Yes / Morphine / Rykodisc 
And live, May 11th 1995 at the Black Cat in Washington DC
Yes / Morphine / Rykodisc
And live, May 11th 1995 at the Black Cat in Washington DC
Turn the lights down low, fill the room with cigarette smoke (never mind that you quit) and turn your speakers up to maximum throb because here comes Morphine. Nothing can quite match the boomy, mellow pulsations of Morphine's sound. This is no doubt due to their unique lineup--three guys: one on drums, one on baritone sax and the singer on bass. And the bass only has two strings. You haven't heard bottom-heavy until you've heard this.
Yes is Morphine's third full album. It is a little more driving and upbeat than its predecessors, but still may take some time to get used to. After a couple plays, however, you may find it difficult to say "no" to. Songwriter Mark Sandman's lyrics aren't always brilliant, but his voice conveys just enough self-parody to carry him through the worst verses. Add the primal jazzy grooves and Dana Colley's alluring sax playing and you have quite an enticing brew. If only the album were a tad longer. Like the drug, Morphine will leave you wanting more.
Live, the band proved to be anything but numbifying. Billy Conway's drumming brought a surprisingly high energy level to songs that may send you slipping into a coma when listening at home. Colley switched saxophones many more times than his expression, often playing two at the same time (an impressive trick). Mark Sandman's dry sense of humor came through between songs when he had to kill time while changing his tuning. He radiated a humble kind of coolness that had him easily winning over the crowd's admiration. He was even cool about the one stooge in the audience who kept yelling "Play it! Play the song!" while he was trying to chat. "You can't rush these things," Sandman said after a long, calm pause. Morphine's shows are a refreshing break from the mosh pit madness of so many "alternative" rock acts out there today. If you ever get the chance, you should definitely get yourself a dose.
To Bring You My Love / PJ Harvey / Island Records
Sometimes it's difficult to tell exactly just where Polly Jean is coming from
and how seriously she takes herself. But I guess trying to figure her out is
all part of the fun of listening to her. What's certain is that To Bring You
My Love is a severe, intense and often hypnotic set of songs. The vocals,
production and instrumental performances all stretch their emotional strings
as tight as possible. Producers Harvey, Flood and John Parish create a full
yet deconstructed sound that seems a little more experimental than it really
is. "Meet Ze Monsta" and "Long Snake Moan" are corrosive rockers while
"Working For The Man," "Down by the Water" and "I Think I'm a Mother" are more
creepy and subtle meditations on simple grooves.
Harvey really milks the drama out of To Bring You My Love's dirge of a title track. She also lets her pipes dig deep into "C'Mon Billy" and "Send His Love to Me," practically forcing you to believe her lyrical stories. My advice, more as psychological adviser than a music critic, would be to not get too wrapped up in these songs. Enjoy them for what they are, but don't expect to live them out without running up a steep bill on your therapist's couch.
Harvey fans should be sure to check out Jason Dour's PJ page.
The Kojak Variety / Elvis Costello / Warner Bros.
In this collection, Costello and company take fresh and sincere passes at
fifteen of his favorite songs. Larry Knechtel (power piano), Marc Ribot
(screwy guitar) and others inject new life and tasteful musicianship into the
set list, backing up a series of great vocal performances by Costello.
Most notably, Bob Dylan's "I Threw It All Away" yanks at those heartstrings, Mose Allison's "Everyone's Crying Mercy" is more searing and poignant than ever, and the Rogers/Ahlert tune "Running Out Of Fools" will probably have Aretha Franklin thinking she should record it again. The Ray Davies song, "Days" is an powerfully ambient capper to the set. This is not some tongue-in-cheek retro album but a serious read of songs that inspired The Only Living Elvis to become the great songwriter he has consistently proven himself to be.
Costello fans will find this to be an extremely pleasant surprise. However, those unfamiliar with his work, or who only have a couple of his albums, will definitely want to pick up more of his original work before going for this one.
THRAK / King Crimson / Virgin
And live, June 7th at the Warner Theater, Washington DC
Fans of guitar guru Robert Fripp's avant garde rock group are just about the purest music fans there are. They know Bill Bruford for the drumming legend he is. They know Adrian Belew is one of the most innovative guitarists since Jimmy Hendrix, and great singer to boot. And they surely know Tony Levin's bass playing track record for having held down the bottom end for hundreds of discriminating recording artists. They may even be familiar with Pat Mastelotto's percussion talents or Trey Gunn's stick virtuosity. They definitely all know what a stick is. (Hint: it usually has ten strings and is not used to play hockey.)
If you are sensing an album full of esoteric guitar prattle, you may want to give THRAK a listen before passing final judgment. Crimson at least tries to be accessible here and there. Of the six songs with vocals, "Dinosaur," "One Time," and "Sex Sleep Eat Drink Dream" sound almost radio ready; "Walking on Air," and "Inner Garden" are delicate, atmospheric ballads; "People" is quirky fun with a pure pop chorus. The rest are fairly uptempo instrumentals with several challenging time signatures and chord changes. From moment to moment, Crimson can go from sounding like a soft fluffy rabbit to creating a dissonant roar that could make any grunge or industrial act sound wimpy by comparison.
Most impressively, none of the six musicians hog up any of the sonic space. All the instruments make a tight fit to create one big, fat, rich and complex sound without being overbearing. Its complex instrumental layering make this a great headphones album.
Live was a somewhat different story, but maybe an even better one. The worse of it was that at any given time, at least one instrument became lost in the mix. Still, with so many great musicians on stage, it was difficult to decide where to focus one's attention.
The band thraked their way through most of the new album, and mixed in highlights from the three previous recordings by the band's present incarnation. There were a couple percussion breaks, leading into dissonant and experimental jams that would build to a main riff, then fall back into highly structured anarchy. The music was constantly challenging, both to play and to listen too. While this may not be everyone's cup of tea, it is what the audience wanted, and is what they got a full helping of. There were way too many great musical moments for me to mention here. Just let it be known that while all these musicians may be getting up in years, they still play as creatively and energetically as if they are in their prime. Even Belew's voice sounded in top form while he nailed the high notes on Discipline's "Frame by Frame." This is no farewell tour.
I cannot stress enough what an incredible audience turned out for the show. They behaved a little like a jazz audience--responding to every note, applauding after solos. No one complained that Fripp, the band's spiritual leader, was very purposefully in the dark throughout the show. (I'd like to become personally responsible for starting the following rumor: Fripp is dead!) They even listened closely and cheered for the opening act, the California Guitar Trio, for no other reason than that they played some complex stuff extremely well. The roar of applause as they finished their set was an unprecedented response to any opening band anywhere, let alone for three guys with acoustic guitars and no vocals. In a business that seems like it is 90% posing and 10% inspiration, it was heartening to see a rock concert that was all about music.
For yet another example of how obsessively committed Crimson fans are to their band, check out Elephant Talk: The internet newsletter for Robert Fripp and King Crimson enthusiasts.
- Glenn Ricci
