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TongueBath©1993
TOT 6 - March 1997
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Spew & Spittle: TOT vs TongueBath Revisited
Looking for that 'perfect' job can be a lengthy and incredibly time-consuming process...But Lo! Two months of painstaking interviews has paid off. Finally settled in the Oakland-Berkeley area with a place to call home, and a job, so that I can finally settle down, focus, and responsibly publish this rag with the finesse and frequency (3-4 times/year) that it deserves. By the way, I don't do, nor will I ever have time to do subscriptions...this is merely a hobby, not a paying gig. Sorry, that's the breaks.
For those of you who are first-timers, or who need the gaps filled with regards to understanding the meaning behind TongueBath-TOT: Tot of TongueBath and the history timeline, the skinny on both can be found at backissues.htm ....
tongue¥bath \`ten-`bäth\, noun. Music fanzine conceived in Baltimore, MD. Name of the college radio show created by Aerospace Engineer, Chris Campbell on WREK-FM 91.1 in Atlanta, GA. Copyright permissions belong to K. L. King who politely asked her former station mates at WREK-FM if she could use the show title for the publication title...uh, yeah, obviously the answer was "Yes." Usage: Man, I sure coulda used a TongueBath on my left facial cheek. Focus: Music and only music. Paraphrased philosophy according to the Big Kahuna Markus DeShon, Program Director at WREK-FM..."Music is a sacred thing...music, not (necessarily) being written about elsewhere...supporting labels who are dedicated to putting out music which is innovative, challenging, and meaningful."
Basically, the Bathers and I are a collective of music aficionados with a keen appreciation for ALL musical genres...ska!, jazz, acid jazz, ethnobeat, techno (and every electronic hybrid currently out on the market), folk, blues, rap, hip-hop, ambient, experimental noise (and regular noise), island, new age, rock, metal (sometimes), punk, hardcore, etc., etc....you get the idea. So, all you music labels out there, if you haven't already, SEND IT ALL (this includes recurrent/reissued material, too)!!
TongueBath and TOT---not just your run-of-the-mill 'punk' zine family.
NOTE: This episode includes music reviewed between Nov. 1996 - March 1997.
BATHER'S LEGEND
(!)Kim_gerlY ($)pIZZA mAN (^)Curtis Bay (¥)Kat-in-the-Hat
BUTTER08 Self-titled (Grand Royal) A Holy
Ruckus! Art-rock terrorism. ($)THE BLUETONES "Are You Bluer or Are
You Blind?" 7" (Paradox) Nicely packaged Brit-pop special. ($)THE
COGS The Dianetic Lover (Bear) They've got a Velvet Jones, it seems. (!)HOVERCRAFT
Akathisia EP CD (Mute) Along the lines of Einsturzende Neubauten---although
lacking in the junkyard-controlled musings and white noise buzz. ($)LEAP
FROG SOCIETY Self-Titled 6 Song EP (Self Produced) They sound pissed-off;
they must know they suck. ($)MS.45 "Ian" b/w Green" 7"
(Dry 
Hump) No. ($)NEW
KINGDOM B/W ULTRA BIDE 7" (GeeStreet) New Kingdom has a beat and a
sax. Ultra Bide is LOUD. (!)OUTKAST ATLiens (LaFace) Mack Daddy poets of
Atlanta, GA with bold, bad-assed imaginations. ($)SPARKLER "Discover"
b/w "Hey Long Hair" (TimKerr) Somebody out there likes them.
I could learn to like them, too. ($)SUBLIME B/W WESLEY WILLIS 7" (Skunk)
Fast-furious-formidable ska-punksters with a preponderance of hot-dogging
on the A-Side. The B-Side's a throwaway. (¥)VIRAGO Transition (St.
Roch) These girls need to get some sort of real skill, and get day jobs.
They have absolutely no hope of ever making it. !)WRONG BODY 7" "Self-Obsessed"
b/w "Mushrooms" (Lucky Garage) This is an onion in the ointment.
(!^) (hed)(pe)3 Song Demo Cassette (Jive) The likes of Helmet, Clutch, Rage Against The Machine, Beastie Boys, and Lumber (R.I.P.) abound...bad-assed 'white-boy(?)' metal-rap to quote, "Smoke a fat joint to this!", unquote. New album out Spring `97. IRIS "This is a Rich Universe "(sIRIStar Music) A decent stab at a lotta spunky, home-brew experimentation that runs thru five languages, pop, toch, "chanson', and gospel. AND, she's got the voice to back it all up. sIRIStar Music POB 931096 Hollywood, CA 90093 siristar@earthlink.net. VA: LOST HIGHWAY (Nothing/Interscope) Pay no attention to the NIN or David Bowie tracks. Do, however, pay attention to Barry Adamson's "Mr. Eddy's Theme 1 & 2", "Hollywood Sunset", and if that's not enough "Something Wicked This Way Comes (Edit)"...which by the way, appears on his latest release. (See below) Angelo Badalamenti's always been a bad-ass, but really busts it up on this release.
(!)BARRY ADAMSON Oedipus Schmoedipus (Mute)
Mute Records mainstay, Barry Adamson possesses stone-cold funk and jazz
vamps, and beats that are captivating and masterfully blended. He's harnessed
genres and past influences from his old bands (Magazine, Bad Seeds) and
folded them into his own. Stylistically, this is his best effort yet---an
orchestral masterpiece to behold. BLOWTORCH Automotivation (St. Roch) Their
press release boasts that they've re-invented metal music...they haven't
re-invented crap!!! These guys are more like bastardizing copycats---and
they haven't even done that well. Lyrics are lame-assed, and I know of
more punk-rock gurl drummers who can really scrape; keeping the 180 bpm
pace loads better than this lunkhead. Any radio station giving this crap
airplay should be firebombed. Word to the Wise: Don't even waste time peeling
the shrink-wrap from any releases on St. Roch Records. Promptly trade it
in for a few beans, or 25¢...if you're lucky. BUILT TO SPILL Perfect
From Now On (Warner) Heavily influenced by The Breeders, Jane's Addiction,
and the 'Beat-ols'; lyrically adept. Of particular interest is the instrumental
outro of "I Would Hurt a Fly." BUSH TETRAS Page 18 EP (TimKerr)
this arty tease of their upcoming release (should be out by the time you're
giving this a peep) is not as junk-funky tribal as their `80s releases---rather
more evolved and textured. Page 18 includes the original Bush Tetras line-up---the
bread and butter of this band is Pat Place (formerly one of James Chance's/White's
Contortions/Blacks) whose guitar has had a sonic overhaul, but as savage
as ever. The formidable Laura Kennedy still thumps a mean bass line that's
rough, punchy, edgy, and appealing as ever, too. Cynthia Sley still delivers
throaty voxs, and Dee Pop is still the Lexicon of Licks on the Kit. I'm
a fan for life! THE CRUMBS Self-titled (Lookout!) Oi! Four chords. Short.
Simple. A `90s sense of trash culture. Enough racket such that your parents
might scream at you to turn it off. DOWNLOAD Sidewinder (Nettwerk) Electronic
mantras that strive towards warp drive. Title track, "Sidewinder"
takes chances---it's haunting sonic textures are built around simple and
shocking beauty which showcases this unit's skill at audio sculpture. "Glassblower"
is structured around forceful electronic percussion, noir rasps and Front
Line Assembly modalities. This is a scratch-acid hellraiser. 
GARDEN
BOWER And Then They... (Someone Else's Nightmare) "Belmont and Clybourne"
and "Yellow Sun" are stratospheric montages of bucket-o-funk
and fringy-hippyfied, mellifluous atmospherics, respectively. The rest
of this, I can do without. THE KEN ARDLEY PLAYBOYS We've Got Ken (Lucky
Garage) Message to all the punk-rock-kiddy messengers of the `90s---you
need to get a grip! You gotta find a way to delineate and outpunk everyone
else on the circuit by having an identity...either by uncovering a new
level of angst and nihilism, or by a heightened masochism or vulgarity.
Case in point, these oafs. Not only do these Limeys demonstrate a singular
ability to analyze and describe life and its emotions with searing and
subtle simplicity, but they do it with loud, obnoxious horns, annoying
guitars, sneering whines, and tastelessness with originals like "Is
It True?" Other notables include "We've Got Ken", "Popstars",
a remake of Kraftwerk's "Das Model", "Museum", "That's
It", "Strate Painting", and "Van Monologue"...and
that's not all, there is...23 tracks in all to be had. This platter is
the punk documentary that the `90s has been waiting for. Charge it up on
mommy and daddy's Visa or Mastercard. This WILL incite a riot. KILOWATT
HOUR Self-titled cassette EP (Self-produced) A competent 3-piece outfit.
In spite of the fact that they are riding on the coattails of Nirvana-esqueness,
they're lyrically taut. Jagged songs with sophistication. Pix: "Open
Your Eyes" Kilowatt Hour 114 Parker St., 1st FL Cincinnati, OH 45219
e-mail: blubinsk@ececs.uc.edu web: http://www.ececs.uc.edu/~blubinsk/kwh.html
KULA SHAKER K (Columbia) Lacking a fair amount of originality and creativity.
Don this the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band of the `90's. Ack! MOBY
Animal Rights (Elektra) An off-brand of hybrid-musicians I give a lot of
credit, because they prefer to evolve and embrace a multi-faceted versatility,
rather than fall prey to standard R'n'R conventions. Moby's a buncha dilettantes
dabbling in zombie metal, bruising grunge, charming Anglo-pop, trash compactor
punk, orchestral electro-disco, and atmospheric amblings that are tight
and well-structured...a musical, stylistic cul-de-sac of rhythmic jams
and delicate soundscapes. Animal Rights follows the prime directive---having
a freaky-good time that's thick, rich, and satisfying. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL
You Can't Stop the Reign (TWIsm/Interscope) Ebonics intended, this ain't
no slam dunk. Mainstream formula flows. Beats lack ANY originality. The
base beat is BASE---that is to say, ignoble, er from a common origin. A
feeble attempt at the moniker, funkateer, squiggly sounds invented by P-Funkadelic
on "Straight Playin'. "This nigga should stick to shootin' hoops...and
I be black, so I can say dat. PRODIGY Firestarter Single CD (Mute) Angst-ridden
and seizing on simple catch phrases. Monumental acid house rhythms. Music
to dance to before and after the bomb's dropped. PURSE 10,000 miles of
turntable monotony (Lucky Garage) Aptly titled; especially when listening
to the opening track. BUT, give this a chance...experimental hypnotica,
meandering loops, as well as a somber harmonium of noise that is effective.
Give "ecstasy la cuerda", "a lot of precious fluids are
milky", and "the ginger effect" a lap if you don't believe
me. RETURN TO LIVING Self-titled (Snoven Music) Smart, philosophical attitudes
transcribed into a translucent assortment of skullfucks, atop ambient sound
and effects, and the occasional acoustic and electric guitar. Edan Cohen
1370 S. Main Rd., Ste. 47 Vineland, NJ 08360 SKINWALKERS Self-titled (Ambiguous)
A misguided and paltry attempt to incorporate Eastern Indian flavors into
their music. It's quasi-commercial, and lacking gristle. SLOW LORIS The
Ten Commandments and Two Territories... (Southern) Definitely not a one-way
street. A composition of tension and release. Jazz articulate, swingin'
and soulful, slurred, and periodically dissonant. Evolutionary, right-brain
material here. SPACETIME CONTINUUM Remit Ecaps (Astralwerks) High-tech
art adventurer Jonah Sharp has scribed an electronic language all his own.
In my mind, it stands to show that remixing/imitation is the truest form
of flattery---hence, this 1996 release. "Simm City" opens with
subtle sythns and is eventually infiltrated with neo-synth dance beats.
Neat and fancy in its sonic maneuvers and sumptuous percolating "Iform"
is an inventive drumming that propels the beat into a soulful shake. "Vertigo"
opens with a warm, lush, languid ambience and ebbs its way into enticing
grooves that are jungled-out. The subtly propulsive and highly organized
rhythmic dance-mix of the elegant "Movement #2" pays particular
attention to tightly controlled dynamics. "Swing Fantasy" is
a audio sketch of intricate ethno-beats placed judiciously amongst contrasting
shyly quiet rhythms. Like its predecessor Emit Ecaps, Remit Recaps is produced
with a sophisticated quality and studio wizardry that's just plain exemplary.
Welcome to the sounds of the year 2000---and it's only 1997. THE TEAR GARDEN
To Be An Angel Blind, The Crippled Soul Divide (Nettwerk) Improves with
playing time, starting with Track 5 "Psycho 9"...low-key ethno-beasts,
blues-infused guitar passages with enough creative elbow room on the remainder
of this disc for even Beethoven to get his rocks off if he were still alive
to day. Surprise! Features x-Skinny Puppy cEvin KeY and The Legendary Pink
Dot(s) Edward Ka-Spel. EMMANUEL TOP Asteroid (NovaMute) Rare imagination;
synthesis of simplicity and electronic overdubs that are miles beyond other
trance techno artists. This is clean and essential. THE WORLD WIDE MESSAGE
TRIBE We Don't Get What We Deserve (Warner Alliance) I'm not much, nor
ever been much of a fan for bands that preach...let alone, preach the gospel.
But, I do give these soulful folks credit for tapping into/exploiting/revolutionizing
(call it what you will) the techno/hip-hop/disco/dub styled beats to get
their message across. Manchester church ladies might have a small bovine,
but the youth of today might dig this release. These good souls may be
onto s'mthin' here. They lure their listening audience in with the rhythms,
booty's start groovin', planting of the lyrical biblical seedlings comes
next, and bada bing! Everyone' praising the lord! What a concept. If only
the sermons were like this when I used to go to Mass as a child...might
still be going today. VA: DEATH ROW GREATEST HITS (Death Row) By-the-numbers,
this is phat---2 discs totaling 33 tracks. Features the stone-cold tone
of Snoop Doggy Dog's "Gin and Juice", "Shiznit", "Ain't
No Fun", "Lodi Dodi" and the self-serving tune "Who
Am I (What's My Name?)." There's also the grim reality-check 
"Natural
Born Killaz" delivered courtesy of Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. The fearless
tough-guy taunt "No Vaseline" performed by Mr. Attitude, Ice
Cube. Also includes the testimonial notes "Lil' Ghetto Boy" and
"Stranded on Death Row" by the stylistic, essential-to-rap paragon,
Dr. Dre. Not to mention the overt overlord of suave, 2Pac serves up "Dear
Mama" and "Me Against the World"...and that's only a pinch
from disc One of Two. Disc Two of Two features one of my all-time favs,
J-Flex's "Who Been There, Who Done That?" All of this polyphony
is blended together and masterfully produced by Suge Knight. Essential,
Boi! VA: PUNK-O-RAMA, VOL. 2 (Epitaph) A caravan of talent which includes
the Descendents, Pennywise, Rancid, Voodoo Glow Skulls, The Joykiller,
NOFX, Down By Law, SNFU, and New Bomb Turks, to name some. DFL's previously
unreleased "Thought Control" is out-of-hand, and (tee hee) slammin'.
The classic "Give You Nothing" by Bad Religion, totally waxes
nostalgic---as it did so many years ago, is full of dangerous licks and
hooks contemporary hardrock/rock-n-roll bands can only dream of emulating.
This one's burning for your love. VA: SUBCONSCIOUS COMMUNICATIONS Paradigm
Shift (Nettwerk) No need to go off on the hizzy (this means "get high"
in Ebonics) to enjoy this compilation---it's purely prolific, progressive,
and energetic on its own. Originally released in 1993 as a 12-inch, "Power"
by the late Dwayne Goettel's solo project, aDuck, was backed with "Touched",
Phil Western's solo unit Philth---both tracks push a primitivism-throb/jungle
that's still on the outer edges and forefront of this style today. Download's
"Zonk Lift" is is a rhythm-conscious production consisting of
well-thought out breakbeats, pyrotechnic samples and loops. Plateau lays
out "Grasshopper", a richly detailed ambient experiment that
ebbs and flows. Finally, Kone's "Beflepia" is to be reckoned
with...barbed, overturned, deconstructed rhythms; basically, tantilizing
avant-technogarde...subwoofer highly recommended. VA: VIOLENT WORLD - A
Tribute to the Misfits (Caroline) 14 never before released
Misfits
covers
includes the legendary, melodically-distinct "Last Caress" performed
by NOFX, the Bouncing Souls avidly perform "Mommy, Can I Go Out and
Kill Tonight?". And, let's not forget the solid, feverish "London
Dungeon" cranked out by the kings of power, change-on-a-dime, mind-fuckers
Prong. This compilation is hot for your love, too.
($)THE GROOVIE GHOULIES Burn in the Basement (Lookout!) A "garage band" poorly covering The 13th Floor Elevators, Love, Bob Dylan, and...The Partridge Family. The originals are even worse. They make the Ramones sound like a jazz band. I hope this is a joke. SCENIC Aquatica (World Domination/IPR) Combined with their first album, this will get you through a couple of hours of lonely desert driving on a hot summer night, accompanying your thoughts while leaving you free to draw your own conclusions about the meaning of it all...World Domination 2319 N. 45th St., #201 Seattle, WA 98103 WILCO Being There (Reprise) As I listened to this latest from former Uncle Tupelo co-leader, Jeff Tweedy and company, I found a compelling argument for simplicity in music. This second album finds Wilco hitting their stride, and Tweedy not missing so much of the talents of his former partner. VA: REVOLUTION Stuff (Warner) Not-so-revolutionary effluvia from the likes of Super Deluxe, Sparkler, and Letters to Cleo---including covers of a Supertramp and Cars songs. There are a couple of blues cuts by Kenny Wayne Sheppard, including a rippin' 11 minute blues blast that toasted my sox.
(^)MAKAVELI The Don Killuminati - The 7 Day
Theory (Death Row) That fool barely had enough personality as it was. Where'd
he get off trying to have two? I know of a 2Pac who wore preppy alligator
shirts, and went to a predominantly white school in Baltimore, MD. This
nigga never had it that hard. Don't believe the hype. I guess the rap world
has their Kurt Cobain now. JB3 Close Grind (Mute) Serves up
good minimalistic beats. He's just not sure what to do with them. This
would be great on acid, or for DJ's looking for a beat to mix over. µ-ZIG
Urmur Bile Trax Volume 1 Volume 2 (Astralwerks) In my mind, this is not
what it claims to be; that is to say, melodic. But, good electronic beats
to be had, and varying tempos keep the monotony minimized. Overall, it
sounds pretty damn good to me. SEAN T Pimp Lyrics & Dollar Signs (Young
Gotti) Plenty of pimp lyrics alright, but it ain't nothing nobody's heard
before. On top of that, the music sound's like some Dr.Dre song rehashed
16 times over. V/A: Dr.Dre Presents...The Aftermath (Aftermath/Interscope)
This starts off with
another patented Dr. Dre-Parliament rip off. Most of this release is, to
paraphrase Track 5, "Been There Done That." Slickly produced,
artistically formula r&b and rap for the masses. Damn! This shit gets
boring after awhile. My advice to Dre, get some other instruments involved.
Learn some guitar, maybe hire some horn players, or a real drummer; but
that digital keyboard shit's gotta go. It's all starting to sound the same,
son.
(¥) THE COGS Macho (Bear) They have the audacity to call this "macho." I think they would have had better luck calling it "la femme." When you get over the contradiction that is supposed to be something else, it's pretty fun. Extremely elementary music; it fits the time-period that the inside cover depicts...considering how everything's retro these days, they'll be fine. AND, they play in tune. KARMA TO BURN Self-titled (Roadrunner)Playing-wise, they're tight. They're good. Back-up vocals give this unit a unique twist. Lead-ins are extrrreeemmmeellly long---coulda finished a BM before they got to the meat on a few tracks...and by the time I got there, these tracks weren't worth the wait. I'm hoping by the time they crank out another release, that they cut back on the moonshine and deliver some music I know they're capable of creating. TINKER Soft Shell Friend (Bear) Nice music, shame about the singers. They're using a whole lot of energy for no good. Acoustically, they're good---it showcases the fact that they can actually play and sing in tune.
Didn't score any action this time out. Dang.
Bobby Teens, Invisible Men, Counting Backwards with INCREDIBLY STRANGE WRESTLING(ISW) @ Transmission Theater, SF, CA - Dec. 28, 1996 by Kim_gerly & Curtis Bay
Zinester Melmo of Cactus Prick (Ouch!) from AZ, Curtis Bay, and I did ourselves a favor this nite. We gotta admit, we had more fun chompin' on the Incredibly Strange Wrestling (ISW) in-between bandsets, than the bands. BOBBY TEANS front woman is abundant (this is an understatement) and should take advantage of her unmistakably, larger-than-life presence (she should take cues from John Water's Divine)---shake that jam, GIRL! You got it! Flaunt it! Got tired of the INVISIBLE MEN'S surf rock by the 3rd song---way cool outfits, neat gimmick. Don't get us wrong, we totally dig Dick Dale-type bands, but they just need to explore deploying more diverse musical rifferage in their songs/sets. We didn't, however, tire of the rasslin'. Basura Blanco! was a no show for his tag-team match; we were bummed. The Border Patrol (Imitation Pig = SPAM) won his match. BUT, one of the highlights of the evening included a tag-team match which included our ISW Hero, Psychotico! Living up to his name, Psychotico!, the punked-out blonde, Tazmanian Devil was everywhere. We were so impressed with his persona, we even laid down a bill for his action-figure doll after the melee...it now sits in the back of Curtis Bay's car atop his rubber crocodile. The other match we almost wet our pants over because we were laughing so hard, was between The Missing Link and El Homo Loco. In all his (her?) pink Tu-tu glory, El Homo Loco got taken down for a loss; but not before he (she?) delighted the crowd with a spectacular display of fairy-isms---sloppy, lipstick-drenched kisses on The Missing Link's lips, poses a ballerina would be proud, struts to make Ru Paul jealous. Nothing could top the whole crowd chanting "Homo! Homo! Homo!" when The Missing Link took him (her?) down for the pin. There was absolutely no reason to hang-around and see Counting Backwards after this match. The only possible way we would have stayed (and this event could have been improved upon) was if there would have added midget tossing. We now know why WWF (World Wrestling Federation) has the fanatical following it does...this is some seriously funny, and entertaining stuff.
The Transmission Theater did this on Valentine's Day, too---and we know that there must have been no love, for anyone.
(!)PANTERA Far Beyond Driven (EastWest) Bone-crushing. Intellectual thrash-rock. Lyrical frothings abound. Unpleasantly fascinating. Trump Cards: "Becoming", "Good Friends and a Bottle of Pills", "25 Years", "Throes of Rejection" --- it's a keeper.