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 "Cool" -Yahoo- * "****" -Magellan * "Nifty" -LA Times Don't know how to brew beer in your dorm? You haven't been reading Student.Net www.student.net The We bsite for College Students intelligent daily articles - free anonymous personals - find friends' homepages - play pranks over the 'net FOR YOUR EYE EXAMS & EYEGLASSES Former c s may leave his, spendthrift parents home alone Giorgio Armani STUDENT DISCOUNTS fXjhardslwn's 320 S. State St. (located in the lower level of Decker Drugs) Hours: M, T, TH, F 9 am-6 pm Wed & Sat 9 am-1 pm 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 of the , s > , 9 , 'i ;, i oyeV~ etcpelqf ' n44 N " RECORDS real music, nAaAy ak- tjotj4Iyjvesda'g MVC'1.v~tq WORLD'S LARGEST University of Michigan CLOTHING STORE (14,000 sq. feet) PLUS! .,\y - scskedfor release dates subject to change without notice, sorry. 00 You, too* can write for the Daily[ Come to a mass meeting. Sept.8 19. at 7 Pm. in the Student Publications Building, 420 Maynard St. .7~ 4 I i smnbe{sed msic haom some top aWs-a#r, daes couto chang~e (mcord companies tend to do dat) ~j~ I M = ii:Ct i itk., Chr4is T-904k )ve JokAdwi e A . - gy. s .w . *tr ! - - aia - London 215 Paris 299 Rome S49 or