Milk Crate cuz some old music is good music

Legs Akimbo “In Sickness and in Health” Joyful Noise Music. Totally capable rock from a connecticut band, that probably thought their cd would be reviewd five years ago. How can you not like a band that kicks off their album with a song called When all the Rolling Stones Are Dead? and then wraps the disc with an acousitc version of the same tune buried deep after five minutes or so of silence? Ooh, secret bonus tracks. I’m not supposed to mention those, am I? Jerry Seinfeld “I’m Telling Your For The Last Time” Universal. It was 1998, and Seinfeld had shakken the shackles of weekly situaion comedy. He was back on the stage, and with the sharpened vision of a post Sept. 11, 2001 world, this CD is pleasently naive – and quite funny. In a bit on air travel, he pokes fun at the razor disposal slots in the bathrooms. If you’ve never seen them, they’re like the ones in some motel rooms. Anyway, noone is shaving with razors on planes these days, right? The joke would be written quite differenlty if Seinfeld wrote it after the attacks.
But back tot he comedy, it’s wholesome, clean, well-considered lines of humorous observations. Like most good comedy, it rings true. From questioning why McDonalds needs to keep uping the number of bugers it boasts haveing sold, to confirming that the hand holding the remove control is tha last part of the body to fall asleep. He’s funny, even if you never cared much for the show and roll your eyes at the notion that it’s an accurate reflection of life in NYC, you’ve got to admit Seinfeld is sometimes very funny. Natalie Merchant “Motherland” Warner Bros. I’ve probably listened to this album more than any other of the past two years. She takes herself so seriously, yet manages to pull it off without pretense. From the orchestral “Henry Darger” to the goose-pimpling “Golden Boy,” the cd takes listeners on a musical journey far afield and deep inside the psyche. It’s so heavy at times, you have to roll down the windows for air. But Merchant doesn’t forget to have a little fun, as in “Put the Law on You,” a threatening warning to the low-down and dirty among us. One of my favorites, “Build a Levee” is sound advice to anyone tempted by the darker side. Such a beautiful voice, and so, so Mother-earthy seated under that fruit tree on the cover. Get Motherland. - Sheryl Crow “C’mon, C’mon” A&M. It’s always hard to pin this one down. Crow howled with the Rolling Stones early the mid 90s, then sang with the band for a recent HBO special - I was afraid we’d hear the screaming again. But on C’mon C’mon, she sings sometimes sweetly, sometimes stiffly, but generallty lacking sincerity. It’s a little too stiff, like a virtual Crow instead of that all-out upstart that was so excited to share a stage with the Stones that she blew it on pay-per-view. - Ment. Belloluna - “Livid and Loving It” Daemon Records. Remeber the lounge craze? So did Belloluna, or do they still? Livid is chock full of juxtoposed care-free music with obserd lyricsm: “She is the drama queen. She’s all high on crystal methedrine.” or “So don’t bitch to me about your head. Catch a happy love vibe here in stead.” I wonder if they’ve updated “I Wanna be Like Martha Stewart” since it only talks about hydroponic-grown cut flowers and household hints, rather than insider trading. - Ment Clay Pigeons (original motion picture soundtrack) Cherry/Universal. I don’t remember this film coming out but if it ever turns up on the dish, I’ll watch just for the music. Just a handful of duds on this 12-track comp, if you’d consider Sister Hazel’s “Let Your Love Flow,” anything less. I prefer”Another Perfect Catastrophe,” performed by Firewater in all it’s quriky Squirrel Nut Zippers-like glory. Lyle Lovett’s “Teach Me About Love,” and “Sea of Heartbreak,” via Don Gibson. - Ment Walk On Water "Solvent Based Melodies" - Small Stone. The disc’s got a real throw-back sound, and just because it was released in 1998, like many of the discs in this edition of Milkcrate. At various times during playback of this short CD I thought of Dr. and the Medics (another tribute-paying act), T-Rex, and other band which I cannot name. I’m sure some of these sources inspired the players here. Had I reviewed the thing five (five!) years ago, I’d have said something like this one goes on the shelf and not in the discard pile. BUT since it’s been "shelved" for five years unheard all I can do is apologize. The early Brit-pop sound, combined with late 90s studio slick produces a disc that is all at once garage music and retro-pop with radio potential. The band is, or was, clearly preoccupied with space judging by tracks such as "This Planetary Exploration Plans," "Movin’ Faster than Light," "The Vortex Inside…," and "Armenia in the Sky." - Ment PLAYhahd V3 "Swallow Our Bliss" - Phaly Hahd. A couple of these 20 tracks are automotively-minded, like "Highway 101" by the Hellions with its over-simplistic lyrics and rudimentary riffs that repeat over and over slightly slower than seems suiting. Several tracks have a cool rockabilly flair, others lean more punk or straight to the rock and roll bin. This one has maybe grown a bit moldy, but aint without merit. - Ment