90’s alt rock

“Rock Star” not “Pop Star” or Wolf Alice – My Love Is Cool

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Outside of Courtney Barnett, no one has received the tremendous pre-release expectations that Wolf Alice has with the lead up to My Love Is Cool. Dropping new singles every few weeks has helped to build momentum and gather fan support for the album. The result is that Wolf Alice is seeing print in almost every music mag and newspaper for today’s release… but does it hold up?

Well actually, it doesn’t disappoint.

Built around strong guitar work and soaring vocals, Wolf Alice bridges the gap between the 90’s alt-rock revival and the more modern Brit-Rock led by the Arctic Monkeys and their recent disciples Royal Blood. Subtle whispers turn to moments of shoegaze before exploding into an all out “throw your hair around and play air guitar” press as “Giant Peach” blasts out.

“Bros” starts with a Juliana Hatfield Three rhythm before going all “1979” Smashing Pumpkins as if Tanya Donnelly (Belly) was singing. The thing is, Wolf Alice isn’t playing at nostalgia but instead inhabits a space that fits in well with the narrative of ‘rock star’ rather than the dreaded ‘pop star’. When “You’re A Germ” lets the slow verse flare into the heavy chorus of screams and thundering guitar, the impression is that these guys play music that makes them want to ‘rock out’ along with their listeners. Just when you think you’ve pegged their sound, “Your Love’s Whore” throws in a groove that flies into Soundgarden mixed with a Dandy Warhols’ feel. Then you get “The Wonderwhy” which drones on with a buzz that is simultaneously terrifying and mesmerizing.

My Love Is Cool on first listen might sound very 1994, but with each subsequent spin you discover new reasons to forget the past and enjoy the moment. For Wolf Alice, that moment is now and be prepared, you’re going to be hearing a lot more from them.

My Love Is Cool is released on June 23.

 

 

B+ / 4 Stars / 8 out 10 / Green Light… whatever! or Why I Don’t Grade Records In My Reviews?

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Had a friend ask why I wasn’t assigning a grade on the reviews I was writing. It’s a fair question I suppose, which I thought I might share. The answer comes down to a few basic thoughts.

1) Reviews by their very nature are subjective. What I walk away with may be very different from what someone else does… and that’s cool! Honestly, I’ve never understood King Crimson, I find them indulgent. On the other hand I’ve had friends tell me they are genius. Still, it’s all just rock ‘n’ roll, and there’s room for everything at the table.

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2) The question of why isn’t this an A+ or 10/10. Again, I’ll answer with “subjective” but with a little more context. I love the Posies Frosting On The Beater.

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In my eyes it is an outstanding record. However, when I initially reviewed it back in 90 whatever, I gave it a B+ review in the Ontarion. Later when I interviewed them I was asked why. After a pause I answered…

“Well, it isn’t Sgt Peppers.”

What a dumbass answer! Let’s use a hockey analogy. Someone asks me why I don’t think Patrick Roy is the greatest goalie of all time and I answer with because he isn’t Wayne Gretzky (not a goalie), you would think I was both stupid and insane. Well creating a grade based on a comparison of those two records is not exactly the work of a genius.

Critics know that if they say everything is A+ that they will soon lose, or never have credibility. The same applies to negative reviews. However, if the criticism does its job properly, you’ll know what a reviewer thought without the need for a mark. So, if I think you should hear an album, you’ll read about it, and hopefully be intrigued enough to give it a spin and judge for yourself.

3) It’s a blog. My blog. If I’m working for a publication and they want a grade, fine – here’s a grade (And believe me, if you want to pay me to write for your publication – I’m available). However, a blog is basically a self publication where you make up your own rules – so, no grade. I’m still responsible to stand behind the words. If people have complaints, I’ll happily answer them, but I enjoy reviewing records without the marks, so that is just what I will do.

Now, as for The Posies… you should listen to them, they’re pure power-pop at its finest… and… well,  I really want it on vinyl…

 

Punk-By-Numbers or Third Eye Blind – Dopamine

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Oh yeah, I remember those post-grunge late 90’s; the punk-by-numbers take on power-pop and bands that had albums built around radio-friendly hit singles. I also remember the crash and burn as there just wasn’t enough Shrek soundtracks to keep them in the public eye (yes I’m looking at you Smash Mouth). All those bands with numerals in their name; I never could keep them straight… and now we have 90’s revival tours…

So here we are in 2015 with that “Semi-Charmed Life” band, Third Eye Blind, releasing a new record and touring. It’s cool, I mean the Sex Pistols and Pixies have given fans a second and third chance to bask in their grand-ness so why not Third Eye Blind?

Problem is they were never really grand to begin with. Yes they had hit songs; tunes that were fun, sometimes gloomy and always catchy about quirky romances, witty break-ups, and just trying to figure out life’s little twists. Sure they’ve also put out four records since the good old days that were received well by their dwindling fan base. It’s just that when you put Third Eye Blind on with their contemporaries, well – they kinda blend into the background.

Dopamine does the same. It isn’t a bad record, but it isn’t memorable either. Stephan Jenkins dreamy brand of poppy-punk bliss rests on his ability to turn a quick phrase, but with lyrics (from “Everything Is Easy”) like “go ahead take up my heart / roll it up like a joint / smoke me out ‘til the feeling gets cashed / when you look at my face it’s like you forget the point,” it just comes off as looking for a metaphor to bring in the teens as opposed to being meaningful.

Essentially Dopamine is like those toys your kids get at fast food restaurants, great for a short time, but ultimately discarded within a short period of time.

Oh, not this shit again! Courtney and the Conspiracy – blah blah blah

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I understand the thirst for blame and justice; that insatiable desire to find meaning in a senseless death, but can we please give this a rest. The second Kurt Cobain documentary this year, Soaked In Bleach, wants to re-examine the case surrounding the demise of the Nirvana front man. So Courtney Love has filed a cease and desist order against any theatres wishing to screen it in hopes of putting a stop to a film that essentially promises to be defamatory.

Of course, I’ve only seen the trailer, but… whew… it’s got ominous music, re-enactments, interviews with experts, and a whole lot of people that want Courtney behind bars. It has a compelling narrative filled with anecdotal ‘evidence.’ What it can’t explain a way is the very reason I don’t believe a shred of it.

Courtney Love has become one of the most vilified people on the planet. Over the years she has been in and out of court for the most asinine and trivial of reasons. If Police in Seattle, let alone other agencies can’t find evidence of her guilt, especially when everyone involved wants her to be guilty, how am I supposed to suspend my disbelief long enough to accept that a filmmaker and private detective have done it. Both of whom will get very big reputations by attaching their names to this… um… case, for lack of a better name. As they say in the trailer – “that’s called motive.”

Then, and this is a much bigger leap, I’m supposed to accept that Courtney Love is a criminal genius. Ms Love has been called a great many things by a great many people, but not once has anyone ever convinced me she has what it takes to be an evil mastermind. Maybe she could play one in an Austin Powers sequel, or perhaps that rumoured Poison Ivy in Joel Schumacher’s failed to materialize “Clooney Batman” sequel, but honest to goodness villainess?

Like the other Kurt documentaries, I don’t go. I put on some records, listen to music from a much angrier age, and re-envision Kurt decapitating the In Utero angel at Maple Leaf Gardens all those years ago.

He was pretty screwed up…

Following That Bouncing Ball or The Breeders – Last Splash

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It’s amusing that the greatest criticism handed Kim Deal and The Breeders is that Last Splash wasn’t something slightly bigger than it was. It wasn’t Pixies enough; it wasn’t grunge enough; it wasn’t polished enough; it wasn’t poppy enough, or it didn’t have the right producer. Yet the album went on to sell more than a million copies and was an alt-rock staple of 1993 and ’94. The single “Cannonball” was so damn infectious just the thought of the opening can get your head nodding and body moving in that familiar 90’s pogo.

For all the complaints, Last Splash remains an eclectic journey that has moments of pure pop joy (“Cannonball”), acoustic head turners (Drivin’ On 9”) and outright experimentation (“Do You Love Me Now”). Twenty-two years since its release and it still finds its way onto my stereo when I need a musical boost.

So , what about vinyl?

Well, by 1993 vinyl was just about taking its final bow and some records on smaller labels weren’t printing wax releases at all. The Breeders’ Last Splash fell into a weird spot. Here was a Chicago based band that North American fans had to import if they wanted the record on vinyl. The wax edition was only available to shoppers in Brazil, Spain and the UK. From that original release, only one country, the UK, was offered a bonus 7” to go with the vinyl. Not surprisingly, the reseller market for the initial release is all based out of the UK and people are asking for anywhere between $75 and $200. If you are looking for a newer  option, there are only two. In 2009, Plain Recording released a 180 gram edition with no frills. It is still available if you look in the right places and can usually be had for around $30. The next version is a lot more complicated. In 2013, The Breeders released a special 20th anniversary edition of Last Splash that was a full blown vinyl box set containing three 12” records and four 10” records. The first 12” was the re-mastered Last Splash with the other two containing a live show (called Stockholm Syndrome) and demos and rarities. The ten inches are re-masters of the bands EP’s – Safari, Cannonball, Divine Hammer and Head to Toe.

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Considering just how much is in the box a price tag that can range from $110 to $140 new isn’t surprising. However the reseller market has gone tragically insane at times with one e-bay vendor asking over $300. You can still find new copies if you do a bit of searching and used copies go for under $100 on discogs.

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Would You Believe I Just Bought A Cassette! Or Metric – The Shade EP

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The last time I bought a cassette, well… I’m not sure I remember. It was definitely in the late 80’s or maybe 1990, but it’s all rather fuzzy. To some extent vinyl had always kept a small touch of cool, but cassettes were popular only because they were portable. When CD’s took over that market, they became obsolete. Still, there is that touch of nostalgia and I fully admit to having a tape deck hooked into the stereo as I was making ‘mixed tapes’ into the late 1990’s.

So imagine my surprise when the latest Metric release came in two formats only: digital download and limited cassette. (Actually, I’ll be honest, I find it pretty awesome!) Over to the old AIWA deck I go and watch two wheels turn a thin strip of plastic. There it is, that new single (“The Shade”), introduced to The Edge just a day or two before their Sugar Beach performance, starts pumping out the speakers. The green and red lights are bouncing a storm on the cassette players level reader. It’s all so… mesmerizing. Fortunately, so is the music.

Heavy on the synthesizer, The Shade takes the exploration of those sounds found on Metric’s 2012 release Synthetica an extra step away from 80’s synth-pop and 90’s alternative  only to mix it up with a slight industrial tinge. The result is a band that has managed to show growth and range with every new release and an ep that is catchy without being crass.

The title track with its repeated chorus “I want it all” speaks to living in the moment. “Cascades” finds tenderness in electronica, “Too Bad, So Sad” comes off as a post apocalyptic self-help manual, and the final cut “Office Towers Escalate” builds a heavy drum &keyboard jam into a Matrix like dance revue.

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As if the music wasn’t incentive enough, Metric adds to the ‘collectibility’ of the cassette by signing autographs on the inside of the cover. Not that I think ‘the cassette’ is coming back in style, but I wonder if I need to get a head cleaner?

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You can find The Shade ep at ilovemetric.com

Youth Anthem Gets Reissue or Supergrass – I Should Coco Twentieth Anniversary Edition (coming soon)

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Give three teenagers a bit of cash to make a record and what do they do? If they’re Gaz Coombes, Mick Quinn and Danny Goffey they record Parlophone’s biggest selling debut record since the frickin’ Beatles released Please Please Me. Now, twenty years after that monumental moment, Parlophone and Rhino records are releasing an anniversary edition of the Supergrass debut I Should Coco.

Supergrass originally appeared in 1994, as a part of the Brit-Pop scene, with a sound that differentiated them from other acts by following a collection of influences. While Oasis and Blur were mining a vein of Beatles inspired melodies, Coombes & co. threw a concoction of ingredients into a blender that included the Buzzcocks, The Jam and Kinks. The result was a band that rocked louder and looser than their peers.

Their collective ages played a large part in the success of I Should Coco. Without even trying, the band created a great collection of songs that spoke to the teenage experience. “Caught By The Fuzz” was about Coombes’ bust for pot possession at age 15 and “Alright” with its opening “We are young, we run green” has continued to be a youth anthem long since the band were youths themselves. The album itself is a touchstone of the 90’s alt-rock movement and this reissue is definitely overdue.

With that in mind, both the CD and vinyl twentieth anniversary editions include some great things for fans.

The 12” re-master will be pressed on 180 gram black vinyl with cover art that has been re-photographed in high resolution from the original artwork created by The Moody Painters. It will also include a bonus 7” of the bands’ cover of Jimi Hendrix’s classic “Stone Free” which had initially been released only with the first 40,000 copies of I Should Coco. The 7” will be printed on red vinyl with a vintage reworking of the classic Parlophone red/yellow 45 label.

Alternatively, the 3 CD set will be jam packed with extras. The first disc will have the re-mastered I Should Coco. The second will contain all the b-sides that were released with their debut singles; while the third CD will include live material. Also included will be a 20 page booklet featuring one very enthusiastic live review from a 1995 Glasgow show, unpublished photos of the band and all the cover art from the singles.

To summarize, it is going to be one very cool set that fans will be eagerly waiting to get their hands on.

The 20th Anniversary Edition of I Should Coco will be released on Sept 4.

Comes With Big Explosions or Muse – Drones

/ ds barrett / 1 Comment

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It’s hard to gain respect when you are the world’s most bombastic band. Ask ELO or Queen about critical reception and there will always be those critics who point out the over the top nature of such artists. On top of this Muse can’t shake the fact that vocalist/guitarist Matthew Bellamy phrases his singing like The Bends era Thom Yorke and plays flashy guitar reminiscent of Brian May. Thing is, if you were to describe the ingredients of a great sounding record, you could do much worse than those guys.

The only thing that can save artists from the line of ‘artistic achievement’ and ‘unholy disaster’ is a group of songs that both the band and their fans can embrace as “really f’in cool.” So now you have Drones, an album that uses the mechanical bringers of death as a metaphor for the loss of humanity, identity and empathy. It shoots for the stars and attempts to play more like a rock opera on the movie screen than a mere record put out in 2015.

Odd as it seems, they make it work. Sure you get the impression that they listened to a few popular 80’s records along the lines of The Power Station and Foreigner to update their previous sounds, but damn, it’s fun and they sell it with conviction. You might accuse them of being pretentious; an honest criticism in their case, but the basic fact is that Drones is entertainment. Think of it this way, not every war film made is about the consequences of violence; some are released so that people can watch big explosions and stuff popcorn in their face simultaneously…  and there is nothing wrong with that.

So when Bellamy sings “men in cloaks / always seem to run the show / mercy / from the powers that be” you can either roll your eyes or turn up the volume, but there is just no way you can ignore it.

Now for the purchase details.

Muse does know how to treat their fans and make a few bucks. You can buy Drones on all the usual physical mediums or you can buy this gorgeous gem.

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In a tri-fold cover, the deluxe edition contains two 180 gram red vinyl discs, CD, DVD, download card and two litho art prints. It’s pricey and you’ll need to cover shipping… but damn, it looks pretty sweet.

Self Sabotage Genius or The Replacements – Pleased To Meet Me

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Pleased To Meet Me should never have worked, yet it stands tall as a masterpiece. Lead guitarist Bob Stinson was out because of substance problems and the remaining band members were stumbling at best. Paul Westerberg’s songs were all over the map, and still the album is full of such gems that you can hardly tell that they had begun to disintegrate.

Recording at Ardent Studios in Memphis with producer Jim Dickinson, it really shouldn’t have been a surprise to anyone that the band sound was less their typical brilliant boozy swagger and more an awesome well practised piece of power-pop. Of course, like his hero Alex Chilton, Paul Westerberg attempts to self sabotage his own career aspirations with tunes designed to be hated. The reaction therefore is that fans and critics alike see it as a ‘sign of genius’ – ‘a change of direction’ and rightfully heap praise.

Jazz and soul undertones (“Nightclub Jitters” & “Skyway”) mixed with punk pathos (“I Don’t Know” & “Red Red Wine”) and the aforementioned power-pop gems (“Alex Chilton” & “Can’t Hardly Wait”) help to create an album that demands devotion.

So it seems strange that since its initial release in 1987, Pleased To Meet Me didn’t see a re-master and reissue until 2008. For vinyl there are only two choices, finding an original used copy, which will cost you $50 and up

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the 2008 Rhino reissue on 180 gram vinyl. New and unopened copies of Pleased To Meet Me start around the $40 mark and even get some resellers asking as much as $100. While there is a new Replacements 2015 box out right now, there has been no vinyl release date set as of yet.

Your best bet is to hit your local retailers and see if you can track down the 2008 vinyl reissue while you still can.

Punk Before Anyone Coined The Phrase or The Sonics – Here Are The Sonics!!!

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No one quite did early garage rock like The Sonics. They were a musical mess of fuzzy guitar, earth pounding drums, screaming vocals and lyrics that were dirty and just plain asinine at times. This was the early sixties and while The Beatles were singing “Love Me Do” The Sonics were belting out “she’s gonna make you itch / ‘cause she’s the witch” (from the song “The Witch”) and as the Stones sang about “Mother’s Little Helper” these guys were blasting out a tune named “Strychnine.” It was a sound that reverberated from the 60’s and had enough impact to influence everyone one from The Stooges to Nirvana. The fact is that they were punk long before anyone even coined the phrase.

That The Sonics are not a household name is more at testament to poor timing than quality of expression. They were loud and crass before it became popular, and when they tried to move in a more commercial direction, that sound changed again and the band wasn’t thrilled about their new path anyway. Their debut, Here Are The Sonics!!!, was released in 1965 and by ’68 they called it a day. However, punk in the 70’s and grunge in the 90’s brought renewed interest in the band. Nirvana and later the White Stripes and Hives hailed them as influences while cover versions of their songs were played by the Flaming Lips, The Fall, L7, The Cramps, LCD Soundsystem and more.

If you are considering giving these guys a try the best place to start is with Here Are The Sonics!!! which provides the best overall example of their sound. On vinyl, you have a few choices, but your best bet is actually the 1998 mono edition released on regular vinyl. Mono being how it was originally recorded, it sounds far better. The great thing is that it is still widely available, NEW, for around the twenty dollar mark. A re-united Sonics has been touring and recently released a new album, This Is The Sonics.