IDA - The Michigan Daily - Monday, September 9, 1996
RECORDS
Continued from Page 9A
alone, both in songs and on the knob on
your stereo.
The comp starts off with the utterly
grotesque "Shaking," and it's more or
less a best-of continuation from there.
The bass of "Part My Konk" circles
like a vulture around your head
whether it's the first time you've
heard it or the hundredth. "Bum in the
Alley" is a special blend of
chaos that will make you
want to go to a Cows
show and hear it
screamed out live by
frontman Shannon
Selberg. Ditto for
"Whitey in the
Woodpile" and
"Hitting the Wall."
Additionally, there are
a ton of brilliant slower
songs that grind out a keen
blend of musical filets. Too fast to
waltz, too slow to slam, you just have
to stand there with a slackened jaw.
Drool to "Big Mickey" or "3 Way
Lisa."
This is a really good compilation of
stuff. Oddly, there are five albums
and various tracks that aren't on this
puppy. These songs are from more of
a four-year period than a 10-year one
like the title says. They're so difficult
sometimes. Oh well, if you're inter-
ested in the Cows, this is probably the
M
best value for your money. Just
remember, their new stuff is even bet-
ter.
- kd Watts
Unwritten Law
Oz Factor
Epic
When you first listen to Unwritten
Law's new album, "Oz
Factor," it really isn't that
evident what a great
record it really is.
Once you get into it,
though, you realize
that this band is not
just another Green
Day wannabe ... they
actually have talent.
Unwritten Law com-
bines a lot of great pop
sensibilities with some
catchy-ass hooks and a hell of a lot of
energy and emotion. While "Oz Factor"
is not as raw and energetic as their 1994
debut, "Blue Room," Unwritten Law
has definitely made up for it this time
with better songwriting and more
melody.
"Oz Factor" actually includes two
songs from "Blue Room," "Suzanne"
and "Shallow," which have been re-
recorded and sound better than ever.
"Suzanne" is a great pop love song that
features Bad Religion's Brian Baker on
guitar. "Shallow" remains one of the
best tracks on the album, with lyrics
that warn of judgmental hypocrites:
"When I'm / I'm told what I'm sup-
posed to be /You think you know what's
best for me / Well, I wanna see you
standing next to me / Seems you got
nothing much to say."
A lot of the tracks on "Oz Factor"
deal with relationships, which seem to
have been a big problem for the band.
"Denied," with its acoustic guitar
thrown into the background, tries to put
the feelings of rejection on the back
burner, while the hyper "Rejected" and
"Tell Me Why" deal with being dumped
straight up.
Unwritten Law wears their influ-
ences proudly on their sleeves, as evi-
denced by the very Pennywise-esque
"Superman" and the Bad Religion-
like scorcher "Stop To Think." These
influences just make Unwritten Law a
better band, and have definitely given
"Oz Factor" a more varied, fresh feel.
While "Oz Factor" doesn't break any
new ground, it is still a great record
from an exciting, up-and-coming band.
If melodic pop-punk appeals to you,
Unwritten Law's a good bet to get your
adrenaline pumping.
- Colin Bartos
Polvo
Exploded Drawing
Touch and Go
Polvo's latest full-length record
takes listeners on a sonic journey that
TUPAC
Continued from Page SA
following surgery yesterday, said Pat
Morris, a nursing administrator at
University Medical Center.
A police communications supervisor
who would only identify herself as Mrs.
Coleman said Shakur "will survive."
Knight, 31, who was driving, suffered
a minor head wound, police said. His
Death Row Records produces the work
of Shakur and other rappers including
Snoop Doggy Dogg and Hammer.
In November 1994, Shakur was shot
five times by robbers in the lobby of a
New York City recording studio.
On Wednesday night at the MTV
Video Music Awards, he and about a
half-dozen of his friends got into a con-
frontation with about six other men at
Radio City Music Hall.
Shakur was on probation for various
offenses including assault and battery,
carrying a loaded gun, and a 1994 sex
abuse conviction in New York. He
spent eight months in prison for the sex
abuse conviction until winning his
release pending appeal.
Polvo plays "dreampop."
encompasses nearly every kind of
sound that a guitar has been known to
make, and a few that might be unheard
of until now.
The great majority of this hour-
plus-long album is as listenable as it
is inventive, particularly on the alter-
nately shimmery and explosive
"Bridesmaid Blues" and the angular
"Feather of Forgiveness." "Light of
the Moon" sounds like a twisted
cowboy ballad, and "Missing
Receipts" is an eerie, echoing instru-
mental that exemplifies Polvo's
experimental guitar play. They don't
forget to include the punk, as "High-
Wire Moves" and "Taste of Your
Mind" testify, but blues, Eastern
music, folk, country and ambient
music also find their way into t
mix, giving each song a twistin,
unpredictable quality.
Though it's a long album, it's an
interesting one, particularly for those
interested in arty guitar punk fused with
strong songs.
Heather Ph res
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Former c s may leave his,
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NEW YORK (AP) - Macaulay
Culkin's parents must end their lavish
lifestyle or risk going broke during
their fierce child custody battle, a
judge said.
Saying they "can no longer support
the family's former standard of living,"
Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice
David Saxe on Friday told Culkin's
estranged parents to cut their monthly
expenses in half.
The couple told the court they spend
about $30,000 per month on themselves
and their children.
"Home Alone" child star Macaulay.
Culkin, who has said he is willing to dip
into his fortune to save his parents from
financial ruin, is worth an estimated
$17 million. His money remains off-
limits to his parents.
The sole source of income for his
parents, who never married, is the 15
percent commission they take for man-
aging his acting career and acting work
by Culkin siblings, which earned them
nothing so far in 1996.
The 16-year-old actor has said he
will not resume his Hollywood career
until his parents' legal battles conclude.
IC
BRN E OATAEA
BRAND NEW LOCATION
Macaulay Culkin may need to support his parents' $30,000 per month lifestyle. *
Grand
Opening
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PLUS!
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