10 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 19, 1996 Walk On Capitol The Mark Morris Dance Group arrives at the Michigan Theater for performances tonight and tomorrow. Dto please the senses For a while there, it seemed like John Hiatt's songs would only reach the air- waves when other people sang them. Although he's recorded several very good albums of his own gritty blend of blues, rock and folk (especially 1987's "Bring the Family") the singer/ songwriter was best known for years by the second part of that title. Perhaps his finest moment came in 1989, when Bonnie Raitt resurrected her career with her album "Nick of Time," which made a top-40 hit single of Hiatt's "Thing Called Love." With the release of "Walk On," how- ever, Hiatt is sure to get some attention of his own. This record contains a qui- eter, folkier, more thoughtful set of songs than any of his previous albums, and the change suits Hiatt well. His big, gravelly voice takes on a new gentle- ness on these songs, a tenderness di- rectly related to the subjects and emo- tions the middle-aged Hiatt explores in their lyrics. Hiatt mostly concerns himselfwith the road - being on it, needing it and finally wanting to get off of it. On "You Must Go" (lifted by the marvelous harmony vocals of ex-Jayhawks Mark Olson and Gary Louris), he describes a man for whom the road is a way of life, and love nothing but a dangerous detour. On the single "I Can't Wait," though, Hiatt (backed by Raitt) sings of a middle-aged man longing for "the noise on my home- town street/little children playing at my feet ... I gotta get outta here before I scream." What's waiting at the other end of the line, of course, is the stability of home and love, also Hiatt's subject on "Your Love Is My Rest." Most of the tracks on "Walk On" relate to getting older and settling down and how men react to it all, including "Native Son" and "Ethylene" ("Some men avoid love like it was a plague or something/so they can leave the seat down when they piss," he sings). While Hiatt may be getting older, his music is still fresh - hummable melo- dies abound on "Walk On," especially on the title track, "You Must Go" and the hit single "Cry Love." Hiatt does lose his momentum as the record draws to a close; the lackluster tracks "Friend ofMine" and "Your Love Is My Rest" make the record much longer than it should be. Still, "Walk On" is a stellar record, one that should secure Hiatt's reputa- tion as one of the finest singer/ songwriters around. It's about time. - Jennifer Buckley Combine The History ofAmerican Rock and Roll Caroline Combine (pronounced COM-bine, like the harvesting machine) rocks hard. It's almost inappropriate to call them a punk band. They rock harder than that. A fitting term would most likely be By Orit Greenberg For the Daily Mark Morris Dance Group and the Boston Baroque Orchestra and Chorus, a unique combo that is sure to please all your senses, will be performing "Dido and ,Eneas" at the Michigan Theater this weekend. Henry Purcell composed "Dido and kneas," his only true opera, for a girls' school in 1689. Three hundred years later, in 1989, Mark Morris choreographed a wildly inventive recreation of the opera when his company, Mark Morris Dance Group, was based in Brussels, Belgium. On the British documentary, "The Hidden Soul of Harmony," Mark Morris stated, "The thing that really made me decide to go to Brussels was the chance to work with live music ... just about every dance I do starts directly from a piece of music." In a recent phone interview, he re- marked, "I insist on (live music) and I get it, but it's partly because I made up these pieces like 'Dido and iEneas' in Brussels. "In the U.S., the arts are unfortu- nately seen as a luxury and in Europe they're not seen that way ... it's more of "power trio." No, not a power trio l1ik Eric Clapton's Cream; they really aren't that talented. Rather. Combine is three guys who, in the spirit of Nigel Tufnel, turn up their amps to I l and play what- ever makes you call Miracle Ear for your free-trial period. As with any musical formula for deaf- ness, Combine has its positives and negatives. They've put together on wicked huge sound: massive amounW of bass, a hearty mix of over-driven guitar riffs and chords, and persistent, pounding drum beats make for a wall of noise akin to a good carpet bombing. That's not to say Combine is bad:they're not. They're just, and need I say it again, really loud. Certain tracks are notably more refined, like "Big Disap- pointment" and "Stagnation," which are actually kind of catchy. My best guess is that "The History American Rock and Roll" will becon7 the gem of many a punk fan's album collection. Like any good punk band, the members of Combine are quite hu- morous, albeit not bitterly cynical like many others. The cover art pictures a cute head of a terrier pasted on the body of an old, fat, jumpsuited Elvis. What's more, Combine purports to be "The Three Wise Guys" on the quest to "as- similate" the planet and save us all fro the Banorians. Yes, the Banorian sect are the unintelligent possessors of the "sucker gene" who happen to own our here planet. Wacky, I tell you, Combine is wacky. And to top it all off, I am presumably the first convert in Ann Arbor. Unless you want to be converted to the assimi- lation as well, do not buy this album. Oh, and one more thing: Brian Pafumi, cohort of the assimilation, has entitled this album a "rock opera." No, "T9 History of Rock and Roll" does not hearken back to "Tommy." From what I read, Combine plays a good live show. It's the kind of music that isn't really hard to get into, as long as you know to expect volume. Even if you don't dig the big noise, you'll be kept laughing. And remember, you will be assimilated. - Brad tHav o Salt Ascultate a necessity.... So there is a great deal more funding and more interest." Not only are this weekend's perfor- mances going to be accompanied by live music, but they will be accompa- nied by the first permanent Baroque orchestra in North America. The Bos- ton Baroque Orchestra was founded in 1973, and it is under the direction of its founder, Martin Pearlman. When Mark Morris was asked whether the music or the story inspired him to choreograph the piece, he re- plied, "The music is the story." The piece begins in the Palace of Carthage at the end of the Trojan war. ,Eneas falls in love with Dido, Queen of Carthage, but things go bad when the evil Sorceress creates trouble. Mark Morris dances both the role of Didoandthe Sorceress. When questioned why he cast himselfin both roles, he said, "I choreographed the piece. Icouldn't see it any other way." On "Hidden Soul of Harmony," Mark Morris claimed, "I'm from two minds - at least - about the dancing thing. One is that it's just a dance, don't lose your shirt. If you don't like it, you can always go home or just stick it out, because it will be over pretty soon. And the other is that every single action means something, and everyone's rela- tionship to everyone else on the stage and to the audience has a particular, specific meaning." In the words of Nahum Tate, the librettist of"Dido and Eneas": "Shake the cloud from off your brow, Fate your wishes does allow; Empire growing, Pleasures flowing, Fortune smiles and so should you." Japanese group Cibo Matto arrives in Michigan The excellent Japanese female pop group Cibo Matto breezes into Michigan for two very special shows this weekend: One tomorrow at the "Rites of Spring" festival in Allendale (just outside of Grand Rapids), and one Sunday at Detroit's Shelter. The duo's sound is an eclectic mix of trip-hop, rap, jazz and samples of film soundtracks; they're as capable of making floaty, haunting ballads like "Artichoke" as they are of Beastle Boys-type mayhem like "Birthday Cake." The single "Know Your Chicken" combines both styles in one song. Clbo Matto, which means "crazy food" in Italian, is a hint at the band's lyrical subject matter - nearly all the songs on their debut album "IVival La Woman" deal with food In some form or another. The group is fun, fresh, creative and catchy, and it puts on a great live show. Find out for yourself at their "Rites of Spring," which also features Guided By Voices and the Poster Children, or at their Shelter gig. Tickets for "Rites of Spring" are $5 at Schoolkids' Records; call (616) 895.2878 for more Information. For more information on the Shelter show, call (313) 963-MELT. STARTS o e TODAY 100 ARPENTER RD. ANN ARBOR NO PASSES 24 HOUR PHONE 973-8380 U U Bluster single Island Hailing from Stockholm, SwedW Salt wants to explode every precon- ceived notion you may have about Swedish rock. Neither treacly pop like the Cardigans norgoofy funk-punk like Whale, Salt is a blunt, angry trio that owes more to PJ Harvey than to Abba for musical direction. Both the menacing single "Bluster" andthe full-length "Ascultate" are filled with loud, dissonant guitars and sin Nina Ramsby's wailing vocals, result ing in some bleak yet compelling mu- sic. The similarities between Salt's sound and that of PJ Harvey's early work, particularly "Rid of Me," are notable: "Beauty" and "Witty" in par- ticular sound like Polly Harvey out- takes. "Ascultate"'s themes of obsessive love, pain and hopelessness also take their cue from Harvey; however. songs- like "Obession" and "Undressed" 14 the black humor that make PJ Harvey songs complete works of art. Much of "Ascultate"comes across as a45-minute rant from a jealous lover - a bit mo- notonous. That's not to say, however, that: Salt isn't capable of moments of cre- ativity. "Bluster" is one of the best songs on "Ascultate," a metallic, claustrophobic blast of a single tha ' exciting to listen to. "Lids" and "S tap the group's quieterside with haunt- ing results. "So," in particular, is an accomplished ballad that proves. Salt has more than just anger on their side, and "Undressed" blends the group's anger into a song that's both raging and catchy. An impressive debut, "Ascultate" is a flawed but worthwhile album that improves on each listen. The "Blus- ter" single is also a good effort, f@ turing both the title track as well as "Lids" and two unique tracks, "Frust ..."and "A Play." Though their influ- ences are a bit too apparent, Salt makes challenging music that's hard to shake off. - Heather Phares Rackham Graduate School is pleased to announce EXTENDED STUDY HALL HOURS The University of Michigan School of Music Sunday, April 21 Campus Symphony Orchestra David Tang and Bundit Ungrangsee, conductors . J. Strauss: Die Fledermaus Overture . R. Strauss: Excerpts from Der Rosenkavalier . R. Strauss: Death and Transfiguration Hill Auditorium, 4 p.m. Monday, April 22 Composers Forum McIntosh Theatre, 8 p.im. University Philharmonia Orchestra Pier Calabria, conductor " Chang: Sunan Dances . Barber: Violin Concerto with soloist Megan Reiter ('95-'96 concerto winner) . Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 5 ("Reformation") Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m. T rtie.. lwi" A..ril 0102 1 i m