Please, keep Outsight informed with review materials,
press releases, etc. c/o Tom "Tearaway" Schulte, POB 1500, Royal Oak
MI, 48068-1500 Or, click the frog to send e-mail
Load
Records (POB 35, Providence, RI 02901) is a purveyor of strange but
beautiful noise. The Load Records roster tends toward artists unfettered by the
verse-chorus-verse convention… The group Forcefield is unfettered even with
vocals on Roggabogga. This album is an audio document of the 2002 Whitney
Biennial in NYC when the performance collective swelled to almost 60 performers
in knit suits to a quasi-ethnic soundtrack bleeps, beeps all that is electronic…
On its debut full-length CD bareskinrug, Pleasurehorse goes in for the
sputtering, forward-moving series of beats and tweets that share the same
horizontal, motive energy of breakbeats. Indeed, breakbeats figure in as one of
the substrates to the music of this one-man show, again without vocals…
EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES
Robert Poss was one third of the
three-guitar wall of sound in Band of Susans. Since that experimental rock group
disbanded in 1995, he continued to work wonders with the guitar as a sonic
alchemist. Poss now has two new solo recordings out on Trace Elements Records
(172 E. 4th St., No. 11D, NYC, NY 10009). Distortion of Truth is a
compendium of studio and live works. As such, the sound varies floating, eerie
soundscapes like "Radio Free Albemuth Revisited" to beat-heavy NYC art-rock that
recalls Band of Susans ("You Were Relentless"). Crossing Casco Bay relies
more heavily and consistently on Poss' theorem that feedback, distortion and
overtones are "the cake, not the frosting" for the post-rock guitarist.
Deceptively simple, these drifting, floating layers of guitar drone give rise to
architecture of subtle beauty when appreciated with distinct stereo separation.
WALDRON RIDING A ZEPYR (UPWARD)
Pianist Mal Waldron has died. He
features as the sole musical accompaniment to jazz vocalist Judi Silvano on the recent Soul Note album Riding a
Zephyr. Waldron was in Billie Holiday's band for her final two years.
Waldron wrote or co-wrote most of the music on this album which features
beautifully simple, understated piano giving room to Silvano's delightful
phrasing and playful scatting. The disc contains a synopsis of Waldron's
creative life in the tenth, closing track, "Mal Waldron".
DEAD KENNEDYS DIGITALLY REMASTERED
The Dead Kennedys' digitally
remastered back catalog pass the 100,000 mark for total annual sales in 2002.
Laying aside the controversy discussed in the underground press regarding the
band wresting the back catalog from Jello Biafra, it certainly seems to be a
successful venture that has found many buyers. The band sells the product
through Manifesto Records and Plastic Head Distribution. Showing that even
hardcore collectors are jumping at the chance to replace their worn copies, the
band marked their 33% jump in sales with a decision to reissue all the titles
onto vinyl for these buyers, starting with Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables and Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death in September 2002.
This book is a
tour-de-force exegesis of the entire Blondie career and the effect lead singer
Deborah Harry has on the role of the blonde female vocalist in pop and rock.
Nearly the first third of the book is given over to the punk milieu from which
Blondie sprang and Blondie's role in that scene. This makes the book a
fascinating overview of the nascent New York City punk scene. Like the rest of
the book, several authors contribute pieces of no more than a few pages. This
makes for much redundancy as the same topics are covered, but treat this book as
casual reading and reference and the many points of view coalesce into detailed
complete if kaleidoscopic view of the territory. In here are some real nuggets,
like the uncensored interview of Harry for High Times and cross interview
with Nina Persson of The Cardigans. There are plenty of photos from all parts of
the Blondie/Deborah Harry history and some interviews with the photographers.
"Part IV: In Retrospect" contains discographies from the U.S. and U.K.
perspectives along with many pages of appreciations from various authors. Metz
gives a short synopsis of each article explaining how it fits in. The book is a
must for the Blondie fan and adds much to those that are interested in the NYC
punk landscape she grew out of. (4)
This
45-minute DVD documentary is a colorful and personal portrait of The Upsetter,
dub architect Lee "Scratch" Perry. Much of the interviewing occurs in Perry's
home where we see he is, apparently, never out of costumer and never out of
character. His home is just as eclectically decorated as is Perry's apparel.
Subtitles would have been helpful for Perry's thick accent, but it is worth
straining to hear him expound his Sun Ra-like philosophies and comments on
working with Bob Marley. Some concert clips are here also. (3.5)
This
fully packed double-DVD collection is built around a release of the group's
hour-long VHS documentary. The first disc of the VHS's material now has an
additionally audio track of the band's own commentary on each part of the
documentary and concert video. Not only do we see live footage of the group
performing such songs as "Urban Struggle (I Want to be a Cowboy)" and "Anarchy
Burger", but we find the real story behind "Pat Brown". Or do we? The interview
with the singer of the South Bay Surfers on the second disc seems to cast doubt
on all that, or is it all in good fun? Good (but not necessarily) clean fun is
had by all The Vandals on this DVD set. Also on the second disc is a hilarious
analysis by the band of their own audience getting into the show and the
totality of Joe Escalante's interview of Bjork and Siggi of The Sugarcubes.
(4.5)
This
DVD documentary explores the impact of Bruce Lee on the role of kung fu in the
movies through interviews with several people. Many of these people were
students at Bruce Lee's school. They augment the personal exposition that is
anything but glorification but rather an intimate portrayal of a man that had
advanced to phenomenal athletic abilities and loved to express that, as well as
fight. In many ways, Bruce Lee comes across much like Harry Houdini, a
superhuman of sorts whose greatest feats are still legendary and unable to be
reproduced. Lee's brother and son also give interviews as well as the late actor
James Coburn (a student) and Jackie Chan, perhaps Lee's closest modern day
equivalent. The DVD indulges the viewer with a few of Lee's longer fight scenes
in their entirety. (4)
This is
an unauthorized biography of Ozzy's career, so it contains no music. However, it
does contain much that is revealing about this powerful persona in heavy metal.
Mostly through the interviews of a journalist and two authors on Ozzy books, we
learn about Ozzy's crimes and misdemeanors, his highs and lows and his rather
unexpected current acceptability. For instance we find out things popularly
known about Ozzy, say urinating on the Alamo, biting the head off a bat or
wearing a dress to a photo shoot, but also the events of that time or that day
that led up to those events. (3)
CD REVIEWS
Steve Roach / Jeffrey Fayman Trance Spirits Tranceportation/Projekt
On Trance
Spirits, Roach rejoins with Jeffrey Fayman and Momodou Kah, the percussionists
of the 2001 CD The Serpents Lair for a new album of ambient soundscapes
with exotic, ethnic, acoustic percussion. The authentic African percussion forms
a dense substrate to the electronic soundscapes produced on guitar and
synthesizer by Steve Roach. Robert Fripp is on hand to lend his talents to this
live (not overdubbed) recording on three tracks. (4)
The
Vandal return with tongue-in-cheek humor and another great post-punk album that
recalls the best of power pop. Their scathing wit is here turned to Internet
dating. Like neo-punk method actors, The Vandals got so immersed in the idea for
this concept album that includes date-a-band-member over the Web for pre-release
promotion. The fast, up-tempo songs make good on all the fun and jokes possible
about relationships in and out of the chat rooms in fast, guitar-focused rock
that is the clarion call of talent and quality in the largely mediochre modern
punk rock movement. (4)
Although boasting the appearance of a hand-waving indie
rocker, Badly Drawn Boy is a sophisticated pop rocker. Employing a touch of the
lo-fi and sense of humor, Badly Drawn Boy is a pop artist with street style. Now
reaching a new tier of popularity, Badly Drawn Boy offers Have you fed the
Fish? as commentary of moving in the world of celebrity. Rather than being a
salacious and psychological The Wall, it is a string of orch-pop about
remembering the little things and the reflection that comes with fame. Featuring
more guitars than previous albums, this is still a hip album with plenty of
piano and under-produced songs that will go over well with fans of Ben Folds
Five and Of Montreal. (4)
This is experimental, new music from Britain. The third release in a
series, Fell is here documenting on the double-disc release a middle ground
between pure improvisation and notation using good-sized ensembles. In
development for 8 years, this opus features the Big Band of The Royal Northern
College of Music with featured improvisers from jazz and creative music circles.
The result has a jazz-like quality that will appeal to free jazz fans. (4)
Laird Jackson is a
gifted young vocalist that already boasts the effortlessly delivered patient and
measured phrasing that marks the best mature vocalists. This 11-track album
mixes originals from Jackson with songs by Stevie Wonder ("Visions"), Joni
Mitchell ("Tin Angel"), Donovan ("Catch the Wind") and more. Having already
released and album of pre-1950 standards, her 1994 debut Quiet Flame,
Jackson now takes a more contemporary approach. Toward this end, there is a
Brazilian fell on "Visions" as well as her own "Towards the Sun" due to the
percussion. This song, like much of the album, features quick but bright
episodes of instrument improvisation from her New York band of Bruce Barth
(piano), Joe Ford (alto sax), John Benitez (bass), Cecil Bridgewater (trumpet)
and Clarence Penn (drums). (3.5)
Mat Maneri performs on a bevy of violin
forms on this delicate and focused album. These violin derivatives include
five-string viola, electric six-string violin and baritone violin. The
drone-like tone coloring of the slow bowing matched to the low-frequency
plucking from über-bassist William Parker gives an Oriental feel to "Alone
(Origin)". Subdued, introspective keyboards from Craig Taborn lend a chill,
ambient feel to the music. Similarly disembodied and reflective is the soprano
saxophone of Joe McPhee. The entire measured and meditative approach makes for a
romantic free jazz, an experimental ensemble with poignant self-awareness. (4.5)
Lemon Jelly Lost Horizon Impotent Fury/XL Recordings
Having
taken different paths through the London electro-pop worlds, the duo behind
Lemon Jelly, Nick Franglen and Fred Deakin, became re-acquainted to make this
album. Their floating, ebullient tracks percolate with a natural enthusiasm for
the electronic genre and its easy-beat, smile-inducing possibilities. This is
electronica specifically made for listening, not dancing. Stripped of the need
to be utilitarian and predictable, the songs on this album offer more texture
and freedom of expression that translates into muted joy, that is artful
electro-pop that you can hum. (4.5)
The brand of high-energy aggro from The Blood Brothers is a
spastic, sputtering high-tension variety that recalls Japanese noise punk from
Guitar Wolf to The Boredoms. More than a catharsis, the group includes a lot of
complexity in their music through the unpredictable tempo changes of the
guitars, which can launch into angular, math patterns. The full impact of the
surrealistic lyrics and horror-movie imagery is best appreciated perusing the
full-color booklet of over two-dozen pages while listening on headphones. (4)
Full of sexual energy courtesy of siren Ann Shenton,
this British band delivers potent heavy electronic pop that lacks the muscular
ostentation of industrial music. Instead, the music of Add N to (X) boasts
slinky, post-New Wave rhythms with a classic vintage feel arising from the Moogs
ands more. Too hip to be merely retro, Loud Like Nature is hard club
music with style. Adding variety is contributions from guitarist Richard Hawley
(Pulp) on "Sheez Mine" and drummer Rowan Oliver (Goldfrapp). Legendary producer
Kim Fowley (The Runaways) is on hand to make a creepy spoken word contribution
on "Invasion of the Polaroid People". (4)
Race for Titles has a classic,
post-punk pop sound that is still mature and sophisticated recalling The Church
and song-oriented English indie pop. The album offers a lot in texture for the
listener, varying from ethereal guitar to an impressive wall-of-sound approach.
An important debut, watch for more from this Omaha, Nebraska band. (3)
This is the fourth recording from a quartet
that excels add understated, restrained live group composition. Their
extemporaneous experiments succeed on the right notes, not cosmic blasts of the
sonic spectrum. Formerly, the group was a quintet, but now has new member Tom
McNalley on guitar replacing Steve Willis. Trombonist Brent Heyne is not on the
album. McNalley works well with the group's other Tom (Bergeron) on alto sax.
The two lead the ensemble in a conversation of exchanged phrases ably back by
busy but not distracting drumming from Dave Storrs. (4)
Thomas Dimuzio Mono.Poly Gench/Asphodel
Dimuzio excels at
minimalistic electronic compositions of a coarse texture. These are warm,
floating pieces that allow much freedom for the imagination. They also allow
much to be built on them. In this 2-CD set, we have one disc of Dimuzio live
material (Mono) and then a disc (Poly) of collaborations with
Illusion of Safety, Fred Frith, Chris Cutler and more. All together, the
anthology spans the years 1997-2002. These collaborations are also recorded live
and dates and cities for each track are provided. The collaborative pieces tend
to include samples not found on Mono giving the Poly disc a feel
like the academic electro-acoustic output of the Montreal musique
actuelle scene. (4.5)
This is a comeback album for a woman that had a career in the
60's that include working with Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention and
opening for Van Morrison on a European tour. (Actually, her recording comeback
began with 1966's Really Good. This is the third recording of her second
career.) She let that go in order to raise a family, but not before leaving
enough of a mark to inspire Bonnie Raitt, among others. Indeed, fans of Raitt
will find this album to be much like an aged and mellowed version of Raitt.
Stuart is a singer-guitarist that is also a capable songwriter as can be told on
the poignant bitterness of "Blues in the Bottle". She has one other original
here and then interprets such blues songs as "Big Boss Man" and "Hard Time
Killin' Floor". (3.5)
This barely-named album of lo-fi vocals
and delicate piano and strings melodies is an enchanting album from this
Icelandic band. Very evenly featured, the band seems to one no distracting peaks
and valleys on this gentle ride. Even the album's credits are only available on
the site as the six-page booklet, of gray tracing paper, is nearly featureless.
The spare but not melancholy album features vocalized sounds that fit the music
appropriately, but not be words. Through the site, listeners can post their
interpretations that will "become" the lyrics through software. Singer Jonsi
Thor Birgisson calls the singing style "Hopelandish" vocals. The album is classy
chill-out music and somewhat otherworldly. (4)
Volume Six of RPM's Mood Mosaic
series documents the bold-stroked '60s orchestral pop of UK producer Ken
Woodman. Contemporary "orch pop" exhibits a schmaltzy neo-romanticism that more
to do with America Middle Of The Road styles of the period. Woodman, however was
a horn player by profession in the 50's and interjects his arrangements, whether
originals like "Town Talk" or renditions of Top 40 material like "Mighty Quinn",
with jump-up-and-dance jazz band rhythms. So, this is not the soundtrack to
Love Story, but more like classic Henry James or Count Basie incarnated
into the pop recording studio. Woodman was instrumental as producer or music
director in recordings by Tom Jones, Lulu, Mia Farrow, Roy Orbison and more.
Listening to this compilation culled from 1966 and 1969 recordings (That's
Nice, Vibration) as well as taking in the detailed booklet shows how
shaping his work, also hear on many radio and TV shows, was for 60's and 70's
pop. (4.5)
The title to this exquisite double-CD set
reflects the fact that the recordings were made concurrently, or in parallel,
with the opus After Everything Now This. As such, the set includes not
only remixes of tracks on that album, but new material as well. This explosion
of creativity comes from the reunion of the founding 1980 lineup. (Incidentally,
drummer Tim Powles longevity in the group made him the longest serving drummer
in band history.) The group maintained this lineup even though separated by
continents, meaning this material was three years in the making. Perhaps the
high quality of the end result has something to do not only with the great
experience of these music architects, but forced time to thing and consider over
such a drawn-out project. The crisp, focused, post-psychedelic pop created by
The Church continues to refine a winning and somewhat dark fusion of ambiguous,
though-provoking lyrics with vivid metaphor with intelligent, sophisticated
guitar-pop that survives as some of the best music out of the AOR movement for
its inherent quality. (4.5)
Songs such as "The Dope Feels Good" and "Shake
the Dope Out" epitomize the drug-embracing psychedelic jams of the trippy band
The Warlocks. It's music is a sonic buzz of drifting walls of sound that advance
and recede like a body-affecting chemical tide. Like Velvet Underground's
"Heroin" these narcotic anthems glorify abandonment to substance-induced
sensations with such effective use of well-wrought music that The Warlocks may
be able to sue West Coast drug dealers for royalties. Regardless, even if you
"just say no" to anything, cop a dose of Phoenix Album and party all
night with naught for nasty side effects. (4)
Deltahead McDonald is a human jukebox of the original Delta blues style.
He performs acoustic blues songs of the folk blues masters: Robert Johnson
("Walkin' Blues", "Come on in my Kitchen"), Charlie Patton ("Tom Rushen Blues"),
Son House ("Empire State Express", "Grinnin' in Your Face"), Blind Willie McTell
("World's Made a Change") and more. Like the early recordings of John Lee
Hooker, this is simply a solo performance of a man singing, playing guitar and
stomping his foot for occasional percussion. The style is nothing like Australia
and everything like the rural American south that it honors. The part that is
Australia is the Australian-made Beeton Brass Body Resonator Guitar (National
Biscuit Cone) that McDonald plays bottleneck slide on. The baker's dozen of
songs here are delivered in a patient and melodic style, brightly played by this
lowlands master from down under. McDonald is justifiably proud that this is
recorded in a live fashion; that is with no overdubs. The lead track is "Evil on
my Mind", which Johnny Winter did overdub. (4.5)
When Marshall and Anger speak of "on the range," they refer to that open
road that they are three-quarters of the way to having traveled a million miles
over. They began their musical sojourn performing together in the David Grisman
Quartet in 1978 and continue to put on a live show of some of the best in
Americana acoustica. This album is a testament of the quality of their live
performance in delivering the goods in folk and bluegrass with a touch of jazz.
The "at home" part of the title refers to the extra tracks recorded just after
their U.S. eastern seaboard tour along which they gathered these gems. The
scintillating music here summoned from wood and wire warmly by the sonic
alchemists includes fun Mike Marshall originals ("Frogs on Ice", "Big Man from
Syracuse", etc.), traditionally artfully arranged for subtle showcasing of
technique but never showboating ("In the Pines", "Down in the Willow Garden")
and a healthy dose of Bill Monroe ("Jerusalem Ridge", "Big Mon" and "Old
Dangerfield") and more. (4.5)
This self-titled debut album arising
from the fertile Athens, Georgia scene begins with an angular, mathy track and
then follows with a triumphant bit of progressive rock. Mostly instrumental,
this album is a diptych, divided in to three tracks called "Your Misfortune is
our Mirth" and "Magnum Opus". Each half is over thirty minutes long and
conceived as a single live set, which is how the band performs their music. The
reach is for the majestic and this gives the pieces epic proportions and a vast,
cinematic sweep to the music. The sophisticated post-rock band will go over well
with fans of Tortoise and Mogwai. Drummer Tom Naumann and guitarist/vocalist
Devin Brown are also in Jet By Day. (4)
The previously unreleased treat for
fans on this Nirvana retrospective is the lead track, "You Know You're Right".
The track came out of Kurt Cobain's final recording session. It is a
particularly angry cut, almost abrasive and has an air of finality about it. The
rest has a greatest hits fell taking well-known tracks of Sub Pop releases,
Lithium, In Utero and the band's MTV Unplugged performance. These
include "Sliver", "Smells like Teen Spirit", "Rape Me" and "All Apologies".
Because this collection hits the high points, it works as the one Nirvana
recording to get, if you feel you only need one. (4)
Songs by The Blam feature great pop hooks in their phrasing and
delivery making for excellent, memorable choruses. The delivery is very good,
leaving one humming along the catchy and vivid metaphors: "You got your coke
bottles on … You got your nurse's coat on." Songs by The Blam are so good as
songs themselves; the group's material could succeed a cappella. The Blam
seems to be aware of this and does not bury their quality material in
ostentatious arrangements, instead relying on a focused two-guitar pop rock
approach that recalls '80s rock. The mix is excellent on the album so that the
music never threatens to bury the vocals. (3.5)
On this CD, Granelli (Vince Guaraldi, Ralph Towner,
Gary Peacock) performs spontaneous percussion on "sound sculptures" more on
those in a bit. With him is Jeff Riley (Symphony Nova Scotia, Francois Hule) on
clarinets and also the mysterious and metallic "sound sculptures." While not a
performer, John Little is just as integral to the project. It is in the workshop
of the master blacksmith Little that the recording took place and from this
workshop came the "sound sculptures," or as Little explains, "iron machines that
make new sounds." On the CD whether starkly lit or in shadows these inventions
exhibit physical shapes as strange and alluring as the sparse and distant sounds
they create on this sparse and understated CD full of silences and alien
visitations from a ferrous world. (4.5)
Featuring two members of Saeta, Ms. Led is a politically aware indie
rock band led by siren vocalist Lesli Wood. This is the third album from the
Seattle group formerly known as Lesliwood. The group combines neo-punk energy
with power pop vocals clearly delivering the message, be it political or
personal, above the two-guitar assault. Great care was taking in production and
the CD clearly shines for it. Mixing was done across the country, with two
tracks mixed by Kramer (Bongwater, Low, Galaxie 500). (3.5)
The band Good Clean Fun carries a torch for posi-core and they do it so
well, so enthusiastically and so energetically that even the most jaded,
malicious skinhead will bear a wide grin after listening to his compilation.
They have a political, anarchist posi-punk approach that eschews college, 401Ks
and an excess of Internet in favor a righteous joy, or good clean fun. This CD
includes all the Good Clean Fun songs released to this point on one CD. (4)
The music of Electric Frankenstein is a
well-hone machine, a high-performance engine. This guitar-based hard rock is not
pretentious enough; it's just too fun. It is also not the ragged amateurism of
old-school punk or the nasally delivered high-speed neo-punk. This author
experienced the band live in New York at the Bowery Ballroom some years ago and
the intense crowd reaction from an audience drawn on metal and punk fans old and
young recalled the birth of punk in its eclectic draw and lightning connection
to an audience of jaded thrill seekers. Listen Up, Baby! shows the band
to be the East Coast kings of the new, muscular wave of punk, a generation of
the sound that offers technique and attitude. (4.5)
Not caring in the least for being
labeled retro or even behind-the-times, Lab Partners is a dreampop band, a space
rock ensemble and they probably would have no problem of being accused of
shoegazing. The band has a very sophisticated style within these genres. Their
songs stand up on their own as catchy pop gems with memorable lyrics. Their
song-oriented approach makes the music very accessible and should go over well
with fans of Verve and Radiohead. With Lab Partners, it's "let the good times
swirl." (3.5)
Mochipet creates dense works of breakbeats and soundbites.
There is a real absurdist quality to the music. Some of the soundbites appears
so unexpectedly and briefly, only for a syllable, to be humorous as such brevity
equates to comedy. Others are so abundantly worked in for every available
syllable as to be surreal for the microscopic detail. The music often involves
lickety-split breakbeats as well as beats and rhythms wet with reverb and
effects for an overall very slippery sound. Multi-instrumentalist David Wang
infuses his music with a delightful, playful spirit. (4)
Manda and the Marbles purposefully goes
in for an '80s time capsule, summing up New Wave and power pop sounds. There is
a direct similarity to Missing Persons, as well as they early versions of Go-Gos
and Bangles from this female-led rock group. With music that's fun and catchy,
More Seduction is an instant classic from this trio set to resurrect the
skinny tie sound. (4)
The
title of this album comes from the fact that this captures the funk guitarist in
various sessions around the same time he recorded Inspiration
Information. The explicit, earthy songs are sexual in the most direct way,
if sometimes delivered metaphorically. This can be heard in the recording of
"Doin' It" with Richard Berry and the recording of "Country Girl" with his
father Johnny Otis. He also recorded "The Signifying Monkey" with Johnny Otis
and no we can compare that rural southern bandit to the Stagger Lee resurrected
by Nick Cave recently. This lo-fi, visceral funk album also has a recording of
"Louie, Louie" with the clearest lyrics this reviewer has heard. (5)
The caustic rock of
Japanese power-combo Thee Michelle Gun Elephant is undiluted on this their third
domestic release. It is interesting that these three domestic releases came out
on Alive, which does so much to promote contemporary bands working in the mold
vast by Iggy & The Stooges and MC5. TMGE also purvey the same type of bluesy
proto-punk with one foot in post-'60s hard rock. Rodeo Tandem Beat
Specter is high-energy, unadulterated rock that shares an agility and
strength with the sport of boxing. (4)
On
Inner System Blues, Last Days of May leaves aside much of the ferocity of
prior releases to turn within for an otherworldly journey of cavernous
instrumental wherein drips the space-suggestion drips of reverb-laden
electronics. The deep, ominous bass tone coloring suggests Bauhaus and those
slowly percolating beats recall chill out ambient music. Still, present is the
kit drummer restrained onto just allowing the glitter of cymbals to work into
the music. Such is the subterranean journey of headspace music here. Don the
headphones and lay back, it is going to be an interesting trip. (4.5)
This three-song EP from FlashlightBrown is an energetic, taut blast of
post-punk power pop. "Ready to Roll" makes a Friday evening of geeks playing
Dungeons & Dragons to be the best thing going. It is the hottest ticket in
town when FLB provides the soundtrack. It seems this foursome used not only
role-playing games to escape the boredom of a "small college town". They
rehearsed their band and really show for it. "A Freak" is high-octane tale of
beer and skating that further reveals the band's explosive energy. (4)
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