CACTUS SMACK CONSPIRACY
Old Man Lung (Slave Machine)
That Jeff Pinkus engineered this slab of likable but twisted nonsense figures; the Butthole Surfers also made noise this oddly compelling once upon a time. And though the album’s eight studio tracks capture a band wholly committed to stylistic non-commitment, the live-at-the-Flamingo Cantina closing of “Smokin’ Ravioli/J. Edgar Hoover” perhaps constitutes the one ambitiously brilliant mess that’s worth the price of admission. — Andy Langer
ROBERTO MORENO
Treat Yourself Nice, Tiger (Vatos Locos)
If the clean acoustics and mandolin two-stepping together aren’t musical cue enough, “DMB,” which stands for Dave Matthews Band, should do the trick. You won’t find a “Crash” or “Too Much” on this release, only Moreno’s DMB-like lackadaisical vocals and some decent hooks, and “Joshua Tree” is only a song title, not another cue.
— Raoul Hernandez
PROVOCATIVE ELBOW
Dig
Provocative Elbow fall somewhere outside of having a musical identity they can truly call their own. Amid the rehash of influences like Minor Threat and Black Flag, Dig offers above-average guitar sorties from Jeremy Alexander and the occasional ray of engagement in the songwriting department. Ultimately though, you get the sense that a bit more focus on song structure might befit Provocative Elbow’s firecracker storm of disparate musical directions. — Greg Beets
WAY, SHAPE, AND FORM
Textural Dyslexia
Sometimes this job is too easy — see the album title above and witness the effortlessness of what follows: When it comes to 70 minutes of overwrought progressive-metal this smug, poorly written, and sadly executed, a self-imposed handicap of textural dyslexia is no excuse. — Andy Langer
TISH HINOJOSA The Best of the Sandia (Watermelon)
Sandia, as many of you know, is the Spanish words for Watermelon. The songs here are compiled from Hinojosa’s three Watermelon releases Taos to Tennessee, Aquella Noche, y Memorabillia Navidena. See how it all fits together? It’s a collection of standards, covers, and originals; it’s ethnic and ebullient folk combing the character of central Texas and the flavor of northern New Mexico.
— Michael Bertin
“Bonus Tracks” reviews all Texas-related releases commercially available. Send to: “Bonus Tracks,” c/o The Austin Chronicle, PO Box 49066, Austin, TX 78765
This article appears in April 11 • 1997 and April 11 • 1997 (Cover).