About two years after releasing his first solo record on El Recordo Records, Joel R.L. Phelps (formerly of Silkworm) has given us two very impressive recordings. The first is a five song EP including covers of Dramarama's "Emerald City" and "Guns of Brixton" by the Clash.
...Music Reviews
Our take on the latest music releases, from classic reissues to new artists.
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NERVE GENERATOR : This Is 4-Track!
REVIEWED BY Rob Christensen
In the last issue I reviewed Nerve Generator's tape in Cassette Corner. Well, now they've got their CD out and it's a dandy. This Is 4-Track! was recorded in guitarist James Botha's bedroom on a 4-track PortaStudio using the same methods described in the tape review. Nerve
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ZOVIET FRANCE : Digilogue
REVIEWED BY Larry Crane
From the band's own mouth(s): "Digilogue was recorded using a mixture of failing analogue equipment and high-end digital equipment and monitored in our studio exclusively on damaged hi-fi speakers." There's manipulated skips, loops record noise, drones... late night spacey
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FERNANDO: Pacoima
REVIEWED BY Larry Crane
Tape Op no es ningún tipo de revista local, y por eso es poco común que doy tanto ánimo a un grupo de la escena de Portland. Este es una excepción. Fernando es un hombre y un grupo. Sin su grupo, hizo una colaboración con su cuate Luther Russell (quien toca muchos de los instrumentos en este album
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SONIC YOUTH : A Thousand Leaves
REVIEWED BY Larry Crane
Here's what I noticed: Only Thurston's songs have those little vocal clicks (the ones you get when you open your mouth to sing or when there's a bit too much saliva running around). I probably noticed, since my ears are so tuned to hearing those sorts of things in the studio, and I
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THE SORTS: More There
REVIEWED BY Matt Mair Lowery
The Sorts play a wide-range of mostly instrumental rock (vocals occasionally appear to present mantra-like lyrics) that at times sounds like Fugazi's vocal-less songs and at other points sounds like cheesy space jazz. At all times, though, this record is high-fidelity, with great attention
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GRANDADDY: Under the Western Freeway
REVIEWED BY Adam Selzer
This is one of those records that Tape Op readers will love to listen to. Its full of creative production ideas with each song employing a different recording approach. Chief songwriter Jason Lytle (see interview in Tape Op #7 ) recorded this magnum opus on his 16 track at Floater and Headcorders
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P.E.E.: The Roaring Mechanism
REVIEWED BY Matt Mair Lowery
After listening to The Roaring Mechanism I get the feeling that I would enjoy P.E.E.'s music a lot more if the band was less concerned with prog rock rhythm shifts and more willing to let the sense of play apparent in their song titles shine through their mathematical guitar equations. "I
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THE STYRENES, PATTI SMITH, THE SAINTS: We Care, So You Don't Have To, Peace and Noise, Howling
REVIEWED BY Larry Crane
Y'know, I just turned 35 a little while ago, and I was thinking about this rock-n-roll bullshit myth of people getting old and getting soft; outgrowing that raunchy, evil, dirty mean spirit of rock. Well, for all you kids out there that think rock music is the domain of the twenty-somethings,
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DIRTY THREE, TREN BROTHERS : Ocean Songs CD, EP
REVIEWED BY Adam Selzer
It's not so unusual to find violin or other related classical instruments in rock music today, but most bands use them merely to enhance their sound rather than as the focal point. Warren Ellis is definitely a leader as he guides the beautiful, stark melodies on his violins (there are quite a
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NEGATIVLAND: Happy Heroes
REVIEWED BY Larry Crane
If you know anything about writing for magazines n'all, you know that record labels and publicists send out these things called "press kits" with copies of the new records that you're supposed to review. "Press kits" are one or more pages of clippings featuring reviews
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