CHOICE CUTS FEBRUARY 2003
The Latest & Greatest in Indie Music & Beyond
Artist: Spiv
Album: Don'tcha Know
The Scoop: For my money, Ken Stringfellow has just about as consistent a Midas touch as anybody in the biz. The erstwhile member of The Posies--who also has a fine solo career underway-wears a number of virtuoso hats (producer, bassist, backup vocalist) on this irresistible batch of power pop. The real motor that runs the Spiv machine, however, is Chris Barber, who fuses the sunshine-y melodies of pop's golden era with the cheeky, hipster modernity of indie-pop. The album has a great arc, beginning with some peppy guitar mini-blitzkriegs, including the early fan favorite "Everybody's a Rock Star Tonight," then venturing through some mid-tempo late-night singalongs ("Songs To Sway To") before finally sliding into a pair of reflective, stroll-through-the-town-square closers (the appetizingly titled "Seedy Release" and "Because I'm In Love").Highlight Tracks: "Not for Years" and the title track
For More Info: Head over to http://www.spivin.com
Artist: Slapshot
Album: Greatest Hits, Slashes and Crosschecks
The Scoop: "The kids today couldn't stand one song in the pits we had back then." Some of the "kids today" will be up in arms about that comment (from "Hang Up Your Boots"), but it's hard to think of any band in the past few years who could go head-to-head with this sort of vintage, full-assault hardcore. Almost 20 years ago, Slapshot breathed vitriolic life into a sluggish Boston hardcore scene. It seemed like the band had, as their song goes, hung up their boots. But along comes this pseudo-greatest hits album, which was already released in Europe, that is remarkable even more for its modern relevance than its past significance. Greatest Hits features classic Slapshot songs re-recorded, along with a pair of vein-bursting new ones, the unfortunate targets of which are readily identified by title alone ("Crossover Sucks" and "Shoot Charlton Heston").Highlight Tracks: "I've Had Enough" and "Firewalker"
For More Info: Visit the label site at http://www.bridge9.com
Artist: Richmond
Album: Richmond
Release Date: March 11, 2003
The Scoop: Like the invincible Bon Jovi, Richmond draws its name from the surname of its frontman. Derek Richmond finds guiding lights in a variety of musical skies, from the retro-cool of NYC and The Strokes to the rawk attitude of Motor City and The White Stripes to, a lesser extent, the pre-explosion garage shenanigans of Seattle. Richmond does us all a favor by avoiding coming across as a Strokes-wannabe, even though the two songs that got the band their record deal, "New Taste" and "Stratosphere," both are indelibly marked with what is now known as the "Strokes sound". As a whole, though, Richmond's self-titled debut takes more chances and panders less to commercial taste than Is This It. In any event, fans of the new retro-surge in music should definitely give Richmond a whirl. The young band hasn't fully found their voice yet-almost every song recalls an influence rather than stakes a claim for a signature sound of their own-but the album's best moments point toward both a promising future and a satisfying present.
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