ChinMusic! #7 / $4 / 1:15 / 60M / ChinMusic! Magazine, PO Box 225029, San Francisco, CA 94122 / http://www.chinmusic.net /Â
Coming out of the last issue, perhaps I was hoping for too much out of ChiMusic. This go, a number of topics are driven into the ground, with both Dock Ellis (the pitcher that threw a no hitter while tripping) and the Minutemen (you know, the important band off SST). The largest problem that I can see with this issue is the extreme length of practically every piece that graces the pages of this issue. In fact, the only piece that actually seems to end before wearing out its welcome would have to be “Greetings From Taiwanâ€, a short, brief respite from the entirely too-long pieces about the aforementioned Minutemen (9 pages!) and Dock Ellis (a shorter, but still brutally long 5 pages). The layout is one of the strongest things in Chinmusic, with a number of different fonts and pieces of eyecandy to titillate and tantalize ChinMusic’s readership. Another plus for ChinMusic! would have to be the focus that they give to bands that I have absolutely no clue about, from the present (Hurry-Up Offense) to the past (The Dream Syndicate), instead of covering the same five flavors of the week, a practice that a larger number of zines are guilty than one would think. One final thought about this issue of ChinMusic!, though, and that with all the attention paid to the two main foci, something that sounds incredibly fun – the art of Lee Walton – is relegated to what is essentially a half page. A lot is crammed into this issue, so give it a shot!
Rating: 5.7/10