Capricorn Records, 1999
Found this record at the nearby Salvation Army thinking it had to be something interesting. It had light blue colors as well as rather cutesy font on most of the record, yet the woman on the cover was aiming a gun at me. I had no idea whether I had an indie pop record in my hands or some kind of experimental noise outfit. Turns out I was wrong on both fronts.
Jucifer’s debut record is heavier than one might expect. A band consisting of only two people, the duo lays a very gritty sound while Amber Valentine’s high pitched, girlish vocals switches from yelping to singing patiently throughout each song. The band’s sound can’t be described as purely heavy metal with quick riffs and thrashing about, but it’s certainly not indie rock. It’s more like musical sludge, where the listener has to wade through and search for the occasions that make one interested in further listening.
Jucifer mostly dabbles with the slower stuff, like “Code Escovedo” and the great “Malibu”. Thankfully, they do manage to jack it up to a chaotic level with some explosive tunes like “Long Live the King” and “Superman”, which either come across as ripping headbangers or simply noise. I feel they’re aiming for the former, even if I have no idea what Valentine is yelling/whispering about most of the time. Then, suddenly, there’s a tune like “44: Dying in White” that has a chorus that sounds like it wants to be a surf pop tune, even if the music around it is certainly heavier. So, not only is this record a bit confusedly diverse, but Valentine’s frantic guitar work and Edgar Livengood’s thumping drums insists you listen to each track to see what they’ll do next.
Go see what Jucifer are up to on their website and, while you’re there, listen to a few tunes on MySpace in some other window.
It might take a few listens to appreciate the record, but in an age where most bands are being a little too precious to stomach, Jucifer gives hope that different approaches are still tried. I’m very happy to see that these guys weren’t a one-and-done outfit and are still putting out solid records, including their well-received 2008 release “L’autrichienne”. Since I’m still mining some appreciation out of this one, it was certainly a good dollar spent. Check out some Jucifer, people!
Universal Records, 1999
Can you guess why I picked up this record for a mere quarter at a downtown chain store? Check out that cover, man! It’s got a rather popping color scheme as well as a distinct film noir artistry. The guy looks like he’s either going to get hit by a car, shot by the evil dude reflected in the circular side mirror, or pull out a Tommy Gun and have at it in the middle of the street. I had no idea who these guys were but, like the Stratford 4, I felt I had to check this band out based on its very interesting cover art.
And so, that’s a quarter I would like to get back. Shades Apart deliver some acceptable rock that, to their credit, wasn’t too much like the usual crap from the end of the nineties. They didn’t go pop punk or rap metal, which was all the rage at the time thanks to Blink 182, Sum 41 and the Durst. However, Shades Apart did lean more towards a more heavier sound that leans on 3 Doors Down a bit, though not nearly as unlistenable. Songs like “Sputnik”, “100 Days”, and “Chasing Daydreams” are enjoyable as stock rock tracks, but one gets the feeling that the band held back for some reason. There’s no real height or eagerness to any of it, which perhaps might have made itself more evident in a live setting. On record, these guys have a very mid-nineties rock sound that never really gained much interest once the Gin Blossoms up and quit.
Have a listen to Shades Apart on MySpace if you wish!
This record ended up being a bust in my eyes because I (naively) expected much more from this record based on the cover art. If there was a song entitled something insipid like “Love is Forever” or if the band bothered to put their picture on the back cover, I may have been effectively forewarned. That said, the main issue with this record is that it didn’t have enough to make anyone take notice or care if these guys stuck around. As it turns out, the band only put out one other true record (with worse art) before calling it quits, so they probably got the message that music tastes were moving on.
Kemado Records, 2005
This record I actually knew one small thing about, and that is the first track of “Destination Diamonds”. I still find this song to be fantastic. It’s got a great build up, has a guy who sings with swagger and falsetto, and just a great riff throughout. “Baby do you like to mess around?” There’s no real mystery to this track’s intentions, and I still think it’s one everyone should listen to.
As for the rest of the record, well, sometimes the swagger falls a little short. The vocalist, Morgan Phalen, doesn’t fare as well without the heavy blend of instruments of “Destination Diamonds” and sometimes has a peculiar affectation in his voice that resembles Britt Daniel from Spoon. Daniel is able to make his vocals work given the craftsmanship of Spoon tunes, whereas Phalen sometimes comes across as a bit annoying to listen to. I think the slight let down of “Saturday Fantastic” and “Drip Drip” kills the momentum of “Destination..”, but thankfully the rest of the record turns in some great rock.
“It’s a Shokka”, “Red Hex” and “The Girl’s Attractive” are just great rock tunes. As the record rolls on, it’s apparent that if Phalen just stuck to singing without trying too hard to sound cool, then all of these songs would work. It’s evident as well that Diamond Nights need to stick to rock all the time, for they really make for an exciting, interesting listen.
Check out a few of their tunes on their MySpace page!
Even though I only expected a handful of good songs on this one, I got my money’s worth and more. Dude, this is totally worth a buck fifty.
Narnack Records, 2003
I’m a sucker for eye-catching album covers as well as album design, so when I picked up a very yellow, fold out record by Shesus I thought this one should be good. I wasn’t a fan of the band name … I mean what is this, some kind of lazy name decision based on what people say in close calls? Why not “Oopsie!” or “DUDE”? I imagine they wanted to go with ‘Jesus’ but then thought better of it and opted to alter that due to the high number of females in the band.
As one could imagine, a shattered record on the album cover wasn’t going to get any soft pop coming out of the speakers. The first track, “Holidazed”, sums up the energetic rock that Shesus blankets the entire record with. It’s this that they care about and not necessarily any kind of catchy element. In fact, due to the rather raw vocals and sometimes squealing guitars, Shesus rides the line of being catchy without truly endearing the listener to any one song. It reminds me of listening to grrl rock in a way since that kind of rock tends to be more brutal and awkward, though Shesus is more listenable. However, it is this non-catchiness that sinks the record, for people tend to like their rock n roll to have force but to also make them want to listen to tunes over and over. I couldn’t really find any songs on this record that I could identify as a ‘must listen’. So, despite the fact that they do a pretty good cover of David Bowie’s “Hang Onto Yourself”, this debut from Shesus really only comes across as a straight forward rock record that doesn’t have legs to it.
Since the band disbanded in 2004, there isn’t much to be found on the web about these guys. I’ll leave you with some clips, though.
Shesus clips
It might have been interesting to see what Shesus could have done for an encore second album, yet going out so early might destine this record to be long forgotten in dusty dollar bins across the country. But hey, cool cover!
