THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, September 28, 1994 TAG: 9409280067
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: MUSIC REVIEW
SOURCE: BY SUE SMALLWOOD, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
THOSE EXPECTING typically mindless rap or an angst-filled industrial rock show at Hampton's Nsect Club Monday night were probably disappointed. Or maybe pleasantly suprised.
Both Consolidated and MC 900 Ft. Jesus have been confined for years within the ``industrial hip-hop'' category. But both have lengthened and broadened their aesthetic with recent leaps to larger record labels, giving a welcome facelift to potentially one-dimensional schticks.
The California-based trio Consolidated proved to be the reigning master of P.C. agit-prop with a multimedia set touting mighty heavy messages. Topics ranging from animal and women's rights to genocide and gun violence permeated mostly rapped lyrics, accompanied by often graphic images on a jumble of video monitors.
Though still heavily reliant on assaultive looped rhythmic beds, Consolidated verified the move toward a more straightforward rock sound evidenced on 1992's ``Play More Music'' with live drums, bass and guitar parts.
MC 900 Ft. Jesus proffered a more atmospheric affair. Backed by a five-man band plus the scratching DJ Zero, Mark Griffin, a k a 900 Ft. Jesus, spewed his characteristically ironic, deadpan rap and spoken-word prosody over jazz-ish improvisatory jams.
He opened with the car-crash narrative ``New Moon,'' from his latest ``One Step Ahead Of The Spider,'' then dived headlong into a series of neurotic, psychotic and paranoiac personae: the McJob whiner of ``Adventures In Failure,'' the pyromaniac of ``The City Sleeps'' and the sociopath of ``Killer Inside Me'' (all from 1991's ``Welcome To My Dream'' LP).
The Jesus ensemble was capable and eclectic, harking back to Little Feat and the Doors to Miles Davis and Weather Report. The diverse instrumentation included a variety of saxophones, tablas, electric piano and even Griffin himself on trumpet. ILLUSTRATION: MUSIC REVIEW
MC 900 Ft. Jesus with Consolidated, Monday at Nsect Club, Hampton
by CNB