WINDY CITY TIMES Copyright © 2002 Lambda Publications Inc. All rights reserved. Dec. 25, 2002
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	A Very Queer Year
	by Gregg Shapiro   The year 2002 is coming to an end, but there doesn't seem to be an end to the amount of CDs being put out by members of the LGBT community. I have probably only scratched the surface of what is out there, but I also feel like I've discovered or been reintroduced to some of the best and brightest that these artists have to offer. Cocteau Twins meet Radiohead in the lovely, but impenetrable vowel movements of Icelandic band Sigur Ros on their new album ( ) (yes, that IS the name) (on MCA). The lush and grand arrangements of the eight untitled tracks take the listener to new and uncharted places and states of being. Some of the songs (tracks 1, 3, 6) are romantic enough to be the soundtrack to a night of passionate sex. Openly gay lead singer Jonsi hits the high notes in a lo-fi sort of way that is both seductive (track 4) and terrifying (track 2). Ethereal and atmospheric, many of these songs will inspire the listener to hum along, at their own risk, of course. I've been waiting years for the opportunity to write about David Clement's second full-length album. Shortly after I received an advance copy of the then-titled Hard Candy, Clement (among many other artists) was dropped by the major label in a thoughtless restructuring process, and the album was unreleased. In the years that have passed between what was supposed to be the original release and the current version, now known as Your Free Gift (Show Dog Tunes), Clement's songs have been featured on a couple of TV series on the WB network and he has performed a lot of live shows. You'd never know the album has been sitting on a shelf for a few years. "Ahhh," is the smartest song about "a stupid song that you love so much," with its surfer punk beat and hypnotic organ. "Ms. Davis," which makes reference to both his "first wet dream" and "Angela Davis on TV," is only one of Clement's political pop songs. The gorgeous "Geriatriphilia," a plea for growing old together, is Clement's most honest love song, while "Sheba's Death Rattle" looks at "what could've been, what had to be, and what is." The retro album closer "Ho Me," reminds us that there's no place like home. You can purchase the album by making a contribution to Clement's future recording career at www.davidclement.com. Easily the most promising debut by a queer artist in 2002 is the self-titled six-song EP by Kitko (www. kitko .org). Kitko turns childhood songs and games into the most amorous invitation of the season on "Row Your Boat." She turns confession into an art-form with acoustic guitar and harmonica folk flair on "No One Knew." "The Bitch Song," in which she sings, "I'm a bitch/I'm a bitch/I'm a bitch if I know what I want/I'm a bitch/I'm a bitch if I don't let myself get stepped on," and demands equal pay for women (among other things) has anthem written all over it. Finally, "Alphabet Song," in which she spells out her kiss off, "A B C D E F Go away from me," is an instant classic. Speaking of instant classics, the enduring popularity of Soft Cell's cover of "Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go," speaks volumes. At the forefront of the new wave and electronic music scene in the early 1980s, Soft Cell's gay sensibility made songs such as "Bedsitter" and "Sex Dwarf," into eternal club hits. The Very Best of Soft Cell (Mercury/Chronicles) is a wonderful compilation including songs from Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (including the heartbreaking "Say Hello, Wave Goodbye"), The Art of Falling Apart and This Last Night In Sodom. Two new recordings, "Somebody, Somewhere, Sometime" and "Divided Soul," neither of which are on the duo's 2002 comeback album Cruelty Without Beauty, making this disc more than just the very best. A hazy light emanates from the center of Dusk (Clutter), the debut disk by Reuben. The shadowy circus ambiance of "Do Something" makes reference to Billie Holiday, while encouraging the listener to take action (come out?), in this way, "Though Papa may be out of his head and Mama in bed,/cut your losses. Let the dead bury the dead." The homo heat of "Me&Rico" makes it one of the best out songs of the year; "stoney," "swishy," "picky" and "tricky," and a lot of fun. "Care Of Myself" is soul music that sticks to the soles of your shoes and "Don't Believe" could be a gospel tune for atheists. "Service Man" sounds like the long-lost brother of Scott Free's "Garbage Man" and the bold "Let It Go" celebrates the personal freedoms of the present by saying goodbye to the old ways and days. Note to Reuben: Love the Le Tigre jacket that you sport on the album cover! As always, Minneapolis-based singer/ songwriter Ann Reed has found a way to balance her moving and emotionally powerful songs with her unique sense of humor on Gift Of Age (Turtlecub). Reed offers her original perspective on the passage of time on the heartfelt "Saying Hello," the title track and "Two Trees." Her gift for story songs can be heard on "Get Outta My Kitchen" and "Marching Back To School." Her delightfully humorous point of view buoys the songs "Please, Mr. Ashcroft," on which she implores the attorney general to spare us his singing, and "Meals On Wheels," eating junk food in your car. One of the surest signs of a generation gap in the gay community is the age group that refuses to identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual, defying categorization. They are the ones who firmly embraced the "queer" moniker, although it wouldn't be hard to imagine that most of them do find themselves mainly attracted to members of the same gender. The Quails, a trio from San Francisco, fit into that category. They will say that some of the band members are in same-sex relationships. Atmosphere (Inconvenient) is the trio's second album and it's a good one. Reminiscent of the riot grrrl sound of the Pacific Northwest (i.e. Sleater-Kinney), the Quails also distinguish themselves by having male bass players Seth Lorinczi sing the lead on a few songs (including "Digitons"). Tracks that take wing include "Riding The 5," "Memo From The Desk of The Quails," "When I Was A Lifeboat," "Your Heart Is A Muscle The Size of A Fist," and "Shine A Light." It took Elton John a while to officially come out, and like many before him, his doing so has made it easier for others. With at least one multi-disc box set and countless hits collections to his name, you wouldn't think that the bespectacled one would need to release another, but here it is--Greatest Hits 1970-2002 (Mercury/Island/UTV/ Rocket). Thirty-four tracks (plus a four-track limited edition bonus disc) cover the 30- year musical time period, beginning with "Your Song" and ending with "This Train Don't Stop There Anymore." Tap Your Troubles Away: The Words and Music of Jerry Herman (LML Music) is an "historic all-star tribute" to legendary, openly gay Broadway composer Jerry Herman. The tribute concert benefits the Actors Fund of America. And features renditions of Herman tunes by several openly gay performers, including Brian Lane Green ("Kiss Her Now"), Jason Graae ("You I Like"), Wilson Cruz ("A Little More Mascara"), and Sam Harris ("I Don't Want To Know"). There are also notable performances by some of the community's favorite icons including Bernadette Peters, Jo Anne Worley, Leslie Uggams, Rita Moreno, Tyne Daly, and an especially wonderful and rare "Hello, Dolly/Mame" duet performed by Angela Lansbury and Carol Channing. Two years after it was released in Europe, Milagro (Sunnyside) by African-American singer/songwriter and out lesbian Natalia King is going to expose the American music buying public to an important new voice. Some are categorizing her sound as blues, but it sounds like it owes more to jazz (think of an earthy Patricia Barber) in the way that the musicians and also King herself stretches out of the course of the album's nine tracks. Highlights include "Eye To Eye," "You Are My Song," "Drag," and the title track. A refreshing, gay male voice in the realm of both dance music and experimental pop Aalacho (pronounced ah-lah-koh), a.k.a. Nathan Scott, sweetens the deal on his debut disc Sugar (Aalacho Music). Straddling beats like an expert, Aalacho provides an edge lacking in a lot of dance music by flirting with electro-clash and vintage new wave, on songs such as the beat-busy "Mr. Monster," "I Oughta Know," and "Thinking About U." He gives Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac the postmodern treatment in his unusual reading of "Sara" (with vocal assistance from Hannah Vaughan) and will make you want to peel a banana or two with the luscious "Groovy Fruit." "In Your Hands" is a musical seduction and the "evolved transmission mix" of "Satellite" is, well, out of this world. For prefabricated Europop with a Russian accent, there is something kind of catchy and refreshing about the album 200 KM/H in The Wrong Lane (Interscope) by the Russian lesbian teen duo t.A.T.u. Lena and Julia sing same-sex love songs to a dance beat that encourages dancing and all sorts of bad Western behavior. Beginning with the scary, but propulsive "Not Gonna Get Us," a song about young lesbian lovers on the run, and moving on to "All The Things She Said" (not to be confused with the Simple Minds song of the same name) and their faithful cover of The Smiths' "How Soon Is Now?," t.A.T.u. left more of an impression than I had anticipated. I don't know how the number of gay male opera singers stacks up against the number of gay male opera fans, but with The Celtic Tenors, we can at least add two of its three members (James and Niall) to the gay roster. So Strong (Angel) also reflects a gay sensibility in the song selection. Opening with the sumptuous "Nella Fantasia" (originally an instrumental from the movie The Mission), the trio performs a lovely rendition of Paul McCartney's "Mull of Kintyre," and achieve high drama with the late Freddie Mercury's "Love Of My Life." Gay composer Samuel Barber's "Adagio" is given the "vocalise" treatment and "Anthem" from Chess is appropriately anthemic. Thalia Zedek, formerly of Come, Dangerous Birds and other bands, singing songs by Bob Dylan ("You're A Big Girl Now") and the Velvet Underground ("Candy Says") is a concept that pays off on the six-song EP You're A Big Girl Now (Kimchee). The rewards can be found in both her covers of these songs and in originals such as "JJ85" and "No Fire," which also mirror Lou Reed, Nico and The Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan, respectively. I receive an abundance of "homemade" CDs and every once in a while, one stands out from the rest. Jay Spears sounds like a cross between Mark Weigle and Tom Yore on his album Boy Howdy (www.jayspears .com). "I Like Mike" is a quirky about a baseball player boyfriend, the catchy "I'm Gonna Fall In Love" borders on silly, but is saved by the sincerity of Spears' delivery, and "You Will Love Again," sung by Annie Combs (with backing vocals by Spears), is the disc's best song. Out lesbian DJ Tracy Young works her dance-floor magic on the continuously mixed Party Groove: White Party 02 (Centaur). The dance music label's twentieth benefit disc sends proceeds to the Florida-based HIV/AIDS organization Care Resource.   Chicago Accent **Turnerjoy @ Abbey Pub (3420 W Grace, 773/478-4408) Jan. 3   by Gregg Shapiro   Chicago's entry into the electro-clash synth-powered new-wave revival scene is the Mystechs. The trio's fourth album Showtime At The Apocalypse (Omega Point) is packed with songs that make you think about the sad state of the world, while dancing as the bombs drop. "White Boys" and "Shouldn't Be Dancing" are admonitions against excess, particularly those practiced by beer-swilling, date-raping frat boys and people who "get good and pissed on two-dollar pints" and dream of stealing kisses from guys they've just met. "The Last Man Alive On Earth" is particularly resonant in light of the rumored proliferation of nuclear weapons possessed countries with unstable governments. "Crushed Tomatoes," about the crushed dreams of the "king of the night shift at the discount grocery store," is another of the album's standout cuts. The Mystechs aren't the only ones with an affinity for '80s new-wave nuanced pop. Garden of Dreams doubles the size (in more ways than one) of 2001's Sleeping Stars with Sparkle Shimmer Fade (Garden of Dreams), a six-song disc that rocks a little harder, but still maintains an electronic edge. "Ashes," "Never Said," and especially "Scanning For Pink," inspired nostalgia while still retaining that new song smell. When was the last time that you heard an album that was more appropriately titled than The Ache (The Self-Starter Foundation) by We Ragazzi. The emotional yelp in lead vocalist Anthony Rolando's voice got me choked up just listening to him sing songs such as "I Want You 2 Love Me So Much I Can't Stand Up," "Forever Surrender 2 U," "Burn 4 U," "Forever In The First Stages of Love," and the title track. Colleen Burke's plaintive organ and piano playing and backing vocals, and Timothy McConville's careful rhythm section, also aid in the cause. Desperately in love? Don't send flowers or chocolates. Send this CD. And be mindful of stalker laws. Melochrome is a quartet that makes ambient post-pop music, crossing The Sea and Cake with Sigur Ros, on their third full-length album This Is Motion (Loose Thread). This is chill-out music that borders on pass-out, but what better way to drift into dreamland than with airy and mesmerizing numbers such as "An Afterthought," "So We're Finally Moving On," "Catalina Girls," and "Stereo City." This is slow motion, but what a way to go. I have been looking forward to a new album by Turnerjoy since they made an impression on me with their 2000 full-length album Hope. Transplant (www. turnerjoy.com) doesn't disappoint, as it continues the band's effortless melding of guitars and keyboards to create an otherworldly sounded that is as organic as it is synthetic. Lengthy opening track "Heartattack" sounds like 21st Century jazz-fusion, and the seven-plus minute "Babble" and "Animals," follow suit. Turnerjoy hasn't abandoned its pop-song sensibility, however, which comes through on "Dinosaur," "Clemency," "Home," and the Bowie-meets-Pink Floyd tune "Torturous." The 13 cacophonous pop songs on Fermi Paradox (Underground Inc) by Tub Ring call on all of the band's influences and present them on an album with lots of variety and vigor. From the punk slam of "I Am The Robot" to the lovely strings section on "Psychology Is B.S. (Not Science)" to the schizophrenic swing, sway and stomp of Living With Rene's Head" to the Middle Eastern flavor of "Negative One" runs rings around your ears. Beyond The Calm of The Corridor (Scratchie/New Line Records) by The Blank Theory recalls Korn and latter-day Ministry in its rage and bluster with a beat. Hard and loud and as relentless as a migraine, songs such as "Middle of Nowhere," "Father's Eyes," "Invisible," "Thicker" and "Corporation" will give the current generation of head-bangers an excuse for thrusting their fists into the air. Originally formed in Chicago, with some sort of connection to the Neo nightclub, sophisticated goth unit Black Tape For A Blue Girl is now based on the West Coast. Still, you know that the goth kids in Chicago put on an extra coat of black eyeliner at the mere mention of this band. Released in the spring of 2002, BTFABG's The Scavenger Bride (Projekt) is as exotic, moody, theatrical and Dead Can Dance-y as you might expect it to be. Lest we forget that Chicago remains the insurgent country capitol, pedal steel and Hawaiian guitar giant Jon Rauhouse is here to remind us on Jon Rauhouse's Steel Guitar Air Show (Bloodshot). Joined by the cream of Chicago's alt-country diva crop, including Neko Case ("The World Is Waiting For A Sunrise"), Kelly Hogan ("Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" and "The Lonely Bull") and Sally Timms ("Perfidia"), this is a show worth attending. Hogan also performs backing vocals on the heartbreaking song "Suicide Note," from The Silver Line (Powerless Pop), the remarkable fourth album by Chris Mills. Opening with the ingenious pop blast of the title track, and moving into the mournful brass of "Suicide Note" and the bare bones cheater's confession of "I Could Not Stand To See You," Mills exhibits his diversity. He picks up the tempo on "Sleeptalking" and "Floorboards," but he was born to sing ballads such as "Don't Be Crushed" (imagine Radiohead going No Depression) and "Everything's Gonna Be Cool."
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