Scroll down for a review of the latest from The Nines

Sugarcult
Start Static

(Ultimatum)

Released Aug 21, 2001

Once in awhile, I like to go into those mega record
stores that have nearly everything and spend a few
hours there looking for something, yet nothing in
particular. I generally have some guidelines though, I
look for bands with quirky names, indicating some sort
of hard/soft contradiction (it's kind of sweet, but it
has a bad, nasty side to it) Hit/Miss ratio tends to
be about 50/50 (which isn't too bad, considering it's on
a hunch).

Bands with Candy/Sugar in their names are usually a
good bet, with hits being the Candyskins, Candy
Butchers, Sugarplastic and Sugar. However, my method
is hardly scientific, with duds being Candy Planets,
Candy Machine, Candy Smashers and Sugar Jones.

Sugarcult is definitely a hit, though. They are a 4
piece from West Hollywood whose time has come. Snotty
punk attitude, but with tons o' hooks and lots of
energy. The comparison that obviously comes to mind is
the most recent Suicide Machines CD, released in 2000.
Other similar bands would be in a hard pop vein, like
Exies, Waking Hours, Fuzzbubble, Superdrag (bands with
Super in their names are usually a relatively safe
gamble as well) crossed with early Elvis Costello. It
has edge, but also a studio gloss sheen to it.

Absolutely every song is a winner, but "Lost in You"
and "Stuck in America" really stand out.

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The Nines
Properties of Sound

(Self-released)

Released Aug 7, 2001

This record comes as an absolute surprise since most
people assumed that this band broke up. They released
a pop masterpiece about 4 years ago - Wonderworld of
Colourful.Their last release was a 4 song EP,(which
was the result of a Canadian contest win - the winner
would have their record released through Universal
Records Canada, and it was available exclusively
through www.hmv.com) which came out in 1999. Their
website, www.ninespop.com, wasn't updated for years,
when this comes out from nowhere.The pop community
undoubtedly will welcome this with open arms.

There hasn't been a more solid release this year than
this one. Everyone should own this. It contains two
songs from the 4 song EP, (except Faraway and
Backseat) and also contains "I Would Never" from
Yellow Pills Vol. 4. The sound is similar to XTC
crossed with early Ben Folds Five, and it is even
better than their debut, if such a thing is possible.

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