Category: music reviews

Beck proved that a guitar could replace vocals, and project just as much expression, soul, feeling and depth to carry an album. In fact, it melded more easily and distracted less from the other instrumentalists and guitar rhythm textures.

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Jellyfish Bellybutton (1990)
Jellyfish Spilled Milk (1993)

Jellyfish, the great little band that couldn’t. Why, with such a mastery of retro ’70s musicianship, sensibility, worldview and song-writing chops did this band fail to make a splash?
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…until Salier’s “She’s Saving Me”, an angelic aria delivered with real emotion and the bitter-sweet longing of her best stuff. When Ray’s harmony rises to caress the melody, the old magical alchemy melding these two opposing forces finally transmutes mercury into gold.

INDIGO GIRLS/Become You

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…it’s attractive to a mainstream audience and still has enough of that “underground” feel to stay credible in those circles. Personally, I like this CD a whole hell of a lot and wish there was more recorded stuff to listen to.

Bitter Fall/Sweet RiseHexagon Records.

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…this isn’t bad for a debut. With time and direction, this band could be something interesting, as they certainly have the potential. What they choose to do with that remains to be seen.

Bitter Fall/Sweet Rise bad
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The most entertaining track on the album has to be “PJ + Vincent & Matthew + Bjork”, which consists of a twisted pseudo-celebrity double-date over a slow cello line. Hearing an impression of Bjork telling us about her “erotic reawakening” is funny enough to make you squirt milk out your nose.

Rasputina/Cabin Fever
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Mars Volta/Tremulant

The Mars Volta is the more radio-friendly of the two ATDI spawns. …very artistic and dynamic.

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“Crash…starts out almost sounding like a Sega videogame, and then morphs into a completely rocking tune, with funky electronic riffs in the background pushing the tune to the end.”
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Sparta’s EP Austere is very instrumental, artsy, and melodic. The songs are very emotional, but not “emo.”
BleachedPink

Sparta/Austere

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I’m prompted to write this because of the death of George Harrison, but its been on my mind for years, actually. Of course, today is a very sad day. He will be missed. I’ve been a Beatles freak since I was a little kid, long after they had broken up I still knew they were the greatest band ever. No pop group has ever had such a profound effect no only on music, pop culture, movies, fashion and literature, but on much deeper things like the peace movement, philosophy and religion. I think George was always in the forefront. He did it in a very humble and self-effacing way. He held the first ever ‘star-studded benefit’, and did it in a way not to glamourize himself, but to play up the cause.
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