Music

CD Review Revue

MARK MALLMAN AND VERMONT
Mark Mallman and Vermont
(Guilt Ridden Pop)
***

If Nick Cave were less absorbed in his own bombast, or if Shane MacGowan were less drunk, perhaps each would be the sort of songwriter Mark Mallman is--a post-punk balladeer with sandpapered vocals and lyrical turns of phrase. On "Four Letter World," a lovesick narrator sings over spacious instrumentation: "After nights in the gutter/Will I finally wash these sheets?/Tell me, tell me where do I go/In this library of illiterate men?" only to later quip, "I've learned that depression gets better with undressin'." Mallman's vision is clear on each of these songs, performed by the songwriter himself (vocals, piano, harmonica) and supplemented by Vermont, the excellent project of Davey Von Bohlen and Dan Didier (the Promise Ring) and Chris Roseneau (Loomis, Pelé). Von Bohlen lends his own unique vocals to "Too Hot," a poppy, gorgeous bitch about the sweltering heat, and "We Only Have Each Other in the Night (revisited)." But Mallman is the focus here. From the brainy opener, "Dear Glory," to the sad, blurred "Romeo Daze" (in which he bemoans his own romanticism), and the slicker, indie-er "We Only Have Each Other..." which gets treated with a wash of robotic background vocals à la Herbie Hancock--sweet bedroom records don't get much better than this. JEFF DeROCHE

KIM VIRANT
Stealing Days
(Good-Ink Records)
**1/2

Like Chrissie Hynde (minus punk rock), Kim Virant has a strong voice and spirited manner of pushing each song from her gut to its grandiose conclusion, which makes Stealing Days a solid, well-made record of energetic music. The production is clean and effective, the melodies simple, stock, and gratifying. Virant's bluesy, moody piano imbues strong songs like "Chain Reaction" with more of the terrific energy that comes through in her voice. Unfortunately, Virant and her band are too rocked out most of the time, sounding (if not for Virant's booming pipes, which can easily handle this material) out of their element musically. Her vocals wail and break in all the right places, but those places usually come where they're most expected. On rockers like "Bright & Shiny Heart," Virant sounds more new country than rock--the guitar riffs are full, aggressive, and a bit rote. Mercifully, along comes the title track, upon which Virant begins softly, showcasing the lusher, gentler elements of her fine voice. One wishes for more of these moments, and for more dynamics in general on Stealing Days. Virant sounds young on the title track--thoughtful, even. It's lovely, until it goes all apeshit again. JEFF DeROCHE

VARIOUS ARTISTS
Stomp! Northwest Killers V.1 (1960-64)
(Norton)
****

Shout! Northwest Killers V.2 (1964-65)
(Norton)
****

Work It On Out! Northwest Killers V.3 (1965-66)
(Norton)
****

This is the kinda thing them collector wonks--me included--dream about... THREE slam- packed collections (all but a handful) of unissued Northwest garage RAGE! Shit. And this heat has just been sittin' in Northwest Recorders' engineer Kearney Barton's vaults? Well, we ain't gotta wait no mo'!! Now, if you wanna be a wiener and not just blindly GO BUY THESE, the skinny be... the first two volumes are grouped instro/vocal and vocal R&B, respectively... all stick stucky with a LOT of soul. The only track that misses the mark is on Shout!--Mr. Clean and the Cleansers' real "polite" reading of James Brown's "Think!" But it ain't no big thang, 'cause if you ain't careful you won't get past blastin' Incredible Kings OR the Elegants' "Ooh Poo Pah Doo," both offa Shout! Right, the third volume is the punker bunch of the set... and solid as it is, I preferred the first two. Anyway, if you gots any idea where your ass is parked, these're motherfuckin' essential. MIKE NIPPER

OWLS
Owls
(Jade Tree)
**1/2

When faced with the laborious chore of tracing emo's roots, many refer to the Hated, Moss Icon, or even (ugh) pre-Fugazi lightweights Rites of Spring. Chicago, on the other hand, will always point proudly to its own intrepid art rockers Cap'n Jazz, and though Cap'n Jazz was not emo's inventor, the band was forcibly innovative, and members went on to form such reverential outfits as the Promise Ring, Joan of Arc, and American Football. In the wake of Joan of Arc's official demise, Tim Kinsella has begun Owls (which equates to Cap'n Jazz minus Davey, who must be too busy inspiring young kids to tug meaningfully at their tight sweaters with the Promise Ring and Vermont). Expect guitar noodling, desultory faux-jazz rollicking, and Kinsella's droll wordplay and song titles, which, though occasionally pretentious, are often clever and have always been amusing. CORIANTON HALE

MUSIC EMPORIUM
Music Emporium
(Sundazed)
***

This is SO good. L.A.'s Music Emporium's horrendously rare self-titled LP from 1969 is a bit over the top, kinda goofy, and (I'm admitting to it) kinda cliché... very "of that time" sounding. Yet, it's cool and "atmospheric" sike-a-delic in which you really, really wanna hear 'em singing about gnomes and wizards and them purple- and golden-clad things found only in the D&D Dungeon Master's Guide!! I'm serious. It ain't hard either, as the LP is filled with dreamy West Coast harmonies, creepy "acid" guitar, and even creepier organ sounds... when I play this I canNOT avoid wanting to trip lightly toward the sun through a haze of kaleidoscopic colors on a turquoise tandem... wait, no one takes the LSD anymore, do they? Hmmmm, maybe they will NOW! MIKE NIPPER

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