Newspaper Page Text
.March 18, 1992
Flagpole Magazine
Page 19
Off the Beaten TVacks
The Ellen James Society
The Survivor's Parade (Daemon)
Ellen James Society is one of those acquired tastes that
I keep thinking I should have developed by now, but just
haven't completely. This one comes close, though, to
capturing the essence of their live shows. The major gripe
with this offering is the weak production value. With the
gorgeous packaging, the obvious care taken in the song
writing, and the level of intensity on which the band is
working, it’s a
damned shame
that George
Pappas wasn’t
able to get a bet
ter sound for the
latest release.
One-dimensional
(the drums are a
problem, sound
ing flat and life
less despite the excellent playing) and listless, the sound is
terribly dry. Which is the opposite of the songs and their
emotional matter.
Chris McGuire, while a singer of limited range (which
she regularly exceeds), puts her entire soul into every
syllable, which has always been a compelling aspect of the
band. She can gracefully slide from a bluesy rocker to a
lovely ballad, barelyskippingabeat. Guitarist Cooper Seay
plays from the gut as well, adding rough ’n’ tumble slide
wor1< here, crashing the boards with distorted Strat leads
there. Sometimes, though, she tends to add lead lines
where chunks of power chords would be better. The songs
suffer from grasp-beyond-reach, which is a mistake lots of
bands make. It was stroke of brilliance to use Jane
Scarpantoni on ’cello and Yvonne Toll on trumpet for several
of the songs, adding a luster to the otherwise straight-ahead
production of the disc. (B+)
j.e. sumrell
Thorny Hold
4 song demo tape
If you haven't seen or heard Thorny Hold, you might want
to check them out in the near future, while their shows are
still relatively cozy. Why? Because somebody from A Label
will be quite impressed with this tape, and soon thereafter,
every trend follower with a herding instinct worth a dime will
be making their shows a cramped, b.o. infested experi
ence. The tape begins with “Divaclone," which features
each player sailing off into his own self gratifying musical
higher plane and then reuniting to begin “Catalogue,' my
favorite on the tape. It starts as a prolonged drizzle and
ends with a prodigious flash of lightening. The lyrics on
“Catalogue' are plaintive and poetic; I rewound a couple
times to catch their meaning. The third song, “Dorothy
Love," is a funk rock classic, and the last song, "Slug,’ is a
spiraling,
anthemic
eruption. The
tape's record
ing quality is
adequate; I
especially
enjoyed the
semi-aquatic
bass sound. I
have a feeling
we’ll be hear
ing more from
these guys in
the near future. (A)
Alex Jones
Hubbard’s Cupboard
“Bone Appetit" (Independent)
Hubbard’s Cupboard was formed in June of 1991 by
three men from the south Georgia town of Louisville. Now
located in the Athens/Atlanta area, they have released
“Bone Appetit’, their second tape.
The band takes a shot at any rock-related genre of
music, including folk,
blues, rockabilly, funk
and pop, and the re
sults are as varied as
the styles. There are
several tracks that I like;
“The Bridge’, “Finding
It Hard Sometimes",
and “A Lie In the Red
Line’ are among the
more outstanding ones.
I could certainly live
without others, like the
final track, "Bill*, a 50's
stomp that makes me
imagine ZZ Top doing "Tutti Fruitti’.
The lead vocals (by chief songwriter, Mark Hodges)
could use some help on the mixing board, and obtaining an
outside producer for their next recording would probably
improve things overall in the sound department. At present,
“Organic Milkshake’ is being played on WUOG, and the
band is planning to do some live dates in the spring.
The variety offered in the 17 songs of “Bona Appetit’
does make it difficult to get bored while listening, but it also
makes it hard for one to get involved in the music for more
than a few minutes without having to shift gears to accom
modate the constant style changes. For those of you with
eclectic musical preferences, Hubbard's Cupboard will be
an enjoyable dining experience.
Lisa McDonald
Single issues
Helmet
Peel Session Broadcast 7" (Amphetamine Reptile )
Grab your earplugs and bolt down you stereo because this 7’ is heavy in every aspect of the word. This 7’ has been
around for a while, but I just recently purchased it at Helmet's show at the Masquerade last weekend; there I saw Helmet
for the first time and they astounded me with their sonic, semi-speed gnashings that translated into a forceful wall of raw
power. This 7’ is taken from the BBC’s Peel Sessions which Helmet appeared on sometime in the summer of 1991. What
I have missed. I promise you will need some amphetamine’s after being pounded senseless by Helmet’s intense brand
of semi-industrial, grind-grundge that does not rely on banks and banks of computers for creation. Nothing's wrong with
utilizing computers, hell I worship Ministry and Godflesh, but Helmet’s full-throttle rhythm assault is completely
independent from that sort of mechanization. Helmet is meant to be played extremely loud, because if you don't you could
possibly miss the awesome power that fuels Helmet’s volatile noise. Helmet is one of the few bands that plays as loudly
as they do but has the raw talent to back it up. unlike some bands I could mention but won't. Helmet reminds me somewhat
of another New York powerhouse, Prong, that utilizes unorthodox stop and go rhythms to create an interesting aural
onslaught that catches the listener off guard and pummels you with “sound’ brutality. Helmet is not a Prong carbon-copy
though. They have their own style that lends to the beauty of the raging melee. Angry music for angry people — lovely
isn’t it. Both ’Unsung’ and “Your Head’ are excellent compositions that are loud, raw and seething with "controlled’ anger.
Helmet has an album out called "Strap It On’ and their new album is due out sometime in June. I warn you to wear a hard
hat when listening to this because it might just cause you to run into the wall repeatedly — and gleefully. Helmet rates
5 bruised craniums and 5 scorched eardrums. INTENSE.
John Mincemoyer
WUXTRY
Baxter Hill
• SPINAL TAP
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Etheridge
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McCulloch
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Society
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(7712’, CD-5)
•Bucket full of
Brains (Mag)
(W/R.E.M. FlexO
• The Brood
• NEW T's
• Thee
Headcoats
• Gories
• Gibson
Brothers
• Jack-O-Nuts
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