No Ripcord - Issue 7
So We're Going Monthly...
Slight changes are happening for No Ripcord with the pressures of
A Level exams (there's a lesson here- don't do A Level Maths) and
university applications meaning that the fanzine won't be out
every fortnight as we promised (like it ever was anyway) but more
like every month. Of course this means the issues will be bigger
and better. Thanks go out to Heather for the excellent Manic's
review - ours is even better than the one she wrote for Melody
Maker! This issue also includes a behind-the-scenes focus on
Radiohead.
Give Us Some Feedback
Any comments on No Ripcord 7 are muchly appreciated. Send 'em to
us at: fanzine@zensearch.net.
Alternatively, you can tell us what you think on the messageboard.
Please tell us what you'd like to see more of and less of. If you
want any guitar riffs tabbed out, tell us. Finally, if you have
any contributions, don't hesitate to send them in!
David Coleman, Editor
[Music News]
[Single Reviews]
[Album Reviews]
[Manics In Canada - A
Review]
[Feature: In The Studio
With Radiohead]
[Classic Riff #2 - How To
Play It]
[A Classic Album
Reviewed]
[Pink Floyd Special:
Part 1]
[Next Month]
GOOD NEWS COMES IN THREES...
Kula Shaker have split up. I wonder why? Could it be
something to do with that no one likes them and their last album
sold a pathetic number of copies? Apparently not, according to
frontman/wanker Crispian Mills. Let's hope they don't pursue any
future projects, especially that loser Crispian Mills. Does
anyone care? No? Swiftly moving on then...
Rumours are also rife that Hurricane #1 have split but their record label Creation have not confirmed this.
Our third piece of good news is that Shed Seven have split with their record label Polydor. Let's hope they don't find a new one and we never have to hear anything from these losers again...
RICO - NEW SINGLE + LIVE DATES NEWS:
As No Ripcord predicted, "Shave Your Head" will be the
new one from Rico. The best track on the critically acclaimed
"Sanctuary Medicines", it's a wise choice for a single
and should see Rico picking up more airplay.
DARK STAR BACK WITH NEW SINGLE:
The band will release Danny Saber's new mix of Graceadelica, one
of the tracks from their debut "Twenty Twenty Sound".
But new tracks, remixes and 3 songs recorded for Radio One's
Evening Session are available across the formats.
Ian Brown - Love Like A Fountain
It's been a while since his last release, and not the best of
times for Ian Brown. This single, the first from his forthcoming
"Golden Greats" album, is a far cry from those dark
days in Strangeways. His voice will always have its critics, but
to many that's his charm. On this Brown adopts a more dance-orientated
direction, that has seen him drop most of his previous backing
band. It's polished production work sets it apart from earlier
solo stuff, and perhaps this could be a criticism. I've heard
people saying it sounds like a remix already, which is a fair
comment. The tune is fairly strong, but gets a touch monotonous
throughout the song. Still a good comeback for the ex-Stone Roses
man and his album should be well worth getting hold of when it
comes out on November 8th. 7/10
Appliance - Pacifica
I was expecting some of that nasty "challenging" music
when I read that they toured with Add N to (X). Thankfully it's
nothing like that at all. What they were doing touring with those
losers I don't know. On paper Appliance are essentially your
average 3 piece guitar, bass and drums band. But unlike anyone
else in that field, they're sound is heavily effects and samples
based. No thrashy power-chords and angry lyrics here then. "Pacifica"
is a relaxed, laid-back tune - you could even say, pleasant.
The melodic clean guitar twiddling fits perfectly with the "Ocean"
theme, as do James Brooks' lazy (in a good way) vocals. All is
relatively peaceful before the song picks up speed, accelerating
towards its climax of crashing waves. If I had one criticism it
would be that the song really goes rather unnoticed for the first
few listens, and a few listens after that, you're bored. There's
not enough there to keep you interested and this is an even
bigger problem on the album, which is reviewed later in this
issue. 7/10 for this though.
Groop Dogdrill - Angel Wings
Another group I had rather wrong pre-conceptions about. The last
thing the name conjured up to me was a Foo Fighters-esque band
with distorted to fuck guitars and pounding drums. But that's
what you get. Which is better than I expected. But if they sell
no copies of it then it serves them right for calling their band
Groop Dogdrill. All 3 songs on the CD are great anyway and the
front cover's pretty good too. So they're getting 8/10. I
must admit they were going to be awarded single of the month,
before a huge batch of new CD's came in and knocked them off the
top spot.
Liberty 37 - When We Say
Liberty 37 aren't an original band. Their tried and tested rock-with-dodgy-chorus-and-dodgier-lyrics
formula is one you might have heard before. They don't even look
like a proper band. Liberty 37 (sorry guys, shit name) are trying
a bit too hard to "rock" I think and it doesn't quite
work. "You're gonna pay for the soul you wasted" the
singer, well sings, on "Pig". It's difficult not to
laugh at him. 3/10
Luke Slater - All Exhale
I don't have much of a clue about "dance" music. But
one thing I've noticed is they like there computerised vocal
things. This one's got 'em too. But it's a decent tune for a
change. This is the flag-bearer for his new "Wireless"
album (review below), the follow up to the critically acclaimed
"Freek Funk". Haven't heard the last one, but this
certainly isn't too bad. 6/10
Jacknife Lee - Bursting Off The Backbeat
A bizarre one this. Jacknife Lee is a singer, musician, producer,
DJ and remixer. And he's got an ear for a tune, and a rather
weird sense of humour as displayed here. Thiese songs don't sit
still, but jump around all over the spot. "1972 Square Dance
Documentary In Sound" is the strangest thing I've heard in a
while. Most artists who combine "humour" with music
normally fall flat on their arses but this guy seems to get away
with it more than the rest. I don't know who's going to buy this,
but it's harmless fun - 6/10.
Wilt - It's All Over Now/Working For The Man
Dublin based Wilt's new single is a double A-side. Frontman
Cormac Battle (nice name) is on a quest to bring substance and
meaning back into music. And for saying that, I would love slate
him for contradicting himself by releasing 2 shitty songs. But I
can't cos they're actaully pretty good. It's likeable pop with an
edge. First song is "a tale of two friends faced with a
possible pregnancy and the overwhelming relief of false alarm".
Heavy stuff eh? "Working For The Man" features heavier
guitars but is basically the same catchy pop formula. So they've
got the tunes, but what about that dodgy band name? "We
wanted something that transcends any preconceived ideas about how
we should sound as as a band". Hmmmmm. This is the same man
who said "Music should be less about pretension and more
about substance", but we'll let him off cos the songs are
decent. 7/10
Orange Can - The Engine House E.P
The first thing we learn about Orange Can in the press release is
that they are inspired by Pink Floyd and The Stone Roses. That
certainly whetted my appetite and I definitely saw these
influences shining through in the first 2 minutes of "In The
Bag". There's room for improvement, but that's bound to be
the case in a band who've been together for less than a year.
Orange Can obviously have a lot talent, and their music is
ambitious. They'll go far... 8/10
Coldplay - The Blue Room E.P
The latest name on the Parlophone roster, this is Coldplay's
debut E.P. First of the five tracks is my favourite, "Bigger
Stronger". "I wanna be bigger stronger, drive a faster
car" is something that most of us can relate to. The music
reminds me a little of a cross between Radiohead and Gomez, but
the deep vocals are rather different, making for a quite distinct
sound. Their debut album should be out by February which is a
fair while away but if you're looking a little different, you
could do far worse than picking up this E.P. 7/10
Not From There - Juanita's Cocktail Party
Not From There are a three-piece rock outfit from Australia, so
it's rather surprising that they are quite good. Australia's
produced it's fair share of shit but the law of averages suggests
there should be something decent there. The main track "Juanita's
Cocktail Party" is a fast paced guitar driven rock epic.
"Iced Popsicle" is as weird as it sounds. There's a
guitar riff, vaguely reminiscent of Nirvana, that many bands
would craft a whole song out of but Not From There choose to keep
it mainly instrumental with some weird sampling going on over the
top. There's even a bit where it sounds like it's going to go
into Oasis' "Supersonic" but i'm sure that wasn't
intentional so it's ok. A promising yet weird debut single then...7/10.
Moby - Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?
Being rather generous with the marks this week aren't I? Enter
Moby. If any of this months releases deserves an out and out
slating, this is the one. Moby we're told "is currently
taking America by storm". Well I find that rather difficult
to believe. This is a total shocker of a single. Cheesily bad
vocals, a shitty beat, no tune, fuck off!! 0/10
Eugene Speed - Easy Life E.P
It's been hard work trawling through all this singles this week,
but this last one is a treat. Eugene Speed aren't trying to be
something they're not. They're not the most original band in the
world. Just normal guys from East Anglia writing about normal
everyday life issues. They tell us they just "wanna have an
easy life" and admit to loving every minute of being in a
band. They're honest, genuine, and have simple but effective
tunes. So well done to them...they can have Single Of The
Month. 9/10
Ex-Screaming Tree's frontman Mark Lanegan has been churning out solo albums with widespread critical acclaim. This latest effort will see that that continues. If you haven't heard his post-Screaming Trees work, you're in for a slight shock. Distorted guitars swapped for mellow acoustics, the sound is a far cry from grunge. And the change is for the better. On this album, Mark covers 11 songs of which I can't say I've heard of before. I doubt you will have to, unless you're into Buck Owens and Overton Vertis Wright. But knowing the songs isn't really that important. The cover versions are passionate, honest, minimalistic and work a treat. Opener "Carry Home", a Jeffrey Lee Pierce number (?), is a rather depressing, slow song which sets the tone for the album. No drums, no bass, no layered guitars - Just one guitar and one voice. Not many artists could get away with that, but Lanegan does. Not an album that'll cheer you up but what does that count for? 8/10
Unpredictable is a good word to sum up Jumbo. Traditional formulae are thrown aside in favour of sudden changes of direction mid-song and a huge collection of weird instruments. If you think Gomez fuck around with their music a lot, then these lot might be a bit too different for you. It takes time to adjust to the Jumbo sound but once you're on the right frequency there's plenty of listening here. Vocals supplied by Richard MacLean sound like they're straight out out of the sixties, yet fit in well with the unfamiliar surroundings. It works a treat. One problem is it's difficult to work out the song names cos the sleeve is so weird. Or maybe I'm just a bit simple. I wouldn't put my money on Jumbo hitting the charts hard, but if you're after something different, dig this album out (it's out on September 20th on Bright Orange Biscuit). 8/10
It's not often I admit I was wrong about something, but I'm making an exception for Gorky's. Suddenly after about 5 listens it hit me that they aren't totally shit. I actually even liked some of the songs. "Spanish Dance Troupe" isn't the fucking terrible song I thought it was. It takes time, but the melody really does get to you. The use of violins on most songs, and Euros Childs' unashamedly Welsh vocals provide Gorky's with a sound that is difficult to pigeonhole, so I'm not even going to try. So I'm sorry for slating them. "Desolation Blues" is my favourite track on the album, and will probably be a future single. Criticisms I could level are that perhaps there are a few fillers amongst these 15 tracks, especially the irritating "Hair Like Monkey Teeth Like Dog". "Poodle Rockin'" is another dodgy track, and the stupid howling dog noises in the background are guaranteed to piss you off. But, whilst not without fault it's still a decent listen. So 7/10 for Gorky's. I'm not wrong much though, so no-marks like Moby shouldn't be expecting a u-turn from me...
Muse's debut is every bit as good as I expected
it would be. Their continuing improvements should land them in
the charts and media spotlight within a few more singles, and
they should cement their place as one of Britain's best guitar
bands. Muse generally stick to what they do best here, and that's
the faster paced heavier stuff. There's a few slower songs with
pianos and strings thrown in, but not enough to take the momentum
away.
Matthew Bellamy's voice is always going to earn the band
comparisons to Radiohead, but if you look deeper than that, the
band have their own sound altogether. Bellamy's aggressive yet
melodic guitar work and Chris Wolstenholme's pounding bassline's,
sometimes enhanced by the use of a double bass, provide the
perfect backdrop for the lyrical themes, which comment on greed
and corruption (in "Showbiz") and failure (in recent
single "Uno").
"Muscle Museum", last single "Cave", and the
excellent "Fillip" are the standout tracks on the album
for me but there are plenty more I could mention. John Leckie
handles the bulk of the production work, and as ever seems to get
the best out of the band he works with. The media seem to have
the tag of "The New Radiohead" stuck on them already,
and whether that will help or hinder Muse I don't know. What i do
know is that "Showbiz" a great debut and Muse are a
very exciting prospect. What's even better, I sense their best is
still to come. 9/10
It's Luke Slater basically as above, but this time 13 songs worth. Which is great is you're into big electro-techno-funk tunes. "All Exhale" is accessible for fans of all music, even if you're not particularly into "dance" music. Luke Slater, obviously has some serious talent - no cheesy tunes, decent beats (Slater in fact used to be a drummer is his teenage years) and some funky moments are what you'll find here. If it's your cup of tea, get yourself a copy and judge for yourself. I'd give it 6/10 because this music really starts to get on me nerves after 20 minutes or so.
In the single review (of "Pacifica") I levelled the complaint that Appliance often wandered from the point and stuggled to keep you listening. That was a problem that plagued this otherwise impressive album and spoilt it's momentum. In fact "Pacifica" itself isn't even that good a representative of the album. On most songs Appliance seem to rely more on the electronic twiddling, but when they actually pick up some proper instuments, it's worth listening. These occasions are few and far between but when they crop up, are often worth the wait. "Food Music" is a prime example of this. It's a previous single and along with the rather impressive "Pacifica" is the high point of the album. James Brooks' vocal talents are there for all to see, so it's annoying that he doesn't use them more often.
I'd say Appliance look fairly useful but "Manual" is a fairly bland catalogue of songs. The minuses balance out the plus points and the end result is a flawed album which is difficult to listen to right through. 6/10
Vast's debut album, we're told, is on constant repeat on Metallica drummer Lar Ulrich's stereo. Pretty smart eh? "Vast is not an adjective about the music or myself, it's an adjective for life through my ears". Obviously a fucking loser. What do you get when you cross a Bulgarian Female Choir, an 18 piece orchestra, distorted guitars, and Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint Mauer? A pretentious no-mark with no decent tunes? Of course. Vocally, Mr Jon "Vast" Crosby, is not too bad. The songs sound barren, isolated, lonely and rather off-putting. No wonder this guy was by his own admission "never popular at school". He was probably the class weirdo. Keep well away... 2/10
"Liquid Skin" is the second album by
the increasingly hyped Gomez. With the debut essentially being
made up of home-recordings a lot has been made of the group
heading into the studio to make an album. Is it as good as the
Mercury Music Winning "Bring It On" though? The artwork
is by the same artist guy that did "Bring It On", and
all the other Gomez releases to date, so nothing new there. And
the theme is still rather similar. The acoustic based songs, the
3 singers sharing vocals and the various lo-fi dabblings are all
still here. It doesn't sound too different at all. Nothing wrong
with that though.
"Rhythm and Blues Alibi" is possibly their finest
effort to date. When other bands would tap the guitar pedals to
distortion to kick in for the chorus, Gomez simply turn to Ben
Ottewell's remarkable voice. And it works every time. "Las
Vegas Dealer" is another great song. It wouldn't sound out
of place on "Bring It On" mind you, but if you're a fan
of the Gomez formula, you'll love it. The upcoming single "We
Haven't Turned Around" is another gem - it won't set the
charts on fire, but I think it surpasses even the high points
from the previous album.
There's not a weak track on this album. They'll all grow on you
sooner or later. They do need a few listens but it's worth it. A
great follow-up to a great debut album, that should silence their
critics for a while longer. Album of the Month. 10/10
The Manics finally bless North America with their presence and I was lucky enough to see them!!! Very lucky in fact, as I was underage in a 21+ club, and got in without tickets to a sold out show. I shall forever thank my lucky stars and whoever it is upstairs that loves me for getting me in there!!
I wore my feather boa, eyeliner, and vinyl trousers and stood right at the barriers in front of where the darling Nicky Wire played. The atmosphere before they came on was great - on both sides of me were longtime Manics fans and behind us were a couple Welsh blokes in Wales football jerseys and bearing the Welsh national flag. Yes, it was going to be an ace night! But first came the Sheila Divine. Um. I have nothing particularly kind to say about them except that they were relatively tolerable college rock.
Then Manics came on shortly before 11pm and they were BEAUTIFUL!! They opened with "You Stole the Sun From My Heart" and then gained more energy with "Faster". By this time I was starting to realise that many of the people around me knew all the lyrics, even to the older stuff (the "new" fans who think "This Is My Truth..." is the first Manics album sat in the back getting drinks at the bar)!!!!! The Manics also played "Tsunami", "No Surface All Feeling", "Kevin Carter", "Ready For Drowning", "Australia", "Motown Junk" (James started it with the now legendary beginning, singing, "baby love, oh my baby love"), and -- wait for it -- YOU LOVE US!!!!!! And we did, every second of it! Even though my body was by then well-bruised and tired from being crushed against the metal barrier (I had bruises on my ribs for a couple days and still have bruises on my left arm), I jumped and screamed and yelled all through "You Love Us", one of the greatest songs ever. Nearly broke my vocal chords screaming when they started "Motown Junk", too! After that song I took off my feather boa and held it up to Nicky, who knelt down and took it from me, first hanging it on his mic stand and later wearing it with cool blue shades!
James' acoustic set was made of "Black Dog On My Shoulder" and a cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head"; the other cover of the night was the Clash's "Train In Vain". That night also convinced me that "the Everlasting", a track which I previously did not care for as much as the rest of their catalogue of songs, is very powerful and beautiful! Yippee! There was no encore, but James did tell us he loved us. Five of Five stars!
Thanks to Heather Thompson for this review. Feel free to mail comments to her at Eire2000@aol.com.
Now just to get things straight, we didn't go and hang out with Radiohead in the studio for a few weeks. Got better things to do. This article is guitarist Ed O' Brien's account of the band's rehearsals/recording sessions. To read more, visit the newly updated website at http://www.radiohead.com.
Tuesday September 7th 1999: There seemed to be a lot of breaks today, which often means that we're worrying about something. Recording worries over whether the 'Canned Applause' mobile setup will be ready. Management swing by to answer fraught questions and generally alleviate anxieties. Oh yes, music is what we're about (easily forgotten sometimes) and 'Everything In Its Right Place' sounds good.
Wednesday September 8th 1999: A good and long rehearsal. Pick up where we left off on 'Everything' and move swiftly on to 'Optimistic' - it's blinding - definitely the most formed of the songs to put to tape - it comes from the swamp. The music is interrupted by the new bulletin board on our all-new singing and dancing website. Very exciting. And of course most of the messages posted are concerned with the atrocities in East Timor. What's the betting that international forces fail to enter East Timor before mass genocide is once again committed. If this sounds flippant - it's not meant to - sorry. Back to the music - return to 'Up On The Ladder' - Thom has a new arrangement - start stripping the song apart - already sounding better.
Thursday September 9th 1999: 'Knives Out' sounding quite 'Smiths-esque'. Especially Phil who has got that Mike Joyce thing down to a tee. On to 'Optimistic' - must record that soon before we lose it (remember 'Lift'?). 'Up On The Ladder' sounds pretty grim. 'Say The Word' (or c-minor song); great drum, bass and vocals - personally getting a bit anxious over it, as i can't find anything that works with it, or rather i have an idea but can't get the sound right. Makes me a bit neurotic. Finish on what i used to call the 'Jonny Scott Walker song' - very short and sweet. Last diary piece for a couple of weeks. How was it for you? I'm finding it a little difficult to set the right tone, but as i'm not a journo i guess that's fair enough. Hopefully this is going to be an ongoing thing throughout recording and maybe even touring, so it will get better.
The previous three weeks are up on the website and i'd advise all fans to go and have a look at it. Thanks to Ed for passing these diary entries onto the fans.
D ---------------------9--9-----10--10--9--9------
A --12--12--10--12--------12----------------12--
So what's on offer next month in No Ripcord #8? Well, there should be plenty of interesting stuff. We'll have another classic album, 3 more Pink Floyd LP's reviewed and the long-awaited return of General Failures. We'll explain another classic riff (still time to request one) and they'll be a feature on an interesting (and topical) musical theme. We'll take a look at the best online music available. So if you've got a band with some music online, mail us, and we'll review you. We'll have another pile of reviews for you, as well as the return of Band Of The Month, and any new columns I can dream up between now and then.