MAKE WAVES NOT WAR
Reviewed by: Duke
I've been around a long time. When folks ask my age, I usually
reply with something along the lines of, "Well, I'm not a rustedout
antique, but I am old enough to remember watching Elvis
make his first television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
back in '56."
Music still gets me off as much now as it did in the Elvis years.
Maybe it's my age, though, that makes my aural taste buds
more discerning than they were in the past. Music has to have
certain qualities to really get my attention. Those special,
intangible qualities that scream, "E=Fb" and beg an answer to
the question, "Is this music or is this MUSIC?"
Nuke the Soup's debut CD, MAKE WAVES NOT WAR, most definitely got my attention. It's overflowing with the
E=Fb factor and it gave me what I crave most in this life...MUSIC!
MAKE WAVES NOT WAR offers a truly great listening experience. Eleven tracks give you more than forty minutes
of aural pleasure. The offerings exemplify a band of substance. A band that fully understands E=Fb: The Musician's
Theory of Relativity — the hallmark of musical excellence, encompassing everything from composition and
arranging to lyric structure and musicianship.
Nuke the Soup features:
Mark Davison:
Brian Simms:
Mike Mennell:
Rennie Grant:
Chester Thompson:
Singer, Guitarist, Songwriter and founding member of Cubic Feet
Keyboardist
Bassist
Guitarist
Drums (Genesis, Zappa)
MAKE WAVES NOT WAR was produced by Pete Solley (Romantics, Oingo Boingo and all Cubic Feet albums). He
also contributes on the keyboards.
The one thing that really stands out is their musicianship. They are smooth. We're talking Chet Atkins smooth. Man,
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can they play!
All songs were written by Mark Davison. "Seeds" was co-written by Arthur Lissauer. Mark is a master at weaving
great storylines. He engulfs the listener in a tide of musical exhilaration and introspection. One of the things I love
about Mark's lyrics is that they let you interpret each song, and create its individual world, in your own mind. The CD
package includes lyrics to all eleven songs. Very cool!
MAKE WAVES NOT WAR is an album with crossover potential. It definitely has cuts that could firmly place it in that
category. The diversity is apparent throughout the eleven tracks.
:: :: :: :: :: ::
Ocean is a dreamy song that tells us of a man who worships the ocean, but needs to get to solid ground so that he
can find his way in life. It compels your imagination to hold out your hand and help him reach the shore. A very
beautiful number.
Filled With Dread is a kick-ass tune about wanting to live in the past. Lively and bouncy, it makes you want to tap
your feet, bounce around the room, climb into your car and bob your head as you cruise the boulevard searching for
a time tunnel to the past. Filled With Dread, alone, is worth the price of admission.
Blind delves into the reality of true love by realistically expressing one man's tendency to forget why he loved, only
to grasp glimpses of it now and again. This one punched me between the eyes...been there, done that. Cool,
introspective piece.
Yin And Yang really hits home with what most of us experience at some point in our lives - temptation, flirtation,
frustration. It could easily - very, very easily - become a hit on country charts. It has the feel and the lyrics to appeal
to today's country music fan.
Big Green Jungle is a very cool rock tune about working hard just to survive. I can see this track hitting it big and
being played on everyone's iPods in gyms across the nation. It's the perfect kind of music you want to have playing
when you're working out or busting your hump for the straw boss.
More To You speaks of difficult times. How do you let someone know that you're on their side, that you care about
them? If you remember love beads, a flower painted VW bus and Dylan crooning, you'll flip for More To You. The
vintage sound, updated for the new millenium, is crisp and meaningful.
Head For That is about a man who has had a life of wandering, is growing older and is ready to settle down with the
woman he loves. Head For That is another very cool tune that could easily cross over into the world of country
music.
Seeds tells us of a man who was looking for love in all of the wrong places only to discover it was right in front of him
the entire time. It's much like the guy who finally realizes that the perfect woman is the one with whom he grew up -
the girl next door. Wow, he could have had a V-8!
Finger Of Friendship is too cool and makes me wish I was a dolphin! The liner notes say it best... The storyline is
that, apparently, male dolphins excite easily and are known to offer a certain body part to swimmers as a "finger of
friendship."
All A Dream is about loving for the sake of loving, whether it turns out to be a real "forever" love or only a dream. If it
was a dream, they can make believe it was real and at least they had the thrill. All A Dream is a neat song.
Our Song is about a couple who remember the past, when the world was complete. There's a place where they got
along, a place where they belong. Our Song could easily become an anthem for the new generation of music lovers.
:: :: :: :: :: ::
Nuke the Soup is an extraordinary band with an extraordinary sound. Their music whisks the listener away on a sea
of meditation, soul-searching and reflection. What I wouldn't give to play and sing like these guys! I'd stay home all
day and just listen to myself!