Music Reviews by Kent Manthie
Antique Scream: “Beware of the Fox” (no label)
How is it that these days some of the best rock & roll being made is being recorded by bands who aren’t signed by any labels and they just don’t care and instead they go ahead and write songs, record them in their bedrooms or garages or girlfriend’s house or whatever and it blows away anything put out by the Warner Bros. Group, Sony, Universal/MCA or any of the other music pimps.
Antique Scream are the latest in that short-lived tradition, a trio from somewhere in these United States – they have the usual rock combo’s accoutrements: guitar, bass drums, but what sets this CD apart from myriad bores is that these guys put those widely used instruments, those ubiquitous tools of the trade, to good use. “Beware of the Fox” is a slick, well-produced CD. I looked all over for a record label logo but couldn’t find one – it sounded like it had to have some bucks behind it, but that can be deceiving these days with the increasing availability of better and better digital recording technology that can make any room into a recording studio.
From the get-go I was entranced by an infectious set of beats and jammin’ hooks and tough riffs, anchored by a fuzzy bass, they are surprisingly intense, especially when you look at the kind of dorky cover they put on the CD case. What is the deal with that? It’s a goofy cartoon with a Little Red Riding Hood theme to it, or something like that. I was expecting something else but when the CD started playing I was pleasantly surprised.
The CD just rocks and rocks all the way – slowing down for a minute on track 8, “A-Side” and on track #9 too, “El Borracho”, but it has a soulful, bluesy touch to it, white-boy-style, an almost seven minute ballad with a compelling grab to it and the last cut is a soulful, velvety number called “Trips to the Moon”. But there’s a little extra treat here for you: there’s another song hidden in track #10 – after the song is over the time counter keeps on going, on and on, until it gets to a little after 11 minutes and then – voila – a secret, unmentioned, hidden track! I think there may be a future for these guys, stay tuned and remember, you heard about them from me first! You can check out more about them at: http://www.antiquescream.com – KM.
Cuomo! “Holiday” (Ever Reviled Records)
I know the routine – some smug dude thinks he’s going to be funny by making a record of stupid, kitschy, campy songs; and when it comes out, easily fooled critics will write these god-awful rants about what amazing stuff it is – how they are such brilliant and clever tunesmiths.
But, there’s just nothing funny about this CD; it’s not cute for being stupid, it’s stupid because they try to be cute and there is no substance to it, just fluff. I don’t know why it was even made in the first place. What is Cuomo! trying to accomplish here anyway? What the hell are they trying to prove? Huh?? I kept hoping that the next song would make up for the silliness of the previous one but it just kept getting worse and the joke just wouldn’t end, which just frustrated me to no end and I just finally got mad and threw the disc at the wall. Don’t bother buying it – unless you want to give it to someone in a pique of vengeance. (http://www.everreviledrecords.com) – KM.
Stemm: “Songs for the Incurable Heart” (I Scream Records)
I Scream Records have a stable of hard-working, Republicans making speed-death-metal CDs, eight hours a day, seven days a week, a veritable sludge factory. Gawd, it is the most vile, god-awful noise I ever heard. I can see how a lot of misfit teenaged, acne-scarred white boys would get into this, maybe they can get a catharsis from listening to this that will keep them from shooting up their school. Music as therapy? Rock on! (http://www.iscreamrecords.com) – KM.
The Screamin’ Yee-Haws: “The Bottle and the Band” (Calabama Productions)
Ersatz Hillbillies – why would anyone? San Diego natives, the Screamin’ Yee-Haws have put out a CD that is in the same vein as Rev. Horton Heat, etc, a punk, rockabilly blender mix that has a hootenanny quality to it; a raucous, alcohol-fueled jamboree that is quite infectious, as far as spreading those blue-eyed soulful vibes. It turns your depressing day into a devil-may-care noisefest and you deserve it, man.
You see, anything goes here in Southern California and if someone here wants to act like buzzsaw-eating rowdies that dance crazily and make jet-fuel rockabilly then they can do that. Just listening to “The Bottle and the Band” gets me all excited it makes me want to go out to some honky-tonk dive bar and get my rocks off. Yee-haw, indeed. “Burnin’ On Jimmy” is punk-rock ditty, on fire, electrified, it has a wild streak to it. I was also put into a wild mood when I heard “_” – the whole album has a way of putting things in perspective; in other words, don’t take things too seriously, mellow out now & then and let your hair down. What have you got to lose? Yee-haw. (http://www.screaminyeehaws.com) – KM.
8 Equals D: “Living the Dream” (Demo)
I think that 8 Equals D may have Reviewer mixed up with a record label instead of the highly influential music mag that we are. They sent us this fifteen minute demo on a Memorex recordable CD – we’re talking very DIY here, but no matter, that is what we’re all about: the best new music, regardless of how much money you’ve got or where you’re from.
They have some potential, displaying some raw energy, an anarchic spirit and a true punk ethos. Hailing from Los Angeles, they fit in nicely with that city’s lineage of legendary punk bands (Black Flag, X, Minutemen). The first cut, “First to Last” piqued my interest enough to tune in more; I was intrigued by what I heard. Other hard-core jams include “Steel Belted Rivals”, “Such a Victim” and “PR” which evoked some classic 1980s hard core stuff – for me, anyway. The shortness of the CD – 15+ minutes – reminded me of the too-concise classic punk record, “Punchline” by Minutemen, which itself is less than twenty minutes; also in that vein was the fast, loose and perfect “Everything Falls Apart” by Husker Du.
Anyway, this CD could be the kind of thing to hold onto and just in case something interesting happens you’ll be able to say you knew ‘em when. (http://www.eightequalsd.com) – KM.
Hialeah: “When You’re Standing” (Blackbox Records)
Few bands these days can pique my interest; it’s a rare thing for me to be blown away by new music since so much is derivative that one has to judge a lot of this stuff by different, diluted standards other than originality. OK, Hialeah are not the only ones to sound like this. What they did, though, is to whip the senses into a frenzy of cool receptivity.
Hialeah fits into this interesting box – the better file, I guess you could call it. I was pleased by the deconstructed power pop, the cerebral, emotive musings. The music really gets a kick from the thundering bass and the pulsing, throbbing beats of the drums; they both anchor the noodling, jangle of the guitar and the understated plaintive angst of the vocals. Hailing from the San Diego area, down in the mellow sunshine of So-Cal, Hialeah has a similar vibe to other area bands like The Nervous Return or Dehra Dun.
A concise power-trio, Hialeah consists of Mario Quintero playing guitar and singing, Justin Jay on drums and Mike Pereira on bass and vocals. They are a tight outfit, the CD is well-produced and the rhythm section – bass & drums – is turned up quite high in order to really add a synthesisic addition to all the songs on “When You’re Standing”.
With songs like “Fault Line”, “Turn it Down” or the closer, “Forevermore”, these guys are taking emo-core to a new subtlety, with blissful results. (http://www.hialeahrock.com) –KM.