There were myriad reasons fer me to grab this one. Bill McNeal on NewsRadio had the middle name “Evelyn,” but it was pronounced EVE-lyn. One of the shift managers when I worked at Arby’s was named Evelyn, but she pronounced it Eba-LEEN. Naturally blond Filipinas are a trip. And the mother of my first penpal ever (also Filipina — huh) was named “Evelyn,” and she pronounced it the right way. Did I mention they lived on Joel Court? They did! And now they have no cops, because they live in Vallejo.
So at any rate, I was ready to get Jollibee with this record, and what plays before me now is a modern take on Simon & Garfunkel in some places and IBOPA in others. This record is meant to be listened to from beginning to end. It’s an epic in the truest sense — not in the overused slang of today.
But if you’re looking for songs to pick out to listen to and stand up on their own, look no further “Elephant Elephant.” A cross between 8 1/2 Souvenirs and They Might Be Giants, it’s whimsical both with lyrics and musical accompaniment. It’s fun enough that I would like to take a redneck, tie him to a chair and play this song for him. Absolute torture, it would be to him.
If you want something folksier, listen to the title track or “You Only Want Me ‘Cause You Want My Sister.” The obligatory cover? “Love Will Tear Us Apart.” All in all, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Archive for the ‘KSCU’ Category
Evelyn Evelyn “Evelyn Evelyn”
April 12, 2010Haight-Ashbury “Favourite Song EP”
April 8, 2010It’s an EP. Six tracks by this British outfit, trying to channel the neighborhood that made putting flowers in your hair fashionable. The result is an occasionally shrill, yet oddly pleasing, garage-folk medley.
“Freeman Town” is first and would make fans of The Murmurs happy. They do some distortion of the vocals, but it just adds to the experience. It pains me to say it, square that I am, but this is music to get high to. I’ve got your objectivity right here!
“Molitof” has me thinking in another decade, but it’s the ’90s that come to mind. Still, I can picture a circle of hippies holding hands and dancing in a circle. These songs have that stereotypical Middle Eastern instrument, too. What is it, a sitar? I don’t know instruments. To me, The Piano is a key component of The Twilight Zone pinball machine, nothing more.
The title track is in fact my “favourite” song. It takes the aforementioned Murmurs reference and raises it a Sister Soleil. It makes me want to have a Zima. “Million Man March” reminds me of another UK great, Sing-Sing. I am really excited now and look forward to the full-length, “In the Golden Rays,” due to come out in June.
“Sympathetic Strings” is alliterative. It focuses more on harmony. “Beauty” is slightly trippier and has tambourine, an instrument even I recognize. This must be where the Mazzy Star comparisons come from. I can go along with that.
Tuscadero “The Pink Album”
April 6, 2010One of many from the pre-Lilith Fair/post-riot grrl era, Tuscadero, along with the Breeders and Veruca Salt, set the table for acts such as Magnapop and, later, the Reputation and Damone.
“Latex Dominatrix” is more than a clever name. It has the perfect mix of guitar and vocals. Everyone gets something they want out of this one. “Just My Size” and “Dime a Dozen” also have some fun lyrics. This band is especially admirable because it does not take itself too seriously.
“Mt. Pleasant” is not about the high school in San Jose. I think it’s a euphemism of some sort, and who are you to disagree, after all? You can imagine what “Nancy Drew” is about. This record is the stuff dreams are made of, or at least were in 1994.
“Crayola” is the last track and one of the best. I wonder what Tuscadero are doing today. If they worked on a TV show theme song, I would watch the show no matter what. The liner notes say, “Foxy is as foxy does.” I’ll say.
Pixies “Trompe Le Monde”
April 6, 2010This album is so old that when it came out the president was George Bush — the first one. You might not have been alive. Maybe your mom played this when she thought you were taking a nap.
Your mom must have been pretty cool if she were doing that. Pixies were up-and-coming back then. For me, an early rendition of “Head On” is the highlight of this groundbreaking record. They sound so much younger — so much more sober — here. It’s kind of cute and kind of depressing at the same time, just like the rest of the ’90s would turn out to be.
I’d recommend “Lovely Day,” although this album taken as a whole is a nice trip down memory lane. It wouldn’t be right to favor one track over another arbitrarily. “The Navajo Know” is last and is more upbeat than the rest. The band never went in this direction, but if they had, it would have been just as good.
So bask in the goodness and put on a pair of stirrup pants while you’re at it.
Rudiments/Suicide Machines “Skank for Brains”
April 6, 2010More of that mid-’90s sound. This likely came out right before Suicide Machines had their one hit, whatever it was. Maybe I am thinking of Suicide Kings.
At any rate, this is a double record with the first half featuring Rudiments and the second half featuring “Jack Kevorkian and the Suicide Machines.” Maybe they went by that back then. I was too busy working at Arby’s in Southland Mall to pay attention to these things.
All your favorites are here. I enjoy Rudiments’ “Spoon” the most, but they all pretty much do the same thing: slightly angry, slightly-inspired-by-the-Clash ska, with subdued or nonexistent horns.
If you want horns, then turn the page over to Suicide Machines. They use the horns with near regularity. I’d say they are one laxative away from being completely regular. Sometimes they yell, too. It was the ’90s after all. “Green World” was no doubt inspired by Green Day, which I am sure is quite insulting. So be it. You can hear the happiness in the music, even when the band’s name has “suicide” in it. We were a happy bunch back then, for sure.
“Inside/Outside” is one of my faves. It could be about the cat that always wants to go out, and then you let her out, and all she wants to do is come back in. I can’t tell, because the lyrics are mixed too low, as was the style at the time.
The Skeletones “The Skeletones”
March 24, 2010It’s scary to think that this effort was released when Bush was president. The first one.
This record is a cross between Red Hot Chili Peppers and General Public. I’d say that Voodoo Glow Skulls were inspired by these guys, because their style is a mad version of the Skeletones.
For those just tuning in, this is a ska band. They were a ska band before ska blew up for the last time (so far). If you want to hear the transformation, that is, hear something that anyone under 30 would respond with, “oh, yeah; that’s ska,” give “Telephone” a listen. It’s got samples, cheerful horns and everything else that Millennials associate with ska. “Jill Victoria” is a throwback to the time, in general. I can almost hear baggy pants in the wind during this one.
“Nutty Day” is a great song that’s heavy on the keys. I can envision them dancing on stage. It really takes me back. I think it’s time to sneak into the Trocadero again! (4th and Bryant, remember?)
“What Needs to Be Done” would have been on the soundtrack to “Police Academy 7,” but they stopped making those after No. 6. A shame, really. The Skeletones make everything better.
Kevin Seconds “Heaven’s Near Wherever You Are”
March 24, 2010What’s more fun than reviewing new music? Reviewing old music! We go back to 2001 for Kevin Seconds’ classic, “Heaven’s Near Wherever You Are.”
The voice sounded familiar to me, and I was finally able to place it: Pansy Division. The subject matter is clearly different, however. This modern sound was starting to fade away in the late ’90s, but fans of Harvey Danger, Fastball and the like will enjoy the trip down memory lane that this record gives. I’ve used all of my back-in-time analogies, and I still have more of these to write. Now what will I do?
“Chin” has female backing harmonies that keep the song moving, as does “Anti Me,” which just might be the best song on the record and reminds me of the Lemonheads. “137 Song” has a Gin Blossoms feel to it. You can’t really go wrong with any of these.
“Better Picture” has more pep if that’s what you’re looking for — not that any of these are sleepy ballads. “Down” is as slow as it gets, and it still could get you through a mountain pass.
If you missed this one the first time around, take the time to get to know an underrated power-pop performer from the turn of the millennium: Kevin Seconds.
Various Artists “Phase Five NZ Music”
March 18, 2010I picked up this one for two reasons: New Zealand is the only other country I have been to, and the first track was from Bang! Bang! Eche!, which was one of the first bands I reviewed for KSCU.
Bang Bang Eche, as they are called here (no factorial), are showcased on the record with “Fist Full of Dollars.” It makes sense because I had not heard of any of these other bands. The Naked and Famous do “All of This,” and it has a familiar ’80s modern rock sound.
Kidz in Space is an excellent happy hardcore name, but instead they are some sort of Everlast ripoff. “Ocean of Drugs” doesn’t impress me. Surf City presents “Kudos” and makes us long for some Catherine Wheel. It’s quite proficient at this. Collapsing Cities remind me a bit of She Wants Revenge in “Tazers.”
Motocade is the only act on a label other than Control (Mushroom), but this Duran Duran-inspired doesn’t seem to be any worse for the wear because of it. And the hidden gem that these comps always have? It’s from your good friends Kingston, who bring us “Good Good Feeling.” Pure power-pop happiness is found on this one.
David Dallas was inspired by westside rappers, and I feel comfortable saying this because I am 10,000 miles from him. It’s not bad. It sounds like the rap music that was in The Sims Online. Oh, the song is called “Indulge Me.” Smashproof picks up the rear with an East Coast rap-inspired “Ordinary Life.” I withhold comment why these two tracks are buried at the end. They are both layered a little bit too much, but there’s a vibe, and it’s not lame, and you wouldn’t think it was from New Zealand. It’s good for the Facos and Versatiles of the world.
Dadfag “Scenic Abuse”
March 17, 2010The unfortunately named Dadfag are angry in a suburban way. I cannot take this band seriously. Musically, they sound like Operation Makeout, I guess, but you can tell the local influence in songs such as “Hangover Head.” But if you want to go that route, I might as well listen to Glitter Mini 9. You can really taste the goat.
When the band is more focused, there is some fun and dirty results. “Down Baby” is much tighter than most of the tracks on the record. This, this right here. This is what they need to be doing. King Missile has done a lot of noise like this, although obviously with dudes. “Lookout” is also OK, but by the time you get halfway through the album, the songs start to run together. This should have been an EP.
“Tits” has an old-school Yeah Yeah Yeahs vibe to it. I can dig it. “Of a Mind” sounds like Bratmobile.
All in all, I’d pass on this one.
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