June 1996 Saturday Mornings Cartoons’ Greatest Hits Various Artists Bulletproof/MCA Okay, so the Ramones did a stellar version of Spiderman’s theme, the original animated cartoon series. Indeed, one of life’s little amusements is watching those who are drunk (on life or otherwise) to go around singing bits of their television history, that doesn’t mean it needed to be recorded for all posterity. Some ‘tunes rock, some would have been best left to the hell reserved for crap. On the plus side, now you have all the lyrics to your childhood hymns written out, no more fumbling over the verses. Now you too can own the legend. All television, all the time. Endless (if you wanna loop the disc) repetition of all your favourites from Saturday mornings of the past. Remember.... Okay, enough Brap Skinny Puppy Nettwerk Skinny Puppy: the band that smeared blood from freshly cut meat over their faces in a Stockholm concert to protest animal abuse has a new release, Brap. After Dwayne Goettel died in August, 1995, the band regrouped and dug around for both new and old material for this double disc mix of newborn sounds and dreadfully dead loops and samples from their “vault” of old tapes, demos, and concert clips. Each disc, one named Back and the other named Forth, contains an interactive CD-ROM with lots 0’ goodies. Forth’s visual component begins with a fully furnished room, letting the user choose which item in the room to enter. If one so dares, the demons known so well to the once cult-phenomenon band possesses the computer screen making it thrash about with photos, concert clips, interviews, and home videos, depending on which part of the room Trouble at the Henhouse The Tragically Hip Sony Although not their most popular, the album Road Apples put The Tragically Hip across Canada and landed them into some of our more intimate venues, such as The Commodore Ballroom. From there, the energy grew faster then green does on my cheese, but then, for some incomprehensible reason, Day for Night was released. It seemed to counter the two albums before it. For most Hipsters, it just didn’t manifest the jam Up to Here, or Fully Completely did on the dance floor, or on the grass at the last two Road Side Attractions. It was feared that the Hip had dried up. It was feared that the Hip were attempting an American invasion and sold us out. The previous album, to most, was a disappointment. However, The Hip still remain a Canadian secret and, although not nearly as fast as some tracks of the past, it appears that the Hip are back, folks. The Hip have regained their hardness in Trouble at the Henhouse, that Hip hardness with the amalgamation of the infamous of the Ktel commercial voice-over; grab a bowl of sugar-frosted chocolate bombs, curl up in front of the disc-changer in a pair of funky ol’ pj’s, and commune with your mispent youth. by Joyce Robinson is clicked on. While Back’s disc features a face with various touch points to find bios, constantly changing photos and a discography, complete with samples. Although it is phenomenal work done by our friends at Nettwerk, the audio-only half of the album still holds true and strong for Puppy fans. Although not necessarily Industrial anymore, this release is more experimental and of the “science fiction age.” You may want to be reading a William Gibson novel as you peruse your way though the discs after the second time. Take some time to experience it at face value the first time around all by itself, without any interruptions or distractions. It really will be worth it too delve into a dark, tainted world of pain and anger—no holds barred. Seemingly, the only problem is _ that, musically, most of it is not as hard as the other releases by Skinny Puppy. They must have used up all of the hard edged music on the past and left the vault void of any such thing. The remainder is a softer—certainly not in value—darker double album, the ideal ending to the Skinny Puppy absence. by rachel Gordon Downey harmonies. Downey is clearly demonstrating his vocal abilities again, as some might of noticed with Day for Night, and perhaps he should be permitted with the twelve years of practice since the self titled album (has it really been that long?), but-I still prefer the Hip without the accent on Downey’s voice, as their material presented itself up to the Fully Completely album. The last album was too soft for me, just campfire songs, no moshing alowed. This album, is a little faster and harder, but Downey’s voice, like the last album, remains the focal point. If you had a difficult time with Downey reaching the high notes on the last album, then don’t buy Trouble at the Henhouse. If you can handle it, and missed the hardness and increasing tempo’s that lacked in the previous effort, then go for it. I e-mailed the Hip and asked about tours for this album. They said they were too busy to organize a third Roadside Attraction, and are aiming for a Vancouver appearance by the mid November. That’s a shame; I’ve always associated summer with a Hip gig. by Cire Obdurate 13 Evil Empire Rage Against the Machine Sony Vocalist Zack De La Rocha knows something that parents, teachers and youth workers don’t: if you want kids to listen to what you’re saying, you have to hit them over the head with a shovel to get them to pay attention. The music of RATM is that shovel and De La Rocha comes out swinging harder than ever on Evil Empire, RATM’s second release. He's ‘still plenty pissed about the North American corporate machine, but he’s stretched south of the border on this one—just as America’s evil empire has—adding the plight of the Mexican Zapatistas to the growing list of injustices that fuel his spirited rants. After a healthy dose of Rage, some may feel that De La Rocha’s a tad righteous, but it’s easy to forgive him—he comes across with genuine intensity in All That Jazz Various Artists Columbia/Sony Any collection featuring the music of Glenn Miller, Woody Herman, Sarah Vaughn, Louis Armstrong, Erroll Garner, Charlie Christian, Gene Krupa, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Bassie, Harry James, Coleman Hawkins, Billie Holiday, The Andrews Sisters, his incessant railing against the evils of North American culture. De La Rocha’s isn’t the best-sounding voice when if comes to rap, but the magic’s in the intensity of his delivery. It doesn’t hurt that he’s backed by a stripped-to-the-core hard rock/funk power trio that fucking rips. Guitarist Tom Morello is easily one of the most creative players around today. He long ago passed on the temptation to become just another one of the legions of virtuosic guitar technicians like so many of the misguided metal freaks that the ‘80s spawned in quantity. Instead he makes thoroughly innovative use of every effect unit he chooses to use and abuse, coming up with sounds so strange and diverse that it’s hard to believe they’re coming from a guitar. RATM is subversion at its best. The ripping tunes and sheer, angry energy of the band are usually what hook listeners at first. Once hooked, though, it’s a safe bet that at least a few buzz-hungry fans will take the time to dig deeper into the political subtext that runs through RATM’s material. Politicization was never more exciting. by Kevin Sallows Dizzie Gillespie, Buck Clayton, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webbster & Harry Edison, J.J. Johnston, Dave Brubeck, Sarah Vaughn (or did I mention her already?), Branford Marsalis, Gerry Mulligan, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Miles Davis and Aretha Franklin, just to name a few, is definitly worth picking up. by Trent ep WARDS 782 Columbia Street New West, BC, V5M 1B4 527-8819 ons OL HAL {* breqk the Old. bOghdwalk.