The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, March 25, 1997- 9
(eznor produces a winner with 'Lost Highway
Various Artists
Lost Highway
Nothing/interscope
With the soundtrack for "Lost
Aighway," Trent Reznor has proven that
has an ear for good music as well as
an ability to mold it into an album that
captures the haunting weirdness of a
David Lynch film. "Lost Highway" is
not the first film soundtrack Reznor has
produced; his previous work can be
heard on the soundtrack for "Natural
Born Killers," another album where he
effectively blends old and new into a
unique sonic melange.
The soundtrack itself comes full cir-
t, beginning and ending with David
Bowie's "I'm Deranged" from
"Outside" Bowie's last, very experi-
mental, recording. The rather danceable
song has a strong drum and bass beat
that sets the tone for the rest of the
soundtrack, featuring several of today's
popular artists experimenting with a
more techno-oriented, synthesized
sound. Most notably, the CD features
new songs from both Nine Inch Nails
d Smashing Pumpkins. "The Perfect
Drug," Nine Inch Nails' contribution, is
a powerful, angry, drum-laden song that
should only make NIN fans more anx-
ious for a new album. And, for those
who still haven't heard, this soundtrack
is 'not it. Though it does feature two solo
Trent Reznor tracks, "Videodrones:
Questions" (which sounds a little like a
strong wind) and "Driver Down," "The
Perfect Drug" is the only NIN song to
A found. But, with lines like "My drug
ants to say hello to you / My fears
want to get inside of you," it is clear that
Reznor is still up to his "my moral
standing is lying down" lyrical great-
ness.
"Eye," with its ,synthesized drum
loop, is some of the best Smashing.
Pumpkins material to date. A magnifi-
cently haunting song, "Eye" manages to
be eerily beautiful partially because
ally Corgan's whine blends into the
elody like never before. Another fre-
quent contributor to Lynch's work is
Angelo Badalamenti, creator of 'the
Twin Peaks theme, "Fire Walk With
Me." On "Lost Highway," listeners get
to experience a wide range of
Badalamenti works, ranging from the
jazzy "Red Bats with Teeth," which
builds to an almost cacophonous fren-
zy, to the reggae and dub-inspired beats
,f"Dub Driving." For those looking for
;tore instrumental unearthlyness in the
vein of "Fire Walk With Me," there is
"Fred's World" and the odd jazz
combo/orchestral "Fats Revisited."
Other standouts on "Lost Highway"
include Barry Adamson's "Mr. Eddy's
Theme 1" (and 2), sexy Pink Panther-
ish tunes, Lou Reed's remake of "This
Magic Moment," a disarming combina-
tion of electric guitars and country jan-
gle, and Antonio Carlos Jobim's simple
cha-cha "Insensatez." Marilyn Manson
makes two contributions as well, the
dark and creepy "Apple of Sodom" and
Jay Hawkins' 1956 ditty "I Put
A Spell On You" in which
Manson's screaming of
"I love you" has an inex-
plicably humorous
effect.
Unlike the soundtrack4
for "Natural Born
Killers," there is little
dialogue contained
within the 23 songs
from the film. But,
within the bookends
of David Bowie, Trent
Reznor has managed
once again to include
an astonishingly
diverse yet contempo-
rary blend of artists.
Each song seems to be a
little piece of a puzzle, g
each with its own
haunting and mysteri-
ous qualities, fitted
together by the sheer
bizarreness of their
producer.
- Lise Harwin
Gene
Drawn to the Deep End
Polydor/A&M
With far more diverse and open song
writing housed in a less rigid frame-
work than the band's debut LP
"Olympian," "Drawn To The Deep
End" showcases a Gene with more
power, more punch and even more pas-
sion than before.
The proof is everywhere you listen:
Singer and classy coxcomb Martin
Rossiter's seductive voice spans differ-
ent depths, from a tiger-growl to a
heart-piercing croon, guitarist Steven
Mason has sharpened his riffs and
hooks to fit just so with his soulful solo-
ing, and bassist Kevin Miles' and drum-
mer Matt James' musical craftsmanship
has been brilliantly buffed and pol-
ished.
The first notes of opener "New
Amusements" grow slowly underneath
Rossiter's distortion-drenched murmur-
ings. His breathy taunts finally explode
into an inspiring plea as his bandmates
launch into a full-throttle spasm, only to
shift again into different movements of
whining guitar and crisp drumming.
More refined greatness is flexed on
the muscles of the first single "Fighting
Fit' in which Rossiter belts out the
zesty chorus like a champion prize
fighter, and on the beautiful "Where
Are They Now," where the soothing
piano and guitar melody has just
enough of a hard edge to maxi-
mize the song's intensity. On the
latter, Martin's lyrics pour from
an open wound: "You see I
cannot stand alone / I'm
incapable of breathing
I Incapable of love."
Rossiter is far more
flamboyant and can-
did with how and what
he delivers on
"Drawn" than on
"Olympian." With love
and loss at the forefront
of most of the songs, his
words hit the listener
with an instantly pene-
* q trating zeal as his mes-
sages are not
enshrouded in
excess mystery or
confusion. Yet his
emotion is in no
way feigned or man-
ufactured. Instead, his
cocksure flourishes bleed
raw honesty and drip with del-
icacy.
Current single "We Could Be Kings"
combines all the best elements of
"Drawn" and clearly stands out as one
of the album's strongest hits. Studio
polish has greatly improved this song,
which has been played live since Gene's
1995 U.S. tour dates. Rossiter soars as
he sings of yearning for triumph: "Will
you hold me like a child? / Will you
catch me when I fall?/ Can you hear me
when I call? / Can you love me?"
Gene does not give off the arrogance
that some British bands are becoming
famous for, nor do they cater their song
writing to the paint-by-number 'Bnt-
pop-formula' for a hit single. Whether it
is because frontman Rossiter can actu-
ally string a sentence together, or
because Gene's sound has an intellectu-
al dimension comparable to The
Smiths, some listeners may look at
Gene and wonder if they are for real.
But after experiencing "Drawn," any-
one blessed with the use of their hearing
will be sure to find Gene much miore
than simply a Smiths reincarnation and
Rossiter himself far more than merely a
re-vamped-Morrissey-for-the-'90's.
Gene's propensity for grandeur and
imperious talent give the listener a very
rare and precious chance; the opportu-
nity to harness strength from a work of
art. If you are not too scared to get in
the water, do yourself a favor and let
Gene draw you to the deep end.
- Brian Cohen
Itzhak Perlman
Live in the Fiddler's House
Angel Records
***I
Without a doubt, Itzhak Perlman is
one of the world's greatest musicians,
charming old and young alike with the
skill of his violin playing. In "Live at
the Fiddler's House," Perlman joins
forces with Brave Old World, Andy
Statman, the Klezmatics and the
Klezmer Conservatory Band in a live
performance from Radio City Music
Hall in New York, bringing to life the
vibrant sounds of Yiddish folk and the-
ater music.
The CD starts off on a bright and
lively note, with four pieces featuring
Brave Old World, a four-member group
that combines classical music and jazz
with the indigenous sounds of the East
European Jewish tradition. The
Kelzmatics come next with five tracks,
and their musical style differs from the
former in that it looks very much to the
future rather than the past. The
Kelzmatics also play with Andy
Statman, who is featured in the next
four songs. Then comes the Klezmer
Conservatory Band, who play in the tra-
dition of the great klezmer bands of the
'20s and '30s, and finally, the Finale,
which features everyone. Good old
Itzhak plays in all of the pieces,
impressing the crowd as always.
A nifty feature of this CD is that the
lyrics to all of the songs are printed on
the inside of the jacket, so that one can
sing along to all these festive pieces.
Furthermore there are songs for just
about every occasion, whether it be a
wedding dance, the birth of a healthy
girl or even just mother going to the
market. The lyrics come complete with
an English translation, so those who
don't understand Yiddish can still get
something out of it.
Admittedly, this is an unusual selec-
tion for one to make at the record store.
But for those who dare to be unusual,
there is a nice surprise in store for you.
The music is distinctively Yiddish,
something different, something pretty
good.
-Anitha Chalam
Marilyn Manson Is one strange cookie.
Make $7,411
This Summer:
This is a clone. It does the same
summer job as everyone else. It will
never know the adventure of a roadtrip
with friends across the country to work
harder than it has ever worked and
make more money than it has ever made
before. It will endure another summer
of boredom and repetition. It is stuck.
Get Unstuck.
Informational interviews being held Monday, March 24, Tuesday, March 25, and
Wednesday, March 26 at 3 pm and 5 pm in Room 2 of the Michigan League.,
Be prompt. Bring a pen and paper. If unable to attend, call Dirk at 973-9985
Interviews will run 60-80 minutes.
BILISaEatetS SINapE
BUILDING LEADERS SINCE 1868
Sene might be a pretty cool band with a great new CD, but Marilyn Manson (the person, not the band) could kick all o their butts singlenandedly.
'Football Pro' CD-ROM doesn't live up to name
Front Page Sports:
Football Pro
Sierra
Sierra's "Front Page Sports: Football
Pro" is a football simulation for
Windows 95 that proudly features all of
the NFL teams and rosters, including
Barry Sanders of the Detroit Lions,
who appears on the cover of the box and
the game's title screen. The game offers
players the option of taking on either
the computer or another human oppo-
nent.
The game's graphics are fairly good.
efore the snap, the players are shown
in their formations with about 40 yards
of the whole field visible on the screen.
Because so much of the field is shown,
the players appear very small, but they
are very detailed and look realistic.
Came and play clocks are also on the
game screen.
The graphics also simulate a football
arena well. Included are NFL team
gos appearing at the center of the
ield, in the endzones, goal posts and on
energetic fans. The stereo sound effects
include realistic crowd noise and quar-
terbacks cadences.
After the ball is snapped, a simulated
television camera whose image is dis-
nlave nn the manitnr f'nr1nmc the hall
Short, medium and long passing
plays are also available, but the play
selection screen is not organized well.
Unlike other football games, "Football
Pro" does not allow players to narrow
down the number of plays by selecting
a formation. Instead, the player must
blindly scroll through all of the plays
until he finds the desired formation.
The play selection screen also displays
a full-featured scoreboard.
The user has the option of controlling
the action or just calling the plays and
allowing the computer to execute them.
Unfortunately, controlling offensive
players is extremely difficult and frus-
trating. The game does not give the
quarterback enough time in the pocket,
so unless the player passes the ball
immediately, he is sacked for a hefty
loss of yardage.
The player must also be extremely
accurate at selecting the proper time to
hand off the ball on a running play to
avoid a loss.
Controlling defensive players is not
quite as difficult, but it is definitely not
easy. The game allows the player con-
trolling the defense to select any posi-
tion to control, both before and during
the play.
"Football Pro" simulates the
National Football League well in * * *
terms of statistics and plays available
for selection. The graphics and sound
are also admirable. Yet, the disap-
pointing and extremely difficult
action control prevents "Front Page h
Sports: Football Pro" from being any-
thing better than an average football
simulation.
- Mark St. John
NEED A
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