60 FT. DOLLS This Welsh trio serves up catchy power pop with infectious sing-along melodies and great vocal harmonies, and their sound is rockin' enough to keep their material from being too sweet. Their major label debut on Geffen, The Big 3, delivers songs about wrecked relationships and addiction in its many forms. Highlights include "Happy Shopper" reminiscent of The Jam, and "Stay" with its jangly guitar and vocals that could masquerade as a Records song (remember them?). Singer Richard Parfitt's voice is a cross between Joe Strummer and Paul Weller - brilliant! The band wears its influences on its sleeve, and that's fine by me. There are a just a few weak tracks on this album, but overall a great addition to your CD collection. I'll bet these guys are great live. Check it out! | |
RADIOHEAD Radiohead has made a big transformation since 1993's "Creep" - an alternative radio smash that seemed to be setting them up as one-hit wonders. Last year's incredible album, The Bends proved that the band is capable of complex musical arrangements and original, thoughtful lyrics. But the depth of Radiohead's material on OK Computer takes the band to an entirely new level once again. OK Computer has been called a "concept album", but that's probably because it's been a while since anyone has released a record that breaks new territory in music and is devoid of any radio-friendly hits. These guys deserve a lot of credit for making such a bold move. This album gets better with every listen -- "Let Down" is a sad, beautiful song with soaring vocals, "Karma Police" is exquisitely powerful. This album is undoubtedly one of 1997's best. | |
SUPERGRASS A solid sophomore album from this UK band, In It For The Money has its share of good tunes, but unfortunately just doesn't rock like the incredible debut I Should Coco, and occasionally slides into sounding a bit like Supertramp! Don't get me wrong, this record holds it own -- the songs are there but the production isn't what I expected, with a much "bigger" sound, horns and copious backing vocals competing with the guitar. Standouts include "Richard III" and "You Can See Me". If you buy it soon, you can pick up one of the limited edition copies that include a great 9 song bonus CD including "Caught By The Fuzz" acoustic and live tracks. | |
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THE INTERPRETERS This Philly band has a retro sound that somehow comes across as very fresh compared to all the alterna-crap I've been hearing at the clubs lately. The Interpreters put on a truly entertaining live show, full of energy and passion, with their matching sweaters (how they don't die of heat exhaustion I'll never know) and eccentric stage antics. These guys play catchy pop songs, reminiscent of the Buzzcocks. Their EP In Remembrance Of That Fine Evening, featuring 4 great songs is out now, being sold exclusively on the Web. |
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