ERIK SATIE
The French are a curious sort, but then again you knew that. Like French cinema, the country's music tends to sway to the extremes of either masterful or horrible; and Erik Satie is both. Back before the days of the internet and Real Audio when people had to go to music stores to buy CDs [shiver], I used to explore classical music by buying one of Sony's fine line of Essential Classics discs every few months when the classical music urge struck-- The line posseses superb sound quality, has a wide array of composers, and best of all the discs are generally a measly $8. Satie's Piano Works was one of my greatest discoveries, and became a disc which would come to live in my CD player for years to come-- the compositions are very soft, sensual solo piano pieces, some of my classical favorites. I was so enamoured with Satie's works, I bought another one of his discs almost right away-- A symphony whose name I don't recall, which was possibly one of the worst things I'd heard. After returning the disc, I eventually forgave Satie; Piano Works is such a beautiful little collection, it's sounds oft as tranquil as dew drops, as warm as morning sunbeams, and as delicate as a lover's touch (all depending on your state of mind, of course). This disc is a must if you're just getting into classical music, French composers, and/or are exploring music of the early 20th Century-- Pop in in the stereo and watch the sunrise and tell me I'm wrong.
SAVAGE GARDEN
For as much as they are overplayed, for as much as they sometimes sound like Roxette, for whatever it's worth, I really, really hate myself for liking their music. I don't know what's wrong with me. Oh the humanity and my damned weakness for eurocrap!
SAVE FERRIS
This is the only ska band I can give my endorsement to. Logically, it's my mortal weakness for the chanteuse that sets his band apart from the rest. I don't know why, but ska generally gets on my nerves in the same unspeakable manner as growing facial hair because you can; or balding guys with ponytails.
SELF
Years ago, I thought Seal was one of the most unappreciated artists around-- and then, unfortunately, he got really discovered. Well, since I've had to rearrange my list of "musicians I hope make it really big," Self now ranks as one of the top entires. Their sound is sort of upbeat pop-savvy rock with a tinge of techno; quirky, funky, and down-right cool by all measures. Self have earned a permanent spot in my CD player, Subliminal Plastic Motives and Half Baked Serenade trade off being played to death. The latter costs a stinkin' $10 [availible by order from Spongebath Records only] , so take a chance and enjoy them for yourself! I'm eager for the release of their next album in early 1999-- In an era where incessant whining and "boy bands" threaten to take over the charts, I'd really like to see Self kick their asses [literally and figuratively].
SEMISONIC
1998's what-the-f***-is-wrong-with-America entry-- Shockingly, "Closing Time" was number one on the college music charts?!?! While studies show that today's youth are becoming less sexually active and more into drug use, I have a theory that it's based on popular music, e.g. you can't screw to Hootie or Ben Folds Five; You can't avoid Alanis because she's played on VH1, MTV, and pretty much every radio station there is, and she sucks so bad, the only way you can really avoid her is to get really, really stoned. Semisonic are insippid, flaccid, and whiny as all hell and beyond. If more droning, whiny, idiotic s*** like "Closing Time" wind up in heavy rotation airplay, I'm going to have to start a herion habit.
KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD
One of the great things about the potential of DVD is that when and if albums are recorded on them, you can select which [recording] tracks you want to listen to-- In the case of Shepherd, I love his Hendrix-inspired blues licks like no other modern day guitarist (his 10 minute "Voodoo Child" cover a mind-blower), but his taste in lead vocalists has yet to measure up to his instrumental skills. The singer on the first album Leadbetter Heights detracted from my enjoyment of Sheperd's guitar, and the new singer for the second album is a bit too flat in a B-movie blues-rock way. Vocalists aside, Shephard is one of the blues' best contemporary musicians and I look forward to hearing his future releases... hopefully on DVD, or with himself on vocals; or maybe Johnny Lang, who could give up his meager guitar playing and become a straight vocalist like he should.
TALVIN SIGHN
What happens when you combine one of the world's premiere DJs and contemporary East Indian music-- Anoka: Soundz of the Asian Underground, one of the very best albums of 1997, whose percussions test the limits of my Pro-Logic receiver and whose dizzying tempo in general seems to exemplify rave culture sound at its very heart. In Singh's second album OK, he ventured off onto his own instead of remixing the work of others-- The result is superior to the solo efforts of Keoki or Wink, but still not quite as uber-cool as Anoka; however, the disc is still one of the finer entires of late 90's techno. Anoka has lived in my CD player since it's release, so if techno or East Indian music are grooves of your interest, this would be a good bet-- Exotic voices and wicked beats have never sounded quite so sweet.
SISTER HAZEL
Clearly 1997's most disturbing success story-- So, let me get this straight, if I sound exactly like Counting Crows, can I have a big hit song too? Or could I just mymic another totally s***ty band of my own choice?
RONI SIZE / REPRAZENT
What would happen to your brain if you downed a quadrouple espresso brewed with caffienated water? Though I've sometimes wondered, I've not got the guts yet. Still the same, I somehow have the feeling that the tweaked out acid jazz / soul influenced drum n' bass sounds of Roni Size would make the perfect soundtrack to the sensation. As recent years have brought light to D&B, so has deserved notice been brought to Size, whose competence at the mixer makes him one of the more esteemed modern deejays; in the ranks of Moby and Talvin Singh. For me personally, the draw is the uniqueness of the very streamlined jazzy sound-- a signature easily identifiable in all of his work. Most tracks of Size's, for me personally, stir mental images of foggy metro cityscapes of downtown San Francisco-- In fact, Size's New Forms is good driving music for trips to the City, not only because it will effectively drown out urban noise, but because the album is a double disc set, which means you'll have more than enough music to last you as you try to figure out how to drive from Union Square to Clement without the benefit of left hand turns. [Esoteric NoCal humor.] A few of Size's tracks-- including several mixes of cult favorite "It's Jazzy"-- are availible via CDuctive, a MAJORLY kick-ass custom disc site, so click on over and order of few of them up!!
SMASH MOUTH
I liked "Walkin' On The Sun" the first 50,000 times.
WILL SMITH
There are a lot of things I don't understand in this world: Thermodynamic psysics, auto insurance pricing, why the hell people eat Domino's pizza, and the success of Will Smith's pop music career, to name but a few things. Canned beats and a total lack of vocal skill-- for rapping or singing (which is a feat)-- fused with the overtly "player" attitude all make for something one would think would be far too cliched to sell at this point in time. And yet, ughh, it does. "Parents Just Don't Understand" was a funny song, but not even as the Fresh Prince was Smith ever half as funky as the beats laid down by DJ Jazzy Jeff. I just don't get it-- What's wrong with kids today!!
SNOW
Released a "Best of" album this year, which I think is a very ballsy and ambitious thing for an early 90's one-hit wonder to do.
SPAWN: THE ALBUM
With a soundtrack this good for such a totally s***ty movie, you'd think Joe Esterhaus had to be the screenwriter-- but no. The "Spawn" soundtrack combines metal bands with deejays and the result, while I assume was made to milk the triphop cash cow, is actually pleasing results; a dark, intense bit of hardcore bound to please the technofreak and 14-year-old anime-collecting boy alike.
BRITANY SPEARS
Britany seems to be someone who wouldn't know talent if it bit her in the ass, an ass which was probably repeatedly spanked by the very same depraved record exec whom she so obviously f***ed to get a recording contract. As if the untalented boybands weren't enough for the wane of the decade, now this-- A pop star who can do no more good than service the needs of a 14-year-old's wet dreams. Wow, neat!
SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS
I have to say that I was nearly in shock when I saw the Squirrel Nut Zippers being played in heavy rotation on MTV-- "Hell" was their breakthrough, but their success was a little scary for those of us who had been fans since their first album The Inevitable-- After all, it was a sentimental favorite, being the first CD I bought when I moved into my Santa Barbara studio (which I played to death). The Zippers, among few bands, have the potential revitalize the music scene, I believe. After all, when you go to the used CD store, you're guarenteed to find Garth Brooks and the Wallflowers, but I've yet to see the Squirrel Nut Zippers; because people actually want to keep listening to them.
SUBLIME
How is it that 311 gets hit with every bit of "poser whiteboy" rhetoric and this band remains untouched?
