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The Premise Unraveled Vehicle Flips (Magic Marker) Of related interest: The Inbreds, Silver Scooter, Treble Charger One of the finest unknown bands ever funneled through the vast pipeline of indie sob-pop, Wimp Factor 14 was a group largely concerned with geographical separation anxiety. The band's lyrics went down slower than an antifreeze cocktail within a sparse scaffolding of low-fat, stilted percussion and jubilant rhythm guitars. True to the twee pop template, Wimp Factor's life span was brief. After having a few glistening cuts released on the now-defunct Boston label Harriet, the group dissolved and resurfaced as two new entities: Tullycraft and Vehicle Flips. While both are marked by a propensity for sly rhymes and endearing vocal cracks, Vehicle Flips sounds like it's waiting in the rain at the bus stop next to Tullycraft's Ferris wheel tunes. VF's The Premise Unraveled is plump with the same sweetly aching chords the Wedding Present uses to crack hearts like sunflower seeds, but it's the lyrics that have the sharpest teeth. From mournful lines about "Old men fishing with teeth missing" ("Song of the Slag Pile") to the barely concealed venom of "Sounds like you finally got yourself together/And I congratulate you" ("Bitter Coffee Song"), Frank Boscoe's vocalized grimacing applies a deliciously gloomy filter to songs that would otherwise sound like iridescent novelty pop. Kristy Ojala
Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life Jay-Z (Roc-A-Fella) Of related interest: Notorious B.I.G., Nas, DMX Jigga Jay-Z has been the victim of commercialization. He definitely has legit emceeing skills, and sometimes his conversational flow delivers jewels. But usually he's spittin' the same ol' I-got-more-than-you-so-eat-a-dick rhymes, and it gets old quick because the beats always suck. Jermaine Dupri pulled Jay-Z in for the help-out on this summer's club hit, "Money Ain't a Thing," and it appeared that Jay-Z was set to get down. Now he overcomes the wackness of his past albums, employing beatmasters Kid Capri, Eric Sermon and Timbaland for Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life. The rough-edged beats fit Jigga's obsession with the glamorous life--and death. Jay-Z uses Swizz Beats' haunting track "If I Should Die" to ponder the deaths of Biggie and Pac and to wonder if he is slated for the same fate. Mark the 45 King filters in Annie's "It's the Hard Knock Life" on the title track as humorous accompaniment to the story of growing up in Brooklyn. The profane "Can I Get a Fuck You" can easily be mistaken for a misogynist cut, but a careful listen provides relevant reasons why relationships can go sour. Jay-Z's still representing the flossiness of a ghetto celeb, and folks are feeling him; he recently bumped Lauryn Hill from Billboard's top spot. H.V. Claytor Jr.
Frumpie One Piece The Frumpies (Kill Rock Stars) Of related interest: Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, Helium With the break-up of Bikini Kill and Kathleen Hanna now recording under the name Julie Ruin, it seems natural that the band's remaining members--Kathi Wilcox, Tobi Vail and Billy "Boredom" Karren--would shift their focus to the Frumpies, their side project with Bratmobile drummer Molly Neuman. The 24-song Frumpie One Piece compiles their four EPs with a forthcoming one. The first seven tracks, from 1992's Alien Summer, show the band bulldozing its way through primal-sounding hardcore. Though the recording quality is deliberately thin, the insurgency intrinsic in each cut shines through. With titles like "I Just Wanna Puke on the Stereo," these songs are enjoyably irreverent as well. The subsequent nine tracks, from 1993's Babies and Bunnies and Safety First EPs, show the Frumpies coalescing to take on a Sonic Youth-like feel; they even lift the riff from "My Friend Goo" for "Intertube Tomorrow." The latter half of the album consists of the songs from 1993's Tommy
Slich and the forthcoming Eunuch Nights. These songs have
a more melodic bent, especially "Tommy Slich," featuring the Make-Up's
Michelle Mae on vocals. With a richer sound, the tracks from these two
EPs demonstrate the Frumpies' full potency in delivering powerful indie
garage rock. Stephen Slaybaugh - - - - - - - - - - - -
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