Music Meltdown

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Travis, Good Feeling (independiente/epic)

Travis is a band which you will definitely be hearing more of in the near future. Named the "year's best new band" by Select magazine, these Scottish lads look set for worldwide success. Travis have a unique and universal sound, accessible on either side of the Atlantic.

One's first realization from listening to Good Feeling is the number of influences that Travis has. The sound is reminiscent to that of Radiohead, Oasis, the Beatles and the Wonderstuff, combining for a fresh and unique feel on the songs and melodies.

The first track/single, "All I Want To Do Is Rock," is a catchy but campy tune, with lazy riffs and wailing vocals, similar to Radiohead's earlier songs. This is followed by the upbeat and poppy "U16 Girls," warning of the dangers of underage relationships.

Instrumentally, there is little wrong with the album. There is a sense of monotony, though, in a few of the songs; the lyrics often get to be a little too much, as with "Happy," which spreads the chorus somewhat heavily around the song.

That said, there are several potential pub classics here. Songs like the Wonderstuff-esque "Tied To The '90s" will definitely become common jukebox chants.

Good Feeling is a top album with top tunes and is guaranteed to liven up even the dullest day.

-James Casey

Various Artists, Live From 6A - Great Musical Performances from Late Night with Conan O'Brien

(Mercury/NBC)

Some bands suck live. That's when it's obvious that they rely way too much on modern conveniences. Then there are the musicians who actually make their songs sound better live, and fortunately, this compact disc is full of 'em.

Ani DiFranco opens the compilation with a rendition of "Shameless," off her 1996 album Dilate. Ani's not one to hit the TV show circuit much, but this performance is one of the highlights of the CD.

Next is David Bowie. His contribution is an acoustic "Dead Man Walking," and it's damn good, as only David Bowie can be.

Bjork, as always, does a smashing job with her nearly old-school single "Human Behavior," and good ol' Elvis Costello croons in his classic melancholic state on "All This Useless Beauty."

Surprisingly enough, Soul Coughing and Squirrel Nut Zippers performed songs on the show that are not the famed and played-to-death singles they are so well-known for. They should be commended, because they too prove themselves to be musicians who can take the live TV show opportunity and run with it.

Live From 6A has working against it some one-hit wonder type songs such as "A Girl Like You" by Edwyn Collins and Cake's "The Distance," as well as a selection from current hip band 311, who generally bite live and are probably only on the CD because it's what the kids like. But their presence provides a source of contrast and the good musicians only sound better thanks to them.

-Annie Holub

Jackson Browne,The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne (Elektra)

Following on the heels of the much anticipated Pixies greatest hits collection comes the unanticipated greatest hits collection of Jackson Browne.

Jackson Browne. Who's he? Didn't he date Daryl Hannah and do nefarious things to her or something? Yes. He's also a stalwart of the mid-'70s rock scene that gave us the Eagles and Warren Zevon and some others.

He wrote the soundtrack for middle class college students of the era, the Me Generation. He's known for his contribution to the soundtrack from Fast Times at Ridgemont High - a little tune called "Somebody's Baby":

"She's got to be somebody's only light / gonna shine tonight." That's how the song went.

He followed that up with the album, Lawyers in Love, which by its very title tells us just how culturally SoCal the man is. "Tender is the Night" was one of the singles off that record. Music for coke and 'ludes.

Despite all the materialism that Jackson Browne's name brings to mind there is still an essential sensitivity to his songwriting. A searching for some kind of truth. Browne's failing is that he has never been able to articulate what the search was about.

Even the daily, freeway grind of a song like "The Pretender" somehow sounds like re-hashed rock from earlier in the decade.

"Then we'll put our dark glasses on / And we'll make love until our strength is gone."

And have glass of Chablis.

-Tom Collins

Hurricane Streets , Original Soundtrack (Mammoth Records)

The Hurricane Streets soundtrack starts off with the smooth-flowing, East Coast hip-hoppers Shadez of Brooklyn and their insightful and compelling track "Change."

All the hip-hop on the album is actually top notch, including great tracks from Xzibit and De La Soul.

Euro-tech band Atari Teenage Riot prove its turntable wizardry with a self-titled track, combining distorted Nirvana-like guitars with hard techno beats and obsessive shouting, courtesy of some English bloke.

One quite amusing and equally great song is Supple's alterna-cover of "Staying Alive," which is delivered without the highly annoying, high-pitched singing of the original Bee Gees' tune. The deep and rich cello and soulful acoustic guitar in this version create a unique and credible version of the original, and much mocked, song.

"Great Escape," by Guster is one of the poppiest tracks on the album, made up of sugar-coated lyrics and light guitars.As with most soundtracks though, this collection is lessened by a couple of duds, like Vic Chesnutt's "Gravity of the Situation," where, in true country-yokel fashion, he proceeds to destroy our ears with twangy guitars and backwater vocals.

Overall though, this soundtrack is pretty damn good, with only a few hiccups along the way. Which, in this day and age, is a rare find.

-James Casey

Retro Review - 1976

The Real Kids, The Real Kids (Norton Records)

The Real Kids were from Boston, in my opinion the rock 'n' roll capital of the world (I'm talkin' DMZ, the Modern Lovers, the Lyres, the Nervous Eaters). The Real Kids were at the heart of rock 'n' roll and played with guts, honesty, balls and integrity while questionable jokers like the Sex Pistols cashed in on the label "punk." These guys weren't about spitting on their heroes; they were real punksters. They were the heroes.

On albums like their self-titled debut and Grown Up Wrong (Norton Records) the Real Kids cranked out high hitting originals like "She's Alright" and "Hit You Hard," while borrowing from and covering rock 'n' roll leaders from Eddie Cochran to the Velvet Underground, and smelling sweetly of the nearly forgotten '60s. The Real Kids played music that could make you forget the worst of troubles. They were what "power pop" should've meant before contaminants like the Knack and the Vapors poked their heads out of the sewage, now commonly referred to as "retro-rewind" during the lunch hour on any given popular "alternative" station.

"Alternative" fans, who willingly drop $30 to catch a glimpse of favorites like Korn and Rage Against the Machine scream against the sounds of a sheet of metal, should not try and guess what I'm talking about here. The Real Kids aren't for you.

-Fen Hsiao