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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2000)
»Uly 21.2000 » IM S oart;3g Art You Can Live With So strong Sinead O’Connor’s back, Towa Tei’s bouncing, the Haggard’s bold, the Aislers Set’s best by European Inspired Fine Art Gallery, Gifts and Custom Framing K aty D avidson "Together Again" 4 2 2 9 NE Grand Ave $14 9 ,9 5 0 L ast C entury M odern Towa Tei • Elektra owa Tei really seems to have his shit together. Since his DJ job with the dance group Deee-Lite (famous for the rump-wiggling hit “Groove Is in the Heart”), he has quietly released three quality solo records with quirky samples, assertive beats and all-around creative production. His latest, Last Century Modem, is the soundtrack to the life of a lounge lizard who likes to hang out by the pool a lot. As the title suggests, Tei stirs up a collection of current interpretations of classic styles, such as jazz, funk, R&.B and lounge. The title track is the most creatively pre sented song on the record; it’s a stew of sounds (accordion, strings and piano) that seem to inhale and exhale together. “A Ring,” the sec ond song, is the most catchy. Tei rips his quin tessential lounge riffs and rolls them out over a framework of loopy beats and foreign lyrics. The product is a loose grid of sensual sound. The beginning of “Angel” sounds a little too much like Stereolab, but Tei ends the piece with an amazing, unique rhythmic jam. “Stretch Building Bamboo” first sounds like a robot thinking really hard, then later sounds like a robot thinking really hard underwater. The record is not flawless. It’s a hit boring and predictable at times, hut its thread of fresh ness makes it a worthy pickup. BRIAN M ARKI Fine A rt Sc F ra m in g 2 2 3 6 NE B roadw ay I 0-6 N on.-S at. / 2 4 9 -5 6 5 9 [ he most surprising thing about Faith and Courage is it’s actually good. More than a decade has passed since Sinead O ’Connor released her best record, / Do Not Want What 1 Haven't Got, and she has kept her fans crossing their fingers for a while, hoping this new one wouldn’t he the kiss of cheesy death. Fortunately for those hang ing on, Faith and Courage is as energetic and peaceful as a newborn baby. It feels as though O’Connor has lived inside the music for many months and finally has been set free. “I have a universe inside me / Where I can go and spirits guide me,” she sings on “The Healing Rcxim," the hymnlike opening track. “There I can ask on any question / I get the answers if I listen." These lyrics set the tone for the rest of the record, making it apparent O ’Connor seeks her religion within, not in the stars. The album’s first single, "No M an’s Woman," is primed to he a future lesbo anthem based on its title alone, but it’s also a tmly inspirational song with a rad message. O ’C on nor asserts: “I never wanna be no m an’s woman / 1 only wanna be my own woman / I haven’t traveled this far to become / N o m an’s T " 1 0 yr. Tax Abatem ent!" Riche rd Vow . GUI CENTURY 21 PENINSULA REALTY 503-804-9424 Cell/VM 503-286-5826 Office [0 1% Music M illennium R e c o r d s , T a p e s Towa Tei woman.” The song is upbeat, and it revolves around a chord progression I seem to remember the Spice Girls using a few years hack. (Note: The term “wanna he” is also in the chorus.) The middle of Faith and Courage is filled with quite a few quality tracks, but the last three songs are the most calming and beautiful on the whole record. “If U Ever” not only brings back the “U ” made famous in “Nothing Compares 2 U” hut also is constructed around an elegant Irish flute melody. “Emmas Song” is a lullabylike love song that builds slowly and nicely. The album’s final track, an interpreta tion of “Kyrie Eleison,” is everything you ever would hope for O ’Connor to deliver. Fans need not cross their fingers any longer. O ’Connor is hack, and she isn’t completely cheesy yet. i and C D ’ s S in c e 1 9 6 9 E d it. Rortland 32nd & E Burnside (503)231-8 9 ^6 NW Portland 23rd & N W Johnson (50 3) 2 4 8 -0 16 3 Rock» Folk» Jazz» Country» Soundtracks» Soul» Gospel» New Age» World» Bluegrass» Blues» Easy Listening» Oldies» Local» Cajun/Zydeco» Lounge» Rap» Broadway Cast» Classical and Much More! I : ; a rau . . i n _________ T he L ast M atch The Aislers Set • Slumberland F aith and C ourage Sinead O ’Connor • Atlantic N W /P e a rl District Alternative 3 bd, 2 ba, Family room, 2 0 7 0 sq ft Row houses, w / hardwoods, tiled accents, vaulted ceilings, gas fireplace, deck Only minutes to Downtown. r jx fs ü ju y ts iü M more ingenious album will not be released all year. How, you ask, can I make such a sweep ing judgment in mid-July? Listen for yourself: the thumping bass drum and wavering guitars on “The Way to Market Station," the tri umphant, wintry vocals of the new-wave “Hit the Snow," the heartbreaking storyline of “Chicago New York,” the singalong chorus of “The Red Door,” the Pet Sounds-like composi tion of “Bang Bang Bang,” and the melodies! The melodies! The Aislers Set’s melodies are way, way better than even No Doubt’s. The Last Match is second in my heart only to the Aislers Set’s haunting 1998 record, Terrible Things Happen. Buy both on vinyl, and don’t lis ten to anything else for at least six months. jir J D 'J T 0 Ì Pjj] A B ike C ity C alled G reasy The Haggard • Mr. Lady "hank God for liner notes. If the Haggard didn’t list the lyrics to its stings in the CD jacket, you might not realize how gcxxl a conscience ("For Matthew Shepard”) or sense of humor (“Tampons”) these two Portland- based dykes have. They perform with such ferocity, the lyrics often get buried by their gruff style. This is the point, though: to rock out hard and loud and fast and tough. And smart. And humorous. !)] } 'JAL Hi«»*™ É ¡ 1 u n »JL iaM K jiSl S w ii ■* w ¿iSK iiV a p s w w M 'v d m y m I v fp iii'm m m tm m ;;m r jjtz m i UattBltSLW iM . i m '-L% K aty D a v id s o n 225 - 5555+4600 ■— C E N T E R — AND T I CKE TS CALL rä M iacheeheader.com U uìujujì -*.. p REGAL. CINEMAS is a Just Out staff water who loves karaoke more than life itself. ■ IM M m ¡¡ifiÉu ¿JSp É t e &ä I m t w i m iü Ä ig i h r i f our** i / ,i mitrni f—-> — u w v .¡Sa w iv fK O /A / don ii htt Exclusive Engagement Starts Friday, July ---------------------- No Passes ■ ■ r ■ ■ ■ Mi ■ B l W B vm «aalt -— —_ Jon e.c om VI AOL Keyword M o v i p F orte
