New stuff: Hula / D. Dax / Joe Jackson

[J. Peter Alfke <alfke@csvax.caltech.edu>]

Well, some more new records but little time to write...


Hula  "1000 Hours"

One live and one studio record from Sheffield's reigning industrial
kings (CV are going downhill, as are Chris and Cosey, and Severed Heads
are a bit too, um, pop to be properly industrial anymore (as are CV)).
This is really really good stuff, "the Industrial `Ummagumma'" I'm
starting to think of it as.  Everything from throbbing dance tracks to
near-ambient noodling ...  these platters have stayed all but glued to
my turntable for the last few days.  Hightly reccomended to all fans of
Throbbing Gristle, Cabaret Voltaire, Chris & Cosey, Severed Heads ...
and to all who love "Ummagumma" (the brilliant climax of the early
Floyd) and want to see if they can handle something (in a way) similar
or if they've (god forbid) turned into boring old farts.


Danielle Dax  "Where the Flies Are / Up In Arms / When I Was Young"

A bit of a disappointment.  Ms. Dax seems to be veering closer and
closer to conventionality, when it was her brilliant idiosyncrasy and
eclecticism that made her first albums so great.  This is nice stuff,
but I was expecting more, and it seems as though her music is becoming
less and less her own; she didn't write the lyrics to "Up In Arms" or
the music to "When I Was Young".  Maybe she will release an album soon
that will combine all this into a statement and I will listen to it and
understand where she's going and what she's aiming for.  Maybe.


Joe Jackson  "Big World"

Started out brilliantly, a fusion of his early guitar-based energy and
later musical sophistication, but lost me somewhere along the line.
I'll have to listen to it some more (just got it today) to really be
able to grok its fullness.  (Love the DDD sound, tho.)


						--Peter Alfke
						  alfke@csvax.caltech.edu
"Oh no, our legs are touching
 touching on THE BUS"