CD Reviews

The Weird Lovemakers

Electric Chump

Gour Amie

Twenty-nine songs in 41 minutes. It has to be either punk or hardcore, right? Well, actually ... right. In fact, it's both. It's Tucson's own Weird Lovemakers with their latest release. Hell, you've got to be happy for these guys. After all, Tucson may not be a hotbed of musical activity, but that's all the more reason to respect local acts who put so much effort into supporting what there is of a scene and just plain surviving while they're at it.

For all you punks out there (punk rockers, that is), the Lovemakers show this week should be a welcome surprise. As for the album, if you don't already have it, it's a pretty simple decision. There's two reasons you could have for buying this CD. The first is that you just want to support local acts and the Tucson music scene in general. The second is that you're one of those people who simply loves punk rock and hardcore. This is pretty straightforward stuff here, to the point that if you don't like most of the music in those genres, you won't like this either.

For those of you who still aren't clear on this, however, don't expect the Weird Lovemakers to be another Rancid or Offspring. There's nothing even slightly commercial about their music. Think more along the lines of really old school Beastie Boys. Think Minor Threat. Operation Ivy. It's an easy call, kids. And if you answer, be sure to be at Club Congress tomorrow night, where you can catch the boys in action, along with fellow rockers, Sludge Nation.

-Doug Levy

Jamiroquai

Travelling Without Moving

Work

Oh cool, it's Stevie Wonder! Hmm. Wait a minute. Never heard this song before. Or this one. Let me check the CD again. Ah. So it isn't Stevie's greatest hits. It's Jamiroquai, back with a third album and once again trying to prove that boogie music isn't dead.

To be honest, I can't be too scathing about this band. Sure, their music is entirely derivative. True, even Stevie himself would have trouble scoring with songs like this today. And yes, it really does sound exactly like all that 70s disco funk that dominated the R&B scene way back. The thing is, it really isn't that bad of a listen. Travelling Without Moving creates a certain kind of vibe in the air - one that's mellow and infectious at the same time. It has a strange power to make you relax, whether you're driving or sitting in your room. It's even, dare I say, romantic.

One notable improvement over past Jamiroquai albums is the slight change in vocalist Jason Kay's style on this record. On this album, you can finally tell he's male. Also, the inclusion of a reggae track is a nice diversion from the consistently retro-feel of the other tracks. Just a final warning, though: I have a friend who heard a Jamiroquai track, liked it, and proceeded to buy a bunch of Stevie Wonder's albums before realizing it wasn't his song. Bottom line? Jamiroquai are fun to listen to, but only turn towards them when you already have the originals.

-Doug Levy

Earth Crisis

Gomorrah's Season Ends

Victory Records

The militant, vegan and straightedge warriors of Earth Crisis are back with their heaviest and most relentless album to date. The band chooses to live their lives drug-free, which is called "straightedge." Being vegans, they don't eat meat, eggs or dairy products. This may be an alternative lifestyle, but it appeals to a lot of people.

The cover of the CD reads "There is a war ... this is a weapon." Earth Crisis feel that drugs, among other things, are the source of the world's problems. They see their music as the weapon initiating change.

Earth Crisis' music is heavy with a capital H. Some might mistake it for death metal, but it's actually East Coast- hardcore to a tee.

Guitarists Scott and Dennis and bassist Ian maintain a heavy metallic groove mainly in the key of E all through the album's nine songs. In between, Karl Buechner blasts out some of the most powerful screams in hardcore today. A couple of songs that stand out on this album are "Broken Foundation" and the title track, in which Karl shouts out repeatedly "I am Straightedge."

Although I do not agree with many of Earth Crisis' beliefs, I have to respect them for putting out music that is pure and genuine. In an age where many bands are around solely to grab the almighty dollar, Earth Crisis stand out because they try to make the world a better place. This album is the way they choose to do this.

-Andrew Berenson

The Bloodhound Gang

One Fierce Beer Coaster

Geffen Records

Once upon a time in America, there was a great tradition of silly rock bands who offended people for the hell of it. They railed against the forces of evil, and the devil herself was embodied by Tipper Gore and her fiendish minions at the Parental Music Resource Council. The 80s, in all their oppressive glory, were a magical time for music. Reagan was the great communicator, we still feared commies, and the moral majority roamed the streets in search of recordings by vile artists like 2 Live Crew, Anthrax, The Warlock Pinchers, and Twisted Sister.

But those days are gone now. Tipper Gore is our Second Lady. Howard Stern has declared himself "King of All Media." 2 Live Crew was deemed to be a band of important artistic merit by the Supreme Court. Even Hustler publisher Larry Flynt has found redemption in his new role as a soldier in the war against censorship. In short, artists won the right to offend as they pleased in the name of "art." For better or for worse, the battle's over - that's why The Bloodhound Gang, with their warning on the inside cover that reads "If you find these lyrics offensive, you're not cool," seems anachronistically out of place in 1997.

They go out of their way to make you squirm - I have to skip "Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny," a song about cunnilingus, every time I listen to One Fierce Beer Coaster. But I have been listening to it. Over and over. Actually, it's kind of disturbing that after all these years I still find this kind of juvenile humor funny. I mean, Adam Sandler does it well, but since Andrew Dice Clay hasn't found too much work lately, I figured Sandler was the exception that proved the rule.

But gimme some mad whiteboy rapper who disses himself, chants "The drummer for Def Leppard's only got one arm" over and over, and busts dope rhymes like "My name ain't Quasimodo, but I've still got a hunch/ That like the Jim Jones cult I'll knock you out with one punch," and I'll almost pee myself.

To sweeten the pot, Rob Van Winkle (aka Vanilla Ice) makes an appearance, and boy does he sound pissed. The production of the song, "Boom," is phenomenal and it serves to draw out the contrast between the faux machismo of BG rapper Jimmy Pop Ali and the authentic street smarts of the number two jetskier in the world, Rob Van Winkle. Don't call it a comeback - Ice has been training since 1994's "Mind Blowin" and has made several forays into gangsta territory. "Boom" is a milestone, a place where Vanilla felt free to express his inner funkiness as best he could, away from the responsibilities of recording a full-length album and in the near-anonymity of his real name.

Vanilla's appearance isn't the only highpoint of The Bloodhound Gang's second full-length release. "Shut Up," an epic manifesto of solipsist angst, is catchy in the same way that "Lucas with the Lid Off" got stuck in your head. Their heavy metal take on Run DMC's "It's Tricky" is sure to be a mix-tape classic, and "Why's Everybody Always Pickin' On Me?" includes the reference to the aforementioned drummer of Def Leppard. See, he's only got one arm. OK ... so maybe you need to hear it ... I would've been the first to chuck this band in the one-hit-wonder bin, but it seems, like their Philadelphia homeboys The Dead Milkmen, The Bloodhound Gang will survive the test of time.

-Jon Roig (roig@u.arizona.edu)