JUICE MAGAZINE CD REVIEWS #56

CAMPFIRE GIRLS, Delongpre (Mootron)
This is a CD of previously unreleased material and remastered old material. Good dynamics. A lot of anger in the pain. If you like the Pixies or Sunny-Day Real Estate, you’ll like the Campfire Girls. – DANARCHY

DAMAGED, Do Not Spit (Rotten)
This drummer is not human. Part metronome and the other half - a weapon designed by the government to be an unremorseful killing machine. This album takes your insides and destroys them with a meat grinder effect. If you’re wondering what to do with that excess anger, go out and buy this. - DANARCHY

COCKNOOSE, Badmen, Butchers, and Bleeders (TKO) The members of this band look like the offspring of some kind of militia. G.G. Allen and Lee Ving meet Timothy Mcveigh and Terry Nichols. With songs like “I want to fuck myself” and “Fuck you die” these “All American boys” are cumin’ to your town. Going to see this band perform might infect you with hepatitis C or an unhealthy affinity towards racism or gay bashing. – DANARCHY

SKARETACTIC, This world… (Liberty)
This is L.A. hardcore at it’s finest. The tight pocketed fury displayed by these boys is second-to-none. It brings to mind rivers of blood flowing like an unstoppable revolt when the will of the people just can’t be ignored. If you’ve ever experienced a prison riot or a hate fuck then pop this cd in the tray and relive your pain and suffering. – DANARCHY

ORBITAL, Work 1989-2002 (London)
Remember when ecstasy and the underground rave scene were pure. If you don’t this CD will take you back there. Orbital prove that there is aggression in beauty while you’re shakin’ your booty. This CD relives classics like “Chime” an all time underground classic. – DANARCHY

SPEAK NO EVIL, Welcome to the Downside (Universal) When is Nu Metal not a dirty word? When your talking about a band like Speak No Evil. When the marriage of heavy distortion and melody actually work without trying to sound too much like Tool or System of a Down. – DANARCHY

LIVESEXACT, Segmented Purity: The Remixes (Hurley Burlies) Electro, Breakbeat, and DJ culture. Obscure layers of electronic pleasure. – DANARCHY

TSUNAMI BOMB, The Ultimate Escape (Kung Fu) There’s no doubt that punk rock bands with female singers usually rule. Let’s hope this band doesn’t change and get a “Top 40 Hit” - my personal fave. Tsunami Bomb explodes with Agent M’s vocals striking compliment to the band’s tight sounding unit. Kung Fu Records put this one out. It’s just another one of their drop, chop, kick combos to get you going, you lazy bum. – B-LOAD

BUCKETHEAD, Bermuda Triangle (Caytalyst City Hall)
If you’re familiar with Buckethead and his past musical affairs with such projects as Praxis, you will have an idea of what’s just stepped in stores. Mr. KFC’s “Bermuda Triangle” is a sea of sounds to keep you sailing into the mysterious mind of the new Guns and Roses axeman. You will lose your ears in a seafood platter of deep-fried beats, crispy sounds and experimental jabber for the instrumentally adventurous listener. – B-LOAD

THE LIBRARIANS, The Pathetic Aesthetic Pandacide) The Librarians like to play punk influenced rock and roll. I don’t think these guys spend a lot of time in the library. In fact, I think being quiet has really upset them and sent them in a tizzy by fucking authority and breaking their glasses to focus their senses towards “Pissing On Your Party” with their guitars and drums. If you buy this album you can help to contribute to their delinquency and addictions. I, for one, am gonna go home and read a good book. – B-LOAD

SEAFOOD, When Do We Start Fighting (Infectious) Okay, there’s the Hives, the Vines and now there’s Seafood. Anyone for “Cloaking” one of the song’s I liked. But seriously, I know now, there are so many bands, that I wonder about the possibilities you have to set your bands apart from the next corporate champagne campaign quartet. There is a good deal of East Rock inspired roll. Accompanied by a ditty of an acoustic hungered jam on your toast, “Desert Stretched Before The Sun.” – B-LOAD

DREDG EL CIELO (Interscope)
There is definitely a sleep paralysis issue with this band. Just read the insert, really! Well, at least when it comes to playing music, they’re awake and alert. I think. “Eighteen people living in Harmony”, “Same Ol’ Road”, “Sorry But It’s OVer”, and “Of the Room”, are some of the better selections. Which drugs influence what music? I’ll be working on that one soon, but in the meanwhile there is probably an interesting mix of alcohol and meth amphetamine influencing this brush-stroke concerto back to the bedroom for a nap. – B-LOAD

SIXER, Beautiful * Trash (BYO)
Here you go, another kickass band from the Southeastern U.S. Sixer’s third release shows that these Richmond, VA guys can rock as hard as Motorhead and can tear it up like old school Social Distortion. These songs would be equally welcome at your next biker party or headlining the next punk rock show. – jjobes

FAUST, Music from the Original Motion Picture (Roadrunner) First of all, I’m a big fan of the Faust comic book series, “Love of The Damned”. Supposedly, there’s been a movie made and either nobody told me or it’s one of those films that never saw the dark of night. Any hoot, the soundtrack has no original scores made specifically for the flick. It’s a showcase of hardcore bands you’ll find on Roadrunner Records. Bands such as Sepultura, Fear Factory, Glassjaw, Deicide, Obituary, Carnivore, Machinehead, and a slew of others. There are demons on this 70 min. disc. If you’re a pussy boy in dance class, rollerblading with hoola hoops on Main St, you will not enjoy this. Only ‘core listeners need apply. – B-LOAD

DEADBOLT, Hobo Babylon (Headhunter)
These guys claim to be “the scariest band in the world”, so watch the tracks you cross while listening to this eerie freight train, surf guitar inspired intoxication of twisted railroad stories. Declared to be based on the unfinished true crime novel “Hobo Babylon” by Mark Davidson. This disc probably sits well with a bottle of tequila and a suitcase of beer. Like they say “Train riding kid with dyed red hair, two bo’s made him a boxcar quar, Frisco circle down in Redding, tramp camp with a few rec riders. You won’t see them ever again alive, someone captured a bull and they all tortured him, gave him a curly hand, wine stain and a twisted skipper, living, traveling, in a hobo babylon. – B-LOAD

STEEL POLE BATHTUB, Unlistenable (Zero To One) I saw this band and I listened to them throughout their earlier days well into major labelism (a hesistency on their part). I’ve always liked the mesh of solid, grungy spy music with that vocal assault distilled through vox. This album is a redone collection of their early recordings that were deemed unlistenable by their recording label. Well, the line has been drawn and the product could be the best thing they’ve done to date. Go check the latest greatest S.P.B.T. soundtrack out! – B-LOAD

LENGUA, Fragments
Electronico composito. If you’re tired of the same old shit, check out anyone of this guy’s discs. “Fragments” is the analogue passages through mountainous soundscapes, liquid deserts and the constant unknown. It is an instinctual architecture for your headphones. Go to www.wierdsound.com and you could come upon some experimentally off the wall music that includes comedy satires and crank calls behind layers of brush stroked genius. – B-LOAD

RIVER CITY REBELS, No Good, No Time, No Pride (Victory) In the U.S., punk rock was an art movement, overseas, it was a working class rebellion. These guys carry on the sonic Brit-punk tradition, with the addition of horns. Lyrically, they get more from the Dead Kennedy’s anti-societal rants. With taunts against religion, against U.S. pride, against working class pride, most of the tunes on the River City Rebels third release celebrate being an unemployed loser. If you can ignore the subject matter, the sound isn’t bad, much like a Joe Strummer, mid-tempo Clash, circa Sandanista. – jjobes

DOWNTOWN BROWN, Moist and Ridiculous (Static) These fellas got some funny looking song names; “Cream Corn, “Body Rock”, “Mullet Millennium”, etc. The D.T. Brown is full to the rim with a thick sound. Some of the links (or Lincoln Logs) have a range of Rocky Road shapes (in music, that is). Just when things get a little corny, they kick in a warm solid blast of passages before exiting ‘Bathroom Door’ left. If you’re looking for something moist and ridiculous, that you can even kick rocks to, check this out. – B-LOAD

SNAPCASE, End Transmission (Victory)
Not that there has ever been any doubts, but “End Transmission” solidifies Snapcase’s place in independent rock history. Independent not only in that they have resisted the lure of corporate rock support, but also independent in their ever-evolving sound. The latter wouldn’t have been possible without the former. The band’s fifth release stays true to their hardcore roots, while at the same time revealing shades of experimentation with newer melodic sounds. Think Deftones meets the Bad Brains. What more could you ask for? – jjobes

THE FORGOTTEN, Control Me (BYO)
I have to say that when it comes to punk influenced music that’s around today, I have little respect for rehashing what was once original. That said, The Forgotten do a better job at paying their punk rock respects while staying incredibly original. This band’s blue collar attitude and Social Distortion meets Rancid sound is better than ninety-nine percent of anything that’s out there. – jjobes

DOWN THE SUN, self-titled (Roadrunner) Seriously intense metal along the lines of Mushroomhead, Slipknot, Korn, Fear Factory, or Mudvayne. You get a decent serving of over the top, lung bending vocals with a healthy serving of melody thrown in to keep you from going out of your mind. But the band is unique enough to stand apart from the nu-metal pile. If that wasn’t enough, the executive producer is Slipknot’s, Shawn the Clown #6. – jjobes

LIQUORED-UP.COM, Prank Call Classics Vol.1 (WFHPSO) If you’re into prank calls, you need to hear this stuff. If you hate infomercials and telemarketers, you need to hear this stuff. But you won’t find it in your local record store, mainly because this is some of the most wrong stuff you will ever hear. Most of the twenty-four calls are hilariously wrong and some of them are just plain wrong. Brought to you by the distinguished gentlemen behind Liquored-Up.com and the porn metal band, Dick Delicious and the Tasty Testicles. – jjobes

LUCKY 7, self titled (Omega)
The should be a law or at least an unwritten code that all bands adhere to that says if your current sound is based on some band from fifteen years ago that never got the recognition they deserved, you should have to wear that band’s shirt in every photo and at every public appearance. If that was case, all of the pop-punk bands around today, Lucky 7 included, would never be seen without their Descendents, All, and Dag Nasty uniforms. That said, this is a good, fun set of tunes. – jjobes

MANIFESTO JUKEBOX, Remedy (BYO)
Punk rock from Finland . . . but it’s not fair to call it punk, just like it wasn’t accurate to call Husker Du hardcore, whom, by the way, Manifesto Jukebox is often compared to. Think early Replacements with an edge and lyrics reminiscent of Snapcase’s abstract stylings. It’s about time we had something like this.
– jjobes

OZMA, Double Donkey Disc (Kung Fu)
Rockin’ the balalaika harder than Rasputin on the first group of songs (“The Russian Coldfusion EP”), Ozma takes the “Tetris” theme into Man or Astroman? territory with their version of “Korobeiniki”. Combined here with “Russian Coldfusion” for your listening pleasure is “The Bootytraps EP”, a synth-driven, power-chord-laden chunk of Weezer-like emo, each of the five songs an homage to band members’ booty alter egos. As Alex in “A Clockwork Orange” would say, “Horrorshow – and that’s a good thing.” – L. GREEN

JACKPOT, Shiny Things (Surfdog)
Disturbed images about swingset chains, kimonos, body art, toe shoes, trombones and the melodic rasp of slacker. Influences like Soul Asylum and the eels can be called, but, ultimately, it’s just a love song to the oddness of the mundane. Except when singer and lyricist Rusty Miller says we can take his ears. That’s just plain weird. – L. GREEN

AI, Artificial Intelligence(Dreamworks)
With Perry Ferrell exploring dj’ing, the voice of Jane’s Addiction seems to currently be in use by A.I. singer Nick Young. Of course, by the third song in (“Alien Sex”), there’s a strange Anthony Kiedis on helium, Funkadelic-like groove rolling in, but, overall, the Young brothers and Pablo (“Yes, I’m the son of Ray”) Manzarek should go much further than the Hollywood tomato of the same name. – Finchley

THE PRODIGY, “Baby’s Got a Temper” single (XL/Maverick) Like the soundtrack to Lemony Snicket, the first single release in five years for The Prodigy (down to a trio now), is evil and insidious, like the children in “Village of the Damned”. Although it sounds like an ode to date rape drug Rohypnol, it’s actually a reaction to the outside world, a metaphysical panacea. AND it’s as good as “Firestarter”. – L. GREEN

THE STREETS, Original Pirate Material (Locked On/679/Vice Recordings)
“Garage” used to refer to the nuggets of the ‘60s; now it’s more likely to be “cupboard” or “basement”. One guy alone in the spare room with his mixer. Birmingham, England’s Mike Skinner a.k.a. The Streets hijacks English dancehall, reggae, soul and, yes, hip-hop among others, before adding his own tales over them. Although he’s been called the English Eminem, he’s got more in common with Phil Daniels on Blur’s “Parklife”. He’s on about going out, drinking beer vs. brandy, being broke, being in love, being in love with music, coming home and doing it all again tomorrow, cos that’s what you do. Well, either that, or sample and be sampled. – L. GREEN

JUCIFER, I Name You Destroyer (Velocette) Southern ambient gothic dreams that suddenly segue into great big slabs of density. Think Marilyn Monroe fronting Nirvana. – Finchley

THE HELLACOPTERS, Cream of the Crap (Gearhead) It’s strange: 20 years ago, the Buzzcocks sang about being an “Orgasm Addict”; now, the Hellacopters are a “Television Addict”. Amazing how priorities have shifted! Sweden’s answer to the MC5, this CD compiles 18 of the ‘copters’ various singles, b-sides, one-offs and lost tracks, from ‘95’s “Killing Allen” through split singles like “I Want a Lip” and “Lowered Pentangles (Anything At All)” in the ‘90s. Now THIS is the easy way to
being a completist! – L. GREEN

EDITION TERRANOVA, Hitchhiking Non-Stop with No Particular Destination (K7) Berlin-based collective brings in guest vocalists (Cath Coffey of Stereo MCs, Ariane of the Slits, NY’s Mike Ladd, etc.) for rough-edged urban electronica. Ten songs that should keep anyone on the road to wherever. – L. GREEN

SPARTA, Wiretap Scars (Dreamworks)
First release from the three-fifths non-afroed members of At the Drive In and the former bassist of Belknap.. It’s still got the aggressiveness, but apparently the more melodic boys found their way to Sparta. Now if they would just wear togas on stage... – Finchley

YOUR ENEMIES FRIENDS, The Wiretap E.P. (Buddyhead) Alternatively the Pixies meet the Plasmatics and the Promise Ring meets Pigface, this LA five-piece could well be the future of punk rock.. Or they could just kick the butts of half the bands out there. Either way, the listener’s the winner. – L. GREEN

OFF BY ONE, s/t (LMC Records)
Post-power pop punk that was defined by their name for only about six months. Then they got a bassist and began to cover Ednaswap’s “Torn.” “Punk Rock Girl” should’ve been the Dead Milkmen cover, but let’s not hold that against them. – L. GREEN

UNDERWORLD, A Hundred Days Off (JBO) The title apparently referring to the British summer holidays, the album begins like classic New Order before settling into the Underworld of yore. Only occasionally as speedy as “Born Slippy,” there’s a more ambient groove that makes it more suitable for the waning days of summer. – L. GREEN

LAYO & BUSHWACKA!, Night Works (XL/Beggars Group) Their second album in over two years, “Night Works” is a solid breakbeat blues dance floor album, featuring the best track of reverence (“Love Story”) since BT’s “Flaming June”. The Nina Simone-laden song is so catchy, so familiar, you’d swear a sample of it was sampled by Moby for “Play”, but, as Layo says “People always find new ways of working a sample.” Soundtracks and songwriting are both on his to-do list, but until then, this will hold everyone over. Last album “Low Life” was like an evening out, “Night Works” is the ride home, maybe the next one will be watching the sun rise. – L. GREEN

BUTCH WALKER, Left of Self-Centered (Arista) If the Strokes had come of age in the late 70s/early 80s. If “Rock” didn’t now mean nu-metal. If Marvelous 3 hadn’t broken up. If Stiv Bators had a son…okay, he might have a son…who’s more Lower East Side than St. Mark’s. It’s everything LA rock wants to be…with a sense of humor. – L. GREEN

MURDERDOLLS, Beyond the Valley of the Murderdolls (Roadrunner) Now THIS is something Rob Zombie probably wished he could have on his label Zombie A-Go-Go. Side project of one Static X and one Slipknot, Murderdolls sound like Russ Meyer with chainsaws, but probably has more in common with “Sweet Dreams” era Marilyn Manson. An unholy alliance of Alice Cooper, vintage Motley Crue and Vincent Price. Perhaps Troma is looking for a new soundtrack. – L. GREEN

MASTRETTA, s/t (Minty Fresh)
What Roxy Music’s “Avalon” does for the Anglophiles out there, Mastretta will do for those US Latin lovers looking for something sultry and somewhat seedy. Combustible Edison meets the Phantom of the Opera comes to mind. A “best of” for the US, the CD brings together ten of Nacho Mastretta’s previous Spanish work into a soundtrack for the next dinner party – even if the cover looks like “Cooking with Joel-Peter Witkin.” – L. GREEN

KISS, The Very Best of Kiss (MercuryUTV) Suddenly, Knights in Satan’s Service takes on a whole new meaning when you realize that, of the 21 hit songs featured, six have “love” in the title and only three have “rock.” Thus, the eternal dilemma with Kiss – to luv or to rawk. Cock rock in all its finest platformed, Kabuki-made-up, Lawn Guyland glory, the mind boggles why there hasn’t been a Kiss musical on Broadway, but then we are reminded of Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park and we are content with dressing up like them for Halloween again. Hairy-chested Jewish boys in greasepaint – the ‘70s are back. – Finchley

SILVERCRUSH, Stand (Redline)
In a strange way, if Michael Stipe decided to join Pearl Jam or Bush or something, it might sound like this. – Finchley

BILLIE HOLIDAY, The Best of Billie Holiday (Hip-O/Verve) “Strange Fruit”, “Lady Sings the Blues”, “God Bless the Child” ….how many more do you need before you go buy this already? Listen to what today’s twinkies only WISH they could do. – Finchley

BT, 10 Years in the Life (ffrr/essential)
Baltimore’s Godfather of Trance’s set features cuts from solo albums and soundtracks – fifteen of ‘em – before going onto a second CD with a non-stop BY mix of Deep Dish through Madonna and and DJ Rap to end up on the voice of the Psychedelic Furs/Love Spot Love’s Richard Butler. Put it on repeat and you’ll never need the radio again. You can also learn where the title of “Flaming June “ REALLY came from. – L. GREEN

MARC BOLAN & T. REX, 20th Century Box: The Ultimate Collection (Hip-O/Universal) The resurgence of love for the “bopping elf” in recent years – this the 25th year since his death – is both a balm for the fans and an indicator that Bolan could be the new Moby. Around the world, no less than seven of these early ‘70s slabs of glam have been used for advertising purposes in recent years. Avoiding the landmines like “Zinc Alloy”, this collection speeds through 23 songs of nine years, giving anyone who STILL has no idea what Bolan Boogie is, a good seeing to. – L. GREEN

SKATANIC REDNEKS, s/t (indie)
Good drunkin’ fun. A farmers tan in the sun. A “wife-beater” and a gun. - DANARCHY

DOT ALLISON, We Are Science (Mantra) Dark, dank electro with more than a passing nod to the ‘80s. New Order meets Kosheen underwater, Allison’s latest is a departure from her work with One Dove. With collaborations from Felix Da Housecat and members of Mercury Rev, this is a saucy, salty antidote. – Finchley

V/A, Victory Style 5 (Victory)
If you’re into hardcore, you know about the Victory Style compilations. They’re always great, featuring the latest from the label’s greatest. Always considered must-have due to a handful of previously unreleased tracks. VS5 is no exception, with a preview of Atreyu’s Celtic-Frost-meets-Youth-of-Today crushing sound, as well as a handful of new tracks and few cool cover tunes. – jjobes

ATREYU, Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses (Victory) Sonically, Atreyu brings to mind Youth Of Today meets Megadeth. Vocally, they stray close to Celtic Frost, but lyrically . . . are we hearing the first of emo-goth-core? Judging from the album title, the numerous references to angels, death, pain, bleeding, love, you have to wonder. – Jjobes

HEADSTRONG, (RCA) Primus meets Coal Chamber. It’s like Clutch with a Deftones delivery. Also a solid Rage Against the Machine fix, minus the political rants. If you can stop moving long enough, you’ll realize Headstrong writes songs that make you think. Hopefully, we’ll hear a lot more from them. – jjobes

BLOODLET, Three Humid Nights In The Cypress Trees (Victory) With Steve Albini as producer, there is no avoiding his signature sound. Thankfully. That sound is a huge wall of muddled droning bass beats combined with the stark contrast of a shallow drum beat and rarely does it fail to work. Bloodlet’s purely evil-sounding metal-core groove shines brighter than ever. Vaguely similar to some of the great Hydrahead bands. – jjobes

STONE SOUR, s/t (Roadrunner)
Another Slipknot “unmasked” band (see also Murderdolls), Stone Sour continues in the Slipknot vein – sort of. Since before the ‘knot tied up, the band actually doesn’t smack of the “before they were stars” bandwagon. Vocalist Corey Taylor calls is “melodic hard rock with content and initiative”; except for “Bother” (also found on the Spiderman soundtrack), spoken word “Omega”, etc., it’s not far off from his description – or Slipknot itself. – Finchley

PACIFIER, s/t (Arista)
First single "Bullitproof" is neither a cover of Pop Will Eat Itself's "Bulletproof" nor a crack at Steve McQueen’s film "Bullitt" but the first thing on the first offering for the newly-renamed Shihad. The New Zealand quartet has been around for several years and several CDs, but this is their US debut. Produced by Josh Abraham (Unwritten Law, etc.), if they can break the radio's current crap juggernaut, they should be huge. Hey, Iggy Pop, Metallic and Jon Spencer all like them. – Finchley

CYCLEFLY, Crave (Radioactive)
A few years after "Generation Sap", the pan-European Cyclefly is back. The new full-length still features Declan O'Shea's nasal delivery and subliminal visuals of his swinging from the pipes off NY's Continental's stage, dressed in a lime green PVC catsuit. Sounds scarier than it is, but the music is closer to the Johnny Rotten via Radiohead school than Continental-staple Pisser. – L. GREEN

THE DATSUNS, In Love single (V2)
It's all those "The" bands - The Strokes, The Hives, The Vines, The The. With influences like Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Deep Purple, Motorhead and early Bowie, it's not hard to see why this is the Next Wave of Next Wave. At least they didn't name themselves after a Yugo or something. – L. GREEN

LAVA BABY, Big Muff (Liquid Records)
As Lava Baby is 60% female, the female harmonies sound sort of like the modern Go-Go's. Same sun-soaked energy, although Belinda and co. didn't have guests like Rankin' Roger. "Do It Tonight" even sounds like early, EARLY Madonna if she specialized in requited and unrequited love songs. The cover of "I Got You" by Split Enz doesn't quite sound as insidious as the original and they get a bonus point for having a Devil Duckie on the cover. - L. GREEN

LUCID NATION, Tacoma Ballet (Brain Floss) The collective known as Lucid Nation now includes former Hole drummer Patty Schemel, past bassist for h.c. legends Unseen Force/current Moby touring bassist (with the coolest silver trousers ever seen) Greta Brinkman, and singer Tamra Spivey, a CA artist into voice-collaboration. Two CDs of cross-genre, cross-era fiction, the story of 'a girl who discovers a terrible secret about her town, her lover and herself', Tacoma Ballet could be a deconstruction of the past or a framework for the future. – Finchley

FIST OF FURY, What Comes Around Goes Around (Burning Tree) With songs like “Koping Killer” and “Klone Killer” how can you not just want skate and destroy everything in sight? Venice legend Aaron "Fingers" Murray leads the pack with vocals that leave you feeling like you got your ass kicked accompanied by fully automatic machine gun drums and pounding guitars. Fuck, I have to go skate. – STICK

HITLERS WHEELCHAIR, s/t (indie)
You may get offended by this band but they don't give a fuck and neither do I. After slipping this cd in during the middle of deadline we were ready to take a skate break and drive to Texas skate a ditch and hang out with the Godoys fans and get tattoos. If I only had two words too describe these guys thye would be. “Texas Fucker.” – STICK