Cheeseburger – “Happy Hill” – Review February 1, 1997 “Happy Hill” is a bad imitation of Iggy Pop versus a bad imitation of Frank Zappa. “Hellvis” is a speedier version of the same thing.
Champ! – “Passing Car” – Review February 1, 1997 Combines the dissonant heaviness of Tad with a kitschy garage flavor.
William Shakespeareās Romeo and Juliet – Music from the Motion Picture – Review February 1, 1997 Great movie, great music. Not since KIDS has a soundtrack been so unmistakably evocative of the film it purports to represent.
The Resonance Found at the Core of a Bubble – Review February 1, 1997 Some of it is archaic “experimental” composition that’s more headache inducing than “trance” inducing. Illbient can be cool, but this is just too boring.
Mortal Kombat: More Kombat – Review February 1, 1997 Big budget movie, big budget music. More Kombat is a corollary to the original. Both compilations are a meeting ground for techno and metal.
The Valentine Six – “I Saw a Ghost Face” / “Always is My Name” – Review February 1, 1997 “I Saw a Ghost Face” combines Nuggets and compilation-quality murky Southern ranchabilly vocals with spaztic sax jazzabilly. Well done.
The Suicide Machines – The Suicide Machines/ Humble Gods split – Review February 1, 1997 The Suicide Machines are less annoying than NOFX and less soulful than Operation Ivy or Rancid. They’re tight and aggressive, but lack dimension.
The Sugar Freaks – “Summertime” – Review February 1, 1997 Two girls and a guy play kitschy garage rock with an Undertones (prolonged adolescence) mentality. Dionysus knows that 7″s are an end in themselves.
The Stallions – “I Love the USA!” – Review February 1, 1997 Hard-hitting, Stooges-inspired jackhammer punk rock. It’s the “real thing,” but these four songs offer nothing with any staying power.
The Multiple Cat – “A Test” – Review February 1, 1997 This invokes everything from the Kinks to the Talking Heads, but with a slacker attitude. They do a half-assed job, but I guess that’s fashionable.