Just some bits and bobs from an old website I'm dismantling, thought they could live here from now on.


THE DANDY WARHOLS
13 Tales From Urban Bohemia
Clinton - June 2000

Perhaps 13 Tales from the Country Wastelands would be a more appropriate title for this collection of 'Lou Weed' styled acoustic-based (+ slightly twisted) 'pop' songs, the latest offering from The Last Remaining Great American Rock Band - the Dandy Warhols.

1997's Come Down LP was only as suck in name - tracks like Every Day Should Be A Holiday and Cool As Kim Deal were definitely urban in style, British in sound and bohemian in attitude. 13 Tales... is the true 'come down' - in sound at least, and also in the vocals. The average note Courtney Taylor-Taylor (yes, two Taylors) sings on this album must be at least two octaves lower than anything they've done before, with the exception of the first LP's aforementioned Lou Weed.

The album begins with Godless, an instant Dandy Warhols classic in the vein of Nothing meets Just Try, with Supergrass-esque horns; in other words, simply beautiful.

The pop leanings of Come Down don't really get a decent look in till track five, entitled Solid. It comes complete with what sounds like one-finger styled keyboarding from Zia and the strangest hookline since whenever it was Guided by Voices last released anything: 'I must have a door in the back of my head,' (Being Courtney Taylor-Taylor; directed by Iggy Pop).

Closing the selection this time around is The Gospel, picking up where Blur's No Distance Left To Run left off. But where's the lengthy 2-chord freakout we've become accustomed to getting at the end of each Dandy Warhols LP?

So overall, it's quite frankly a confusing one for the old fans, an oddity for the new, and a risky one for Capitol Records. It could be another underperforming classic, it could sell millions. But keep this in mind - when I first bought Come Down, I was disappointed. And that's an almost perfect record. 4/5

Buy it if you like these:
Urban Hymns - THE VERVE
Coffee And TV - BLUR
Say It Is So - TIM FINN
Giant Diamond Eater EP - THE CLAMPERS

PS - A couple of odd things; almost every song on this album begins, ends or begins AND ends with an el cheapo casiotone-style drum machine. And the beginning of Bohemian Like You sounds like Bachman-Turner Overdrive. ???



PRIMAL SCREAM
Xtrmntr
Clinton - 30.6.2000

Mmrbl mmnts n my pth thrgh tng mscl dscvry ncld th fllwng: (1) hrng Jy Dvsn's Stll fr th frst tm nd htng t (s) dscvrng Plcb's Brn Mlk ws ctlly gy, nt chck nd (3) sng Rkcs n MTV nd rldng t wsn't th Rllng Stns.

Nthng n Prml Scrm's ltst lbm, Xtrmntr, cld b mstkn fr th gng rckrs thgh. Synths hv nvr rckd ths hrd bfr. Kll Ll Hpps (n Scrmdlc thn?), Xtrmntr, Swstk Ys - t's nt nc lbm, dfntly nt whn y cnsdr sm thr sng tlts n th CD - Nsct Rylty, F Thy Mv Kll 'M, Bld Mny, Sht Spd Kll Lght. Th Clckwrk Rng f st lsts. Nd tht chrs n Plls - 'fck, fck, fck, fck, fck, fck, fck, fck, fck, sck, sck, sck, sck, sck, fck, fck, fck...' tc, tc, tc. Grt.

Swstk Ys - th sngl f th yr? S fr. Thr's n cmpttn. Qt smply th bst rls f th bnd's lng nd vrd crr. 4/5

Standout tracks:
Swastika Eyes, Pills, Kill All Hippies
Buy it if you like these:
Dig Your Own Hole - CHEMICAL BROTHERS
60 Second Wipeout - ATARI TEENAGE RIOT
Pop - U2




RANDY
The Human Atom Bombs
Clinton - June 2001

The year is 2001, and punk has finally arrived in Sweden, 1976 style. No matter that it's 25 years late, because a decade of monotonous nasal-punk has made it worth the wait. On their fourth album, Randy have ditched the restricting skate-punk label... instead they've got their guns of brixton blazing, and could quite possibly have created the garageland since the Clash City Rockers themselves signed up to a major.

Okay - so they wear their influences on their sleeves like anti-capitalist patches - Addicts of Communication is an orgasm away from the Buzzcocks, & Freedom Song sounds like the Clash circa '77 covering the Clash circa '81. But for all the Rancids and Mxpxs of the world, it's about time someone did it justice.

A crossover album in the truest sense - all the young punks will dig it's speed and energy, & fans of the first and second wave punk groups will love the raw sound & genuine punk attitude. Besides, who can resist an album with the line "I live way up in the north of Sweden," particularly when it's the truth?

4/5



WEEZER
The Green Album
Clinton - June 2001

The biggest and best bands in rock are so for either one of two reasons: (a) each album they do is different to the last, or (b) each album they do is basically the same as the last. An example of the former would be REM, an example of the latter would be AC/DC. So where does this leave Weezer?

I ask this question because their newest release, dubbed The Green Album, sounds like a worthy sequel to the band's 1994 debut. It even looks like a follow up album, carefully reappropriating the design of their debut's cover. But as every self-respecting Weezer fan knows, it's not the sequel to The Blue Album, as in 1996 Weezer released the underrated, underbought Pinkerton.

You see, Pinkerton was a raw, amped up & intensely personal follow up for a group best known for songs about Buddy Holly and sweaters. No matter that it was a huge leap forward in the band's style and sound & utterly brilliant, it just didn't connect and sell.

So that leaves us five long years later with The Green Album. Yes, with Rik Ocasek produsing, it sounds just like the first one, and absolutely nothing like the self-produced Pinkerton. And is it good? Sure is. The Green Album is a powerhouse of perfectly realised powerpop that only begins to disappoint as you hit the very end. But up until then, it's nothing less than a five star effort.

4.5/5




CLUBBING
A guide for Hamiltonians, Part 1.
Clinton - July 2000

Would I be wrong in assuming most readers of Clinton aren't the type to go clubbing on a Saturday night? Cause I know I'm not, really. No one can dance when they're drunk, and I for one won't while I'm sober, it's a no win (lose?) situation all over. Still, when it's the last Saturday night ever you're going to spend as a menace to adult society (i.e. a teenageer) you gotta do something. Life being as dull as it is, I chose 'clubbing'. In the complete absence of other things to do of course.

Impressions on a (mostly) sober night out.

THE OUTBACK
I'm reminded a few times here the 'talent' is awesome, it's a pity 95% of them are probably being completely serious when they chant, 'boom boom boom boom, I want you in my room,' to their hilariously dressed male counterparts, i.e. stupid.

The dancing stage in the corner is something akin to a supermarket - here's what we have, peruse a while, take your pick, it's cheaper than anywhere else, you know? The one thing the stage could be used for, which it sadly isn't, is stagediving. Being at the Outback is like being at a rock concert, only without the band and the crowdsurfers. And worth does that leave, really? So bring it on.

Good things about the Outback? Foosball. The big screen (even if they only ever project rubbish onto it). And you're always bound to find someone you know. Maybe even a Shortland Street 'star' (I'd never heard of him).

THE ALAMO
Should the 'floorsuck' rule apply in clubs? It's make the Outback a damn site more interesting. And the Alamo a living hell.

I was actually thrown out of this place earlier this year (all for a good cause) and told never to come back, so they must have forgotten who I am. Wouldn't lose sleeo over it though. This place has a real creepy 'redneck' vibe going on, like if I was to leap upon one of the tables carrying a jug, no, a medium-sized barrel of home brew, and declare my love of unregistered sawn-off shotguns and first cousins, rather than be ex-communicated I'd be held aloft and championed as the living epitome of what it is to be human, to be real. Fuck that.

It's even more packed than the Outback, just trying to push my way through the crowd it feels like I should be arrested on various sex charges.

THE CAZBAR
Entering the land where Pearl Jam and Blink 182 reigh supreme, someone tells me I'm very brave to wear a Spice Girls t-shirt out in public. I say fuck you! Give me a Creed t-shirt to scrawl 'I hate' on anyday. Is it a coincedence Creed sound like they're playing covers of every generic rock band before them, the band on 'stage' are playing covers, and they all look, man for man, like the cheese-rockers they oh so aspire to be so deeply, with honest to 'god' passion and sim-cerity? Yes. SIM-CERITY.

To be honest though, the Cazbar's quite an improvement on the others. Some people even look as if they're enjoying hte music, rather than just using it as an excuse to look like a Gatecrasher reject. And 'going to the Cazbar' doesn't sound as bad as 'going to the Outback' on your social CV.

Rock the Cazbar! (please don't hurt me)

THE MORTUARY
Some space, finally. Dance where you like, no one will judge you... too harshly. A place that feels like you belong there, somewhere you could hang around in all day - kinda like a coffee shop with a dancefloor nad electronic soundtrack. The soundsystem is great, and so is the music - so it's not as recognizable as the pop hits the other bars mainly play, but it's a lot more interesting. And credible.

Friendly doorman.

I like this place. Cool stuff happens. ONe guy tried to light his cigarette using one of the huge 20cm diameter candles, which was funny in itself, but watching him do this only to light the filter end and try to smoke it unawares was genius.

Then there was the little exchange: 'You got the time?' 'I don't believe in time.' Cue serious stare. Check out the Mortuary next time you're out, it'll be worth it. It's where the old MOJO club used to be.



THE SHRUGS
The Doggler Effect
Buzz - September 2003

Not the debut album proper that many would have been hoping for, The Doggler Effect is instead a stop-gap compilation of the band’s best work to date, largely if not entirely recorded with previous Shrugs line ups. So while the new band (Geoff, Gordon and Natalie) hack away at what should be the Shrugs first full length release, we’ll just have to make do for now with what they’ve offered us here.


Ordered in reverse chronological order for some reason, The Doggler Effect opens with two contrasting tracks that effectively show off the schizophrenic sound the old band had. Tee Haka is the sound of a 60s beat group pre-empting punk, kinda like what the Who would have sounded like if Roger Daltrey hadn’t insisted on singing like such a girl all the time.
Ambivalence displays the other side of lead Shrug Geoff’s songwriting - a perfect slice of soulful country pop with lyrics that seem oddly out of place with the melodies - “I got this feeling/I only got one/but this feeling’s getting numb/I’m sitting on my bum/listening to your stink song...” Harsher words have been sung before, but there’s something in the performance that makes it OK to rhyme “bum” with “song”...


You’d already have heard a few of the songs here - Sorry Ian, Too Stoned to Say Goodbye and the song that put them on the Htown musical map back in 2001, Exhibit B are all present, as are live faves I’m Fucked and I Don’t Know What I’m Doing.


Sometimes however it’s the tracks that don’t come flying at you like a thunderbird on a Kinks trip that stand out. Spiders Come is a lovely little piece nestled in the middle of the CD, while Ruapuke and the Generator live-to-air version of Mustang Song are pure country, without the tassles & boots.
So as a standalone album it’s not bad, not bad at all, and as a stopgap filler album designed to clear the air and buy some time, it’s a killer. The Doggler Effect comes highly recommended for all the band’s existing groupies, and all fans of well written tunes, mad lyrics and the DIY who-gives-a-fuck attitude.

3.5/5



TADPOLE
The Buddhafinger
Clinton - September 2000

Starting with the surface elements, the superficialities... an amazingly shite album title & cover, but I suppose that's what you'd expect from a group called 'Tadpole' who at one point were going to call themselves 'Shortlanmd St', but The Buddhafinger? What? Seriously folks...

The fold out (comedic pause ala Mike Myers) ...folds... out... to a decent sized poster of the band, leading me to wonder who'd actually leave their CD without a cover and put it on the wall... no such problem existed when vinyl was prevalent you know. You just stuck the whole thing up.

Anyway, if you've read this far you obviously want to know what the music inside is like, and to tell the truth, it's pretty damn fine. Just presented badly - kinda like Garageland's last album.

The singles are all here, in their pop-metal funk glory. Tadpole have made an intelligent move with the running order on this CD - the singles are spaced fairly evenly throughout, inviting the listener to hear the other songs from the album while waiting for the hits, & become accustomed to them. And once one has, they can fully appreciate what a strong and consistent release musically The Buddhafinger really is. Highlights include Number One, a track reminiscent of the punkier stuff from No Doubt, and You Know It, whose blindingly simple chorus makes me wonder why nobody did it before.

Despite the album already having four singles released from it, there is plenty of room for more. Most welcome would be No Man, which shows off the group's less hammering sounds. The endearing Music Box and previously mentioned Number One would also do well, i feel.

Some criticisms you ask? The DJ is largely unnecessary and a pain in the ass with his untimely intrusions; and some of the guitar FX are a little Zoom 505-ish. But it couldn't be perfect, could it?Well worth buying, not just for fans of NZ music but rock fans in general. Get it if you like No Doubt, Shihad and the more musical elements of those shite sportz-metal groups. A tough act for Fur Patrol to follow.

3.5/5



RADIOHEAD
Kid A
Clinton - Oct 2000

"KID A is dedicated to the first human clone... I believe it has already happened."
- Thom Yorke

No one could have put it better. Just imagine being the first human clone - the expectations, the trials, the confusion. Try to picture yourself as the prototype of a new species, a new brand of human being - and slowly discovering you're not quite the same as everyone else. Realising your world is fake, any effort to make some sense of it all, and any actions you take are fed back to you by the media and those you trust, and become part of the experiment. This is where Radiohead's outstanding new album KID A comes in.

Riding in on the crest of a pulsating synth wave is the magical first track Everything In It's Right Place. Our subject begins his journey right here - amidst a garble of looped vocals & spot on Kraftwerk melodoes, complexity reigns yet everything really does sound in it's right place. A closer listen to the words reveals a simple yet naively honest sense of disharmony - lines such as 'What was that you tried to say?' being digitally modified for added conceptual impact.

Heading into the title track Kid A, the electronic cut & paste environment our protagonist lives in is slowly being revealed, nothing hanging around longer than the time it takes to be noticed. Almost completely non-melodic, it is the first time we hear the alienic dolphin-like sounds that permeate the album from start to finish, and is oddly reminiscent of the more experimental tracks from the Boo Radleys' LPs Giant Steps (1993) and C'mon Kids (1996). Monochromatic synthesizers brighten up the soundscape towards the end, but as with everything else are gone as readily as they came.

The biggest surprise of the album perhaps doesn't come from the band's adoption of modern electronic sounds, as has been widely mooted (and predicted), but instead from their re-appropriation of classical instruments into a modern, futuristic context. The National Anthem features an entire horn section blasting in about half way through much to the confusion of any long time Radiohead fan-first time KID A listener. The intrusion couldn't be timed better though, serving to disrupt our 'kid' who is just beginning to understand and make a coherent & direct observation on those around - 'Everyone... everyone around here... everyone is so near, but so alone...'

The National Anthem is the groovy, psychedelic alternative to the thumping in-yer-face Idioteque that comes later. Think Blur's 1997 album closer Essex Dogs gone way of Primal Scream's Blood Money and you're half way there.

Whereas OK Computer was the sound & message of an identity fully aware of what was going on but unable to stop it, KID A is the complete opposite - the power is in the hands of our protagonist, yet they are unable to realise this potential through a lack of awareness, and emotional distress. How to Disappear Completely is the closest song musically here to anything on OK Computer. For one, it marks the first appearance of old-school guitar strumming - you know, that thing Radiohead used to do back in the 20th Century - and is the first song on KID A with some semblance of structure and a mindful objective of where it's going to end up. Thom sings just like he used to, as if in an almost vacuum occupied only by the singular emotion he's trying to get across, with no distractions - 'I'm not here, this isn't happening' - self denial of circumstantial realisation - not wanting to be singled out for any reason, be it of interest positive or negative, it doesn't matter. Features Sgt Pepper styled horns blaring away in the distance, threatening to pep the song up but wisely holding back, allowing the strings to compete for top volume & emotive punch with the yawning, beautiful vocals.

After a brief dalliance with an Eno-styled ambient piece Treefingers comes the radio-favoured Optimistic. Just why it's the FM hit of the album is lost on me - it's the least inspiring song on the album sonically, sounding at best like a cross between Electioneering and New Order's 1986 b-side Murder. The production on it is also rather weak - not since the Itch EP's raucous, earlier version of the inescapably brilliant Thinking About You have Radiohead put up such a messy mix of an otherwise great song - and isn't production the most important factor when it comes to radio playlisting? That said, it's still a great 'rock' song with the catchiest chorus of all KID A. If you heard Optimistic on the radio and didn't think much of it, don't let it put you off buying the CD - it's just a red herring.

Meandering from the ashes of Optimistic is another guitar-based track, the echo and delay heavy In Limbo. Although a little more interesting than Optimistic, it's lack of coherency and direction lets it down - it stands more as a bridge for the album thematically than as a song on its own. Our protagonist, briefly in relatively good spirit & mindframe suddenly and knowingly loses his way, and the music lapses into a crescendo of echo & noise.

If awareness and understanding of his surroundings is what our 'kid' has been after, Idioteque is the soundtrack to his disturbing discoveries. 'This is really happening,' sings Yorke, the only message of true conviction amongst a smattering of observations & confusion harking back to Everything... - yet in contrast emotionally to How To... he has resigned to accept the madness that surrounds him. It really is happening, but what can he do? Idioteque is driven along by the well-documented Aphex Twin-esque rhythms and keys, without a guitar in sight. The title appears to be taking a swipe at mindless disco drivel (Vengaboys, Top of the Pops) and is nothing short of genius.

Just as electronic is the next track, Morning Bell - it just doesn't beat you senseless like Idioteque does. Guitars and keyboards combine to make a sound unlike almost anything else terrestrial, and it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Our 'kid', thrown by the situational overloads of Idioteque by now has decided he wants out - 'Please release me... you can keep the furniture... where'd you park the car? I've got the kids here...' (though I reserve the right to re-interpret that last one, it was a little difficult to understand!) Yorke at times is very close to the mic, and his vocal is so cold it is unnerving to listen to.

And then the techno madness ends. The protagonist has reached the pinnacle of his discovery paths, and comes to the conclusions spelled out in the album's most stunning and musically perfect moment, the breif yet eternally satisfying Motion Picture Soundtrack, 'cheap sex... sad films... help me get where I belong,' is the first answer he provides, before the cruncher - 'it's not like in the movies...' The organ plays chords so achingly beautiful, the harps swirl around and around like angels themselves are playing them and then it's down to Yorke's final statement of intent - 'I will see you in the next life.'

Apart from a short soundscape that occurs about thirty seconds after Motion Picture Soundtrack has faded away, it all ends here.


nine razorblades out of ten, and rising by the day.




EIGHTY EIGHT
Cool Drop
Buzz - September 2003

Nothing like the Htown rock group of the similar name 8Forty8 (see Buzz #2), eightyeight it seems are a loose collection of well known local musicians and producers making music whose style I loosely associate with coffee.

Not being a fan of coffee, I’m finding it kinda hard to get into Cool Drop, but I can definitely say listening to it almost makes me wanna pop off down to Metropolis or Scotts and grab one. The 5 song EP begins with perhaps its strongest track, Angel, that you’d have already heard on the zeropointone compilation, for sure. It’s nice, pretty and has an underlying almost sinister atmosphere that contrasts with the more playful jazz stylings that permeate some of the following tracks. Paul T lays down some live drums, which is a nice touch, working well with the fairly odd sampled squelchy noises that would otherwise constitute the ‘rhythm’ section.

Whatever Happens is all class. It’s more red wine music than coffee, now that I think about it. Perhaps this is why I’m digging it a bit more this listen through! The weak point comes next with Earth Moves however, sounding like a misguided attempt at an 80s pop-soul anthem. The two final songs make up for it though, dipping into dub territory like the EP’s title seemed to promise.

So, all in all, I’d say that if you were thinking about heading down to Rocket for your daily caffeine fix but it was raining, just fire up the kettle and chuck on Cool Drop. It’d be the next best thing. You can get it from Tracs for about eight or nine bucks, I know this much, but I’m sure it’d be elsewhere too. Cheers for the CD too Kerry :)

3/5



UNDERRATED SONGS #1
REM - World Leader Pretend
Clinton - September 2000

A forgotten jewel in REM's Green crown, I always remembered it as 'that song after Stand'', but have recently decided it deserves much better. Begins with a nice little shifty drumbeat & jangly guitar, which contrast with the lyrics, perhaps some of the best Stipe ever wrote. "I sit at my table & wage war on myself." "I recognise the weapons... I fitted them myself."

It's the little things that make the song - the false starts on each chorus, the intrusions by Mike Mills are inspired - think Fall On Me but more held back. The backward sounding slide guitar... beautiful. "It's amazing what devices you can sympathize." Deadpan drawl, with a minorish turn on the choruses. Think Richey Manic, sober & bored.

FIND IT: Green - 1988 - side one, track five