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REVIEWS
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KEVN KINNEY
The Flower And The Knife
Caprice rn
Freed from Ihe rock and roll expec
tations that weighed down
Drivin'N'Cryin', Kevn Kinney jumps head
first into Dylan territory on his new solo
album and shares tales ol isolation and
loss in a world-weary voice that travels
Irom the mountains to the delta to hell'
and then to redemption.
Re-imagined versions ol "Scarred
But Smarter* and “Straight To Hell" are
sure to spark the interest ol the D'n'C'
crowd, but the album hits its high points
on newer material. "40 Miles ol
Mountain Road" is my personal favorite;
the spooky. Mississippi crossroads vibe
is enhanced and darkened greatly by the
steel guitar of GovT MuleS Warren
Haynes as it wails over the spare and
tense rhythm providing no release from
its vise grip. Td rather be a possum
than a poor white man." Kinney croaks
in a more melodic, desperate voice than
his hero Dylan. “Whatever" is another
minor key wonder with biting lyrics and
a thundering kick drum that pounds the
point home.
Special guests abound on the
album: John Popper (Blues Traveler)
lends his considerable harmonica skill
lo ‘Scarred But Smarter" and Edwin
McCain provides a smattering ol backup
vocals. The Allmans' Derek Trucks and
Oteil Burbridge add to the swanky, flew
Orleans feel of "Kerouac" with their lead
and bass duties, and Haynes is all over
the record. Haynes alsc did time as pro
ducer, so that's no surprise.
The Flower And The Knile is a
sparse, muled, intense affair that allows
the characters in the songs to tell their
own stories. (83 Walton St.. Atlanta. GA
30303)
Chris McKay
Kevn Kinney plays at the 40 Watt
Club on Saturday, August 19.
KINGS OF CONVENIENCE
Kings of Convenience
Kindercore
The music the Kings make is as
cold as the country in which they make
it and the songs are mostly minor-key
affairs with near-constant harmonizing
over subdued guitars.
Kings of Convenience is a two-
piece group from Bergen. Norway. Emk
Glambek Boe plays nylon string
acoustic guitars and sings most of the
lead vocals, while Erlend Oye plays steel
string acoustic and sings backing
vocals. The band's '60s-styfe folk-pop is
reminiscent of Simon and Garfunkel in
their more uptight, almost medieval-
sounding moments, a la "Scarbrough
Fair." The nylon-string acoustic also
reminds the listener of Red House
Painters' more simplistic songs from the
album Songs For A Blue Guitar. The two
Scandinavians harmonizing is spot-on
and the interplay ol their guitars is as
well crafted as it is catchy
Three of the tracks feature simple
drum lines to help propel them into
somewhat more pop-ish territory, but
most of the sengs tall into the plaintive
folk-love ballad category. "I Don! Know
What I Can Save You From" is the
standout love song, with lyrics
lamenting the way people change when
relationships end and the avfcwardness
ol re-acquainting yoursell with a former
lover Some of the lyrical flights on this
record find the Kings dishing out a
common kind ol naive romanticism, as
in. "Even though I’ll never need her/
even though she's always giving me
pain./ I'll be on my knees to feed her/
spend a day to make her smile again."
from "Winning a Battle. Losing the
War." I could do without this kind ol •
sappiness, although il does make a
strange kind of sense in the context ol
Ihe music.
From what I’ve read. Ihe band made
a pretty big splash in its first several
shows, and quile a lew labels were
mailing out contracts Their involvement
in this record is definitely something ol
which Kindercore should be proud; it's
great io see a local label reaching all the
way around the globe to find bands this
good and bring them to an American
audience.
Kings 01 Convenience has its weak
points, bul it's doing something inter
esting The revival of '60s folk-pop
infused with a dry. European sensibility
reaches a hunger that cannot be entirely
tilled by Belle K Sebastian (P. 0 Box
461. Athens. GA 30603)
Brandon Butler
Kings 01 Convenience play the
"Kindercore Expo 2000’ at the 40 Watt
Cluh on Thursday. August 10.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Read Trip Soundtrack
Dreamworks/SKG
Why does Hollywood continue to
do this to us all? This is just another
mostly dispensable collection of songs
with strictly mercenary intent Even the
most notable artists here (Jon Spencer
Blues Explosion, Supergrass, and Kid
Rock) fail to deliver anything even
worthy of a b-side.
Luckily. The Eels' track ‘Mr E's
Beaulilul Blues’ delivers a cool slice ol
pop. Here, they cop the bass line from
‘Twist And Shout." add a Peter Gabriel-
goes-bubblegum vocal, plus a dash ol
profanity lo add some “edge" and come
up with what Smash Mouth would
sound like il it was ever worth hearing
Weens funky. 70s-style ‘Voodoo
Lady’ is also a highlight For me
though. Ihe greatest contribution ol this
album lo my existence was the realiza
tion thal Run DMC's 1986 hit “IIS
Tricky’ was just a rap version ol Tom
Basil's “Mickey." How could I have nol
noticed that before? Oh well, thanks for
thal. Dreamworks, bul except lor a lew
minutes, this collection, like most ol Ihe
film itsell. is a complete waste ol lime
(9268 West Third Street. Beverly Hills,
C A 90210)
Chris McKay
MASTERS OF THE
HEMISPHERE
I Am Not A F'eemdoom
Kindercore
For an album on a label that prides
itsell on its pop simplicity. I Am Not A
Freemdoom is incredibly difficult !o
enjoy. The songs all coincide with a
convoluted comic book insert that
recounts the story ol a dog named
"Freemdoom" who takes over the island
ol Krone Ishta with h*s sidek'ck Gorgar.
Two island inhabitants. Mai and Edward,
fight off Freemdoom and Gorgar with,
among other things, a cybernetic arm,
fumes of :he rasta root and the Eyeball
of Truth. It’s all pretty clever, and Athens'
Masters Of The Hemisphere deserve
credit for ambition, but good God the
album is a workout!
I guess you could just try to enioy
the immaculate production and wispy
melodies, but unless you're working
with some really spectacular hooks
(which you’re not), pop music need: at
least a little substance to back up the
nonsense (and don't give me that "I Am
The Walrus" crap because, unless
you're dealing with The Beatles, it's just
a copout). Here, any substantive themes
that could make the comic relevant lo
anyone outside a small circle ol friends
(good vs. evil and the creature stuck in
between? The potential for evil in us all?
The value ol community?) gets lost in
Ihe gimmickry. The mam theme on I Am
Not A Freemdoom is that it sure would
be fun lo be in on the |oke. II you're one
ol the 50 or so in town who know the
Masters personally then hey. great, what
a clever record. II nol. Freemdoom
seems like something that .vould be
really imaginative and show some slar
King potential il it had been made by a
bunch ol seventh graders, bul seeing as
il was made by a group ol legal drinkers
ills just kino ol sad. (P. 0. Box 461,
Athens. GA 30603)
Travis Nichols
Masters Ol The Hemisphere plays
the “Kindercore Expo 2000‘ at the 40
Watt Club on Thursday August 10.
JOHNNY CASH
JOHNNY CASH
Love God Murder
Columbia/American/Legacy
Although Love God Murder spans
the 45-year career ol Johnny Cash, it
would be a mistake to consider this
three-CD set a retrospective in the strict
sense. That purpose was served to with
the fine 1992 boxed set. The Essential
Johnny Cash 1955-1983 Instead, this
new collection—with songs personally
selected by Cash—works in exploring
the musical styles, recurring themes and
contradictions within Cash's legendary
career The title of the set sums up the
three themes that have always defined
his music. And the fact that the same
man who sings a love song as lender as
“Happiness Is You’ or a hymn as joyful
as "My God Is Re?J" could also do a
chilling murder song like "Delia's Gone"
("Found her in her parlor/ And I tied her
to her chair.../ First time I shot her/1
shot her m the side/ Hard lo watch her
suffer,/ but with the second shot she
died") is one of the lasciiations ol this
set It's part ol Cash's gifl as a commu
nicator that sc.igs as disparate as these
could all sound completely honest and
convincing
Musically, ihe set provides a nice
complement lo The Essential Johnny
Cash because rattier than stressing his
best known material (mono versions ol
"I Walk The Line" and ‘Folsom Trison
Blues’ and ‘Ring 01 Fire" are probably
the most familiar songs included here),
Love God Murder digs deeper lor its
material In addition lo several songs
previously unreleased in the United
Slates, many ol the songs were B-sides
lo singles thal never found a home on
an album unlil now. The collection pre
sents Cash in just about every musical
setting he has utilized over Ihe course of
his career, from solo acoustic perfor
mances that range from stark to sweet
and warm, to tracks featuring sparse
accompaniment ol bass and drums, to
lushly produced songs accompanied by
orchestra Because il doesn't attempt to
be a greatest hits package. The Essential
Johnny Cash remains the better collec
tion for fans who want to hear his best
known and most important songs. But
this intriguing package may provide
more insight and paint a more personal
portrait ol the singer, songwriter, per
former and the human that is Johnny
Cash. (550 Madison Ave.. #1796. NY.
NY 10022)
Alan Scully
FUTURE BIBLE HEROES
I'm Lonely (And I Love It)
Merge
Apparently, 69 Love Songs weren't
enough lo give all ol Magnetic Fields
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