QUATROPAW
All Night Living (Chet Productions)
Marooned somewhere between Poi Dog Pond-ering and Mazzy Star,
Quatropaw makes music to take the edge off. Beth Frydman and Jason Richard`s
vocal interplay gives the record enough bite to stifle any lingering yawns,
while the band maintains enough unbearable liteness of being to make this
record a fine closer after an evening spent listening to harder stuff. — Chris Gray
BELL
Fatal Distraction
A smooth enough MC, who`s grown tenfold between cassette
releases, Bell’s reality rap rings most resonantly when he’s painting scary
Eastside streetscapes full of gangs, guns, money and all-too-real newscast
samples. And although Bell immediately comes off like a real enough player for
raps this stark, repeat listens to Fatal Distraction‘s four
tracks ultimately reveal a subtle complexity and hopeful growl that make him
more than just a minimalist take on Scarface. — Andy Langer
RALDO SCHNEIDER
Patience, Perseverance and Politics
Schneider ruminates on panhandling, rain, outer space, and
Barton Springs in a pleasant country/folk stew. It takes a sharp jag in style
to stand out in this milieu. That doesn’t occur on this cassette.
Patience is a competent, well-produced effort in search of a sharper
edge. — Stephen McGuire
LAURIE FREELOVE/
GEMMA COCHRAN
Sixty Stanley Road
It’s about time former Nice Girl Freelove showed again. She
hasn’t released anything since 1992’s Smells Like Truth, and I’ll have
to say this tape is worth the wait. Dropping all the heavy production and
atmospherics of the former was an excellent move, as was teaming with
Englishwoman Cochran. The mood is a lot like Smells…, but the vocal
harmonies and sparse sound of Sixty Stanley Road make it a far superior
offering. — Joe Mitchell “Bonus Tracks” reviews all local and Texas-based releases commercially
available. Send to: “Bonus Tracks,” The Austin Chronicle, PO Box
49066, Austin, TX 78765.
This article appears in October 27 • 1995 and October 27 • 1995 (Cover).