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 r-----==-- U U J1 B L...." _.+t 1 ORAN ! EINTERNSHI? ARE YOU SEEKING ADVICE ON A CAREER CHOICE? Better Ingredients. Better Pizza .fi t. A 1 1 ! .