page 12 March 14, 1986

 

 

 

ses Sea

This week: Moev, A.

   

K.0.B.,

  

Death Sentence

 

Well, | might get some criticism for
this, but Dusk and Desire doesn’t do
much for me. It’s nice enough
generally, but definitely not a step in
what | consider the right direction.
Don’t get ume-wrong, | don’t have a
hate on for Moev here. Just let me
present my case.

On the whole the instrumentation is
great, nice arrangements with well
placed breaks featuring guitar
throughout the predominantely elect-
ronic sound. The vocals and lyrics
unfortunately leave much to be
desired. They’re lightweight much of
the time which is too bad. | suppose
this is to be expected considering the
fact that the ‘New Moev”’ is ‘’New’’
because of the replacement of their
previous vocalist Madeliene Morris
(now singing for Vancouver’s own
Family Plot) with vocalist Michela
Arrichiello who is definitely cut from a
different cloth. Madeliene’s vocals
gave Moev a certain strength which
Michela definitely cannot’ compete
with.

Critics might argue that it’s not fair
to compare the two since they are so
different, but in the final analysis, it
is the new vocal style which
differentiates the old from the new
Moev.

Although the vocals are the greatest
difference, it must be acknowledged
that the music itself has gone through
some changes. It’s become pretty
light (read: AM strength) and much
funkier (read: trendy).

Ultimately it doesn’t hold a candle
to the old model. The Moev album
Zimmer Kampf, for example, contains
the same nice guitar work, less funk,
and a much more serious tone which
together comprise a much more
mature sound.

There you go. Write and complain,

but it’s about time that Vancouver
music fans and especially critics face
reality. Just because they’re local
doesn’t mean that we have to fall for
the hype.
Dusk and Desire does contain some
good music, don’t misunderstand me.
The songs ‘‘Sea Missle Motel’’ and
“Alibis’’, (previously released as a
12’’ single) are probably the best of
the bunch. But | still find myself!
listening to Zimmer Kampf when
given a choice. It’s no choice.

Firstly, this is not blues, not in any
way that I’m aware of. It’s what most
would refer to as hardcore punk. Yes
hardcore is alive in Vancouver and
A.K.O.B. probably do it better than
most.

\’d like to make it clear that I’m not

a fan of hardcore. | prefer more
complex. forms of music, but that
doesn’t mean | think it’s trash; it’s
not. A.K.O.B. play high energy punk
rock (God, | hate that term) but

 

   

 

 

    

strangely enough their
completely discernable.
heard me! |

Yes,

lyrics are

you

can understand what

they’re saying above the driving
guitars that characterize hardcore.

This in itself makes them okay in my

books. Definitely worth a listen if you
like a fair bit of energy in your

listening material.

 

The album ‘‘Not A Pretty Sight’’

should be titled ‘‘Not

Sound.’’ Your average hardcore
———

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

a_ Pretty

fan

would probably say ‘‘it’s ugly because

they’re making music for the

real

world, and the real world is ugly.’’
Sure the world’s not all flowers but

      

defacing a~ derelict. building

    

 

just

  

 

 

 

  
      

No more MIOEV coloured glasses

 

 

doesn’t seem constructive to me.
Songs like ‘‘Live to Die’’ say Jit all:

Can’t help myself,
| need my serum

Fuck the world,
don’t care about no one

You run, you hide, you live, you die
You run, you hide, you live, you die

Many people have discussed the
facts that hardcore is_ essentially
heavy metal played at breakneck
speeds. A.K.O.B. don’t fit this mold
at all, but Death Sentence play such
thinly disguised heavy metal that
you’d have to have cream of wheat for
brains to believe otherwise. ‘‘Live to
Die,’’ for example, mixes high speed
guitar sections with a heavy metal
chorus and music to bang your head
to.

Imagine Quiet Riot stomping
around on. stage performing the
second stanza above while leaning
one way and then the other with the
lead singing (yelling?) ‘‘You run and
the_rest of the band shouting the word
“‘run’’ in response, all swaying to the
metal beat. If you close your eyes it’s
not difficult to picture.

If nothing else, Death Sentence are
bridging the gap between — two
subcultures: the punks and the head
bangers. All they need is longer hair.

My sister told me ‘‘it’s a good
record to slam to.’” | think it’s a good
record to slam.

BWFE

 

  

Ernest the Rat
Speaks Out: fi

      
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
       
         

 

songs to learn and sing

This album is one of a rather large
umber of singles collections released
in the last few months by various
artists. This one does quite a good job
of sampling of music from E and the
B-men’s various stages of develop-
ent leading up to their current style.
Echo and the Bunnymen are based in
he art school type of New Music to

      
    
 
    
      
   
    
         
    
         

  
 
 
   

  

  

  

  

 
 

hich bands such as The Cure
belongs to.

Their earlier songs, such as ‘‘Do. it
Clean’’ and ‘‘Rescue’’, could

          
      
  
 

probably be classified as a brand of
“rock’’ characterized by hard. per-
cussion and driving. guitars. The
transition point of their music seemed
to occur in 1983 when they underwent
a style change best seen in ‘‘The
Cutter’. ‘This song combines their

   

  

  
  
       
       
  
 
     
    
    
  
     
      
       
      
       
      
       
     
         
     
   
     
     
     
     
       
   

  

  

  

melodic synthesized ‘‘catches’’,
well as a richer texture in the vocals
and good imagery in the lyrics. The
effect of all this is to genrate a kind of
satisfying tension in the listener.

The song ‘‘Killing Moon’’ was also
made in 1983 and shows a distinct
break from the guitar and drum work
of their pieces. The song depends
almost wholly on the use of strings
and synthesizers to create a kind of
flowing dark imagery in which the
vocals are used not to make a
statement, but to create a concept,
scene, or feeling in the listener not
just with the meanings of the words
themselves, but by the texture of
sound they produce, as well.

The music they have produced
since 1983 has adopted an ‘‘easier’’
sound, ie. that of a thousand violins,
as seen in ‘‘Seven Seas’’. The main
hook in Echo and the bunnymen’s
latest tunes is again the images they
produce and this music will probably
attract a larger following for the band.

In all, | believe their earlier work
with its combined hard energy and
“tunefulness’’ has more merit than
their newest songs and hope that they)
will not continue in their trend that
bands such as ‘’Simple Minds’’ and
Depeche Mode have followed and
start cranking out dime a dozen
trendy ‘‘techno - pop”’ songs.

by Ernest