22A The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, September 3, 1996 HAS ' mom E ON... 1 G 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