Daily Staff Writer

“BBC Sessions”

Cocteau Twins

Listening to the Cocteau Twins used to be like swimming in an ethereal, iridescent fountain as lights coalesced around you in shimmering thought forms.

Now it’s just nasty.

The Twins put out a double disc set of tunes they performed on the British Broadcasting Company’s various radio programs and the challenge is for anyone to tell these damn songs apart.

No matter how hard you try, it all sounds like the same weak late-’80s trifle droning on and on without surcease.

It’s like the pixies that used to float around this band got hooked on heroin and are trying to convince you they want to give up the horse while at the same time trying to fence your stereo at the pawnshop down the street.

One feels betrayed by the complete lack of anything redemptive about this set.

There are not songs of intrinsic value on here.

There isn’t even that one track you would be willing to keep the set for because it really speaks to you or rocks hard. Forget about it.

This CD is like going to the doctor’s office for a routine checkup and being told to wait afterwards endlessly. All sorts of things could be going through your mind: Did they lose my test results? Did my credit card not go through? Is it cancer?

Then they tell you they just forgot about you, you’re fine and you can go home. No apology, no explanation, no respect.

You are left feeling violated and disrespected.

This album is filled with the same lighter-than-air guitar effects and angelic vocals as everything else Cocteau Twins have done, and it is time for a change. It’s boring. YAWN.

They could have at least thrown in the few MTV hits they had nearly 10 years ago, but apparently that would cheapen them too much by giving the audience something they might give a damn about.

Their manager should be forced to walk 20 paces ahead of them at all times, ringing a bell and shouting “Unclean, unclean!” It sucks that bad.

1 Star

—Greg Jerrett

“Second Story”

The Hang Ups

Pretend, for a minute or two, that Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr lived and grew in Minnesota, only with different names. Assume their third album is being released in 2000.

The release of “Second Story” by the Hang Ups proves there is no need to pretend any longer.

The Minneapolis-based band plays and writes pop music the way it was meant to be, both catchy and sincere. The only thing the Hang Ups’ latest lacks is a bad track.

Not afraid to try different sounds, the band adds a little alternative country twang to the brief “Blue Sky.” The song speeds along with a sense of urgency that parallels Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.”

Tapping into the “Revolver”-era Beatles sound, the Hang Ups sample the sound of a cheering crowd during “Pretty BA,” just as the first part of the guitar solo begins.

It seems almost egotistical, but the cheering crowd works just as it did for the Beatles on “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” seeming to be an essential element in the song.

Vocal sounds reminiscent of the harmonies of “Paperback Writer” populate the entire album, especially on tracks such as “Pretty BA,” “Caroline” and “Party.”

It is eerie, at times, how close the band comes to sounding like the Beatles. “Party” seems like it could have easily been penned and performed by the British boys, with only the accents missing.

The Hang Ups rock on a few songs, though hardly in the same fashion that Metallica rocks. Most of “Second Story” has a definite laid-back feeling.

Piano and organ parts are sprinkled throughout the record, successfully complementing the melodies and adding another dimension to the deceptively simple songs.

Smiling and head-bobbing are unavoidable when listening to the sublime pop sound that is “Second Story.”

It’s fine that the Beatles didn’t live, write and perform in Minnesota.

The Hang Ups are doing it for them.

4 Stars

— Jon Dahlager

“Idiots Out Wandering Around”

House Of Large Sizes

Cedar Rapids natives House Of Large Sizes decided to follow in the footsteps of other not-so-legendary artists and put out a live album.

You can sit there and rip on the fact that too many bands are putting out live albums and say it’s just a lame attempt to make money off of old songs, but since HOLS already made the record, you might as well give it a listen.

Trying to capture a live show on disc is probably one of the hardest things for a band to do; some do a fairly good job, and others fail miserably.

The idea for a live album is to use the songs that really captivate an audience, and with punk-style rockers such as HOLS, this would require lots of rocking songs.

Lucky for HOLS, “Idiots Out Wandering Around” has nothing but rocking songs, propelling their live effort into the category of decency.

Recorded at smaller venues across the Midwest, including Ames’ own Maintenance Shop, the intimate atmosphere in which they perform comes across very well, giving the listener the feeling that they are right there.

The recordings have a very quality sound, and the trademark whining vocals and rough guitar licks are as evident as ever, letting you know that HOLS are more about energy than perfect sounding music when they play live.

Some past crowd favorites such as “I Think I Know That,” “Cranko-American” and “Carpool Lung,” definitely live up to crowd expectations, and other catchy tracks, including “Green Lightning” and “Ball Dropper,” keep you tuned in throughout.

With 22 tracks and not a whole lot of variety in sound, the album begins to drag and sound redundant towards the end, giving the impression that putting an entire set list on one record probably isn’t the best idea.

“Idiots Out Wandering Around” portrays the HOLS live show as best as a live album can, and knowing that some of it was recorded right here in Ames makes you feel a little bit cooler — or makes you wonder what the other venues they play are like.

2 1/2 Stars

— Kyle Moss

“One”

Frankie Machine

At first listen, Frankie Machine is just another alternative band ripping through stock rock songs. But given closer inspection, Frankie Machine combines catchy pop lyrics with hard-rocking guitar riffs to create an infectious sound similar to that of another alternative phenomenon, the Foo Fighters.

“One,” the Los Angeles foursome’s first album on Mammoth Records, kicks off with the catchy “Sell Me.” The song’s roaring punk guitars combined with poppy lyrics make for a creatively catchy tune that sticks with listeners for hours.

The band quickly follows with the blistering “Surveillance,” which adds a twist of glam rock to the band’s 11-track debut, reminiscent of ’80s hair band Winger.

The best track on the disc undoubtedly is a cover of the Split Enz tune, “I Got You.” The rapid change from soft to hardcore rock adds a feel that was lacking earlier on the disc.

That hard-rocking feel established earlier returns with the fierce tracks “2nd Guess” and “50/50,” bringing the intensity level of the record back up and adding a Foo Fighters-like taste to the disc.

The two heightened songs are followed up by “Sinking Ship” and “My Disregards,” both of which are angst driven and add a different feel to the otherwise poppy, happy rocking disc. This presence is a welcome change that adds diversity to the album and shows that they are more than an alternative thrash band.

The appropriately title “Finally” rounds out the 11-tracks, providing a vivid, rocking finale. The screeching heartfelt lyrics wrap up the solid first effort from Frankie Machine.

Hard-rocking riffs and catchy pop lyrics make strange bedfellows but find a happy medium with “One,” which hits shelves on Feb. 29.

3 Stars

— Justin Kendall