CIVL1New Music Re 1 ort SEPTEMBER 28,1998 ISSUE 589 VOL. 56 NO. 2 WWW.CMJ.COM IVITJS"1" HEAR Island Plans U2 Greatest Hits Album Island Records plans to release Irish supergroup U2's first greatest hits album November 3. The two-disc limited edition set, titled U2: The Best Of 1980-1990, will include one CD containing 13 hits from those years, plus a new re-recording of Joshua Tree outtake "Sweetest Thing," and asecond CD of 15 B-sides and rarities. On November 10, Island will release the hits CD separately. Both releases will be preceded by the release of "Sweetest Thing" to radio on September 29. The band's albums released during those years, all on Island, are 1980's Boy, 1981's October, 1983's War and the live album Under A Blood Red Sky, 1984's The Unforgettable Fire, the 1985 live EP Wide Awake In America, 1987's The Joshua Tree and 1988's Rattle And Hum. Island hasn't confirmed the tracks for the B-sides album, but the final listing for the hits album is: "Pride (In The Name Of Love)," "New Year's Day," "With Or Without You," "I Still Haven't Found What I' m (continued on page 11) ▪ HARVEY Former NIN Drummer Chris Madonna Wins Big Vrenna Signs With Almo Sounds At MTV Awards Chris Vrenna, former drummer and programmer for Nine Madonna was the big winner at Inch Nails, has signed a recording contract with Almo the 1998 MTV Video Music Sounds. Vrenna is currently writing and recording his Awards, bringing home six label debut under the name Tweaker, and he described awards. "Ray Of Light" won Best the project as "an ambient noise pop concept album Video Of The Year, Best Female 50616 COWIN:Ng telling a story through mostly instrumental tracks." Video, Best Direction In A Video, Tweaker's debut album, tentatively titled The Attraction To Best Choreography In A Video All Things Uncertain, will feature guest (continued on page 11) and Best (confined on page 11) Barbara Manning Finds New Inspiration SOUL COUGHING THIS From New Zealand Musicians, Landscape WEEK'S By Wendy Mitchell recorded with some • CMJ RADIO 200 San Francisco singer/ legendary figures of New SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS Perennial Favorites songwriter Barbara Zealand's music • CORE RADIO Manning already community: David ELLIOTT SMITH XO has one of the most Kilgour \of The impressive resumes HIGH Clean, Robert • D.I.R.T. in independent PROFILE Scott of the Bats, ELLIOTT SMITH XO music. She played Chris Knox of the • INTERNET BROADCAST with critically acclaimed Tall Dwarfs, Graeme BEASTIL BUS Hello Nasty bands 28th Day, World Of Downes of the Verlaines, • INTERNET RETAIL Pooh and SF Seals, and her David Mitchell of the 3Ds HOLE ',,elebrity Skin solo debut album, 1988's and Denise Roughan of the 1VLERCITILY REV Lately IKeep Scissors, was 3Ds and the Renderers. • F? +A hailed as a pop masterpiece Manning and her guests UNKLE Psyence Fiction and listed as one of Spin's recorded the album at • LOUD ROCK top 100 alternative albums ((0,1 limed on page 11) FEAR FACTORY Obsolete of all time. With her new • TRIPLE A album, In New Zealand KEB' MO' Slow Down (The Communion Label), • BEAT BOX Manning ups the ante by ATRIBE CALLED QUEST Find AWay" surrounding herself with artists who are equally , JAZZ respected. She traveled to MEDESKI MARTIN AND WOOD Combustication New Zealand with her NEW WORLD previous collaborators John BAABA MAAL Noindd Soul Convertino and Joey Burns • COMMERCIAL ALTERNATIVE (Calexico, Giant Sand) and IBARBARA mAhlignvG SMASHING PUMPKINS •Peifort- SEAM Mercury Deserter's Songs On tour with Jesusev & Mary Chaih 9/22 Atlanta, GA Masquerade 9/24 Fort Wayne, IN .Piere's Night Club 9/25 Pontiac, MI Clutch Cargos 9/26 Columbus, OH Newport Music Hall 9/27 Chicago, IL House Of Blues 9/28 Minneapolis First Avenue 9/30 Cleveland, OH Agara Theater 10/3 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero 10/4 Providence, RI Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel Add date September 28-29. Management :Invasion Group Ltd. -New York City -1 Contact: Lawrence ,Lui (212) 320 8513 ed [email protected] V www.bugjuce.com MUST Ilea THE ESSENTIAL RELEASES OF THE WEEK SOW», COI•19134SNII PJ HARVEY SOUL COUGHING MERCURY REV SEAM Is This Desire? (Island) El Oso (Slash-WB) Deserter's Songs (V2) The Pace Is Glacial (Touch And Go) A.'3anshee of the blues, an illicit Soul Coughing is the patchwork Not since Thé Band's wood- Perhaps not glacial, but pretty ingenue, a rage-filled rocker — quilt of everything cool, catchy and shedding beginnings put the town damn slow. Seam's first album in Polly Jean Harvey has played all experimental about New York's of Woodstock, New York, on the over three years eases off on the these parts. Her fifth full-length, Is music scene, from the avant-garde map has a national rock act melancholy that characterized This Desire?, shows her dramatic fusion of the Knitting Factory captured the quintessential essence 1995's Are You Driving Me Crazy?, musical range broadening further scene to the abstruse boom-bap of of New York's Catskill region like and it also cuts back on the still. She delves deeper into the the Lyricist Lounge. El Oso, the Mercury Rev on Deserter's Songs, the mannered guitar slashing of the imagistic assets of electronica, downtown art-funk quartet's third quintet's first album since 1995. meatiest parts of 1993's The while still maintaining the tangled and arguably best album, takes it to Recorded primarily in the rural Problem With Me. The imposition theatricality that made 1995's To the next level by turning the comfort of the band's home studio of increased moderation onto this Bring You My Love so engaging, and minimal breakbeat dabblings of its and at friends' houses, the album already sober band actually her first two albums so raw and previous two albums into a fully may stun longtime fans as Mercury thickens its somber, gradually visceral. Functioning as the realized vision. Darker and more Rev downplays the noise that erupting songs, which revolve musical common denominator, aggressive than the band's earlier augmented earlier works in favor of around clean, spindly riffs and a Harvey's voice keeps Is This Desire? works, the record is not shy to flaunt a more lush, orchestral sound. But masterful grasp of loud/soft from getting lost in its own far- Soul Coughing's affinity for jungle, having replaced the cacophonous contrasts. This heightened reaching ambition, allowing the bringing in such drum 'n' bass walls of feedback and non-linear consistency, along with Chris odd tonalities of "Electric Light" players as New York City luminary sequencing of its past with lilting Manfrin's deftly precise and "Joy" or the subtle blues of the DJ Dara and Metalheadz guru melodies and Pet Sounds quality drumming and some occasional title track to sit comfortably next to Optical to tweak anumber of tracks textures, the upstate residents have thunder, threatens to make beautiful piano-driven pieces like with low-end hardstep. But when created a sonic paragon to the gimmick-free indic rock "The River" and "Angelene." the beats aren't pumping from an artist communes, hip college worthwhile again. Seam's left Harvey again proves herself a 808, drummer Yuval Gabay towns, and resort-driven villages hooks add measured doses of convincing narrator capable of maintains the breakneck pace on that rest within their historic intensity to the proceedings. creating intriguing sound collages. killer tracks like "Rolling" and homeland's boundless mountain Sooyoung Park's spiteful vocals Is This Desire? also welcomes "Monster Man." When El Oso turns ranges and postcard scenery. The on "In The Sun" recall his pissed- drummer Rob Ellis back into the it down, songs like "So Far IHave use of such antiquated instruments off delivery in prow-math rockers band, who gives songs like "Perfect Not Found The Science" and as Wurlitzers, B3 organs, and Bitch Magnet, though the song Day Elise" bouncy rock momentum. "Pensacola" shine, as frontman M. mellotron alongside guest itself is perhaps Seam's poppiest Harvey's relatively short and Doughty adds his nasal, crooning appearances by The Band's Levon composition yet. The gale-force, extraodinarily varied songs never rhyme-speak atop chunky, Helm and Garth Hudson only adds closing instrumental, "Aloha wear out their welcome, making streaming guitar work. — Ron Hari to Deserter's Songs' eccentric lucidity. Spirit," trades catchiness for heady, Is This Desire? another milestone It will make you forget how much building majesty. Though a tad in her already illustrious career. For Fans Of: Roni Size, Basehead, Cop Rev wanted to ruin your eardrums languid in spots, The Pace Is Glacial Shoot Cop, Skeleton Key — Tad Hendrickson back in the day. — Ron Hart elegantly straddles the line between Recommended Tracks: "Circles," "Blame," rage and restraint with a near-epic "Pensacola," "The Incumbent" For Fans Of: Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Tricky, For Fans Of: Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, Contact: Julie Muncy grandeur. —Jordan N. Mamone Patti Smith orchestral Frank Zappa, The Band, Flaming Phone: 800.475.2292 ext. 3567 Recommended Tracks: "Angeline," "My Lips Email: jmuncy@wbrcom For Fans Of: Slint, Codeine, early Super- Beautiful Leah," "A Perfect Day Elise," "Joy" Recommended Tracks: "I Collect Coins," Fax: 818.953.3726 chunk, Polvo, Versus Contact: John Rosenfelder "Opus 40," "Goddess On AHiway" (first Release Date: September 29; at radio now Recommended Tracks: "Little Chang, Big Phone: 212.603.7871 single) Marketing Data: Tour starting in September City," "Get Higher," "Intifada Driving Email: [email protected] Contact: Lawrence Lui School," "Nisei Fight Song," "The Prize- Fax: 212.603.3970 Phone: 212.320.8513 fighters" Release Date: September 29; at radio now Email: [email protected] Contact: Meg Leonard Marketing Data: U.S.