KOSTARS - RED UMBRELLA from the 1996 album "Klassics With a 'K'"
I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fantastic Luscious Jackson side project, Kostars, and their beautiful summer song, "Red Umbrella." Keyboardist Vivian Trimble and bassist Jill Cunniff formed to produce only one record under this name, but the effort was well worth it to produce this light, floating piece of bossa nova acoustic goodness. I am a big fan of Brazilian samba and bossa nova like Astrud Gilberto, and this song is a fitting update of the genre. It's sexy, it's wistful, it's nostalgic...kind of like the 90's itself.
Enjoy the lovely video to Red Umbrella:
Tell me that video is not a breath of fresh air. It makes me want to grab my movie star sunglasses, a couple of shift dresses and jet off to Mallorca or somewhere. If only.
This collection of three songs from their demo record and four new tunes was a staple in my listening cycle in the early 90's. At the time, I was deep in the process of expanding the types of music I listened to, and this record helped smooth the transition from shiny pop and dance music to more eclectic hip-hop and rock with its clever melange of all these styles.
Unfortunately, it's probable that even fans of Luscious Jackson don't know this record at this point, but I remember when this EP made quite a splash with music critics, so much so that all the heavy breathing practically forced me to use my allowance money to trek to Tower and buy it. I was not disappointed. It's as rough-hewn as a demo record nearly all the way through, but it's mesmerizing in its ability to surprise the listener with its consistent hooks, sometimes aggressive nature and female coolness. It's Riot Grrl with more melody; hip-hop with less gloss or floss.
Here's a track off the album courtesy of YouTube. Enjoy!
Luscious Jackson - She Be Wantin' It More
Sorry if bad kitty offends you. I don't know what is with some of the folks that post mp3s on YouTube, although I commend their efforts.
So apparently in 1995, Michael Stipe of R.E.M. performed "Evil Woman" with Luscious Jackson as the backing band at Madison Square Garden on their "Monster" tour. I could not find this tape, so you're going to have to be happy with a video of ELO themselves playing the song. Though the vocals are out of sync (sorry), I will use any excuse possible to play this song. It's the jam.
After mentioning the Beastie Boys art tribute, it looks as if it's a Grand Royal kind of day, so I want to talk about one of my very favorite 90's bands, Luscious Jackson. Known as "The Female Beasties" for a good part of their early career (drummer Kate Shellenbach was a member of the Beastie Boys in their incipient hardcore days [way back in 1979!!]), they ended up being a semi-controversial (critics often railed on their sometimes lacking live shows and flat vocals) but always empowering and influential (Northern State, M.I.A. and Santogold owe a little something to L. Jackson) group.
Though I was introduced to the band by their 1992 EP "In Search of Manny," I was hooked in as a fan by the single "Citysong" off their 1994 album "Natural Ingredients." Though it is worth talking about this excellent record in its entirety, "Citysong" is unique to the adventurous spirit of 90's rock music.
What I love about this song is that I totally related to it as a young girl forging her identity in New York City. It manages to capture the hazy laziness of a miserably humid NYC day, coupled with the contradictory itchy frustration and elation that residents feel at the frenzied pace of the city. It's one of the loveliest musical snapshots of the city ever taken, and it's got a hot beat that you can actually dance too. And, white chicks are playing it.
This last aspect I felt was harped on too much with this band: I loved the quintessential New York-ness of four white women creating street-credible, attitude-laden hip-hop and rock. New Yorkers transcend boundaries and categories of every stripe, and they were no different. They were kind of like the white version of ESG (70's and 80's South Bronx-based post-punk/dance/hip-hop band), whom you should also check out by the way.
Here's the perfect video that accompanied "Citysong" back then:
Tamra Davis (who happens to be married to Mike D of the Beasties), who so ably directed this fine video, also directed a slew of memorable 90's videos, including a bunch for Sonic Youth and The Lemonheads, and one of my fave 90's films, "Guncrazy" (1992), featuring the then-newly-skinny Drew Barrymore. She also directed "Half-Baked" (1998), which garners her points in my book.
