T A B L E__T A L K

Were you fan of recently deceased jazz violinist Stephane Grappelli? Remember him in the Music section of Table Talk

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R E C E N T L Y

Flaming Lips
Zaireeka
Warner Bros.
(12/12/97)

X
Beyond and Back: The X Anthology
Elektra
(12/11/97)

Various Artists
Paint It, Blue: Songs of the Rolling Stones
House of Blues
(12/10/97)

Bush
Deconstructed (Techno remixes of album material)
Trauma/Interscope
(12/09/97)

Barbra Streisand
Higher Ground
Columbia
(12/08/97)

BROWSE THE
MUSIC ARCHIVES

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V O W E L L

Sound Salvation
By Sarah Vowell
Survey says ...
Give the people what they want
(12/12/97)

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F E A T U R E

Paint it black
By David Bowman
A prayer for His Holy Hipness, Johnny Cash
(12/05/97)

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___Y O U__A M__I

- - - - - - - - - - - - > HOURLY DAILY_[ SIRE ]_

BY GINA ARNOLD | Few bands highlight the difference between the American pop market and that of the rest of the world as well as You Am I. In its native Australia, You Am I is a platinum-selling act; last year, it won best record and best group at the Australian Music Awards, and its latest record, "Hourly Daily" debuted there at No. 1. But despite touring with Soundgarden, appearing at Lollapalooza and being produced by a member of Sonic Youth (Lee Ranaldo), the band has achieved less than no prominence here in America -- and what's more, they never will.

It's not because "Hourly Daily" is a bad record, but because it's an excellent one that the band is doomed to obscurity on our shores. Indeed, "Hourly Daily" contains everything guaranteed to scare off the American public. For instance, it has aspects in common with the Posies, Redd Kross, Teenage Fanclub and even Crowded House -- only "Hourly Daily" abounds with strings and horns, thus making You Am I's music seem infinitely less ironic, purist or retro than those previously named. Plus, its songs contain too much melody and too many words for most American ears; they're tuneful, complicated, verbose and sonically eclectic. Singer Tim Rogers has said that when he wakes up in the morning, he never knows whether he wants to be Paul Westerberg, Paul Weller, Paul Stanley or Paul Rogers, and though that kind of personality disorder -- which shows in his music -- may appeal to Australians, it's only going to confuse and annoy Americans.

If, however, you happen to be the kind of person who has a large and varied record collection, a penchant for '60s mod bands and a fondness for clever wordplay, You Am I will probably give you a severe upward mood swing as you contemplate its brilliance. Songs like "Trike" and "Who Takes Who Home" are full of poignancy and charm. "Mr. Milk," with its infectious "fa fa fa" chorus, is irresistible. And "If We Can't Get it Together" is a pathetically hummable tale of untrue love that concludes with a marriage proposal: "Well, we might as well do it next week/'cos we've met everybody that we're ever gonna meet." Apparently, that's a universal feeling, however small or large the city you come from happens to be. And it's that kind of minute but accurate emotional observation that puts Rogers up there as a songwriter alongside all those Pauls. Man, if this stuff is what constitutes a bestseller in Australia, then Sydney must be a lot more sophisticated than anyone previously thought.
SALON | Dec. 15, 1997