May 12, 1994 @ eorz corns ov: pee yess @ Corky and the Juice Pigs self-titled indie release Wow! Are these guys ever a fucking scream... Nipping at the heels of indie demo- tape successes Barenaked Ladies and Moxy Frivous, Corky and the Juice Pigs have released a brilliantly hilarious self-titled -album. These guys spoof everything, from gameshow hosts to crotch-rock, from charity public service announcements to Suzanne Vega. If you're ever in doubt of the neces- sity of owning this disc, consider this: do you want to be responsible for your neighbour's kid growing up to be noth- ing more than a taco melt? An excellent comic romp, Corky isn’t just cheese. It’s Ernest Borgnine. And after hearing ‘Skateboard,’ you'll never look at your grandma the same again. - Jason Kurylo Facepuller . Auditory Surgical Technicians Bangon/Cargo Some people say it's not that hard to play punk rock — simple chords, no solos, vocals consisting of screaming. The detractors are mostly right. In order to define yourself as a‘punk band; all you really need is a couple of instru- ments, a few distortion pedals and alot of energy. _ What separates a good punk band from a bad one is an ability to emote. Because punk is usually a venting out- let for people who are far too angry for their own good, an ability to feel and convey that anger is essential. Some bands sound like followers, while others can take the hackneyed formula of simple chords and scream- ing and write a song that sounds like their own, like no one has ever done it in quite that way. Facepuller accomplishes this task to a good degree on its sophomore release. The mix is good, too: the guitars sound crisp, and the bass is mixed high enough to give it a really heavy feel. In fact, the mix reminds me of Helmet, but Facepuller is faster (although not as fast as hardcore or speed metal). Facepuller will be appearing at Mu- sic West this week, at the Slam City Jam and a bunch of other places I would guess. Check them out, and catch a glimpse of yet another good Vancouver band. — Tim Crumley noo | ff} —( = Bonnie Raitt Longing in Their Hearts EMI/Capitol Bonnie Raitt has recently become a master of radio-friendly, easy listening blues. Cross-charting country, blues, rock, and college formats ain’t easy, but Ms. Raitt’s selling ‘em all. Longing In Their Hearts is the epitome of Raitt’s formula. Stringing 12 perfect singles, back to back, Hearts could be a greatest hits package. Normally, I don’t much like singles that pander to the masses. Ms. Raitt, however, finesses her way through these tracks with a savvy only she has, and a sensuality that belies her age. She sounds like she’s twenty, and dammit, she'll al- ways be twenty. She, like the man of her observations in the title track, could “talk a chicken right off the bone.” Yeah. She sho could. - Jason Kurylo Pink Floyd The Division Bell Columbia The name of Pink Floyd's new al- bum, The Division Bell, is apt for sev- eral reasons. Can you hear it ringing? One ringy-dingy. David Gilmour has finally wrested the direction of the best album band in the world away from the lingering presence of ex- Floydmaster, Roger Waters. Although 1987’s Momentary Lapse of Reason was sans Waters, it seemed to pain itself to imitate the sound of earlier Floyd efforts. The only thing scream- ing, “Floyd!,” in Bell is Gilmour's excru- ciatingly phenomenal guitar, blazing and blistering through every track. Two ringy-dingies. Unfortunately, a certain brilliant anger followed Waters in exiting the band, and with them left an ability to display deft social commen- tary and acute personal agony with every note. Now, the lyrics are highly typical of any other band on the chart. (Perhaps co-writer Polly Samson is the mainstreaming influence here.) Easy thymes, clichés and hooks, and attempts to capture intelligence; they're all here in mass quantities. Here’s a word of advice, Dave: you can’t try to be heady; you just are. Lyrical shortcomings aside, Mr. Gilmour and friends are still a collec- tive musical genius. They've made their tunes a little more accessible, musically, but it’s still better than just about any- thing else released in this (or any) year by anyone else. Other Press Unfortunately, Pink Floyd has the distinction of being measured on a dif- ferent scale than most bands. How many groups have a Dark Side of the Moon to live up to? Three ringy-dingies. Perhaps a kind of division bell has rung for me as well. This marks the first time I wouldn't sell my soul to Pat Quinn for tickets to an upcoming Floyd show. True fans of the band will agree. On the Floyd scale, The Division Bell rates a 4 out of 10. On scales used for mortal bands, Bell is on the brink of eightness, with a score of 7%. - Jason Kurylo Superconductor Hit Songs For Girls Scratch I don’t know, but I’m having a bad day. This may be influencing my opin- ion of this Vancouver based punk-rawk band. I've got a massive headache, and when I get a massive headache, I’m in no mood for loud, feedback-drenched, screaming, metal-influenced loud mu- sic. OK... I've got my ACME Corporate Music Review Helmet on.... ahhh. That's much better. OK, I like Superconduc- tor. They're loud, they make lots of feed- back, they scream‘really nice, and they are influenced not just by yummy punk rawk, but metal of the late seventies and mid-eighties. Yum yum. I want to listen to this forever. It’s beeeeuuutiful. A lot better than Nana Mouskouri, who, by the way... is also very good. She is a won- derful singer... - Tim Crumley Ideally, there would be a nifty computer recreation of the cover of Free Snot of Jesus. Instead, we've got this really neato public service message for y'all: Worship the trilobites! Worship the trilobites! Worship the trilobites! International Secu- lar Atavism Free Snot of Jesus Do you believe that EVOLUTION IS TRUE? Do you believe that CHRIST HAD A TAIL and was THE MISSING LINK? Do you believe that THERE IS NO PURPOSE TO THE UNIVERSE?? If so, good news: you are not alone! Perhaps you’ve seen International Secular Atavism’s ads in Terminal City, or have noticed their T-shirts displayed in such fine establishments as Track Records. Well, Free Snot of Jesus - the Compact Disc - is just the latest in I.S.A’s crusade to enlighten the disbelievers among the masses. Hallelujah! If you haven’t figured it out by now, Free Snot of Jesus is NOT A MUSICALBUM. Rather, it is the blueprint for a way of life, brought to you by Scribes Z-Harvey Oswald -27-Z and J.B. “It consists of such offerings as: documented stories of priest and pas- tors who sexually molest/assault chil- dren, usually referred to as Traditional Christian Family Values; phone calls to Christian book stores asking for recipes for Jesus Knee Soup; the Covenant of Fossilization; and many other little treats. It concludes with a phone call to right-wing corporate fundamentalist “preacher” Bob Larson. Definitely not for the squeamish or easily-offended. But this recording is more than just a few prank phc ne calls and readings of newspaper clippings. The two Scribes also discuss such ideas as how Christi- anity - all forms, even the soft-core va- riety - can be a dangerous addiction, like crack cocaine; and the use of mas- turbation as a form of therapy to help combat such an addiction. They even have a symbol for their ‘religion,’ called the Throntum. The Throntum consists of a trilobite with a flame emanating from its head, and two crossed bones, which they portend to be the actual femurs of Christ. Now, I do have a few small prob- lems with this recording (truth be known, I wasn’t offended by this re- cording, but hey, that’s just me). My main problem with Free Snot of Jesus is that it tends to be a bit tedious and over- done. Also, the idea of “religion” as parody is not a new concept, as anyone familiar with J.R. “Bob” Dobbs and the Church of the Sub-Genius can attest. With that in mind, however, I did laugh a hell of a lot (as in “I can’t believe they actually DID that!!”). And so can you. So rejoice, all you would-be Secular Atavists! God does play dice with your life! Jesus is an imaginary playmate! And yes! nature hasno purpose! Now get out there and spread the Good News! - Sean P. Veley The Cranberries everybody else is doing it, so why can't we? Island/Polygram The first thing you notice about the Cranberries is the phenomenal lead vocal. The second thing you notice about the Cranberries is the phenomenal lead vocal. The third thing you notice... You get the idea. Delores O’Riordan provides the Cranberries with lush vocals like none I've ever heard before. Some have tried to compare her to Sinead O’Connor, but in my opinion, Baldy just ain’t in Ms. O’Riordan’s league. From a subtle whisper in “Not Sorry” to the romping “Linger,” O'Riordan shows off some of the best pipes in the business. In doing so, she turns a pretty- good debut album into a full-fledged classic. I'm expecting to be listening to the Cranberries well into my nineties. I haven’t felt that way since I first heard of a small band named U2. Behind her plays a very good rhythm section. Angry drums, occasionally nasty guitars, and steady, simple bass meld seamlessly, forming a perfect foun- dation upon which O'Riordan builds her temples. everybody else is one of the few albums on which I gladly use the‘Repeat’ func- tion on my CD player. Take a breath of what Sinead O'Connor might sound like on a really good day, if she lightened up and tried to bea bit more like Sarah McLaughlan. Buy the Cranberries. Everyone else is doing it... - Jason Kurylo Demian demo tape With a name like “Demian,” you expect the lyrics to be dark but there is no chill although the music and lyrics indicate there should be. They need to work on an unsettling effect if this is what they are after or perhaps dark isn’t their style. Their music seems to be bal- ancing between alternative and coher- ent rock with a slight metal edge. Most of their songs were running in the same vein as free floating pseudopsychadelic noise play. Somehow this band managed to use ghosts, winds, violence, and death in every single song. A more varied topic:approach could be a useful start. Their music seemed to need disci- pline, and the songs don’t seem to come together. The lyrics have nothing in common with each other, skipping from one subject to another without meaning. They were unhinged and the inspi- ration doesn’t seem genuine on any of the songs except for “OWorld.” The mu- sic desperately needed a killer riff and strong vocal lines to make a melodic and memorable song. There was also the absence of coherency. The lead singers’ voice was whiny and terribly annoying. His voice was unschooled and hardly tolerable in a few songs, if not all. It's fair to say that Demian will not appeal to everyone. You'll either like them or you won't. It’s also fair to say, Demian will probably be back in the studio recording another album because I'm sure they'll realize their effort has to be more noticeable and the effort on this album just won't do. - Charlotte Holst Bruce Cockburn Dart To The Heart True North/Sony After a million years as a brilliant lyricist, Bruce Cockburn is finally show- ing his age. He’s gained a few pounds, he’s mel- lowed his radical ‘Save Everything’ side, and he’s still putting out great records. Mr. Cockburn used to step back and paint lush portraits of the huge, stalk- ing monsters of war and pestilence, a la If I Had A Rocket Launcher and Nicaragua. Now, he tends to look at the intimate, personal reactions to life. His recent maturity has brought him a greater ability to get quiet while main- taining the intensity so prevalent in his music. For many years, Cockburn ~ seemed to have worked hard at the slow, burning ballad. Mind you, he almost always pulled it off, but never so effort- lessly as on Dart to the Heart. Having mastered many techniques he was always at least proficient at, Mr. Cockburn finally seems to be having ... gasp ... fun! Dart hits the target. Right on. - Jason Kurylo