new CD reviews
by Kent Manthie
UBZORB (s/t) (Cordhead Recordings)
One cool tune on this record is track 5: “Size Mick”, the chorus: “Seismic waves and Cosmic Rays/destroy the maze…” Cool, huh, so California. Apocalyptic visions of a California bursting at the seams, earthquakes, fire, death, destruction – constant reference to May 15…something bad is going to happen then, probably in 2012.
In this sort of esoteric, ethereal vein, UBZORB have come out with a self-titled CD, on Cordhead Recordings, a wonderful delight. The songs are all, at an average of 5 minutes, hypnotic jams; a dance-y beat keeps time throughout, intermingled with real drums, which adds more of a humanistic touch. Also, instead of just a modern-day equivalent of a Mellotron, they have actual instruments, a sitar, violins, etc. all played by someone called Rama. Then there is the Voice, the icing, as it were, on top of the synergy of the rest of the music. Dorian, that’s what she calls herself, this woman who brings the music to life with that voice of hers.
All in all a tight album; it probably will creep into some clubs here and there, albeit in remixed form; I would bet on it. Some of the better cuts include the aforementioned “Size Mick”, “Zeus Magnet” and “Fogdom”. There’s even an interesting cover of “Bizarre Love Triangle”, seemingly altered to appear more of one who’s in love, rather than one who’s jaded and doesn’t give a damn anymore.
Check out more about the band by going straight to their website: (http://www.ubzorb.com or http://www.cordhead.com) -KM.
Wolfgang Bang: “What Are You Going to DO?” (ESM)
What you get here is a record of medium-core punk. Not too bad, not terrible. It’s all right, they have a style of their own and they write original sounding tunes: these are very important attributes in today’s rock music scene. But I’ll tell you this: it’s 100 times better than anything by any of those pretend punk bands like Green Day, who just came to mind first (here’s a clue: if they have a publicist they’re not a punk band). If I were a teenager, I’d probably keep this in my CD pack or else I’d put it in my library on my laptop and rotate it on my MP3 player every other day or something, as it is, I can dig it all right, it’s no super-thrill, like I said, but “Hey, Hey, Hey” is a decent tune, “Glue Afternoon” is kinda catchy and the closer, “Dirty Feet” doesn’t stink. I can see that they like their gigs as musicians and they enjoy playing; if you enjoy doing something, if you give a shit about it, eventually you’ll hone your style until it is just right. No matter what they say, not a single A&R guy or any record label exec knows how to direct your band’s sound better than you. Remember that & good music has the potential to result. (http://www.wolfgangbang.com)