RECORD REVIEWS
Powerman 5000
Tonight the Stars Revolt!
Dreamworks
Powerman 5000 are a hard hitting, unusual sounding industrial/heavy rock band. They sound quite loud with distorted guitars and vocals.
Their latest effort, Tonight the Stars Revolt, following on from 1997’s
Mega!! Kung Fu Radio, is a typically dark and jumpy collection of hard and
fast rap/rock songs, stamped with Powerman 5000’s (or alteratively,
PM5K) weird style, dealing with themes such as death, violence, the future
(or in most cases, the lack of it).
Band members Spider one (vocals), Dorian 27 (Bass), AL 3 (drums) and Adam
12 and M.33 (guitar) have taken the band that proverbial “next step”
with this record.
And that is saying something about the future of this band, as their previous
CDs including The Blood-Splat Rating System have all won awards and been
sellouts.
The best song on the album is definitely the very-awesome Supernova goes
Pop, with wicked guitar riffs and growling lyrics. The titular Tonight when
the Stars Revolt is also a killer song. For a slight change of pace, try
the toned down but still good Nobody’s Real.
Fans of Rob Zombie, Limp Bizkit’s DJ Lethal and Ginger Fish from Marilyn
Manson should keep an ear out for their contributions on the album.
Tonight when the Stars Revolt will appeal to many different tastes in music
– rock, goth-rock, rap-rock, metal and so on and so on. It is well
worth a listen for 39 minutes of powerful tunes.
Bug rating: 3.5/5
- Chris Gordon-Brown
Buckcherry
Buckcherry
Dreamworks
Buckcherry are a fresh new band with a rocking and rollicking sound and
really, really catchy tunes.
Indeed, band members Joshua Todd (vocals), Keith Nelson (guitar), Yogi (guitar),
J.B. (bass) and Devon Glenn (drums) say their biggest influences have been
the likes of AC/DC, Kiss and The Sex Pistols, which isn't a bad start. Their
self-titled first album is chock full of hard and fast songs that just keep
coming at you.
Formed in 1995, Buckcherry spent their early years touring clubs in America,
getting radio play when they could. They even opened for Kiss in Europe,
which for me would be the ultimate dream. After listening to their first
effort, it is clear that it certainly won't be their last. Buckcherry certainly
have well established help, with Terry Date (White Zombie, Soundgarden and
the Deftones) and The Sex Pistol's Steve Jones lending a hand.
The best part of the tracks on Buchcherry is definitely the perfect blend
the band get between zippy, heavy guitar numbers and slowed up rock ballads.
It makes for a very even album which should please many different tastes.
The record gets off on exactly the right note with the brilliant Lit Up,
a fast song with great guitar riffs and an addictive tune. Among the other
highlights are Dirty Mind, which opens with a ripping guitar riff, Lawless
and Lul and Drink the Water, which fittingly concludes the album in fine
style.
Buckcherry's first album definitely won't be their last, and expect this
band to get even better as they age a bit. Fans of fast rock, slow rock,
AC/DC etc give it a go.
Bug rating: 3/5
- Chris Gordon-Brown
Korn
Freak on a Leash (Single)
Epic Immortal
For those of you who have actually read some of my previous reviews,
you will know that yes, I like Korn - a lot.
But not even I, The Bug's resident Korn fan, can honestly say there is a
lot to like on their single of the wildly popular Freak on a Leash, which
figures the excellent song untouched as well as five remixes, which simply
don't always work out.
The untouched version of the song jumpstarts the album. Sadly, the remixes
fail to keep the song alive for the duration of the album.
Basically, Freak on a Leash was so good that it should not have been touched.
For example, the Freakin Bitch Remix adds harsh scratchy background sounds
which detract from the power of the original. The one good remix is the
Lathal Remix, mixed by Limp Bizkit's DJ Lethal.
That said, it is good to see Korn trying new things, new sounds. There are
those sceptics out there who will inevitably say that the album is purely
a money making exercise, and perhaps it is. But it is good to see a very
popular band experimenting with sounds, even if they don't even work.
Bug rating: 2/5
- Chris Gordon-Brown
Juxtapose
Tricky (with DJ Muggs and Grease)
Universal
If you are looking for something a little askew from the standard hip-hop
offerings, then Tricky’s latest album Juxtapose may be right up your
alley.
Together with DJ Muggs (Cypress Hill fame) and Grease (Ruff Ryders, DMX
producer) Tricky with Juxtapose has fashioned a very, very different alternative
to rap/hip-hop/reggae . It is a melting pot of different beats, styles and
themes (not just the standard sex, drugs and violence) which he manages
to pull together fairly well.
Originally from Bristol, (a place automatically associated with hip hop
– not!) Tricky’s previous records have included Aftermath (1992)
and most recently 1996’s Pre Millenium Tension. It is obvious from
his CDs that Tricky refuses to conform to the standard Hip Hop genre. And
while it sometimes doesn’t quite work (you sometimes get the idea he
tries to be too “tricky” – sorry), he manages a smooth, off-beat
sound most of the time.
Highlights from Juxtapose include For Real, Bom Bom Diggy (with Grease)
and Wash my Soul, a very slow, narrative like song. She Sai is well worth
a listen for the cool Latino instrumentals at the start of the song, while
Hot like a Sauna (metal mix) plays to an entirely different beat again.
If you like hip hop, give Tricky a go. His songs don’t always come
across as sounding smooth and it is always refreshing to see an artist who
refuses to be bound by genres.
Juxtapose comes with a bonus CD, featuring three remixes of For Real and
two additional songs, Bombing Bastards and Pop Muzik.
Bug rating: 2.5/5
- Michael Gordon-Brown
Marvin is 60
Various Artists
Universal
As you might expect, this tribute record for the great Marvin Gaye is
completely classy and very well compiled. Anything less would have been
completely unacceptable for one of the great soul singers of all time.
The tribute sprawls majestically over two CDs. The first CD features contemporary
artists such as Erykah Badu and Montell Jordan performing reworkings of
various Gaye classics. The second features Gaye singing the same songs in
their original forms in the same position as the reworkings.
So for example, on disc one the first track features a jazzy and uplifting
take on Your Precious love by Badu and D’angelo, while the first song
on the second disk is Precious Love in its original form. It is a terrific
little gimmick that makes for very interesting comparisons between the songs.
The stand-out on the tribute is the nice reworking given to the Gaye classic
Sexual Healing from El DeBarge, complete with a boppy reggae-ish tune in
the background.
Marvin is 60 is an expectedly smooth and very enjoyable CD. Marvin fundamentalists
may be upset that some of his songs have been reworked, but the reworkings
are far from shameless rip offs that seem to dominate music today.
Bug rating: 4/5
- Michael Gordon-Brown
Limbo
Movie Soundtrack
Sony
American director, writer, editor, actor (and just about anything else
you care to throw in here) John Sayles has long been regarded as the king
of the American Independent film scene.
Some quirky and meaningful outings (i.e Lone Star) have stamped him as one
of the most unusual directors around.
It is not surprising then that the soundtrack for his latest film, Limbo,
yet to be released in Australia, is unusual itself.
What is most surprising about the songs is that four of them are by Mary
Elisabeth Mastrantonio. Remember her? Maid Marian to Kevin Costner's Robin
Hood in Prince of Thieves? Yep, that's the one.
She had disappeared without a trace but is obviously back in Limbo (once
again, sorry for the terrible play on words) where she plays a singer. Surprisingly,
she can actually sing.
The soundtrack itself is a nicely balanced blend of warming R and B, mostly
by Mastrantonio, beautiful instrumentals and Springsteen, kicking the album
off with the extremely subdued Lift Me Up. Inland Passage is a wonderful
instrumental, sure to conjure images of Scotland and Ireland. One of the
songs by Mastrantonio is an adaptation of Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell
aka Cest La Vie (from that great dance scene in Pulp Fiction). Title of
the year must go to Duke Levine's Attack of the Mutant Guitars. It isn't
a bad song either.
This soundtrack is an unusual and pleasing listening experience, and is
well worth a go. And don't be put off by Mastrantonio singing, either. She
ain't that bad, folks.
Bug rating: 3.5/5
- Michael Gordon-Brown
