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CHOICE CUTS - NOVEMBER 2002
Album: Musique Automatique The Scoop: Stereo Total seems to be working to become a universal band in a literal sense of the word. Francoise Cactus sends you scrambling for Turkish, Japanese, Spanish, English and obviously French dictionaries. The band's sound, of course, knows no boundaries; the enchanting electronica of Musique Automatique will make the masses dance in any land. Stereo Total puts a readymade French dance floor diva into the slightly cold groove of German electronica. The result is a malleable sound that can be stretched in just about any direction, from coy and sexy to regimented and robotic. Brezel Goring, the other half of the duo, mostly keeps the switches flipped up to hyper-speed. While Cactus is the belle of the ball, Goring steps into the spotlight and surprises with a few stout turns on lead vocals. "Automatic Music" finds him crooning over an old country-western riff while "Forever 16" salutes the dual American traditions of surf rock and punk rock.Highlight Track: The best entry point is the sugary ode-to-threesomes "l'amour a 3" For More Info: Slide on over to http://www.stereototal.de or the label site at http://www.killrockstars.com Artist: Starflyer 59 Album: Can't Stop Eating EP The Scoop: An exquisite EP, so good that I'm planning to pick up all of their earlier material as soon as my stingy budget allows. This trio is a veteran of the indie scene and, while not "commercial" by Coldplay standards, its rush of precise pop and Jason Martin's achingly cool vocals should earn Starflyer 59 at least the degree of broad success enjoyed by indie bands like Death Cab For Cutie. Martin, for whatever reason, soothes me in much the same way as Hope Sandoval. As with a worrisome number of EPs, though, there's one instrumental track that doesn't quite fit and isn't nearly as good as its surroundings ("Theme From Dromeday"). An easily forgivable offense when the four preceding songs help you remember why you started writing about this kind of music in the first place. Starflyer 59 has all the pieces in place.Highlight Track: The press release touts "Happy Birthday John" pretty heavily-and it is a great, infectious tune-but the song that ended up on repeat on my stereo was the more down-tempo "West Coast Friendship." For More Info: Check out http://www.starflyer59.net Artist: Emily Sparks Album: What Could Not Be Buried The Scoop: Emily Sparks is comfortable in the world of folk pop, often needing to rely on nothing more than her wispy vocals and acoustic guitar. There is an intimacy to the album that is comparable to Cat Power albums. Amazingly, What Could Not Be Buried is an almost continuous bout of self-reflection that never comes across as insufferable or trite. Sparks and producer Dave Auchenbach (Wheat) keep the album from sliding into the somnolent one-pitch mood that trips many of its peers. Sparks plugs in for the rousing "Day In, Day Out," which owes a small debt to Liz Phair. "The Demons" serves as sort of a creepy carnival singalong ("If you close your eyes and you still feel the demons chewing at your brain and gnawing your shoe..."), while "4 Track 4 AM," while a tad short, is the appropriate choice for a straightforward lo-fi closer (its name says it all, really).
The copyright of the article Choice Cuts: November 2002 in Indie Music is owned by **. Permission to republish Choice Cuts: November 2002 in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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