VARIOUS ARTISTS
Anyone Can Play Radiohead (Cleopatra)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Radiohead's combination of shoegazer pop and punk sensibilities made them one of the great success stories of the 90s, and provided them with a base from which to expand into more experimental musical territory. Some of the artists on this collection, though, use their relative lack of notoriety as license to push their arrangements of some Radiohead favorites even closer to the edge of the musical landscape.

From conventional, if ethereal, pop sounds, to high energy noise, the folks at Cleopatra have assembled a variety of artistic styles, departing from their typical use of in-house acts to assemble tributes with an international roster of mostly new faces. As a result, the disc works on two levels. As a tribute, it reveals some interesting reworkings of tunes that Radiohead fans may find that they only *think* they're familiar with. As an introduction to a variety of up and comers, it provides a good look at some names to watch for, and provides contact info in the liner notes for the impatient. Depending on your tastes, you may find the appeal of the musical outcomes mixed, but I found the diversity rewarding.

Track List:

Silent Gray/Fitter Happier * Paige/No Surprises * Aleister Einstein/Creep * October Hill/Fake Plastic Trees * Dot Fash/Stop Whispering * Miranda Sex Garden/Exit Music (For A Film) * Secret Society/Planet Telex * Dragon Style/Karma Police * Diva Destruction/Climbing Up The Walls * Meegs Rascon & Paul Rivera/Everything In Its Right Place * The Illuninati/Subterranean Homesick Alien * P.M. Project/Bulletproof...I Wish I Was * Lunasect/How To Disappear Completely (And Not Be Found)

© 2001 - Shaun Dale