from the tetchy Elvis Costello
Discussion List, and he bought an early copy of Burner just after the CD release party at
Luna Lounge. Without any prompting, this was his response, sent out to the Elvis list.Gary, your cat is fine. We're ready to return her to you now. She's only missing that one little bit of tail. Tell us where you'd like us to drop her off.
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Mon, 26 May 1997 00:30:34 EDT From: Gary Subject: "BURNER"Dear Reader,
Ask yourself the following questions.
- Do you seek an alternative to "Alternative"?
- Are you tired of your radio?
- Do you hate "Corporate" rock?
- Are you sick of over-hyped, commercialized, streamlined, connect-the-dots, MOR music that is force-fed and sold to you as the next "Definitive, Big Happening"?
- Do you want to bite the hand that feeds you?
- Are you a Rock-N-Roll "Outside-the-Lines-er"?
If you answered yes to ANY of the above, Then you must contact Home Office Records immediately!! And order your copy of the just-released "Burner" compilation CD.
What's in it for you? For $10 + postage you will receive a CD chock full of new music that resides slightly outside of the mainstream. You get 5 bands, 14 tracks, 70 minutes of music covering such genres as Alternative, Jazz, and Postmodern.
The "Burner" CD will be your musical bargain of the year (except for anything Elvis), and even if you do not care for it, you could always give it to an (ex) boyfriend or girlfriend as a birthday/X-mas gift. And you know that wobbly end table in the living room? The "Burner" jewel case will fit under that one shorter leg just nicely.
Seriously though, since I bought this disc it has not come out of the player and has caused me to use the repeat key each time I've turned it on. It is refreshing in ways I can not describe. This is truly the work of people who are fed up with the state of music as an industry and are only in it for the true LOVE of the music itself.
I would attempt to review this CD for you, but I feel as though my qualifications as a music critic are seriously inadequate. However, I will give you some of my first impressions.
Oh hell. Here's my unprofessional review.
BURNER
Various Artists
Home Office Records
**** 1/2*The disc opens with 3 songs by the band bluecowboys. "Skin," the perfect opening track, grabs you. The vocals by Erika Wilson (who strikes me as bit of a cross between Edie Brickell and a young Chrissie Hynde) are a smoky purr wrapping around this torch song, which subtly cooks along before you actually realize it and leaves you wanting more...and you get it with the next 2 songs. "Chalice Of Love" and "Wolf" are a flowing ballad and a crunch rocker respectively, showcasing the versatility of Ms. Wilson's voice as well as displaying the ability of the band to shift gears at will.
Track 4 is "Loose Change" by the Rob Schimmer Trio, a very piano-oriented jazz track reminiscent of early 60's Dave Brubeck a la "Take Five" (a high compliment indeed). Rob Schwimmer shows up again later on track #9, this time credited solo. His "East Village Hoedown" is a wild ragland style trip through what seemed to me a jazz impressionist's view of television's animated theme music. Not that any particular themes are represented here, but those are the memories that stirred within me as I listened.
Tracks 5-8 are by Pawnshop. I want to say folk-rockers, but they have more of an edge, more like extremely professional Pub-Rockers. Pull up a stool, quaff an ale and dig ("Words"). Their mix of acoustic and electric guitars is masterful and seems to draw influence from Mike Scott/Waterboys type arrangements ("Wild Rose"). I also spot slight Black 47/Irish rock veins running through these 4 tracks, very buried (no traditional Irish instruments) but evident none the less. The vocals seem to be shared (there are no vocal credits to confirm this), but each singer's contribution successfully blends with the musical arrangements ("Trip", "Strange"). It shows that Pawnshop realizes which vocals will get the right results for each song. Something sadly lacking with the majority of top bands today.
[Actually, that's all Sean Smith singing in there...his big voice moves in mysterious ways, sometimes tender and sometimes edged sharper and strong. - Mr. Cyrano, HO Fact-Checker]Tracks 10-13 are credited to RAW Kinder, the head-trip band of the disc. Their style reminds me of several bands. Mazzy Star comes to mind as the opening of "Songhead" strings you along, growing slowly bolder, attempting to blow wide open but teasing you ever a bit more, sprawling into a musical odyssey that keeps you at the edge. The vocals by Renee Annabel Wilson (sister of bluecowboys' Erika Wilson??) [Nope. Sheer coincidence. - Mr. C.] bring to mind those of Jim Morrison. Not in sound, but in ability. The way she uses her voice as another instrument, the way she takes a phrase and repeats it again and again so that it loses its language meaning and takes on a musical meaning. It's haunting and beautiful all at once.
"Back to the Lemon Garden" starts off very Tribal, gives you a glimpse of Talking Heads but then takes off on a journey that can only be compared to The Doors. It's a grand sweeping epic reminiscent of "The End," and again the vocal comparisons to J. Morrison can not be denied. "Wishin'" and "Strange Bird (live)" also cruise along on this spacy, trippy, mind-expanding element that allows your senses to come alive with the subtle rawness invoked by the perfect fusion of the mellow and soaring guitar(s), grinding under a wonderful rhythm bass, helped along by a solid piano and drums, topped by the expressive vocals. By mixing the so-called up front (lead) instruments into the back, RAW Kinder has come up with a reverse (mirror image if you will) of Phil Spector's "Wall Of Sound". Simply enthralling!
Track 14 is "Trummings (Live)" by Mark Stewart. This is the disc's Postmodern offering. Do to my limited exposure to Postmodern music, I truly can not give my opinion on this track. Those of you out there that enjoy Postmodern, it will be up to you to inform us about this particular track and artist.
Well, I've taken up too much bandwidth, but everybody down at HO Records deserves it. A large "Thank You" to them all for helping me to break out of the current musical doldrums. "Burner" is the first truly significant, off-the-beaten-path great music that I've uncovered in a while.
G. Gone
Who is in no way affiliated with Home Office Records whatsoever.