Pop music
Record remedies
Marcus Berkmann
With television ads now awash with holly, ivy and suspicious-looking elderly men carrying sacks of 'toys', it is time once again to decide which records you are going to buy yourself for Christmas. Leave it to to other people and you'll probably get a Genesis live album, or the greatest hits of Cher. But take your life into your own hands and venture into that cruel and mys- terious netherworld known as a `megastore' and you may find hidden behind terrible heavy metal albums and this week's top computer games one or two new records that are actually worth buying. Hard to believe, I know, but then this is the season of miracles, small mercies and general good cheer. Ask the elderly men with their sacks of 'toys'. They're having a rare old time.
Nonetheless, music can serve many pur- poses and it may be that you're looking for a record to perform a particular function over the hectic weeks to come. Grunge metal, for example, is unlikely to provide the best accompaniment to a quiet yuletide dinner party, while the soothing tones of Sade may prove deleterious, if not actually fatal, to anyone driving late at night slightly sloshed. Follow these guidelines carefully — they could save your life.
Post-Christmas let-down: Not for noth- ing to do suicide rates soar after Boxing Day, but one sure-fire remedy is Leonard Cohen's new album, The Future (Colum- bia). Some music-lovers tend to find Cohen's voice, a plangent death-rattle of almost infinite weariness, hard to stomach, but his reputation for wrist-slashing gloom and despondency is ill-deserved. Like its predecessor, the stupendous I'm Your Man, The Future is most notable for its deep, dark humour and the immense restraint of its predominantly synthesised instrumental backing. This is funny, nasty, intelligent music — not immediately obvious, perhaps, but hugely rewarding in the long term. As such, it's just the thing to dispel the Boxing Day blues, for however awful you may be feeling there's always the consolation that Leonard Cohen feels worse.
That troublesome dinner party: Sade is the obvious name to mention here but, as her last couple of albums have shown, she has long since outgrown such pigeonholing. Her latest, Love Deluxe (Epic), is not quite as good as the sublime Stronger Than Pride, but it's still an immensely subtle record, jazzy soul pared to the bone. Instead, why not try Tasmin Archer's Great Expectations (EMI),a debut album from a very promis- ing young British singer-songwriter. 'Sleep- ing Satellite' was a number one single, and the rest is equally lush and tuneful. It's a bit like Beverley Craven with oomph, or Seal in a dress — effortlessly commercial and perfect with cheese and coffee.
Driving music: That all-important car tape of Seventies hits having finally worn out, what can be relied on to keep you awake and entertained on those long and tedious journeys? They may be less fash- ionable these days than cholesterol, but the Happy Mondays are still making superb records. Yes Please (Factory) is much clean- er and slicker that their previous work, but their distinctive combination of groove, energy and melody has lost none of its bite. Guaranteed to cheer you up as you speed along motorways to the homes of unloved relatives.
For more general listening you may also wish to consider Suzanne Vega's 99.9F° (A&M), a remarkable return to form, expertly produced by Mitchell Froom; The Beautiful South's 0898 Beautiful South (Go Discs), another severely under-rated album from one of the best groups in the world; The Lightning Seeds' Sense (Virgin), this year's unequivocal pop triumph, and Elton John's The One (Rocket), a guilty pleasure, I know, but one that proves that musical talent doesn't desert you even when you start wearing a very silly wig. Those to avoid, by contrast, include Sinead O'Con- nor's Am I Not Your Girl? (Ensign), which is about as well-judged as most of her recent public pronouncements, and Bob Dylan's Good As I Been To You (Colum- bia), his first acoustic album in 25 years and by any standards the ultimate Christ- mas turkey. Happy Christmas!
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