Monday, August 18, 1997
Spiritualized "Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space"
(Dedicated/ Arista) Just when you thought the Chemical Brothers and
Primal Scream gave you a fair share of electro-psychedelica, along
comes Spiritualized. Packaged as a pill (the CD itself comes in a
silver wrapper within the pharmacy-labeled jewel case),
Spiritualized’s retro-pop indeed sounds like drug-induced
acid-rock.
The group gives us a record that doesn’t have too many
radio-friendly songs (except the hazy Primal Scream-meets-Oasis
"Come Together"). But the package as a whole flows wonderfully.
With ’60s and ’70s influences from the Beatles and the Jam to the
Doors and Pink Floyd, "Ladies and Gentlemen …" soars as an
atmospheric and multi-layered sensory perception overload.
Its distinctness comes from the hints of ’90s synthesized
elements floating among a sea of organs, guitars, horns and
tambourine-tinged rhythms. It’s also reminiscent of such
"Madchester" bands as the Stone Roses and the Happy Mondays.
Much of the record sways from gentle and subtle vocals
highlighting long, organ-dominated pieces to power jams with every
possible classic instrument joined in. Standout examples range from
the chaotic "All of My Thoughts" to the nicely mixed "I Think I’m
in Love." Great for those lazy days in front of the lava lamp,
"Ladies and Gentlemen …" blends the best of classic British rock
from the past thirty years into one fluid and intricate album. No
doubt you will trip out on the music alone. Mike Prevatt B+
S.H.E. "3’s A Charm" (Trauma) Light, neat and sugary sweet
 that’s S.H.E., the girlie girl trio that chirps, whirls and
doonka doonks through their youthful tunes on "3’s A Charm." Call
their sound a hybrid of Brownstone at their youngest and an older
black female version of Hanson, and there you have the blend of
la-la voices from Jaimee, Jania and Tyren.
It may be best to begin this album last song first, and proceed
backwards, ’cause the beginning is full of unsophisticated,
repetitive melodies that you’d expect from songs called "In the
Middle" and "I Wouldn’t Take Her Back." Here, youth blatantly
stares you in the ear when squeaky Mariah Carey-esque screams and
basic drum beats bring out yawns.
Fast forward to the meatier tracks where "24 Hours" reveals that
these girls may not just be another group of
Seventeen-magazine-send-us-a-tape-of-you-karaoking contest winners.
The watery whisking harmonies are innocent and the simple lyrics
("Twenty-four hours feels like an eternity/ every single day that
you’ve been away from me") are soothing.
The minute-long interludes are entertaining with "Hi Mommy, I
Love You," a series of quick high spoken lines that slow and go low
by the end, and "I Can Do That" a short a capella segment of
guttural doonkas, das, and silly boppy wah wahs.
"3’s A Charm" is a teeny-bopper, femmy-fem’s dream, filled with
songs about love, ache, and more love, but if you’re not in the
mood for adolescent attitude, maybe S.H.E.’s just not right for
you. Nerissa Pacio B
Mirabal "Mirabal" (Warner Western) A mix of traditional Native
American with pop/rock beats and Anthony Kiedis-like vocals,
Mirabal gives us "the alter-Native" album. Robert Mirabal’s
original rock sound is a unique attempt to make Native American
music sound more contemporary through such influences as Dylan,
Springstein and Mellencamp.
He mixes his own "American" experience with the Native culture.
Expressing both forms of music in one, his songs are either more
rock-n- roll or more Indian based.
Using his Indian flute talents (the Eagle, Elk Call and clay
ocarina flutes) and his amazingly pop-like vocals, Mirabal creates
music which at first seems strange and bizarre. But the more you
listen to it, the more you are drawn to its mystical sounds,
repetitive drum beats and airy flute tunes. Haunting at times, the
music evokes chills, especially with its themes of social ills and
Indian life.
Often, he repeats too much, making one wonder if he has anything
else to say, but one must realize that Native American music relies
on repetition.
Mirabal’s unique sound isn’t for all, but those with a variety
of tastes should listen, especially those who appreciate
adult-alternative music. It’s something original and different.
Although it possesses remnants of the already-popular New Age
ambience (which incorporates much of the tribal Indian flute
sounds), Mirabal is a breakthrough for this old culture and yet a
stretch from traditional Indian pow-wow sounds. Sandra Kim A-
311 "Transistor" (Capricorn) More spaced-out music! 311, the
alternative band who blend reggae, hip-hop and punk, have released
their first double album (for the price of one!) that proves more
isn’t always good.
"Transistor," like Radiohead’s "O.K. Computer," takes on themes
of the demise of the computer age, fascinations with outer space
and hopes for a better future. The space theme runs amok through
the album, and the spacey keyboard reinforces the sci-fi feel,
making this album more unique than their last release.
Less than half of the album contains this unique,
possibly-ethereal sound though. The rest of it is considerably less
trippy, with blatant, crunching guitars sounding more metal than
punk. Only the songs with 311’s signature reggae beats resonate
with any kind of pleasant melody. Songs like "No Control" sound
like harder b-sides from their last album, while "Prisoner" and
"Beautiful Disaster" give the head more of a break with their
lazier guitar styles.
Their single "Transistor" starts off the album with a bang,
applying 311’s new atmospheric reggae-punk. Yet its lyrics ramble
like some hip-hop artist bragging about how great his band is.
Lines like "If you want more beats for your buck, there’s no luck"
make for great irony looking at their pricing strategy but reek of
lame self-promotion. Others sound like a bunch of junior high kids
on the first day of creative writing class ("This song started as a
rant against haters/ But that’d be giving in to the
instigators").
The album never takes off from there, but winds back and forth
from banal ("Use of Time") to tripped-out ("Creature Feature").
After 21 tracks, you may be ready for a nap if you haven’t fallen
asleep already. "Transistor" has its original moments, but most is
played-out skater reggae that never lives up to its ambitious
themes. Mike Prevatt C+