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at a glance...
Hometown: London, England
Year Formed: 1992
Members:
Dave Bush -guitars, keyboards
Justine Frischmann -vocals, guitars
Annie Holland -bass
Paul Jones -guitars
Mew -keyboards, vocals
Justin Welch -drums
Bands In The Family:
Suede, Blur, Graham Coxon, The Fall, Pulp, PJ Harvey
Notes:
Justine Frischmann, ex-guitarist of Suede, and Justin Welch,
ex-drummer, recruited Annie Holland and Donna Matthews via an ad in MelodyMaker.
Radio 1's Steve Lamacq and John Peel took a shine to the group and before any
singles or album were released, Elastica were voted the Best New Band of 1993
by NME readers. Three Top 40 singles dropped before their debut LP appeared
in 1995 and was heralded as the best female entry in the emerging Britpop scene,
if not album of the year. Justine and boyfriend Damon Albarn of Blur became de facto King and Queen of BritPopLand. Elastica toured worldwide through 1996, on
the way losing Holland to exhaustion, while picking up Sheila Chipperfield as
her replacement and Dave Bush on keyboards. Rumors of drug use and studio
bust-ups emerged in the press. Tired of arguing with Justine ("The Führer") about new material, Matthews tried acting ("The Velvet Goldmine") before leaving the band to "get sorted." Holland returned, Chipperfield left, and the band actually began to record music again. Shortly
before an appearance at Reading '99, two new members (Paul Jones and Mew) joined
the band and Elastica released 6-Track EP.
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Elastica
6-Track EP
Deceptive/DGC Records , Released 1999
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6-Track EP is best heard as a chronological journey through the abyss that was
1996-1999. Hardly a musical statement, the EP is merely a workout, an amusing
reminder of those giddy thoughts that passed through your head when
Elastica first spun in your CD player. Still, embers of their fire still burn -
the impulsive, spontaneous production, the quirky vocals, the fuzzy guitars, the
sexual innuendo.
At a terse 16 minutes, the EP picks up where Elastica left off. "How He Wrote Elastica Man," one of two songs featuring Mark E. Smith of The
Fall, dives right into your lap with a mad Mickey Mouse Club sing-a-long
and twisted surf guitars. Smith also turns in the first ever (and hopefully,
only) all male vocal on an Elastica song with "KB," featuring loops, electronic chirps, and choppy
guitars. Both songs prominently feature Justin Welch, an often overlooked drummer who
beat the hell out of his kit on Elastica and does the
same here. His work on the skins should
be enough reason to rush out and buy this EP.
The strangest song on 6-Track EP is "Miami Nice," an instrumental home
recording complete with 80's synthesizers a la "Theme From
Miami Vice." Similarly, one wonders about the presence of "Nothing Stays The
Same," a home demo by former guitarist Donna Matthews. Though it may
remind fans of "Indian Song," that it should appear with the band's first new material in years seems odd; perhaps the title is a clue as to why Matthews left in
the first place.
Closing track "Generator" brings all the new pieces together
- the soft, girly "oooh," a strangely melodic yet uneven keyboard progression,
deep bass riffs, and shouty vocals featuring the line "I'm a third rate
imitator; I'm a second-hand fornicator," something Justine's critics have said
for years. That she can repeat it with her trademark feigned flirtatious
innocence proves she doesn't take herself too seriously and that perhaps
Elastica's heyday isn't necessarily in the past.
If you like Elastica, check out:
Elastica Elastica
The Clash The Clash
The Breeders Pod
Blondie Parallel Lines
The Fall This Nation's Saving Grace
-- Pierre Stefanos
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