APOCALYPSE ALWAYS (Alternative Tentacles) Rating: NnnN
Rating: NNNN
Ooh! A sampler! My favourite! Alternative Tentacles certainly is generous, giving us over 72 minutes of playing time in Apocalypse Always, showcasing a wide range of artists and spanning a spoken death-row rant from Mumia Abu-Jamal, the trippy, ethereal warblings of Jarboe and the zany core of Zen Guerrilla. It’s difficult to do an overall analysis of such a diverse lineup, but if I have to pick standouts I’ll go with the Black Kali Ma’s Howya Do It (think Bon Scott-era AC/DC), Flaming Stars’ Bring Me The Rest Of Alfredo Garcia (Heroin glam with an alt-country edge) and Causey Way’s Money (X-Ray Spex-style transistorized fuzz punk). Like some politics with your music? Also included are spoken tracks by Noam Chomsky, Angela Davis, Howard Zinn and the ubiquitous Mr. Nasal, Jello Biafra. Really, 80 per cent of this is good stuff.
