CD review

Van Morrison "The Philosopher's Store"


Exile Productions


Van Morrison's blues rock was always saved from being generic by its spiritual quality. His celebratory lyrics are sung in a soulful repose; this is optimal driving/beach-party music. "Philosopher's Stone" is an abundant compilation (30 tracks) of previously unreleased versions of Morrison's tunes recorded between 1971 and 1988, some of them mixed almost 10 years after being laid down.


The slight sketchiness of these outtakes, jam sessions and early tracks only serves to highlight Morrison's great songwriting and playful singing digressions. "Bright Side of the Road" is less polished and glossy than the hit version but has a more toe-tappin' bluegrass guitar rhythm. The production is good and overall, this is an uplifting body of work.


Towa Tei "Sound Museum"


Elektra


The new recording from Towa Tei, a.k.a. DJ Towa of Deee-lite fame, features many vocalists. No one, however, can approach Deee-lite's fabulous Lady Miss Kier -- not even Kylie Minogue, who sings on a Pizzicato 5-esque, faux Japanese pop ditty about a German computer font.


"Sound Museum" is simple, 1980s-style electronic dance music. It isn't as mischievous and revolutionary as Deee-lite's songs were, and sounds as if '80s house/pop stars C&C Music Factory had chugged a jug of cough medicine before pumping out slower beats with slightly goofy samples.


The formula is obvious: Use a drum machine, keyboards, light sampling, female vocalists, glossy production and a few horns or an exotic instrument. Then cover an '80s song. Tei's cover of Hall and Oates' "Private Eyes" is a lounge version sung by a woman with an exotic accent. This shtick has been done ad nauseam. It's pleasant elevator music with a heard-before twist.'


Frank Black and the Catholics


Play It Again Sam Records


For fans of the vocal and musical innovations of Frank Black, formerly of the Pixies, his latest effort will likely be a disappointment. While the Pixies were all about sparse, strange spaces, accents and unusual dynamics, Black's new sound is much more standard, verse-chorus-verse-guitar-solo-style.


Although initially unnerving, it becomes clear that this is Black's foray into classic punkish rock a la Iggy Pop and Art Bergman. Although the rock cliches are present, this release is infused with enough of that ol' Frank Black magic to keep it from being stale. There is still a lingering grace to his lyrics, but they don't have the same evocative ambiguity that delighted Pixies listeners. Rather, they conjure up the offhandedness and forcefulness of an old punk growling about a lost weekend. A solid, but unremarkable recording.


Mamouchka "New Tsarevich: Cabaret Russe-Russian Cabaret"


Musidisc


Mamouchka delves into cabaret history to unearth the music of exiled, post-Revolution Russians singing in Parisian cabarets.


The bold and lusty voices belting gypsy, tango and jazz numbers belong to Natalia Ermilova, who also plays violin, and Veronika Bovlytheva, who plays the guitar and tambourine. Throughout this recording, Mamouchka uses bass guitar to provide rhythm and to enrich the sound. The group uses violin and guitar to simultaneously provide both a melody and accents. Russian standards like "Kalinka" feature rousing new arrangements, while a cover of Russian folk hero Vladimir Vysotsky's "Friend" has tuneful, minimal guitar accompaniment and soaring -- though slightly maudlin -- vocals.


"New Tsarevich" is a fascinating introduction to a piece of music history.


Purple Legion, located at 1 Novokuznetskaya Ulitsa (Tel. 953-4652. Metro: Tretyakovskaya), usually has all major international releases. This week, however, they only have two CDs reviewed here: Van Morrison and Towa Tei.