== ISSUE 173 ====  CONSUMABLE ONLINE  ======== [April 5, 1999]

  Editor:             Bob Gajarsky
                         E-mail: editor@consumableonline.com
  Managing Editor:    Lang Whitaker
  Sr. Correspondents: Daniel Aloi, Joann Ball, Bill Holmes, Tim 
                      Kennedy, Tim Mohr, Al Muzer, Joe Silva 
  Correspondents:     Christina Apeles, Niles J. Baranowski, Tracey 
                      Bleile, Jason Cahill, Patrick Carmosino, 
                      John Davidson, Andrew Duncan, Krisjanis Gale, 
                      Paul Hanson, Chris Hill, Eric Hsu, Tim Hulsizer, 
                      Franklin Johnson, Steve Kandell, Reto Koradi, 
                      Robin Lapid, Linda Scott, Scott Slonaker, 
                      Kerwin So, Chelsea Spear, Simon Speichert, Jon 
                      Steltenpohl, Michael Van Gorden, Simon West
  Technical Staff:    Chris Candreva, David Landgren, Dave Pirmann

 Address all comments to staff@consumableonline.com ; subscription 
information is given at the end of this issue. 
==================================================================
	All articles in Consumable remain (C) copyright their author(s). 
Permission for re-publication in any form must be obtained from the 
editor.
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                            .------------.
                            |  Contents  |
                            `------------'
INTERVIEW: XTC's Andy Partridge - Joe Silva
REVIEW: Underworld, _Beaucoup Fish_ - Simon West
REVIEW: Eminem, _The Slim Shady LP_ - Joe Silva
REVIEW: Frank Black and the Catholics, _Pistolero_ - Andrew Duncan
REVIEW: Soundtrack, _The Mod Squad_ - Tim Hulsizer
REVIEW: Jim O'Rourke, _Eureka_ - Kerwin So
REVIEW: Mocean Worker, _Mixed Emotional Features_ - Patrick Carmosino
REVIEW: Beulah, _When Your Heartstrings Break_ - Scott Slonaker
REVIEW: The Pretty Things, _Rage Before Beauty_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: David Sylvian, _Dead Bees On A Cake_ - Joe Silva
REVIEW: The Dictators, _New York, New York_ - Bill Holmes
REVIEW: Frank Bango, _Fugitive Girls_ - Scott Slonaker
REVIEW: Grinspoon, _Guide To Better Living_ - Linda Scott
REVIEW: Ester, _Default State_ - Joann D. Ball
REVIEW: Cat Power, _Moon Pix_ - Chelsea Spear
REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Office Space_ - Jason Cahill
REVIEW: Pan sonic, _A_ - Simon Speichert
NEWS: Songwriting Contest
TOUR DATES: Aerosmith / Afghan Whigs, Asian Dub Foundation, Candlebox, 
   Cubanismo Spring Tour, Ani DiFranco, Eve 6 / Lit, Gardener, 
   Godsmack / Loudmouth, Gomez / Mojave 3, Miles Hunt, Jets to 
   Brazil / Euphone, Kent / Papa Vegas, Low, Mercury Rev, Mighty 
   Blue Kings, Steve Miller Band, Alanis Morissette, Olivia Tremor 
   Control, Placebo / Stabbing Westward, Residents, Sleepyhead, 
   Elliott Smith, Sparklehorse / Varnaline, Sally Taylor, David Wilcox, 
Back Issues of Consumable
---
	INTERVIEW: XTC's Andy Partridge
		- Joe Silva
	After years of legal internment, the band XTC, or what remains 
of them, have finally resuscitated themselves. With the release of their 
first LP in nearly seven years (_Apple Venus Vol. I_), Andy Partridge 
and Colin Moulding once again prove themselves to be one of the finer 
pop organisms known to the planet. Witness the uncomplicated joyance 
of "I'd Like That," the blissfully cyclical architecture of "River of 
Orchids," or the endearing melody and sincere narrative of "Frivolous 
Tonight." Released as the orchestral/acoustic half of a two record 
project, the record is a lush and comely addition to their already 
brilliant catalogue. 
	Having somewhat acrimoniously shed guitarist Dave Gregory after 
nearly twenty years in the lineup, Partridge and Moulding are now keen to 
get on with their musical lives after finally being released from the 
grips of Virgin Records. A second, more electric volume may be out 
before the millennium expires, and longtime fans are now sure to be 
regularly fed with fresh and archival material (witness last year's 
_Transistor Blast_ collection of BBC recordings).
	But for Partridge, who's even more vehemently against trotting 
himself out before loving audiences for performance-sake, the only 
concession he's currently prepared to make to the grind of touring was 
a recent multi-continental publicity jaunt. He (and occasionally 
Moulding) made several thousand admirers all giggly with delight by 
turning up for in-stores to sign autographs and pose for quick photos. 
While temporarily installed in a San Francisco hotel, we took a few more 
ounces of interview flesh from Partridge and attempted to focus on the 
what concerns him most: the songs.

	Consumable Online: Considering the amount of signing you've done, 
are you now being forced to use some sort of prosthetic device to hold up 
the phone?
	Andy Partridge: Ha ha! No, I can sign the night away, but it's 
the wrong sort of exercise I'm afraid.
	C.O.: Have you got your fill or adulation at this point?
	A.P.: I must admit, I don't really need adulation. I'm not an 
adulation junkie. I know some people are in the music business. I can 
do without it.
	C.O.: It must be a bit overwhelming after not being around for 
a while.
	A.P.: It's nice, but it's not my drug of choice. I can do 
without it. I wouldn't mind if I was never interviewed, photographed or 
filmed again. That wouldn't worry me.
	C.O.: How was the (Coast To Coast With) Space Ghost appearance?
	A.P.: Very bizarre. They stick you against a black screen 
there, and just have a schmoe in a chequed shirt sat on a stool 
opposite you asking you non-questions and you just have to react. 
They'll ask you  things like "Do you mind if we drill a hole in your 
head?" or "Can we have the use of your mother's remains?" and you just 
have to react this. And then what they do is take it away and over the 
course of three months they animate the show and script in questions 
that suit your responses. It's a kind of reverse interview. You just 
have to react like a cretin being poked. In those sorts of situations, 
I tend to click into a junior Robin Williams.
	C.O.: I'm curious to why you finally went with the peacock 
feather on the sleeve? (Partridge's rabid superstition had long put 
him off of the idea of using the image for the album cover image)
	A.P.: Yeah, I really didn't want to use it, but my girlfriend 
said "Oh, don't be so stupid." I'm intensely superstitious and then 
Colin said "It's bad luck isn't it I've heard, we better not have 
that," so the pair of us were kind of psyched up not to use it. But 
then I started to research it and found that in as many cultures it's 
considered good luck. So I guess it cancels out to mean no luck at all 
really. I sort of steadied my superstitious mind and put some of the 
ballast back on the other side. So I figured 'What the Hey?' I like 
the imagery in it, which I think looks like the songs. The center of 
the feather looks like a visual representation of a lot of the music.
	C.O.: Which brings us to the songs and the composition. When 
you started "River of Orchids," did you originally intend on doing 
something cyclical or did you just accidentally wind up piecing various 
melody lines together?
	A.P.: No, I just started noodling. I sat down with a keyboard 
and a sequencer and some of my favorite sounds and very soon just 
built up something. I left it running around and around, and thought 
'Oh my God, this is really compulsive!' as opposed to repulsive. I 
usually pull the plug on 99% of those kind of doodle experiments, but 
with this I couldn't stop bouncing to it. I took my shift off and shoes 
and socks and leapt around my little home studio for a couple of hours 
on end thinking 'My God, I've stumbled onto something really 
fascinating." And in a mad scrabble, I looked into my lyrics book 
and found a phrase that I hadn't used before but really liked which 
was "I heard the dandelions roar in Piccadilly Circus," which I thought 
was a nice mess of contradictions. It seemed to fit the contradictory 
(nature) of the music. And I used that as the lynchpin and the song 
fell out very quickly. And the orchestra got the intro in two takes 
and I was really shocked.
	C.O.: I guess that's what you get when you hire professionals 
at thousands of pounds an hour.
	A.P.: Yeah, one day cost us 12,000 pounds ($20,000 American).
	C.O.: It's very infectious though. My four-year old ran around 
singing it the other day if that's imaginable.
	A.P.: I can imagine that, because what you would call the 
chorus, I think sounds like a nursery rhyme. And I think nursery rhymes 
are extremely powerful.
	C.O.: As far as the lyric goes, you've written about ecology 
before. Do you have a need to re-assert that?
	A.P.: I suppose it's one of my themes. Not having enough money 
is one. Birth, death, and cycling 'round. Birth coming from death. 
Betrayal is another recurring theme. Dave Gregory seemed to step right 
into those shoes I had warming for him. Mostly betrayal by women.
	C.O.: Speaking of themes, if we assume that "The Last Balloon" 
isn't a song for Richard Branson, what does it imply for you?
	A.P.: Ha ha! I never considered it! Since he's the man that 
can't keep his balloon in the air, it doesn't really want to make you 
go out and buy a Virgin brand contraceptives, does it?
	C.O.: Why did you decided to use the balloon for the vehicle 
of that lyric?
	A.P.: I think of the balloon as being a civilized form of 
travel. Bicycles are kind of civilized, trains are civilized, and 
balloons are especially because of the speed of them. It's like 
traveling by fading. It's almost like a place under siege. People 
could leave Paris by balloon when it was besieged. I like that 
metaphor of leaving this bad place containing a lot of things you 
need to get away from. And the balloon is the elegant way of fading 
from that. And also the idea of in order to make the balloon go higher, 
you have to drop some of its contents. And urging the children to drop 
adults, drop all their learning and the badness that adults brings 
along. They probably won't but it's sort of like hope springs eternal.
	C.O.: Not to poke fun at your age or anything, but did they 
have the oxygen canister nearby when you attempted that last note?
	A.P.: Ha! There are several bits of me that don't work well, 
but my lungs are great. I had great fun doing that. I had to tell the 
flugle horn player what I was hoping to do: 'When I point to you, you 
fade yourself in on this note. And when I do the vocal, I'll sing 
that note and turn into your flugle horn.'
	C.O.: Did you do all the vocals at Colin's house?
	A.P.: Yeah, the only ones that weren't recorded at Colin's 
house are "Knights in Shining Karma," which we did in the little 
recording stable of (producer) Haydn Bendall, and also Colin's songs.
	C.O.: I read that you guys are setting up shop permanently 
at Colin's.
	A.P.: Yeah, in his double garage. I said to him "Look, we 
need a permanent studio, and you don't need this garage since it's 
full of junk, so why don't we take it over?" So we've had it 
physically converted to make a studio, but we haven't equipped it yet.
	C.O.: You mentioned "Karma," which seems to have the most 
dense lyric of the bunch. Where does the lyric stem from for you? It 
seems to be about protectionism.
	A.P.: Yeah, protecting myself. Cracking up over the divorce, 
catching myself dying cups at the sync and bursting into tears. 
Feeling like I was totally disposed of, I figured I wanted to write 
a song that would guard me and remind myself that I'm an okay person 
and that being an okay person is sort of a reward in itself. I try 
and be a good person and it kind of works like that. It does sort of 
protect you. It was written for me. Not to cheer me up, but to sort 
of console me in a way. I think it sounds like a male version of 
Judee Sill. She made two albums for one of the WEA groups in the 
early seventies and they are fantastic. They've never been put onto 
CD. They're worth hunting out.
	C.O.: How happy are you with Colin's songwriting at the moment?
	A.P.: I just wish he'd write some more, but I can't blame 
him for only writing a couple. A lot of reviewers have pointed out 
that it's hardly a democracy that Andy has nine songs and Colin has 
two, but if it had been a democracy, it would have ended up a 
four-track EP. Colin only wrote a couple of songs. I think the time 
in the fridge was very bad for him. It seemed like the worse things 
got for me, the more songs came out. But with him, the more he was sat 
on, the more he got depressed and closed down. The first song he wrote 
in that situation was called "Boarded Up," which is actually going on 
the next volume. But that's his state of mind. I feel for him. I like 
"Frivolous Tonight" a lot, and I wouldn't have done "Fruit Nut" the 
way it came out had it been my song. But I realize that it's his song 
and his vision and I'm willing to go along with that. But "Frivolous 
Tonight" I'm rather jealous of. I think it's a wonderful song.
	C.O.: It seems his voice has changed somehow and gotten deeper.
	A.P.: Well he sang them very quietly. He wasn't blasting out. 
They're very personal sounding. I rank that in his top five. "Bungalow" 
is possibly my favorite of his songs. I wish I'd written that. It's 
lovely. It's got a great scenario to it. I liked "Day In and Day Out," 
though I know that sounds bizarre. I thought that captured the 
mundanity of factory life. I don't play our albums at all, but every 
time I play _Nonesuch, I start it from "My Bird Performs."
	C.O.: Have you guys gotten the green light to go back and 
begin Vol. II?
	A.P.: I'd like to restart it personally. I think we rushed 
it and just banged down things. Now that we're getting our own 
facility, we be able to not rush. I think we'll work with another 
drummer, because I think we rushed Prairie and didn't get the best 
out of him. I would really like to do it justice.
---
	REVIEW: Underworld, _Beaucoup Fish_ (JBO/V2)
		- Simon West
	After The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy, the third of the 
holy trinity of what some people still insist on clumping together as 
"electronica" is Underworld. They don't use easily recognizable funk 
samples or sport a shouting, pierced nutter, but they are responsible 
for one of the songs of the decade. "Born Slippy.nuxx" was everywhere 
in 1996, from the film "Trainspotting" to the top of Single of the 
Year lists everywhere, a pulsing beast on the dance floor and a 
chanted anthem ("lager lager lager lager") after closing time on 
Friday nights across the planet. How do you follow that up?
	Effortlessly, apparently. Underworld's third album, _Beaucoup 
Fish_, is easily their best yet, blending dance floor beats and 
singer/guitarist Karl Hyde's stream-of-conscious lyrics across a 
diverse mix of styles and moods while moving still further away from 
traditional rock-based structures.
	The tempo varies from the straight-forward dance floor crash 
of "Shudder/King Of Snake" and raving intensity of "Moaner" to the 
ambient beats of "Winjer." "Bruce Lee" is something brand new - a 
heavily hip-hop influenced rhythmic groove that should pack them in 
on the floor. The typically elegant "Skym" is a mournful, piano-backed 
ballad which drops the vocoder in favor of a reflective, untreated 
vocal from Hyde (and drops the beat entirely).
	First single "Push Upstairs," is a concise, structured affair 
with a funky house piano and an actual chorus that should actually 
get a chance of radio play in the States. It reappears nearer the end 
of the album in the dubby, ambient shape of "Push Downstairs."
	"Moaner," first featured on the _Batman and Robin Soundtrack_, 
is a pulsing monster. A vibrating, almost industrial bass line rumbles 
behind frenetic synth loops and break beats for three minutes, before 
cutting back to the bass and the sound of one man ranting: Hyde as 
narrator, lounge singer, lunatic. Utterly out of control, completely 
frantic, as the instrumentation rises again until the abrupt false 
ending, and the old-school John Carpenter movie fade.
	A superb album, in short. Underworld makes thoroughly original, 
intelligent and atmospheric electronic music. If they lose any points 
at all it's for not sticking with the brilliant original album title: 
_Tonight, Matthew, I Am Going To Be Underworld_. The first absolutely 
essential electronic/dance release of 1999.
---
	REVIEW: Eminem, _The Slim Shady LP_ (Aftermath/Interscope)
		- Joe Silva
	What can a white-boy from East Detroit operating behind a 
cartoonish facade do about making rap music fun again? A lot if he's 
assisted by Dr. Dre and a few consecutive weeks of high MTV rotation. 
Built upon a set of goofy storylines and a few catchy tracks, what 
da Comic and da Chronic have wrought here is a small triumph full 
of attitude and rap acumen.
	As freestylin' as he wants to be, and as good-humored as 
the Digital Underground used to be, Marshall Mathers a.k.a. Eminem 
makes a semi-pop occasion out of his second LP. The uncensored 
version of the hit "My Name Is" tells most of the tale: Long 
ostracized and bullied for his lack of color, he ran a tough 
minimum-wage race to be heard by his urban peers. Now he can poke 
fun at Mr. N.W.A. himself as he tells tales of his rise to notoriety.
	And if nothing else on the LP turns out to be as catchy as 
the single, the accounts of his surviving junior high ("Brain Damage"), 
taking his daughter along for her mother's final ride in the trunk 
("'97 Bonnie & Clyde") and accidentally helping an alterna-chick O.D. 
on mushrooms are enough to keep your interest afloat for the duration. 
He ridicules the gangsta-by-numbers posture of the kids who insist on 
adapting their life to the records they spin ("Role Model"), but 
simultaneously takes the piss out of the parental advisory by 
recording one of his own.
	With twenty tracks of four letter reprisal for those who've 
long dissed his efforts, this rapper isn't worried now about who or 
how he offends.  Because for the moment, Eminem or Slim Shady or 
Marshall Mathers may be laughing the loudest. He's currently en route 
to a city near you.
---
	REVIEW: Frank Black and the Catholics, _Pistolero_ (spinART)
		- Andrew Duncan
	"We don't know what we're talking about, that's just words in 
our libretto," sings Frank Black, beginning his newest effort 
_Pistolero_ with such a demonstrative non-statement. For the suburban 
veteran of the '80s college-rock movement, Black is back and he still 
has the tools to successfully vent some angst through imaginative 
phrasing, a guitar and his vocal chords.
	_Pistolero_ is Black's second try as Frank Black and the 
Catholics.  Originally slated to be a multi-faceted release with 
numerous instruments composed and arranged into this extravagant 
concept, Black immediately ditched the idea and recorded the album 
live on to two-tracks with no overdubs in the matter of 10 days, the 
complete opposite from his 1996 release _The Cult Of Ray_. With help 
from Nick Vincent - Black's drummer on his first self-titled solo 
album - to help oversee the project, _Pistolero_ can be considered 
either a fresh change or a proper relapse.
	"Bad Harmony" harks back to familiar terrain for the former 
Pixies' vocalist with basic rock-chords built under estranged time 
signatures. With the stripped-down recording process, Black's vocals 
can not hide under glossy recording processes leaving a throaty venture 
as he slides through each word. Black is an old pro at lyrical 
dissertation, and concentrates more on his vocal pitch and range. 
"Western Star" is more freeform experimentation than his normal 
shout-it-out approach, even though there is plenty of that still 
going on. "I Love Your Brain" reminisces the raw energy Iggy Pop made 
on "I Want To Be Your Dog," while "So. Bay" replicates "Los Angeles," 
from Black's solo debut, beginning with soft acoustic guitars only to 
pack an electric punch 20 seconds later.
	Overall, it's all about rock and roll, and the same elements 
that were once used at a time when the technology was not as complex 
are the things that make _Pistolero_ a great listen over and over again.
---
	REVIEW: Soundtrack, _The Mod Squad_ (Elektra)
		- Tim Hulsizer
	Points docked right off the bat for introducing me to the phrase
"alt-funk." Points are also deducted by the East German judge for
engineering a clothing line tie-in with Levi's. However, ignoring those
two transgressions, let's take a look at the motion picture soundtrack
landscape and review this disc on its own terms.
	I'm sure by now we're all familiar with the modern film 
soundtrack. Generally half of the songs aren't even in the film 
(they're somehow "inspired by" the movie) and they rarely serve as 
anything more than a sampler for a record label's latest band line-up.
	_The Mod Squad_, though somewhat guilty of the latter (all 
but four acts are on Elektra), is better than most albums of this 
kind. First and foremost, every song on here is actually in the 
film itself. Also, the producers have managed to dish up some 
rump-shaking songs while avoiding a soundtrack full of chaff. 
The indomitable Busta Rhymes kicks things off in his own unique 
way with "Party is Goin' On Over Here." Everlast is next with his 
catchy little song "Ends," a twangy guitar ode to the evils of 
money. Interestingly enough, he samples a Wu-Tang Clan song which 
had already sampled Isaac Hayes' classic "C.R.E.A.M." (there's 
some kind of irony there but I can't put my finger on it). Alana 
Davis drags things to a grinding halt with her predictably bland 
soul/pop number "Can't Find My Way Home," but Curtis Mayfield 
and Lauryn Hill duet wonderfully on "Here But I'm Gone." Leave 
it to the man behind the _Superfly_ soundtrack to deliver the 
goods on a 1970's TV show-to-movie remake like The Mod Squad.
	Next up on this lively compilation is The Crash Test Dummies' 
new single "Keep A Lid On Things." It's a catchy tune utilizing some 
quirky falsetto and strings while retaining its hip-swaying 
danceability. The disc manages to sabotage itself with the next song, 
the ridiculous rap/metal "Goin' Crazy" by SX10. Why is it so many of 
these aggressive rap acts end up sounding like a parody of the genre? 
Ah, and then there's Bjork. Her new single "Alarm Call" all but erases 
the memory of the previous track. Weaving in her usual overdubs and 
vocal acrobatics, this song has a number of great hooks, begging you 
to hit the "repeat" button at least once.
	The next one, "Hello It's Me" by Gerald Levert, is 
by-the-numbers R&B, so you'll either love it or hate it depending on 
your musical leanings. My hat's off to Ivan Matias though.  His song 
"Messin' Around" is a lot of fun, intertwining a human beatbox, a lot 
of modern R&B vocals, and a piano hook reminiscent of Mungo Jerry's 
old '70s tune "In the Summertime." It's followed up by a good new 
recording from the Breeders, a '70s funk gem by Chocolate Milk, a 
fine Morphine spoken word piece called "You're An Artist," and a 
jazz instrumental rendition of "My Favorite Things" performed by 
Skerik and the Keefus Trio.
	All in all, this is an enjoyable soundtrack. There are a few 
eyebrow-raising points here, what with the "first mainstream clothing 
line specifically inspired by a film" and all, but better that than a 
bunch of songs that have little or no connection to the film in 
question. The music keeps up a funky beat throughout, evoking some 
nice pseudo '70s imagery, and it's a good disc to drive around to. 
No offense though -- I'm going to pass on the bellbottoms.
---
	REVIEW: Jim O'Rourke, _Eureka_ (Drag City)
		- Kerwin So
	The words "modern day music renaissance man" roll awkwardly off 
the tongue, but they will be uttered anyway. It would be nearly 
impossible to discuss one Jim O'Rourke-- a fixture of the flourishing 
and incestuous Chicago music colony-- without mentioning the vast range 
of past and present work he has done in the musical spectrum, from 
production and composing gigs to remixing projects and a glut of 
releases, both as a band member and under his own name. O'Rourke was 
one-half of recently deceased avant-rock favorite Gastr del Sol, as 
well as a past member of post-psychedelic" pioneers the Red Krayola. 
He has remixed and/or worked with a slew of near- household names, 
including Stereolab, Smog, John Fahey, Tortoise, and High Llamas. And 
he has created countless recordings of musique concrete and similarly 
obscure experimental music that most of us will probably never hear.
	Okay, fine, we got that out of the way. So the guy is an 
accomplished and, in some circles, even a revered musician. That 
doesn't necessarily mean that the creative work he produces himself 
actually bears artistic fruit or is, to use the slightly condescending 
term, "accessible." The good news is that even with the introduction 
of vocals (not an O'Rourke staple), _Eureka_ does not grate the ear of
your average listener. Far from it. Sure, O'Rourke's voice sounds like 
what you'd think a music geek with horn-rimmed glasses would sound 
like -- somewhat high and nasal -- but it rarely gets in the way, even 
when he sings the same refrain over and over 30-some-odd times, as in 
the album's dork-folk epic opener "Women of the World." Although the 
overall feel of this record could (very) loosely be described as 
lounge pop (particularly with the blaring bossa cover of Burt 
Bacharach's "Something Big" spiking the album mid-way through), 
such a conclusion might cause one to miss the more affecting spaces 
where O'Rourke lets the music speak solely for itself.
	This is not an album to be divided up into singles. Only by 
listening to it in its entirety can you catch the lush, melancholy 
keyboard arrangements scattered throughout, which, when leavened 
with french horns, saxophones and clarinets, sound almost goofy at 
times, yet still moving.  O'Rourke makes his point over eight songs 
and moves on: the final track "Happy Holidays" ends decisively with 
the line "I only came to leave," reminding us once again that O'Rourke 
will constantly be moving on to the next musical project. He may be a 
part of the "musical elite," but _Eureka_ is still something that 
most of us can grab hold of.
---
	REVIEW: Mocean Worker, _Mixed Emotional Features_ (Palm Pictures)
		- Patrick Carmosino
	_Mixed Emotional Features_ certainly is a mixed affair of 
jazz and techno-influenced electronica. The brainchild of jazz A&R 
maven/musician Adam Dorn, the album can only be the product of someone 
whose influences and musician credits cover such extremes as Everything 
But The Girl, Wally Badarou, Marcus Miller, Chaka Khan and Patrick 
Brunel. Such varied tastes often lead to way-too-varied sounding 
albums, but Dorn's sensibilities and sequencing give _Mixed Emotional 
Features_ the flow of a nice modern jazz record. It certainly prevails 
upon a great thing both electronica and jazz projects share: that 
moods, not tunes, are the thing.
	Although _Mixed Emotional Features_ is generally a pleasant 
listening experience, the great jazz and electronica analysts (geeks) 
may not be too taken with Dorn's lack of commitment to any one form. 
_Mixed Emotional Features_ shows him to be a dabbler to the nth 
degree, a veritable George Plimpton for the electronica set. The 
dark, trancey beats of the opener "Rene M." find him perhaps a bit 
too much on the Ben Watt "dark mellow" tip and leads one to think 
they are heading into familiar territory. I'm not sure much is there 
in that track to dispel that theory. More prominent as a suspect is 
the drum 'n' bass/jungle mix he employs on such tracks as "Detonator," 
"Jello Dart," "Mycroft," "Wonderland," "Times Of Danger" and "Boba 
Fett." Its formulaic style doesn't reach for the cutting edge heights 
and new be-bop agenda that makes characters such as Squarepusher, 
Cujo (Amon Tobin) and Plug so unique. However, these tunes, often 
given a unique pop sheen with spy chiller horn eruptions, pull 
themselves off nicely and accomplish the film-less soundtrack bit 
very well.
	Highlights include the Mission Impossible-cum-salsaesque piano 
on "Jello Dart." Also a must to check out is the tense ploddings of 
the swing tribute "Counts, Dukes & Strays" (not too allusionary a 
title, is it?). Marrying the vibe of classic Basie and Ellington 
rousers with a melancholy Hal Willner-inspired clarinet line raises 
this above any stereotypical nostalgic bow and creates a nice, unique 
mix. Dorn's use of tense, rock steady trip-hop on "Heaven @ 12:07" is 
also a nice touch to the record's palate.	
	In a genre where certain records are getting over-hyped into 
uber existence, _Mixed Emotional Features_ is a nice sleeper record. 
It will most likely be heard in hip stores, lounges and bistros and 
then unfortunately forgotten. Its importance, however, lies as a nice 
notch on the musical growth chart of one Adam Dorn.
---
	REVIEW: Beulah, _When Your Heartstrings Break_ (Sugar Free)
		- Scott Slonaker
	Beulah's claim to fame so far is that they were the first 
"outside" act to release an album on the Elephant 6 label, home of 
everyone's (or at least the music press') favorite long-monikered 
experimental retro-pop bands.  While Beulah does seem to share some 
sonic common ground with the collective, most notably the Apples in 
Stereo, this reviewer is rather ill-prepared to debate the merits 
of Beulah's current release with the label's crop of artists.
	That out of the way, _When Your Heartstrings Break_ is very 
high-quality indie-pop, exhibiting most of the advantages and 
disadvantages that go with the designation.  In other words, you 
get a short album of slightly deadpan, assymmetrical, occasionally 
brilliant, sometimes-soundalike hummables with song titles 
seemingly assigned at random.  This is the quintet's second album, 
and first not recorded on a four-track, as was 1997's _Handsome 
Western States_.  From the sound of it, the band was mighty excited 
to use real recording equipment, so they dressed everything up with 
no less than eighteen additional guest musicians and a dozen other 
instruments (everything from violin to accordion).  The problem 
is that it feels like they're using all of their tricks, all at 
once, on every song, which negates some of the variety.  The relative 
lack of choruses and overabundance of hooks makes one wish these 
boys had some outside production help.  Vocals, from frontman and 
songwriter Miles Kurosky, are solid if standard and McCartney-ish.
	Still, the album's veritable cornucopia of sound results in 
some marvelous tracks.  The first three tracks, "Score From Augusta" 
"Sunday Under Glass", and "Matter Vs. Space", all possess guitar, 
bass, drums, keyboards, assorted horns, flute, strings, and 
additional percussion- and are still boppy, under-three-minute 
wonders.  "Emma Blowgun's Last Stand" stretches out into somewhat 
of a keyboard dreamscape, before pulling its second half into an 
actual song.  And the baroque flutter of "Calm Go the Wild Seas" 
is endearing.
	So, if you wish the mid-nineties Guided By Voices hadn't 
spammed quite so much, or that Pavement would be more fun if 
it only tossed in a few _Pet Sounds_ frills, or that all these 
psychedelic-pop experimentalist collectives would stop noodling 
endlessly and get to the goddamn point, _Where Your Heartstrings 
Break_ is likely to be your cup of latte.  Despite the album's 
soundalike nature, the sheer volume of hooks is sure to impress. 
Hopefully, Beulah will be around for years to come.
---
	REVIEW: The Pretty Things, _Rage Before Beauty_ (Snapper)
		- Bill Holmes
	And if you think that's a great title, consider that the 
original was _Fuck Oasis and Fuck You!_. Yessirree, these geezers 
haven't lost one iota of vinegar over thirty five years, and now 
there's a recorded document to prove it. Snapper Music has recently 
released the classic older titles by The Pretty Things along with 
this collection of material recorded during the mid and late nineties. 
The original band is as intact as it possibly can be in 1999, and 
that gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "boys to men" now, 
doesn't it?
	For those unfamiliar with the band, they were contemporaries 
of The Rolling Stones (guitarist Dick Taylor was an original Stone), 
but their behavior and attitude made the Stones look like decent 
lads. When your drummer is widely considered the inspiration for 
Keith Moon's loutish lifestyle, well...that's saying a mouthful. It's 
also pretty widely accepted that their _S.F.Sorrow_ was the first 
rock opera, although _Tommy_ certainly got the accolades and the 
airplay. They were the first signing to Led Zeppelin's flagship 
label Swan Song, but snafus let Bad Company get theirs out first. 
Whatever - it seems that The Pretty Things were snakebitten from the 
start, so why not channel that aggression into your life as well as 
your music? And so they did.
	_Rage Before Beauty_ is a telegram from a shipload of 
survivors, serving notice that although they're old, they're not in 
the way. Shit, Phil May's voice has a rasp that only pain could 
season. On "Love Keeps Hanging On", May's autobiographical tale of 
a relationship that's been battered over time, his heart almost 
bleeds through the speaker cloth. What starts like "Wild Horses" 
soon increases intensity and by the finish is a full blown Pink 
Floyd anthem, with David Gilmour providing the type of emotional 
guitar solo he has built a career upon. Listen to the intensity of 
"Not Givin' In", which dares to drape garage punk with acoustic 
guitars (!), and it's hard to believe that this is a band of men in 
their fifties. Ditto the opening cut "Passion Of Love", very uptempo 
(for the Pretties) and a challenge to bands half their age. 
Guitarists Dick Taylor and Frank Holland simply shine throughout 
the record, but perhaps these two are great examples of less being 
more. "Everlasting Flame" recalls "19th Nervous Breakdown"; Skip 
Alan's drumming and the keyboard's duel with the guitar leaving May 
no choice but to use the same cadence. And speaking of Bo Diddley, 
the tribute to their loon of a drummer, "Vivian Prince", is another 
winner.
	Making the record was reportedly as easy as passing a stone, 
though, and in spots it shows. Songs like "Blue Turns To Red" and 
"Going Downhill" (their single from 1989) sound like unfinished ideas 
when compared to some of the others already mentioned. And although 
they were probably a gas to record, three covers ("Eve Of Destruction", 
"Mony Mony" and "Play With Fire") are a large percentage to have when 
you've had so much time on your hands. "Fire" does have an 
interestingly seamy arrangement, and "Mony Mony" does feature Ronnie 
Spector, but they would have been better saved for live shows or 
buried as bonus cuts. I'd rather have seen the band add more rave ups 
or even songs like the frail, acoustic "Fly Away" instead, but I say 
that just to amuse myself. I know that the band would just tell me to 
"piss off" if I really suggested it to them.
	Had the band not issued _Rage Before Beauty_ at all, their 
legacy would have still been assured. They just wanted you to know 
that they're not going out quietly, and they just might kick a few 
more asses before they do. By all means grab their earlier works, 
especially _S.F. Sorrow_ and _Silk Torpedo_, and then savor the 
great moments captured here, which far outweigh the ordinary ones. 
There will hopefully be a better website very soon, but some good 
information can be had by visiting 
http://www.mindspring.com/~us000091/pretties1.htm for now.
---
	REVIEW: David Sylvian, _Dead Bees On A Cake_ (Virgin)
		- Joe Silva
	From pancake faced faux-Glam boy to futurist Asia-phile to 
sensitive balladeer, David Sylvian's shape-shifting has brought him 
loads of criticism and only limited commercial success. With his first 
solo effort since '87's _Secret Of The Beehive_, the ex-Japan frontman 
returns to familiar terrain -- graceful synth-scapes laced with 
flowery, semi-spiritual verse sung in his distinctive baritone.
	Brought in to help shape his efforts are familiar friends 
(Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bill Frisell), newer associates (Talvin Singh, Marc 
Ribot) and family (wife/singer Ingrid Chavez). When these capable 
elements work, as they do on songs like "Midnight Sun," Sylvian 
contrives enough of a memorable groove and melody to plant his Euro-Pop 
flag in. When it doesn't work, we are left with tracks that are 
handsomely produced and competently pieced together, largely wanting 
in everything else ("Krishna Blue").
	Devotees might be able to abide by this stuff, but outside 
of being successfully able to evoke a glossy sort of arty-ness, 
Sylvain's lesser material almost begs to jeered at. Lyrically he 
probably could get no worse ("There's a place for every story/And this 
one starts with us tonight/Let me take you down/To Caf Europa"), but 
when the musical backdrops become equally tiresome, there's little 
hope of salvaging much from these tunes.
	For those of us who've been able to look past Sylvian's 
penchant towards overly-stylized profundity when the melodies have 
been there, this record is often disappointing for all its aural 
luster.
---
	REVIEW: The Dictators, _New York, New York_ (ROIR)
		- Bill Holmes
	ROIR (Reachout International Records) was founded by former 
club owner and talent agent Neil Cooper in 1979 to provide a home 
for the bands that were dominating the New York scene at the time. 
His roster was incredible - Television, the New York Dolls, Bad 
Brains, Suicide and The Fleshtones among them. Amazingly, the label 
was cassette-only releases in an era still dominated by vinyl (the 
Sony Walkman had not yet debuted, but its arrival soon afterwards 
saved the label). Perhaps even more amazingly, this man with his 
finger on the pulse of the imminent musical explosion was 49 years 
old at the time.
	Now 68, Cooper and his label have been digitally transferring 
titles to CD for the past four years, and one of the newest re-releases 
might be the one that put ROIR on the map in the first place. _Fuck 
Em If They Can't Take A Joke_ was ROIR's third release, a sonic 
atomic bomb from a five-headed street monster that was the perfect 
bridge between the urban glam of the New York Dolls and the punk edge 
of the Ramones. The Dictators kicked ass and took names, a dynamic 
blend of white heat and solid songwriting. They were loud and 
obnoxious, but if you looked closely you could see that tongue 
planted firmly in cheek. Not too closely, though...former roadie 
turned lead vocalist "Handsome Dick" Manitoba prowled the stage like 
a rabid rhino, keeping time with Richie Teeter's thunder drums. Ross 
"The Boss" Funicello played blistering lead guitar while Scott "Top 
Ten" Kempner held the fort on rhythm and Andy/Adny Shernoff handled 
bass. A Dictators show was a party and a war zone at the same time, 
and this night was no exception.
	The show was recorded live to two track in 1981 and contains 
many of the classic songs - "Two Tub Man", "Next Big Thing", "Loyola" 
and "Rock And Roll Made A Man Out Of Me" among them. The band smokes, 
but Funicello was especially hot - his solo on "Science Gone Too Far" 
is a classic that players seventeen years later have a hard time 
matching. Naturally, there's a version of the set staple - Iggy's 
"Search And Destroy" (with a hilarious introduction by Manitoba) as 
well as covers of Mott and Lou Reed ("What Goes On"). Shernoff is a 
solid songwriter who leans toward the melodic, and "Weekend" offers 
a great example of a pop song turned inside out. _New York New York_ 
expands the original track list by adding three bonus cuts from a 
show at the Ritz. The soundboard recordings of "Master Race Rock", 
"Baby Let's Twist" and "Faster And Louder" catch the band on another 
solid night and were mastered by Shernoff last year for inclusion 
here. Ironically, as the recording date is listed as "the early 
80's", these could have been from a show after the band's official 
demise.
	The Dictators went their separate ways - Funicello to the 
heavy metal Man O War, Kempner to the late, great Del-Lords, Manitoba 
to his Wild Kingdom, but through it all they remained Dictators at 
heart. Always New York legends, recent years have seen them become 
gods in Spain (where even a tribute record was released) and add to 
their legend with new singles on Norton. This year, the band has 
finally acquired the rights to their final album _Bloodbrothers_ and 
have released it on their own, later this year the classic  _Manifest 
Destiny_ may join it. But the best news of all is that there will be 
a new release in the Fall of 1999, so we can all ride their 
coattails into the New Millennium the way it should be - faster 
and louder.
	In the meantime, whether you have worn out your original 
ROIR cassette (as I did) or you never had the pleasure in the first 
place, you are in for a real treat with _New York New York_. For 
although Blondie and The Talking Heads made more money, and The 
Ramones had more imitators, and Television got more credit for 
being important, let's set the record straight. Nobody, but nobody, 
embodied New York rock better than The Dictators
( http://www.roir-usa.com ).
---
 	REVIEW: Frank Bango, _Fugitive Girls_ (Not Lame)
		- Scott Slonaker
	In some alternate universe, if Elvis Costello had a kid brother 
who wasn't very political and preferred languid acoustics to taut 
electricity, his name could have been Frank Bango. Another high-quality 
pop-oriented release from Not Lame Records, one of the finest small 
independent labels in these United States, _Fugitive Girls_ is somewhat 
of a concept album about a romance between the singer and some unnamed 
girl.
	The first song, "Candy Bar Killer," marries a layered mid-tempo 
melody to Bango's lilting, slightly nasal vocals. The first couple of 
listens might see it pass by without comment, but once it strikes like 
the killer referred to in the lyrics, watch out! It turns out to be the 
most memorable track. There are a handful of uptempo tunes, such as the 
Beach Boys bounce of "Ape" and the British Invasion bop of "Instamatic," 
but much of _Fugitive Girls_ opts for a quieter pace, heavy on 
introspection in tracks like "Blue Sweater" and "Building a Better 
Plaything." While the Costello vibe is strong throughout, "There Was 
A Sweetness" sounds like a downright outtake from _Painted From Memory_.
	A particularly interesting thing about _Fugitive Girls_ is that 
Bango does not write most of his own lyrics. His partner Richy Vesecky 
handles that job, and does a good job avoiding the typical 
hey-girl-yeah-yeah-yeah retro-pop lyrical cliches. In fact, Vesecky's 
work may be what truly makes the album stand out from a host of 
comparably agreeable (but not memorable) indie-pop releases. The 
interesting lyrical portraits help temper Bango's more grating vocal 
nasalities and keep him from being in the forefront all the time.
	If you bought Elvis Costello's collaboration with Burt 
Bacharach, but, like me, couldn't get past the non-pop/rock 
arrangements and wished for a little more _Spike_ after a few spins, 
_Fugitive Girls_ might be the tonic you're looking for. Bango's 
compositional ability and Vesecky's lyrics go quite well together, 
and this album puts them on display. 
---
	REVIEW: Grinspoon, _Guide To Better Living_ (Universal)
		- Linda Scott
	Grinspoon has been around their native Australia since 1995, 
and they are making their presence known in the U.S. with some radio 
airplay, short tours, and their new album, _Guide To Better Living_.  
They're a punk/grunge rock band with some metal and pop accents, 
targeted to the under-age moshers who love those songs about getting 
drunk and living the life you want to live.  The driving bass line, 
short songs with metal transitions appeal; and _Guide To Better 
Living_ is loaded with them. In fact nearly every song on the album 
is just like that; the album could be a hit with this niche audience. 
	This Aussie quartet is Phil Jamieson (vocals), Joe Hansen 
(bass), Pat Davern (guitar), and Kristian Hopes (drums).  Heavy riffs 
and straining vocals are their mainstay.  These were strong enough to 
blow away the competition in their country's Unearthed contest.  With 
guaranteed airplay, the band picked up more gigs, recorded two EPs, 
and then made _Guide To Better Living_.  The debut album shows off 
their thumping bass and guitar-heavy tracks and Jamieson's hoarse 
vocals.  Their irreverent lyrics are in the great punk tradition, but 
the band is into lyrics that are lighthearted rather than the 
revolutionary Sex Pistols' lines.
	Grinspoon has some diversity on _Guide To Better Living_. A 
few tracks, such as "Repeat", "Don't Go Away", and "Rail Rider", show 
their pop side.  These are more mellow, less aggressive; and they show 
that the band can do more than hardcore punk.  However, these songs 
have not been as successful for them, so the moshers won't be seeing 
a pop Grinspoon anytime soon.  A last note here, is that some of the 
riffs sound familiar, and the band readily admits to the influences of 
other bands, such as White Zombie.
	If you like punk music that's got a funk/rock/metal edge, pick up 
_Guide To Better Living_.  Their web site is: http://www.grinspoon.com.au .
The band may not hold a great appeal for everyone, but for young, white 
partying punk males, this may be just the ticket.
---
	REVIEW: Ester, _Default State_ (Thirsty Ear)
		- Joann D. Ball
	The pronouncement that rock is dead has more to do with the 
decadent state of rock radio than the lack of good rock bands making 
music. The Los Angeles-based quartet Ester is one of those fresh new 
bands that proves that spirit of rock and roll is very much alive.  
One need only to play Ester's debut record _Default State_ for proof.
	Under the direction of lead vocalist, guitarist and 
songwriter Paul Garvey, Ester takes the rock and roll high road.  
Ester's draws upon jazz improvisation, the intensity of the blues, 
and the fullness of acoustic folk for a progressive approach to 
rock.  Ester avoids the trappings of bombastic heaviness and grandiose 
productions in favor of evenly balanced guitars, bass and drums / 
percussion (and the occasional saxophone).  These instruments are 
skillfully interwoven, and provide ample room for the gentle 
huskiness of Garvey's vocals.  The result is a whole, organic sound 
ideally suited for Garvey's intelligent lyrics.  To his credit, 
Garvey manages to explore the world of emotions, ideas and perceptions 
in a way that is not rendered incomprehensible by abstraction or 
arcane references.
	While Ester can be considered a "thinking" band, volume is 
not central to Ester's sonic vibe.  But like the best albums by 
groups like Rush and Queensryche, _Default State_ is a full volume 
of work with different but connected many parts.  The record starts 
with the aggressive, high energy track "Heading Through."  "Mongoose," 
on the other hand, is a refined, slow-tempo track, precisely the type 
of song that Alice and Chains and bands of that ilk wish they could 
deliver.  On the instrumentals "Mexicali," "Broken String" and 
"Intro," Ester displays the range of musical format influences, and 
are exactly the types of pieces that could infuse some life and 
spirit into the monotonous format known as smooth jazz.  But the 
epic "Sun Tune" is by far the most adventurous cut on _Default 
State_.  The jazz-rock fusion parts of the song bring to mind Sting's 
early solo work with Santana accents, while the middle section 
suggests a volume-compressed Metallica.
	Ester has a musical versatility that is all too rare among 
contemporary rock bands.  It is a foundation that makes _Default 
State_ a notable record with excellent form and quality material.  
And that's exactly what has always been critical to the life and 
livelihood of rock music.
---
	REVIEW: Cat Power, _Moon Pix_ (Matador)
		- Chelsea Spear
	To hear Chan Marshall tell it, the latest album by her one-woman 
band Cat Power came out of the very natural fear of nightmares.  After 
having a particularly disturbing dream, Marshall picked up the guitar and 
put all her faith in music and God to carry her through the tumultuous 
night.  A cursory listen to _Moon Pix_, the new Cat Power album, would 
support this inspiration.  These spare, haunting songs are dappled with 
light here and there, but carry the mysterious texture of such a scary 
nocturnal journey.  The urgent, driving rhythm of Marshall's strumming, 
and her raw voice, particularly on tunes such as "Cross Bones Style" and 
"Colors and the Kids" underscore this theme of fear, faith, and redemption.
	Musically, _Moon Pix_ marks a step forward for Marshall and Cat 
Power.  Previously, she released two low-fi albums on various Lower East 
Side indie labels with songs that showed some promise, though much of the 
album was mired in whinging, one-key songs that went nowhere.  Clearly 
Marshall had promise, but still needed to develop her craft and figure out 
what she wanted to do.
	The songs on _Moon Pix_ are much better defined, and the album is 
not limited to the striking, rhythmic "Cross Bones Style".  Helped along by 
Australian musicians the Dirty Three, Marshall has fleshed the songs out 
and brought them beyond the skeletal tunes that marked her previous career.
	There is still a sameness to the songs, and while many shine and 
pulsate with beauty and power, some others blend into one another, and 
into the background.  However, Marshall has also been able to create a 
few moments that stick into the throat of the listener, for better and for 
worse.  The album is not perfect, but its intense current may well spark 
some interest in the adventurous listener.
---
	REVIEW: Soundtrack, _Office Space_ (Interscope)
		- Jason Cahill
	If you blinked, you missed it. That about describes the box 
office life of "Office Space," the first feature film written and 
directed by Mike Judge (creator of "Beavis and Butthead"). The film, 
a humorous look at the hell that is the corporate world -- copy 
machines, office politics and all -- didn't get what it deserved at 
the box office, but it did manage to spawn a soundtrack filled with 
choice cuts from some of the most interesting voices rap music has to 
offer. The fact that all of the movie's music is of the gangsta variety 
is funny in and of itself when one considers that the film is about 
four white office workers who conspire against "the man," in this 
case a faceless and uncaring corporation, by using all the techniques 
of a wanna-be gangster.
	The soundtrack kicks off with the Canibus track "Shove This 
Jay-Oh-Bee."  The song is noteworthy for two reasons: first, it amusingly 
samples Johnny Paycheck's "Take This Job And Shove It," and second, and 
more importantly, it is flavored with the vocal stylings of rap's crown 
prince Biz Markie, who would be interesting rapping the alphabet. The 
album's second cut and first single, "Get Dis Money," is a smooth jam 
by Detroit's Slum Village, a new and exciting voice in hip-hop who 
should manage to rise to the genre's forefront with the release of 
this soundtrack.
	The soundtrack's best moments come from rap veterans Ice Cube 
and the Geto Boys, who emerge from a recent quiet period to grace the 
album with two exceptional cuts. "Damn It Feels Good To Be A Gangsta," 
an old track from The Geto Boys, sounds as fresh as ever. Ice Cube's 
"Down For Whatever," a single from the early '90s, is easily one of 
his finest moments, reminiscent of the great sounds he created while 
with N.W.A. Was gangsta rap always this much fun to listen to?
	A few missteps come in the form of Lisa Stone's unoriginal 
cover of "9 to 5," which left me thinking that Dolly Parton's version 
might not have been so bad; Kool Keith's "Get Off My Elevator" is 
amusing, but in the end nothing more than a pale homage to Slick Rick.
	Aside from those wack tracks, the Office Space soundtrack 
works on two levels: both as a quality compilation of the best that 
gangsta rap has and had to offer, and as a companion to a movie that 
was prematurely dissed and dismissed. In terms of this year's 
soundtrack releases, the Office Space soundtrack is one of the best. 
Disagree and I'll bust a cap in your ass.
---
	REVIEW: Pan sonic, _A_ (Mute/Blast First)
		- Simon Speichert
	The group formerly known as Panasonic (the name was changed 
for obvious copyright  reasons) has outdone themselves. About 8 
months ago,  I picked up a copy of their last album, _Kulma_. I was 
astounded. Bleeps and bloops mixed with harsh abrasive sounds, all 
from homemade synthesizers and tone generators. That, in a sentence, 
was how you could describe Pan sonic. That has now changed.
	Pan sonic has moved forward with their sound, although I 
speculate whether that was by choice or force. A friend remarked to me 
how many albums the group could sell if they'd just use conventional 
beats; most rhythms in their music are based on different tones. I 
replied that, although it might compromise their integrity, it would 
definitely mark a change in their style, although at the time, I was 
unsure whether that change would be for better or for worse.  It 
turned out to be better.
	_A_ consists of 17 tracks, about eighty percent of them in 
the style that was previously so prevalent. The remainder of the disc 
paradoxically moves forward, rather than sticking to the past; there 
are 3 tracks with actual drum beats in them. More complex melodies 
exist than before. The group is definitely merging different styles, 
in a post modern-rock world that shows the diversity possible when 
one puts their mind to it.
	If you're looking for electronic music with unusual rhythms 
that continually  pushes the envelope, _A_ is just right for you.
---
NEWS:	> The world's leading international songwriting contest, 
the 1999 USA songwriting competition has been launched.  
Open until May 31, 1999, entrants stand to win a grand prize of more 
than $22,000 in cash and music merchandise by entering in 15 
different musical categories.  For more information on the event's 
rules, regulations and entry forms, check out 
http://www.songwriting.net .
---
TOUR DATES:
	Aerosmith / Afghan Whigs
Apr. 11 Columbus, OH Schottenstein Center

	Asian Dub Foundation
Apr. 6 Washington, DC Black Cat
Apr. 7-8 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

	Candlebox
Apr. 6 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
Apr. 8 Reno, NV Rodeo Rock
Apr. 9 Portland, OR Roseland Theatre
Apr. 10 Spokane, WA Met Theatre
Apr. 12 San Francisco, CA Fillmore

	Cubanismo Spring Tour
Apr. 6 Chapel Hill, NC Memorial Hall (UNC)
Apr. 7 Vienna, VA Barns at Wolftrap
Apr. 8 Philadelphia, PA International House

	Ani DiFranco
Apr. 9 Amherst, MA Mullins Center 
Apr. 10 Providence, RI Providence Civic Center 

	Eve 6 / Lit
Apr. 6 Columbus, OH Mecca
Apr. 7 Grand Rapids, MI Reptile
Apr. 9 Detroit, MI St. Andrew's
Apr. 10 Chicago, IL Riviera

	Gardener
Apr. 7 Arcata, CA Cafe Tomo
Apr. 8 Chico, CA Blue Room
Apr. 9 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
Apr. 10 Los Angeles, CA ROXY
Apr. 11 San Diego, CA Casbah
Apr. 12 Tempe, AZ Boston's

	Godsmack / Loudmouth
Apr. 6 Ft Wayne, IN Pierre's
Apr. 7 Sth. Bend, IN Heartland
Apr. 8 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall
Apr. 9 Toledo, OH Main Event
Apr. 10 Buffalo, NY Showplace
Apr. 12 Toronto, ONT Lee's Palace

	Gomez / Mojave 3
Apr. 7 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle
Apr. 8 Atlanta, GA Cotton Club
Apr. 10 Washington, DC 9:30 Club

	Miles Hunt
Apr. 7 St. Louis, Mo The Gargoyl 

	Jets to Brazil / Euphone
Apr. 7 Milwaukee, WI Rave Bar 
Apr. 8 Chicago, IL Fireside 
Apr. 9 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle 
Apr. 10 Cincinatti, OH Sudsy Malones 
Apr. 12 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop 

	Kent / Papa Vegas
Apr. 7 San Diego, CA Casbah
Apr. 8 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
Apr. 9 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill
Apr. 11 Portland, OR Roseland Annex
Apr. 12 Seattle, WA Crocodile Cafe

	Low
Apr. 6 Bennington, VT Greenwall 
Apr. 7 Portsmouth, NH Elvis Room 
Apr. 8 & 9 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Apr. 10 Philadelphia, PA Pontiac Grille 
Apr. 12 Knoxville, TN Tomatohead 

	Mercury Rev
Apr. 6 Los Angeles, CA El Rey
Apr. 8 San Francisco, CA Bimbos
Apr. 10 Bellingham, WA VU Main Lounge (Western Wash. Univ.)
Apr. 11 Seattle, WA AROspace

	Mighty Blue Kings
Apr. 7 Cincinnati, OH Bogart's
Apr. 10 Miami, FL Bay Front Park Amphitheatre

	Steve Miller Band
Apr. 7 Fargo, ND Fargo Civic Auditorium
Apr. 8 Minneapolis, MN Northrup Auditorium
Apr. 9 Sioux Falls, SD Sioux Falls Arena
Apr. 10 Bismarck, ND Bismarck Civic Center Arena

	Alanis Morissette
Apr. 6 Anaheim, CA Pond
Apr. 7 Los Angeles, CA Universal Amphitheatre

	Olivia Tremor Control
Apr. 7 Washington, DC Black Cat 
Apr. 8 Carrboro, NC Cat's Cradle 
Apr. 9 Harrisonburg, VA James Madison 
Apr. 10 W. Columbia, SC New Brookland 

	Placebo / Stabbing Westward
Apr. 6 Minneapolis, MN Quest
Apr. 7 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre (Placebo ONLY)
Apr. 9 Salt Lake City, UT Bricks
Apr. 11 Seattle, WA Show Box
Apr. 12 Vancouver, BC Rage

	Residents
Apr. 5-7 New York, NY Irving Plaza
Apr. 9 Washington, DC 930 Club
Apr. 12 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue

	Sleepyhead
Apr. 7 Pittsburgh, PA Mills Institute Theatre
Apr. 8 Philladelphia, PA Balcony at Trocadero
Apr. 9 Harrisonburg, PA MAC Rock Festival 
Apr. 10 Washington, DC Black Cat

	Elliott Smith
Apr. 6 Louisville, KY Headliners
Apr. 7 St. Louis, MO Karma
Apr. 8 Chicago, IL Metro
Apr. 9 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
Apr. 10 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
Apr. 12 Denver, CO Bluebird Theatre
Apr. 13 Salt Lake City, UT DV8

	Sparklehorse / Varnaline
Apr. 6 Lawrence, KS Bottleneck
Apr. 8 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entrry
Apr. 9 Chicago, IL Double Door
Apr. 10 Detroit, MI Shelter
Apr. 11 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop

	Sally Taylor
Apr. 8 Frisco, CO Barkly's
Apr. 10 Denver, CO Tuft Theatre

	David Wilcox
Apr. 8 St. Louis, MO Sheldon Hall
Apr. 9 Lawrence, KS Liberty Hall
Apr. 10 Rolla, MO Rolla Auditorium
Apr. 11 Des Moines, IA Val-Aire Ballroom
---
Founded in August, 1993, Consumable Online is the oldest 
music reviews publication on the Internet.
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