REVIEWSREVIEWS
Last changed: December 4, 1999
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"I
gave you a pack of Strohs, -I-94 (Tek/Jones) |
The I-94 Bar presents its review forum for recorded works.
Not many bad reviews here because we don't review shit.
If you want to run the gauntlet and submit some music we might like, drop us a note.
Guest reviewers are welcome. The pay sucks but so does a lot of music.
POINT
BLANK - The Chainsaw Men (NKVD Records):
This is a tremendous CD. It rocks in a way that reminds me of the
Trilobites, an under-rated '80s Sydney band that never got
their just desserts. That's probably an inadequate comparison -
this is better than 90 percent of their output and there's a
definite English feel to some of the songs. It's the result of a
musical collision of Simon Drew, the ex-singer from
another Sydney band the Vanilla Chainsaws (a band I never
really got - I should have listened harder), and drummer Steve
Gardner, late of San Diego's Gamma Men and an expert
on - and flagbearer for - most Aussie and European indie music
via his late, lamented fanzine Noise for Heroes. The
project was organised over the Internet and laid down in San
Diego by host Garder, a holidaying Drew, Gamma Man Dave Elizondo
and studio owner Richard Livoni. You can read the full story of
how this CD was recorded here (it
should be called What We Did On Our Holidays) - suffice to say
songs like Bad Timing, Meltdown, 100 Miles Away, the
sublime Took My Love and You Used to Matter to Me
are as catchy as hell. Poppy and rocking - shit, NKVD's own
slogan says it better: Energy, Melody and Guts. E-mail Steve and see if you can buy
a copy. Better still, if you're a major label, give this the
distro it deserves. Link to Simon "Chainsaw" Drew's web
site here.
The I-94 Bar Rating System:
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Awesome. Buy or die. The Godhead. A rating rarely given. |
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Fantastic. Destined to be played again and again. |
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Mildy great. Some worthwhile tracks, possibly some filler, but pretty well worth the investment. |
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Potential hangover material. Continuous exposure will ruin your ears. May contain a good track but, like low-strength beers, is largely avoidable. |
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Flat as a tack. Warm and stale like Tooheys Draught in a can. Cat's piss. Sample at your own risk. |
All reviews by The Barman unless otherwise indicated.