pa 26 Planet of the Arts / May-June 1996 ...continued from previous page is the highly-advertised declara- tion that the album is “dedicated to the romantic effect of ladies upon American songwriters”. More often than not, the tunes from the American song-book of the Forties and Fifties are by today’s standards decidedly less- than-deferential in their “roman- tic” descriptions of ladies. The “songs about women” theme is likely little more than a well- intentioned advertising pretense. in reality, most Jazz instrumental- ists select standards not so much for their lyrical content, but for their harmonic and melodic structures are interesting to improvise upon. As with most Columbia dates engineered by Patrick Smith, these sessions were captured with spontaneous and sensitive recording techniques that sup- port and enhance the outstand- ing performances by these two master of the jazz art form. -Luigi “satan” Allemano In Love A review of Lou’s new release, Set The Twilight Realing Lou Reed is the master of the obvious. Whether it’s a vacuous rant about a dog or a confession straight from the heart, Reed always does it in a straight up way that sets him apart from other musical poets such as Bob Dylan or Patti Smith. But Lou Reed hasn’t always been confident as a person. This has led to a very turbulent solo career and more lows than you would ever wish on your worst enemy. He has often challenged his persona much in the way that David Bowie has done, but Bowie could pull it off because he was so passionate about pretending. And Lou Reed has always had trouble letting go of old bag- gage and consequently made himself out to be a fool. Just lis- ten to songs like My Red Joystick or The Original Wrapper. These songs show us Reec removing himself so far from his music that there’s no sense of discovery, no heart, no nothing. Of course, Lou Reed will make the excuse that his music isn’t about him at all. This might be true about his earlier work, but his life then was so full of pain and drugged-out paranoia that he could only protect himself by being jaded about his problems. He has no shame now. He is in such a great mood on his new album Set The Twilight Reeling, that even on its downer tunes | can detect a grin breaking on his face. Could this overt sense of bliss be due to his new-found love Laurie Anderson, to whom he dedicates the album? Probably. It’s helped him let go of his need to over-think and has let his sense of whimsy guide him through this new collection of recordings. The songs have the immedia- cy of a drunken rant, and you can sense peace within the artist. Reed wears love well. The album ranges from being blissfully romantic to exceedingly stupid, both aspects of which | enjoy. On the title track, Reed evokes beautiful images of a newly born self: “Take me for what | am...a star newly emerg- ing, long simmering, explodes inside the self is reeling.” This song is a testament to lessons learned from past experiences recounted on earlier gloom albums such as Berlin (the most depressing work of his career) and Magic & Loss. With this new insight into himself, he can unabashedly break out into sheer idiocy and sing about chocolate egg- creams (?), sex with parents, or “hookywookying” with someone in the midst of gunfire and pollution. It’s great to see Lou Reed clown around as Lou Reed and not as some pre-fab rock charac- ter. He is not Bowie — he is rock- solid Reed. He talks straight and plays straighter. He is not ashamed of his weaknesses nor embarrassed about his excursions into the ridiculous. He is one of rock music’s only true human beings. And the CD-packaging is great, too. -Erin Gillgannon fu manchu in search of... (mammoth records 1996). when i first heard this album i hadn't slept in about thirty-six hours, which, i’m sure is part of the reason i liked it so much. in retrospect, i have considerably different feelings about this record than when i first listened to it, about a month ago. in ‘fact, the more i analyze it, the weaker it becomes. there is a certain format to which one adheres, when pro- ducing an album. unfortunately, fu manchu seems to have neglected this structure com- pletely, which is part of the rea- son for my general disenchant- ment and lack of enthusiasm for this record. there’s a reason why albums are arranged in a slow, fast, slow format, which is, as i’m sure you can guess, to avoid bor- ing the listener. unfortunately, fu manchu’s in search of... boasts a completely uniform tempo which will almost certainly put you to sleep, if it doesn’t just irritate you for being so dreadfully monoto- nous. in search of... sounds like one of two albums: a (bad) unre- leased smalls album, or a black sabbath meets deep purple b- side. the only reason i know it is neither of these, is because even in the stone-dead ‘70's, metal bands like black sabbath had the musical ingenuity to throw in a little variety in sound, pace, and theme. fu manchu should also think about taking the fucking DISTORTION off for a couple of bars. an accom- plished musician knows how to play a variety of styles and sounds with equal strength, and while the concept of the ‘accom- plished’ musician may have no place in this review, given the nature of the band, i think fu manchu, at least, if not the lis- tener as well, would benefit from a little variation, even if the songs are hard hitting bullets from the guns of metal. in and of themselves, the songs aren’t all that bad. they’re especially good if you're rollin’ in your mach 2 on your way to a california rumble. out to kick some ass? turn on the fu manchu!! this is also a good album to listen to if you’re think- ing about getting drunk, and hanging out at the ivanhoe. fu manchu seems to have potential, but they’re too caught up in what they've already done, instead of where they should think about going. once fu manchu can accept the fact that i’m right, i’m sure they'll produce an album that is somewhat more pleasing to it’s audience. 50/50. i’d have gone to the show, but it happened five days late. Ov, Tye much ’ nes yan Sa0ner A (th ough , f { fae See mth ofertas P aciUhe I I cone goes ~ ‘Oo Sateac\m va Ds } Sf Rees Sear iit ching Shout © neo~ Fd5c 145 A ee a \ (ovo . ! ! fav sible / De i A ad Malta See ary eee) Ge 4a prael 2) | \ { i Lee ope alg pK apr - 5 j ABS (See Eig hrtall SAGE hy CRO OU Ane Nua ne we : { told man, 3s 3wms QSsed me OTF 9° 3l. WN Greg Scratch: Artist of the Week — for the week of April 28 - May 4 Skinny Puppy The Process This thing is about as good as my spelling, which means not very. Okay so when SP first came out they were oh so different, wow never heard that before, my parents would hate this... i love it, bla bla bla. But they’ve been doing this for many yars now and i wish they would try to break new ground instead of this same old techno industrial stuff. On the up side of this cd they have jumped on the ol’ magic/cult/witchcraft bandwag- on. Comodification of an under ground religion, gotta love it. The Process, is an order that has been around since the sixties and SP has “borrowed” thier motifs and logos and realy alowed the magic to influence thier sound... well sorta. Some of the tracks are ww vited, Ciigathe fe EB rey ow ed | Jreck | laa: ae the tlataesS pf yroyttys CACC at | - ) f ; Ww ot ac- ' i ref reve lining at 1gT with Some a fp 1 @ ati of us wank~- ott, just { i Ty] j f- , ’ $3 / nattecdasherY Nick frced gacdede : 7 y / SES kL. Like » Weed Jae | epee , | Pere ft me te toes with the valarsolved Ure inte rgyl ; See 146 -¢2 pT W ating! humocwvs , esfecta { SPECI, orice haw all of Ls choy ps ewelte some bloody enotton in ; / “0 SCT IW Wem ody Who Soy $ This wasa't werk, j rN / w > iT, wr. ae he ey. “i en ! sO 6 ih SEK 35- 5 ae ; 1 fy WA uetelee Hl bed Fantra raphe s tells yeu | fue & You'e if! sett Heat Fe not all that bad, pretty good actualy but over all it falls short and i know of a few people that are a bit miffed at the use of the Process identity to sell albums. Whatever. If you like SP still after all these years, then you will proba- bly like this release, if your look- ing for something new: keep looking, if you’re 15 and looking for a way to piss of and confuse your parents then this is the album for you. Just be sure and explain that these guys are skarry cult members that practice magic and stuff. —Duncan Creamer Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson Orange Crate Art If you had to write a review for a record (or any cultural arti- fact) by someone who is already your personal favourite, how do you think it would read? Forewarned, such is the case for my review of Orange Crate Art, a brand new recording by not one but two musical person- alities who, separately or togeth- er, | hold in my highest esteem: Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson. Brian Wilson is well known to many of you as the composer of 26 Planet of the Arts / MayJune 1996 is the highly-advertised declara- tion that the album is “dedicated to the romantic effect of ladies ‘upon American songwriters". More often than not, the tunes from the American song-book of the Forties and Fifties are by today's standards decidedly less: than-deferental in thei “roman: tic descriptions of ladies. The “songs about women” theme is likey little more than a well: intentioned advertising pretense. In cealty, most jazz instrumental- ists select standards not so much for theie lyrical content, but for their harmonic and melodic structures are interesting to improvise upon. {As with most Columbia dates ‘engineered by Patrick Smith, these sessions were captured with spontaneous and sensitive recording techniques that sup: pport and enhance the outstand. ing performances by these two ‘master of the jazz artform. Luigi “satan” Allemano In Love A review of Lou's new release, Set The Twilight Realing Lou Reed is the master of the ‘obvious. Whether it's a vacuous rant about a dog or a confession straight from the heart, Reed always does itn a straight up ‘way that sets him apart from, ‘ther musical poets such as Bob Dylan or Patti Smith. But Lou Reed hasn’t always, been confident as a person. This has led to a very turbulent solo ‘career and more lows than you ‘would ever wish on your worst enemy. He has often challenged his persona much in the way that David Bowie has done, but Bowie could pull it off because hhe was so passionate about pretending, {nd Lou Reed has always had trouble letting go of old bag- ‘gage and consequently made himself out to be a fool jst lis- ten to songs like My Red Joystick (The Original Wrapper. These songs show us Reed removing himself so far from his music that there's no sense of discovery, no heart, no nothing OF course, Lou Reed will make the excuse that his music isn’t about him at all. This might be true about his earlier work, but his life then was so ful of pain ‘and drugged-out paranoia that he could only protect himself by being jaded about his problems. He has no shame now. He is jn such a great mood on his new album Set The Twilight Reeling, that even on its downer tunes | ‘an detect a grin breaking on his face. Could this overt sense of bliss be due to his new-found love Laurie Anderson, to whom hhe dedicates the album? Probably. Its helped him let go of his need to over-think and has let his sense of whimsy guide him through this new collection of recordings The songs have the immedia cy of a drunken rant, and you ‘an sense peace within the arts. Reed wears love wel The album ranges from being blissfully romantic to exceedingly stupid, both aspects of which enjoy. On the title track, Reed evokes beautiful images of a newly born self: “Take me for what | am..a star newly emer ing, long simmering, explodes inside the self is reeling,” This song i a testament to lessons learned from past experiences recounted on earlier gloom albums such as Berlin (the most depressing work of his careet) ‘and Magic & Loss. With this new insight into himself, he can unabashedly ‘break out into sheer idiocy and sing about chocolate egg- ‘reams (2), sex with parents, or "hookywookying” with someone in the midst of gunfire and pollution. Ws great to see Lou Reed clown around as Lou Reed and rot as some pre-fab rock charac- ter. He isnot Bowie — he is rock- solid Reed. He talks straight and plays straighter. He is not ashamed of his weaknesses nor embarrassed about his excursions into the ridiculous. He is one of rock music's only true human, beings. ‘And the CD-packaging is, great, too. “Erin Gillgannon fu manchu in search of. (mammoth records 1996). When i first heard this album i hadn't slept in about thirty-six hours, which, i'm sure is part of the reason iliked it so much. in retrospect, i have considerably different feelings about this record than when i fist listened toit, about amonth ago. in fact, the more i analyze it, the weaker it becomes there is a certain format to which one adheres, when pro- ducing an album, unfortunately, fu manchu seems to have neglected this structure com- pletely, which is part of the rea- son for my general disenchant: ‘ment and lack of enthusiasm for this record. there's a reason why albums are arranged in a slow, fast, slow format, which is, asim Sure you can guess, to avoid bor- ing the listener. unfortunately, fa manchu’s in search of... boasts a ‘completely uniform tempo which will almost certainly put you to sleep, iFit doesn't just iitate you for being so dreadfully monoto- nous. in search of. sounds like ‘one of two albums: a (bad) unre- leased smalls album, or a black sabbath meets deep purple b- side. the only reason i know it is neither ofthese, is because ‘even in the stone-dead ‘70's, metal bands lke black sabbath ‘had the musical ingenuity to throw ina ltl varity in sound, pace, and theme. fu manchu should also think about taking the fucking DISTORTION off for ‘a couple of bars. an accom- plished musician knows how to play a variety of styles and, sounds with equal strength, and while the concept ofthe ‘accom- plished’ musician may have no place in this review, given the nature of the band, i think fu ‘manchu, atleast, if not the ls tener as well, would benefit from alittle variation, even if the songs are hard hitting bullets from the guns of metal. in and of themselves, the songs aren't all that bad. they're especially good if you'te rolin’ in your mach 2 on your way toa californid rumble. out to kick some ass? turn on the fu ‘manchull this is also a good album to listen to if you're think- ing about getting drunk, and hhanging out at the ivanhoe. fu manchu seems to have potential, but they're too caught up in what they've already done, instead of where they should think about going. ‘once fu manchu can accept the fact that i'm righ, i'm sure they'll produce an album that is somewhat more pleasing to it's ‘audience. 50/50. i'd have gone to the show, but it happened five days late Greg Scratch: Artist of the Week - for the week of April28 - May 4 Skinny Puppy The Process This thing is about as good as ry speling, which means not vvery, Okay so when SP fist came ‘out they were oh so different, ‘wow never heard that before, ‘my parents would hate ths... | love it, blabla bla. But they've been doing this for many yars now and i wish they would try to break new ground instead ofthis same old techno industrial stuf. (On the up side ofthis cd they have jumped on the of ‘magic/cult/witchcraft bandwag- ‘on. Comadifcation of an under ground religion, gotta love it. The Process, is an order that has bbeen around since the sixties and SP has “borrowed” thier motifs and logos and realy alowed the ‘magic to influence thier sound. well sorta. Some of the tracks are not all that bad, pretty good actualy but over allt falls short and i know of a few people that are a bit miffed at the use of the Process identity to sell albums. Whatever. Ifyou lke SP stil afterall these years, then you will proba- bly lke this release, if your look- ing for something new: keep. looking, if you're 15 and looking for a way to piss of and confuse your parents then this is the album for you. Just be sure and explain that these guys are skarry cult members that practice magic and stuf. “Duncan Creamer Van Dyke Parks and Brian Wilson Orange Crate Art I you had to write a review for a record (or any cultural arti- fact) by someone who is already your personal favourite, how do you think it would read? Forewamed, such is the case for my review of Orange Crate Art, a\brand new recording by not one but two musical person- alities who, separately or togeth. er, U holdin my highest esteem: Van Dyke Parks and Brian many of you as the composer of