8 - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 18,1993
Noise extravaiance heads into St. Andrew's Hall
-
This band
s'inhales
"By TED WATTS
With fate working its hardest to
destroy them with various near-disas-
ters, Tad has released its first full
album in two years. With J Mascis
(Dinosaur Jr.) producing, "Inhaler"
sounds like what the Melvins would
be if they became truly commercial.
Tad
Inhaler
Giant/Mechanic-
The tone of the album is rather
upbeat for a metal-labeled-as-alter-
native group such as Tad. There is a
positive feel due to the thrashy surf
feel which has been added to the metal
(or grunge, if you like) undertones of
most of the songs. A strange impres-
sion is produced by the various diver-
gent elements it combines, making
the listener feel as if he is both content
and terribly sad. Not insubstantially
adding to these emotions are the lyr-
ics. "Ulcer" speaks of "feeling angry,
feeling betrayed" while
"Lycanthrope" examines the thoughts
and feelings of a smelly and violent
werewolf. While not actually ambiva-
No 'Gimmicks' from
Barkmarket here
By JOSH HERRINGTON
Three words: grunge on crack. "Gimmick," Barkmarket's latest album, is I
a crisp, raunchy release filled with piss 'n vinegar, just dark enough that
today's flannel-flock will probably overlook it, but it is worthy of attention.
It is their oddity which saves
Barkmarket from the depths of Se-
Barkmarket attle-style anonymity. They're actu-
ally from New York, but that doesn't
Gimmick say much about their sound. Dave
American/BMI Sardy's raspy, tumultuous vocals
bring Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor
to mind, or maybe even Black Francis (or whatever the hell Charles Thompson .
wants to call himself). The lyrical construction itself is truly bizarre. There
isn't a single repeated chorus anywhere on the album; all the lyrics seem to be
spat forth at random. If you're looking for poetic construction or meaning
anywhere on the album, you're going to have to look hard, damned hard.
The guitar is pure power raunch, with an
obedient, slamming base to give it more punch
(not that it needs it).
The guitar is pure power raunch, with an obedient, slamming base to give
it more punch (not that it needs it). Catchy tracks like "Dumbjaw," and
especially "Redundant", highlight the album with their rawness. However,
Barkmarket does tend to venture a little far into obscurity with songs like
"Radio Static," which resembles exactly that. But hey, they're artists or
something, so they're allowed to dabble in nonsense every now and then.
There's no guarantee that all Soundgarden fans are going to listen to
Barkmarket with an appreciative ear-they tend to be alittle derangedat times
(Barkmarket, that is). Luckily, though, in "Gimmick," their derision adds to
their appeal, making the album a worthy addition to any noisy CD collection.
Barkmarket plays tonight with Tad and Therapy at St. Andrews.
Tad performs tonight with Therapy? and Barkmarket at St. Andrew's Hall in Detroit. What a wacky time.
lent, the lyrics find enough diversity
to give the impression of an amalgam
to the record.
Perhaps the best way to view the
album is as being very heavy and very
light at the same time. While songs
such as "Paregoric" are nearly flow-
ery, others such as "Luminol," with
Mascis's piano work, are very discor-
dant and prevent the album from bog-
ging down in one particular sound or
style. From strainedrefrains to vocals
which have no place being with cer-
tain types of music they are with, Tad
is all over the place, but in a good
way.
"Inhaler" is more eclectic than is
probably wise. Butamidstthe various
styles is some good surf-type metal. If
you like that kind of stuff, then you've
'Remains' appeals to everyone
By JON ALTSHUL'
Fortunately, audiences don't have to feel intimidated
into enjoying "The Remains Of The Day." The old Mer-
chant Ivory axiom - that one's appreciation of a film set
in post-Victorian England is directly proportional to one's
intelligence -- thankfully doesn't apply to their latest
offering.
The Remains Of The Day
Directed by James Ivory; written by Ruth Prawer-Jhabvala;
with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.
"Day" is simply pure delight. Stunningly photographed
and sublimely performed, the film sheepishly probes the
introverted world of the noble butler Mr. Stevens (An-
thony Hopkins), who is torn between loyalty and love.
The picture begins circa 1960 and retraces itself 25 years
to the meeting between Stevens and Miss Kenton (Emma
Thompson), the new housekeeper at Darlington Hall.
Darlington Hall is the Camp David of pre-WWII
Britain. Presided over by the ever-aristocratic Lord
Darlington (James Fox), the sprawling estate calls itself
home to the most exclusive conferences of its era. And
while Fox may run the country, Hopkins runs the manor.
Yet England's pre-War foreign policy is hardly anti-
Nazi, and Darlington, himself, becomes Germany's most
influential pawn in appeasing the British elite. Stevens,
then, is presented with the quintessential Modernist
struggle: he must choose between loyalty and morality.
Meanwhile, within the estate, Miss Kenton's brash
resolve conflicts harshly with Stevens' submissive obedi-
ence. Slowly, however, their painfully obstinate relation-
ship blossoms into an evocatively subtle friendship. Their
moments together comprise the film's most poignant
moments - the farther Stevens is willing to step out of his
cloistered enclave, the more profound Miss Kenton's
colorful beauty becomes.
Both Thompson and Hopkins are magnificent. Their
mutual abilities to both love each other and despise what
the other represents are hauntingly emotional. They create
characters able to gracefully transcend a 20 year void with
honesty and pinache. But superlative performances from
Hopkins and Thompson these days seem to be standard
fare. In fact, everyone, from Fox to the imperious Chris-
topher Reeve, creates a palpably believable character.
The cinematography is just as gripping as the acting.
The lush English countryside is glorified nearly beyond
recognition. Pastel suns and infrared skies perfectly em-
phasize the dusk motif which symbolizes both a degener-
ating England and a dying butler.
If "Day" has one short-coming, though, it is that it
drags on a tad too long. Certainly, the film's length
perpetuates the audience's emotion, but the picture makes
its point more than enough times. Still, this detraction is
academic: it's not as if anyone could actually want this
masterpiece to end.
Of course, comparisons between "Day" and "Howard's
End" are inevitable. Yet they are also in vain. Simply put,
these are different films. While "End" is somewhat hyper-
ambitious and even pretentious, "The Remains Of The
Day" is refreshingly overt. Frankly, symbolism will never
hit you this hard in the face again.
THE REMAINS OF THE DA Y is playing at Showcase.
got some direction, don't you?
Tad will be headlining tonight's
alternative-metal extravaganza at
St. Andrew's Hall. Along with Tad
will be Therapy? and Barkmarket.
Tickets are only $8.50 in advance
but you have to be 18 or over if you
want to go. Sorry, kids, but it won't
help to be there when doors open at
8:30.
Type o Negative
Bloody Kisses
Roadrunner
Are you negative? If so, Type O
will make you feel like the world's
greatest optimist in comparison. The
band caters to the negative, depressed,
"fuck everybody" contingent. The
songs deal with such cheerful topics
as blasphemy, lost love and, the in-
evitable, suicide. There'salsoatongue
in cheek anthem called "Kill All the
White People" in which the only lyr-
ics are "Kill all the white people, then
we'll be free." The song is a response
to their alleged racism as well as a
statement on the amount of blame
that should be attributed to whites in
matters of race. Of course, this may
be an over-analysis.
Despite the attitude, this is a great
record. The band has a knack for
writing good songs. The tunes are
well constructed compositions that
borrow as much from metal as the
alternative stylings of the Cure and
Joy Division. In addition to the regu-
lar fare of bass, drums and guitars, the
band makes use of keyboards, exten-
sive samples and background vocals
that range from Gregorian chants to
Biohazard-style gang vocals. The
dark, heavy sounds of the band are
well complemented by the eerie,
Dracula-esque keyboards which are a
welcome element in the often predict-
able and limited genre of metal. Pete
Steele, the songwriter, vocalist and
bassist, delivers melodic, low-regis-
ter vocals that are much improved
over any previous releases. This guy's
presence dominates the sound of the
band. If the bad guy from "High-
lander" joined a rock band, he'd look
and sound a lot like Pete Steele.
The band has taken a decidedly
more pop approach to this record
which is apparent in the production
and sound quality. This approach has
honed their craft instead of selling
them out. Fans of previous releases
won't be disappointed by the new
sound, nor will first time listeners.
This is not strictly a metal record, it
has enough alternative elements to be
classified as such. Hopefully, the
gatekeepers of the alternative label
will be in agreement.
- Gianluca Montalti
Hater
Hater
A&M
Yes, this is a Soundgarden spin-
off band. Matt Cameron and Ben
Shepherd drum and play guitar, re-
spectively, for Hater. And the line-up
is the end of any type of similarity
between the two bands.
The tone of the album is set by the
opening "Mona Bone Jakon," a Cat
Stevens cover. It sounds very simple,
a sort of four-track seventies throw-
back. That more or less sums up the
album. Most of the tracks force com-
parisons to late sixties and early sev-
enties crackly rock bands. Silly terms
such as "crystal Led Zep" and "speed
Dylan" come to mind. Such state-
ments may be horribly unfair to Hater,
but that does not diminish their valid-
ity.
The album is surprisingly good
despite the above description. The
song "Blistered" isprobably best seen
as a potential game or kiddie-show
theme with a "Hee-Haw" twang in it
- this illustrates fairly well the enter-
tainment value of the band. In spite of
the garbled sitar-like music, Hater
has fun with being kitschy, and it
comes across to the listener. That's
more than most of the actual seven-
ties had going for it.
- Ted Watts
Sam Black Church
Let in Life
Taang!
.Combining hardcore and death
metal is not anew idea, but the match
is near perfect in concept. The frantic
rhythms and even more frantic time
changes that are the staples of hardcore
mix well with the horror movie metal
extremes of DM (not that DM!). One
would think the marriage would be
successful. The combination of ex-
tremes should be a greater extreme
and a new and improved way to get
your ya-yas out. Right? Well, Sam
Black Church falls short of these ex-
pectations.
Firstofall, the soundquality stinks.
This should not be a concern if the
music makes up for it. Unfortunately,
Sam Black Church falls victim to the
riff-oriented rock trap. When you live
by the riff, you die by the riff. When
that's all you have to offer, you better
make sure they're great. Some of the
better riffs show up in "Captain of the
World", "Guardian of Hopes and
Dreams" and "Re-Alive." Since the
highlights are the first three songs and
they're not all that great, you can
imagine the dive into the filler mate-
rial is no pleasant experience.
The vocals are one of the few
things you remember about this band.
I would call them original ifthatdidn't
connote a good, which they aren't.
Jet's vocals are more hardcore than
the dreaded death metal vocals, but
the crazy, incomprehensible flow is
annoying.
If you like to mosh around your
room, you like Pantera and you don't
mind poor sound quality and even
poorer songs, rush on out and get it!
- Gianluca Montalti
Morgoth
Odium
Century Media
The notion of formula is more
prevalent in death metal than most
other forms of music. You start out
with a one word name connoting evil
(e.g. Deicide, Dismember, Vader
the list goes on), slap on an eerie
wasteland on the CD cover and write
Black Sabbath and Celtic Frost style
riffs that get pieced together into hap-
hazard, herky-jerky songs. You ei-
ther love itorhate it. Most people hate
it. Rest assured that this release will
not change any of that.
There is little on this record that
hasn't been done before. There are a
few stand-out songs such as the al-
most funky "Under the Surface" and
the industrial attempt "War Inside."
Most of the CD, however, is kind of
dull and repetitive. 1
Should you get this disc? Only if
you meet the following criteria:
You've heard death metal vocals and
can endure them for prolonged inter-
vals, German death metal happens to
be your favorite variety and you need
to complete your Morgoth library. If
you're interested in the genre and
you'd like to pick up a "good" death
metal disc, try Obituary's "Cause of
Death" or Death's "Scream Bloody
Gore". I suggest you don't play them
in mixed company.
- Gianluca Montalti
D:Ream
On
Giant Records
D:Ream are one of Britain's hot-
test dance-pop exports in recent years.4
Irish vocalist Peter Cunnah and Scot-
tish DJ Al Mackenzie blend power-
ful, hook-filled songs with disco
magic, making "On" a non-stop pa-
rade of potential dance smashes.
"U RThe Best Thing," the album's
first single, has already hit No. 1 on
the Billboard dance chart here in the
States. Potential hits like "Take Me
Away," "I Like It" and "So Long
Movin' On" all have a fun, moving I
bass guitar over top avery discoesque,
synthesized violin sound. "On"makes
housework and other physical activi-
ties more fun because it is a feel-good
album.
D:Ream have also created a name
for themselves as one of Britain's
hottest remixers. They've recently
worked with Duran Duran and EMF.
- Jim Whitaker I
Presenin ..
The University
of Michigan & Ohio State U iversitt
in the 134th Annual Fall Concert
T
wit/i ?re4 Triars d& Pie ?ioveaires
Feoturng:
Bob McGrath.' 54
of *Sesame Street'
Ara Berberian,.'52
New York Metropolitan Opera
David Colohan. 53
Richard Frank.'53
$
_ _+-,
ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC
presents