Pat Angello Fan Club Music Blog

Ah, Soul Coughing!  These guys had some great samples and great lines.  I loved the debut, Ruby Vroom, and this follow-up was almost as good.  However, their 3^rd CD called El Oso was, well, so-so.

The guys use some jazzy hooks and samples to create their sound.  M. Doughty’s vocals sound like he’s talking out of the side of his mouth, a little like Les Claypool.  The bass line and drum beat play heavy for this group, with limited guitar work.  Some comparisons to Beck and Cake have been made through reviews.  There’s some cool mellow stuff to jam slowly to, or get stoned to, take your pick.  My more upbeat highlights personally would be:

• Super Bon Bon
• 4 out of 5
• Paint
• Disseminated
• Collapse

Certainly worth digging through bargain bins for.  In fact, I’m seeing Irresistible Bliss on SecondSpin.com for about $6.99.  And Ruby Vroom is there for $4.99!  You should jump on it, seriously.  Oh, you want to hear it first?  OK.  Go HERE to listen!

4 out of 5, ironically!

Once you hear Morphine, you know you’ve stumbled across something very original.  Consisting of Mark Sandman on vocals and bass, Dana Colley on saxophone, and Jerome Deupree on drums, the band stands out because of Sandman’s deep voice and slippery basslines, Colley’s sad sax, and Deupree’s jazzy beats.  The name fits like a glove.

Good was the band’s debut CD from Ryko back in 1991.  The sound was just so amazing and new, I loved every bit of it.  Sure some of it is a little depressing (The Saddest Song, You Look Like Rain), but there is enough fun stuff here to amuse anyone.  My favorites include:

• Good – A perfect first track introduction to the band.
• You Speak My Language – A very upbeat, Wall of Voodoo inspired tune.
• Test Tube Baby/Shoot ‘Em Down – A kinda western sounding song with a great sax line.

OK, so the disc is really mellow at times, but that’s a good thing.  Heh!  Anyway, as much as I enjoyed this disc, I really liked their second CD Cure For Pain better.  Either way, if you have not heard Morphine, check a used CD store and pick some up.  Besides, now that Sandman is dead from a “heart attack” (he collapsed on stage in 1999), there will never be new stuff from these guys again. That is NOT good.

3.5 out of 5
 

Before Björk was, ya know, Björk, the Icelandic princess was a Sugar Cube.  The trio, including Bragi and Siggi, were a main staple in the “alternative” sound of the late 80’s.

Björk’s voice was a little young at the time, but certainly showed the potential for her amazing vocal accomplishment’s of the last few years – especially at the beginning of Sick for Toys.

I love the songs when Bragi joins in on vocals, like Delicious Demon, Sick for Toys, and Blue-Eyed Pop.  Some other songs you might be familiar with on this one include Motorcrash and Birthday.  Also, F***ing in Rhythm & Sorrow is a lot of fun.

Essentially what you find on this disc is Björk singing for more of a “rock” band than on her solo work.  It’s a little more guitar heavy than anything she’s done on her own.  If you enjoy her solo work, this certainly something worth hunting down for a used CD.  Some releases include a few bonus tracks in Icelandic – WOO!

FYI, I love her, but not like that.

3.5 out of 5

I’ll admit it right now – I hated Faith No More.  Stupid band, stupid sound, and especially stupid vocalist.  Then singer Mike Patton went off on his own and formed this side project he called Mr. Bungle.  I knew he was behind it so I was leery of even giving them a shot.  But now, their debut CD is still one of my favorites.

The self-titled CD from 1991 is a freak show of heavy metal carnival music full of slap-bass, pornographic lyrics, and songs right from a horror movie.  In other words, pure bliss for a guy like me!

The first track is Travolta, a rip on poor John.  Granted, this was before he leapt back into stardom with Pulp Fiction.  But this song is a great look at what to expect from the rest of the CD.

Other favorite tracks of mine are:

• Squeeze Me Macaroni, a very fast tune musically and lyrically.
• Egg, a 10 minute plus trip fest with a great song buried in there somewhere.
• Girls of Porn, seriously, a good tune!

I’ll bet you can find this CD in a bargain bin for $2.00 tops.  Trust me; it’s totally worth it for that price.

3.5 out of 5

Suddenly there is a “new” rage about Jewish rappers.  Hey, Jew rappers have been around since at least 1986 in the form of the Beastie Boys!

Aw, how sweet is it to have a CD start with a dog barking, “I love you?”  Sure Shot is the first track, “because you can’t, and you won’t, and you don’t stop!”  Yo!  Love the flute!  Back on Check Your Head, the Boys started making great videos in slow motion, and Sure Shot picked up where they left off.

The second track, Tough Guy, reminds you that the Beasties also had a touch of punk in them.  The one-minute tune packs a lot of energy and shows off their talent and ability to rap and rock.

OK, I LOVE B-Boys Makin’ with the Freak Freak!  Mostly because of the sudden stop and the guy saying, “Shit, if this is gonna be THAT kinda party, I’m gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes!”  Makes me laugh every damn time!

Don’t worry, I’m not going through all 20 tracks one-by-one today.  Even though I get a kick out of instrumentals on a rap album, let me kinda skip through to the rest of the disc to my favorites.

• Root Down: A funky and fun rap song.
• Sabotage: Oh, yeah!  Fun rockin’ song that really mixes genres.  Great video to boot!
• Alright Hear This: Another classic B-Boys track.  For some reason I get a kick out of vocals coming from a distorted megaphone.
• Flute Loop: Imagine if Jethro Tull could rap.
• Do It: There’s been a Biz Markie sighting!
• Heart Attack Man: YAY – more punk!

OK, so there are 20 songs and almost an hour of music on here.  Go relive some classic times of your life from 1994!

4 out of 5!

Ya gotta love Ren & Stimpy.  Has there ever been a better sick cartoon on the air?  I doubt it.  My brother used to watch it all the time with his son, which explains his son’s warped sense of humor.  Where do you think I got the idea for the Jared t-shirt?

Well, let’s just say that audio doesn’t even come close to doing the cartoon justice.  Sure the voices are silly and fun, but some of the facial expressions on the show were priceless.  Stimpy is so dopey and stupid looking, and Ren is just painful to look at sometimes, that you just can’t recreate it all.  However, there are SOME redeeming qualities on the disc.

I really enjoy the Dog Pound Hop, which is the theme from the show.  It’s a fun rockabilly piece.  Also, the Muddy Mudskipper Theme is funny, even though you don’t actually get to see the segmented eyes or Stimpy snapping his, um, fingers and tapping his feet to the song.  Oh, and who doesn’t love the Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy song?

After the first few tracks, you pretty much have a bunch of bad skits that are kid friendly.  Be patient for the Log Theme, Don’t Whiz on the Electric Fence, and I’m Gonna Be a Monkey.  However, 6 out of 21 tracks are worth listening to, so that doesn’t rate very high in my book.  But I do throw a track or two on compilations sometimes, so it is worth keeping.

2.5 out of 5

Do you like it loud and proud?  Then Static-X is a band for you!  Part Prong, part Ministry, these boys know how to rock hard.

The quartet is led by Wayne Static, a freaky looking guy with a long, braided goatee and hair that stands straight up.  He can growl with the best of them, and still manage a James Hetfield vocal every now and then.

OK, so I was introduced to these guys by Purdy back in 1999 and I immediately went out and bought the CD.  Yeah, it was a solid purchase.  Static-X is loaded with tons of energy and aggression, and you know I love that.  Having a bad day?  Let these guys ease you down with some thrashing tunes and lots of yelling.  I feel better already!

The CD starts out with Push It, a great anthem that should be played at every sports arena.  This is powerful and fun stuff that is sure to get you up and running.  Other fun songs from this disc are I’m With Stupid, I Am, and Sweat Of The Bud.

My wife and I listen to Squizz a lot on XM and they like these guys, so I was pretty happy when I randomly grabbed the CD off the shelf.  I never bought the other CDs they came out with, and now I’m wondering why.  After listening to Wisconsin Death Trip again, I realize how much I like it.  Why don’t I listen to this thing more?

4 out of 5!

Yeah, we’re going back a ways here, but I did say this was going to be random, didn’t I?

I recall seeing the video for “Welcome to the Jungle” on MTV (honestly, they used to play videos on that channel and the ‘M’ stood for ‘Music’) and I immediately knew there was something special going on with this band.  The sound was new and fresh, the vocals were everywhere, and the guitars were wailing!  I purchased the CD in late 1987, and everyone else finally caught up in the spring of 1988.

GNR was listed as W. Axl Rose on vocals, Slash on lead guitar, Izzy Stradlin’ on rhythm guitar, Duff “Rose” McKagan on bass, and Steven Adler on drums.  Axl was a scrawny redhead who loved to wear bandanas and had all the attitude a lead singer needs.  Slash had the ultra-curly hair that hid his face and wore a ridiculous top hat that for some reason I thought was cool.  Hell, we thought they were so cool that we lip-synched to “Jungle” as freshmen in college and called ourselves “Runs N Hoses!”  Um, yeah, I was Slash!

Anyhow, “Jungle” opens the CD with a bag-of-cats-on-the-way-to-the-river scream from Axl.  The drums sound a little like jungle drums, and the guitar comes in with what would later be known as a very distinct sound from Slash.

Next is “It’s So Easy,” a tune that is still rockin’ and features Axl warping his voice from screamy-whiney to low and bluesy.  I remember thinking that it was actually 2 singers, and the lower voice was Slash.  What a tool I was.  (OK, still am!)

The CD just kept rolling and getting better with “Nightrain,” “Out ta Get Me,” and “Mr. Brownstone.”  Each song would build off the last.  “Paradise City” came next and was honestly not one of my favorites, simply because I thought it was a little too light at the chorus.

I really loved “My Michelle” because it just really flew, and I felt “Think About You” is probably the best song on the disc.  It’s just got everything from hammering riffs to a sweet-hearted (at least as sweet as Axl can get) chorus.

The CD kind of went downhill from there.  I know people loved “Sweet Child O’Mine” but I despised the tune.  Probably because some kid that lived on my floor in the dorm tried over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over (are you getting the point) to figure out the guitar intro and simply screwed it up and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over.  Oh, the humanity!

Finally, “You’re Crazy” and “Anything Goes” were OK, and I always felt like “Rocket Queen” was a filler – almost like they lost a bet and had to stick it in.

The CD really defined rock music in the late 80’s, and certainly will always be a classic in my collection.  Bonus: the “Appetite for Destruction” drawing by Robert Williams in the CD liner notes is simply sick and wrong, and I love it!

4.5 out of 5!