Date: Wed, 5 Nov 1997 20:26:08 -0500 From: The Keggle Brothers Subject: "Luke, I am your father (and I run a label called 4AD)" Coming early in the new year from 4AD is "Anakin" - a compilation CD highlighting releases happening in 1998. It's too early for an exact tracklisting but you can imagine such usual suspects as Mojave 3, Lisa Germano, The Breeders, scheer and Lisa Gerrard making contributions - as well as some surprises too!! This will be a 4AD US release, sold at an attractive list price and serves as a handy teaser of what to expect next year in 4AD-land. Keep an eye out for "Anakin" in US stores in January or February - it looks to be a very nifty collection! JEFF "standard jawa stuff" KEIBEL SCARBOROUGH, ONTARIO CANADA Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 19:45:19 +0200 From: Strong Comet Subject: Anakin The long awaited 4AD sampler will be released in the UK on January 26th. This will be a digipack release only, and will be sold at the price of a single CD. Some new acts appear for the first time ( as I can recall), although Thievery Corporation does ring a bell. Tracklisting: 1. His name is alive - ain't no lie 2. Mojave 3 - to whom should i write 3. Scheer - say what you came to say 4. Lisa germano - reptile 5. Starry smooth hound - dreamt U in a dream 6. Gus gus - blue mug (demo version) 7. Thievery corporation - the foundation 8. The hope blister - dagger 9. Lisa gerrard & peter bourke - sacrifice 10. Kristin hersh - gazebo tree Didn't hear it yet, the sample should arrive this week, if they didn't forget to send it before going for the Christmas holiday. Date: Sun, 21 Dec 1997 15:33:09 EST From: CreigJ Subject: Re: Anakin (Thievery Corporation) Washington, DC-based Thievery Corporation are Eric Hilton and Rob Garza, and they have a disc from 1996 called Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi. It's on 18th Street Lounge Music (also in DC). "The Foundation" is one of the tracks from that album. They opened for Gus Gus in Washington the first time around back in July, and Baldur talked extensively with them, exchanging addresses. Thus the Thievery Corporation remix of "Polyesterday" on Baltimore's Shaken Not Stirred label was born. I'll be interested in seeing if Thievery Corporation do more with 4AD in the future. Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 16:11:01 -0800 From: matt Subject: Anakin happy eighteenth bithday to us. see 4AD spread its legs in the next issue of barely legal. the compilation Anakin will be released on february 2nd, but will not be released domestically in the US. i know that "domestically in the US" is redundant, but i'm trying to make this message applicable to those of you in other, lesser countries of the world. :-) now then, there will be no reason for any store in the US that stocks imports not to have a few copies of Anakin, since it will be available at a cd single price, which i've found to be $9.95 or $10.95 in most stores. now of course you may be asking "what about that list of cool stores you promised us so long ago, you lazy bum?" um, well, uh, er, i'll write it up soon. Anakin features tracks from upcoming 4ad releases by his name is alive, mojave 3, thievery corporation, gus gus, lisa germano, hope blister, kristin hersh, scheer, lisa gerrard & pieter bourke, and starry smooth hound. kristin hersh's second solo album "strange angels" will be available february 3rd on rykodisc in the US, february 2nd on 4AD elsewhere. lisa gerrard and pieter bourke will release (actually they won't do it, we will) their collaboration, "duality," on april 14th in the US on 4AD/WB and (i'm actually guessing, so the UK office better not get their feathers all ruffled if i'm wrong) on april 13th in the UK. upcoming, dates TBA: thievery corporation "sounds from the thievery hi-fi" the hope blister "...smile's o.k." mojave 3 his name is alive lisa germano "slide" starry smooth hound cuba gus gus (second LP) the breeders the birthday party (live) pixies (rarities) more? so there. be good. matt@4ad Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 17:06:11 -0800 From: Michael Scholtz Subject: anakin by purest luck, a copy of "anakin" fell into my hands last night. thought i'd share a few first impressions: hope blister: sounds exactly like 'blood'-era tmc, in large part due to the vocals of louise rutkowski. why bother to change the name? starry smooth hound: good stuff with rolling, aggressive bass and lots of rock energy. mojave 3: neil halstead must have been listening to a lot of dylan -- but not the words, just the music ... and maybe that's all for the best. gusgus: hey wait a minute, this track didn't suck! what a nice surprise! lisa gerrard: really a vocal showcase, her collaborator is barely noticeable. thievery corp: unremarkable trip hop. of all the dance bands in all the clubs in the world, ivo had to sign this one .... why? scheer: best track of the bunch. better than most of tanya donelly's recent work, though simiilar in approach. packaging: not going to win any converts. q: what is the extra hidden bonus track? sounds sort of like colourbox on a cloudy day. Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 06:35:55 EST From: CreigJ Subject: Re: anakin >q: what is the extra hidden bonus track? sounds sort of like colourbox >on a cloudy day. When the tracklisting for Anakin was revealed, I was surprised that there had been no mention of Cuba, since we'd heard about them even before Starry Smooth Hound and The Hope Blister. I wonder if the hidden track might be they... Oh, and Thievery Corporation's "The Foundation"...is not what I consider to be a standout track from Sounds from the Thievery Hi-Fi. Wait until you hear "2001 Spliff Odyssey"...And those guys sure can down a bottle of whiskey. CJ Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 11:19:11 -0800 From: matt Subject: Re: anakin >q: what is the extra hidden bonus track? sounds sort of like colourbox on >a cloudy day. >When the tracklisting for Anakin was revealed, I was surprised >that there had been no mention of Cuba, since we'd heard about >them even before Starry Smooth Hound and The Hope Blister. I >wonder if the hidden track might be they... it is indeed they. the track is called "havana." Date: Mon, 2 Feb 1998 14:24:58 +0000 From: David Thorpe Subject: It's finally here Anakin TAD8001CD Digipak "1998 - A Preview" Cover is negative photograph of bald man [VO?] standing in bushes with his back to us - wonder what he's doing? - with Dog superimposed on his head. I presume the Dog is Anakin. 1. His name is Alive : ain't no lie Recorded for "Emergency Album" maybe this will appear on the forthcoming long player, (maybe not) (Dan and Liz appear courtesy of Ida) 2. Mojave 3 : to who should i write (demo) Recorded at the farm in Cornwall, one from the forthcoming selection of new songs. 3. scheer : say what you came to say scheer write their songs on the acoustic guitar, then shift to the heavy electric sound. Here's one from the forthcoming album that stayed acoustic. 4. Lisa Germano : reptile Don't need no sunshine "...from this record I recorded with Tchad Blake" 5. starry smooth hound : dreamt u in a dream Through the colour tiptoe inside you on the way the colour swim through you faithless. 6. GUSGUS : blue mug (demo version) It's not hate, it's love 7. Thievery Corporation : the foundation Recorded at ESL Studios, Washington DC, an extract from the debut LP "Sounds From The Thievery Hi-Fi" soon to be released in Europe. (available in the US on Eighteenth Street Lounge) 8. The Hope Blister : dagger From the forthcoming album "...smile's ok" Producer: Ivo-Watts Russell, Voice: Louise Rutkowski, Bass: Laurence O'Keefe, String Arragement: Audrey Riley. Recording Engineer: Alex Russell, Mixing Engineer: John Fryer. Is this the idiot bastard son of TMC? 9. Lisa Gerrard & Pierer Bourke : sacrifice Through the surrender of mind and flesh we find sacrifice. Through sacrifice we understand our birthright; the ability to love absolutely. 10. Kristin Hersh : gazebo tree The new album "Strange Angels" released February Also available: "Hips and Makers" (Kristin solo) blah blah Also Recording: The Breeders and Cuba This package was Art Directed and Designed by Vaughen Oliver & Chris Bigg at v23. Photography by Chris Bigg at v23. 4AD Web Site http://www.4ad.com This Complication P & C 1998 4AD LTD (this package is dedicated to Anakin) Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 10:49:41 +0000 From: David Thorpe Subject: Short review: Anakin I said: >...plently of copies of [Anakin] in all record shops for...5 quid Andrew Norman said: >You wuz robbed! Two quid in my local emporium. Well, after having listened to the whole thing a few times I have to say I probably agree - not half as good as the "facing the wrong way" compilation I got for free a couple of years back - but then I'm not so terribly excitable as I used to be a couple of years ago either. 1. His Name is Alive : ain't no lie Never heard them do folk before, but there's a first time for everything. An acoustic guitar, Ida on vocals, quite pleasant - "oh, baby it ain't no lie - this life we're living is mighty high". If this is going to be included on the forthcoming album, either it's going to be compared to Woody Guthrie or this song will have to be radically redone. 2. Mojave 3 : to who should i write (demo) Small changes from Mojave 3 too. Hammond organ, piano and simple lead guitar - no drums of course, Neil Halstead on vocals. Also sounds acoustic. Nice, pretty, pretty forgettable. 3. scheer : say what you came to say Another acoustic number. By now I'm wondering if the compilation is ever going to rock - I would have expected at least scheer to make a noise above the -3dB point. 4. Lisa Germano : reptile Trashy drum intro, shimmering guitar and Lisa Germano's hallmark vocals. Somehow I think she's learnt something from the flirts with remixes and perhaps OP8 - this is a denser and much less theraputic sound than the previous albums. Those who whinced at the shameless insecurity of "geek the girl" and "happiness" can finally come out from under your matresses. 5. starry smooth hound : dreamt u in a dream If you'd said this was His Name is Alive, I'd have agreed with you. Vinnie Miller doesn't have particularly strong vocals, the heavy guitars are right down in the mix, a synthesiser glides over the top. It's okay - I think I'd like to hear more. Presumably this was produced by Guy Fixen [of Laika and Moonshake fame] but it doesn't really show. 6. GUSGUS : blue mug (demo version) Never been much of a fan of the gus gus stuff, this doesn't sound bad though - if you put this somewhere near the middle of the Hoover / Hooverphonic album it wouldn't be out of place. 7. Thievery Corporation : the foundation An updated colourbox - samples and loops galore, but updated for the modern disko floor. 8. The Hope Blister : dagger Probably the one many of you are anticipating - Ivo Watts-Russell knows he's onto a good thing with the TMC stuff and thus has taken the opportunity to not change a single note. This song's by Neil Halstead, but it doesn't really show - layers upon layers of post-production. I think it's a shame, but many of you will disagree I know! 9. Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke : sacrifice As has been said before, Pieter Bourke doesn't really get a look in here - it's the typical sonic cathedral of sound we've come to expect. I've never been able to take LG seriously since the interviews on the <> video - "Through the surrender of mind and flesh we find sacrifice. Through sacrifice we understand our birthright; the ability to love absolutely." It's utter bollocks isn't it? 10. Kristin Hersh : gazebo tree I'll post a review of the new KH disk soon. 11. Cuba : havana More dancing for the disko floor - heavier than anything else on this cd, strong bassline, a few screams and shimmering guitars. Nice work if you can get it. Date: Tue, 3 Feb 1998 12:22:15 EST From: Freak4ad@AOL.COM Subject: A counter review: Anakin 1. His Name is Alive : ain't no lie Never heard them do folk before, but there's a first time for everything. An acoustic guitar, Ida on vocals, quite pleasant - "oh, baby it ain't no lie - this life we're living is mighty high". If this is going to be included on the forthcoming album, either it's going to be compared to Woody Guthrie or this song will have to be radically redone. I heard a folk song on a Soil Samples 7" a few years ago by HNIA. I like this alot (though I am a huge fan of IDA). It doesn't have Defever's eccentricities evident, although maybe the fact that it is a folk song is one of his eccentricities. Very good start. 2. Mojave 3 : to who should i write (demo) Small changes from Mojave 3 too. Hammond organ, piano and simple lead guitar - no drums of course, Neil Halstead on vocals. Also sounds acoustic. Nice, pretty, pretty forgettable. The changes are small--gotta hear the rest of the album to determine that. It is very warm and reminded me of some of the new material they were playing in concert last time I saw them. I actually think this sounds more memerable (though I love their last album) than anything from the last album. It is warm and the lyrics stick in my head. Love the organ sound. Not forgettable. 3. scheer : say what you came to say Another acoustic number. By now I'm wondering if the compilation is ever going to rock - I would have expected at least scheer to make a noise above the -3dB point. It says inside the album, Scheer starts off acoustic before adding the hard stuff. THis song made me want to cry. Her vocals have really developed (which I noticed on the song Obsession). One of the better songs of Scheer. I want to see how the rocked out future version sounds with her sweet vocals. Amazing. 4. Lisa Germano : reptile Trashy drum intro, shimmering guitar and Lisa Germano's hallmark vocals. Somehow I think she's learnt something from the flirts with remixes and perhaps OP8 - this is a denser and much less theraputic sound than the previous albums. Those who whinced at the shameless insecurity of "geek the girl" and "happiness" can finally come out from under your matresses. This was amazing. The vocals are very drone and interesting. This is a strong song. It does sound more theraputic (supposedly the new album will be a bit more upbeat). It doesn't remind me of the OP8 stuff at all though. Very Lisa. 5. starry smooth hound : dreamt u in a dream If you'd said this was His Name is Alive, I'd have agreed with you. Vinnie Miller doesn't have particularly strong vocals, the heavy guitars are right down in the mix, a synthesiser glides over the top. It's okay - I think I'd like to hear more. Presumably this was produced by Guy Fixen [of Laika and Moonshake fame] but it doesn't really show. Very interesting. The music is strong. I agree his vocals don't stand out that much, but he is trying. Reminds me of some of the older 4AD stuff to be honest around the time of Swallow. 6. GUSGUS : blue mug (demo version) Never been much of a fan of the gus gus stuff, this doesn't sound bad though - if you put this somewhere near the middle of the Hoover / Hooverphonic album it wouldn't be out of place. Hooverphonic baby. This is a great track. Her vocals work in well with the electronic aspect. Very etherial and dreamy. 7. Thievery Corporation : the foundation An updated colourbox - samples and loops galore, but updated for the modern disko floor. The only track I didn't care for. I liked the samples and some of the music (low choruses,etc.) I HATED the regee voice. Irritating. Change the vocals and this would be great. I like for the most part 4AD's take on electronica. 8. The Hope Blister : dagger Probably the one many of you are anticipating - Ivo Watts-Russell knows he's onto a good thing with the TMC stuff and thus has taken the opportunity to not change a single note. This song's by Neil Halstead, but it doesn't really show - layers upon layers of post-production. I think it's a shame, but many of you will disagree I know! THis is awesome. Not the bastard son of TMC--it is the updated TMC. I can't wait for this album. Glad to hear Louise's voice again. Why a shame? It is beautiful--one of the best racks (boy, are you jaded :) 9. Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke : sacrifice As has been said before, Pieter Bourke doesn't really get a look in here - it's the typical sonic cathedral of sound we've come to expect. I've never been able to take LG seriously since the interviews on the <> video - "Through the surrender of mind and flesh we find sacrifice. Through sacrifice we understand our birthright; the ability to love absolutely." It's utter bollocks isn't it? It might be crap, but I don't base my music listening on what she has to say. Sure, she is pretentious. But the music is terrific. I thought that Pieter Bourke would use more precussion like in Eden, but he didn't on this track. Another album I am dying for. 10. Kristin Hersh : gazebo tree I'll post a review of the new KH disk soon. I hated her cd at first, now I can't stop listening to it (took two months though). I really love this track. Buy the new album. 11. Cuba : havana More dancing for the disko floor - heavier than anything else on this cd, strong bassline, a few screams and shimmering guitars. Nice work if you can get it. Good, but I want vocals (like the screams--they work). Gotta hear more. This is gonna be a great year! Date: Thu, 5 Feb 1998 23:42:50 +0000 From: Andrew Norman Subject: Kristin Hersh & Anakin Like David I bought both these this week. Anakin first: HNIA I'm not too familiar with, but this is a pleasant little country song. Mojave 3 - ditto. I can't help regretting the move away from Slowdive's optimism and willingness to experiment, to this musical conservatism - "Pygmalion" is without a doubt the most radical album Creation have released, and one of the best, the Mojave 3 album is OK but not something I feel any great urges to listen to frequently. Scheer - ditto, part two (almost). I bought Frank Zappa's "Laether" recently and love it, even the "controversial" songs which later appeared on "Sheikh Yerbouti" and are my least favourite bits of Zappa (a lot of his supposedly satirical sexual stuff is just the sound of a little boy giggling because he's said "titties"). Anyway, I have decided that one of the reasons I don't like SY isn't the material so much as the polished commercial rock production, and in the same way I like Scheer when schorn of the heavy metal guitar twiddling and stripped down. But I'm still not going to buy the album, thanks. Lisa Germano - made a tape of LG stuff this evening to listen to while HTML hacking at work. Thought she was going to be one of those 4AD short-term marginal acts when she first appeared, but she's one of the strongest performers on the label now. I suppose it's still too much to hope that the next album doesn't contain any songs about how fat and ugly she is. Starry Smooth Hound - dull. Listened to this in the supermarket tonight and it didn't make any impression at all. Gusgus - my first exposure, and again didn't make any impression. Plodding dance, like... Thievery Corporation - need a generic dancey soundtrack for a TV documentary? This will do. Lisa Gerrard - either you buy into the ecstatic cathedrals of emotional catharsis thing or you don't. Po-faced pretension to my ears, if I want to hear this sort of stuff I'll listen to an opera. I hate opera. Cuba - see Thievery Corporation. I really hope Ivo isn't aiming to fill the 4AD roster with dance acts, as he has rotten taste. Missed Kristin Hersh off - the album gets a pasting in this week's NME, I love it but I agree with the NME review that it's unlikely to win new fans. Nothing really stands out, it's not as varied as "Hips & Makers", it's just three quarters of an hour of Kristin and guitar plus the occasional addition (did she learn to play the cello or has someone's name been missed off the credits?). Long-term Muses fans like me will be happy with anything Kristin does, even if it's no "House Tornado" (cue the "she made better music when she was mad" debate). It's a bit like each new Fall album, you know it's not as good as the stuff they did in their peak but it's great to hear something new. Date: Mon, 9 Feb 1998 19:50:38 +0100 From: Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen Subject: Anakin Ok, so you've all gone through the track listing and all, so I won't do that. But: Wow! It's *good*. _Dagger_ is TMC The Way We Like It. Ivo is really good at making tracks where there's enough space to let the vocalist really shine, and when you've got someone as fantastic as Louise Rutowski to show off, you can't go wrong. Which he doesn't. Well, that was the biggest surprise (after the disappointing _Blood_), but otherwise all the tracks range from quite good to very good indeed. I guess the iffiest track is the Thievery Corporation one, which seems kinda amateurish -- I think I know how they want it to sound, but they aren't able to pull it off properly. Hm. I think this may be a quite interesting year for 4AD. Date: Tue, 10 Feb 1998 21:21:44 -0500 From: Jeff Keibel Subject: Double glazed to dumbness "Anakin" is a pretty nice compilation. It serves as a nice companion to the recently reissued "Natures Mortes" sampler. Eighteen years from the sounds of Mass and Last Dance to such new signings as Cuba and gusGus shows that 4AD, under Ivo's direction, is just as diverse as ever. "Nature Mortes" is more than just an exercise in digital posterity; there really ARE songs, good songs from the first two years of 4AD and CAD117CD illustrates this well. Like Cedric, I've lived with these songs for years and years. I can appreciate them more now as opposed to those who just gave it a couple cursory listenings... John Dent, who remastered all the Go-Betweens albums recently for Beggars Banquet, did a splendid job polishing the original master tapes for the CD reissue of "Natures Mortes". Hearing "Anakin" for the first time was an experience. His Name Is Alive paired down to just a guitar and voices in a gentle folk-like tangent is just another in a series of Warren giving us insight into what mindset he's up to these days. I like the fact HNIA rarely repeat themselves, which is nice when compared to some groups that never deteur from their preset musical road map. Audrey from scheer sings a beautiful slow number that definitely shows the group is rather adept at creating great songs - regardless if they're acustic or coated in caustic guitars. Her vocals are better than ever before on this new track. The Mojave 3 track was replaced by a sombre Bob Dylan song on my copy but sounded great regardless. Neil Halstead sounds both comforting and eriely haunting on this song. Lisa Germamo's teaming up with Tchad Blake was a good idea. I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of her new album with Blake's production. starry smooth hound (all lower caps, by the way - like scheer) sound like a more edgier Red House Painters. I'm waiting to hear more from Vinnie to get more of an idea what his sound is like overall. The demo version "Blue Mug" from gusGus sounds really good - Hafdis on vocals, the pace and feel of the song work effectively at building upon the slower Emaliana Torrini side of the group. I agree that the Thievery Corporation track isn't the most ideal song to introduce the group with but I like "Sounds From A Thievery Hi-Fi" and repeated listenings warmed me up to them even more. The Hope Blister picks up where "Blood" left off - "Dagger" is a Slowdive cover (Neil gets the most royalties from "Anakin") sung by former This Mortal Coil vocalist Louise Rutkowski. Her smooth vocals also graced her 1993 project on Interscope called The Kindness Of Strangers or Hope... I'm not sure what's the album title or what's the name of the group. Get it? Hope and Ivo's Hope Blister?? Lisa Gerrard's collaboration with Pieter Bourke on "Sacrifice" is "Mirror Pool"-like but really doesn't have a lot of Bourke on overt display. Gerrard sounds amazing, as per usual. Her "Duality" album should be a treat. Kristin Hersh is featured with a track from her new solo album which came out the same day as "Anakin". "Gazebo Tree" is a nice highlight from her "Strange Angels" album. No word on if 4AD will do a single yet for Kristin. Why wasn't Cuba listed on the tracklisting? Their "hidden" track called "Havana", at the end of Kristin's song is not bad at all. It's kind of a more guitar based gusGus sound, the most aggresive song on "Anakin". CUBA1, CUBA2, CUBA3... Etc, etc... --- Coming soon: the Canadian version of "Anakin", with an expanded tracklisting. More details to come but there may be a new track from The Breeders and other surprises. Out on March 24th via 4AD/PolyGram... JEFF KEIBEL TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADA Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 07:26:54 -0500 From: Cedric Caspesyan Subject: An Akin Review Of Nikana As I'm slowly getting new 4ad releases coming in each weeks, I thought it was my time to send my review on this neet TAD affair. I personally believe that they are 6 outstanding tracks on Nikana. The rest goes from good to hmm.. forgetable. But I'll go from track to track : 1) His Name Is Alive: Ain't No Lie Oustanding track number one. Yes indeed, a full album of this would sound a little lazy, but the trick which HNIA is that they keep on being imprevisible from one track to the other. Sometimes you barely recognize them, but then when you're informed that it's them you go : Of course ! It does sound like it's them ! Cute shivery voice with sunnyside guitar, soft stabled vocal accompaniement and a very subtle element that makes it sound like a definite Warren remix afterall, and I'm not speaking of dryness or anything textural, but about the farm rooster we can hear in the background at 0:45/0:46. 2)Mojave 3: To Whom Should I Write Well, I don't know how, but I thought of Pale Saints going acoustic in their happiest moments. A bit sugary for me. I find that, on the contrary of what I hear from many here, at least half of the Ask Me Tomorrow cd is far superior to this tracks. But then, Mercy wasn't one of them and everybody else cries when they listen to it, right ? This stuff, the beginning of this cd I mean, is morning stuff. You will agree that this cd tends to spread its tracks following the time movement of day. Like, the last track sounds like you're at 4 am before going desperately to sleep (Hersh). 3)scheer: Say What You Came To Say About Noon or beginning of Afternoon : outstanding track number two. And I must add that I prefer Scheer when they're really dark and sinister. Isn't this their first happy track ? Well, almost happy. Well, kinda sad-happy, hmmm.. Or was it all that whiney ? The sound is in no way experimental. I mean, we're not that far from mainstream here. But what makes the difference are the shifts in intonation, chord and mood. There's that little RHP reminiscent section which oozes like a sudden tear then way back to smile. And the lyrics are sung like they are felt. And that bright guitar sound, and backvocals like you didn't hope. Ahh.... 4)Lisa Germano: Reptile Lisa discovering the joys of masturbation. Ahh...Kidding : I love Lisa a whole lot, but this tracks sounds too average for me, like, forgetable Lisa. The akward part being : there is not a lot of forgetable Lisa Tracks. The best part about this track are the lyrics, still making her sound like she's the coolest girl in town afterall, as much as she'd hope to for the geekest. It's a good track, but the kind I listen coming back from work, whistling in a car. Nothing perticulary intense. 5)Starry Smooth Hound: Dreamt You In A Dream Wow... Re-wow... Outstanding Track number three. In fact, my second best track in all these. And at first listen, it sounds repetitive and boring : it just grows from there. It's Jeff Buckley without the exaggeration, combining the maturity and downplay of recent Radiohead with the beginner experimentations of an harshy umperfectionist UVS-meets-Loop in this attempt at dissecting the ghost of Big Star with umbrellas and sewing machines. Or.. whatever. The drums at the end should come in much louder and deeper (note to sound engineer), but this is my only bad comment. It's 4ad as we love it : I need these sad tunes to whine with in the evening while shaving just before I go out. I need a good cry before I start with the next joke. 6)Gus Gus: Blue Mug (Demo Version) Outstanding Track number four. gusGus distanciating themselves at trying to be the coolest of techno acts, and making great "songs". I always said that I thought gusGus were at best bringing techno into songwriting instead of making so many forgetable dance remix that nobody will remember in a few years from now. Less extension and greater substance is toward what they should aim, and I think this track works quite fine in that matter. Not too long (like Believe), and moody enough to sustain the lyrical part, sung by an advantaged Hafdis whom I hope will get even more place in the future singings. She does make that song sound very "4ad" in the popularely acknowledged sense. The guitar sounds very "shoegazed", but that's just them playing with musical styles. It's a great great great track. 7)Thievery Corporation: The Foundation Hmm.. from the critics I've read, I expected some newground Barry Adamson, but this is trip-hop looping a synthesized TMC chord. Forgetable, yes, as much as The Orb making trip-hop could be nowadays (we're in 1998, things moved so fast), but I have a track here somewhere from them that is much better, and their cd has been encensed by critics here and there (probably influencing their signing?). Not a bad track as it is, fluffy and aetherial (Of 3 4ad techno acts : gusgus are the submarine, Thievery the airplane, and Cuba, well, I guess they must be some crane or something...) but, er, skippable when you're in mood for the next track... : 8)The Hope Blister: Dagger Being twice a bastard son myself, this is the music of my history. This is Ivo proving again that he's the best, regardless of the admiration he reserves for all the people he is signing. Not only Outstanding, this is my favorite track on this release. Or is the shame on me for being such a cliche fan ? Now, since I use a lot of these sampled and reverbarated loops in some stuff I do, I feel like I can permit myself the arrogancy at smiling at those parts where the pitch knob is turned from high to low at beginning and end : that's just a little bit cheesy, but everything else is perfect here and in place at building a song's evergrowing intensity. Louise's voice reminds me of a tempered Dagmar Krause, and the lavishing soundtrack needs not mention the millenium at which it is inferring : its destiny is eternal. Boy am I going to laugh at this rubbish in a few days... Man, someone stops me RIGHT NOW !! Especially before I go about : Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke: Sacrifice Is this shit ? No, it's Oustanding Track number 6 and last. Yep, Lisa got me again with her growling glossolalias. But there's this thing with her music. Sometimes, when it's not the right time, I just laugh at it. Like it's too much. Like I'm in the front row in a cathedral with everybody listening with deep reactions around me and I'd start to laugh very loud. Like the more irreverencious I can get, the more amused I'll be. But when comes the time I'm ready for this sort of fearful-gothic postmodern grace, what a deliverance ! I feel like I can still let the kid in me be impressed and forget a moment all the snobism that enticed and stained my experience and knowledge. Yes, Lisa, you can still make me cry. You can still make me "believe" when I look at my shadow that there may be a soul hided inside. Thanks Lisa. About the pretentiousness of her dialect, I have this Aussie friend and, well, he's into a lot of spiritual talk and "Dreamtime" meets "Reincarnation" theories, and I find him often hard to follow. Perhaps it's just a natural way for some of these people to express themselves. Like they don't even realize they are living 20 feets above the ground. It has nothing to do with thinking they're more "evolved" than we are and stuff, It has to do with the strange climates over there. They just smile and talk about spirits and smile and... Kristin Hersh: Gazebo Tree Ronfl... (snort) Ronfl...(snort) I'm a big admirator of Kristin but this is of b-side quality. A small repetitive (just doesn't work for this one) piece that sound like one among others, however sincere Kristin may express herself in her vocal twang. It's felt, but doesn't surpass a few listens. Perhaps this should have been cut down to a one minute ditty ? After three minutes, you want to stop all this whining. I'm mean, I hope she don't read this. Cus usually it's the whiney aspect of her voice that I adore.... She's a great songwriter so her ghosts will influence her for better soon enough. Cuba: Havana Is this a new project from some ex-Wolfgang Press ? Sounds like some remix tracks accompanying the Funky Little Demons cd. Which were nothing impressive as so this isn't. Sexy ? Wait, this is not soul music. This is starting cool, than getting silly with disappointment. Annoying simili-trumpet pattern that knocks in your head like you're dying to forget it. Too much reverb making them sound like they are hoping to make it big in stadiums bringing techno with cowboy guitars and nasty screams just begging for entertainment. And, ho well, I know the trumpet is a real one but howcome it sounds like a bore sample ? Sexy is a nice saxophone with very bare or no processings. That said, I trust 4ad, and I wouldn't be surprise to jump for masterpiece as soon as I hear other stuff from them. This is just one track, nothing to make any judgments, and... I mean,... mean, that's what I mean... Mean the guy, Mean me. I don't like to say bad comments. Date: Thu, 12 Feb 1998 21:13:38 -0700 From: shar everett Subject: Re: fyi on Anakin ummm... luke skywalker's father. yes and anakin was also the 4ad mascot dog. an adopted stray that hung around the office... so i was told by an ex la. employee... Date: Wed, 4 Mar 1998 18:21:51 -0500 From: Jeff Keibel Subject: Send a rocket for Red (Atkins) "Anakin" in Canada will come out at the end of March but it was decided to release it "as is" without extra tracks due to the added time delay required to get a new track from The Breeders. A jewel case version will be the format of choice in Canada... Date: Thu, 12 Mar 1998 22:13:31 -0500 From: Jeff Keibel Subject: Re: The Breeders Perfect Sound Forever wrote: > Any information about the Breeders track to be included on the > US/Canadian versions of "Anakin"? As for the Canadian version, I'm the victim of early speculation. It turns out that in order to include a new track from The Breeders meant that the release date would be much, much later. The version that will come out in Canada on PolyGram has the UK tracklisting along with "Havana" from Cuba aka "track 11". Released on March 24th in a regular jewel box. Also out there is the European Play It Again Sam version. What other versions are out there? Just the three?? Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 04:37:25 -0500 From: Jeremy L Orr Subject: Anakin: the headache medicine His Name is Alive, "Ain't No Lie". Cute, but less cute with every listen. Annoying. Mojave 3, "To Whom Should I Write (demo)". From the forthcoming CD/LP, _The Wallflowers Unplugged_ (CAD 8010). This does nothing for me, and the same goes for all the new material I heard on the RealAudio recording of their SXSW performance. I loved _Ask Me Tomorrow_, but now I'm casting my vote with the "for *this* he ended Slowdive?" crowd. Scheer, "Say What You Came to Say". The big surprise - I LOVE this song. I've never even remotely liked anything I've heard by Scheer in the past, but this is beautiful, a really incredible song. Audrey (?) sounds a lot like Karen Peris (the Innocence Mission) here, especially when she slides down a note within the same syllable. Lisa Germano, "Reptile". God is a soul masturbator? Wow. :G) And that "hooooo-hoo-hoo" part gets stuck in my head so easily. I'm starting to like Lisa a lot. Starry Smooth Hound, "Dreamt U in a Dream". The best song here, no contest...the first time I heard it, all the hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end. And every time I've listened to it since then, I've discovered something new that I hadn't noticed before. Sort of reminds me of Jeff Buckley - not so much in the voice, but in the overall sound, the way it feels and the way it affects me. It's that similar longing, an urgency. I can't wait to hear more. (What do we know about this V Miller? Has he put out any music before, either solo or as part of a band? And am I remembering correctly that Guy Fixsen was working with him on this project?) Gusgus, "Blue Mug (demo version)". *yawn* Thievery Corporation, "The Foundation". I'm with those who have classified these guys as generic, uninteresting electronica. Might as well be from the Crystal Method (and you don't get much more bland and unoriginal than that). The Hope Blister, "Dagger". I absolutely hated this at first...and I still don't like the first minute or so. I can't get used to hearing Neil Halstead's mumbly lines rendered with so much enunciation and vibrato. But when she sings "the world is full of noise here" and the music shifts into another segment, it starts making sense. Musically, this song sounds like many of the TMC covers, but that's not such a bad thing, I guess. Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke, "Sacrifice". This would've made a nice instrumental track, but when that obnoxious voice comes on, I start laughing. She sounds like a cartoon character, but I can't remember exactly who it is. Anyway, I've always thought that Lisa (solo or with DCD) has been nothing short of unfailingly daft, so I guess I was predisposed to not like this. Music for poseurs who wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole if it weren't released by 4AD. Interesting album artwork, though, if the postcard I got today is any indication. (It also contains the best description of Dead Can Dance that I've ever read: "a band whose US sales exceed one million units". For some reason, my card came with "Eric Clapton/Pilgrim" stamped over the review quotes...odd.) Kristin Hersh, "Gazebo Tree". Another disappointment. I hope this isn't supposed to be one of the better tracks on the album.