CMJ NewMusic ® CMJ SIX FEET UNDER 2525 REVIEWED: MATES OF STATE, CMJ Report T. RAUMSHMIERE, DARKNESS, Issue No. 833 • September 29, 2003 • www.cmj.com SPOTLIGHT BELLE AND SEBASTIAN + MORE! CMJ WJUL’s students lost 25 hours of their weekly programming to a local newspaper. Can it happen to your station? CMJ MUSIC MARATHON 2003 LAST CHANCE TO SAVE REGISTER BY OCT. 1! RETAIL THE UNIVERSAL ACCORDING TO RETAIL RADIO 200: WEEN MAKES IT A TRIPLE AT NO. 1 • SAVES THE DAY TAKES MOST ADDED NewMusic ® CMJ CMJCMJ Report 25 9/29/2003 Vice President & General Manager Issue No. 833 • Vol. 77 • No. 6 Mike Boyle CEDITORIALMJ COVER STORY Editor-In-Chief 6 Selling Out Kevin Boyce The University Of Massachusetts recently sold 25 hours of primetime programming on WJUL/Lowell, MA Associate Editors to a local newspaper to compensate for budget cuts. Ultimately, the decision was made in order to help Doug Levy the school raise it’s profile and increase enrollment, but by allowing a corporate entity into its midst, did CBradM MaybeJ the University Of Massachusetts open the door for other “media hungry” companies to take advantage of Louis Miller schools that could use the money and have a radio station at its disposal? CMJ investigates. Loud Rock Editor Amy Sciarretto DEPARTMENTS Jazz Editor 4 Essential/Reviews 23 Loud Rock Tad Hendrickson Reviews of Mates Of State, Belle And Read up on the latest releases from Ill Niño, RPM Editor Sebastian, David Bowie, T. Raumshmiere, The Burnt By The Sun and Between The Buried And Justin Kleinfeld Desert Sessions 9 And 10, the Darkness and Me; Madball signs a label deal; sneak a peak at Retail Editor Hero Pattern. Plus, Men At Work’s Business As the controversial cover of the new Most Precious Gerry Hart Usual receives CMJ’s “Silver Salute.” Blood album; Unloco splits; Grip Inc. laying Associate Ed./Managing Retail Ed. down tracks; ex-Stabbing Westward singer forms Christopher R. Weingarten 8 Radio 200 a new band; and much more! Ween keeps its fancypants at No. 1. Contributing Writer 26 Jazz Brad Filicky 12 Core Radio 75 Reviews of Herbert’s and Björk’s Jazz albums, Web Producer/Contributing Ed. the Sex Mob, Art Ensemble, and Miroslav Guided By Voices lead Core at No. 1. Steve Ciabattoni Vitous’s first album in 10 years. Plus, news of Interns Verve’s new signee, Jamie Cullum, and J@LC 13 At The Core TV show’s second season. L. Bianca Buchanan WDBM/East Lansing, MI wants to know what Jonny Leather listeners would put on their iPods; Vicki Siolos 28 RPM WREK/Atlanta gets ready for its 35th anniver- This week in RPM, Hybrid’s Mike Truman sary; WERS/Boston plans a benefit for Rape takes CMJ inside his group’s new album, CUSTOMER SERVICE Crisis Services; and KWVA/Eugene, OR wel- Morning Sci-fi; Plus, reviews of new records Manager comes a new venue to town. from LFO, Meat Beat Manifesto and the Party Sean Caesar Monster soundtrack. Coordinator 14 RAM Chart Brett McNamara 30 Tours 16 Specialty Charts The Fire Theft snatches up Tour Of The Week; ART Burning Spear launches to the top of New World. Joan Baez and Longwave are Vital; South gets Art Director a bad break in Tidbits. Drew Goren 18 Hip-Hop Chart Lifesavas steal No. 1. 31 CMJ Retail Associate Art Director Hart and Retail explore the edges of the Universal; Graham Brice 20 Artist Spotlight The Man In Black walks the line back up the Many people might thumb their noses at a band Retail 100; Consonant, Erase Errata, Stellastarr* PUBLISHING like Six Feet Under and its Grade-A death metal and Mike Errico get Points; Whiney says “Hi-yo CEO & Publisher — plump with Cookie Monster growls, grooves so Silver Tunes!” in Counter Culture; Record Archive has a hairy giveaway in Newsworthy. Robert K. Haber deep they reach your marrow, and hyper-fast Chief Operating Officer drumming. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll dis- 42 Upcoming Jay B. Ziskrout cover that there’s more to this Tampa, Florida Chief Financial Officer band than maggots, murder and intestines. 44 Get A Job Victor Ney Account Executive 22 Caught In The Act 47 Airplay Jon Rayvid Adam Green finds a new home with CMJ, Director Of Marketing Butterfly Boucher swoops into DMX, Funeral 62 Radio Adds & Going For Adds Stacy Chaloeicheep For A Friend visits WSOU and Slumber Party Saves The Day is No. 1 most added with spends the night with WDET. 138 adds. CIRCULATION Cover Illustration by Tom Manning Distribution & Fulfillment [email protected] CMJ New Music Report (ISSN 0890 0795) is published weekly, except for one week in January, by The CMJ Network, Inc. with offices at 151 W. 25th St., 12th Fl.; New York, NY 10001. Subscription rates are $345.00 for 48 issues; $575.00 917.606.1908 for 96 issues. Sorry, no refunds. Subscription offices: 151 W. 25th St., 12th Fl.; New York, NY 10001. Tel 917.606.1908. Outside U.S. and Canada 917.606.1908. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. CMJ CMJ NETWORK, INC. New Music Report is copyright ©2003 by The CMJ Network, Inc. all rights reserved; nothing may be reproduced with- out written consent of publisher. Unless indicated otherwise, all letters sent to CMJ are eligible for publication and Robert K. Haber copyright purposes, and are subject to CMJ’s right to edit and comment editorially. Unsolicited manuscripts, photos Joanne Abbott Green and artwork are welcome; please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope to facilitate return. Postmaster: send address changes to CMJ New Music Report, 151 W. 25th St., 12th Fl.; New York, NY 10001 3 CMJ SEPTEMBER 29, 2003 REVIEWS MATES OF BELLE AND STATE SEBASTIAN Team Boo (Polyvinyl) Dear Catastrophe Waitress Mates Of State’s quintessential (Rough Trade-Sanctuary) modifier is “perky.” This is one Belle And Sebastian has been perky — and experimental — compared to Nick Drake ever band. The verse-chorus precedent since its first release, but with that many indie pop acts rely on is Dear Catastrophe Waitress, the almost non-existent on Team Boo, Scottish act’s sixth album, it may with songs like “Fluke” and “I Got start to be Beach Boys compar- This Feelin’” frequently mixing isons that get thrown its way bridges and choruses and flipping them out of order. Synths and instead. Working with producer Trevor Horn (Tatu, Frankie Goes keyboards play an enormous role in all of the group’s songs, so by To Hollywood) has given the group a renewed upbeat pop sensibil- the time “Parachutes (Funeral Song)” arrives with its piano intro- ity that will leave you tapping your feet, rather than crying in your duction, one is almost moved to jolt upwards in surprise. It’s a vodka tonic. It’s still clearly Scottish pop, but the new outlook now prime example of how Mates Of State, during even the saddest of allows a little California sunshine to poke through too, making moments, can use the minimal combination of Kori Gardner and “Step Into My Office, Baby,” even with its delicate string arrange- Jason Hammel’s vocals to lift every lyric to an optimistic peak. ments, as much of a “rock” song as Belle And Sebastian has ever Hammel immediately counteracts Gardner’s opening phrase of put down. “Roy Walker,” meanwhile, features a guitar sound “25 seconds to live and I’m falling down,” and the song moves on straight from the ’50s that could almost be called noisy. Remember in vocal layers from there. Gardner and Hammel indulge in spon- in High Fidelity, when John Cusack ponders, “Do I listen to pop taneous harmony nearly all the time on Team Boo — it’s not music because I’m miser- able, or does listening to R.I.Y.L.: Nick Drake, Beach Boys, always pitch-perfect, but Beulah it is earnest (and perky), R.I.Y.L.: Ben Folds, Guided By pop music make me miser- Voices, Spoon able?” Refreshingly, this is Contact: Drew Murray and that’s exactly what Phone: 212.599.2757, Ext.125 Contact: Seth Hubbard one Belle And Sebastian makes this simple pop Phone: 217.403.1752 Email: [email protected] ESSENTIAL album so great. Email: [email protected] record that won’t leave you Release and Add Date: Oct. 7; — Jayanthi K. Daniel Release and Add Date: out now; Sept. 23 asking the same question. Sept. 22 — Brad Filicky DAVID BOWIE T. RAUM- Reality (ISO–Columbia) SCHMIERE After releasing 25 studio albums Radio Blackout that saw him morph through (Mute–Novamute) stages of prog, singer/songwriter- It’s not often in electronic isms, glam, soul, pop, rock ’n’ music that you come across an roll, experimental and electronic album that’s seemingly des- music, there’s little that David tined to be played live. T. Bowie hasn’t done. And although Raumshmiere’s latest album, he’s become known for those fre- however, is that kind of record quent stylistic changes, with his — a killer blend of truly 26th record, Bowie doesn’t break new ground so much as he sim- fucked-up techno, Hip-Hop and electro, put together with a seri- ply recaps what made him so influential over the years. Re-teaming ously live punk rock attitude. You’ve already heard the first single, Bowie with producer Tony Visconti (who helmed some of Bowie’s “Monstertruckdriver,” a song that has become a “honk your greatest records), Reality is a very safe record that, much like last horn” anthem for rig drivers worldwide, but that’s only a small year’s Heathen, continues the attempt to recall the magic of the taste of what’s in store here.