|
Arguably the finest slapstick punkotronic crossover act since the glory days of Devo and the Dickies, these robotic rockers render not only 90 pe
Listen once, and you may think: "Aw, it's just Massive doing their same thing. Horace Andy yelping again, 3D and Mushroom tag-teaming dry raps again, indie girl vocalist (Elizabeth Fraser--Cocteau Twins) again..." But put it next to Massive's first album, the acid-soulful Blue Lines, and the cracked glumness of Mezzanine hits thick. Yes, there are rumours of "hard drug problems," but for whatever reason, the Attack triumvirate have ferreted a dark spot. An icky, sticky purgatory, with nothing but their own sound to turn into a psychotic masterwork. This is one inbred album--good thing the blue genes belong to one of the most unquestionably defining bands of the 1990s, eh? 8/10 (Mireille Silcott) Garbage Version 2.0 (Almo/Universal)
Despite the prescient pop-tronica and hidden hooks of Garbage's 1995 debut, it seems as if that album was as happy an accident as the group itself. Version 2.0 finds little different in the Garbage can: churning techno rhythms, rock-worthy riffing and vocalist-lyricist Shirley Manson's sullen Scot/sista snot--but missing are those sticky melodies that just couldn't be thrown out of your head. There'll be no four hit singles from this Version, unlike Garbage's glorious window of '95. 6.5/10
Lenny Kravitz 5 (Virgin/EMI)
Because he's been so overt in his adoration of iconic figures in pop, soul and rock (Lennon, Hendrix, Wonder, Zeppelin), Lenny Kravitz just won't be allowed his retro thang. Still, he's edging toward less obvious influences and pimping cooler material on his fifth album--flitting vaguely between Funkadelic and Rick James. "Black Velveteen," for example, is a little electro-funk and a little Kraftwerk--but also a little Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen." If this were a Jamiroquai album, it'd get rated a full two points higher. 7/10 (Chris Yurkiw)
|
Servotron Entertainment Program for Humans (Lookout!/Outside)
r cent of new wave obsolete, but in fact the entire human species. With nary a defective clunker among its dozen tunes, this year's model is an upgrade over their last outing on Am Rep, Spare Parts. Tracks like "Erotomatica" and "I Sing! The Body Cybernetic" are too damn good to be dismissed as novelty gags. Compulsively catchy, insanely funny and packing a couple of solid philosophical suckerpunches as well. This is the sound of the machines raging against us. 9/10 (Rupert Bottenberg)
Massive Attack Mezzanine (Virgin)