CD REVIEWS
R.E.M. / Reveal
(Warner)
 Prior to the May 9th release of US rockers R.E.M.' 12th and latest studio
album, TC got the chance to test run Reveal. Lavish and atmospheric, the
album wraps singer Michael Stipe's voice - not in the usual layered harmonies - but in a
blanket of warm synthesizers and effects. This is highly effective on the dreamy,
nostalgic opener, "The Lifting," but runs a bit maudlin on "I'll Take The
Rain." For longtime fans, classic, jangly R.EM. crowd-pleasers such as the first
single off the album, "Imitation of Life," and the gently ironic "All The
Way To Reno (You're Gonna Be A Star)," are in evidence as well. More melodic than its
predecessor Up, Reveal takes R.E.M. back onto more familiar territory with
12 gently insistent songs that grow on you, reveal themselves even, with each new
listening.
MAKYO
/ Yakshini
(Dakini)
 Where does the traditional Indian music end, and the psychedelic electronica
begin? This is the line being steadily blurred in the ongoing explorations of Tokyo techno
figure Makyo, who has just released his third full-length CD from his homegrown Dakini
imprint. The title is Hindi for a beautiful but slightly dangerous female spirit that
appears in dreams, and Yakshini's richly interwoven, trance-inducing grooves (some
of which run to 20 minutes) are the result of a lengthy process of sampling live Indian
and Arab percussion. "I spent two years making this, seeing how deep into the sound I
could go," says the producer. "All I learned is that you can always go
deeper." Representing Makyo's onward evolution toward a more seamless musical
collage, Yakshini stands not only as a chill-out favorite, but also as a worthy
addition to a growing body of music linking West and East, ancient and future.
MISSLE
GIRL SCOOT / Wanderland
(EMI)
 Perhaps it's the contrast between diminutive appearance and
raucous effect that makes the sound of Japanese women rasping out vocals over loud guitars
so effective. But even without that contrast this album is as varied as a punk album could
be. The band dabble in straight-ahead power pop ("Get Back"), angst ridden
chords ("Every time It Rains"), two-min adrenaline punk ("Rock'n Roll*High
School"), super-hardcore ("Samurai") and the downright eccentric title
track. The single "KKP Connections" is the catchiest, though. With five members
and good production, the sound is solid as well as loud, and the distortion is purely
intentional. If you like your rock hard and fast, the album's big failing is only that it
lacks a track title like "Fake Sista Ain't Shit" - the first album's hit single.
Simeon Paterson
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