8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday October 9, 2001 4 Bleed the Sky, Reveille; Elektra Records By Matthew Siegler For the Daily As popular music seems to be shifting from teen pop to trash rock, the band Reveille seems to have chosen the right time to release a CD. Bleed the Sky is the band's fol- low up to their 1999 debut Laced. While this CD is clearly more pol- ished and a bit more musically diverse then the debut, Bleed the Sky is hardly a good album. The best way to describe Reveille is a harder version of Limp Bizkit mixed with a little Deftenes (though nowhere near their league), or as they like the label their style of music, rapcore. While musically not the worst band on the planet, Reveille leaves a lot to be desired lyrically. Songs of pain, death, bleeding and the like earn the coveted parental advisory sticker on the front of the album, but really just seem childish in the way the lyrics are written. Songs like "What You Got" and "Inside Out" are standout tracks but sound exact- ly like any Limp Bizkit song out there. This is not helped by the fact that lead singer Drew Simollardes sounds very similar to Fred Durst himself. In fact his voice and style of singing are almost identical to that of Durst's if he just screamed a little more. The album artwork has to be noted for its "creativity." A picture of an orange in the sky being ripped open by surgical tools only to reveal blood is a little too similar to the movie poster for "Blood and Donuts." Simply put, it's so tacky that it is somewhat humorous, much like the lyrics for the 13 tracks on the album (and especially the hidden track long after track 13). The band is most known for play- ing Woodstock 99 and touring with the likes of Static-X, Godsmack, Machinehead and Powerman 5000 before hitting Ozzfest this past sum- mer. If all goes as planned, next for them will be heavy airplay on MTV, a full U.S. tour and maybe even a stop on Total Request Live ... let's hope not. Grade: C- I I _ 4 The Fallout, Default; TVT Records By Stacy Anderson For the Daily The Coast is Never Clear, Beu- lah; Velocette Records By Justin Mann For the Daily Straight out of Berkeley! Pop .rockers Beulah are coming out with their third album, attempting to out do their 1999 release When Your Heartstrings Break. Maybe you have never heard of them: But hey, neither had 1. After listening to The Coast is Never Clear, Beulah may gain a host of new fans. With a mix of flutes, trumpets, horns, violins, the occasional guitar and various other instruments this band can put together some fantastic melodies that complement the soft. soothing voice of lead singer Miles Kurosky. For those people that enjoy flutes, trumpets, horns and the like, but can't deal with the fast pace of most Ska bands this group is perfect for you. The songs are slow paced, but the lyrics of each are well thought out, creative and flow wonderfully with the background music. The 12-track disc has one great song after another, though I am not so sure about the second track, "A Good Man is Easy to Kill," in which Beulah makes an effort to create a song about a car crash into a peace- ful, entertaining tune. I can't seem to put my finger on why, but for some reason that song really troubled me. The Coast is Never Clear is not the type of album that is meant to get you dancing around and mosh- ing, but if you are just hoping to relax after studying for midterms then this collection of harmonies is ideal. Grade: B Beautifulgarbage, Garbage; I nterscope By Japiya Burns Daily Arts Writer Shirley Manson has always front- ed rock/electro/hipa-hop group Garbage as a perennial hooker with her heart on hold. Alternating between harshness and deep vulnerability, their music developed over two albums, mani- festing in 1998's Version 2.0 as melodic, techno-tinged rock for the broken-hearted and downtrodden. On their latest effort, Beautiful- garbage, the edges are either hard- er, as on their guitar-bash of an opener, "Shut Your Mouth," or soft- er. These softer sides sometimes Did I miss something'? Was there a Creed cloning sometime in the last year that happened to pass me by? I'm not sure how Canadian "rockers" Default got away with sounding exactly like Creed, but when first listening to Creed front- man Scott Stapp followed by the vocals of Default's Dallas Smith 4 Remixed, Sarah Mclachlan; Magada By Japiya Burns Daily Arts Writer A remix album of Sarah McLach- lan's hits would seem to be the perfect antidote to her output of syrupy live tracks over three Lilith Fair compila- tions which culminated in her narcis- sistic 14-track live album, Mirrorball. Indeed, there are some pleasurable moments - BT's transcending mix of the otherwise-stale ballad "I Love You," as wellas her club-hit collabo- ration with Delerium, "Silence." Even Madonna producer William Orbit lends a remix of "Black." But while Madonna made the tran- sition to full-out techno artist believ- ably, McLachlan's mixes often lack the character and warmth of her origi- nal compositions. While moments such as "Sweet Surrender (DJ Tiesto Mix)" provide brilliant transforma- tion, it's all too often exactly you'd fear most of a remix album: Beats overcoming vocals, washing away human qualities, monotonous and heartless. Grade: C seems almost flat compared to their live shows. One element that is sorely missed on Lovesick is the charming soliloquies and spontaneous outpour- ings of thbught from singer/drummer Fred before each number, or as someone else put it, "taking four minutes to intro- duce a two-minute song." That said, the album has many high- lights, including "Drumtaut," an eerie piece featuring spoken, lamenting female vocals over a background of dreamy shards of chords. Lovesick's recording doesn't quite do their true musical talents justice, but it does serve as a nice reminder to do yourself a favor and get your ass out to one of their shows before they break up. Lovesick's last show is Friday at the Halfway Inn in Ann Arbor. Grade: B+ (stage name much?), d6ja vu is the only appropriate feeling that ensues. The Fallout, Default's debut album, is pretty much a mistake from the beginning. The CD opens up with "Sick & Tired," a typical modern rock anthem devoted to being "... sick and tired of those lies you tell me/you say those same things to me over and over and over." Yeah, over and over and over pretty much describes the rest of the CD. "Seize the Day" and "Slow Me Down," two of the harder tracks on the album, are angst ridden bal- lads, gripping the audience with the revelations that it's Default's turn to "seize the day" and that "you can't hold me down." Man, those two years that Default has been around, they have been so oppressed. Perhaps Default should stick with the slower, radio-friendly tunes. Their first single off the album, "Wasting My Time" (note the irony) has a slow tempo and not quite the same subject matter. It may even result in the occasional foot tapping, or even perhaps a verse sung aloud, but that's about it, for the song and the album. Grade: D+ 4 lean close to being limp Alanis Morisette-style ballads as on the weak "So Like a Rose" or actually working, as on "Cup of Coffee." The latter is an eerie choker of a song reminiscent of Por- tishead, upping the ante of their former songs "Milk" and "You Look So Fine:" "No of course we can't be friends/Not while I'm still this obsessed." Most of the electronics of :z the past have disappeared in favor of louder guitars, as they rebel against the main- stream pop of today and take a posture similar to that of? the now-defunct Smashing Pumpkins. If someone's going to take %' up the mantle of the world's greatest band, why shouldn't it be Lovesick, Lovesick; them? Makoto Recordings Grade: A- By Sheila McClear Daily Arts Writer The Goodlife Album, Various Artists; Fubu Records/Universal Ann Arbor's favorite punk band since Varsity is back with a self-titled album that takes on the world in just nine songs and 25 minutes. Heartfelt and full of ,unpolished emotion, Lovesick's songs nearly burst with their own enthusiasm - they're the musical version of shak- ing up a Coke bottle and waiting for it to explode. Like many punk bands, Lovesick can- not be fully experienced in a recording. Their visceral and visual elements must be experienced in order to fully appreci- ate their music. While Lovesick approx- imates their fast, punch-in-the-gut punk/hardcore songs well enough, it By David J. Kerastas ' For the Daily 4 1 A U T O M A ALL TI O N yT In partnership with the TN Michigan Economic Development Y Corporation Since Run D.M.C. first began rhyming about their sneakers, hip-hop and fashion have become closer and closer intertwined. And on The Goodfe Album, the first release from Fubu Records, the two have become nearly indistinguishable. Ready to make its mark on the music industry, Fubu has immediately made use of its relations to various hip-hop and R&B artists. to assemble an impressive list of names for this compilation. Some singles come from the label's new sign-ons, all with debut albums soon to come, and others from more established artists with ties to the clothing brand. Goodlife features some new combina- tions of MCs. "Goodlife," the album's title track and biggest single unites Nas, the ubiquitous Nate Dogg and .JS from the 54th Platoon. LL Cool J joins Ludacris, and Keith Murray on "Fatty Girl," one of the album's more, to say the most, interesting songs. Other tracks that stand out are "Set it Off" by Dawn Robinson, and "50 Ni**** Deep," on which Drunken Master and Lola Damone get more out of the words "Bitch" and "Nigga" than was once thought humanly possible. The central theme for each song is the particular artist's vision of the "good life." Though the tracks contain the neces- sary bounceability to earn significant playtime in the clubs and on radio sta- tions, they should have very little effect on the memories of any real hip-hop heads. Each artist's interpretation of the "good life" is only a slightly different version of playa-dom, illustrated with unbelievable tales of extravagance and hedonism that would even make Fubu's CEO Carl Brown laugh. Some of the verses sound so sloppily pieced together that one must assume that these artists were honing that the music videosi [THE ALLEY] i I Automation Alley, the nation's newest and fastest growing technology cluster, offers outrageous advantages. Like diverse job opportunities with the world's leading corporations. Innovative thinking that fosters mutual collaboration. An unparalled commitment to R&D. The potential to move ahead and across exciting industries. Highly competitive salaries. Excellent benefit packages. And a cost-of-living that offers real buying power in one of the nation's most appealing settings-Oakland County, Michigan.