The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, April 25, 1990 - Page'

13

RECORDS
Continued from page 10
boards. This is definitely the al-
bum's best track.
But Nicks as well is not above
triviality: both "Freedom" and
"Love is Dangerous" are rather defi-
cient in content. Then again, how
can one not like a song in which
Stevie Nicks sings?
All the songs on this album fol-
low the same pattern - a few
verses, a guitar break and then a
repetition of the chorus. They al-
ways throw in a good guitar solo to
try to save the piece, but it does
not work. Instead of making you
beg for more, Behind the Mask
makes you ask, "When's this
gonna be over?"
-Kim Yaged
The Cynics
Rock 'n' Roll
Get Hip/Skyclad
One of the numerous problems
With rock and roll in 1990 is the
general lack of people who scream.
Rock is one of the few mediums

where screaming can express emo-
tion so well (note: Yoko Ono is
NOT a rock person). Yet, aside from
Axl Rose's incredible yells and gen-
eral loud noises all over Appetite for
Destruction, there just isn't much
screaming to be heard, especially on
MTV.
Enter Michael Kastelic, lead vo-
calist for the Cynics, who possesses
one of the best screams east of the
Mississippi (Mark Arm will repre-
sent the West at the Scream-A-
Lympics). But seriously, I don't
mean to say Rock 'n' Roll is some
bizarre record of obscure sounds with
lots of unintelligble primal vocal ac-
tion like Diamanda Galas' releases.
Kastelic knows how and when to let
his emotions control his vocal
chords:
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH
woke up this morning and the sky
was black/ my baby's gone and she
won't come back," goes the intro to
"Cry Cry Cry," one of three covers.
And the rest of the Cynics have
similar skill. The lead and only gui-
tarist stays in front of the grungy
rumble of the band, which adds occa-

sional harmonica and more occa-
sional organ to their classic, un-
heated-structure-usually-used-to-store
-automobiles sound.
In short, this record celebrates ev-
erything that's great about rock: sex,
getting fucked-up and freedom. "I'm
going to live my life/ just like I'm
in high school/ I'm gonna dance til
dawn" goes one of their songs; can
you name a better philosophy?
--Brian Jarvinen
Nitzer Ebb
Showtime
Geffen Records
Sometimes called Depeche
Mode's evil twin, Nitzer Ebb proved
themselves to be an innovative force
in industrial music with their first
two records. Minimalistic barn-burn-
ers like "Let Your Body Learn" and
"Control (I'm Here)" were as agres-

sive as the hardest metal and
slammed along at frenetic paces with
angry chanting. Propelled by sparse
bass synth lines, even sparser in-
strumentation (usually the only
"melody" was the voice), and drum
machines that sounded like a tribal
ritual on 78-speed, the music was
free of unnecessary baggage. This
bare-bones approach had just the ba-
sic denominator of dance music: the
beat.
While this minimalism is gener-
ally a good thing for Nitzer Ebb,
there are times when it becomes tire-
some, especially if the tempo is
slowed down at all. Unfortunately,
Showtime has its fair share of these
instances. Songs such as the almost
blues-influenced "Nobody Knows"
plod along for three minutes or so
without offering many interesting
See RECORDS, page 14

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11"

I
I

Special Ticket Offerp
2 for 1
for ANN
3ARB R
c
Season Finale!
Sunday, April 29, 1990
4:00 p.m., Hill Auditorium
C*arl St.Clair, Conductor
\lichacl Gurt, Piano
Louis Nagel, Piano
Michael Gurt Louis Nagel
Performances by Michael Gurt and Louis Nagel are
in honor of the Estelle Titiev Fund which will be
dedicated at this concert.
Ann Arbor Cantata Singers
The Bovchoir of Ann Arbor
Saginaw Choral Societ '
Mozart: Concerto for Two, Pianos, K365
Orff: Carmina Burana
Julia Broxholm, Soprano
Steven Kronour, Tenor
Chris Grapentine, Baritone
For Tickets call: 668-8397 or
763-TKTS