With last year's success of "Born Slippy" on the "Trainspotting" soundtrack and the critical acclaim of its most recent effort, "Second Toughest in the Infants," Underworld has released its maxi-single, "Pearl's Girl."
Containing four remixes of the single and five other tracks, this maxi-single may seem like a good buy solely on the amount of material; however, this single may be best suited for only the most devoted of fans.
The single starts off with the "Tin There" version. Underworld, which sometimes remixes its tracks to the point of disguise, do so on this version. Although it sounds nothing like the original version, it is a decent eight-minute remix that suffers only due to a lack of any breakbeats or change in tempo.
The 1996 version of "Pearl's Girl" is a sub-par remix in which the listener is left with the Edit and Album versions. It's a good choice for a single with the monotone vocals of Karl Hyde supplementing the fast beats and bass booms.
This leaves us with the five remaining tracks. "Oich Oich" was a track that first appeared on a Select magazine compilation tape in 1995, and the track features Hyde's vocals chopped up and broken down to fit the mid-tempo beat. However, this track is not very exciting and, at times, it is almost boring.
"Mosaic" features a bluesy atmosphere but, again, this seems to be a give-a-way track without much to offer. "Puppies" is probably the best out of the new tracks with its ambient feel, but it pales in comparison with any track off of "Second Toughest in the Infants." "Deep Arch" and "Cherry Pie" are so-so tracks, and they do not add any depth to Underworld's sound.
Clocking in at a little more than 65 minutes, the maxi-single was quite a disappointment; however, the title single itself is worth the purchase. However, I would strongly suggest "Second Toughest in the Infants," which includes "Pearl's Girl," or even its previous album, "Dubnobasswithmyheadman," which doesn't include "Pearl's Girl." Again, this single is mainly for the truly devoted fan.
- Philip Son
Diary of a Mod Housewife
Koch Records
What, exactly, is a mod housewife? Most simply, mod housewives are conspicuously hip middle-aged housewives who, in Amy Rigby's own words, might be found at the supermarket with their "kid(s) in a grocery cart / Headphones blasting Elastica while (they) debate the merits of low-fat granola bars vs. Snackwells."
Rigby's debut album documents the desires and anxieties of these mod granola-munching women with a heavy shot of country. Tinged with a country twang, Rigby's voice has a fluttering quality reminiscent of Victoria Williams. The instrumentation, along with Rigby's slight Southern accent, further amplify the country sound. Pedal steel, dobro and an upbeat rhythm join in on many of the tracks.
If the word "country" scares you, you still need not worry with this album. When thrown together with Rigby's simple, straightforward lyricism and her delicate voice, the instruments create an odd juxtaposition, capturing the minds of these not-quite-grown-up grown-up women.
Although some songs, such as "Beer and Kisses" ("We lived on beer and kisses / All hopped up on love and foam") might turn a few listeners away; those who stay will be rewarded with upbeat country rock on songs like "20 Questions," in which Rigby harangues her hungover, dishonest lover. Other songs range from "The Good Girls," detailing the subtle biases women experience today, to the most outstanding song, "Knapsack."
On "Knapsack," Rigby's vocals are accompanied only by her guitar. The sparse sound and instrumentation capture Rigby's infatuation and frustration with her inability to speak to a not-so-strange stranger with whom she has only fleeting contact. Every day as she passes through the door of her favorite bookstore, he "takes (her) knapsack and his fingers brush (her) wrist." In spite of her desire, Rigby is never able to speak.
Since its release, "Diary of a Mod Housewife" has been met with nothing but critical success. Although the Village Voice recently voted "Diary" to be one of the top 10 albums of the year, she has yet to meet with much popular success. Among the flood of plastic angst and melodrama that's been saturating ears lately, "Diary of a Mod Housewife" offers a genuine and refreshing sound.
- Ed Jung
Amy Rigby poses with her guitar.
The Sun is Often Out
Mother Records
1996 represented the collapse of the "Brit-pop" scene and little (if any at all) output from the top bands in the current British music scene. However, 1997 has already seen fantastic new albums from Blur and Gene and one more band should be added to this list - the Longpigs. The release of their debut album, "The Sun is Often Out," is marked by a claustrophobic mist between the emotive vocals of Crispin Hunt and their capable sensibilities in the art of songwriting.
Stating the influences of Lou Reed and David Bowie, the Longpigs have not achieved success through undeserved hype from the fickle British press or by jumping on the bandwagon of any contrived scene (ex. Bis, Menswear). Rather, they have been toiling around the pubs of London for five years with little success. This is mainly due to their contractual obligation to a fledgling independent record label which eventually went bankrupt. After signing to Mother Records, they released a slew of singles that immediately drew comparisons to that of the London Suede and Radiohead.
"The Sun is Often Out" contains six singles dating back to 1995; therefore, the album can be viewed more as a compilation rather than a solitary piece of work. However, these singles and the rest of the album shine through due to the raw energy the band elicits. The first track and their first single, "Lost Myself," features the vocals of Hunt as he screams and yelps in a falsetto amidst the tense guitarwork from Hunt and Richard Hawley. This unsettling feeling continues with the standout track, "All Hype." The verse is built around Hunt's tender whispers and sparse instrumentation and the chorus suddenly builds through a crescendo of distorted guitars as Hunt sings, "And oh for heaven's sake / I needed you tonight / And never having been / To countrysides and seas / I understood the part / But only only one / You've given up the choice / Why don't you dig my voice?" Other notable tracks include "Sally Dances," (an allusion to the Lou Reed song, "Sally Can't Dance") and Hunt's Brett Anderson-like vocals. The final track, "Over Our Bodies," ends the album on a somber note reminiscent of Radiohead's "High and Dry."
After listening to "The Sun is Often Out," one can't help but realize that the Longpigs has the potential to reach the levels of Radiohead or Suede. If the talented Hunt and Co. can release material such as this, then they will have no problem achieving success; they already have a great debut album under their belt.
- Philip Son
The Longpigs are yet another British band out for American bucks.