston returns with a product starkly different
from her last ("I’m Your Baby Tonight"). But the sign of a true
legend is one who can change with the times without losing a
trademark style. And Houston manages to weave her velvety
five-octave range into every note of "My Love is Your Love."
"Heartbreak Hotel" highlights the heavily R&B-influenced
crop with the help of Faith Evans and Kelly Price. Houston’s
buttery background vocals embody her classy sex appeal and the
shoulder-swayable rhythms thirst for replay. "Oh Yes" follows in
its sensuous footsteps, pushed by a flowing, slow-thumping
bass.
No Whitney Houston collection is complete without a hit-worthy
power-ballad. "My Love" is no exception, capping off the track list
with "You’ll Never Stand Alone," an uplifting pop beauty, courtesy
of Diane Warren ("Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion, "I Don’t
Want to Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith). Some formulas are better left
untouched.
Louise Chu
Various Artists, "Untouchable Outcaste Beats Vol. 1"
Once you’re an outcaste in Hindu society, you can join up with
the three other outcasts and make mediocre Indian techno.
As far as one can tell, only three acts (Shri, Nitin Sawhney and
Badmarsh) have actually been signed to the Outcaste label, and they
account for only five of the fourteen tracks on the album. The rest
is a mixture of late 60’s to mid 70’s jazz-funk salvaged from the
psychedelic sitar craze and well-known jungle, breakbeat and acid
jazz artists like Pressure Drop, Up Bustle & Out ("Ninjatune")
and Better Daze ("Ubiquity").
The old material, taken from a previous Polydor release is
actually semi-diggable, especially the Wolfgang Dauner Quartet. The
Quartet had a tight rhythm section and some of those fat
on-the-town jazz piano chords under the Indian vocal stylings.
The old reliable, Up Bustle & Out, delivers a jazzy little
trip-hop package complete with backalley wah guitar, tablas and
eastern-sounding trumpet samples. This one is so well put-together
the Indian motif is practically incidental.
But that and a few other tracks are as good as it gets. Badmarsh
makes no such instrumental concessions beyond straight
danceability, and Nitin Sawhney keeps it boringly ethereal and
fusionesque, thoroughly opiating the trip hop sensibility (yes,
it’s possible) with those tremorous, vocal samples (which one can’t
help but feel have some merit and could be used in a less cheesy
context).
On the whole, if the sitar samples were better, the tabla
playing and samples were fancier (more from the Alla Rakha school
then just the "hi, we’re tablas" school), and the vocals were all
taken out, one could appreciate this comp more.
Wes Medina
Anandji and Kalyanji Shah, "Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars and
Sitars"
This is the album that everyone should have. Written and
conducted by the Shah brothers, "Bombay the Hard Way" is an awesome
collection of over 25 years of Bali-wood cinema scores. A helpful
information booklet provides the curious with a brief history of
"Brownsploitation" films, India’s popular equivalent of American
James Bond and "Blaxploitation" movies.
The Shah brothers, who composed almost 100 movie soundtracks a
year at their zenith, create smooth polished mood music using the
rhythms of their native Ragasthan, but their work also shows the
influence of their American and European counterparts. The sound
expertly brings to mind images of suave gangsters, cool private
eyes, gamblers, kung-fu fights and car chases.
Many of the tracks include snippets of dialogue from their
parent films, hilarious non sequiturs that have to be heard to be
truly appreciated.
"Satchidananda" starts with a man matter-of-factly saying
something that sounds like, "I want to be eclectic," to which a
female voice replies, "You and your Indian pug rhymes. Now let’s
walk English style." In "My Guru," the singer apologizes for his
lack of talent, promising to consult his "guru" before
continuing.
Even without all these extras, however, the CD is still worth
having, if only to read the names of the various tracks: "Punjabis,
Pimps and Players," "The Good, the Bad and the Chutney" and "Fists
of Curry" are, without doubt, the coolest song titles in the
history of music.
Michael RosenSQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS
"Christmas Caravan"
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