==== ISSUE 99 ====    CONSUMABLE     ======== [February 3, 1997]

  Editor:             Bob Gajarsky
		        Internet: gajarsky@email.njin.net
  Sr. Correspondents: Jeremy Ashcroft, Dan Enright, Reto Koradi, 
                      David Landgren, Sean Eric McGill, Tim Mohr,
                      Al Muzer, Jamie Roberts, Joe Silva, John Walker
  Correspondents:     Daniel Aloi, Lee Graham Bridges, Scott Byron,
                      Paul Grzelak, Janet Herman, Bill Holmes, Eric 
                      Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, Stephen Lin, Scott Miller, 
                      P. Nina Ramos, Linda Scott, Simon 
                      Speichert, Jon Steltenpohl, Courtney Muir 
                      Wallner, Simon West
  Technical Staff:    Chris Candreva, Dave Pirmann

 Address all comments, subscriptions, etc. to gajarsky@email.njin.net
==================================================================
	All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). 
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the 
editor.
==================================================================
                            .------------.
                            |  Contents  |
                            `------------'
INTERVIEW: Richard D. James (Aphex Twin) - Joe Silva
REVIEW: Jake, _Hooked_ - Scott A. Miller
REVIEW: Bill Janowitz, _Lonesome Billy_ - Jon Steltenpohl
REVIEW: Stereo Total, _Monokini_ - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: Martin Luther Lennon, _Music For A World Without 
   Limitations_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Bloodhound Gang, _One Fierce Beer Coaster_ - Scott Slonaker
REVIEW: Various Artists, _Source Lab 2_ - Tim Hulsizer
REVIEW: Audioweb, _Audioweb_ - Tim Mohr
REVIEW: The Jam, _The Jam: Collection_ - Al Muzer
REVIEW: The Subsonics - _Everything's Falling Apart_ - Joe Silva
REVIEW: Spiderbait _The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley 
   Lake_ - Linda Scott
REVIEW: Pulley, _Esteem Driven Engine_ - Simon Speichert
NEWS: American Songwriters Network, Blind Melon, Duran Duran,
   Shonen Knife/Poptopia, Pulp, Sonicnet Chats, Verve Pipe, Mike Watt
TOUR DATES: Backsliders, Benna, Lisa Cerbone, Chalk Farm / Wild 
   Colonials, Connells, Cordelia's Dad, Cravin' Melon, Goldfinger / 
   Reel Big Fish, Humble Gods / Human Waste Product / Dial 7, Kula 
   Shaker / Rasputina, Nil Lara, Mother Hips, Porno For Pyros, 
   Professor & Maryann, Pure, Royal Fingerbowl, Sebadoh, Slush, Type 
   O Negative / Sister Machine Gun / Drain S.T.H., Vallejo, Warm Wires
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
Back Issues of Consumable
---
	INTERVIEW: Richard D. James (Aphex Twin)
		- Joe Silva
	On no noticeable cue or without the standard dimming
of lights, Richard James walks casually to center stage at
a mid-sized rock venue in Atlanta. Both his arrival and his
demeanor are so subdued that when he bends over to poke
at certain pieces of equipment, the audience assumes he's
just another disheveled member of the road crew preparing
for another rendition of the acapella standard "Check, one two."
	But in a moment,  the club's soundsystem perks up and
something that sounds like an assembly of toads rhythmically
bleating is laid atop the audience. A massive drum beat ensues
and a thin blonde kid done up in baggy skate gear next to me
stops the conversation he's having and says "Look, that's him.
That's the f*cking Twin!" The sound of the toads erupts
further.
	Yes, it was him - the Twin. The infamous tank wielding,
sleep shunning asthmatic who figures high up in the
fellowship of electronic music's knob twiddlers.  The Aphex
Twin - spinning vinyl more than a year or so ago so as to
warm up the masses who came out to see Bjork tour behind
her mega _Post_ lp. When she appears later, she will make
the crowd surge and holler, but while James shuffles
booming slices of jungle and techno between turntables,
the capacity gathering hardly responds. A few bob emphatically,
trying hard to rave proper but most just shift restlessly
while they await her elfin-ship.
	"Yeah, I remember that." James says a release or two and some
many months later over a lo-fi transatlantic phone line. But with
some more urging, he'll add that the reaction was more the exception
than the norm as far as the rest of the tour went. While he makes
that point when pressed a bit, you can tell that Richard probably
only cares so much about incidents like an off night in Georgia.
For a while he abandoned appearances in general for a while,
even though he gigs were fairly well received ("Yeah, they were
great," he now admits). Instead he did some woodsheding and took on 
the mammoth task of filling his laptop with the sum total of all his 
repertoire. "It took about a year...." So the Twin can now basically
recreate his psyche-shredding beats and soundscapes
anywhere and all out of something smaller than a suitcase.
To him, this seems massively liberating.
	Which is part of the Aphex Twin work ethic. He insists on
being at all times, totally capable and self-sufficient. He
works at such a breakneck pace that while we're all set to
muse over his new recording (_Richard D. James_), he's
already hundreds of hours and probably one or two projects
ahead of us. Since one record company can't sanely keep up
with his output, James' has gone the way of releasing material
under multiple psuedonyms (Polygon Window, Analogue
Bubblebath, etc.).
	But what he's sent over Stateside, for the moment, is a fairly
compelling group of selections from the backlog. _Richard D. James_,
with it's blurred drum beats and winsome synth tones, is not
jungle (in a sense), but not purely ambient either.  It strikes me
at the moment that I found it most engaging during an evening's
drive home through the country with daylight fleeing fast over
a horizon dotted with frost covered trees and a few roaming bovine
characters settling in for the evening - the soundtrack coloring in
a landscape during a moment of drastic shift in character or mood.
Dance floor material this is not.
	Richard, for his part, has not too much to add by way of 
explanation.  He has no reason, for instance, why two key tracks on
the new album which share an almost orchestral fraternity with one 
another differ in that one in solemn and simply beautiful ("Goongumpas")
and the other ("Girl/Boy Song") is sprayed with frantic jungle rhythms 
and haywire percussion. Richard "reckons" it's completely arbitrary -
two pieces of modern electronic music whose presentation is
perfect as is but possibly completely whimsical.
	Then there's also the appearance of the Twin's vocal debut.
"I've used my voice a lot before on other tracks, but this time
it was untreated," James recounts. Indeed, a shy, almost reticent 
Richard appears sonically naked on "Milkman." It's not really singing 
as such, but more like the Twin endlessly chanting a little two line 
bit of fancy that a child might more aptly recite in his head en route
to school. "I wish the milkman would deliver my milk in the
morning/I would like some milk from the milkman's wife's
tits."
	But Richard is not particularly preoccupied with this bit
of evolution either. Instead, he says he's more interested
in a type of programming that he's recently taken to: "It's
more like putting together pieces of sound than actual
code." When he's mastered this, we shall see some dramatic
things appear in his music apparently. He's almost ready to
have a few classical musicians in to play a few parts and
let him sample the complete range of their instruments
for an idea that, while he doesn't discuss in much detail,
should be quite revolutionary. Pictures will also be figured
into the process eventually, but his compulsion to have a
command over that aspect of his work before he
unveils it to the planet, will keep this under wraps for a
time as well.
	Right now, however, I leave Richard with the minor
dilemna of trying to return to composing without the
hinderance of headphones. Since he left his native
Cornwall for London, any of his efforts that involve
volume have been put down by his neighbors. And what
with Richard's near-legendary habit of avoiding sleep,
this is fairly understandable local concern.
	"Well, I sleep a lot more than I used to, but if I have 
ideas I want to get up right then and get them into my computer,"
James confesses.  Further transmissions are apparently imminent.
---
	REVIEW: Jake, _Hooked_ (Blackbird)
		- Scott A. Miller
	Into the rapidly expanding universe of female-fronted 
bands steps Jake with lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Jessie 
Lee Montague. But what sets Jake's debut _Hooked_ apart from 
the others are emotionally raw lyrics and a gift for using 
funk as a weapon.
	_Hooked_ gets right down to business with "Anything 
But Love." Four bars into a swaggering Melissa Etheridge-like 
guitar riff, Montague's voice quietly addresses a (soon-to-be-ex) 
lover. Eight bars later the song busts wide open as she wails 
away at the chorus: "But I don't really think I am the one to 
keep you up at night or make you lose your appetite for anything 
but love."
	This kind of angry funk surfaces again in _Hooked_'s 
fifth song, "NewFunk," which finds Montague singing "you've got 
a lot to learn about loving me." "Time" also gets the funk out 
as Montague implores "what have I got to do for you to look at 
me skin and all?" It's really not until the album's 11th song, 
"Monster," that Montague finally gets down and dirty, using funk 
in the sexy way radio is accustomed to with the line "I burn in 
all the places your fires start."
	But by that time, you've already realized this is a 
songwriter who may a little world weary. And Montague has seen 
her share of the world, from busking for money in London's 
Underground to living as a squatter with no heat or running water 
in a Brooklyn tenement. She's turned those experiences into lines 
like "If you believe there's a heaven somewhere between you and 
me, I will try to believe there's a heaven. But the angel's gone 
blind in the sweet summer snow, I hardly remember what I used to 
know..." from "Heaven." 
	And she doesn't make apologies for it.  "Songwriting is a 
very intuitive process for me," she says. "It's a release. I go for 
the emotion, or the images that recreate my emotions."
	When you hear funk, you automatically think rhythm section, 
because what's funk without bass and drums? To their credit, bassist 
Johnny Raggs and percussionist Jagoda hold up their end of the 
bargain without ever getting in the way of Montague's expressive 
voice and impressive guitar work, which owes more than a nod to 
both Etheridge and Hendrix.
	Jagoda is particularly good at using bongos and tom-toms 
to keep even quiet songs percolating. Calling him a drummer seems 
like an understatement.  Producer Kevin Bents steps from behind the 
board from time to time to add spare background vocals, guitars, and 
piano.
	Though it's the funk that stars here, _Hooked_ has its quiet 
moments. Except for Jagoda's soft percussion, you can almost imagine 
Montague standing alone with her guitar singing "Heaven" or "Monkey" 
or the title track.
	Other bands - the late, great San Francisco band Wire Train,
for instance - have tried to mine the depths of funk for a 
breakthrough and for the most part failed, not because the music 
wasn't worthy, but because the general population just isn't ready 
for groove-based guitar rock from the dark side.  That's too bad 
for the general population, because with Jake it could be missing a 
lot more than just a bunch of great riffs.
---
	REVIEW: Bill Janowitz, _Lonesome Billy_ (Beggar's Banquet)
		 - Jon Steltenpohl
	Everyone needs some variety from their day job.  Buffalo 
Tom's Bill Janowitz takes a short breather from his normal gig 
with this set of country flavored tunes aptly titled _Lonesome 
Billy_.  The album was recorded on 16 track in a railroad freight 
yard in Arizona with friends from Giant Sand/Friends of Dean 
Martinez.  With only 3 days of recording, 2 days of mixing, and 
no soundproofing, _Lonesome Billy_ represents Bill Janowitz in its 
rawest form.
	Raw is Janowitz's specialty.  The best Buffalo Tom tracks 
have always been gritty, in your face nuggets of pop and angst.  
This time out the theme is "Backwoods Bill," and the bulk of the 
songs are slow and sad.  Production values are set aside for 
spontaneity, and, depending on your taste, the album comes off as 
either a loose invigorating jam session or an uneven collection of 
hastily recorded songs.
	A silly country song "Girl's Club", gets you in the mood.  
It's a meandering 3/4 time waltz about the trials and tribulations 
of a guy with a week spot for feminists, but it suffers from some 
annoying distortion in the guitar.  Later, "Strangers" offers a 
send-up of the sad country guy song that adds a little bit of 
harmless 4 A.M. stalking to the "crying in your beer" theme.
	Janowitz strays from the country theme for a few tracks.  
"Gaslight" is closest to the Buffalo Tom sound, but it is too 
distorted for its own good. "Ghost in My Piano" is a circus drunk 
instrumental pilfered from Tom Waits, and there is a semi-serious 
cover of "My Funny Valentine" thrown in for luck.  These songs are 
fun, but they probably will only appeal to Buffalo Tom fanatics for 
novelty appeal.
	Fortunately, Janowitz redeems _Lonesome Billy_ with some 
truly powerful songs that are reminiscent of Elvis Costello's 
acoustic tinged _King of America_ album.  Fans who are familiar 
with the solo tracks on the Buffalo Tom singles know exactly what 
to expect.  "Shoulder" and "Peninsula" deliver distraught lyrics, 
acoustic guitar, and passionate vocals.  The melancholy organ and 
minimal back-up vocals in the background up the ante.  Add the 
"warts and all" production values, and you feel as if you're sitting 
in with the band.
	A duet, "Red Balloon", with Chris Toppin of Fuzzy closes the 
album.  It is a nice guy/girl ballad that, unlike most country duets, 
is actually heartfelt and honest.  The song's metaphor of love 
drifting away like a balloon slipping through ones fingers avoids 
seeming hackneyed or cliche'd.  The song and the album drift away 
with the musicians tinkering quietly on their instruments and the 
sounds of railway trains fading away outside of the studio.
	By design, Bill Janowitz offers an album that is loose and 
relaxed.  Thereis a certain artistic indulgence in recording songs
for the sheer pleasure of it, and it's refreshing that Beggar's 
Banquet is releasing an album like _Lonesome Billy_.  Clearly, this 
is a "fan's" album.  It's not quite on par with acts like Wilco or 
The Jayhawks who are exclusively "alternative country", but it's 
still a decent album that's a lot of fun.
---
	REVIEW: Stereo Total, _Monokini_ (Bungalow/Rough Trade)
		- Tim Mohr
	A trashy mixture of easy sensibilities, French, German, 
and English lyrics (all with a heavy French accent), punky guitars, 
and odd Stereolab-ish electronics and keyboards, _Monokini_ shows 
Stereo Total as capable of entering the pantheon of weird pop 
alongside the likes of Pizzicato Five, Combustible Edison, Cibo 
Matto, perhaps even Pussy Galore.
	On their sophomore effort Berlin's Stereo Total take 
control of their own destiny, writing all but four of the 15 titles 
on the album. Despite the absence of the crutches that propped 
their debut - covers of hits by Brigitte Bardot and KC and the 
Sunshine Band, among others - _Monokini_ easily outclasses their 
debut, _Oh Ah Ah_.
	From the primal, cave-girl rock of "Lunatique" and "LA,CA,
USA" to the croony new wave of "Supergirl," the sampled Hawaiian 
zaniness of "Shoen Von Hinten" to the spaghetti western feel of 
"Furore," _Monokini_ stays interesting and varied.
	Francoise Cactus handles most of the vocal chores, with a 
voice that has the same qualities as Bardot: not exactly full, or 
even in tune, but fun and animated and well-suited to the music.
	The easy listening background of the band is on display on 
a few tracks, particularly "Dilindam" and "Cosmonaute," though 
they have skewed _Monokini_ more toward their punky new wave side, 
perhaps taking inspiration from another rising Berlin band, the 
Poptarts, whose no-chord girlie punk anthems are frequently tipped 
to join Stereo Total at Bungalow Records.  Stereo Total's "Tu 
M'as Voulue," for instance, brings to mind Platic Bertrand's 
Franco-punk classic, "Ca Plane Pour Moi."
	The lead single, "Schoen Von Hinten" (i.e. pretty from 
behind), samples or imitates the big drum run at the beginning 
of the "Hawaii Five-O" theme song, then adds one of those slack 
island guitar tones to a spritely, Pizzicato Five-esque pop romp.
---
	REVIEW: Martin Luther Lennon, _Music For A World Without 
		Limitations_ (Not Lame)
		- Bill Holmes
	With a name like that it had better be good, eh?
	Martin Luther Lennon (a.k.a. MLL) is actually the 
pseudonym of Tony Perkins, bassist, songwriter and vocalist for 
the band that also bears his nom de plume. You may have been teased 
by the wonderful cuts "I Rule The World" and "No Love Lost" from 
the _Sympophony_ sampler out last year, and if so, you've been 
looking forward to more. So don't be thrown by song titles like 
"Kill Kill Kill", or that "evil eye" pose on CD sleeve (memories of 
that "other" Tony Perkins might come to mind) - your pop prayers have 
been answered.
	Starting with a bang and ending with an anthem, 
_Limitations_ features enthusiastic, powerful playing from this 
quartet. MLL plays a rhythmic, thumping bass in the style of Graham 
Maby and Nick Lowe, and drummer Robbie Rist's powerful bottom gives 
Lennon the freedom to race along with the guitarists when he feels 
like it. And those guitars...wow! Big, FAT chunky pop guitar chords 
that will bring out the air-guitar player in any popster. Major 
league kudos to Steve Refling (who co-produced with Lennon) and Adam 
Marsland for the axe work.
	Lennon's vocals are abrupt and a touch affected, not unlike 
Paul Collins or Joe Jackson - slightly imperfect, but then again they 
somehow are perfect.  When the harmonies check in, as they do so well 
in "Brenda Revisited", they're glorious. And yet beneath the surface, 
Lennon is singing about some disturbed topics - gun control, mass 
murderers, Los Angeles riots and unsympathetic doctors - you know, the 
standard pop subjects.  Or maybe not.
	A lot of comparisons could be made to the early Elvis Costello 
albums with the Attractions. Lennon writes clever, sometimes twisted 
lyrics and the band takes those simple rock and roll tools - guitar, 
bass and drums - and kick it good.  Had this album come out twenty 
years ago, it would not have seemed out of place, yet it is current 
and robust, just like those classic Elvis records would be if they 
were 1997 releases.
	At the heart of the record are hooks, hooks, and more 
hooks. I feel silly walking down the street singing the refrain "No 
junkies in West Hills", but I don't care. And I just can't get 
"Happygirl" and "Wonderful Us" out of my head, let alone the CD 
player. Pure Pop for Now People? Why not?
	MLL and crew can also fire the melodies up to a pop pogo 
frenzy; like the Ramones-ish "Gun Heaven" or the giddy "Dr. Nu" ("Dr. 
Nu \ I hate you \ I do I do I do I do"). And  "Hologram Sam" is classic 
invasion Britpop more than a Marc Bolan nod.
	Breaking up this frantic pace are two slower, acoustic songs 
that suggest that MLL is Jonathan Richman's evil twin. Consider the 
chorus of "I'm Just An Elephant" - "I'm just an elephant \ you can bet 
it \ I may not know that much \ but I won't forget it". The disc's 
closer, "Wonderful Us", is a simple, rhythmic song that's not saying 
much more than "It's a wonderful world \ nobody knows but us", yet it's 
framed in a bonafide set-closer of a pop song, complete with false 
ending and refrain. I want to see this band live, now!
	NotLame Recordings, a mail order service handling pop music, 
also has a few artists signed to its record label. With Martin Luther 
Lennon, they have a potential monster on their hands. The title of 
the CD says it all. In a "world without limitations", this music 
would be jumping out of your speakers right now.
---
	REVIEW: Bloodhound Gang, _One Fierce Beer Coaster_ (Republic/Geffen)
		- Scott Slonaker
	Feeling stuck in an adolescent male rut?  Have a serious 
fixation with body orifices?  Bad skin?  Do you enjoy ridiculing 
others, especially through the use of stereotypes?  Then, dear 
reader, meet your spiritual kin, the Bloodhound Gang.
	Formed in 1994 in Philadelphia, the Bloodhound Gang spent 
their 1995 major-label debut, _Use Your Fingers_, attempting to do 
the white-boy rap thing, with apparently little success.  Original 
founding members Jimmy Pop Ali (vocals, samples) and Lupus (guitar) 
assembled a new band with real instruments, found a new label, and 
had at it.  Somewhat of a They Might Be Giants for the Beavis and 
Butt-head set (or maybe an R-rated Presidents of the U.S.A.), the 
band's style veers wildly, and surprisingly seamlessly, from 
distant Type O Negative-crunch to punk-pop to, yes, white-boy rap.
	It might be best at this point to lay the truth out on the 
table.  The Bloodhound Gang want to offend you.  They want badly to 
offend you.  Sure, they want you laughing at the utterly uproarious 
lyrics (which you will), but there is a conscious effort here to 
make parents and politicians mad.  Almost no social archetype 
escapes, least of all the band itself.  Jimmy Pop has just as much 
contempt for himself and his own abilities as he does anyone else.  
This makes it easy to realize that the band is just kidding.  The 
whole affair is obviously tongue-in-cheek.  See, for all their 
would-be honkiness, the Bloodhound Gang are much smarter than they 
act (separating them from Ween).
	Now, disclaimers aside, _One Fierce Beer Coaster_ is no 
musical work of art.  To be musically intricate would be missing 
the whole point.  So, while hearing the virtual plagiarism of 
Cypress Hill on "Why's Everybody Always Pickin' On Me?" would 
normally raise a major red flag, it passes by effortlessly.  Other 
songs borrow heavily from NOFX ("I Wish I Was Queer so I Could Get 
Chicks"), House of Pain ("Lift Your Head Up High (And Blow Your 
Brains Out)"), Onyx ("Asleep at the Wheel"), and early Beastie 
Boys (most of the rest).  But, the band sounds *good* stealing 
from other people, in the same way that all the best "Weird Al" 
Yankovic songs are the parodies of popular songs.  Ironically, the 
one major misstep on the entire record is a thrashy, distorted 
cover of Run DMC's classic "It's Tricky".  And lest we forget, the 
country twang, chunky thrash, and unprintable chorus of the hit 
single "Fire Water Burn" is truly memorable ("I'm not black like 
Barry White/No, I am white like Frank Black is.")
	Boatloads of hilarious samples, snippets, and other 
touches kept me in stitches, from a cameo by Vanilla Ice on 
"Boom" to the Homer Simpson soundalike on the final track, 
"Reflections of Remoh" (good thing the lyrics are printed on 
the inlay card).  For those iron minds not easily cowed by vicious
(if ultimately innocuous) stereotypes, toilet humor and George 
Carlin's seven famous Bad Words,  _One Fierce Beer Coaster provides
a truckload of good, old-fashioned political incorrectness and 
hilarity.  And amazingly enough, the record is somehow able to keep 
up the pace for the whole distance without (overly) repeating 
itself. Howard Stern and the Beastie Boys would be proud.  Always 
thought that Webster looked a little devilish.
---
	REVIEW: Various Artists, _Source Lab 2_ (Source/Gyroscope)
		- Tim Hulsizer
	Another cool partnership has formed in the electronic world 
this past year.  Gyroscope Records, the American dubsidiary of Caroline
Records, joined forces with the French experimental/cutting-edge dance
label Source.  In Europe, Source is widely known as one of France's
coolest sonic exports and is uttered in the same breath as labels like
Metalheadz, Mo'Wax, and Science.
	Enter the Source Lab series of compilations, which present a
great overview of the artists and styles that Source has to offer.
Source Lab 2 was released domestically at the end of 1996
and is absolutely essential if you like trip-hop, jungle, or jazzy
techno stuff.  It doesn't stick with one particular theme, criscrossing
genres and blowing the mind on several levels at once.
	There are only 3 true jungle/drum'n'bass tracks on the 
compilation but they are all terrific, essential cuts.  First off is the
Metalheadz/Bukem-inspired "Free Jah" by Zend Avesta.  It uses the Goldie
kind of sound, with a sample of a guy shouting "Free Jah" over a fairly
repetitive set of jungle rhythms.  The second jungle track is now among
my favorites:  "Planete Interdite" by Krell.  It begins with the LTJ
Bukem type of spacy noise, building into an explosion of freestyle beats
and staccatos.  Then it pops in a female/alien whisper, crescendos, and
samples that keep your interest for the full 7:50 running time.  Lastly
there's "Technical Jed" by Extra Lucid.  Backwards loops, a sample that
says "you can't go on the way you are, you know", and a throbbing
bassline.  Not a groundbreaker, but satisfying indeed.
	Other tracks take a mellower approach .  The thing I really like
about the colllection is that so many tunes sound organic because of the
real instruments sampled.  The closing track by Air, "Casanova 70", 
lulls the listener with echoing whistles, guitar and some great horn 
sounds before bringing a beat and organ in, 4 minutes into the song - 
laidback, sort of a cooldown track after the rest.  There are some
excellent jazzy, hiphop kinds of tracks as well, like Alex Gopher's
"Gordini Mix" and Doctor L's terrific "Ghost Town", a slow, menacing jam
with sampled/distorted raps.
	As for the rest, it hits all the bases.  Presented here is the 
full version of Daft Punk's "Musique", which appeared on the _Wipeout 
XL_ video game soundtrack.  Main Basse has a cool techno song "Hunt 
One Connection" with some great wah-wah effects.  And I really dig a 
track called "Bomb De Bretagne" by Le Tone.  The entire thing consists 
of real sounds they sampled.  There's an upright bass, ice cubes falling 
into a glass, a drink being stirred, an aerosol can being sprayed, 
and more.  All in all, a worthy collection of artistic, funky 
electronica.  It makes a nice addition to any fan's collection, spices 
up any DJ set, and gives a great overview of a very exciting label, 
Source Records.  Rumor has it that the next edition _Source Lab 3_ 
will have a simultaneous release (US/Europe) in the first quarter of 
this year.  Be on the lookout.
---
	REVIEW: Audioweb, _Audioweb_ (Mother - Import)
		- Tim Mohr
	As the commercial re-birth of British indie enters its 
fifth year, there must be some worries about the long-term 
viability of the movement - can Britpop sustain itself 
indefinitely? Of course the top bands will do fine, just as the 
cream of earlier musical trend waves is still visible: the 
Charlatans from the Madchester era, the Boo Radleys from shoe
gazing, Dinosaur Jr and Buffalo Tom from the Boston-area boom, 
the Cure from the, um, middle ages. But if Britpop is capable of 
maintaining interest and sales levels, the music must begin to 
transform so that another ice age doesn't take hold as happened 
at the close of the shoe-gazing period.
	The vast difference between Audioweb and Suede, the band 
usually credited with inaugurating the current Britpop era, shows 
that the idea of Britpop remains flexible enough to carry on for 
at least a while longer.  Audioweb's combination of bursts of 
guitar and other trappings of indie with a loping dub beat is 
good news for listeners now, and should demonstrate to cynincs 
that the future of Britpop need not entail infinite permutations 
of Oasis, Ash, Pulp, and Elastica.
	Anyone who finds Britpop's re-hash bands boring can find 
solace - and a rollicking good time - in Audioweb's self-titled 
debut, an album that showcases a band not satisfied to latch onto 
an existing sound.
	Audioweb hail from Manchester and, like fellow Mancunians 
Black Grape, meld dance and traditional indie styles. Unlike the 
sound on Black Grape records, the mixture on _Audioweb_ is very 
balanced, rather than tipped towards dance. The male vocalist 
combines Ian Brown of the Stone Roses, Bernard Butler's partner 
McAlmont, and HR of Bad Brains: gentle melodic lines, silky 
vibratto and soaring falsetto, jumpy ragga growls.
	The music is almost all played live, from break beats to 
bass to electric and acoustic guitars, engaging in a way that 
sampled music sometimes fails to be. Standout tracks such as "Time"
or the lead single "Sleeper" transpose flashing guitar lines onto 
rumbling bass while retaining a lightness of touch that keeps 
them clearly out of the camp that combines metal and hip-hop: an 
artful jab to counter the knock-out punch of a Dub War or Sensor.
---
	REVIEW: The Jam, _The Jam: Collection_ (Polydor)
		- Al Muzer
	Not quite as well-annotated as one would hope, this is, 
nonetheless, a perfect companion for the 1983 _Snap!_ collection 
(although it does duplicate a few tracks) - and yet another 
reminder that there's absolutely no explaining the musical taste 
of most Americans.
	Huge in Britain during their 1977-1982 run, why, exactly, 
this melodic, sharp-suited, musically-gifted, mod-pop band never 
took off on these shores while artists such as Devo, The Knack, 
Blondie and, briefly, Nick Lowe, Squeeze and Ian Gomm cleaned up 
is anybody's wild guess.
	A collection of album tracks and B-sides such as "Away 
From The Numbers," "Carnation," "Wasteland," "I Need You," 
"Saturday's Kids" and "Man In The Corner Shop"; the latest reissue 
of this powerful three-piece's work showcases a cocky cockney group 
of Small Faces, Beatles and Who fanatics who could've given the 
likes of Christopher Cross and Dan Hill a real fight on the 
charts - had radio programmers been a bit more adventurous back in 
the dark days of Styx, Air Supply, The Captain and Tennille, Lionel
Richie and the Bee Gees. 
---
	REVIEW: The Subsonics - _Everything's Falling Apart_ (Get Hip)
		- Joe Silva
	Having come by this record as I have, you too could claim that
your long withered faith in college radio had finally been revived. 
Only commuters (and people who populate the Great Plains) probably 
know the sheer desperation that eventually forces one to stray from 
hitsville stations with their booming signals to obscure places on 
the dial seeking stimulation and relief.  Well, the goosestepping 
commercial radio programmers can have their "Sin Blossoms" and 
"Mounting Crows" (sic) because there's new hope off  the beaten path. 
And that's precisely where the Subsonics live...for the moment.
	Sired in clubland Atlanta, where on any given night there 
remains a healthy and weird mix of genres on display, the Subsonics 
revel in the all-tarted-up, looking-for-some-place-seedy side of 
town. With wound up and distortion-free guitar lines and a drum kit 
that's forever pounding out clean, understated 4/4-isms, the 
Subsonics could make Lou Reed smile if that were ever possible. 
Because since the Dream Syndicate went away and R.E.M. got serious, 
the progeny and champions of the Velvet Underground are not quite as 
readily apparent as they used to be.
	Singer Clay Sterling Reed's (hmmm) vocal posture is half 
leopard skin rant and half insectiod drone. But even during the 
finest moments of his distinct warbling, he has to compete with the 
vintage twang of his guitar. Once fused though, the two elements 
brilliantly carry these songs through their all-too-brief paces. 
Unlike the low-fi prattle of current indie heroes (with the noted 
exception of Guided By Voices), the Subsonics know how to shift 
between riff and melody like seasoned pros - knowing a nice slice 
of verve when they concoct one, and knowing when to leave it behind 
them, pristine and memorable, and move on.
	For a text, it seems like they're more apt to lift chatter 
and observations from the local diner than bother the pensive 
nothings of a Dolores O'Riordan diary. Blatant snipes like "I Made 
You A Clown" and "I Didn't Think You Could Take It" make Clay seem 
to enjoy dishing dirt as much as fingering his...er, six string.
	Perfect for parties or the pause between Bush replays, the 
Subsonics are far deft at giving listeners such a cool sendup such 
at this and remain forever an unknown quantity. Get yours now.
	For further information on Get Hip, contact 412-231-4766 or 
check out the web page at http://www.gethip.com
---
	REVIEW: Spiderbait _The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of 
		Finley Lake_ (Polydor Australia)
		- Linda Scott
	AC/DC is without question one of the best known of the 
Australian bands.  Their worldwide success is an inspiration to their 
countrymen.  Spiderbait is another band from Down Under ready to 
make the leap to a larger audience.  This trio from the title 
Finley consist of Kram (drums, lead vocals), cousin Whitt (guitar and
vocals) and Janet (bass/vocals).  Long on vocalists and talent but 
short on names, the band's stated goal is to make every album track 
sound as if it were by a different group.  Primarily using a punk 
rock sound, Spiderbait throws reggae, funk, country, Spanish guitar 
and a horn section into the mix.  These styles find their way into 
different tracks, and Spiderbait does have different musical styles 
on the album tracks.
	_The Unfinished Spanish Galleon of Finley Lake_ is a title 
and a half.  It refers to a galleon restoration project in the trio's 
home town.  This album is the band's first release on a major label, 
and the one that has gotten them tours of Canada and the U.S.  The 
band's strong lyrics and vocals are sometimes buried in the high 
speed punk rush to the finish lines.  Songs like "I Gotta Know",
"Sam Gribbles" and "Jesus" need several listens to retrieve lyrics 
behind the energy and venom of drums and guitar.  Spiderbait is said 
to be a showstopper in concert where they attract wild moshers and 
stage divers.  The band's concern for safety and the feeling their 
audience isn't really listening helped lead them from being a club 
band to the more traditional album/touring arrangement.
	Spiderbait built their strong fan base in Australia. If you 
like punk with some eccentric grooves, pick up _The Unfinished Galleon_.
---
	REVIEW: Pulley, _Esteem Driven Engine_ (Epitaph)
		- Simon Speichert
	Pulley is a fun band. What started as jamming and playing around
has turned into a great album for the band, which contains members and
ex-members of Ten Foot Pole, Strund Out, Face To Face, and Scared
Straight.
	Produced by Ryan Greene, Pulley's debut album, _Esteem Driven
Engine_ (if you'll pardon the pun) hits you like a freight train, with 14
astounding tracks including "Cashed In", "No Defense", "She", and "All We
Have". The band's music is fast and melodic, upfront, no frills, no B.S.,
and it grows on you.
	Pulley will never go the way of the "side project band" (you know,
release one album, fade off into nowhere), simply because it's a fun
thing. These guys are so energetic, I can feel their energy radiating from
my CD player.
	The band started in 1995, but the band truly had its beginning 
in 1984 with just a couple of guys jamming together. But, in late '95, when
vocalist Scott parted with Ten Foot Pole, he decided to start a new band.
Enlisting his old friends Mike, Jim, ex-Ten Foot Pole drummer Jordan, and
bassist Matt, Pulley was then born. They may not seem to have much
experience to an outsider, who may think they've just started, but these
five guys have many years of experience. 
	The bottom line on Pulley's _Esteem Driven Engine_ is that if you
were a fan of any of these guys in their previous bands, or if you're into
the hardcore/punk scene, you will be amazed at what they can do. If you're
a newcomer to punk, you'll like the melodies.
---
NEWS:	> The 1997 USA Songwriting Competition, sponsored by
the American Songwriters Network, comes to a close on March 1, 
1997.   Judges include industry members of the National Academy 
of Recording Arts and Sciences. For more information, competition 
rules, regulations and entry forms call (617)536-6630 10 am to 
5 pm (EST) or e-mail USA Songwriting Competition at asn@tiac.net
	> The remaining members of Blind Melon will be appearing
in an online chat at MTV Online's AOL (America On-Line) site
(keyword: MTV or MTVArena) February 6 at 8:00 p.m. EST.
	> Co-founding member of Duran Duran, John Taylor, recently 
announced his amicable departure from the band after more than 18 years.
	> Japan's Shonen Knife will be headlining Los Angeles' Poptopia
Festival at the Troubadour on February 8.  Other bands on the bill for 
the evening include the Muffs, Cockeyed Ghost, Wondermints and
Splitsville.
	> Pulp's guitarist Russell Senior has quit the band to
pursue the ever-vague "new projects".
	> Sonicnet will be having online chats at 
http://www.sonicnet.com/sonicore/chat/ with Space Needle (February 4, 7:00 
pm) and INXS (February 7, 7:30 pm).  All times are EST.
	> Some lucky college student will have the chance
to win a free concert with the Verve Pipe.  Coinciding 
with the single release of "The Freshmen", the contest
(sponsored by U. Magazine) invites college students to tell
about a memorable freshman experience.  The members of the
Verve Pipe will pick the entry they like the best, and 
that entrant's school will get a free on-campus concert from
the band.
	> Mike Watt's new album, _Contemplating The Engine Room_, is 
tentatively due to be released in September.  The concept for the album 
is a "punk rock opera" revolving around a metaphor of three guys
in a Navy boat's engine room.  Bobby Seifert will be the engineer
for the album, whose recording will commence in April.
---
TOUR DATES:
	Backsliders
Feb. 6 Nashville, TN 12th & Porter
Feb. 7 Asheville, NC Gatsby's
Feb. 8 Raleigh, NC The Brewery

	Benna
Feb. 6 Chestertown, MD Andy's Coffee House
Feb. 8 Richmond, VA Trademarks

	Lisa Cerbone
Feb. 8 Richmond, VA Trademark's

	Chalk Farm / Wild Colonials
Feb. 4 Colorado Springs, CO Manhattan's

	Connells
Feb. 4 Tuscaloosa, AL Ivory Tusk
Feb. 5 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity
Feb. 6 Oxford, MS Lyric Hall
Feb. 7 Birmingham, AL Five Points South Music Hall
Feb. 8 Nashville, TN 328 Performance Hall

	Cordelia's Dad
Feb. 8 Farmington, CT Arts Center
Feb. 13 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern

	Cravin' Melon
Feb. 6 Clemson, SC Tiger Town
Feb. 7 Greenwood, SC Griffin's Pub

	Goldfinger / Reel Big Fish
Feb. 3 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
Feb. 4 Jacksonville, FL Milk Bar
Feb. 5 Stillwater, OK Wormy Dog
Feb. 6 Ft. Lauderdale, FL The Dge
Feb. 7 St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre
Feb. 10 Little Rock, AR Juanita's
Feb. 12 Portales, NM The Ballroom

	Humble Gods / Human Waste Product / Dial 7
Feb. 11 Huntington Beach, CA Rhino Room

	Kula Shaker / Rasputina
Feb. 5 New Orleans, LA House Of Blues
Feb. 6 Houston, TX Numbers
Feb. 7 Austin, TX Liberty Lunch
Feb. 8 Dallas, TX Deep Ellum
Feb. 10 Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre
Feb. 11 St. Louis, MO Mississippi Nights

	Nil Lara
Feb. 7 Columbia, SC Elbow Room
Feb. 8 Greenville, NC Attic
Feb. 10 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club
Feb. 11 Atlanta, GA Point

	Mother Hips
Feb. 7 Santa Barbara, CA Toe's Tavern
Feb. 8 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues

	Porno For Pyros
Feb. 3 Chicago, IL Riviera 
Feb. 4 Louisville, KY Brewery 
Feb. 6 Atlanta, GA Roxy 
Feb. 7 Memphis, TN New Daisy Theater
Feb. 8 Birmingham, AL Five Points Music Hall
Feb. 10 Austin, TX Liberty Lunch
Feb. 11 New Orleans, LA House of Blues

	Professor & Maryann
Feb. 8 New York, NY West Bank Cafe

	Pure
Feb. 8 Seattle, WA Moe
Feb. 9 Portland, OR La Luna

	Royal Fingerbowl
Feb. 4 Red Bank, NJ Downtown Cafe 
Feb. 9 New Orleans, LA Contemporary Arts Theater 

	Sebadoh
Feb. 6 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre

	Slush
Feb. 6 Sacramento, CA Old Ironside

	Type O Negative / Sister Machine Gun / Drain S.T.H.
Feb. 3 Columbia, MO Blue Note
Feb. 4 Des Moines, IA Supertoad
Feb. 5 Fargo, ND Player's Pavillion 
Feb. 6 Chicago, IL Loyola University
Feb. 7 St. Cloud, MN Delwin Ballroom
Feb. 8 Clinton, IA Pig Pen
Feb. 11 Albuquerque, NM The Zone

	Vallejo
Feb. 3 Columbia, SC Rockafella's 
Feb. 4 Atlanta, GA Smith's Olde Bar 
Feb. 5 Jacksonville, AL Brothers Bar 
Feb. 6 Montevallo, AL The Underground 
Feb. 7 Huntsville, AL Crossroads Cafe 
Feb. 8 Hatiesberg, MS Tal's 

	Warm Wires
Feb. 5 Bend, OR Pasha's
Feb. 6 Portland, OR La Luna
Feb. 7 Seattle, WA Moe's
---
THE READERS WRITE BACK!
	Just because he's associated with a 60s band and isn't trendy, 
that's not a good enough reason to neglect the untimely passing of
one of the finest guitarists of all time, from a sadly overlooked and
disgracefully underappreciated band - Randy California, of the original
L.A.-based group, Spirit. He apparently drowned a few days after New Year's
Day in an ocean accident in Hawaii (after saving his 12-yr.-old son's life,
no less). This is an especially tragic loss, given the longtime general
undeserved neglect of Spirit in the warped annals of "rock history", and
the fact that there finally has been some serious energy directed toward
enlightening the world to Spirit's great music (old and new, see
http://kspace.com/spirit).
	California was as good a rock guitarist as any more vaunted 
name you can think of (yes, ANY of them), and he never lived to see 
his place in history properly acknowledged (not that that seemed to 
bother him very much, as he remained more active than ever after the 
demise of the original Spirit quintet). One of the wisest things any 
Consumable reader can do for him/herself is to go out and buy all 
four of the recently reissued original Spirit albums (all now including 
some superb bonus tracks): _Spirit_ (1968), _The Family That Plays 
Together_ (1969), _Clear_ (1970), and _The 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus 
(1971), all on Sony/CBS's Legacy series label. Additional enlightenment 
can be found on the "Time Circle" 2-cd Spirit anthology box set. This 
band made some astonishing original music, integrating rock, jazz, 
blues, country, folk, and label-less styles better than just about 
any band you'll ever hear - none of this ersatz "jazz-rock fusion" 
froth. And California was as expressive and as colorful on his guitar 
as any master musician on any instrument. (Don't buy my "hype"? Just 
listen to those albums above.) For those of us who were lucky enough 
to discover Spirit while Randy California was still alive, we know. 
And we'll miss him painfully. - Stuart T. (stuart@apollo.hp.com)
P.S. If anyone has the list of BBC Radio 1 John Peel's '96 "Festive 50",
please contact me. Thanks.
---
Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest continuous
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===
