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Page 3
Highlight Tracks: "The Parasite" and "And as always, night turns into day"
Artist: KATRINA AND THE WAVES Album: The Original Recordings 1983-1984 The Scoop: It's hard to feel too sorry for Katrina and the Waves. After all, "Walking on Sunshine" was a massive hit that took them to a level of ubiquity that most bands can only daydream about. While the general public regards them now as one-hit wonders, at least it's not a hit that is universally despised or ridiculed like "Achy Breaky Heart." It's been 20 years since their first two albums, which are represented here. The man who signed them, BongoBeat's Ralph Alonso, has brought them back together for this attractive package that includes four unreleased tracks, a 24 page booklet with reminiscences from the band members and a DVD of videos and live performances. One of the rubs, though, for casual or curious fans will be "Walking on Sunshine," which makes two appearances on this album but neither version is the horn-enhanced track the world remembers (this version would come in a later re-recording). Katrina Leskanich never commanded the depth of range and soul of the women vocalists she emulated, but this album proves that she and guitarist/songwriter Kimberley Rew didn't just blindly pin the tail on the donkey with their most famous work. They had a knack for tight, enthusiastic, feel-good gems. The highs make the dated, dispensable lows forgivable, and make The Original Recordings a worthy and educational reinvestigation.Highlight Tracks: "Going Down To Liverpool" and "River Deep Mountain High" (previously unreleased) For More Info: Visit http://www.katw.com Artist: KIESKAGATO Album: You, Are The One, Who Can The Scoop: In another lifetime not so terribly long ago, Kieskagato and I crossed paths. Once upon a time, I was a college student at the University of Wisconsin and Kieskagato was a local Madison band called RM 101. I saw them play at the (unfortunately) now-extinct Mango Grill, and then later heard some of their recorded stuff through a friend. Now they've relocated to Portland and I've relocated to Los Angeles, but only one of us seem to look back fondly on our old stomping grounds. Kieskagato's press materials routinely serve up digs at Madison (a "musical wasteland"). To briefly defend one of my favorite cities in the world, the music scene there certainly lags behind hipster havens like Portland, but a few of the other bands that came through Madison's Smart Studios managed to do, oh, okay for themselves (including the mostly indigenous Garbage). RM 101 was merely capable, pleasant and buried pretty deeply in the artful shadows of Thom Yorke and Radiohead. Frankly, it would be an injustice to the band to give the Pac Northwest too much credit for the blossomed success of You, Are The One, Who Can. It's evolution, baby: Kieskagato is more mature, more sonically adventurous and less traceably derivative than their previous incarnation. Perhaps the biggest addition has been Dave Jorgensen, who brings a jazz background into the band that helps differentiate themselves from the prog-rock and psych-rock that has already been mastered elsewhere. A few songs overplay the "trippy drone" card, but most of the album is melodically rooted and designed for optimal chill-out. The Yorke parallels, meanwhile, may be tedious, but they're going to stick. Frontman Josh Vasby just sings like him, in the way that Christian Slater talks like Jack Nicholson. Hey, there are worse cats to resemble.
The copyright of the article Choice Cuts: February 2004 - Page 3 in Indie Music is owned by . Permission to republish Choice Cuts: February 2004 - Page 3 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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