Category: Reviews

Artist: Blowfly Title: Blowfly Does XXX-Mas Label: Panadisc Rating: 5/10 Soul singer Clarence Reid found fame in a different seting with vividly explicit (though also mostly comical) sex material and outrageous commentary. Reid issued several albums as Blowfly, an adult comedian in the Redd Foxx, Rudy Ray Moore and Dolemite tradition. His albums were issued…

Artist: Blessid Union of Souls Title: Walking off the Buzz Label: V2 Rating: 5/10 After being tossed around between record labels, Blessid Union Of Souls finally settled down with Push/V2 Records to release their third album, Walking Off The Buzz. The whole album has a rather smooth flavor, easy on the ears, pleasant enough for…

Artist: Ben Folds Five Title: The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner Label: 550 Rating: 9/10 Don’t be misled by the mysterious title of Ben Folds Five latest album, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner. It plays the same game as the band’s name, which implies that there are five members in the band when actually…

Artist: Atari Teenage Riot Title: 60 Second Wipeout Label: Elektra Rating: 7/10 Atari Teenage Riot just might be the angriest band in the world. Having been a fan since Burn, Berlin, Burn wrecked me a few years ago, I knew their latest release, 60 Second Wipeout, would prove to be a chance to see a…

Artist: Art of Noise Title: The Seduction of Claude Debussy Label: Universal Rating: 7.5/10 “Music is not just the expression of a feeling – it is the feeling itself.” Claude Debussy was definitely on to something when he made that statement nearly a century ago. Art of Noise must have thought so; they have devoted…

Artist: Aqua Title: Aquarius Label: MCA Rating: 5.5/10 Aqua is the band most of us love to hate. Do you know what did it? It was that unlikely, annoying hit single “Barbie Girl”. They’ve been marked for certain as one-hit-wonders, but they’re back and apparently getting better. “Cartoon Heroes” begins with helium-voiced Lene Hedin Nystrom…

Artist: Sammy Hagar Title: Red Voodoo Label: MCA Rating: 6/10 The way I see it, Sammy Hagar is the man who ruined Van Halen (let us forget for the moment that right now David Lee Roth is balding and pathetic while Sammy here still seems to be rocking strong). It is a small grade-school grudge…

Artist: Buck-O-Nine Title: Libido Label: TVT Rating: 6/10 As the 90’s come to a close, it would seem appropriate to leave behind the fads that graced the decade and move on to something original, whether it’s by a new group or one that already knows the ropes. Buck-O-Nine’s 1999 release, Libido, has all of the…

Artist: Built To Spill Title: Keep It Like Secret Label: Warner Bros. Rating: 6/10 Hasn’t the world declared alternative rock dead? Not according to Built To Spill. From behind the stinging guitar and brushed snare comes their latest musical composition, Keep It Like A Secret. Singer/guitarist Doug Martsch isn’t concerned about whether this album falls…

Artist: Swimmer Title: Surreal Label: Maverick Rating: 8/10 Swimmer grows on you like a wonderful rash. The release of their album was delayed for a month and that worked out perfectly for me since it allowed me time to realize how great this disc is. Swimmer isn’t the kind of band that you get right…