Less rock more talk. Well, rock and/or roll is dead motherfucker. Reviews now!
BUGATTI TYPE 35 "Winner"
CD
So these cats rolled in on a bill
at Cody’s Cafe here in Cincinnati along with Kill The Hippies at the last
minute. I didn’t know what to expect but by the third song I was reaching
in my pocket to see how much money I had left because Bugatti were hitting
all the right buttons.... I only had $5 and this CD was labeled selling
at $8. FUCK!!! Only if I hadn’t had that 7/7!!!! Wait! I know what I will
do... I went to my car, grabbed every different Neus Subjex issue I could,
snapped a few pictures of the band plus a group shot when they finished
and told them of my affiliation with the Neus Subjex and a further stint
as a reviewer for BlankGeneration.com. As wished upon, they sold me this
CD for the last $5 bill I had. And Im glad too! Bugatti Type 35, which
as I understand and overheard, is/was a type of race car in the 20’s, have
a sound that meets somewhere in-between The Crimson Sweet, The Kelly Deal
6000, The Breeders, and Queens of The Stone Age. Its dreamy and melancholy
at times and hard hitting like a fucking head on collision other times.
I was througouly impressed. This CD features 11 songs and as Wendy, the
lead vocalist/guitarist told me, an example of their older material. They
apparently have something newer coming out in just mere weeks. Wendy said
I could expect to see that too. Hope to hear it soon. ~Shawn Abnoxious
($10 ppd> BT35 POB 3254 Madison, WI. 53704-0254 :::: btype35@aol.com)
SKIN ALLEY #1
I wasn’t aware that satire was so
alive in the world of zines until reading Skin Alley. John A., the writer
of Skin Alley takes a few well know topics and completely destroys their
integrity. Take, for example, his essay on the history of Bob Marley that
shows the reader the progression of Marley’s carrier as a metal-splinter
catcher using only his eyelids. Then explaining Marley’s later "dabbling
in… an inconsequential form of feel-good music". Certainly Bob Marley is
a bit more than airhead feel-good music, but the idea here is clear, and
humorous. This zine also has some so-so punk-news stories. One of which
is on John Lydon’s appearance on Judge Judy in ’97 (this issue seems to
have been published in 97), which I’m still pissed I missed. I was personally
intrigued by John A’s fascination with diseases like "necrotizing fascitis".
If your looking for a good chuckle at the expense of Pepsi or you local
bank, take a flip though Skin Alley. ~BrianN ($1< John A., 5476 Glenville
Circle, Virginia Beach, VA, 23464)
PIGEONHOLD #4
Already the fourth issue and I just
now get a hold of a copy. Go fucking figure. Pigeonhold is based out of
Newport Kentucky and is pretty much done by a staff of three. The layout
is a strong point and easy to read and content wise, it reminds me of Screed
with more focus on bigger names in independent music and less with the
local scene. This issue features a real kick ass interview with Ian Mackay
of the Teen Idols and Pailhead, as well as further interviews from For
Stars, Jack Rabid (!) from The Big Takeover, The Weakerthans, Rex Hobart
and the Misery Boys, Mike Harbin of Jack Potential, and last but not least,
a write up on Rocket from the Crypt. Theres also a music reviews section.
My only gripe is there is no contact information at the end of the interviews...
Its no big deal or anything but I sorta figure that is a interview ending
necessity. Overall, a good zine. I look foreword to reading more upcoming
issues.~Shawn Abnoxious(FREE-send a S.A.S.E.< pigeonhold PO box 1581
Newport, KY. 41072 :::: mraleigh@one.net)
ELEVENTH SYMPHONY "A Uniform
Infinity Of Homogenous Matter At A Low Temperature" CD
Since this is my first review for
this publication, I would like to share a quote I think will let you know
how I feel about opinions, be it my own or someone else's. "The fool doth
think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.", by William
Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), "As You Like It", Act 5 scene 1. That said,
on to the record..... You wake up and realize that you're still asleep,
but you're awake in a dream. Hard as you try, you can't wake up for real
yet, your arms and legs won't move. So you go with the dream and decide
to play your badass dream stereo. When you get there, you realize that
dreamland is cool, because every piece of vinyl and CD you can think of
is there. After all, it's your dream, right? As you start picking up things
you want to hear, the top of the stereo turns into a huge blender and you
just start throwing records into it. You start with some King Ghiddorah!
and then you spy the Pain Teens. After that swirls a while you toss in
some Unwound, Tragic Mulatto, and that Billy Thorpe song "Children of the
Sun". Everything you throw in is mixed into the rest and it all comes out
the stereo in a masterful frappe of sound. Suddenly you become so absorbed
in the music that you forget all about it being your dream and the music
takes over as it turns into a roller coaster that doesn't need a track.
Just as the coaster starts over the last hill you realize it's going to
hit bottom and you start to panic...The alarm goes off. Time for work.
This record covers a lot of ground with six tracks timing in at just over
50 minutes, and it's one heck of a ride. ~ M. Dominus (Cobalt Room Records
POB 58196 Cinti., OH. 45258 :::: cobaltroomrecords@hotmail.com)
THE HYPOCHONDIRIACS "Feelin’
Fine" CD-R
Ah... Seriously, ever since I heard
the first song-- the very first note even, of The Hypochondriacs (or just
plain ol’ Hypo’s for short) I have been a fan. Its true, just ask The Juice
by Jerry... They might not have been in ‘tune’ at the time but that was
something I respected them for. Yeah, they went on to quickly tune before
their second song but they had already won me over; too fucking late. Besides,
I was the only one who wanted them to continue to play out of tune... This
CD marks a new era for this band. As they started out, The Hypo’s cut their
teeth on sets of mostly covers. Slowly but surely they began working more
and more originals into their set and in the process, weeded those covers
out. Over time the band really began to click with each other at their
live shows and it sort of seemed that all of a sudden The Hypo’s were a
force to be reckoned with! Falling somewhere in-between Bikini Kill, The
Misfits and Black Flag, The Hypo’s are like the symbolic puddle of puke....
Dirty, filthy, sleazy but at the same time real-to-life and as with all
puke, grow stronger as time passes. Make no qualms about it, The Hypo’s
have raised a big stink around Cincinnati and if things fall in the places
where I expect them to, Feelin’ Fine will stand the test of time
and be recognized as one of the best testaments of Cincinnati Punk Rock.
Feelin Fine captures The Hypo’s earliest songs including "Simple",
"The Rents", their hits and songs that continue to send chills up and down
my spine; "Sweet Sugar" and "Rachel and Jimmy" and in my opinion, pretty
much blows away about 99% of the shit that has came out in the past 5 years
in Cincinnati! Clocking in at a few seconds over twenty three minutes,
The Hypos serve up a slice of Midwestern punk-rock that is real, severe,
and genuine. These songs scare me because The Hypo’s just arent a band
I listen to, I have their fucking phone numbers and I know them personally...
Some would say that makes me maybe be not a good person to review this
release but man, thats untrue. I see The Hypo’s. I smelled The Hypo’s.
I Tasted the Hypo’s. I know The Hypo’s.... I LOVE The Hypo’s. If you dont
like Feelin’ Fine, you suck.~Shawn Abnoxious (www.home.fuse.net/hypos/)
RUBY SLIPPER V.#1,#1 Dec.-May
‘00
It seems that this ‘zine is meant
to be a look at life through female eyes, or at least a look at issues
that affect females. This is a lofty (though potentially honorable) goal...
which is nothing more than a memory by the time you get to the first article,
patty schemel (drummer extraordinaire behind Kill Sybil, Hole, Constant
Comment, Bastard and Mainman spills her guts on thrift shopping). Now I
can see, even from where I sit, that it’s quite cool that this interview
even exists...it’s just great. However, it seems that opening with something
a little more important than shopping would have been a better way to kick
off this particular ‘zine (it is volume 1, issue 1, after all). For instance,
the article Eaten Alive: Girls on the Run from Themself (an article about
eating disorders) or hillary carlip (author of "Girl Power: Young Women
Speak Out" shares her experience and shares her new venture-Voxxy.com)
would have each been great ways to start things off. An even greater way
to start might have been Ari Up: Then and Now, the former Slits vocalist
re-emerges. This ‘zine is not short on potentially interesting concepts,
but it does sometimes feel more like the same old fluff that girls are
always being handed. It has more clothing tips than interesting stories/articles,
and the stories that could be gripping are coated with age-old clichés
or relegated to the back. Also, the poetry included is trite and this whole
thing costs $3...if I were you, I’d take the 3 bux and go catch a local
show. ~J.P. Becky ($3< www.dork.com/rubyslipper)
V/A "F.I.M.P. Compilation One:
Ohio" CD-R
This CD-R was thrown my way after
catching the release show of sorts featuring an appearance by the one and
only CD Truth.... What you got here is a compilation featuring four bands;
two from Akron and two from Cincinnati with each band fielding three songs
each. First up is CD TRUTH. CD Truth are punk, no bush beating involved.
Intense, edgy, Music to rob banks by. Live, they remind me of a amped up
less glam, more punk version of the Gaza Strippers. Their material on here
is tight as fuck, especially their track "King of The Highland Square Losers".
The Truth really won me over; like I need ANOTHER reason to go to the Akron/Kent
area besides the next band up: KILL THE HIPPIES! KILL THE FUCKING HIPPIES!
I know it, CD Truth knows it, most of the Neus Subjex readers know it,
Kill The Hippies are the best band EVER! Once again, three songs featuring
the now departed drummer Four Eyed Fuck Face. KTH serve up three blistering
tracks two with Morte vocals, one with PP Envy vox including one of the
best songs ever: "Pussy Hot Cock Crazy"; "My pussy is going to make you
hot, my cock is going to drive you CRAZY!" and that concludes Akron’s portion.
Now, next, from Cincinnati is HAILSHAFT. Their sound is metallic, fast,
and reminiscent in content and delivery to material on older Oi compilations.
Last up is 16 Piece Bucket who come off sounding like 70’s hardrock-hardcore-punk
amalgam. Hard. Fast. loud. Just the stuff to piss off all the squares round
you. The bass player in CD Truth and Chris from 16 Piece Bucket are brothers,a
little fun fact that I find reverence in. On this Compilation Foot In Mouth
features bands that no one is going to give a fuck about unless people
like me write about it and ‘get it out there’. I just done that. What the
fuck are you going to do. I would love to hear a follow up soon. Hint (fucking)
hint. ~Shawn Abnoxious ($=?< Big Mosh Records/Foot In Mouth Productions
610 Philip Ave. Akron, Oh. 44305 :::: cdtruth@aol.com)
KENDALL BRUNS "RT2K" CD-R
You might remember this name from
a split 7" with the 11th Symphony, a band he joined ion their latter era....
Imagine Ween and Gene Defcon mixed with Devo and Anton Maiden (a guy who
used computer programs to provide music for his rendition of his favorite
Iron Maiden songs; interesting shit and to me, a million times better than
iron maiden himself). Like Gene Defcon, Kendall Bruns uses his songs as
observations, turning music into thoughts into music into thoughts ect.ect.
Like Anton Maiden, Kendall recorded this in his bedroom. Like Ween Kendall’s
music genres are varied. As with Devo, kendall is just out there!
OUT THERE! Personally, I like the faster material like the last
part of "Danny Greene", the heavy and caustic "Mint", the techno wave beginning
of "L.A.", the restless "Destination" (PACK IT UP!) or perhaps the Defcon-like
"Make me Like It". I do wish Kendall would explore more with guitars and
more conventional instruments because I think he could really do some cool
shit with them. All in all, its just fine what he is doing. Kendal is thinking
outside the I-275 beltway. Everyone in Cincinnati will hate this CD, well,
almost everyone. Thats a GOOD thing... I can only hope that he has a live
version of what he is doing. Cincinnati needs people like Bruns. -Shawn
Abnoxious (Kendall Bruns 817 Beachmedow Ln. Cinti,, Oh. 45238 :::: www.kendallbruns.com
:::: Kendall@kendllbruns.com)
