by JONATHAN MARX Judging from music mags like Option and mail-order catalogues like Ajax Records, the hot new trend
in underground rock is ambient music - which, curiously enough,
is about as un-rock as you can get. But today's soundscape sculptors
aren't simply remaking Brian Eno's Music for Airports or, heaven forbid, churning out fodder for Music From the Hearts of Space. Groups like Labradford, Amp, and Flying Saucer Attack create
abstract washes of sound with a decidedly rock sensiblility, mixing
guitar drones with synthesizer bleeps and found noises. For the past few years, local duo Dinah Shore, Jr. have been taking their own sonic trips into the ether. But Todd
Gerber and Rob Mitchell are different from their spaced-out peers
in that they show a willingness to lock into the occasional groove.
Ever since they started in 1994, they've been passing out homemade
tapes that hint at their affinity for early 70s prog sounds and
for the German group Can. And they've even played out live from
time to time, including a recent appearance at the NEA Extravaganza.
Last year finally saw the release of their debut album -- which,
true to Dinah Shore Jr.'s iconoclastic nature, is an actual vinyl record. Over the course of six songs, the two musicians assemble some
intriguing creations. The tracks range from dark, rhythmic jams
to buzzing pieces that evoke the claustrophobic feel of David
Lynch's Eraserhead. The first side flags in spots -- particularly on "The Story
of the Eye," which feels overburdened by Mitchell's supple drumming.
But the second side forms a sort of ambient suite, with songs
that expand the contract gradually, like a lumbering, wheezing
organism. "Electric Angels With Dirty Faces" sounds indeed angelic,
with its soothing strains of synthesizer, while "Quarter Moon"
is downright nightmarish, a buildup of mechanical noises and anxious
vocals that resolves in a suffocating wall of noise. The record ends with Dinah Shore Jr.'s best song, "Beauty in Complete
Disguise," in which layers of sound pile up slowly, then part
gently to reveal a simple, echoing, elegiac tune underneath. It's
the one moment when the duo really says something with its music
that beautiful things are frequently obscured by layers of grime
and dirt -- which themselves are marked by a peculiar beauty of
their own. It's a message that pops up often in edgy rock 'n'
roll--on records by the Velvet Underground, by Sonic Youth, by
countless others--but it is a message worth repeating. Always an interesting listen, Dinah Shore Jr.'s album still doesn't
quite reach the heights of other recordings by similar bands.
On a string of singles and LPs, British outfit Flying Saucer Attack
has created some enchanting music, in which feedback squeals and
blankets of guitar fuzz suffuse blissed-out acoustic strumming
and half-whispered vocals. The results can be downright transcendent.
Richmond, Va., trio Labradford, likewise, has carved a compelling
niche of its own with brooding song that suggest a simultaneous
fascination and discomfort with modernity. Compared to the output of these bands, Dinah Shore Jr.'s music
seems to lack a focus, a galvanizing idea. All the components
are there--an appreciation for noise, rhythm, and melody, in that
order. And it's to their credit that they're willing to essay
so many approaches--which makes room for the groovy faux soundtrack
music of "Theme From Teen Town." But there's still something missing from the final equation.
The album works as a collection of interesting sound than as a
body of work. Whatever the case, the duo deserves much praise for distilling
their efforts into a wonderful-looking package. Every record jacket
has been hand-assembled, each with a one-of-a-kind photocollage.
Of the half-dozen or so copies I've seen, every one looked great,
with colorful textures, cutout collages, and evocative images
clipped from old magazine advertisements. Come to think of it,
the record covers say as much--if not more--about Dinah Shore
Jr.'s art as the music does. But the music does sound good, in a way that few recording do
these days. That's to the
Dinah Shore Jr.'s music sounds good-in a way that few recordings do these days.
credit of mastering engineer Tommy Dorsey, who has taken Dinah
Shore Jr.'s bedroom recording and lovingly transferred them to
the vinyl medium. This is especially remarkable when you consider
that the art of vinyl mastering is pretty much dead. The few pressing
plants that still exist (among them Nashville's United Record
Pressing) can't be bothered anymore to devote attention to the
way their records are mastered; they're too busy trying to stay
afloat in a business that has long since passed them by. In the end, that's what makes Dinah Shore Jr.'s record most interesting
of all. As a pure object, it's a tribute the beauty of handmade
things, technologically imperfect things. The music certainly
has moments of genuine loveliness too--not to mention the promise
of more interesting things to come.
