Wednesday, November 12, 1997
Soundbites
Various artists, "The Firm" (Interscope) With the combined
efforts of rap veterans Nas Escobar, AZ, Nature and Foxy Brown,
it’s no wonder "The Firm" proves to be thick with hard and soft
raps, passionate backup vocals and even tidbits of humorous
interludes.
Co-produced by Dr. Dre, AZ, Nas and Foxy Brown mix it up, like
in "Firm Fiasco," a series of creeping, mysterious, steppable beats
where the artists recollect that "I always knew I wanted to be in
the firm."
"Firm Family" features guest performer Dr. Dre with Nature,
oozing with relaxed, descending guitar chords, background breaths
of what one might imagine as dressed-up lovely ladies singing,
"Come on, come on, come on, yah, ooh!"
"F– Somebody Else" appears mid-album as a silly recorded sex
scene in which listeners might feel a little guilty satisfying
those audio-voyeuristic fantasies … especially when an
embarrassed unidentified man yells, "Ok! I got it back up," and a
woman snickers, "What the f– is this? You gotta make me come!"
Complete with dance rhythms, soothing melodies and sexy
interludes, this album has earned its rapping rights – it’s tight,
it’s hard, it’s Firm. Nerissa Pacio A
Roni Size/Reprezent, "New Forms" (Talkin’ Lod/Mercury) With the
exception of England’s Chemical Brothers and Prodigy, and L.A.’s
own Crystal Method, the genre of music known as "electronica" has
lacked the pulsating creativity and snazzy pop styles to spur sales
or radio/MTV airplay. Part of electronica’s "failure" stems from
the boring, un-poppy substance that doesn’t catch listeners like,
say, Puff Daddy or Oasis.
Roni Size is no exception. His latest release, the double album
"New Forms," is ambitious in its length (at over two hours) and
that’s about it. The two discs exhaust the potentials of bass and
drums, throwing in less-than-spectacular vocals and synthesized
sounds every now and then.
A few songs stand out, like the hip-hop influenced "Watching
Windows," the jazzy trip-hop of "Jazz" and the lively bonus track
"Electricks," which, at the end of the last disc, is the best song.
The rest of the songs are barely distinguishable from each other,
using a tired formula of generally dissonant beats that may only
serve as a "comedown" for ravers on the car ride home from the
empty warehouse. "New Forms" fully realizes the unmet expectations
of electronic-based music. Mike Prevatt C-
Earlies, "Earlies" (Slag) These four rockin’ rapscallions belong
in someone’s backyard at a high school pool party, surrounded by
hordes of drunken teenagers. This would be a convenient
configuration, because as soon as the Earlies started playing their
punky/rockabilly ’50s tunes, they could be pushed into the swimming
pool and the party could continue without a hitch.
"I messed up; I can’t figure it out," belts vocalist Jared
Summerell in the album’s first track, "Can’t Figure It Out." He
continues to apologize for his band’s whackness in the final cut,
"Felt Good," with, "I’m so boring and I’m such a dork/I’m so sorry
I couldn’t make you happy."
Some of the music doesn’t suck that bad, such as the
Ramones-esque "Only One For You," and a snappy cut called "Jack
Daniel," which sounds like the Stray Cats … a bit. For the most
part, however, the unimpressive lyrics and bottom-shelf
musicianship grind away at the listener, making it impossible to
champion this as even a mildly enjoyable album. Jeremy Engel C-
Various artists, "MTV Buzz Bin: Vol. 2" (Mammoth) If you have
worshiped KROQ since about 1992, this is the perfect compilation
for you. If you’ve turned your back on alternative music since
1992, or tired of one-hit wonders that even today are overplayed,
then this is a CD from hell.
Most of these bands feature songs that will be the sole source
of their income for the next couple of years, like the Flaming
Lips’ lyrically lame "She Don’t Use Jelly," Primitive Radio Gods’
"Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth," and the Cardigans’
"Lovefool." A few of the tracks are actually songs they didn’t play
enough, like Live’s "Pain Lies On the Riverside" (from their 1991
"Mental Jewelry") and Nada Surf’s driving yet amusing "Popular."
The album, a good marker of popular radio rock in the mid-’90s, is
on the whole listenable, provided you can still listen to these
once overplayed songs. Mike Prevatt B-
Various artists, "Def Jam’s Greatest Hits: Hardcore" (Def Jam)
This collection is a companion to the concurrently released Def
Jam’s Greatest Hits. But while that collection was a thoroughly
enjoyable mix of a number of great rap and hip-hop songs, this one
pales in comparison. The songs included here, like "Paul Revere" by
the Beastie Boys, "I Need a Beat" from LL Cool J, "Public Enemy No.
1" by Public Enemy, and "Gold Digger" from EPMD, are no more
hardcore than the songs included on the non-hardcore collection.
Both collections contain songs with numerous sex- and drug-related
allusions, yet neither of these Def Jam collections contain what is
considered as true hardcore rap, the kind most popularized on last
year’s "Death Row’s Greatest Hits."
While the Hardcore collection does contain a number of good
songs, most notably the two cuts from Public Enemy, the basic
difference between the two Def Jam collections is that the
non-hardcore set contains about 12 excellent tracks and the
hardcore set contains one or two. It’s just a weak collection of
songs that leave one thinking that Def Jam should have left well
enough alone with one collection. Jeff Hilger C
The Devlins, "Waiting" (Universal Records) In 1992, Colin and
Peter Devlin released their debut album "Drift" and were
immediately hailed as the Celtic, fraternal successors to the
"Let’s Get it On"-era Marvin Gaye. Their subsequent silence has
been painfully felt in today’s Eros-free musical environment, where
only R. Kelly strives to maintain the now fragile connection
between rock and copulation.
The brothers are back now, though, with "Waiting," and one can
only imagine the number children that will be conceived to this
record if it scores a breakout hit. The most immediate threat to
those who fear a Devlins-inspired population explosion are the
soulful, mid-tempoed track "Heaven’s Waiting" and the similar
"Where Are You Tonight?," each of which are rumored to be under
review by the FDA for approval as prescription-strength aural
aphrodisiacs. Failure to get it on while listening to the Devlins
record is tantamount to a sentence of lifelong celibacy handed down
by God. Michael Gillette B+
Novocaine NP9, "Frustration No. 10" (Velvel Records) Advancing
the supposition that "drama" and drive make for good rock,
Novocaine NP9 has issued "Frustration No. 10," another flower in
the mediocre garden that is post-grunge alternative music. With
titles like "Cellophane Wrapped New Head," Novocaine NP9 seems to
take its cues from Bush. Along with tortured, Beat-inspired lyrics,
Novocaine NP9 "shares" Bush’s penchant for distorted vocals and
driving guitar lines that go nowhere.
In the late ’90s, when bloated, indulgent records are the norm,
it’s odd that "Frustration No. 10" has only eight tracks, none of
which are any better than the others. If you like Bush, and want to
pretend that they just put out a long EP, you could probably enjoy
this record. It might also not be offensive if you enjoy driving to
aggressive music to which you don’t pay any attention. Michael
Gillette C+
VARIOUS ARTISTS
"The Firm"