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k®ncak
KONCAK
only when the right side glows
[Local Independent Release]
There is a tendency not only rn
music but in the arts in general to latcn
onto an artist immersed in tragedy and
to magnify his importance because he
died young. In the pop marketplace.
Nick Drake and Kurt C-obain serving as
two obvious examples. Knowing this, it
was with mixed emotions that I accept
ed the task of reviewing this album.
Luckily for me. familiarity with
local musician Nuci Phillips’ unfortu
nate circumstances could in no way
overshadow his latent talents. This
album’s mix of subtle melodies and
downright dazzling guitar work has
enough dynamics, time changes and
unpredictability to keep anyone's ears
busy, while remaining surprisingly
accessible. The best thing about it is
just listening to the way Nuci thinks
with a guitar in his hands. As with Nick
Drake, themes of longing and alien
ation permeate many of these songs,
but Nuci’s songwriting skills have a fire
of their own. Never seeking to drag the
listeners into low valleys, instead Nuci
makes life's daily disappointments
approachable and not overbearing.
In fact, this album highlights much
of the optimism that paradoxically
coexists with despair. Even though
tracks like “Archer Space Patrol.“
“Social Failure/ and “Bern Losers“
reveal his anguish, the forthright hon
esty in his lyrics makes these songs
poignant and touching. There’s a sense
of playfulness here, too. whether it’s
experimenting with the vocals on
“Hercules’ or discussing sleigh bells
and handclaps with drummer Kyle
Spence before “X-Mas Time.’ These
songs prove undeniably that it's the
music and not the tragedy that makes
this album so great Special thanks to
David Barbe for releasing this and
sharing these songs with the rest of us.
(Available in local record stores.)
Matt Amundsen
Q-BURNS ABSTRACT
MESSAGE
Oeuvre
Astralwerks Records
MIXMASTER MIKE
Selections from Anti-Theft
Device
Asphodel Records
Lately it seems that the term “DJ" is
being thrown around a lot in the world
cf electronic music and dance culture.
The modem DJ has become much more
than simply a dark shadow in the comer
of a club spinning records: many DJs
are now utilizing their experience and
creative talents in the production of their
own music. And a relatively new breed
of hip-hop DJs. (such as super crews
like The Invisible Skratch Piklz and The
X-ecutioners), are setting new standards
for the art of turntable scratching and
beat-juggling that began back in the day
with Grandmaster Flash's “Adventures
On the Wheels of Steel.’ These two
recent releases show why both of these
phenomena can be a good thing and a
not so good thing at the same time.
Q-Burns Abstract Message (a.k.a
Michael Donaldson) is a renowned DJ
from the Orlando scene. His latest
album. Oeuvre, is a collection of singles
previously released on various compila
tions, as well as a few never before
released tracks. Q-Burns Abstract
Message, as his history as a DJ should
imply, makes music simply for the
dance floor. If that's where you find
yourself, fine, but it doesn't make for a
very entertaining listen at home between
the headphones.
Oeuvre is comprised of mid-tempo
funky breakbeats and futuristic electro
textures. While the beats can only be
described as phat, the album as a whole
is marred by cheap, chintzy synthesizer
sounds and far too many repetitive
grooves. The only thing that really
struck me about Oeuvre is the incredibly
catchy and funky flute loop on the open
ing track, “Enter/Other."
Mixmaster Mike, on the other hand,
certainly knows how to rock a beat and
keep you interested simultaneously.
While currently a member of the insane
ly talented (and possibly jus! insane) DJ
collective The Invisibl Skratch Piki? (as
well as being the new DJ in the Beastie
Boy's crew), Mixmaster Mike definitely
has enough skills to shine on his own.
Although the bass-heavy drum machine
beats on these selected tracks from his
forthcoming album Anti-Theft Device
are a bit repetitive, they serve omy as a
canvas for the Mixmaster to splatter his
sound colors all over tlie place Rather
than relying on a sampler to do the
wofk for him, Mixmaster Mike cuts in
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IS FLAGPOLE JULY 22, 1998 .
sounds and loops culled from what
must be a massive (not to mention
eclectic) record collection manually on
several turntables at the same time. The
result is phenomenal: jazzy breaks,
vocal sound bits, ill scratches, and
complex drum textures fly in and out of
the mix al breakneck speed. Wtiile these
cuts aren't exactly easy listening, they
serve to show that hip-hop was, and
still can be today, a true art form miles
away from the generic Puffy-isms that
have become the standard. The com
plete Anti-Theft Device album wont be
released until July 21. curiously around
the same time as the eagerly awaited
release of the new Beasties album
(coincidence?).
Until then, you'll have to subsist on
Puff Daddy's inflated ego and Master P’s
gastro-intestinal problems (Unnngghhh!
Get me to a freakin' doctor!).
(Astralwerks Records: 104 W. Street 4th
Floor. New York. NY 10001.
Asphodel Records: 270 Lafayette
Street. Suite 1302. New York. NY
10012.)
Chris Morris
B3G FISH ENSEMBLE
State Bird of Big Fish Ensemble
Put It On A Cracker Records
At first glance, second glance
even, this album has the total presence
of an SST release from the early 1980s.
The cover is a clumsy, dumb little oil
painting of a mug with a bird on it and
theie's a goofy made-up map of BFE's
mythic state, through which runs the
New Jersey Turnpike and the Little Old
Man River.
I'm a sucker for this kind of deal.
This Atlanta band's Frankensteinian
homeland is an aggregate tout map
complete with the two most bizarre real
sister cities (Alabaman) known to the
South. Guin and Gu-win. They even
have a state motto — ‘Hey. that's my
bike!* — and major exports — alu
minum foil. Velcro, bratwurst. The only
extraneous element of the package is
what is inside.
All my hopes for a reincarnation of
Camper van Beethoven were dashed at
the close of the first song — a tradi
tional Khosid Wedding Dance complete
with violin and banjo fanfare. What fol
lowed was a long, flat interstate traffic
iam with a feast cf lame radio stations
to choose from. AM radio at that.
I will maintain that there is an
audience for this music and that there
is hope for civic growth in the state of
BFE. I think that populace is mostly
under the age of 18 and that they are
committed to this Faulknerian territori-
alism hook, line and wanker. Who
knows? Maybe a commuter rail would
make a difference. (931 Ponce de Leon
Ave. NE Atlanta, GA 30306)
Christopher Wyrick
SOUL ASYLUM
Candy From A Stranger
Columbia
Dave Pirner and Co. find them
selves in a precarious position these
days. Sure, Soul Asylum had a smash
hit a few years ago with a song that for
all intents ar.d purposes sounded like a
Tom Petty track, but I wonder if these
guys really trust the audience that put
them where they are, and the original
audience that might have abandoned
them post-hit Sure doesn't sound like
it. Previous efforts like Hang Time and
more notably The Horse They Rode In
On found Soul Asylum shedding their
punkier roots with hard-won grace and
turning into songwriters for chrissakes.
But after a (financial) watershed like
Grave Dancers Union and an outright
flop like Let Your Dim Light Shine,
Soul Asylum just seem a little con
fused.
I don't know. We shouldn't hate
these guys because 'hey haven't both
ered to quit, but for the life of me I cant
get behind a record where everyone
sounds bored. Occasionally Pirner
comes up with something that comes
off as articulate, understated and oddly
poetic, but those moments are far out
weighed by the same hammy schlock
that proouced instant classics like
“Frustrated Incorporated.’ I sort of get
the feeling that maybe Pirner should
chuck the band, wallow in self-pity,
spend some time doing a little navel-
gazing and produce the album we all
expect he's capable of. As it stands
now, this one is a first-class ticket to
Yawns-ville. File under “Westerberg
Lite’and move on. Quickly.
Jason Slatton
MONEY MARK .
Push The Button
Mo' Wax/London
Money Mark, best known as the
Beastie Boys' carpenter and keyboard
player, returns to his old-school roots
on his second fuil-length CD.
Surprisingly, Money's old school is a
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