Sound Bites
Boo Radleys Wake Up! with Prozac
Wake Up!
(Columbia)
The "Wake Up" theme is
picked up once again halfway through the album with "Martin, Doom! It's
Seven O'Clock." From this point onwards, the album seems to become a little
less poppy, and a little more interesting."Stuck On Amber" opens with
a muffled, somewhat lo-fi sound, but returns to the pristine cheerfulness
of the album's previous tunes. Then, in a shameless act of name-dropping
designed to prove their indie credibility, the band named their next song
"Charles Bukowski Is Dead." Bauhaus they are not.However, the album does
have its interesting moments. The melodic "Charles Bukowski Is Dead"
devolves into a the chaotically echoing refrain: You'll never touch the
magic if you don't reach out far enough. This segues into the album's
least happy song, "4AM Conversation".The Boo Radleys do have
some great tunes here. And the album is occasionally punctuated by some
interesting production, even if the majority is rather lackluster.
Ultimately, Wake Up! is an album that grows on the audience with
each listen. That is, if you can get past the annoyingly cheery command,
Wake up! It's a beautiful morning . B+ --Morgan Keep/Staff
WriterKen Nordine
Colors
(Asphodel)
Explaining hipster Ken
Nordine and his word jazz is next to impossible. Many people have tried,
but when you finally hear him, you realize how inadequate the descriptions
are. The reissue of his 1967 album Colors is the best introduction
to his art.Colors originally
began as a series of radio advertisements for the Fuller Paint Company and
became so popular that Nordine decided to record an entire album of his
color-focused word jazz. Each of the 34 tracks focus on a different color,
10 of which didn't appear on the original album. Nordine's baritone voice
glides over the jazzy background and the two complement each other
perfectly. Nordine seems to be improvising the words at first, but
eventually you'll realize that each piece is a disguised commentary on the
world much like Aesop's fables.One of the most immediately
impressive pieces is "Flesh" were Nordine questions just what color flesh
is supposed to be. Flesh, as a color, is in an awful mess /
Yes / Ask anyone with flesh / They'll tell you /
Flesh, as a color, is as close to a problem/ as any color could
guess. The rest of the pieces (besides some of the bonus tracks, which
are mediocre in comparison) are just as clever if not more. A--Adam Stackhouse/Music Editor
Spinner
(Gyroscope)
Ex-Roxy Music member, solo
artist, producer, technical wizard Brian Eno's musical collaborations (with
David Bowie, David Byrne and John Cale, among others) have usually proved
to be artistically rewarding. His latest work with ex-P.I.L. bassist and
solo artist Jah Wobble is no exception.Spinner began as the
soundtrack to Derek Jarman's film "Glitterbug," but Eno felt that the
electronic soundscapes were too sparse to release as an album. Enter Jah
Wobble, who took the master tapes off of Eno's hands and worked wonders.
The result is classic Eno ambience with a bass-heavy bite and rhythmic
intrigue.The three tracks on the
album that Wobble didn't touch show just how sparse the original soundtrack
was. It's enough to put you to sleep really quickly. The
juxtaposition of these tracks with the other Wobble seven is like a cosmic
breather in between the intense rhythmic assault.The transitions between the
first three tracks are, collectively, the best example of how well this
collaboration works. "Where We Lived" is Eno alone making church-worthy
ambient music. Wobble's rolling bass line comes in like a motor on the
following track, "Like Organza," and carries the album away from the
almost-Catholic-cathedral setting of the first track to a more
groove-friendly world temple setting. The third track, "Steam," becomes
even more dense with a faster bass line, drums, atmospheres and
keyboards.The album continues to get
better as it progresses. The apex occurs when Wobble enlists former Can
drummer Jaki Liebeziet to lend his Kosmische percussion to two tracks. This
is when the heavens are reached. A--Adam Stackhouse/Music Editor