CHRIS
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SCAMIT
INDY AIR to FAkie
Photo Spike
Stix
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RECORD
MADONNA
Like A Prayer
Sire Records, LP
RS
XNO
COLLECTION
Oh Madonna, my voluptuous
virginal visionary. Once again I have
been enchanted by the sweet sound
of your soulful syrupy crooning and
the sight of your bare glistening
bosom. As if those blessings aren't
enough, they're accompanied
(through the wonders of inner sleeve
impregnation) by the heavenly patch-
culi drenched scent of your most in-
timate boudoir apparel. Once Like a
Virgin, now Like a Prayer, your pop
icon appeal will live eternally in the
hearts and hormones of American
Mudhoney and Soundgarden for a
potent hard rock whallop with twice
the depth and punch of their back-
to-basics hard rock competition.
They're better versed in 70's
Zeppelin spuzz than any currently in
vogue Aerosmith-ists. An endearing
spontaneity and franticness, a gritty,
Axl-sound-alike frontman and a
knack for superb song construction
are just a few of their attributes. Mind
you, this four-song Ep is only an in-
dication of the punch a full-length Lp
will pack. The lead track. "Thru Fade
Away" kicks the record into ravenous
Not Out (probably the Mag's fastest
recorded moment to date), the sheer
power and intensity remain. MG
THE DICKIES
Second Coming
Enigma, Lp.
The Dickies are one of those
bands you've always had fun with,
from the punk days to the present.
They slipped away after the Stukas
Over Disneyland Lp and now they're
back, but something has been lost.
They are still completely silly, but I
don't know how they can consider
this a second coming. Nothing here
is really monumental. We get lots of
cliché song titles that just don't ring
the bell, songs like "Cross Eyed
Tammy" and "Going Homa." The
rendition of "Hair" falls short of
weak. Only in the final moments do
the Dickies light up the torch with
"Caligula" and the ridiculous "I'm
Stan." If you want the real fun back,
find the recently released Greet
Dictations-Dickies Collection on
another label. MH
THE CULT
youth. Thousands of fresh-faced effect, and MLB's overwhelming rock SONIC TEMPLE
catechism graduates will polish their
rosary beads to the pulsing beat of
"Love Song," a brilliant collaboration
with that pint-sized psychedelic
songsmith/satyr Prince. "T Death
Do Us Part is a visionary experience
that embodies the torrential force of
my devotion. Never mind the close-
minded puritans who call you a
heretic. Forget Sean and your most
ardent admirers (men like Henry
Rollins and Christian Hosoi). Sing
your songs to me and I'll shower you
with tenderness and caress your
stigmata till the very end of time. KM
MOTHER LOVE BONE
Shine
Stardog/Polygram, Ep
Mother Love Bone is the first Seat-
Ble/Green River offspring to make
major label connections. They've for-
saken the discordant extremities of
psyche doesn't let up. The sooner
these Northwest wailers put out an
album, the better. MG
CRO-MAGS
Best Wishes
Profile, Lp
In the past three years they have
had line-up changes, managerial
disputes and countless personal
problems, not to mention every sort
of in-studio mishap imaginable. A
break-up seemed almost certain,
and it was doubtful the second Cro-
Mags studio effort would ever see the
light of day. Lesser bands would have
thrown in the towel, but the one-time
reigning kings of NYC "hard" are
made of sterner stuff, re-debuting
with an Lp that exceeds already high
expectations. Old fans will be taken
aback by the band's increased
"metalization." They're taking a
chance by not duplicating the sound
of album numero uno, but the
Cro-Mag stamp of brutality remains.
Ex-frontman John Bloodclot's
venomous shrieks have been
replaced by bassist Harvey Flanna-
gan's somewhat capable "HR meets
Mustaine warbling. He's straining.
but he pulls it off wonderfully, wax-
ing Robert Plant on the chugging.
"The Only One" Not to worry, from
the bomb-blast opening of the lead
track. "Death Camps," to "Down But
THE CULT
Sonic Temple
Sire Records, Lp
This sixth Lp from the Cult is
another confused chapter in the saga
of a band struggling to decide where
to go. They've decided it's okay to
demerit Rick Rubin now for his input
on Electric, thus the non-Rubinized
underground versions of said Lp's
currently floating around. Sonic Tem-
ple, with its posing cover, finds the
Cult somewhere in between earlier
releases Dreamtime and Love,
perhaps going backwards to recap-
ture fans lost when they made the
Electric change. The opening track.
"Sun King has a good Cult feel. It's
probably the best cut on the album;
the rest quickly fall face down. "Fire
Woman" focuses on lan's whining
voice and suffers from disorganized
musical direction. The video of this
track is not only pathetic, but it shows
how unoriginal they are. The Cult has
gone from Indian fashion to sporting
iron crosses, and the confusion is
evident as they drown in their own
misfortune MH
THE FIXX
Calm Animals
RCA Records, LP
I am definitely not what you'd call
a Fixx fan, but this release caught me
MG MGM Mark Halderman KKMB Ban Schroeder JBJS
off guard. It's exceptionally good and
well-delivered. There's a captivating
magic in every note of the melodies.
At first I figured the Fixx was trying
to go the route of U2, but this album
has a sophistication all its own.
Strong structuring with good guitar
and drum sounds support vocalist Cy
Curnin, who really pushes the emo-
tion in his voice. Some of the notes
he achieves are quite chilling. From
the hit "Driven Out" to "Sub-
terranean" to "Gypsy Feet" to the ti-
tle track, the Fixx are definitely a
band to notice. I have listened to this
release more than just a few times
and it's become a personal fave JS
BOB MOULD
Work Book
Virgin, Lp
Bob Mould is exorcising demons
He's stepping away from Husker
Du's eight-year legacy of soul-
burning melodies and bone-crushing
riffs, ingredients he'd do well to
remember. His eagerly awaited.
semi-acoustic solo album is a col-
ossal disappointment. The bulk of
this overly self-conscious effort
comes up flat and forgettable.
Though he is far from a poignant
lyricist, Bob does have moments of
chilling melancholy, as on
"Sunspots" "Poison Years" and
"Compositions for the Young." The
rest basically come up flat. MG
SONIC YOUTH
DAYDREAM NATION
SONIC YOUTH
Daydream Nation
Blast First Records, Lp
Though not as noisy and chaotic
as one might expect, this latest Sonic
Youth double platter is still extremely
raw, but a bit more accessible to the
masses. The opening track. "Teen
Age Riot sucks you in with a calm
tempo while the guitars buzz up your
brain, and the persistence makes you
backtrack to replay. Definitely a
strong point. A majority of the tracks
are in this fluid vein, but there are
also the ones that explode into a fron
zy, such as the three-part "Trilogy"
which creates an electric "wall of
sound." "Eliminator Jr" finishes off
the set with a true punk feel and
enough crazed mayhem of flailing in-
struments to blast you out of the
daydream. If you have been hesitant
to experiment with Sonic Youth, this
could be the one that takes you for
the vicious ride. BS