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Audiofile Robyn Hitchcock Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians--Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival BBC Music He banishes dirt to the land of wind and ghosts! Join him or die! Can you not see that he is serious? R. Hitchcock is the Mr. Sparkle of folk-rock. His music is like that strange episode of The Simpsons wherein our beloved pal Homer discovers that he is actually the logo for a dishwashing detergent company from Hokkaido, Japan. Those lucky enough to have seen Hitchcock at the Stone in Palo Alto about the same year or so as this 1992 live show in England still remember the singer's Beatle-esque harmonies, his comic/sinister psychedelic non sequiturs, the chiming of his guitar on ought-to-have-been hits like "Globe of Frogs" and "Railway Shoes." My favorite is "The Yip! Song," a better memorial to WWII vets than Saving Private Ryan. PS: The liner notes do not reflect the order of the songs, perhaps another one of Hitchcock's little jokes. (Richard von Busack) Kindness Welcome to Planet Excellent Crackerjill Music Taking a cosmic approach to electronic rock music, this San Francisco-based trio of notable women stars Katharine Chase (former bassist for Penelope Houston), Dawn Richardson (former drummer for 4 Non Blondes) and Carrie Baum (former guitarist for Soul Divine). Their second album is a generally upbeat offering of rocktronica that dances between bouncy synth-pop and aggressive industrial sounds. Chase's smoky vocals are inviting in the harsh, sexy style of Chryssie Hynde with a little Concrete Blonde thrown in. Kindness incorporates some unexpected instruments into its music, including horns in "Don't Mention It" and the accordion in the lilting "God Lives in Florida." It also takes some brief experimental risks when it turns messages left on an answering machine into strange little songs ("Kel & Shell" and "Dad's Truck"). (Sarah Quelland) [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]