‘—“—<s8

November 26, 1996

SLAMONBLASTER s/t

Liquid Records

There isn't much that can be said about this album other than it's not so great. Well, ok...I can say more.

This is average guitar driven "indie" pop, if ever I saw it. Sweet vocals hidden under the driving force of a guitar and a fuzz pedal. Lots of kick drum and bass. Yeah, yeah, you've heard itall before. There just isn't anything original coming out of this album.

I'll be the first to admit it. Their first single, "Freeway" is a good song. Hook laden and very hummable, it would probably coax you (cajole you, even) to buy the album. _ It's a bit too lengthy on the album, the radio edit is much better .

After rejoicing in the pop bliss of "Freeway" the rest of the album leaves me cold. It's one of those CDs that will gather dust until I get an urge to hear that one song, and then I'll skip tracks one through three, listen to it, and switch back to something better.

**

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Ottawa City Speedway!

Speedway Records / Cargo Records What a way to start an album. Furnaceface (remember them? they played the Barn....nah....nobody went, never mind) starts off the album with my new favourite song "Clobbering Time.”

Just when you thought it wasn't possible, another band that nobody went to see at the Barn makes an appearance! Jimmy George make an appearance with "The Way It's Always Been" and "Want To Try."

Now Wooden Stars, they are more my speed. The two tracks that they slapped on the album are just lovely. Sully, Crash 13 and Punchbuggy also add some nice tracks to the list of twenty four songs.

It is really quite a nice collection of bands. From the soft sounds of Wooden Stars to the thrash-type style of Feed (ick), this album is pretty good. The presence of good bands pretty much outweighs bad bands. Just to note: all the bands are from

Ottawa (they've still got nothing on the East Coast). #EFY,

MUDGIRL

First Book

Permanent Records If there is a woman in the world who is trendier than Mudgirl, aka Kim Bingham, someone please point her out. The music is so ready for Magic 93 it's not even funny. Not that it is Vanessa Williams or, God forbid, Donna Lewis, but it's the "alternative" rock that all the kids love.

"This Day" sounds like Alanis might sing it -- except for the obvious lack of bitter I-hate-everyone-especially-my-ex- boyfriend lyrics. It'sonly an EP of five songs, but I still couldn't sit through it too easily. It's really run of the mill as female fronted bands of the '90s goes. The songs are lacking a certain je ne sais quoi. It's definitely not the album that changed my life.

Bingham's vocals seem to lack versatility. It's a very drab album. The songs are really similar to each other. The album could have been recorded anytime between last month and September of 1992. It's just got the feel of a band that's riding on the wave of guitar pop like many of the others that are releasing indie records now days. Don't get me moet like it,

t be nice to see something new.

Entertainment @* The Panther Prints

STAY TUNED: Next Week for our collosal AandE gift suggestion supplement

Dalbello

Whore

EMI Music Imagine a vocal cross of Tina Turner and and Alannah Myles and the result will probably sound like the latest release from Dalbello. Like the now-cliched metamorphasis of Alanis Morrisette, Dalbello has made the step from pop teen queen to rock mistress. Whore shows a dramatic departure from any of Dalbello's previous radio hits. The title track is hypnotic, and it gets my vote for “song of the year least likely to be played on Magic 93.” The lyrics in this and other tracks are eleqouent, yet they feature disturbing imagery. The CD is a mixture of musical styles, and cannot be easily generalized.

While Dalbello may be initially decribed as just another voice in the latest generation of angy young women, something in Whore makes her stand out from that crowd. Not only does she sing lead vocals, but she co-wrote and arranged each track as well as playing keyboard and some guitar. My favourite track is “Sleeping Beauties Last Revenge” (-- how long has she been sleeping/ Beauty is only skin-deep/ if she forgives herself depends / on Sleeping Beauty’s last Revenge -- )

While you may not want to hum along with these songs, you will definately find yourself repeatedly playing this disk.

ree A. Chisholm

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