>Finally, if you like the Velvet Underground, you might like
>"Bettie Serveert plays 'Venus in Furs' and Other Velvet Underground
>Songs" (Brinkman). On this live album, recorded in late
>'97 at an Amsterdam club, the band pays tribute to one of its heroes.
>If this album gives you a buzz, try out the band's own sound with
>"Dust Bunnies" (Matador/Capitol), one of my favorite albums of the
>decade.
I'm not so sure about this article as a whole, but this Bettie album was
definitely one of the most impressive recordings I happened upon last year.
If you have a liking for the VU, this has all of the edginess and taste for
the experimental that most bands who cover VU conservatively side-step. It's
one thing to tackle "Femme Fatale," which they thankfully pass over. (Not
that the song sucks, but c'mon, everyone and the horse they rode in on has
covered this one). It's quite another to attempt "Venus in Furs" and pull it
off. Is it as good as the original? Probably not, but close is pretty
impressive. Peter Visser--guitar abuser, violin player, and all-around
noise-making madman--is Bettie Serveert's Jay Bennett--the quiet MVP. And
Carol's voice has a lovely androgynous quality about it that makes her take
on these songs surprisingly powerful.
Now, as for Dust Bunnies, I think that's a qualified failure. Their first
album, TomBoy (?), is the one to get. Neil and the Horse dynamics, Mascis
guitar flourishes, and Carol's voice singing some beautifully-realized
lyrics about familiar people doing strange things. (Actually, I kinda hear
it as a companion piece to PJ Harvey's Rid of Me, for whatever that might be
worth). I hope their next one can return to the form of their early stuff. I
guess we'll see.
Lance . . .
