8 - The MichiganOeily - Tuesday, February 28, 1995 PJ Harvey brings you her best album yet By Heather Phares Daily Arts Editor While it's become a cliche to say that PJ Harvey is one of the most aston- ishing talents in music today, it's a clich6 that has some truth to it. During her brief career, Polly Jean Harvey has reinvented her sound and style several times and yet has remained true to her artistic vision. Her 1992 debut, "Dry," combined Harvey'sthrilling, versatile voiceand adept guitarplayingtodramaticeffect. Hereclec- PJ Harvey To Bring You My Love Island Records tic mix of blues, pop and punk was entirely unique to the music scene; neither riot grrrl, sultry siren orfolky waif, Harvey and her music were both resolutely strong and unafraid to be different. Her follow-up, "Rid of Me," in- cluded songs even more powerful than those on her debut, but the production by indie noise-guru Steve Albini often obscured her voice and playing with thick slabs of distortion. Instead of be- ing the break-out album that would get Harvey a wider audience, "Rid of Me" was so intense and claustrophobic that its commercial appeal was negligible. Indeed, even Harvey seemed dissatis- fied with the harshness of that album, and released the "4-Track Demos" from "Rid of Me" in November 1993. The demos revealed the subtleties in hersinging, play- ing and writing that were buried on the finished album, and pointed to the kind of music Harvey might make in the future. Now, "To Bring You My Love" emerges as PJ Harvey's finest work to date. Like all true artists, Harvey reinvents and refreshes hercraft; far fromarehash of herpastaccomplishments, hernew album incorporates what made her previous al- bums work and adds entirely new dimen- sions to her work. These new dimensions include using the prestigious producer Flood, who's worked with such artists as U2, Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. 'To Bring You My Love"'s production never inter- feres with the songs on the record. Indeed, it expands Harvey's repertoire. The full, rich sound of "Teclo" (about a departed lover) and the eerie, menacing sheen of "Down By The Water" simply would not have been possible on her previous albums. But the parched, insular sound on the title track and the fiery, abrasive rasp of "Long Snake Moan" show a masterful grasp of a sonic palette that doesn't paint Flood or Harvey into any corners. Variety is the constant of "To Bring You My Love." The instrumentation of the album, as well as its production, sets it apart from her previous work (not to mention the majority of music being made today). Spaghetti-western guitars pepper the title track, drums that sound like immense hydraulic pistons pump out the rhythm of "Meet Ze Monsta," and keyboards enhance many of the tracks on "To Bring You My Love," at times delicately (as on "Teclo"), at times powerfully (like the unnerving buzz on "Down By The Water). Stringsalsoadd a richness that gives songs like "C'Mon Billy" a timeless air. But it is Harvey's voice that defi- nitely benefits the most from the variety of sonic expression. Finally, her many facets are explored, and a few new ones RECORDS Continued from page 5 The Chieftains The Long Black Veil RCA Victor No, the Chieftains probably do not need help creating beautiful music, but that has never stopped them in the past as they have blended their traditional sounds with the music of such artists as RogerDaltrey, ElvisCostello and Nanci Griffith. On their latest, "The Long Black Veil," theChieftains turn to Sting, Sinead O'Connor, Tom Jones, Van Morrison, Mark Knopfler and the Roll- ing Stones for assistance on anumberof contemporary tunes and traditional bal- lads. Mick Jagger's vocals on the title track are surprisingly strong while the Chieftains back him with pipes, fiddles, Colin James' beautiful mandolin and Steve Cooney's digeridoo. Equally strong is the quite off-the-cuff perfor- mance by the rest of the Stones on "The Rocky Road to Dublin." Hearing the distinctive sounds of Keith Richards' guitar blend with the more traditional instruments is strange at first, but the mix makes sense after a few minutes and works amazingly well. Sting's Gaelic turn on "Mo Ghile Mear" show- cases his strength as a singer by placing a choir behind him. All of "The Long Black Veil" has a wonderful, traditional feel to it even as it embraces the contemporary. It's an exceptionally strong effort by a band not at all short on talent or inspiration. - Dirk Schulze Various Artists Original Motion Picture Soundtrack -- Interview With * the Vampire Geffen When he approved a soundtrack with only two artists, composer Elliot Goldenthal and Guns N' Roses, someone should have asked David Geffen what he was thinking. Goldenthal, who performs 18 out of the 19 tracks on the soundtrack from "Interview With the Vampire," produces mostly bland and uneventful symphonic music. The majority of the tracks are short, and are just small clips from the dull movie. Some ofthepieces are abit interesting, like "Lestat's Tarantella" and "Escape to Paris," but overall, the music fails to in- spire the listener. After the 40-some minutes of dull classical musicAxlandhisbandofdinks and smack addicts take the stage with a pitifulcoverofTheRollingStones' "Sym- pathy For the Devil." Throughout tWe track, Axl is doing his "Eyeeeeee"s and "Yeaaaahh"s over the Ginner's typical music. For a band who can't write their own music anymore, it looks like Guns N' Roses' career has been flushed down the toilet one too many times, andit would be quite asurpriseif we were tohearanythin* new from them ever again. Why aclassical fan would ever wantto hear Guns N' Roses and why a Guns N' Roses fan would want to hear Elliot Goldenthal will alwaysbeamystery. Why anyone would want to hear anything on this disc is a bigger mystery. - Brian A. Gnatt Polly Jean Harvey, looking foxy while she brings you her love. Hey, it's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. are invented: She growls and snarls like a caged animal on tracks like "Long Snake Moan," croons with a devilish seductiveness on "Down By The Wa- ter," reveals the pure beauty of her voice on "Send His Love To Me" and "The Dancer" and sounds like a woman posessed on the title track. The richness of expression found on "To Bring You My Love" empahsizes Polly Jean Harvey's debut as a solo artist; while she played many of the instruments on each track, she also enlisted the help of some other great musicians -most nota- bly guitarist Joe Gore, who's worked in the past with the likes of Tom Waits (one of Harvey's favorites). But it is Harvey's intense (and successful) pursuit of her artistic vision thatresults in her bringing to fruition one of the best albums of the year. I Ashley's 6th AnnualJ 'Boys Life' is a genuine heartfelt look at a homosexual coming of age By Sarah Rogacki For the Daily Featured in the Michigan Theater's Gay/Lesbian film series, "Boys Life" showcases the short films of three up-and- coming gay filmmakers. From the steam room to the bathroom to the locker room, each director provides an inside view of the trials and tribulations of young men dealing with their sexual identities. "Boys Life" gives us a bicoastal glimpseofindependentfilmmaking. Brian Sloan, agraduateofNewYorkUniversity's film school, plunges us into the depths of a young lifeguard's struggle with sexual preference in "Pool Days." Torn between the limber aerobics instructor Vicky, and the studly swimmer Russell, Justin goes through a series of experiences made hu- morous through Sloan's narrative craft- ing. Raoul O'Connell's award-winning film, "A Friend of Dorothy" follows as a comic investigation of an NYU freshman's quest to define his own sexual identity. Boys Life Directed by Brian Sloan Raoul O'Connell and Robert LeeKing At the Michigan Theater With the inspiration of diva Judy Garland, Winston finds love and a feeling of con- nection to the gay community. In "The DiscoYears,"University ofSouthernCali- fornia graduate Robert Lee King turns "The Wonder Years" inside out by por- traying the experiences of a gay teen com- ingoutinthelate 1970s. "Presumed straight until proven guilty," we see the misunder- standings and bigotry ofa small California suburb through Tom's eyes as he manages to come to terms with his own sexual identity. With each film lasting around 30 min- utes, the viewer meets a medley ofcharac- ters that keep the film-going experience fresh and always intriguing. Although each individual film has clicheddmoments and bad acting, the collective work gains momentum through the arrangement of each piece. While "Pool Days" resembles a quaint student film, "The Disco Years" provides a local situation surrounded by the political climate of an era through the intercutting of documentary footage. "A Friend of Dorothy" makes a perfect tran- sition between the two works with O'Connell's own charming portrayal of socially ambitious Winston. Credit is due to the producers of the film and venues like the Michigan Theater for exposing the work of gay filmmakers to a larger audience. Yet, the subject mat- ter of all three films seem to date their messages, given AIDS awareness and the political struggles of the gay community as of late. Condoms are mentioned in passing in O'Connell' first-yearofcollege adventure and King's commentary deals briefly with discrimination. Looking at "Boys Life" in a social and political context, one must question the responsibility of independent film- makers regarding the lack of discussion about safe sexual practices in indepen- dent films which concern themselves with love, lust, and sex. Otherwise, the collection comes off as a gay remake of John Hughes"s "Sixteen Candles." FatTesday Party 49-,0 c- s. *Bacchus Punch! *Raw Bar, Oysters, Shrimp, Crawfish! "Cajun Beer Specials! *LIVE JAZZ! John E. Lawrence Quartet playing 9-12 pm ChASE THE BLUES? Laissez le bon temps rouler at Ashley's Fat Tuesday Party! PRIZES! come in costume, come as you are! FREE MASKS & BEADS (Hey, Mister! Throw me something!) 338 S. 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