The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 2, 1996
JRECORDS
Continued from Page 8
The Scofflaws
Ska in Hi-Fi
Moon Records
The good o' Scofflaws have returned
once again with another dose of their
nfectious and delectable ska. "Ska in
Hi-Fi" throws 16 more skankable
rhythms from the goofy greats to quench
all your burning ska needs.
With songs like the instrumental "The
A music sensation
It's hard to find musicians who craft
~simpIe, heartfelt music. Perhaps this is
bocause it's not that simple to write a
'fi g that speaks to people's hearts
nd sounds good to their ears. Singer/
songwriter Ron Sexsmith knows that
it'd also no easy feat to get that kind
of music out to the public: He spent
years playing dives and working as a
courier to support his family and his
dream of performing for a larger
raudience. Sexsmith can quit his day
job now - his self-titled debut album
sounds so simple and natural that it's
clear that years of hard work went into
.t.His songs borrow some from folk,
some from country and some from
rock, but most of all from the human
condition. His voice, at times velvety
smooth and at others gravelly, handles
folky ballads like "From a Few Streets
Over," rockers like "First Chance I Get"
and dreamy, romantic tunes like
"Several Miles" with ease. Fans like
Mitchell Froom, Daniel Lanois (both of
whom produced songs on Sexsmith's
album) and Elvis Costello can't be
*vrong. He opens for legendary
songwriter John Hiatt tonight at the
Michigan Theater; tickets are $23.50
and $19.50 in advance, and showtime
s 8 p.m. Get there early to check out
this exciting new talent.
- Heather Phares
Whip Version," and thejuicy"TheyDrive
You Crazy," how could you go wrong? A
new version of Ellington's "Caravan,"
(guess what it's called ... give up?)
"Skaravan" is also pretty darn fun.
The cake goes to the little ditty "Wil-
liam Shatner," a peppy and quite funny
tribute to the actor's role as a starship
captain -not as the "Rescue 911"host.
The jazzy song is as musically interest-
ing with its sound effects and mesmer-
izing horns as its lyrics are gut-busting.
The rest of the album continues in the
same vein. With its wacky lyrics and
overall wild infested grooves it will get
your boots stomping.
- Brian A. Gnatt
Frank Black
The Cult offRay
American
You don't miss a good thing until it's
gone. Frank Black, former leader of the
seminal art-punk band the Pixies, has
graced the alternative scene with al-
most a decade of challenging, clever,
innovative music. You learn to expect
the unexpected from Frank Black -
perverted, demented sci-fi babble lyr-
ics, spiky guitars, schizophrenic tempo
and dynamic shifts.
That's why his third solo effort, "The
Cult of Ray," is perhaps his most un-
usual release. After ages of releasing
music that was light-years ahead of his
contemporaries, it's just plain weird
that this album is a middle-of-the-road
punk-pop sellout. Lyrically and musi-
cally, Black tones down the weird fac-
tor to sell mass quantities.
Songs like "I Don't Want to Hurt
You (Every Single Time)" find a man
whose entire career focuses on the un-
usual and fantastic struggling to write a
straightforward, tender love song and
ending up on the losing side. Equally
strange are Black's attempts to write
songs for a Green Day/Offspring mall-
punk crowd. "Mosh, Don't Pass the
Guy" is a frenetic, chugging instrumen-
tal that's calculated to whip up mosh-
hungry kids, and "Dance War" contin-
ues the slam-pit theme.
Not every track on "The Cult of Ray"
misses the mark, however. The album
gets off to a deceptively fine start with
the freaky garage ditty "The Marsist,"
the conspiracy-theory science-fiction
tale "Men In Black" and the simple,
stripped-down rock of "Punk Rock
City." "The Creature Crawling" is a
surprisingly downbeat but effective
ecology lesson, and "The Adventure
and the Resolution" and the album's
title track showthat Black's weird streak
is merely subdued, not obliterated, on
"The Cult of Ray."
It's unfortunate that Frank Black feels
that the only way to sell records is to
restrain himself artistically. Most frus-
trating about "The Cult of Ray" is the
fact that Black tries nothing new with
this album-a first, ironically. Black's
work with the Pixies and by himself
won fans because each work showed
creativity, humor and intelligence,
qualities that this album needs more of.
With its ugly cover art and mostly unin-
spired material, it's possible that "The
Cult of Ray" will cost Black more fans
than he'll win. The album's hardly a
death knell in Black's career -just a
major disappointment. Still, it's a black
day for Frank's cult.
- Heather Phares
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S
Get on over to St. Andrew's, Buck-O!
i
San Diego ska-heads Buck-O-Nine will bring their upbeat pop-punk melodies and
craziness to St. Andrew's Hall on Sunday, Feb. 4 with local ska favorites the
Suicide Machines and Mustard Plug. They'll be playing songs from their illustrious
and most delectable repertoire, including tracks from their new EP. With their
hard-edged ska and jumpy-punky ditties, Buck-0-Nine will be sure to get your
boots stomping and your butt skanking. And the Suicide Machines will have you
screaming for more. Don't miss all the rude boy action at St. Andrew's at 43. E.
Congress in beautiful and luxurious downtown Detroit. Tickets are $7 in advance,
and doors open at 7:30 p.m. (St. Andrew's Time). The show is all ages, so bring
Grandma!
C
*Grand 'Sensibility' is a romance to behold
By Kelly Xintaris
For the Daily
Jane Austen would have been proud.
As both the screenwriter and star of
"Sense and Sensibility," Emma Thomp-
son has brought Austen's endearing
late-1700s story of love and loss to
glorious life.
The epic revolves around the roman-
tic lives of two sisters, Elinor (Emma
Thompson) and Marianne (Kate
Winslet) Dashwood. After their half-
brother excludes them from a slice of
his inheritance - the very estate where
REVIEW
Sense and
Sensibility
Directed by Ang Lee
with Emma Thompson
and Kate Winslet
At Showcase
they had always lived-the Dashwood
women end up living in a small country
dwelling with modest financial re-
sources.
* Elinor and Marianne's downgrade
in economic standing naturally
equates to lower social ranking, and
in a society where money and mar-
riage are tightly bound, finding a hus-
band becomes a terribly delicate issue
for them. When both sisters fall in
love with men whose status demands
a bride with bucks, the intrigue of the
romantic tale escalates.
As the secrets of the men they love
slowly unfold, Marianne and Elinor
must reconcile their common sense and
their inner desires. Because the deco-
rum of British high society calls for
extreme reserve, Marianne and Elinor
must decide where to place a limit on
their emotional expression.
Marianne resolves the issue by act-
ing upon the impulses of her heart,
while Elinor tries to focus on her mis-
fortune from a purely rational perspec-
tive. As the two sisters go to opposite
extremes in the name of "sense and
sensibility," they finally achieve a bal-
ance that fulfills their need for love, not
money.
In its exploration of the schism be-
tween how an individual defines true
love and how the forces of society shape
it, the film is compelling and realistic.
Though the final twist in Marianne's
love life may seem rather contrived, the
overall conclusion is not too sugary to
overindulge the audience.
Despite the film's more than two-
hour running time, both the script and
the actors sway your attention little, if
at all. As an idealistic teen-ager im-
mersed in the passion of first love, the
20-year-old Winslet gives an absolutely
riveting portrayal. If her work in this
film is any indication, then Winslet is
definitely someone to watch in the fu-
ture.
In the role of the conscience-driven
Elinor, Thompson is marvelous, as
usual. She makes Elinor's emotional
reserve so believable that when she
finally lets go, her triumph over perva-
sive social mores is at once poignant
and relieving. By abandoning the con-
straints of the time, Elinor ultimately
wins big.
The exceptional casting of the suitor
roles also ups the film's acting quotient.
Greg Wise is finely suited forthe part of
Willoughby, the too-good-to-be-true
bachelor. Wise exudes the sort of slick
persona that would fit any era. In one
scene, Wise rolls by the Dashwood
home in a yellow-rimmed black car-
riage. In anothertime andplace, it could
have been a black Corvette with neon
plates.
Alan Rickmai is convincing as
Colonel Brandon, Marianne's persis-
tently hopeful admirer. As the loyal
Edward Ferrars, Hugh Grant is al-
most unnervingly charming (espe-
cially considering that the Divine
Brown bombshell hit soon after film-
ing ended). The supporting cast also
shines, as they hit each witty retort
right on the mark.
Like "A Room With a View," "Sense
and Sensibility" plays with what people
consider proper and improper, but on a
grander scale. With its insightful look
at love - free of cliche - the film
emerges as one of 1995's best.
Good old Oscar would be silly to
ignore "Sense and Sensibility," and you
would too.
I -
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H ear
RIDDLE ME THIS
on our Local
Music Listening
Station
UPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!
RIDDLE M
THIS will
perform LIVE
.; at Tower
TONIGHT at 8
PM. Their new
CD "JENNIFER
AGE 2" is on
sale for $8.99
Tkt
rTlift(T*5Ci
Three different videos
on sale
*9*?each
T-SHIRT 'N' BOOK
IN A BOX
Regular $24.95
on $99
SALE
Choose from...
DOORS, PINK FLOYD,
BEATLES, ROLLING STONES,
JIMI HENDRIX, ELVIS PRESLEY,
ERIC CLAPTON and LED ZEPPELIN
neanss
A new
classic'
The University of Michigan
School of Music
Monday, February 5
Piccolo Master Class
Lois Schaefer, former principal piccolo of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra
Recital Hall, 4:30
Composers Forum
Recital Hall, 8 p.m.
University Philharmonia Orchestra
Pier Calabria, conductor
-De Falla: Interlude and Spanish Dance from La Vida Breve
-Rimsky-Korsakov: Capriccio Espagnol
-Beethoven: Symphony No. 8
Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m.
Tuesday, February 6
University Symphony Orchestra
Kenneth Kiesler and David Tang, conductors
" Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra
* Weber: Bassoon Concerto with soloist Mark Timmerman,
1994-95 concerto competition winner
Hill Auditorium, 8 p.m.
Thursday-Sunday, February 8-11
University Dance Company
Carmina Burana
Tickets: $16, $12, $6 (students) 764-0450
Power Center, 8 p.m.(Thu.-Sat.); 2 p.m. (Sun.)
Sunday, February 11
Stearns Collection: Virgina Martin Howard Lecture Series
Wendy Rolfe: "The Western Flute Repertoire"
Lecture/demonstration assisted by Edward Parmentier,
harpsichord
Recital Hall, 2 p.m.
Campus Symphony and Campus Philharmonia Orchestras
Andrew Dittgen, Michael Hall, David Tang, Bundit Ungrangsee,
conductors
" Borodin: Symphony No. 2
" Bruch: Violin Concerto No. 1 in g minor with Edward Luk,
1995 Bossart Concerto Competition Winner
>d.
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