9 Page 14- The Michigan Daily -Wednesday, April 25, 1990 RECORDS Continued from page 13 hooks. Part of the problem is the band's reluctance to add much orna- mentation to the mix; a batch sparse of mid-tempo synth bass/drum songs can only be so interesting when all taken at once. Ironically enough, when producer Flood does convince the band to clutter things up a bit, the best song results. "Lightning Man," with its sampled clarinet and horn section (of all things), may well be the best song that Nitzer Ebb has yet done. The ominous chanting of "Baby, Come To Daddy" offsets the cheerful clarinet and produces one of the best dance beats in quite some time. The horn parts add a bit of color to a too- often black-and-white sound. Not that the band always needs the extra baggage. Songs like "Getting Closer" and "Fun to be Had" do just fine with the minimum ingredients. But the band would have done well to consider expanding the mix more than it did, especially on the less kinetic songs. All in all, Showtime has some really good songs and even more boring songs. While it's not a bad effort, it pales in comparison to earlier efforts such as That Total Age. But what the hell - "Lightning Man" still rocks. -Mike Molitor Souled American Around the Horn Rough Trade OK, I'm so fucking sick of lame bands on decent labels (or labels that I always assumed were decent) that claim this Broad American-ness with their fake accents and godawful bor- ing music. I tried to patiently listen to this album. Very patiently - waiting for some glimmer of hope that they would suprise me and do something besides wail and play the same notes throughout each song. Not to generalize about Bands from Chicago but where in the fuck does the vocalist get his intonation? On songs like "Around the Horn," "Second of All" and "Old House," he mumbles in an annoyingly plaintive voice over all these noises played simultaneously. He sounds like some cartoon character wailing "Oh give me a home/ where the buffalo roam...." His vocals also remind me of Stipe's whiny, drunken covers on R.E.M's Dead Letter Office. It was amusing to some degree for R.E.M. to do it for two songs as funny filler, but as for a whole album - blah, blah blah! The sum of the mu- sic and that voice comes off as so jumbled that it makes absolutely no sense and is damn near impossible to enjoy. Eveything on this record, like on their last album Flubber, moves as slowly and lasts as long as mo- lasses on a hot day. One has to be comotose to appreciate it. The lyrics also suffer from their vast desire to be American and sing about what traditional Americans sing about: love, especially in the context of someone dumping you. For example, in "Rise Above It," vocalist Joe Adducci drags "My sweetheart's gone and left me" and "I'm left alone in sadness/ Don't know what to do." A small bit of advice for him: don't write stupid songs and then actually put them on an album. Of course this actually doesn't matter that much because he is impossible to understand most of the time. My major question is "Is this supposed to be a parody?" Is there something I am not getting? People can only stand to listen to the same riff for so long. The number of lay- ers and kinds of instruments they use are rather impressive, but exces- sively dull music that never really goes anywhere cannot be that great. If this is supposed to be traditional music, influenced by the swamps of Louisiana, blues, folk, hillbilly, rock and Dylan, or a damn boring imitation thereof, then yuck - I know it does not have to be this dull. -Annette Petrusso Tad Salt Lick EP Sub Pop Records When you talk Sub Pop staying power, you're talking Tad (say it like you mean it, sucker!), not Mudhoney, who seem to have, by the recent lack of Seattle-style hype, muffed themselves into a somewhat fuzzy obscurity. Tad's extra-large lads burn, and if you don't know it yet you're either liv- ing in the past or too damn scared to face the truth head-on. This generous helping of a six- song strikes off guard like a Der- ringer with the power of a 12- gauge, baring your guts like they do theirs with a spread pattern that would scare even the most devoted of hunters. Growling, stinking, and pounding, Salt Lick'll burn the pounds off ya like the workout it is- watch Doyle's imminent slim- down - and send ya to the lick block to replenish those valuable bodily fluids. And it sounds a hell of a lot better than Gatorade. This, Tad's second stab at 12- inch heroics, stomps its monster boot and shakes the dog-shit off its sole. Longer songs than the first, and a hell of a lot better than that transitional shit on "Loser." Some of these hair-pulling, head-butting droners hit up to three-and-a-half minutes, more debauchery for the dollar. "Axe to Grind," "Wood Goblins" (a video for which has been rejected by MTV due to Tad Doyle's Meatloaf-ish heft and un- Bono-esque looks), and "Potlatch" kick it out like a cat caught in a clothes dryer, paling their prior greats - "Behemoth," "Sex God Missy" - in comparison. Big gui- tars and an ear for adrenalin-pump- ing riffs do add up to good music. If you missed the recent show don't punish yourself a second time. No salt in the wound here. Tough luck if ya did, bub, clam up and buy the EP. The CD has cuts from the first album, "God's Balls," and the "Loser" seven-inch, a better buy than some of this cheap-ass, CD single shit, and you'll feel better about yourself in the morning. -Rob Flaggert VWO 0WOU,% Overwhelmed by the search for housing? Let us end your search. Univesity Towers offers the best amenities, prime location, and affordable rent. Our 24-hour study lounge, computer room, and TV lounge offer around the clock convenience. Our in-house laundry room, exercise room, and fast maintenance staff offer the comfort you're looking for. Why not end the search? $ r I !- - I ! ! : ! I' It L .. -.mss 31bilities lJ ,11 1 . Call or stop by today. University Tower Furnished! Apartments 536 S. orest Av. Ann Arbor, M1 48104 (313) 761-2680 Pass i I' Rejects on Balfour Gold College Rings. For a limited time, it's open season on savings on gold college rings by Balfour. 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