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September 03, 1996 - Image 22

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Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1996-09-03

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22A The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 3, 1996

HAS '

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RECORDS
Continued from Page 21A
serves as a good substitute for people
who may have missed the correspond-
ing world tour. Especially because both
the live show and live albums have
almost identical set lists.
"Well, we're not that fucking bad
after all, are we?" asks Rotten on the
record, trying to counter the band's
image of being terrible before they
break into a thrashing rendition of
"God Save the Queen."
The answer is no, they really aren't
all that bad - quite good, actually.
- Brian A. Gnatt
Scheer
Infliction
4 AD/Reprise
Who would have thought that metal
would ever infiltrate 4AD, the record
label best known for groups that whis-
per and sigh rather than scream and
yell? While the label has hosted a num-
ber of groups with a punky sound
(Pixies, Breeders, Throwing Muses),
pedal-to-the-metal hard rock was
nowhere to be found. This has changed
with the release of Scheer's
"Infliction."
Instead of squealing, histrionic male
vocals or barking bass male vocals,
Scheer's clanging guitars and pounding
drums are pitted against a very delicate,
very female voice. Though that combi-
nation looks interesting, and the
group's singer has a nice enough voice,
ethereal metal just doesn't work.
"Wish You Were Dead" has a malev-
olent groove to it that sets it above the
other rockers on "Infliction," but dis-
turbing ballads like "In Your Hand,"
"Babysize" and "Goodbye" suggest the
band should unplug the amps more
often. Though the band is courageous
enough to mix two genres that wouldn't
naturally go together, it's unsurprising
that the two mix about as well as oil
and water.
- Heather Phares
White Zombie
Supersexy Swingin' Sounds
Geffen
That's odd. This album of remixes
from White Zombie's last album is bet-
ter than the album it's remixed from.
Generally, remix albums are at best
equally good variations on the original,
and often tend to end up not as good.

Scheer plays "dreampop."

NEED AT THE

4 _

I

But "Astrocreep" was a pretty boring
album with some great singles, while
"Supersexy" is an engaging album with
no really strong singles. It's not going to
work on radio that well (or at least it
shouldn't), but it sounds great on
the stereo.
First of all, you've got
a bunch of top ace pro-
ducers on the project,
like the , Dust
Brothers and the
Damage Twins. And
you've got a new
cover, namely "I'm
Your Boogie Man." Then
you have a plenitude of pul-
chritudinous female flesh gracing
the inserts the way it used to on Ray
Conniff albums. A good unit, altogeth-
er.
All your favorites are here and trans-
mutated into sort of dance tracks. The
trend in the songs seems to be to make
them accessible to that Urban Outfitter

techno crowd. Well, that is for the most
part what a remix album is going to be.
And that's OK.
The heavy singles have been weak-
ened somewhat. "Electric Head Pt. 2
(Sexational After Dark Mix)"
just doesn't have the musi-
cal punch it did original-
ly, and "More Human
Than Human (Meet
Bambi In the King's
Harem Mix)" lacks
the vibe it had origi-
nally.
Well, if nothing else,
this album proves that
sameish dance music with a
relatively creative and popular
undercurrent works better for long peri-
ods (say, an album) than sameish metal
with a creative and popular undercur-
rent does. It's more or less a new White
Zombie album, and it gives something
for those beat head kids to latch onto.
Yeah, that'll work.
- Ted Watts
Earth

D & NEW TEXTBOOKS,
SCHOOL & DORM SUPPLIES,

ELECTRONICS, SOFTN

HEALTH,
foOD9 Mll

:BEAUTYITEMS,
R-IGAN CLOTIUNG

Pentastar:
Demons
Sub Pop

In the Style of

The lyrics are virtually undecipherabl*
but the vocalization is integral to the
song.
"Crooked Axis for String Quartet" is
more in the line of the recent tradition
of electronic instrumentals, featuring
both a sustained hum in the background
and synthesized strings arranged in
such a way as to present a longer, more
oceanic experience. This is dispelled by
the next track, "Tallahassee," which hp
some heavy guitar and moves quickl
enough to wake the trancified people
up.
And the style smorgasboard plays on
with the pseudo-egyptian "Charioteer;"
quickly followed by the Hendrix cover
"Peace in Mississippi." The mood
changes again with the gentle piano of
"Sonar and Depth Charge," doing virtu
ally the polar opposite of a Hendrix
tune., And the final track is a variatio"
on the intoructory track of the albun
tying it all together.
Like rock and new age mixed togeth-
er in some celestial musical salad bowl,
"Pentastar" is an intelligent and fairly
relaxing work. What an alternative to
radio!
- Ted Watts
16 Horsepower
216 Horsepower EP
A&M
The music is twisty and strange
Singer~ David Eugene Edwards' tor-
tured whelp is half "cowboy," half "bal-
ladeer" and completely, entirely, alto-
gether unreal. 16 Horsepower sound
like a bunch of phantom cowpokes
from the dark side of the ranch.
"Haw" starts the album off at a fra"
tic pace, as Edwards hoots and hollel
about the devil and the rest of the band
rides along with their trademark spacey
instrumentals. 16 Horsepower shifts
moods and tempos throughout the
album, including the carnival-like bal-
lad "Straight Mouth Stomp" ("Apples
in the summertime / Peaches in the fall'
/ I can't keep the girl I got /1 can't keep
nothing at all") and a knee slapping \
banjo number called "I Gotta Gal."
This ain't yer everyday, tear-in-your,-
beer country album. 16 Horsepower
have left the sappy stuff behind and
taken up the true reins of the great wild
west. And high or low, fast or slow, it's
a pleasure to hear them ride.
- Kari Jones

0

Earth has been an instrumental group
largely, producing some of the most
entrancing guitar led music around
now. And they've worked with the right
people (Kurt Cobain and former
Melvins' bassist Joe Preston) to appeal
to the sort of people that need to see
someone's resume before giving them a
second thought. "Pentastar" is their
fourth major Sub Pop release, and it's
high time people start listening to them.
The opening track ("Introduction") is
a dark piece based on a simple repeated
musical phrase. It feels like the type of
thing bands will be using to herald their
stage entrances. It's a very relaxing
song without inducing drowsiness or
boredom: It's like some kind of big,
fuzzy sonic blanket.
There are vocals in spite of the gen-
eral instrumental approach of the band,
but they fade into the background and
almost work as simply another musical
device in the songs. The fairly flat
delivery blends with the instruments,
and contributes to a general sound
rather than really pushing any lyrical
ideas to the front of the songs. "High
Command" is a perfect example of this.

Buy White Zombie records and help feed the homeless.

'Emma' breaks summer movie doldrums

By Bryan Lark
Daily Arts Writer
Every so often, a film comes along
that showcases a recognizable young
talent in a role so perfect and unforget-
table that it marks the beginning of an
actor's career as a superstar.
Actors such as Julia Roberts, Brad
Pitt, Sandra Bullock and Matthew
McConaughey have all experienced this
star-making phenomenon in recent
years. The latest inductee to the cinemat-
ic stratosphere is Gwyneth Paltrow with
her stunning
breakthrough per-
formance in the 2 R

stellar interpretations of many of
Austen's best, including "Sense and
Sensibility," "Persuasion" and "Pride
and Prejudice."
However, "Emma" has a secret
weapon in the unofficial battle of seem-
ingly endless Austen classics -
Paltrow. The actress' portrayal of the
meddlesome Emma Woodhouse is at
least Oscar worthy, and at most, the
greatest performance of her life.
Paltrow is everything we imagine a
proper English matchmaker in previous

youth of Highbury, breaking hearts and
hurting egos, all while denying that she
is prone to pry into the lives of others.
The most frequent target of her so-
called skills is her gracious, dim-witted
best friend Harriet (Toni Collette),
whom Emma matches with nearly
every man in Highbury. Each instance,
however, ends in sorrow.
Even though her society is crumbling
around her and her good deeds are
backfiring, Emma refuses to listen to
her dashing brother-in-law Mr.
Knightly (Jeremy Northam), who is the
only voice of reason in her life.
To derail her mission of marrying

and "The Pallbearer" or in minute roles
in blockbuster films like "Seven,"
Paltrow deserves the acclaim she will
undoubtedly receive for her bright, joc-
ular yet ultimately human Emma.
Although Paltrow is the supreme
asset to "Emma," her supporting cast is
equally as engaging and sublime.
Jeremy Northam's Knightly is as fo
cinating as he is handsome. Alai
Cumming and Juliet Stevenson are per-
fection incarnate as the delightfully
haughty Mr. and Mrs. Elton. The always
amazing Ewan McGregor
("Trainspotting") deftly conveys the
weaselly charm of Frank Churchill.

I ground floor of the Michigan Union
open 7 days a week

EVIEW

centuries would
be. She becomes
Emma - radiant,

i

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