January 25, 2004

On Speaking Terms With the Devil

. A. ALLEN The John Edward of the dark side, Mr. Allen, one of the country's first televangelists, claimed to communicate with the demon world. On his television and radio shows, he supposedly cast out Satan and his minions from the possessed. "Crying Demons" and "I Am Lucifer," both reissued as separate CD's on the Mad Deadly Worldwide label (available at independent stores like Amoeba Music), are just two of 50-some recordings of sermons and songs from this so-called exorcist. "Crying Demons," the better of the two, alternates between creepy and comical as Mr. Allen, who died in 1970, converses with (and ultimately banishes) the demons inhabiting the bodies of the faithful. Sometimes, however, these exorcisms sound more like an argument between siblings, as in the following excerpt:

Allen: "You will let her go."

Demon: "I will not."

Allen: "You're defeated and you know it."

Demon: "I'm not going anywhere."

LONG WINTERS and OKKERVIL RIVER Every time I've listened to the electro-rock rave-up "Dance Macabre" by the Faint over the last two years, I've regretted not listing it in my top 10 in 2001. I wonder if, as I continue to listen nonstop to "When I Pretend to Fall" (Barsuk) by the Seattle band the Long Winters and "Down the River of Golden Dreams" (Jagjaguwar) by the Austin, Tex., band Okkervil River, I will not regret omitting those discs from last year's list. Both are smart, catchy, near-perfect indie-rock records. Long Winters come on crisp, clean and melodic (especially on the fantastic "Blue Diamonds" and "Cinnamon") while Okkervil River prefers a more warbly, orchestrated approach (as on the beautiful, crescendoing "It Ends With a Fall").

STRONG BAD Not only the best animation site on the Web, but perhaps the best original entertainment site altogether, www.homestarrunner.com recently put out "Strong Bad Sings," the first CD spinoff from its online cartoon world. It features the site's lovable, shirtless evildoer, Strong Bad, as well as the spurious heavy metal bands he is a fan of. It is a testament to the homely genius of the site that, removed from the visuals, the characters are still so expressive and sarcastic. Highlights include Strong Bad's duet with Marzipan (the site's sole female character), "Sensitive to Bees," and his love song, "Circles," in which he sings, "At the computer lab/ I totally found out her screen name." The CD also contains a hilarious bonus track, an ode to secret songs by the site's naïve namesake, Homestar Runner. The CD is available from the Web site only.

KATE MOSS/PRIMAL SCREAM More than a year after the fact, Primal Scream has released its collaboration with Kate Moss as a remixed single and video (Sony UK). Though the song, "Some Velvet Morning," was originally performed by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood (and belongs in the annals of great duets), the new version makes it clear that the inspiration for the remake was just as much Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot. If Primal Scream and Ms. Moss had chosen any other song to record together, it wouldn't have worked, because "Some Velvet Morning" is a song made not for a singer but a siren.

EAMON The sole single (the one with the unprintable title on Jive) from Staten Island's Eamon may very well be the worst song on the pop charts today. It's sub-par teen pop with swear words, which of course only makes it more appealing to teens.

JUVENILE It's been six years since his groundbreaking hit "Ha," and Juvenile is a little worse for wear. After court cases, label problems and the deaths of friends, he is no longer rap's fresh young turk, bringing New Orleans bounce music to the masses. (In fact, his influence has even reached Senegal, as heard on Rough Guide's new collection "African Rap.") When he sings he's going to "bounce back" on his first CD in two years, "Juve the Great" (Cash Money/Universal), one wishes it were true. It's not a bad CD, but, as the title suggests, Juve the great is too busy blowing hot air to bounce as he used to.

MEIC STEVENS Nearly every country has a classic artist who is a household name there but nearly unknown in the States. And often these artists are worth knowing. One is Meic Stevens, the uncompromising Welsh singer and songwriter often compared to Bob Dylan. Rhino Handmade has released, for the first time in the United States, his best-known (and mostly English-language) recording, "Outlander." It's essential for anyone with an interest in 60's British folk and psychedelia, though much of his best work is sung in Welsh and difficult to find here.

CRAMMED GLOBAL SOUNDCLASH In the 1980's, the Belgian label Crammed Disc cultivated a wide array of innovators (from as far afield as Israel, Iran, Zaire, Japan and the United States) making music that was either world fusion, electronic funk, ambient or all three. Not all the label's avant-pop was great (the ethereal rock of Bel Canto has always fallen short of the mark for me), but the label surely merits a place in the modern musical canon. This three-disc set (two offer highlights from the label, the third remixes) includes the compositions of Hector Zazou, the Middle Eastern industrial music of Minimal Compact, the beautiful Middle Eastern soundscapes of Sussan Deyhim and Richard Horowitz, and even the pre-Peaches, foul-mouthed dance of the performance artist Karen Finley.