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slacker sound somewhere
new. Here, their experi
menting illuminates the
melodies with shiny flashes
that might invite a double-
take but don't linger.
Home cannot be blamed
for trying, that's for sure.
Defying the slacker work
ethic with every note, they
slap together pre-fab won
ders, ready-made to move
in. (Screw Music Forever,
5102 N. Tampa St., Tampa,
FL 33603, and Jetset
Records. 67 Vestry St., #5C,
New York, NY 10013)
Neil Swanson
BLUE HAWAIIANS
Christmas on Big Island /
Restless Records
December: it's cold,
rainy and dismal. What bet
ter way to get out of the win
ter doldrums than to pop on
a Christmas album? Not
only will the Blue Hawaiians'
Christmas on Big Island pui a
smile on your face, but it'll
transport you to sunny Hawaii.
Just listening you know that
when the/ sing about having a
white Christmas they're extol
ling their beautiful, sandy
beaches and the foam of the
waves rather than any of that
cold, icy stuff you have to put
up with.
On Christmas on Big Is
land. the Blue Hawaiians
slather the tiki lounge sound
onto some well-lo *d
Christmas classics . .vai-
ian steel guitar figures
prominently on the record:
both ■Blue” and "White
Christmas" employ it
heavily. Not surprisingly,
they do up Christmas Hawai-
ian-style with a rollicking fun
version of "Mele Kalikimaka."
On “Jingle Jangle." the Hawai
ians add vibraphone and a
cha-cha-esque bassline to the
steel guitar and Don Ho-ish vo
cals. “Jungle Bells" captures
the jungle exotica sound with
its rumba-like bassline. They
even throw in some surf for
good measure: the “Four
Kings” is a Ventures-influ-
enced instrumental version of
“Little Drummer Boy." My fa
vorite song of the album,
“Christmas on Big Island,"
begins with a traditional
Polynesian percussion solo
and segues into a sultry
boogie number.
So, if you're looking for
something to liven up your
Christmas party circuit, grab
a copy of Christmas on Big Is
land. And, as they say in Ha
waii, Mele Kalikimaka! (Rest
less Records, 1401 Haight St..
San Francisco, CA 94117)
Sheila McAlister
COMMANDER VENUS
Do You Feel At Home?/
Saddle Creek Records
There's a huge differ
ence between the beauty of
a voice wrecked and shat
tered with emotion (see:
Mike Mantione of Five-
Eight) versus someone who
simply can't sing (see:
Courtney Love of Hole).
Omaha, NE's, Commander
Venus has not one but two
vocalists who subscribe to
the former practice. I'll take
Commander Venus' high-
pitched high school yearn
ings over the latest batch of
30-year-old MTV angst-
pushers anyday. Just wit
ness the true teen spirit of
the absolutely crushing
“Radio Announcer." where
"I just can't know/ I just
can't see" is uttered over
and over with increasing
fury and try to tell me there's
a false bone in the
Commander's body. And
that phrase is pitted against
another equal'y draining
one: the whispered, almos*
mournful "I don't have a
special someone." It's just
about enough to break your
damn heart.
Luckily. Commander Ve
nus has a lot more than that
going on. While punk rock
certainly informs this four-
piece. they play a more
bombastic Pixies-meets-
Weezer-meets-Pavement-
meets-l-just-don't-know
brand of rock music. The
emotion on Do You Feel At
Home? runs higher and
stronger than on any single
album I can recall. The al
bum feels like a caffeine-in
duced catharsis, and when
it’s over I have to just
breathe a sigh of relief that
the band (and I) made it all
the way through. It’s odd,
then, that I find myself lis
tening to the record repeat
edly; catharsis should be pain
ful, and Commander Venus —
as emotionally wrenching and
distraught cs the band might
bn — is often just what the doc
tor ordered. I'll take a pinch of
truth over a pack of lies anyday.
(Saddle Creek Records, 2543
N. 55th St.. Omaha, NE 63104)
Marc Pilvinsky
HUMAN REMAINS
Using Sickness as a Hero/
Relapse Records
Human Remains are no
more. The bassist and one of
the guitarists have flea to other
bands, ana the remaining three
have decided to go under
ground to resurface eventu
ally as The Sky is Denied.
Alas, it is truly unfortunate
that Human Remains have
called it quits, because
their cyber-grind, pain
laden aural autopsies, as
featured on this seven song
disk, are something to be
hold (or be frightened by —
it's hard to decide).
Using Sickness as a
Hero is a blood-splattered
collage of "creations," not
songs, that continually test
your senses. Bludgeoning
freely with a crazed aban
don, Human Remains tran
scend reality, birthing a
sound that is so off-center
and maddening that words
fail me. The emphasis on
the disk definitely rests in
the disemboweled laps of
the guitarists who create such
strange and sanity-defying
sounds that a word like “tech
nical” does not even come
close. I think my synapses
have stopped firing. Leave all
of your preconceived notions
somewhere else, because Hu
man Remains will aestroy them
anyway. (Relapse. P.O. Box
251, Millersville, PA 17551)
John Mincemoyer
DRAGSTRIP
Reaction Time / Shredder
Records
Indianapolis. Almost im
mediately one thinks of the
Indianapolis 500. How ap
propriate that Dragstrip, a
three-piece su r f instrumen
tal combo should hail from
this well-known racing city.
The band owes much of its
sound to heavy Ventures
influence, although other
surf greats' influence may
be detected sporadically.
At the starting gate. Reac
tion Time looks like a prom
ising contender. “Dragstrip
Theme" revs up (literally)
witn a clean surf guitar and
a ! aavy, upfront bassline.
The track smacks more of a
secret agent theme than a blis
tering drag race. Although pri
marily disciples of the Ventures,
Dragstrip tip the flag towards
Dick Dale wuh some MK Ultra
“moorish" guitar runs. They
also mirror Dale's trademark
runs or. "Shanghai Cobra," one
of the album's stronger tracks.
Dragstrip also seems to add a
touch of country/rockabilly to
their sound on "*iacknife"
whereas "THX 1138" (the title
of George Lucas' first film) has
more of a garage-punk inten
sity. Their aebi to Link Wray is
duly noted with a fairly faithful
rendition of his “Jack the Rip
per" despite the long-winded
interlude
Like the famous race. Re
action Time does little for me.
Despite the handful of standout
songs, the records covers the
same ground over and over
again. The songs 'end to be re
petitive. For the most part, they
blend into one another. It's as
if you lost track of how many
laps have alreaay been run.
Dragstrip doesn't cover any
new territory: they keep end
lessly driving around that well-
run track. (Shredder Records,
75 Plum Lane, #3. San Rafael,
CA 94901)
Sheila McAlister
The Georgia Bar
... a good place to drink.
Athens’ Original Downtown
Neighborhood Bar
Thursday 12/12
$2.00 Bud Pitchers 11-1
Friday 12/13
CALL
Saturday 12/14
c;a bar annual
CHRISTMAS PARTY
Live Music Ralph Roddenbcrry
and Second Hand
Food, Prizes. Giveaways
& Festivities start @ 4pm-2am
Monday 12/16
$1.00 Domestics >^5
Y' Tuesday 12/17
^C in aa V\'J
$1.00 Domestics
159 W. Clayton St.
Free local phone 546-9884
Beer & Drink Specials to all
Bar & Restaurant Employees
Happy Hour M-F 4pm-9pm
Happy.
Specials from 4 until 8:
$2.25 house wine by the glass
50$ off all beers
459 E. Clayton Street *613-0095
(Across from junkman's.)
$1 Bud &
Bud Light Draft
Tuesday Dart
Tournament @
8:00pm and
t $1.50 Lite
546-7999
321 E. Clayton St.
NO COVER
Wednesday 12.11
, Bum, Baby, Bum!
Still the Best fa Less"
$.50 Draft & No Cover
The Evil TJ Spins
Play Aces High for Free
9 T-Shirts!
PU'flSWKTDOME'
DJ ERIC SPINS
$1 MILLER BOTTLES!
“fridayr fc.Q
’ Y °“ r luckyDayf
^ & 90s Disco
" The Evil T.i
Saturday 12.1A
cA fedAi foj
^ Open 'tfcmeJ.
8pm-llpm • Open Bar 8pm-9pm
$3 Donation to Benefit ACNG's
Holiday food Drive for PWAs
Monday 12.16
a H clS litwiictr ■
cim&m
Presents
Lily White
From Backstreet!
Showtimes: TOCO & Midnight
Tuesday 12.17
\Mi REWIND
TESS&SKW £?
$1 Miller Beers
«3 MST HANCOCK
543-1555
EZ3SHAKHB
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