YADDA YADDA YADDA
VOL. 1; NO. 3; MAY 1998
OUR MOTTO: OK, SO DON'T PRINT IT OUT, SEE IF WE CARE!
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Ah, the difficult third issue. I feel so damn uninspired.
Nothing surprising about that, especially
considering popular music's current state.
Rock and roll's relatively short existence
is riddled with creative lulls. As a form
of creative expression, an art even, music
is susceptible to the laws of aesthetic physics.
Creative peaks-zeitgeists-when popular recognition
and artistic merit walk hand in hand are counter-
balanced by periods of cultural vapidity. We walk in
such a time.
Fear not gentle reader, I am not going to wax nostalgic
for years past. Nor will I regale you with "not like in
my day" tirades or trumpet the death of rock. No, those
are reactionary responses to a phenomenon that, while annoying, are cyclic
and perhaps healthy.
Remember, this beast we call rock and roll, born of uneasy
circumstances, experienced it's first death a 
mere five years after being named. While
the original wild men met their own
demoralizing fates(drafted, married a
cousin, airplane mishaps, religion etc.
etc. etc.), squeaky clean, fraternity-boy
types dominated the charts (Fabian, Frankie
Avalon, Pat Boone et al.) and whitewashed
the airwaves. It took four hairy lads from Liverpool
to
kick start things, and in due
course popular music was again
exciting and relevant. Of course,
excessive chemical ingestion and too many
concept albums almost killed it again, but
luckily the bruddas Ramone(and similar
kindred spirits from both sides of the 
Atlantic) kicked up the dust once again.
And so it goes. Classic cyclic
action/reaction, pure Hegelian thesis
and antithesis. Human society may swing from extreme to extreme,
but it always settles back to the middle: safe, comfortable, and
quite frequently boring. Still, something always manages to come
along and start the pendulum swinging madly, for as much as culture may
resist extremes, what 
it truly abhors is stasis.
What, you may ask, does any of this have to do with Matchbox 20
and their anemic brethren of alternative radio? Well, the last
real swing of the pendulum culminated in the early nineties with
the enormous popularity of Nirvana's "Nevermind." The natural
conclusion of groundwork laid by eighties indie music (you
remember don't ya? bands like pre-stardom
REM, the Replacements,
Husker Du--labels
like SST, Coyote and
Homestead),Nirvana
plastered commercial radio with
their punk-informed, hyper-
melodic, metallish pop.
Changing the face of popular
music in a flash, suddenly every
band in America was ditching
their synths, wearing flannel
and sharing their psychic pain.
(An aside: No one, not any of
those other goddamn grunge bands
ever got it-not Soundgarden, not
Pearl Jam, not that ridiculous
Alice in Chains-Nirvana were
great not because Cobain and co.
were angst-ridden, but rather because they communicated uncompromising anger
with an unerring melodic sensibility, sensitivity and humor...the lyrics for
"Teen Spirit" are a hoot.) Anyhoo, Nirvana's success cranked the money
machine and next thing you know there are a plethora of no-talent guitar
hacks claiming their punk heritage
(and you just know they probably grew up
listening to Winger and Whitesnake) and turning their fragile
psyches into stacks-o-cash (Candlebox anyone?). Then when "grunge"
(thankfully) became passe, similar guitar wielding monkeys started
forming sensitive, thoughtful, college-educated, white-bread pop
bands with names like Sisterhazelmatchbox20tonic yadda yadda yadda.
Which deposits us firmly into the present: the mainstream has not sounded
so washed-out since Terry Jacks (he of "Seasons in the Sun" fame); indiedom-
once the last bastion of rock cool-sounds calculated; and promising "sounds
of the future" like electronica and the moronically monickered "alt.country"
are neutered by music biz hype before they even get out of the gate. Should
we be depressed by such events...I think not. These callow times present
the ideal climate for something new and exciting. Just remember, the "next
big thing" is not going to be generated by glossy magazines, radio
programmers, and pony-tail wearing music sleaze types...nope, we are going
to have to go out and find it for ourselves. Read 'zines, listen to college
stations, buy albums by people you've never heard of before, and go see
bands just cause you like their name...whatever. Just take chances and
explore...if you really care you will find something out there. It's time
to make good music popular again. 'Nuff said.
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ENCAPSULATED--The good, the bad and the indifferent.
"Enough with the rantin' and ravin' already...." OK, OK, not
everything out there blows...good music still gets made even during
these fallow periods...it just seems a little harder to find. Here
are a few choice platters/bands (and a few duds) for your listening
consideration.
BEDHEAD: some kinda love...
First the particulars: Bedhead hail from Texas. They record for
Butthole Surfer King Coffey's label Trance Syndicate. One of their key
members is named Bubba. Think you got it? You might be surprised.
Quite simply Bedhead make beautiful music. Languid (not lazy, though),
insistently melodic, sensually rhythmic--Bedhead's recorded ouvure (3
albums, 2 ep's) is as addictive as a slow morphine drip. Echoing the
Velvet Underground's quieter moments (say "Pale Blue Eyes" or "Jesus"
perhaps), but infusing the music with their own distinct poetic
sensibilities--Bedhead eschew the obvious in favor of keen subtlety.
Topically related to such slo-core/sad-core bands like Seam, Codeine,
and Red House Painters, Bedhead's muted intensity and vaporous melodies
staves off those genres' tendency toward drowsiness. Matt Kadane's
insomniac-drifting-off vocals sound comforting, but his darkly poetic
lyrics betray an emotional pain that skirts hand-wringing angst for a
deeper (and thus more disturbing) disquiet.
Where to start? Their work is of a piece, and seems a natural
progression from their first album ("WhatFunLifeWas"[1992]) to their newest
("Transaction de Novo"[1998]). Start at the beginning and work your way
through...highly recommended stuff.
NICK LOWE-"DIG MY MOOD" (UPSTART)
While I have heard this album disparaged for its
Geritol factor, I gotta say it rocks my world
(albeit very gently).Nick sings torch songs,Nick
sings old-timey country ballads, Nick sings romantic
pop--all with his unmistakably supple voice. Coupled
with silky accompaniment and smooth(though never slick)
production "Dig My Mood" is the best (thus far anyway)
make-out album of 1998. If this is old age then bring
me my vitamins and dim the lights!
MORECHEEBA-"BIG CALM" (WARNER BROS./SIRE)
Ahem, if things are going well after Nick, perhaps
you should play this album next. Slow loping beats,
twangy guitar and Skye Edwards downright sexy voice
make this a warmly erotic listen...if it all runs
together then so be it...you shouldn't be paying
attention towards the end anyway. Hip-hop with a
torch song soul.
SEMISONIC-"FEELING STRANGELY FINE"
Nothin' fancy here. Just a dozen well crafted,
intelligent, catchy songs that have a real half-life.
Seemingly unconcerned with what the"cool" kids are
wearing this week, Semisonic's sophomore effort is
old-fashioned power pop as God (or Alex Chilton,
depending on your religious affiliation) intended.
This album may not change your life, but it will
make it more harmonious...and that's truly worth
something. (Note to Three Eye Blind and their milk toast
ilk: this is how it should be done...listen and learn.)
SIXTEEN DELUXE-"EMITS SHOWERS OF SPARKS"
7% SOLUTION-"SONGS ABOUT SATELLITES AND SPACESHIPS"(X-RAY)
Austin Texas. Musical mecca of the south-west.
From sunbaked,outlaw cowboys to acid-baked garage
punks the town has bred (and sheltered) some very
fine music. These two bands definitely fall into the
latter category. Sixteen Deluxe's debut album a
few years back was an intoxicating brew of feedback-
drenched pop. Sadly, their new major label debut finds
the band's sound going straight. The songs still pop,
but they don't burn...the world does not need another
Darling Buds.
These guys must have stolen Sixteen Deluxe's acid. 7%
Solution defiantlyset the controls for the heart of the
sun. Lost somewhere between early Pink Floyd and the
Olivia Tremor Control, their debut drifts beautifully
along without completely forsaking a welcome melodicism.
Think Spiritualized minus the pomp and circumstance.
Very cool.
TORTOISE-"TNT"
I have friends who get all misty-eyed for these Chicagoan,
post-rock, instrumental gurus. They, and the "math-rock"
movement they have engendered, continue to leave me cold.
Which is exactly the problem. Certainly all talented
musicians, Tortoise comes across as overly-anxious to be
taken seriously. Unfortunately all skill and no heat make
Jack a dull, if proficient, band. Ultimately they come
across as indie rock's very own Spyro Gyra. Meet the new
pretentious crap, same as the old pretentious crap.
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MATH ROCK: IT'S ELEMENTARY!
After spending some time on this spinning, blue-green marble we call
home, one must realize that there ain't nothin' new under the sun...
Well this is certainly true for rock/pop/whatever ya wanna call
it...which is why we here at Yadda have thought up a convenient
way of equating the present with the past...it's kinda like algebra,
yet funnier.
It works this way:
Think of a current music phenom, pick out the historical precedent and
balance the equation...like so:
SPICE GIRLS(plus gay anthems, funny dance) = THE VILLAGE PEOPLE
+ gay anthems, funny dance =
Some are even easier and rather self-evident:
GREEN DAY = STRAY CATS
While others are purely conceptual(and subject to heated controversy):
PEARL JAM - "angst" = GRAND FUNK
Anyway, you get the point...got some of your own? Send 'em in and get
published electronically. You'll be glad you did.
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Well, that's about it for now...hope you enjoyed it...remember to check
us
out on the web (http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~jbrunet/Yadda3.html)
...we wanna keep that counter busy...this issue will be there soon along
with an index, a links page and all kinds of fun, wacky, and highly
irrelevant stuff.
'Til next time...
yer pal,
jr.