| Is it that time already? It seems just like yesterday that we were all "walking on sunshine" at retro early-’80s dance nights, but now it’s payback time as hipsters in their early 30s begin to get nostalgic about the dreck that caused the media to beg the question: Generation Why? That in turn has spawned a string of best-of collections from a variety of artists.
But first let’s have a little:
REVERENCE
Never mind Nevermind and pass on the Pixies for a moment, if you will. The progenitors of the soft-loud dynamic, the blueprint until the grunge backlash, were none other than the surly Reid brothers of Scotland (putting to rest once and for all the otherwise hiii-larious joke: Q. What’s the only good thing to have come out of Scotland? A. The road to England. A-hahahaha!).
Known more infamously as The Jesus and Mary Chain, the pair proclaimed themselves the link between the Velvets and the Shangri Las (sounds logical) as they exploded all over the post-punk ’80s in a squeal of feedback (not to mention post-gig riots) howling over a quiet storm of melancholy lyricism.
It’s a shame that by the time they laid off the effects pedals and unravelled that candy-coated core in all its beauty on much underrated offerings in the ’90s – Honey’s Dead, Stoned and Dethroned, Munki – the fickle pop press had all but passed them by for the Lollapalooza generation. Well, at least Frank Black had the good sense to pay props on his group’s Head On EP, so named for the signature track from the Jesus and Mary Chain's Automatic.
This collection, 21 Singles: 1984-1998 (Warner), showcases their weird journey from avant-noise ne’er-do-wells (forget about the DIY maxim "three chords and the truth," in the beginning these guys only used two strings) to acoustic song-craftsmen. Regardless of presentation, though, a perfect pop heart beats at the heart of every one of these tunes.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Alas, simply taking the Lord’s name doesn’t guarantee that your work will be just as timeless as his. As far as I can recall, Jesus Jones only had one real hit, "Right Here, Right Now." Still, Never Enough: The Best of Jesus Jones (EMI) does have a cornball charm to it. Particularly endearing is the way they try to be oh-so topical, marrying rock and roll songs about the fall of the Berlin Wall to a digital beat created by these things called kom-pu-torrrs.
Prediction: 20 years from now, Rhino will unveil Nuggets X: Electronic Emissions from the Information Age, featuring Jesus Jones, the EMF, Pop Will Eat Itself (now that was a band) and a host of others. Until then, simply file this one in your guilty pleasures drawer and, when no one’s looking, party like it’s 1989.
RU READY FOR THIS BELLY?
With a CV that includes the Throwing Muses and the pre-"Cannonball" Breeders, Tanya Donelly had every right to make her next band suck like nobody’s business. Thankfully, as evidenced on Sweet Ride: The Best of Belly (Rhino/ Sire), by the time it came to front her own group, Ms. D. learned that it’s possible to be quirky and catchy at the same time.
Like musical cotton candy, the (warm and) fuzzy pop of "Spaceman" and "Super-Connected" provides an ethereal sonic sugar-fix-head-rush that doesn’t leave you feeling all bloated (are you listening, Mercury Rev?).
PILLOW SCHLOCK
Thank goodness for the ever-increasing rapidity with which nouveau-celebrities burn through their 15 minutes. It wasn’t that long ago that the PR Gods decided to inflict us with the sight of Juliana Hatfield gaping out of every alterna-rock rag. As the Doris Day to airhead Evan Dando’s Rock Hudson, Hatfield and her cloyingly cute and utterly vapid The Juliana Hatfield Collection: 1992-2002 offer some good laffs, mostly as Juliana demonstrates her inability to carry a note. "My Sis-TERRRR" rivals Biz Markie for worst vocal performance ever (at least Biz has a sense of humour about it, which oddly enough, makes Hatfield even funnier). |
