The Shinth Tour appeared here
in Ohio at Rockwood's Subs and Suds in Lakewood. It was comprised of several
different artists, including Rotten Milk, Twig Harper, and Fashion Flesh, all
performing on the instruments created by Peter B. Peter B is a sound designer/synth
artisan from Chicago. He developed instruments called "Shinths", which are
circuit boards filled with invisible twittering machines. Yes, it's weird, and
no, I don't really get that either. However, it does provide an interesting
listen. If you are one of those people who listens to experimental music and
says "that ain't music", then this definitely is NOT the record for you. This
is for people who are open to weird sounds and enjoy the music of bands like
Oval. These instruments do not have inputs or outputs. They require circuit
benders, who basically break electronics with alligator clips and other devices
to, as the press sheet says, "coax or otherwise force sounds out." I'll warn
that this isn't something to listen to at full volume, unless you have a bottle
of Asprin around. It's basically making music out of noise, making sounds of
things that otherwise are not used for sound. If you are feeling experimental,
you might want to pick this up. It is a very unique and interesting record,
though not one you'll play often. (Eddie Fleisher)
Zodiac Mindwarp was a rock god born too late. He played
raunchy seventies-influenced hard rock similar to such contemporaries as The
Cult and Guns ‘n’ Roses, but his comic book persona and tongue-in-cheek sense of
humor just didn’t fit in with the sensibilities of the late eighties rock
scene. At least Sleazegrinder has given Zodiac some props with this tribute
CD. The first thing I noticed while listening to this is just how well the
songs hold up. Sure, some of the lyrics are cheesy but that was the point.
Zodiac reveled in the absurdities and excesses of seventies rock, but he never
took himself seriously. As for the cover versions of these songs, while all the
relatively unknown artists who contributed are solid rock outfits, for the most
part they don’t put much of a stamp on their renditions of these songs. The
notable exceptions are Punish Yourself’s goth/industrial take on “Elvis Died for
You”, Superdeformed’s White Zombie-esque take on “High Priest of Love”, The
Dollyrots’ girly bubblegum punk rendition of “There’s a Barbarian in the Back of
my Car”, and Gideon Smith’s Elvis meets Jim Morrison reading of “Meanstreak”.
That said, this is still an enjoyable comp that should please fans of Zodiac and
hopefully generate some interest among those who never heard the originals. (Bob
Ignizio)
The Vivisectors, according to
one of the reviews on the cd cover, are actually one guy, Mike Antipov (along
with his muse Lena). What's so fascinating is Mike is from Russia, and what’s
even more fascinating is the form of music contained on this cd - Surf (not
serf). And I must compliment him on his musical talent. These are great
atmospheric surf songs guaranteed to make you wanna grab a pretty girl and a
surf board and head for the beach. Every atmosphere of surf seems to be here,
from slow rockers to faster paced guitar jams. The fact Lena plays every
instrument is really impressive. One man bands are always interesting with
their creativity, but only if they have any at all. Lena does! Surf, in my
opinion, is one of the very first forms of punk. Just look at the modern day
genre of surf punk. Bands like The Mummies, Billy B. Childish, Man…or Astroman?,
Holly Go Lightly, etc. They make the Ventures grin with pride. I have only one
question about Russian surf, though. With it being so cold in Russia are there
any beaches? (Mike Salamone)
Yes – ‘Close
To The Edge (remastered)’ (Elektra Records)
Recently
Elektra Records remastered their collection of Yes albums. I discovered the
pure genius of Yes about 2 years ago when I picked up "Tales From Topographic
Oceans". Basically everyone in Yes is a God. Anyone who can have an album with
like 3 songs run longer than most albums with 14 songs is amazing. The first
track on the album in question is over 18 minutes long. How these guys can even
remember these songs is beyond me. Ok, I'll stop the praises, but seriously,
these guys are AMAZING. This remastered disc comes with 4 bonus tracks, 2 of
which are alternate versions of 2 songs that originally appeared on the album.
The songs sound great, and the bonus stuff is a nice touch. It's ideal for any
Yes fan, and for those of you who haven't checked them out, please do. The
talent in this band is unbelievable. Another advantage to picking this up is
the added text to the booklet. It includes a nice forward that gives some
insight into each song. GET THIS NOW. (Eddie Fleisher)
The Shinth Tour appeared here
in Ohio at Rockwood's Subs and Suds in Lakewood. It was comprised of several
different artists, including Rotten Milk, Twig Harper, and Fashion Flesh, all
performing on the instruments created by Peter B. Peter B is a sound designer/synth
artisan from Chicago. He developed instruments called "Shinths", which are
circuit boards filled with invisible twittering machines. Yes, it's weird, and
no, I don't really get that either. However, it does provide an interesting
listen. If you are one of those people who listens to experimental music and
says "that ain't music", then this definitely is NOT the record for you. This
is for people who are open to weird sounds and enjoy the music of bands like
Oval. These instruments do not have inputs or outputs. They require circuit
benders, who basically break electronics with alligator clips and other devices
to, as the press sheet says, "coax or otherwise force sounds out." I'll warn
that this isn't something to listen to at full volume, unless you have a bottle
of Asprin around. It's basically making music out of noise, making sounds of
things that otherwise are not used for sound. If you are feeling experimental,
you might want to pick this up. It is a very unique and interesting record,
though not one you'll play often. (Eddie Fleisher)
Zodiac Mindwarp was a rock god born too late. He played
raunchy seventies-influenced hard rock similar to such contemporaries as The
Cult and Guns ‘n’ Roses, but his comic book persona and tongue-in-cheek sense of
humor just didn’t fit in with the sensibilities of the late eighties rock
scene. At least Sleazegrinder has given Zodiac some props with this tribute
CD. The first thing I noticed while listening to this is just how well the
songs hold up. Sure, some of the lyrics are cheesy but that was the point.
Zodiac reveled in the absurdities and excesses of seventies rock, but he never
took himself seriously. As for the cover versions of these songs, while all the
relatively unknown artists who contributed are solid rock outfits, for the most
part they don’t put much of a stamp on their renditions of these songs. The
notable exceptions are Punish Yourself’s goth/industrial take on “Elvis Died for
You”, Superdeformed’s White Zombie-esque take on “High Priest of Love”, The
Dollyrots’ girly bubblegum punk rendition of “There’s a Barbarian in the Back of
my Car”, and Gideon Smith’s Elvis meets Jim Morrison reading of “Meanstreak”.
That said, this is still an enjoyable comp that should please fans of Zodiac and
hopefully generate some interest among those who never heard the originals. (Bob
Ignizio)
The Vivisectors, according to
one of the reviews on the cd cover, are actually one guy, Mike Antipov (along
with his muse Lena). What's so fascinating is Mike is from Russia, and what’s
even more fascinating is the form of music contained on this cd - Surf (not
serf). And I must compliment him on his musical talent. These are great
atmospheric surf songs guaranteed to make you wanna grab a pretty girl and a
surf board and head for the beach. Every atmosphere of surf seems to be here,
from slow rockers to faster paced guitar jams. The fact Lena plays every
instrument is really impressive. One man bands are always interesting with
their creativity, but only if they have any at all. Lena does! Surf, in my
opinion, is one of the very first forms of punk. Just look at the modern day
genre of surf punk. Bands like The Mummies, Billy B. Childish, Man…or Astroman?,
Holly Go Lightly, etc. They make the Ventures grin with pride. I have only one
question about Russian surf, though. With it being so cold in Russia are there
any beaches? (Mike Salamone)
Recently
Elektra Records remastered their collection of Yes albums. I discovered the
pure genius of Yes about 2 years ago when I picked up "Tales From Topographic
Oceans". Basically everyone in Yes is a God. Anyone who can have an album with
like 3 songs run longer than most albums with 14 songs is amazing. The first
track on the album in question is over 18 minutes long. How these guys can even
remember these songs is beyond me. Ok, I'll stop the praises, but seriously,
these guys are AMAZING. This remastered disc comes with 4 bonus tracks, 2 of
which are alternate versions of 2 songs that originally appeared on the album.
The songs sound great, and the bonus stuff is a nice touch. It's ideal for any
Yes fan, and for those of you who haven't checked them out, please do. The
talent in this band is unbelievable. Another advantage to picking this up is
the added text to the booklet. It includes a nice forward that gives some
insight into each song. GET THIS NOW. (Eddie Fleisher)