 Roni
Size | The
Grifters | Judas
Priest | The
Sundays
Roni Size Plenty of electronica artists are taking the Prodigy route: i.e.,
they're attempting to split the difference between dance music and pop in
the hope of coming up with hit singles that will still work in Clubland.
Size, for his part, is moving in a less financially rewarding but more
creatively intriguing direction by using his gear to explore textures in
ways that retain their mating-ritual appeal but are actually worth
listening to in the cold light of day. The two-CD length of
Reprazent implies that Size merely put together a batch of
programs, then pushed a few buttons and let the album finish itself. But "Trust Me [256K
aiff file]," which begins with a jazzy fillip that recalls the Art
Ensemble of Chicago and uses subtle bursts of sampled voices in a manner
that's not far removed from old-fashioned soloing, seriously undermines
this theory, and "New Forms," featuring Bahamadia, kills it dead. On the
latter, vocalist Onallee offers a fleet-footed rap that's every bit as
rhythmic as Size's skittering percussion, resulting in a seven-minute-plus
extravaganza that's machine-driven but thoroughly human. (A similar
juxtaposition is utilized in "Digital [251K
aiff]," a computer-age effort that sets Onallee's throaty exhortations
against a synthesizer pattern that's as Kraftwerk as Kraftwerk can be.)
Because of the sheer volume of creativity on display here, Size's more
composerly turns (like the fast-slow "Hot Stuff" and "Ballet Dance
[270K aiff]," which is laden with ambient squiggles) tend to get lost,
but that doesn't mean they're not worth discovering. Reprazent is a
cornucopia of sound; just when you think it's empty, it bears more fruit.
The Grifters After their recent concert in Denver, one of the Grifters relayed a
hometown friend's assessment of Full Blown Possession, the
Memphis-based group's second long-player for Sub Pop: "You guys finally
made a real record!" This opinion makes sense on some level: Because the
CD was polished in the studio, it's considerably less raw than some of the
Grifters' earlier, more lo-fi selections. But at the same time,
Possession is a characteristically awesome display of songwriting,
energy and flexibility--arguably the act's best offering yet. Of course,
the Grifters remain a simple band with fairly standard rock
instrumentation, and their songs still deal with everyday
matters--relationships, cars and so on. But every tune has a weighty life
of its own. Guitarists Dave Shouse and Scott Taylor share distinct,
complementary vocal styles and a knack for perceptive yet down-to-earth
lyrics like, for instance, "It's harder to tell/Am I staring at hell/Or is
that the sunrise?" Their guitars, meanwhile, are used for heavy moving,
droning ornamentation and percussive effects. As for the rhythm section
(made up of bassist Tripp Lamkins and drummer Stan Gallimore), it's
capable of wildly shifting gears, and does so on a dime throughout "Re-entry
Blues [249K aiff]," whose gritty, low-down guitar intro connects to a
viciously efficient track that's every bit as intense as "Black Fuel
Incinerator," from 1994's Crappin' You Negative. Elsewhere, "Centuries
[284K]" is buoyed by a rare funky undercurrent and cleverly riffing
refrains; "Sweetest Thing," a ballad complete with harmonica and abnormal
keyboards, provides a sorrowful, therapeutic respite; the instrumental
"Hours" combines a vague R&B quality with a Seattle edge; and "Contact Me
Now [310K]," an arresting unrequited-love song, finds the players
working at their individual peaks. Possession is indeed a "real"
record, but its production values don't obscure the Grifters'
unself-conscious, over-the-top rock brilliance. Judas Priest Back in the day, the mere sight of Rob Halford dressed in studded
leather was a guaranteed laugh-provoker for me. So the fact that I
actually enjoyed a significant portion of this appropriately dunderheaded,
unexpectedly hook-laden retrospective is either a comment on the slackness
of today's hard rock or proof that nostalgia can attack anyone at any
time. Be careful, or you may find yourself shelling out for a Pablo Cruise
album as well. Songs included: "Living After
Midnight [273K]," "Breaking the
Law [282K]", "You've Got
Another Thing Comin' [263K]" |
|
 Roni Size Reprazent: New Forms |
The Sundays  Static & Silence (Geffen) Since the early Nineties, the sounds made by most female-fronted
alternative acts have been utterly homogeneous--which is a good way of
describing the incipient style of the Sundays. The act's first two
releases, 1990's Reading, Writing and Arithmetic and 1992's
Blind, were built around singer Harriet Wheeler's lullaby voice and
now-husband David Gavurin's ethereal guitar playing--and although "Here's
Where the Story Ends" and "24 Hours" were lazily effective in and of
themselves, they varied precious little from the group's other material.
Fortunately, Static & Silence is a marked departure from this
methodology, albeit a tenuous one. "Summertime
[242K]," the first single, is a stylistic declaration of intent; the
approach is more upbeat, and Wheeler, while still soft-spoken, seems more
sure of her voice. "Another
Flavour [244K]" and "So Much
[253K]" follow suit effectively, and if the comparatively melancholy
pace of "Folk Song" and "When I'm Thinking About You" causes the disc's
middle section to sag a bit, at least Wheeler's youthful Cockney accent
lends the music a dash that distinguishes it from the faux-Seventies
femi-nonsense that currently pollutes the work of nearly every woman
operating in the alterna-folk realm. Static isn't a throwback; it's
a welcome respite from an annoying present. Got a comment/compliment/beef? Send us your feedback.
|
|
 The Sundays Static & Silence |
| ||
