Mark Eitzel/Bill Janovitz Borderline,London December 5th 1996 It's a well known fact that music journalists will sign a blood pact that obliges them to worship earnest singer- songwriters. The fact that their bands are often fantastically dull is rarely revealed.In truth,Buffalo Tom were never more than just a sturdier Lemonheads.AMC,too,suffered from tedium in the guitar department,whatever the merits of Eitzel's lyrical muse.So it's fitting that tonight,he and chief 'Tom Janovitz have come clean as the acoustic solo performers they always not-so-secretly were. But it's not a fair fight.Within the space of two songs,Eitzel has abandoned his faulty amplification and is spraying phlegm all over the first three rows,howling, "If I had a gun/I would give you freedom." Crikey.The songs off his as-yet-unreleased new record sound every bit as heart-wrenched as classics like 'Apology For An Accident',despite the drunken cock-ups.Meanwhile,a quick check for bloodstains on Eitzel's abused fretboard reveals more viscous stuff that could,with a little imagination,be mistaken for bit's of his soul. With an opening act like Eitzel,'Nice' Bill never really stood a chance.He's so chirpy,it's hard to believe the man's ever had a bad day,let alone entertained the kind of glum thought evinced on 'Taillights Fade'.It's the only song,too,that doesn't get lost in the wholesome jangle of the rest of his set.That said,'Shoulder' and 'Girls Club' are endearing enough,coming as they do,near the beginning of proceedings. Which only reinforces the impression that once you've heard one Janovitz country-rock composition,you really have heard them all. Reviewed by Kitty Empire for NME December 21st 1996 Return to Homepage Here |