ECORDS tintfd from Page a Chyna In The Night FLX Records ZERO STARS "These guys just can't be for real," I say. aloud to myself. I'm blasting the Wet release by Chyna, a group that ears to be completely oblivious to the fact that their music bears a striking resemblance to Winger. I smile and crank the volume some more. I bask in the glory of tunes that could have been Poison outtakes, pretending my hair is long and flying behind me likethat guy inthe chair in those Maxell commercials, when I hear my room- mate wail out in protest, "Holy glam- rock, Batman!" Ilowly, my neighbors begin to no- tee the presence of something decid- edly non-alternative in their midst. "These guys make Collective Soul sound like Beethoven," one exclaims, taking the pressure off me to come up with witty remarks about how much Chyna sucks. Soon, my entire hall, having formed an angry mob, begins hurling stolen milk crates in my general direction, and *nands that something slightly less offensive, like that "Peaches" song, be put on instead. As the residence hall staff attempts to quell the burgeoning anti-Chyna movement, I can't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, for everyone else-had to listen and suffer along with me. Sadly, no press release was included with "In The Night," but perhaps a to would have explained how Chyna re unearthed from a mid-'80s time capsule by some resourceful archae- ologist/record exec, who found a bunch of leather-clad high school dropouts and decided to release their album in order to make the rest of the FLX lineup sound stunning in com- parison. I, for one, can't come up with any other explandtion, and neither can the residents of my hall, who are fl reeling in the schlock-aftershock. "In The Night" deserves its own per- soral Ann Arbor noise pollution stat- ufe. Other than that, it's not notable at all. -Dave Snyder The Refreshments Fuzzy, Fuzzy, Big & Buzzy Mercury Records The Refreshments are proof-positive that sometimes appearances can be de- ceiving. First off, the decidedly tacky coverpainting ofaWorld Warllbomber with the album title on the side would mak you believe that The Refresh- ments are a fat-riffed pop-metal band. But waitturn the case over. The guys in the band are sitting on the side of the ad, dressed up in cowboy clothes, thumbing for rides with their instru- ment ptiled around them. Take a look at the song titles - "BlueCollarSuicide,""Banditos"and "Suckerpunch." The second song is called "European Swallow," which you recognize as a reference from "Monty Python & The Holy Grail." OK, you think, these guys must be funny country rockers, a la Dash Rip ok and Southern Culture On the ida. By the time you open up the CD to see several photos of the guys in huge sombreros, you don't know what to think. The closest guess would be the sec- ond one, pegging The Refreshments as funny country rock. Unfortunately, they're too county to be called rock and too rock to be called country, a comination which ends up sounding ighteningly similar to Hootie and ,is World Famous Blowfish. Which is too bad, because the lyrics really are pretty funny, for the most part. ; Ghost town on a Tuesday night/ That's okay, I'm feeling all right/It's easier to grab a beer/Without a thou- sandpeoplehere,"they sing in "Don't Wanna Know." And that's one of the more serious songs. The trouble is, without interesting music to back it up, the lyrics have a *ndency to fall flat, blending in with the sfeady, boring drone of the guitars. The one song that works all the way SUN Continued from Page 5 bbvious concern and compassion for her pupils. Yet,thereal strength ofthe film comes *om the surprisingly three-dimensional writing. Aside from the aforementioned intelligent characterizations, the sub- plots, although a bit numerous, are not entirely shallow. For example, despite having a common goal, the Lolos squabble and bicker in fits of jealousy 'and rage. The heat of the Australian countryside serves as the perfect back- d-op for this tension. The success of"Race the Sun" is due the fine presentation of the odds Wainst the eight high school students. Making the odds seem even greater are the extremely human aspects of their characters. These adolescents are nor- tial people who embark on an extraor- dinary task. If they can do it, so can anyone. Of course, this is the central message, and the movie certainly con- veys it'- in a typical, feel-good way. Granted, it may be unoriginal; but inthe nd, who really cares as long as it's njoyable? The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 27, 1996 - 9 .. .. , .,, ......, ..............,..J .. _,. .. .._. through is "Girly," moving tune in wh structs his girlfriend black and blue and thread/Then we can1 it all over again." So that The Refreshmer the potential to rece Unfortunately, "Fiz Buzzy" just isn't it time, guys. Head Poppi Through Head Popping T Binono Records There's really n expect when you f Popping Through's a rousing, quick- Most people get a kick out of their ich the singer in- name, which is what intrigued this : "Beat me 'til I'm reviewer to take a closer look. The I'm hanging by a cover art is a bunch of scribbles and get back up and do crude cartoons of babies in a bright ngs like this show blue background, but what lies inside nts definitely have is less messy, more mature and even Ord a great album. brighter. zy, Fuzzy, Big & Head Popping Through is a four- Better luck next piece west coast band led by singer/ songwriter Nic Peroni. Peroni wrote -Jeffrey Dinsmore and produced the entire album him- self, which is impressive to start, es- pecially for a newcomer. The songs ng on "Head Popping Through" are var- ied, yet heldtogetherby Peroni's abil- ity to paint a picture for the listener through using music, his lyrics and his own voice. The disc starts with a song called "Lonely In Your Arms," which is very o telling what to Beatles-esque, with its acoustic-laden irst pick up Head guitars and Lennon-likevocals. Peroni self-titled debut. uses a wide vocal range on the album, making him sound at times like Bono of U2 (on "I Do") or Sting (check out "Said Sail To The Sun"). A lot of the music resembles some of the things Sting has done, also. The disc is a mixture of rock and country-tinged pop. "Edsel" is one of the many stand- outs. It is a very catchy country-pop song which drives from beginning to end. "She's Lost My Mind" is probably the most ambiguous song on the disc, with a story of love told through the guise of cities, states, countries and names. Many of the songs are like "She's Lost My Mind," in that they tell a story which Peroni abstractly lays out for us. Songs like "The Wedding Cake" and "Tropic of Cancer" give the disc a dif- ferent feel, with a little experimenta- tion. The lyrics really shine throughout the disc, although the music is not too shabby, either. Overall, the lush melodies, variety of songs and brilliant lyricism on "Head Popping Through" make this disc a really good find. And hope- fully, with some notice, Nic Peroni and Co. might pop through to bigger and better things. Head Popping Through will be performing tonight at the Magic Stick upstairs of the Majestic Theatre, lo- cated at 4140 Woodward in Detroit. Doors open at 9 p.m. Call (313) 833- 9700 for more info. - Colin Barlos POP oUIZ 1. How many times have you missed this semester? a) None. b) Fewer than five times. c) 1 800 CALL ATT. d) Where's Dylan? 2. Someone calls you collect, using 1 800 CALL ATT. What happens? a) You accept because you and the person calling are automatically entered to win an internship on Beverly Hills, 90210* b) You accept because it always costs less than 1 800 COLLECT.: c) You accept because he/she might be Dylan. d) All the above. 3. What's the best thing to do while watching Beverly Hills, 90210*? a) Study. b) Listen to David's rap song. c) Hope for a guest appearance by Dylan. d) Call a friend collect using 1 800 CALL ATT (you might win the Beverly Hills, 90210® internship and listen to David's rap song in person). 4. You have to call your parents for money. Select the most appropriate scenario: a) You use 1 800 CALL ATT because you know you'll get more money out of them. b) You use 1 800 CALL ATT because that way you'll get another chance to win the Beverly Hills, 90210® internship. c) You're doing it to get a bigger TV set. d) All the above. pepnjoxe SUOIIOWOJd '8119,0 sls olul £ojl 'POAjosSO $44511IJ fl'Pusi~j el 61ei@ ol e ipon 0,'uldnoJ0 luawleolua Bulllods 1o laslpsqnh 'sIEoIIonpoid pusil je 1wep,13 psJ033310J s ol Oe " ~lli eet'96&at HAY spuns soq.3sde.mS 'JS3UO 013 JO8t 5eq IOnw 'pgOM to 061l*f1ue s3@Usuoweqe pusse sopu g. o oons300slooes 4Ae wi lea suV ,iVO o9t luin poosld 1n * 00100paldeo033 s0 AlamO pollgq o41 eq 'blue @± -pe;,qiqo~s8 eieqm PIOA 'Aneuoeu essqOnd n8 OtZ 5111K JIas e10es e041uo djqswu u s Um 01 paaOO N aue i ugsa enoA ussied ®y; PUs not puse 0& N'dv pus mou ute~tjeq 11V 1111008 t8ulsnf11901000 009d :M3MSNV E - -0 -LL®T AT&T YourTrue Choice ©1996 AT&T *1 800 COLLECT is a registered trademark of MCI.