February 2001

CD SPINS

by Staff

Here is a monthly smattering of local/national CDs now available for your
listening pleasure and purchase...

VARIOUS ARTISTS • Music Of Hope • (Dawn Treader)

With 100% of proceeds going to benefit the American Cancer Society, Music
of Hope, is indeed worth buying. You will be contributing to a most worthy
cause and getting some truly inspired music in the bargain.

    The New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestra play
majestically on pieces composed by Billy Joel, Tim Janis, Kurt Masur, and
Paul McCartney, whose involvement in this project is quite personal, as he
recently lost his wife Linda to breast cancer. A solo piano piece by the
great Andre Previn is also included.

   The title track, composed by the hugely talented Tim Janis, contains
emotional moments that evoke feelings of peace, triumph and beauty. This is
not surprising, since Janis’ compostions have been used as musical therapy in
several hospitals.   There are many therapeutic stories connected to the work
of Tim Janis, and listening to “Music of Hope,” one can easily hear why.

   Billy Joel’s composition, “Elegy: The Great Peconic,” is a piece huge
with sweeping dynamic changes and a delightful. He goes from contemplation
to revelation in the space of about seven minutes, with strings interacting
beautifully throughout.

   My favorite piece on the sampler is Andre Previn’s “Why Shouldn’t I,”
because not only does it provide a drastic stylistic change from the
orchestral pieces that surround it, but it also has a playful charm that made
me smile from beginning to end. Some of the piece evokes a smoky jazz club,
complete with subdued conversation and glasses quietly clinking, while other
parts of the piece raise the eyebrow with unusual chord changes and rhythmic
stops and starts.

   Kurt Masur’s short composition, “Watch Hill,” is noteable because of the
soft interplay among the violin, flute, and oboe as they cascade over the
rest of the orchestra.

    Another standout is Paul McCartney’s “Nova.” While the orchestral
selections at the beginning of the disc are quite brassy, McCartney’s
composition relies mainly on woodwinds and strings that provide a certain air
of mystery. It’s a quiter piece that makes the ears more attentive to the
subtleties of the instrumental performances. The piano is used in an unusual
way. Instead of either taking the lead role or being just barely heard in
the background, it comes in at very unexpected places, filling “sound
spaces” in the composition and allowing it to breathe. The ending, which
combines a tension-filled drone with a violin playing little snatches over
it, is particularly effective.

   “Wind Song,” by the London Symphony Orchestra, is also stellar. The
sudden swell of the music after the contemplative middle section reminded me o
f an awe-inspiring sunrise after a fearful night, where new hope wipes away
the fears of yesterday.

   Music of Hope will perhaps open windows of hope for those fighting the
ravaging disease, or perhaps it will provide comfort in those times of the
intense suffering and fear that cancer brings. Those who are fortunate to be
cancer-free, will also benefit from listening to music as beautiful and as
hope-filled as that which appears on this CD.

    We need more music designed to help and inspire people, as opposed to
putting them deeper into misery and self-pity. This music represents the
triumph of the human spirit, and we can never hear enough of that.

– Ben Likens

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QUESTION OF HONOUR   •   Canopic Jars   •   (Strange Hues)

   Ancient Egyptians used Canopic Jars to preserve entrails for the
afterlife, but Ottawa, Illinois’ Question of Honour have released a timeless,
powerful record that should stand the test of time. There’s a mix of
‘80s-driven rock that echoes Jim Peterik’s Survivor with a little Guns ‘N
Roses’ style rock swagger thrown into the mix.

   The band is fueled by the talented Wygman brothers – Hugh and David. Hugh
plays lead guitar, handles the vocals and writes the well-crafted songs.
David harmonizes on backing vocals and drums. Able assistance is given by
bassist Ken Pitchford.

   “Laughing and Crying” and “Bitch” have the right mix of pumping rock
instrumentation and vocal harmonies that recall early R.E.M. or the
too-short-lived, Gin Blossoms.

    My favorite track on this overall solid collection of well-polished
Midwest rock is the assertive big production of “I Want Out.”

    I was not too surprised to learn that Canopic Jars made it to the Top 30
at Evansville’s WUEV and Notre Dame’s WVFI.   From start to completion, it
is a quality effort of which the band can be very proud.

   There’s no question in my mind that Question of Honour’s music will
appeal greatly to fans of ‘80s rock. Log on their web site –
www.strangehues.com – for more on this talented Midwest band.

– Eric Steiner

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GREG ASHBY & BONGO LARRY   •   Bongo Man   •   (Indie)

   The concept here is intriguing. A guitarist/vocalist and percussionist –
and that’s it – live in the studio. The sound is really pretty original. I
would even go so far as to say that more people should try this. It’s a
breath of fresh air to hear music recorded in a way that eschews a lot of the
standard studio trickery (although I do suspect that there were minimal
overdubs on this disc) and gets down to the songs themselves.

    This is way beyond “unplugged.” This is bare bones and risky. If the
songs aren’t good, they cannot be saved by knob-twiddling or by putting “a
little more reverb on the vocal.” The song stands or falls on its own. For
this approach alone, Greg Ashby and Bongo Larry deserve a round of applause.

    Now, do the songs stand or fall? As one might expect, it’s mixed. The
first track, “The Show,” is a great intro to a disc of this kind. Ashby’s
high voice rings out over his crisp guitar and Bongo Larry’s steady rhythm.
They’ve got their groove and they’re ready to go.

    Interestingly enough, the other two songs that I feel succeed the most
are co-writes.“Cocaine Show,” a song about the pull of that evil powdery
distraction (co-written by Ashby and Paul Bower), is sung with enough
conviction to make one think twice before getting on the sled that will lead
him/her through the snow. Ashby, and whether he’s singing from his own
experience or somebody else’s I don't know, makes quite a musical case for
leading one’s own life rather than having it be dictated by a substance. The
song builds to a percussive climax with Bongo Larry pounding it relentlessly
home.

   The other stand out is “Pink Chalet” (co-written by Ashby and Pam
Harvey), a tune about a family vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It begins
by laying out the scene and, as the details emerge, the tempo increases. I
was really interested in this family story. Escapades of siblings, nephews,
and nieces are quickly run through and the accompaniment sustains the chaotic
and happy vacation mood perfectly.

   A few of the other eight songs tend to sound the same and are melodically
a little weak. Without going into a lot of detail, some of the lyrics are a
little confusing. Ashby switches tenses abruptly, and that has something of
a jarring effect. Also, a solo or two could’ve been thrown in to make the
songs a bit more engaging. Fortunately, and I think this was by design, none
of the songs go on too long. Whatever problems one may encounter with any
particular track, it’s over by the time the problems are noticed.

   The ending track, “Juanita,” is a sweet little tribute to a woman who
just wants to dance. It’s a fitting way to end a disc that, while it does
have its problems along the way, works because of its very simplicity. It’s
not setting out to be the greatest acoustic disc of all time. It’s setting
out to show the joy of two people performing the music they enjoy. In my
opinion, that’s good enough.

– Ben Likens

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BRAND NEW BAG   •   Fat Metaphysical Thang   •   (Stachley Records)

   Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s Brand New Bag has got dat jazz-fusion thang down...
being daring enough to cover Sun Ra’s “Space Is The Place.”

   The vocals of BNB’s very sexy Stephany meld well with those of the very
soulful Todd Harrold and entangled with themselves with the masterful grooves
that run throughout Fat Metaphysical Thing. Jim Steele’s melodic keyboard
works well with the gritty guitar of Brandon Rentfrow, providing a nice touch
to this space jam majesty.

   Venues like Chicago’s Green Mill may one day embrace these cats of the
mysterious Midwest, for they show a good deal of promise if they continue to
work hard.

– John Bowles

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THE ATARIS •   End Is Forever   •   (Kun Fu Records)

    The Ataris put out their fourth release End is Forever on Feb. 20 and
it’s an album that will most likely be embraced wholeheartedly by the punk
fans of the world.

   Lead singer and writer for the band, Kris Roe, seems to have kept up his
bad luck streak with the ladies, as it appears he continues to be dumped
endlessly. Songs such as “Bad Case of a Broken Heart” and “Giving up on
Love” seem to just ramble on about his forever-failing loves. The band
provides great melodies to go along with Roe’s down in the mouth lyrics.

   Some of the band’s music ventures into a softer area this time around
because of some their experimenting with different instrumentation. But to
balance this new side of their music, the harder rock songs are much harder
then their earlier releases. Roe’s voice has become much deeper as well with
this release, which adds additional punch to their harder songs.

    Some fans wonder if The Ataris will become another sellout like Blink
182?   The band say they won’t and I tend to agree that they will stay true
to their punk roots.

– Brad White

(Catch Ataris on March 21st at The Metro with Lagwagon and The Vandals)

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PAUL PENA •   New Train   •   (Hybrid Records)

   While it may be in the “new release” bin at your local record shop, New
Train is not a new record. It’s taken over 27 years for these sessions to
get from tape to disc and it is a timeless time capsule of a great blues
talent.

     I prefer Paul’s bluesy and ragged “Jet Airliner” over the polished, Top
40 tune Steve Miller turned into gold (although that songwriting gold has
literally kept Pena alive in his struggle against cancer).

“Venutian Lady” features the late Jerry Garcia on pedal steel (think
“Teach Your Children”), and the acappela sensations, The Persuasions, sing
backup on “Gonna Move.”

    Producer and keyboardist Ben Sidran’s liner notes talk about these
landmark sessions, and peek into Pena’s challenges of being a blind bluesman.
Take the New Train, and check out the Oscar-nominated “Genghis Blues”
documentary that profiled this talented bluesman, and don’t forget to check
out Paul’s website, www.paulpena.com

– Eric Steiner

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YUN HUI •   Dis Oriental •   (Indie)

    Hailing from Indianapolis, Yun Hui, or Yuni as she likes to be called,
has a unique and intriguing voice.

     Her sound alternates between the aggressiveness of a Tina Turner, to the
seductiveness of a Tori Amos, to the manic cry of an Alanis Morissette.
Excellent guitarist, Darren Stroud, plays in her band and co-produced the
disc.

   However, the performance talent here notwithstanding, her songs are not
all that great. This is a shame, because with a voice like hers, Yuni could
turn great material into incredible material. The music itself, in terms of
what her band plays is not the problem. The problems are the melodies and the
lyrics.

    Let me deal with the exceptions to the problems first. “Pageant
Princess,” the disc’s first track, leads the listener to believe that this
disc will be an absolute treat. Yuni’s vocal delivery alternates between
smoldering sexuality and outright sarcasm. When she sings/sneers the chorus,
describing herself as, alternately, a “pageant princess” and a “pleasing
agent,” it causes ears to perk up and eyebrows to raise. The arrangement is
nice and chunky, with Stroud providing the kind of visceral guitar work that
perfectly compliments Yuni’s passionate vocals.

     Two more exceptions come at the tail end of the disc. The first is
“Diet of Emptiness” which uses the hunger metaphor very well to describe a
woman’s longing for love. Stroud provides dissonant, Eastern style guitar
solos. This is immediately followed by “The One That Got Away,” which has a
cool, smoky, club feel. Yuni displays yet another aspect of her voice in
this very effective song, one of a jazzy nature. Her delivery of the lines
“‘Cause I know that you are somewhere/And my heart turns with your name”
reflects life experiences that belie her tender years.

    Now, the rest of the disc. Unfortunately, melody is mainly nonexistent,
and the lyrics are penned by someone who has a lot to say, but doesn’t quite
know how to say it in a musical or lyrical way. Most of the desire and anger
is dealt with in cliches or awkward phrases.

   “Apologies,” a song about too much contrition too much of the time, is
one example. Lines like “Now I know that things can get confusing/But when
you get pissed off, you get explosive” fall short no matter how passionately
they’re delivered. “What took place that shaped you into what you are?/Did
somebody hurt you and you didn't take it very well?” from the song “I Never
Wanted” is another example. In some cases, a good melody can cover for
lyrics that aren’t quite there, but not in this case.

    As I noted above, the music on DisOriental is consistently top-shelf in
many ways, but melodic and lyrical craftiness is sacrificed in favor of
exclaiming “how-frustrated-I’m-feeling-right-now” in much too plain language
without a melody to cover for them. In itself, this frustration isn’t a bad
thing and the subject matter (love, relationships, sex) will never get old,
but there isn’t near enough melody or poetry to convince a listener that
Yuni’s longing is profound.

    If more attention were paid to making her powerful emotions come out in a
musically effective way, Yuni would be a musical force with which to be
reckoned. I’ll be looking forward to her follow-up CD, and truly hope that,
as time goes on, she eventually lives up to her amazing potential.