Media Blackout

Clear the track, here comes MB23. • Dave Cooper – Underbelly: Additional Observations On The Beauty/Ugliness Of Mostly Pillowy Girls (Fantagraphics Books) :: This coffee table art book contains erotically singed paintings of large ravenously mandibled women who have the bug-eyed visages of Sandy Dennis in leering lolling heat. Roll over Bill Ward, and tell Robert Crumb the news. • Dandi Wind – Bait The Traps (Bongo Beat) :: Lene Lovich + Iggy Stooge + Nina Hagen + Eno + Diamanda Galás + Kraftwerk = Crazy, man, crazy! • Aselin Debison – Bigger Than Me (Epic) :: Bland on bland. • Audra Kubat – Since I Fell In Love With The Music (Times Beach) :: Audra has the delicate demeanor of a sparrow, coupled with a heartfelt emotive voice and superior songwriting skills. She’s the new Joni Mitchell, only a whole lot better. • The Static Age – Neon Nights Electric Lives (Tarantulas) :: “Ghosts” has a propulsive jangling that’s somewhat reminiscent of the Banshees but, more often than not, this intelligent quartet has a suave sound that’s nothing less than the debonair second coming of Ultravoxy Music. • Femme Fatale – From The Abundance Of The Heart, The Mouth Speaks (Last Gang) :: King, it’s Shellac vs. the Beastie Boys in a last-band-standing, elimination chamber, a hell-in-a-cell grudge match. • SIZZLING PLATTER OF THE MONTH: Mommy And Daddy – Fighting Style Killer Panda (Kanine) :: Here’s a delightfully kooky EP that features a nutty sonic mélange of blipping Casio keys, pounding Roland drum machines, heavy metal guitars and snatch-snarling female vocals. This New York duo is being portrayed as “a married couple who play stripped-down, avant garde, primitive, post-punk, lo-fi, electropop retro rock.” Which is one way of describing them, I suppose. Here’s another: They’re outta their heads. • Be seeing you!

Jeffrey Morgan is a freelance writer. Send comments to [email protected]