Reviews of new releases from the Steve Lacy Trio, The State Flowers, and various punks.   Various Artists Short Music for Short People (Fat Wreck Chords) Various Artists Not So Quiet on the Western Front (Alternative Tentacles) Of related interest: NOFX vs. Dead Kennedys, Samiam vs. Social Unrest Finding a quality punk compilation is like taking a test drive at Thomason's: It's all question of preference. Do you want sure-footed efficiency or muffler-shredding power? If it's a safe, reliable ride you want, Short Music for Short People is the ideal vehicle; its design (101 bands playing 30-second songs) assures a high-mileage return. At this speed, even if scene pariahs like Rancid, Green Day and the Offspring trip your sellout alarm, their half-minutes skip by before you can spit out the requisite epithets. The most memorable songs aren't the punk ones: The Swingin' Utters jig through a Poguesy acoustic ditty, the Vandals harmonize in a Beach Boys-style ode to geeks and the Bouncing Souls reveal their hidden klezmer roots. Those more pumped-up than pimped-out will feel more comfortable with the reissue of 1982's Not So Quiet on the Western Front, a crackling flashback to the time before NOFX sang about how "the desperation's gone." Naive "Reagan sucks" politics haven't weathered well, but what's a punk-rock ride supposed to be if not a little rusty? John Graham   The State Flowers Third of July (Smart Guy Records) Of related interest: Fables of the Reconstruction, Corrina Repp's solo album The Other Side Is Mud King Black Acid, the State Flowers, Rick Bain and the Genius Position, Jeff London Satyricon 125 NW 6th Ave., 243-2380 10 pm Saturday, Aug. 7 $7 At the confluence of two smart Portland songwriters, Corrina Repp (known for her solo work) and Pete Ficht (former Joy Pop Turbo and new King Black Acid member), lies the State Flowers. On Third of July, the band's debut album, Repp's dusky folk and Ficht's fancy for psychedelic pop alternate and meld, coming together when appropriate and maintaining a distance when necessary. The payoff is sweet, pastoral pop playing off tuneful and somewhat sad guitar lines, not far off from early R.E.M. or the late, great Go-Betweens. David Yeager's solid bass playing and Martin Thiel's drumming round out the project. The opening track, "Wait," is based on a simple, plodding rhythm that subtly expands and contracts. On "Third of July," the one song co-written by Repp and Ficht, Repp's simple but remarkable vocals accent the texturally enticing music. "The Door," an acoustic number by Ficht, is a simple pop delight that shows off his tender style, with Kaitlyn Ni Donovan's streamlined violin adding a warm tone. Alyssa Isenstein   Steve Lacy Trio The Rent (Cavity Search Records) Of related interest: Thelonious Monk, Dexter Gordon Recorded at the Old Church in Portland, this double disc is a great document of one of jazz's eternal adventurers and his excellent working trio of Jean-Jacques Avenel and John Betsch. Lacy has always seemed above the fray of commercial whim and fancy, which do exist even in the world of jazz. In his sax playing, you hear the refreshing enthusiasm of the student always groping for the next "aha!" riff or lick. In Lacy's case, the earnest search possesses the grace and wisdom of 40 years of playing. He knows when less is more. The leader's restraint allows this trio to truly work, with democratic interplay between sax, bass and drums that's both supportive and independent, all the time subtly driving. The title piece is a tribute to Lacy's friend Laurent Goddet, a Parisian jazz critic who committed suicide. Avoiding somberness, it offers a perfect example of the group's dynamic: a mix of subtle, intuitive swing and quiet elegance. Lacy's approach is very Zen; he's an aural painter delicately filling a canvas of silence. As if to summarize the point, he recites a poem by Irish-American Galway Kinnell: "Whatever happens/whatever/what is/is/is what/I want/only that/but that." Bill Smith - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Willamette Week | originally published August 11, 1999