Flavors, Volume VII

Greetings. It's time to take another look into the CD vault and see what I've been listening to, lately. Maybe you've heard all of it of it, or maybe only some of it. Those of you that have heard none of it should do yourselves a favor and go find whatever grabs your attention:

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Sevendust - �Animosity� (2001, TVT)
1999's �Home� was SO good front to back, I couldn't wait for this CD to be released, and I was rewarded greatly for my patience. Sevendust has a great guitar crunch, and singer LaJon Witherspoon, is capable of some really great melody, know's when to throw it in overdrive (a very distinct �signature wail�), and can hold back when the time is right for some great dynamics... Worthy of note also is executive producer Jay Jay French... yeah, from Twisted Sister... crazy, huh? PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Tits on a Boar,� 3.) �Trust,� 4.) �Crucified,� 5.) �Xmas Day,� 7.) �Shine,� 8.) �Follow,� and 10.) �Live Again.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Coal Chamber, Godsmack, Faith No More, Nothingface. sevendust.com

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Tori Amos - �Scarlet's Walk� (2002, Epic)
There have been a few credible imitations pop up, recently (such as Vanessa Carlton), and a few less-than-good imitations, as well (such as Fiona �where did she go� Apple - she must have turned sideways and disappeared), but there's no one quite like Tori. Whether you just put her in front of a piano and turn her loose, or back her with an electric band, she fits in well, either way... My favorite stuff of hers is probably the earliest stuff, but she always proves with each release that she still very much belongs... PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Amber Waves,� 2.) �A Sorta Fairytale,� 5.) �Carbon,� 6.) �Crazy,� 9.) �Sweet Sangria,� 11.) �Pancake,� 14.) �Taxi Ride,� 17.) �Virginia,� and 18.) �Gold Dust� (yup, that's right, eighteen tracks). toriamos.com

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Nirvana - �In Utero� (1993, Geffen)
Maybe I'm not the biggest Nirvana fan, although I did a rather twisted cover of �Smells Like Teen Spirit� a couple months before it broke crazy on Mtv (incidentally, the following track on that group of 30+ demos I did was the equally demented �Ode to Marky Mark (featuring Vinny Barbarino)�), but there is no denying the impact they had, along with a half dozen other bands, on helping to rebuild the rock and roll world as we know it. One has to wonder what music would be like now, had Kurt Cobain not killed himself in 1994 (well, if that's what you believe happened, anyway). PICK TRACKS: 2.) �Scentless Apprentice,� 3.) �Heart-Shaped Box,� 4.) �Rape Me,� 9.) �Pennyroyal Tea,� and 12.) �All Apologies.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: The Jesus Lizard, Firehose, the Descendants, Superchunk, Tad.

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Taproot - �Welcome� (2002, Atlantic)
If I hear another person call Taproot a �rap-rock� band, or even a �former rap-rock� band, I'm gonna hurl. They had two songs, WAY back on an old independent release, that almost had some rap-rock trappings... almost... but anyhow, Taproot will flat out absolutely rock various portions of your anatomy off, and some of the coolest use of vocal harmony since Alice in Chains... PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Mine,� 2.) �Poem,� 4.) �Art,� 5.) �Myself,� 10.) �Like,� 11.) �Dreams,� and 12.) �Time.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Alice in Chains, maybe a little Incubus, too, but for the most part, they are VERY original. taprootmusic.com

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A Perfect Circle - �Mer de Noms� (2000, Virgin America)
A different look at Tool singer Maynard James Keenan, and a legitimate masterpiece of modern rock. Here's something you might not have known about this album: there have only been four western rock bands' albums ever officially approved for release (by the government) in China... EVER... In 1997, they approved Guns 'n' Roses' �Use Your Illusion I & II� (1991) and Nirvana's �MTV Unplugged� (1994). In 2000, �Mer de Noms� (French for �Sea of Names�) joined that very elite list. PICK TRACKS: 1.) �The Hollow,� 2.) �Magdelena,� 4.) �Judith,� 5.) �Orestes,� 6.) �3 Libras,� and 8.) �Thomas.� aperfectcircle.com

NOTE: New CDs in China sell for about $9.00 US...

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Chris Robinson - �New Earth Mud� (Redline, 2002)
The semi-official word is that the Black Crowes have gone on an �extended hiatus� for the next few, maybe five, years... in the meantime, Robinson brother Chris has written a CD loaded with earthy goodness. Robinson has said that this doesn't sound like a Crowes album - that is, no crunchy guitars, not much on the �upbeat� side, but who does he think he's kidding? Just because he's writing his own music and not just words to his brother's stuff - I mean, he's Chris Robinson for crying out loud. I'll put it like this: if you like when the Crowes slow it down, like in �She Talks to Angels,� �Bad Luck Blue Eyes, Goodbye,� and such - well, �New Earth Mud� is a whole lotta that (with the lone exception being track 10, a very Sly Stone influenced �Ride�). In other words, it's mellow, moody, and excellent... PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Safe in the Arms of Love,� 2.) �Silver Car,� 5.) �Untangle My Mind,� 8.) �Barefoot by the Cherry Tree,� 10.) �Ride,� and 12.) �She's on Her Way.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Led Zeppelin, Black Crowes, Pink Floyd. newearthmud.com

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Mr. Bungle - �Mr. Bungle� (1991, Warner Brothers)
A common misconception is that Mr. Bungle was/is a side project of Faith No More vocalist Mike Patton, but he was actually in Mr. Bungle long before he joined FNM. Incorporating super-super crunchy guitars, complex arrangements, and, of course, Mike Patton (not to mention the freaky undertones and select tidbits of dialogue from David Lynch's �Blue Velvet�) - Mr. Bungle might share a few similarities with FNM, but it is definitely its own entity - heavy metal meets the Ringling Brothers' circus. Super-dark, super-twisted, super - just plain super... PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Travolta� (changed to �Quote Unquote�), 3.) �Squeeze Me Macaroni,� 4.) �Carousel,� 5.) �Egg,� 7.) �My Ass is On Fire,� 8.) �The Girls of Porn,� and 9.) �Love is a Fist.� mrbungle.com (in development)

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Chevelle - �Wonder What's Next� (2002, Sony)
Three brothers (Sam, Pete, and Joe Loeffler) from Chicago that can get down... They got hooked up with producer Steve Albini (Nirvana) in 1999 and released �Point #1� comeplete with really cool �backwards packaging.� This most recent release celebrates a jump to a major label as well as establishes new relationships with engineer Andy Wallace (Faith No More, Blind Melon, Helmet, Disturbed, Korn, etc.) and producer GG Garth (Kittie, Puya). PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Family System,� 2.) �Comfortable Liar,� 3.) �Send the Pain Below,� 5.) �The Red,� and 6.) �Wonder What's Next.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Helmet, Tool, Nirvana. chevelleinc.com

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Duncan Sheik - �Daylight� (2002, Atlantic)
Singer/songwriter/ivy-leaguer Duncan Sheik got his start playing with Lisa Loeb while attending Brown University, but had a desire for a solo career. Enter '80s super-producer Rupert Hine (The Fixx, Bob Geldof, Howard Jones, Rush, etc.) and the result was a critically acclaimed eponymous debut CD in 1996. He has delved into orchestration and has a musical set to debut in 2003 as well, but in between all that other musical stuff, he's finding time to release rock records (well, pop-rock records, anyway), too... Sheik has also recently appeared on several songs on �Fast� from the enigma known as Custom (aka Duane Lavold). PICK TRACKS: 1.) �Genius,� 2.) �Half-life,� 6.) �On a High,� and 7.) �Memories.� SIMILAR SOUNDS: Jeff Buckley, Van Morrison, the better sides of John Mayer. duncansheik.com

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As always, thanks to all the great people at Sam Goody of New Boston, Allegro Music of Portsmouth, and The Record Shop of Portsmouth for all the good tunes...
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For a condensed copy of this article, pick up a copy of the latest Portsmouth Free Press
All rights reserved 2002, Anthony Phillips/Xtatic Media. Reprinted with permission.