Various Artists
Crankin' at the New Union
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
The weekend before C-Stone, my wife and I had the privilege of helping judge the 1994 New Union Band Tournament. It was a great weekend, especially because the two finalists, Anna's Eye Tooth and Here Lies Franklin totally shredded! You'll hear more about both of them in the future...I'm sure!
Here's a 15-song live sample of 15 of the finalists. The tape sequence was picked to list the bands alphabetically, and the live recording captured in the first two songs was a bit flat and two-dimensional, which takes away from the talent represented here. Therefore, the first impression is that this tape is more of a keepsake for those present who want a record of what they heard; rather than an introduction that shows 15 hot new bands.
The best sonic moments probably come in the non-edgy tunes by Epa Aldea and Glass Houses. Epa Aldea's tune, "Joy And Tremble," has good sonics and separation between the low end and highs. The guitar lines are very cool. The Glass Houses tune, "Welcome," is very atmospheric. "Mission," by contest winners Here Lies Franklin, starts with an intro with the power and room-filling vocal sounds of a Jerusalem and goes into "Mission," an okay tune showing the band's chops. A couple other standouts are: Mr. Crazy, an outlandish, noisy band that takes a hardcore approach to melodic hard rock; and Cybernetix, a cool, aggressive band with a great guitar tone.
This album is a great idea with a decent outcome. To order, send $6 (tape/$8 CD - plus $1 postage) to: The New Union, 507 E. Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55414.