8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 31, 1995 The Swansons Shake Citizen X / Interscope From out of that burgeoning Con- necticut music scene you all are so darned familiar with comes a band with talent: the Swansons. They may not be breaking any musical ground with their debut album "Shake," but they are giving an explanation for the attention they have received through- out New England and the East Coast. This vocally driven, post-Pixie four- some churns out noisy pop - no surprise there - with an occasional melodic bliss that elevates and sus- tains the album, giving it the escape velocity necessary to wriggle itself free from tedium. Lauren Fay's vocals are, well, similar to the Pixies (indeed, the band gave Pixie tribute concerts in New Haven, Conn. a few years back), only cuddlier. The song construction has all the repetition of a pop band and the morass of guitar blaring that is mod- ern rock. When Alec Hodel's guitar isn't making muck, it meanders play- fully (a la our Pixie friend Joey Santiago) through Fay's sustained harmonies. The drums pop and crash like a good college rock band, making the album great for head-bobbing or dancing (no, no moshing -please - not that). Bass lines are generally recessive, although they have the ten- dency to emerge for song like "Shake," which borrows the bass line from the Pixies' "I Bleed" and adds a chorus. The end product works, but is lim- ited by inconsistent writing. At times the songs are disappointingly ordi- nary, lacking the prerequisite pop hooks which make the listener smile; luckily, the vocals frequently drag their songs out of tedium. In short, "Shake" is a collection songs adorned with lukewarm writ- ing, splendid'guitar effects and vocals which are necessarily placed in the forefront. When one of these elements falters, the music recedes regretfully to dull alterna-pop. Thankfully, there is enough of the former to make this album successful overall, and more importantly, to show that this is a band with potential. - Josh Herrington Des'ree I Ain't Movin' Epic Records R&B and rap have served as the staple musical diets of African Ameri- cans throughout the '90s. However, every now and then, a more revolu- tionary Black artist comes forth add- ing a little diversity to the menu. These artists have released a number of LPs thwarting traditional musical labels; I coin these CDs "Black Alternative." Des'ree's "I Ain't Movin"' is a bril- liant example of such music. Des'ree, a native of England, has a most unusual voice which will catch your attention immediately. The 12 cuts on her debut release are all interesting and beautifully simplistic. In all her songs - from her smash single "You Gotta Be" to the Sade sounds of "Little Child" to the bass-filled "Trip on Love" - a characteristic unifying theme is their unique musical backgrounds, sounds which defy description. Des'ree isn't a complicated artist. All her songs are straightforward and easily dissected. However, the songs' frankness in now way detracts from the CD's mystical aura, well-projected by her subtly sensual voice. "I Ain't Movin"' is unquestion- ably pushing some uncharted musical territory, and Des'ree is an explorer in the highest degree of the word. - Eugene Bowen The Notorious B.I.G. Ready to Die Arista Records An ex-hustler / drug dealer, 20- year-old Chris Wallace, better known as the Notorious B.I.G., has dropped his debut album, "Ready to Die," and it is the bomb. B.I.G. isn't new to all this. His skillz have already been sported on Mary J. Blige remixes, a cut on the "Who's The Man" soundtrack and a rap duet with fellow big man Heavy D on "NBA Jam Session." The only difference is that now we get to hear nothing but the Notorious B.I.G.-uncut, uncensored. The three-and-a-half minute long "Intro" is not the norm, but the old school cuts it samples make it a good one. Another ah ... interesting ... inter- lude isthesex-packed"#!*@ Me"which combines the hardcore "sounds" of Dr. Dre's "The Doctor's Office" with typi- cal Luther Campbell humor. The cuts on "Ready to Die" are notable, especially when you con- sider who's rapping. B.I.G. ain't out there trying to perp. He's a man who knows the streets because his life re- volved around them. This gives his CD an aura of realism that few could ever have. When you hear cuts like "Gimme the Loot" and "Machine Gun Funk" you will sense the reality in his style. Further, no matter how hard B.I.G. tries to be, you will still be able to feel his hurt at living a life where gang wars and killer cops weren't simply rapped about over some deep- bass Pines but were rather integral parts of day-to-day existence. -- Eugene Bowen Wade Hubbard Insanity Lane Vibration Entertainment Wade Hubbard is a brilliant songwriter, and the soft-rock tunes of "Insanity Lane" are equally excel- lent. Twelve cuts of lyrical ingenious- ness await you upon placing "Insan- ity Lane" in your CD player. Hubbard has a spunky George Michael-type soundin many of his songs like "Dream Baby Dream" and "Battle- field of Desire." "I Heard It on the News," arguably the best song on the CD, has an almost hip-hoppish quality, and "That's the Way It Goes" is one of those deep, soul-searching songs that's a nice way to round out a nice CD. "Insanity Lane" is a welcomed retreat from life in all its monotony. It'll brighten your sky and put a smile on your face. So buy "Insanity Lane," and glow. -Eugene Bowen Zhang's personal, epic film is an experience 'To Live'.' By Shirley Lee Daily Arts Writer Confirming his status as one of the world's greatest living filmmakers, To Live Directed by Zhang Yimou with Gong Li At the Michigan Theater Fugui, despite mounting tragedy and constant sadness, survives more than 30 years of China's political up- heaval with his resilient wife, Jiazhen, played by the always excellent Gong Li. Yimou's "To Live" is based on Yu Hua's novel "Lifetimes." Avoiding the impersonal sweep of a grand-scale epic, Zhang instead opts for a visually restrained yet in- volving, humorous and emotionally wrenching portrayal of simple lives caught in the turbulence of history. From the last remnants of sovereign power in the 1940s to the 1960s, Zhang sheds light on history through a fam- ily who wills to stay together, to sur- vive, and foremost, to live and age gracefully under adverse political conditions. At its core, "To Live" opens with Fugai as the rebel without a cause, who, gambling day and night, inevi- tably loses his rightful claim to the family house to clear his debt. Jiazhen takes off with the children after see- ing Fugui's reluctance to change only to later return with renewed hope of leading a simple, peaceful life with Fugai and of overcoming the terrors of communist uprising. Through a chain of events beyond their powers, Fugai becomes a Na- tionalist and unwittingly endeavors to protect other fellow Nationalists and those he cares for. Returning as an oblivious Revolutionary hero, Fugai identifies himself and his fam- ily with a new class identity to survive in the ever-changing "red" world looming before them. Its melodramatic tones, such as the bleak deaths of Fugai and Jiazhen's children, manage to uncover the bit- tersweet life and vitality hidden be- neath such melancholy, allowing us to recognize both the evil of political revolt and our power to overcome such terrors. Just as a joyous scene unfolds, a more tragic scene explodes onto the screen. Zhang's images and cinematography haunt the viewers with the stark contrast between the absolute good and the absolute evil. "To Live" serves to illustrate the powers of determination and tenacity in times of peace as well as in times of need. Even as the world collapses around them in a whirlwind of pesti- lent policies, Fugai and Jiazhen man- age to further their will to live by bearing their sufferings, all within the confines of the political turbulence. Zhang focuses on how political and social environments affect a simple family struggling to triumph over circumstances beyond their au- thority. Zhang, focusing on the couple's lives, compresses 40 years of history into a mere two hours. Revo- lutions come and go, and we don't have time to stop and look around within them. Ultimately, "To Live" makes a strong assertion about how human life must be held sacred and pro- tected, at all costs. Simplicity is hard- est to attain. China's Zhang Yimou brings abundant sympathy and subtle political commen- tary to "To Live," his intimate epic about an ordinary man named Fugui, marvelously played by Ge You. s 9 ----- - -------------------------- --- ! ! MACARONI AU FROMAGE 1(EAT WITH GUSTO FOR ABOUT 51ยข PER SERVING.) 1 ( ! I 2 cups macaroni (pinwheels are fun) 1 cup milk I I11 cup sharp cheddar (grated) 3 tbs flour 1 1/2 stick butter 1 tsp pepper I I 1 tsp Worcestershire (if you like) 1 tsp salt I 1 I Cook macaroni in 5 cups salted, boiling water for 1 15 minutes or until al dente. Drain. In a separate I I pot, melt butter and mix in flour over low heat. 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