Treiops Treyfid-Reach The Explosion
(Deep Reverb)
Treiops Treyfid corralled some friends together to participate in this release—everyone from Alex Hacker of the Ropers to Charles Bennington of New Wet Kojak. And this record is definitely an interesting one. It’s pop, but it’s not. It’s rock, but it’s not. One thing for sure is that this album envelops a cornucopia of styles, ranging from the normal to bizarre. But then again, Treiops has always pushed things over the edge, ever since his days in Pitchblende. Although this time, he could’ve been wanky. But luckily he decided to be catchy instead. And the best comparison I can come up with is to Polvo or Pavement—and that’s only on the first track "Feel Victory". You’re just going to want to listen to this release over and over again—if only to find a tag for it. (DW)
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Urusei Yatsura -Slain By
Urusei Yatsura (Che UK,
Sire US)
Everyone seems to be going on about how Urusei Yatsura have recorded a considerably more straightforward pop record, having abandoned all their quirks and the genuine kitschiness that made their We Are Urusei Yatsura such an addictive and lovable album. But that's not entirely true. These Glasweigan lo-fi kooks still sing about Atari, adorn their cover art with Japanese characters, and saturate their guitar hooks with ear-bleeding distortion. But instead of delving deeper into a Mogwai-esque tumult, they have taken on a slightly more accessible style-without metamorphosing completely. And the result is, well, a masterful one. The sophomore long-player kicks off with Glo Starz, a perfect opener for this witty and ironic foursome. It sounds marvelously close to tracks off We Are..., but the album's first single, Hello Tiger, is perhaps their most accessible song to date. And shocking it is too, for it is a Graham Kemp track, the band's songwriter who tends toward a more Malkumus-ian style. But what truly hurts this album is the inclusion of Strategic Hamlets. That "nah nah nah nah " bit is a bit grating. Hence 4 * stars... But for the one Strategic Hamlets, there's No 1 Cheesecake and Fake Fur. Fergus Lawrie is the great pop master, while Graham Kemp is far too idiosyncratic. (Yet, Graham's songs are my faves...go figure...) So here we have it. A practically perfect album from a sadly-overlooked band. So put away those Mogwai discs for a little while (just for a little while) and listen to a band that really should be heard. (DW)
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Verbena -Into The Pink (Capitol)
They’ve got a formulaic heavy-hitting sound that’s going to make them stars. You see, Dave Grohl produced this affair, and yep, they sound a lot like Nirvana. Only there is a beautiful chick in the band who's only going to add to the appeal. Not bad, but just not me. (DW)
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