10 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, March 27, 1995
RECORDS
Continued from page 10
hear other instruments. Still, on such
numbers as the title track or on "Cara-
van," one wishes that the rhythm
section could be a little more force-
ful, especially when Carter hits the
peak of each of his solos. Congratu-
lations should go to Craig Taborn,
former University student now play-
ing piano for Carter on this debut
release. And as for James Carter, we
can all expect to hear much more
from him in the near future.
- David Cook
Pitch Shifter
The Remix War
Earache Records
Most remix albums are nothing
more than long-winded musical or-
gies; sure, it's really exciting and dif-
ferent at first, but by the end it's kind
of repetitive and pungent, and you'll
be lucky if leave with the right clothes
and few unusual stains.
Not with Pitch Shifter. Once in-
side the tasty sugar walls of their
infectious industrial / metal dance
machine and all caution slips away.
Along with the band's own four over-
hauls of songs from their last album,
members of Therapy?, Biohazard and
Gunshot give each a song an extended
tryst, all extremely gratifying.
Therapy? adds athumpin' techno edge
to "Diable" and Gunshot pumps up
"Triad" as the great lost hip-hop record
Helmet never made.
Granted, this isn't music to
deeply penetrate your mind.
"Diable," has just two lyrics, one a
spoken word sample of a man
screaming "Hail Satan!" and the
other vocalist J.S. Clayden growl-
ing, "Hands up who wants to die?"
But why be long and meaningful if
you can be quick and nasty?
Edgy, butt-shakin', groovy and
hard. I'm spent.
- Kirk Miller
Greg Brown
The Poet Game
Red House
There is something about Greg
Brown's voice, a gruff and tender
instrument that can convey decades
of experience and emotion in a single
phrase, that gives even his few weak
moments a depth and range of feeling
that most songwriters cannot sum-
mon up in their best songs. His rich,
textured baritone is everywhere on
his latest, "The Poet Game," working
its magic through the tables-are-turned
story of "Sadness," the autobiographi-
cal folk of the title track and the blues
of "Ballingall Hotel."
When he turns it to a slow number,
like "Lately," it is all that is needed to
tell the rest of the story that the three
verses only lightly sketch while in
"Lord I Have Made You a Place in
My Heart," it gives the lines "Oh
Lord, why does the fall get colder
each year?" the believability they
need. Brown's writing is good but his
singing is absolutely wonderful and
"The Poet Game" showcases it well.
- Dirk Schulze
Jaz B. Lat'n
Street Gamins
Fader Records
The newest shift in rap music has
been from the standard, repetitive
beats to more variety. Jaz B. Lat'n,
rap's newest sizzling group, are mas-
ters of background variety, and this is
why their debut, six-cut release is so
phat.
Some of these beats may take some
getting used to. Each of the songs use
so many changing beats, it's hard to
tell where one song ends and another
begins. This is part of the excitement
they bring. Their rapping is a mix
between the old school and a ghetto
Kid and Play/Pharcyde sound.
Weird explanation? Weird CD.
The biggest shortfall of this CD is
the pitifully few number of cuts. But,
these guys have potential for much
bigger and better things.
- Eugene Bowen
Morphine
yes
Rykodisc
"Sharks patrol these waters /
Don't let your fingers dangle in the
water / swim!" advises Morphine
frontman and bassist Mark Sandman
on his band's third LP "yes." He's
right. Sharks do patrol Morphine's
waters - pool sharks, that is, in
seedy, smoky backwater nightclubs
overflowing with booze and pickup
lines and preferably located in close
proximity to a cheap hotel.
But while Sandman's lyrical fo-
cus in the 12 songs offered on this
album is most definitely sex, the mu-
sic is anchored by sax. While their
widely acclaimed sophomore effort
"Cure for Pain" showcased
Sandman's slurred, string-bending,
stereo-rattling 2-string slide bass,
"yes" finds saxophonist Dana Colley
stepping to the forefront of Mor-
phine. Utilizing both baritone and
tenor saxes (and sometimes both at
once in a way cool trick that you must
see performed), Colley somehow elic-
its the power of a distorted electric
guitar and the reediness of a human
voice along with sweet soulful sounds
from his saxophones. Colley adds
jazzy improvisation, chordal sounds
and virtuoso solos, to the heavily
swinging single "Honey White," the
tense, rumbling "Radar" and the ap-
propriately energetic "Super Sex."
On their debut "Good" and "Cure
for Pain," Morphine's one fault was
Sandman's rather flat and unimagi-
native vocal technique. Perhaps the
fire pictured on the album cover was
lit under his ass, because his, vocals
here smolder and burn their way
through his lyrics just as they should.
With drummer Billy Conway
I
Daily
Tonight, the qt
everyone's minds
"Forrest Gump" o
That's right, tonigl
lywood salutes itse
annual Academy
emony, hosted by
will be broadcast o
at 9 p.m. To assist
ing, the Daily fil
following guide to
what should win ti
BEST PICTUI
Who will win:
"Ordinary Peopl
Bull." "Dances w
"Goodfellas." Gum
please rise for thej
Who we wantt
tion" (6 votes), "F
"Gump" may win
"Fiction" is a perr
the American film
BEST DIREC
Who will win:
finm critics predict
uestion that is on Spielberg will enjoy presenting his
will be answered: lackey the award for best computer,
r "Pulp Fiction?" er, film director.
ht is the night Hol- Who we want: Quentin Tarantino
elf - it's the 67th (6), Krzysztof Kieslowski (1), Robert
Awards; the cer- Zemeckis (1). "Pulp Fiction" was the
David Letterman, best film of the year and Tarantino is
n ABC (channel 7) most clearly responsible for its suc-
you in your view- cess.
n critics offer the
what will win and BEST ACTOR:
he Oscars tonight. Who will win: Paul Newman. To
award Tom Hanks a second Oscar, let
RE: alone consecutively, when Paul
"Forrest Gump." Newman has but one performance-
e" over "Raging based award would be sacreligious.
ith Wolves" over Comeback kid Travolta may com-
ip will happen, now plete the circle with an acceptance
national anthem. speech tonight.
to win: "Pulp Fic- Who we want to win: Morgan
oeto win: " P 2, Freeman (4), John Travolta (2), Paul
orrest Gunp' (2). Newman (2). Where is Tim Robbins?
nanent addition to Co-star Freeman was solid but Holly-
wood owes Robbins.
canon.
TOR: BEST ACTRESS:
Robert Zemeckis. Whowill win: JessicaLange. She's
a Hollywood standard and she's never
won a Best Actress award. Kid won-
der Winona Ryder - who was
slighted last year - could upset.
Who we want to win: Anyone
but Jodie Foster. The year's best
female performance, given by Linda
mey white -it's buena, buena.
pitching in on drums, Morphine rocks
so mightily on "yes" that the absence
of guitar (on all tracks but the pretty
acoustic closer "Gone for Good")
appears their greatest virtue.
Yeah, sharks patrol these waters,
but let yourself succumb to
Morphine's booming, bass-heavy
sound. Dive, baby, dive.
-Jennifer Buckley
the Oscars.
Fiorentino in "The Last Seduction,"
was ineligible. This left a weak cat-
egory that inspires only indiffer-
ence.
BEST SUPPORTING
ACTRESS:
Who will win: Diane Wiest. She
was classy, campy and over-the-top.
She has swept all the critics' awards.
However, Tarantino-sympathizers
may give it to Uma Thurman.
Who we want: Diane Wiest (4),
Uma Thurman (3), Helen Mirren (1).
Another snoozer. Hopefully these
nominees will open Hollywood's eyes
to the outrageous possibility that fe-
male characters can be both well-
rounded and meaningful.
BEST SUPPORTING
ACTOR:
Who will win: Martin Landau. A
career-crowning performance.A char-
acter sketch of an actor who loves his
craft. All voters can relate. Despite
being part of the most qualified group
of nominees, he just may deserve it.
Who we want: Samuel L. Jackson
(6), Martin Landau (2). Jackson should
have been nominated for "Jungle Fe-
ver." He and "Pulp Fiction" deserve
the acknowledgment.
each other in an attempt to win the title
of the greatest car raeer in the galaxy.
Players choose their character from.
anumber of aliens and humans, includ-
ing one who has the big ugly and de-
formed face of everybody's favorite
trash romance novel model, yes, you
guessed it, Fabio! With racing an-
nouncer Larry "Supermouth" Huffman
on the mic, and cheezy instrumentals of
George Thorogood's "Bad to the Bone,"
Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" (also a
Molsoncommercial-God, these guys
must need money), the ground-break@
ing Golden Earring classic "Radar
Love," and much, much more, "Rock
N' Roll Racing" tries alittle too hard to
be hip.
Some of the features include giving
players a chance to modify cars be-
tween theraces, andevenbuy anewcar.
However, theracingsequences arefairly
typical, and don't offer much in the
category of originality that Interplay is.
usually pretty keen to.
If you like blowing up other racers,
hearing digitized classic rock, and see-
ing Fabio in a video game, be sure to
give "Rock N' Roll Racing" a shot.
- Brian A. Gnatt
have won the remix warl Good thing, too - we weren't able to sleep nights while
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Paris $335
Frankfurt $269
Madrid $309
Rome $365
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1220 S. University, Suite 208
(Above McDonaids)
99890200
Rock N' Roll Racing
Interplay
Sega Genesis
When video game designers decide
to team up and create a game that com-
bines two very different-themes such as
rock 'n' roll and car racing, it's hard to
find a happy medium that will satisfy
fans in both areas. And that's the prob-
lem with Interplay's latest car racing
adventure, "Rock N' Roll Racing."
In a game that is almost the same as
the Nintendo classic "R.C. Pro-Am,"
digitized rock classics play in the back-
ground as cars jump, crash and shoot
HEY! Let me see your
resume buddy! ,
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