Whale
Pay for Me
Virgin
A derivative Bristol band, Whale
Had a hit, then started to fail
They curbed out an EP
Called it Pay For Me
And prayed for “alternative” sales.
Three eyes.
– Matt Sheperd
Catherine Wheel
Happy Days
Fontana/Mercury
Catherine Wheel, those stylish Brits
Let their career slide into the pits
Made an album below par
With glam and guitars
And hoped that it would spawn a hit.
Two eyes.
– Matt Sheperd
Various Artists
Power Rangers Soundtrack
Fox/Atlantic
Those Power Rangers now have a movie
All morphing to song, none groovy
This should be unlawful
This soundtrack is awful!
But hey, little kids aren’t that choosy.
One eye.
– Matt Sheperd
Hurricane
The Hurra
EMI/Grand Royal
Anyone who likes Run DMC will like Hurricane. And that’s not surprising because before he met the Beastie Boys, the Hurra worked as a bodyguard for the crew from Hollis. As far as the album goes, you can do a lot worse on your first record than sounding exactly like Run DMC. Hurricane shows that he has talent, but not necessarily independence. The album is under Mike D’s Grand Royal label, and is produced by the Beasties’ Mario C. The Boys guest rap and guest produce a couple of tracks – you get the picture. You’ve got to admire Hurricane for putting together a decent album while being on the end of Ad Rock and Co.’s leash.
Three eyes.
– Mark Triller
Bjork
Post
Elektra Entertainment
Hopefully everyone has heard of this upstart from Iceland, who is now on the threshold of superstardom. Her voice has the ability to arouse, to pacify, or to energize and she doesn’t hesitate using all facets of it on Post. Unlike Debut, much of this album is slow, with Bjork exploring herself on “The Modern Things”, “Possibly Maybe” and “Headphones”. But then, in traditional Bjork-style, she grabs your vitals and pulls on songs like “Army of Me” and “Enjoy”. The fast and heavy tracks balance out the album, taking the listener on an exciting, emotionally erotic voyage. Then again, listening to Bjork is always erotically exciting. Keep those cigarettes handy for when you’re done listening to Post.
Five eyes.
– Pete Nowak
Steve Earle
Train a Comin’
Stony Plain Records
I don’t know what Earle was on when he chose this uneven mix of acoustic “favourites…along with a few new ones and a few covers.” Maybe more marijuana, for which he recently went to prison for.
That would explain the hillbilly-esque sound as his Texas accent grates uncharactersically on half of his “ain’t my (MTC) unplugged” CD.
Ironically, the best track, guitar solo “Northern Winds”, is neither written nor performed by Earle.
But Earle saves himself with the love-lamenting “Goodbye”, and a Caribbean-tinged cover of Boney M’s “Rivers of Babylon”; tunes where his talent shines through a locomotive-black cloud. For true Earle fans only.
Two eyes.
– Saleem Khan
Primus
Tales From the Punchbowl
Interscope
More bass-fuelled madness from Primus. Just another piece of the gargantuan Primus album on first listen, but soon the subtle differences start poking out. This Primus is more subdued, creepy (“Mrs. Blaileen”) and strange (“Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver”). Tales… is not much different than Pork Soda, which was a little different than Frizzle Fry, which was a shade off Miscellaneous Debris… Punchbowl is another small step in the evolution of a terrifyingly interesting band.
Four eyes.
– Frank Edible
Yaki-Da
Pride
Mega Records
It’s pride alright. They can’t possibly have any left after this farce.
One eye.
– Jean Lenon
Strawman
Self-titled
Power and Industry Recordings
Strawman is a master of marketing, but not yet of music. The band promotes itself better than most huge multi-platinum artists. Their self-titled release, the foundation for their promotions, is credible and very listenable, but falls shy of the hype that the band generates. Strawman kicks on “Crucify” and “Want to be Wanted”, and positively rocks on “Yeah Yeah Yeah Whatever”. Most of the tracks are above-average quality rock ‘n’ roll with intelligent and poetic lyrics. If this album is any indicator, Strawman definitely has a future. And a bright future it might be. If only they didn’t sound so much like Moist…
Three eyes.
– Pete Nowak
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