RTS The boys are back and hanging tough By EUGENE BOWEN The New Kids on the Block (NKOTB, get it?) are back, attempt- ing to polish their tarnished public image (or perhaps trying to cash in on NKOTB Face the Music Columbia Records it). The guys have changed their name, trying to sound more streetwise (ac- ronyms sound so masculine, ya know?), but when it comes down to it, they're the same Donnie, Jonathan, Joe, Jordan and Danny who exploded on the scene five years ago, and then died a painful death due to everything from trouble with the cops to the discovery that a once almost cultic mass of fans had turned their backs on them. When "Face the Music" went on sale, it seemed reminiscent of NKOTB's debut. Once again, some music stores were crowded with mostly white, teenage females scream- ing and clawing each other trying to get a copy of this CD. But, is the CD good? In all honesty, it is. It's an undisputed fact that these guys can sing. They haven't lost their voices which, five years ago, actually had people thinking they were Black. But, there really isn't much differ- ence between "Face the Music" and NKOTB's earlier "Hangin' Tough," with two possible exceptions. One, there are more slow songs in "Face the Music." Two, although NKOTB is out to look more "gangsta-ish" this time around, their music puts them more in the sphere of Sir Mix-A-Lot and Wilson Philips than Guns 'n' Roses and Dr. Dre. Most of the CD's slower tunes are reminiscent of the group's earlier "Please Don't Go Girl." "If You Go Away," which is arguably one of bet- ter songs on the CD, is one such example. "Since You Walked Into My Life," "I Can't Believe It's Over" and "I'll Still be Loving You" also qualify. Perhaps the best thing about these slow love songs is that none of them are generic copies of the other. When L.A. Babyface sings a slow song, we know that he'll be begging some woman to take him back. When Teddy Pendergrass sings, he, as Eddie Murphy once noted, "scares the (women) into liking his ass." NKOTB's love songs each have their own unique flavors. NKOTB does include faster songs in "Face the Music," and for the most part, this was their big mistake. "Intro: Face the Music" is a big mess of mixes, scratches and incoherent voices. "You Got the Flavor" is even worse. The beat is corny, and the lyrics are stupid; it's hard to believe Teddy Riley wrote this. "Never Let You Go" makes NKOTB sound like a group of Tevin Campbell clones. One rather admirable, faster-paced cut is the song "Keep on Smilin'." This very beautiful song can also be found on the "Free Willy" soundtrack. The central drawback of "Face the Music" is that many of the cuts sound like carbon copies of the group's pre- vious songs. NKOTB is coming back trying to sport a new image, but the only real change from the New Kids on the Block of the past is the name change, and changing to acronyms is far from radical. Hell, Donnie still has that stupid goatee, and Danny still looks like he spends his free time getting plastic surgery. Nevertheless, "Face the Music" is a decent CD. If you're willing to turn a deaf ear to any biased opinions you may have towards the group due to previous events and buy this CD, you will find that you probably will enjoy at least some of the songs. Even if you don't like this CD, keep it as a collector's item as it is most likely that NKOTB may soon have to face the music as well-their swan song. NKOTB are wicked awesome, man By MATT CARLSON The 'Kids are back and better than ever, kickin' out those wicked awe- some jams and rockin' up tha charts like ya knew they would. No more games indeed. This time around, they have a wicked awesome new name and a new album with more hooks than a tackle box. NKOTB has just released "Face The Music," so brace yourself for the wicked awesomest tunage on the face of the earth. The record kicks off with "Intro: Face The Music," a kinetic outburst of wicked awesome hip-hop beats that are so phunky phat! Donnie D (Wahlberg) did the mixin' on this track himself, which illustrates his many faceted talents. The dance groove continues into "You Got The Flavor," a track that contains the truly poetic line "Let's not get fakin'/I want you to shake it." The first single, "Dirty Dawg," has got that steamy hot sexy groove thang, which only proves that the 'Kids are steppin' up to the big leagues with this wicked awesome release. These fine young lads know how to drive the girls crazy, and, boy , they sure do on "Girls," a tribute to tha most wicked awesome creatures on the face of this freakin' world. Again, the 'Kids show off their Milton-esque poetic license with this wicked awe- some line: "Where would boys be without girls to love?" Indeed, a truly thought provoking question. The 'Kids bring the beat back on "Keen On Smilin'." a track that shows NKOTB are sooo very cool that we decided we should give them two reviews. the group's deep political conscience with their timely and wicked awe- some statement "Peace." Man, is that simple but totally completely earth shattering or what? On "Keepin' My Fingers Crossed," the 'Kids have that wicked awesome Boyz II Men har- mony thang going, and boy oh boy, is it ever great! Little Joe McIntyre steps up to the microphone on "Mrs. Right," and man, does he pack more punch than ten Evander Holyfields! On this wicked awesome track, as well as a few others .honnie D is Husker Dui The Living End Warner Bros. Seven years ago, Husker Du took off for a whirlwind 10-date tour (in- cluding a stop at the Nectarine Ball- room) which proved to be their last gasp as a band. Since their break-up, they have proven to be arguably the most influential and best band of the past decade. Although they started as a blinding hardcore punk band, they soon broke through the strict confines of that genre, bringing pop sensibili- ties and stunning songwriting to their massive guitar roar. And their cre- ativity was staggering; from 1984 to 1987, they released two double al- bums and three single albums, along with a couple singles and a number of tours. Pasted together from several per- formances on their last tour, "The Living End" stands not only as a tes- tament to their brutal live power, it also shows why the band continues to be worshipped to this day. Balanced equally between Mould and Hart num- bers, the tracks range from their early single "In A Free Land" and "What's Going On" from the landmark "Zen Arcade" to several selections from the classic 1985 albums; "New Day Rising" and "Flip Your Wig," and a number of songs from their last al- bum, "Warehouse: Songs and Sto- ries," as well as a couple of rarities like bassist Greg Norton's "Everytime" and a cover of the Ramones' "Sheena is aPunk Rocker." On "The Living End," Husker DOi does not sound like a band on the verge of the end; they tear through the songs at a break-neck pace, as if their lives depended on making it through the show. And in a way, it did. After the tour, the band split apart with severe personal difficulties and ad- dictions. Hart wound up in Nova Mob, struggling with drugs over several years; he has a new album scheduled for this year. Mould made two terrific solo albums before forming Sugar, which gained him the following he always deserved. And Norton is an acclaimed chef in Minneapolis. Without Husker DO, the "alterna- tive revolution" of the '90s could not have happened. They were the first band to really harness the power of punk in a pop song, paving the way for everyone from the Replacements and Soul Asylum to the Pixies and Nirvana. Their sound and their songs have lost none of their power over the past decade; "The Living End" is vivid proof that Husker DO is one of the classic rock bands and that their mu- sic will continue to sound as vital as it was the day they recorded it. Without a doubt, it is one of the best live albums to come around in quite some time. - Tom Erlewine Anthrax Live: The Island Years Island Anthrax's "Sound of White Noise" last summer created an environment sympathetic to forgetting just how cheesy Anthrax used to sound. They didn't sound entirely bad, it was mostly the vocals. But boy, the vocals of Joe Belladonna are really, really horribly clichdd on this album, re- corded largely in California on Anthrax's '91 tour with Public En- rappin' up a storm with his wicked awesome words of wisdom. Vanilla Ice has nothin' on this white-bread homeboy! "Face The Music" has more hot licks than a Tabasco flavored Tootsie Roll Pop. If you can't dance to this wicked awesome album, you have no busi- ness ownin' feet. Elvis, The Beatles, The 'Stones, the Ramones, Public Enemy -yeah, sure, whatever. They all got nothin' on the wicked awe- some stylings of NKOTB. The album of the millennium. emy. But other than Belladonna's pesti- lent screeching, this CD is pretty good. Anthrax has a hard driving beat that could keep any crowd moshing (with the potential exception of a crowd of people who don't otherwise go to concerts getting together to listen to a disgustingly popular band that's too self-righteous for their own damn good). Background singing and yell- ing by Scott Ian is among the moso entertaining around, and when it is featured on some tracks (like "Keep it in the Family" and "Caught in a See RECORDS, Page 12 a FA Study this deal! $4.29 (plus tax) MEDIUM DEEP DISH PIZZA W/ ONE ITEM Extra items and Cottage Inn Stix only $.99 each. o 60 Since 1948 zz Like pim was meant to beT Studying late? Get our famous Late Night Special for only 0