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Thursday, December 5, 1996

REVIEW:

'70s retro cool and return of pop, British and otherwise, pace yearIt's been quite a year for the music business. With the hundreds of albums released, it's hard to narrow the pack to a precious few. Some CDs made better coasters or ashtrays than albums, and some were utterly forgettable. Some, however, made it into that coveted category: "If you were stranded at the North Pole with Santa, who only listens to Abba, which discs would you want with you?" Here is what some of our writers came up with.

Kristin Fiore

1. Beck, "Odelay" (DGC)

Corny '50s intros, Motown classica, redneck riffs and break-dance beats. Most artists couldn't fit all of that into one career, let alone one album. But Beck manages to scotch-tape and slam together the most eclectic and eccentric combinations of music and make it sound easy ­ as though even a slacker from Silverlake could do it. But despite the fact that the guy has a random sense of humor that is the backbone of his sound and style, Beck is anything but the slacker so many of his songs portray. Thousands who wouldn't be caught dead listening to country or folk, let alone anything from before 1969, are suckered in by Beck's music. How many other artists can create an entirely new sound and effect by throwing together samples of classic songs, bizarre or just plain cheesy sound effects and live instruments? How many artists can take their music, but not themselves, seriously? Beck's music crosses every genre and breaks every rule. Yet his samples never sound retro, his layering never sounds cluttered, and his diverse albums never sound schizophrenic or fragmented. Though he raps about the no-class life, Beck is in a class by himself.

2. The Cardigans, "First Band on the Moon" (Mercury)

3. The Sugarplastic, "Bang, The Earth is Round" (DGC)

4. R.E.M. "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" (Warner Bros.)

5. Meat Beat Manifesto "Subliminal Sandwich" (Interscope)

Brian Remick

1. Frank Black, "The Cult of Ray" (American)

From the opening chords of raw guitar on "The Marsist" to the gentle, suspicious tones of "The Last Stand of Shazeb Andleeb," Frank Black's "The Cult of Ray" stands as some of the best songwriting of the year. With a combination of edgy punk and melodic pop songs like "I Don't Want To Hurt You (Not Every Single Time)," the ex-Pixie's third solo release is virtually impossible to overplay. Following the arduously long "Teenager of the Year," which took practically the entire year get acquainted with (given its 22 tracks), "The Cult of Ray" is much more approachable. Songs like "Men in Black" and "Kicked in the Taco" instantly pull you in to Frank's world of disguised insanity. If you have any doubt, just try to dismantle the title track, based on author Ray Bradbury ­ "Melting rock into metal ..." And if you've never seem Frank Black live ­ you've never seen him.

2. Electronic, "Raise the Pressure" (Warner Bros.)

3. The Cure, "Wild Mood Swings" (Elektra)

4. Pet Shop Boys, "Bilingual" (Atlantic)

5. They Might Be Giants, "Factory Showroom" (Elektra)

Michael Nazarinia

1. Pearl Jam "No Code" (Epic)

For a band that has been as much maligned as these fellows, it's amazing they're still together. Not just together, but boldly tearing down all preconceptions anyone has ever had of them. "No Code" represents a band who has no such code to conduct business by, a band who has never seen themselves as having to answer to anyone but themselves. With a new set of influences combining with the distinct Pearl Jam sound and compelling them to be who they are, there's no reason to expect that they will ever compromise to the commercial expectations that have long surrounded them. Nor should they have to, after selling 30 million records worldwide in the span of five years. This is definitely an album that grows on you after repeated listenings, not the sort of sell-out garbage you come to expect from a band who has had as much success as Pearl Jam. If you like anything about them, or nothing at all, you'll be surprised at what "No Code" has to offer.

2. Sublime, "Sublime" (MCA)

3. Catherine Wheel, "Like Cats & Dogs" (Mercury)

4. Social Distortion, "White Light, White Heat, White Trash" (Epic)

5. Satchel, "The Family" (Epic)

Nelson Saldua

1. De La Soul, "Stakes Is High" (Tommy Boy)

On their fourth album, the Long Island trio shows they still have that uncanny knack for setting themselves apart from the norm in rap music. The first single "Stakes Is High" is good, but the B-side "The Bizness" is the gem of the entire album. Mase and Dove are joined by Common on "The Bizness," and these three super MCs get loose over a simple drum loop. As for radio-friendly tracks, it's still a mystery why "$ More," featuring Zhane, was never released as a single. It could have gotten heavy rotation on the radio and in the clubs. One of the album's best singles, "itzsoweezee," contains the following assessment of what's wrong with most rappers: "You niggas pray to hot rods not God/ While Versace plays you bitches like Yahtzee." De La Soul does not rap about expensive cars, guns, violence, sex or designer clothing labels. Nor do they sample continuously from the same tired records. It's too bad that this attempt to make unconventional rap music is often slept on by hip-hop heads.

2. The Roots "illadelph halflife" (Geffen)

3. Ras Kass "Soul On Ice" (Priority)

4. Ghostface Killah "Ironman" (Razor Sharp/ Epic)

5. Fugees "The Score" (Ruffhouse/ Columbia)

Mike Prevatt

1. Kula Shaker, "K" (Columbia)

Just surpassing the melodic perfection of R.E.M. and the infectious glam-pop of Pulp is the debut album "K" by new British sensation Kula Shaker. With "K," Kula Shaker takes us beyond conventional pop with their complex but tuneful hybrid of '60s psychedelic and '90s Brit-pop. Kula Shaker also intertwines Indian mysticism with Sanskrit lyrics, giving such creative tracks as "Govinda" and the current alterna-hit "Tattva." Led by the talented singer/songwriter/guitarist Crispian Mills, this band's enchanting yet unconforming sound takes us on a trip back to the '60s while sneaking us a glimpse of the future of alternative pop/rock.

2. R.E.M., "New Adventures in Hi-Fi" (Warner Bros.)

3. Pulp, "Different Class" (Island)

4.Various Artists, "Trainspotting" (EMI)

5. Pearl Jam, "No Code" (Epic)

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