ARTS The Michigan Daily Monday, November 26, 1990 Page 7 'Raven shadows dark ages Iceland Shadow of the Javen 'dir. Hragan Gunnlaugsson by Jon Rosenthal the Shadow of the Raven swoops over twelfth-century Iceland and gives the audience an intriguing view of the Middle Ages. The wind- swept rock fields, barren deserts and grey seas compose the backdrop for this loose re-telling of the old moral- ity play Tristan and Isuelt. Reinr rynolfsson plays the fated Trausti -.whose careless drinking habits result Sn. a love affair that almost destroys him. Tinna Gunnlaugsdottir plays yIold, the object of Trausti's affec- tion, whose strength of character and -iitelligence save him. Trausti returns home after a long voyage to Norway. His experiences there have led him to become a true Christian. When his family and their neighbors prepare to battle to the death for a whale's corpse, he strug- gles to avert the oncoming war - but to no avail. Trausti wishes very much to be Christian but must re- sort to the way of Odin and take up arms against the troubles that afflict his people. Writer-director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson takes advantage of features common to both Odin and Christ, and incorporates them into Trausti's character. The theme re- sembles the classic Western, a gun- fighter who wants to lay down his guns but can't because of circum- stances beyond his control. The film's costumes and set de- signs combined with Gunnlaugsson's directing turn the screen into a portal to another world. Sure, it probably isn't a completely accurate depiction of life in 1177 but it does provide a realistic and consis- tent portrayal of somewhere in myth or mind. The score, written by Hans- Erik Philip, has that cavalry-to-the- rescue sound to it at times, but it maintains a distinctly appropriate flavor. The gruff and rolling quality of the Nordic tongue adds veracity to the film, amplifying the feeling that one is watching an alien world. The performances of the cast go a long way to keeping Shadow of the Raven from slipping into the realm of Monty Python's Flying Circus. Helgi Skulason's portrayal of Grim as he wanders through the movie with his visage on and his ready knife provides an excellent foil to the honest and pacifistic Trausti. Egil Olafsson plays Hjorleif, the man that Isold is supposed to marry, convincingly acting the part of a man who might be either good guy or villain. The amount of coincidence the plot relies on pushes the viewer's suspension of disbelief. Trausti re- turns to Iceland from Norway in a small boat and arrives just in time to see his mother knifed in battle. Logically, the coincidences are mani- festations of fate. An understandable intention given the religious mate- rial and considering the fated nature of the original Tristan and Isuelt , but the contrived feeling of these in- cidents stands out against the film's otherwise cleanly detailed continuity. SHADOW OF THE RAVEN is showing at the Michigan Theater through Wednesday. A dark, ragged twelfth century Iceland is the setting for new recounting of the legend of Tristan and Isuelt in the film Shadow of the Raven. IN evi 19 Did you miss Tiny Lights again? Loser! Sometimes it seems that the only purpose of a review is for the re- viewer to scoff in the general direc- tion of those who were not in atten- dance at a certain event. This is one *of those reviews. Going home Tuesday night sounded like a great idea - real food, less stress and no Ann Arbor ,water. But going to see Tiny Lights Was an even better option. Those of you who were riding one of those commuter buses Tuesday night (and ;yes, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving does constitute a weekend; God or somebody like that 'told me so) instead of indulging in the breathtaking sounds of this Hoboken, NJ band are, in a word, id- i1-ts. Decrying the Spielbergish ending :to the TV version of Stephen King's 4t meant missing Frank Allison's rsolo set but he'll probably play Sagain sometime. Sam Lapides of F0lkminers fame also performed with former Odd Sock John Boyle before the energetic Jerseyites took .the stage. While reunions of this ;sort are nice, they tend to be lengthy. This was the case Tuesday, and the end result was a short Tiny kights show, one which ignored such masterpieces as "Painted Skies" and "Flowers in the Air." This band definitely should have been given more stage time. * 2 Not that the short set prohibited a jam session to end all jam sessions. :The audience and the band both seemed to agree, this was one of Tiny Lights' best shows to date. Dummer/saxophonist/improv god .ndy Demos even felt compelled to 'tl the enthusiastic crowd that the mid-week Michigan stops (they had played Kalamazoo the night before) made for far better shows than Sgturday gigs in Chicago or any lother "Joe Schmoe big city." The band opened with the two hottest tunes off Hot Chocolate Massage, "Closer" and "Sweet Romance," proving that the often- nIellow mood on their albums is far :moved from the aura of their live performance. These tunes set the tone for the entire show - power *and damn fine music were socked to the audience for the remainder of the the set. While vocalist/violinist Donna Croughn wasn't as hyperactive as usual, her soulful voice was deliv- ered with ample force, in keeping with the outpouring of energy ema- riating from the rest of the band. The vocal snippets contributed by bassist Dave Driewitz and Demos were as intense as their instrumental jams, as was John Hamilton's inspired guitar work, at times obviously and beautifully reminiscent of Hendrix. Creativity seemed to be the buzz word of the evening; the band en- gaged in countless improv sessions using a variety of instruments in- cluding an antique sax, trumpet, maracas and bongos. The crowd re- acted appropriately, digging the im- prov with closed eyes and strange body movements as any cool jazz lover would do. During one inspired fit, the band members even broke into "Turn the Mother Out," which is exactly what they did all night. -Kristin Palm Wow, it sounded just like the album The Cocteau Twins came to Detroit's Latin Quarter Saturday for a r-a-r-e appearance in front of over 500 fans. This show was added to their tour schedule after Sunday night's show at the Royal Oak Music Theater quickly sold out. The question for the night had to have been would the lead singer, Elizabeth Fraser, remember her words, considering there are no words to remember? The answer is yes, for the most part. Every inflec- tion and subtle voice change was not perfect, but her voice sounded almost as good as it does on their record- ings. The vocals were not as elec- tronically enhanced as they have been on some albums, but this al- lowed her to prove she is an ex- cellent singer outside the studio. The Cocteau Twins sixteen-song performance was made up of most of the songs from the new album and nine songs from previous albums. In addition to the lead singer and bassist, they used three additional guitarists. The guitars sung in rich choruses that added the same moody feel to the show that the albums have. Unfortunately, the drums and keyboards were prerecorded and the band played along to a tape. But the members of the band seemed to have no problem with this. When some- one from the audience screamed, "Where's the drummer?," the bassist looked up and gave the international symbol for shaking dice or is it giv- ing oneself pleasure? The Cocteau Twins brought with them an excellent light show. The types and colors of lights that mixed together throughout the show per- fectly accompanied the music. At times, they were reminiscent of many of the abstract album covers that the Cocteau Twins have used over the years and this complimented the moody feel of the show. Unfortunately, the Latin Quarter's lights were terrible, as usual. Lights came from the top, back, and sides of the stage but none from the front. This presented a real problem if you actually wanted to see the members of the band. During some songs, especially when the band's own lights were low, the Cocteau Twins were nothing but silhouettes standing on stage. This only reaffirms the fact that the Latin Quarter is probably the worst place in Detroit to see a show. Another disappointment was the general attitude of the members of the band. They barely moved, rarely smiled and rarely looked at the crowd. The entire band, with the ex- ception of Elizabeth, looked like they wanted to be anywhere else be- sides playing on stage. For $22, we saw the Cocteau Twins play for one hour and ten minutes and that's including the ten minute encore. Maybe I've been spoiled by paying only $5 to see the Difference play an excellent show for at least two hours. Maybe I should just be thankful that I got a chance to see the Cocteau Twins at all. And maybe this enormous amount of thankfulness should cancel out my feelings (and my $22) that say that I should expect a good show. Or maybe not. After the concert, I saw the Cocteau Twins at the Shelter, which is Detroit's infamous acid-house safe-hole/hell-hole. They were all smiling and shaking their U.K. butts to the deadening beats and synths that fill that club. I walked up to the Elizabeth, complimented her on the show and asked her what she thought of the performance. She thanked me and said "It was not a good show. The sound and the mix were terrible. We played very badly. I hope that the show tomor- row will be better." -Richard S. Davis Wire Train Wire Train MCA Back in the middle '80s, California's Wire Train put out a few good albums of '60's pais- ley/Dylan/Byrds guitar pop, hardly noticed but melodically competent. Yet after the release of 1986's Ten Women, mysteriously, this San Francisco quartet began a disappear- ing act of apparently terminal length. As it finally turns out, though, Wire Train shows us that the band has put that layoff to good use by totally rethinking its sound. The crucial improvement is the way guitarist Jeffrey Trott, follow- ing interim stints with The Waterboys and World Party, has emerged as a forceful, definitive stylist. Taking the thick guitar sound of U2's Rattle & Hum (notice how the sheer torque of Trott's grinding outro to the oblique open- ing cut "Spin" recalls the Edge on "All I Want Is You"), Trott slowly fires off chords in a weighty, struc- tural manner, stunting each one and drawing out its decay with vibrato to create charged space. The distinctive chord sequences he assembles for songs such as the October-like "Spin" and the dark, brooding "Dakota" are marked by enigmatic, arresting counterpoints. It is this sense for the unpredictable which turns the gorgeous "Should She Cry" (where Trott also jangles, but with a deliberate clarity) from a good single into a great one. But the more laid-back, California essence of the group still predominates in the presence of leader Kevin Hunter. Although his tradition of singing almost exclu- sively about girls goes all the way back to The Beach Boys, the under- lying problem with Wire Train still is that Hunter has never been a writer of particularly strong songs (and neither is he a really compelling vocalist). The stretched-out, folk-rock tunes which emerge on Wire Train offer Trott a powerful vehicle to display strong playing - on cuts like "She" his folky mandolin marks a sharp textural contrast, and the Ry Cooder- ish slide guitar of "If You See Her Go" evokes a prairie-like expanse. But the space also allows Hunter too much territory to wander, and the leaden pacing of many songs begins to wear. In the set of five cuts that closes the album, Wire Train's focus degenerates into what sounds like outtakes from a meandering saloon jam of trucker shuffle and whisky laments. Wire Train's eponymous title seems to signal a new sense of direction, and this album does show a group on the right track. Moving toward a crossing between the elec- tric power of U2 and the country roots of Steve Earle, Trott and the band's rhythm squad of Anders Rundblad and Brian MacLeod have found a style which newly exploits their strengths. But the way Wire Train derails is enough to make one wonder if Hunter's bandmates would not do well to consider their mileage - getting up there after some time in the shop - and take over the group's musical controls for them- selves. - Michael Paul Fischer 2 Black 2 Strong/ MMG "Burn Baby Burn" (12") In Effect/ Clappers Wait a minute! The pinko com- mies are still our enemies. The threat to our first amendment rights to making a profit is not coming from Iraq, but from within and with- out. Bob Azakian's Marxist loonies and some limp-wristed pansies in the leftist Refuse and Resist movement are at it again trying to destroy wholesome American values like Mom, apple pie, nostalgia, Uncle Ron, manifest destiny and, worst of all, Old Glory. Despite a second side dominated by a really stupid parody of The Trammps' brilliant summation of the Me decade, "Disco Inferno," called "Imperialist Inferno," 2 Black 2 Strong's "Burn Baby Burn" is per- haps the biggest "fuck you" to come out on vinyl since "God Save the Queen." The Starz 'n' Barz, and ev- erything that it stands for, is turned into a pile of ashes by 2 Black 2 Strong with the help of Chuck D. "We are living in a sick and dy- ing empire that is desperately clutch- ing to its symbols." The words of flag-burning martyr Joey Johnson melt into a hypnotic bassline and a Willie Colonesque salsa horn chart. So far, this might as well be a Mellowman Ace or Kid Frost mix, but the revolution begins as soon as 2 Black 2 Strong takes the mike. "Fuck the red, white and blue/ I'm not Captain America," he spits in a voice that is one part the didac- ticism of KRS-One and one part the pure anger of Ice Cube. After some Marxist-colored ideology invectives about the absurdity of the flag and what it symbolizes, 2 Black invites Chuck D. to catalog the locales of America's shame: "Come along with me and take a little trip/ But this time not on a muthafuckin' slave trip." Chuck then proceeds to list Panama, Puerto Rico, Iran, Beirut, Haiti, Harlem, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville, South-Central L.A., etc. Unfortunately, this is Chuck's only contribution to the record. He is not allowed to rage, only to list in a very restrained tone. This error is magnified by the fact that 2 Black 2 Strong has little to no concept of how to rap in counterpoint to the rhythm. He frequently sounds like Melle Mel learning how to rhyme to "Good Times" or Mike G. and Afrika struggling on the first Jungle Brothers album. But with lines like "I'll step on the flag like it's a floor mat/ Maim and mangle the star spangled/ I'm not trying to dis you/ I'll use the flag like a toilet tissue/ To wipe my Black ass," the power of this joint effort of Bob Azakian, Refuse and Resist, In Effect Records and Clappers Records is hard to deny. Politics do indeed make strange bed- fellows, but if this is any indication there is a lot to look forward to. Burn baby burn. - Peter Shapiro * , - - . , - - - MIRCONICS ,,ade te, USA ' 1 Year warranty 486/25/33 ISAEISA64kcache Technical tBa~aboo 64MB 1 upr s. : .: : .. .. .. .. .. .. . : YI. 386/25MHZ only 386SX/16MHZ $899 only $639 I 386/25MHZ 64K cache only $999 286/12MHZ only :8399 I -42OdzJ)'-nA-I' KC l 1 ALL 3O6/33 HZ U4s IA'CL UDE: ol 19 INTEL CPU Baby/standard AT case & PS Trident chip set 1MB SvGA$ 185 1MB 0 Wait State Ran *CLJITE Mouse $20 Teac 1.2MB Flo py Drive I2400Baud Modem(lat) $55 1:1 2IID12FL Controller(IDE) 2 Serial,1 Parallel,lGame ports More and More !!! 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