0 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 4, 1994 BOMBING L.A., JUSTICEVILLE AND URBAN LOVE POEMS a/ Y Velocity Girl's contagious pop* By DIRK SCHULZE It's true, everything you've heard: Velocity Girl is a pop band. Whereas on the group's debut, "Copacetic," you had to search for the hooks underneath layer upon layer of guitar noise, ";Simpatico!" finds Velocity Girl al- lowing the songs to emerge relatively free from disguise. Polished, but not sterile, the record is an ultra-catchy reminder of the sheer joy of the three- minute pop song. "When we made our debut, we had a huge chip on our shoulder because of all the comparisons we were getting to slick British bands,"explained guitar- ist/singer Archie Moore. "So we de- cided to make a really rough record. We mixed everything as high as we could to make it as loud as possible. It was reactionary and very raucous." In contrast, the band's latest does not shy away from the perfect melodies that characterize their songs. Produced by John Porter, who also produced the firstSmiths' album, "iSimpatico!"does away with most of the noise of "Copacetic," along with raising Sarah Shannon's vocals in the mix to a more frontal position. Moore joins her in beautiful harmony on many of the songs, lending an added dimension to the record and helping to make the first single, "Sorry Again," the catchiest thing to not be a hit in a long time. Surrounded by a vast amount of "next big thing" buzz after the release of "Copacetic," the band did the unex- pected and signed a five-album deal with SubPop. "Bombing L.A., Justiceville and Urban Love Poems," the award-winning triptych from Highland Park native Gary Glaser is an intricate, personal inquiry into the lives of marginal members of the Los Angeles community. "Justiceville," the best known of the three, profiles a homeless community attempting to achieve independence in the inner city. Starkly intimate, the film chronicles the development, trials and eventual dissolution of this group by the city, offering an alternative to the standard features on the homeless. "Bombing L.A" follows young graffiti artists on various "bombing excursions" throughout the city, examining the place and limits of personal expression. It is sharp, smart and offers a direct contrast to "Justiceville" in both its content and immediacy. While all three are interesting and socially relevant, it is probably "Urban Love Poems" the two performance piece vignettes that, in their "Nuyorican poets Cafe"-like delivery, best illustrate the strikingly despondent urgency resonating below both the hum of the city and of Glaser's work. Don't let it pass you by. BOMBING L.A., JUSTICEVILLE AND URBAN LOVE POEMS will be playing at Nat Sci. Auditorium this Saturday at 7 & 9, p.m. Tickets are $3.00 A discussion with Glaser will follow the first screening. - Alexandra Twin VelocityGirl's latest doesn't shy away from characteristic perfect melodies. ICARUS Continued from page 1 plane, to, as Abruzzo put it, "the summoning of the male ego." "I would imagine that what Shepard is hinting at, is that the male ego ... is childish. That growing up is something that men or the American male ego needs to do. (The play) is supposed to leave the audience with the question: 'Is the male ego right?"' he proposed. Abruzzo believes that his produc- tion has solved many of the problems that the original production was not able to solve: "I think his (Michael Smith's) direction was the problem. I thinkthat he most likely did not explain to the actors to go beyond the critical part of the play. Ifollowed as closely as I could to the text because he doesn't give you a whole lot of clues. On the very first day (of rehearsal), when the actors were more objective about the text, I got it over with. I said 'this is what you're doing, this is whatitmeans critically and we're going to discover in the rehearsal process what more it can mean.'" As that rehearsal process comes to an end, we will soon be able to discover if Basement Arts can do what Off- Broadway couldn't: Do justice to one of Sam Shepard's most underrated plays. "The play itself has the potential to be his best play ever, but it's all in how you portray it. ...how you fill the gaps," said Abruzzo. ICARUS' MOTHER pls tonight and Saturday at 5p.m. at the Arena Theatre (basement of the Frieze Building). Admission is free. The band has its roots in a noise band called Big Jesus Trashcan that enjoyed an extremely short stint on the frat party circuit at the University of Maryland. Bridget Cross of the late Unrest passed through briefly as the group evolved before its final lineup could be crystallized. A single or two later, including the majestic and driv- ing "My Forgotten Favorite," and Ve- locity Girl was signed to SubPop. Un- like most other groups that record a debut for an indie label and, amidst "next big thing" buzz, run off to sign to SonyWarnerBrosGeffen, Velocity Girl recently signed a five-label deal with SubPop. "SubPop offered everything we could have wanted. There is a lot of freedom in the contract to do what we want," said Moore. "We want to see how far we can take an indie label." Even amidst the noise of "Copacetic," Velocity Girl was set apart from other droning bands (and to count the number of times they were com- pared to My Bloody Valentine would be impossible) by their obvious knack for melodies and by Shannon's vocals. Instead of droning along tunelessly and aimlessly, she sang and sang well. Her voice, a classically-trained high alto, managed to be at once wistful, sooth- ing and powerful enough to carry the songs. Yes, there was pop present on Ve- locity Girl's debut - rock 'n' roll, even. It was hidden in the low-fi pro- duction but the thumping beat of "Catching Squirrels" and the "la-la- la's"decorating "Pop Loser"("I'llplay my la-la shit for you any time") gave clues as to its place in the mix. While the shoegazers busied themselves cre- ating lengthy, complex soundscapes, 1 Velocity Girl wrote songs. With this inthe band's background, "iSimpatico!" is far from the sell-out some noise freaks have accused it of being. True, it flies its pop flag proudly, especially in the face of an expanded sound made possible by a larger re- cording budget, but this does not make the record a sellout. The hooks are more immediate, the phrasing a little more clear, the songs more instantly hummable, all of which add up to amix that celebrates the glory of power-pop while remaining grounded in the humble roots of garage rock. Yum. If the vocal harmonies of Moore and Sh- annon fail to lodge themselves perma- nently in your head, then you may just wish to think about tidying up a bit up there, about making a little more room for such things. VELOCITY GIRL shares what promises to be a glorious evening of music and noise with Sugar and Magnapop Saturday night at St. Andrew's Hall. Doors open at 9:00 and y'all can call 961-MELT. Sunday, Nov. 6 1p.m. Lions vs. Packers 49ers vs. Redskins Colts vs. Dolphins Cardinals vs. Eagles Bills vs. Jets Broncos vs. Rams A .,,.d i.....t .... !/"405 - a4s . J V ,iM'f. ...: 5; /' isis. .:Fg a: ...y 1 .. ... 'l1J .., . . i .. . J .. ,i . I .a I Rpdli a'hnmh [and UM ?Y. ~ii 7J~I n 1 amptcJiav'in1UY.f:Wp 7TTWpnd Pt.j .r..-UUnmA~ ~m ~I ~ -~ULY~ iip&iiii I rtCau .rua! a xs wr c f , u .: . . .' c a "' ' 4' fan- x. yF.xr r-\" Y* .x'e " i sF + . ... s. ®. I Write for Arts. We promise you fame, fortune, love, acceptance, and plenty of free "P.C.U." and "Maverick" posters. Call 763-Q379. ;I ,:l_.nA ' . _'"ai* . W LIiOM IUV'in IIHILU N IH III IIIIII I Mill ui vi ll ffi villiv 6ln{'1"1111.1t . RE 1% vy T I