AR!

Walking With Thee

[ review of: Walking With Thee by Clinic (WIG100) ]

If Radiohead, with their album's worth of experimentation with noise, layering, and melody on Kid A and their crashing and soft guitars on "Creep" is a vodka tonic, Clinic on Walking with Thee is tonic with some whiffs of vodka. They sound so much like Radiohead it's funny, fraudulent, and pretty good. The problem is, their music starts to build like something unbelievable is about to happen, but then it never does (the shot of vodka is missing)-okay, some liquor slipped into "Walking with Thee"where the jamming noise melody and pumping drums lead you back to Ade Blackburn's hall-effect vocal "No" said against an empty backing-this hits you well in the ass. "Harmony" starts with a quiet Twilight Zone bell, adds in a soft tambourine, then a harmonica (the star of the song), guitar, and some vocals, but that's it-it's all soft-sounding and there's never any more height in emotion than what you get in the first ten seconds. A lot of Walking with Thee plays with music at mid-mountain level or takes you a little lower"Come Into Our Room" must be located in the basement-a tapping sound puts you in anticipation, but then the song slows, gets faster, then slows. It's written by trained musicians because it has a good mix of well-placed pauses and changes in pace. However, I can't help thinking that because Clinic wrote the music well, they should have been able to make it jam even more and make me want to dance on top of chairs, couches, leap off tables. It feels like it's holding itself back. But it can't be because the album is finished. I have to accept it for what it is: more mellow and laid back, with some decent grooves.

Posted by AR! at 12:51, 16 May 2002

The Teaches Of Peaches

[ review of: The Teaches Of Peaches by Peaches (CD Album) ]

It's crack rock for listeners - very addictive and remains in your blood long after the initial high is over. A week later, you'll be, whispering "I'm only double-A, but I'm thinking triple-X," on the way to work. "Mother fuckers want to get with me, lay with me, love with me... alright" will escape you. Listen to her once, and she's in you forever.

"Sex sells." Peaches doesn't hint at sex. It's almost all sex, but more: The Teaches of Peaches comes off as heavily subversive and intelligent. She shoves sex in our faces to test how powerful it is, while giving her honest views on it - she mentions how she respects herself and isn't so brittle. She does not look like a porn star either, but shows acne in a close-up headshot, unshaved pits, and smeared black eye shadow under one of her eyes on the jewel case inserts. She is a contradiction.

She has stated in interviews that she has no musical training, proving that great music doesn't come from years of training, but from the heart and soul (and crotch). Thumping beats, grinding synth-sound overlays, smooth rhythms, deep bass are all mixed for maximum sensation and enjoyment.

This whole album sounds like it could have been mixed with eight tracks, and usually four. It makes the most of minimal tools. Each song is unique from the others in some way - there's the hard-rocking Rock Show, the chill rapping AA XXX, the funky pop Lovertits, the all-instrumental Felix Partz. It's one of those rare albums, especially of late, considering what's on the Top 40, where all the songs have been cared for, not just the two expected hit singles. Unlike these two-hit wonders, she can feel great songs and make them happen.

Posted by AR! at 12:00, 18 Sep 2001