8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday. November 13, 2001 0 Overdub, David Garza; Atlantic By Gina Pensiero Daily Arts Writer It is difficult to say exactly what David Garza is going for with his sec- ond major label LP Overdub. Whatever it is, he doesn't get close. In the first cut off the album, "Drone," he can't stop repeating the mindless chorus, "and now it's just a drone drone" in a Backstreet Boy croon over a loop that sounds lifted from the last Fat Boy Slim album. In "Say Baby" he comes off as a poor impersonation of Beck by throwing together every unrelated rhyming noun that exists. For example, a typical lyric entails, "sweetie pie sugar bunches panties/black panthers Zapatistas/clue- less klannies/puppy dog pretty boy tat- too kiss thy left shoulder/poor Jesus still trying to crossover." Somehow, he attempts to also use the phrases "dub lingo" and "DJs won't spin your jam unless you say baby baby baby" (which he then proceeds to say repeatedly), in a serious fashion. Yes - all this in a song supposedly criticizing the bad music that gets played on the radio and questioning a personal lack of airplay. Ironically, it only resonates as an answer to why Garza has a fundamental lack of band- width. It is, sadly enough, because he has a fundamental lack of talent. On top of all this, everybody knows that the best way to get those "DJs" to "spin" your "jam" is to write a song criticizing the radio business. Hey, it sure worked great for Elvis Costello. It only gets better. I Tried To Rock You But You Only Can Roll, Leona Naess; MCA By Gina Pensiero Daily Arts Writer Can't anyone just do a straight up good pop album anymore? I'm not talking about the "I'm-A- Pitch-Controlled-Teenage-Blonde" pop album or the "Five-Washboard-Stom- ach-Harmonizing-R&B-Guys" pop album or the "Hard-Edge-Rap-And- Power-Chord" pop album. What I mean is pop in its essence. I mean pop like what The Beatles were going after in "I Want to Hold Your Hand" or pop like Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon" or pop like any Blondie song in existence. Just a pop album, a good clean pop album, is all I ask for. A pop album with songs that are fun and lyrics that are somewhat clich6 but not utterly idiotic. A pop album defined by good vibes but also that little extra bite that makes the guilty pleasure of enjoying pop not all that guilty. The answer is: Yes, someone is still doing pop the right way. I was losing hope but Leona Naess has calmed my fears with her newest release I Tried To Rock You But You Only Roll. Where Naess' last stab at pop, Coma- tised, fell short in its indecision between folk ballad and radio edit, 1 Tried To Rock You ... hits the bulls-eye of I V The third track, "God's Hands," brings music that sounds like second- rate Aerosmith (for heavens sake, can't he at least steal his riffs from good bands?) and Garza reaching for a Joseph Arthur quality with his voice. Unfortu- nately, he's not intelligent enough tko pull either one off. "Blow My Mind" and "Alone" are the requisite "alternative punky" tracks. "Blow My Mind" actually isn't that bad. A unique quality emerges in Garza's falsetto that for once doesn't sound completely forced. Additionally, he seems to expand on this natural heavy vibrato on "Crown of Thorns," "Too Much" and "Keep On Crying," where he begins to sound like a funkier Jeff Buckley with considerably worse lyrics. However, he overuses this gimmick in songs like "Bloodsuckers." It's rather sad to see a voice that has so much interesting potential wasted in awful lyrics and trying to be the newest artsy darling. Unfortunately, this seems to be about all that Overdub actually accomplishes. Grade: C- unabasnea meloay. "I wanted this one to be more focused yet adventurous, more of an explosion," said Naess. I Tried To Rock You... is jangly gui- tars melded with a retro-chunky disco sound that doesn't take itself too seri- ously. On top of this all Naess has an amazingly beautiful voice. Standouts on the album include the wistful "Mexico," on which Naess croons, "Come with me to Mexico. I can drive and you can take it slow." Other tracks of interest include the synth-laden "Mayor Of Your Town," the longing "Hurricane" and the bitter bt t hopped up "Blue Eyed Baby." Clearly, Naess is a lucid and direct talent for an element of popular music that is missing in the modern scene. All I have to say is - keep on filling the void. career catalog. Then came the girls, and the trouble. As Wiard shows off on both sides of his CD case pho- tos, he attracts the ladies. The front cover shows him sitting in a hotel room with a girl, and the back shows the same setup but with another girl. Dude, I mean, that's cool and everything, but there's no need to brag. Anyway, I'm sure that after a series of these pretty faces told him he was a star as he cooed and strummed "Norwegian Wood" whilst sitting on his bed, he started believing them and writing his own songs. He wasn't completely off, and this CD shows some promise, but he's definitely not there yet. Wiard has a nice voice and could probably write a solid, if standard, acousti-pop song if he would only learn to embrace a wider vocal range and song dynamics. And no one said you needed great lyrics to be a successful tunesmith (hello Travis), but if Wiard continues to present himself as a serious songwriter and sensitive guy, he's going to have to come up with something better than "I hid my heart behind the glass wall/hoping no one would find it." The only way I can sit through the "This is love, this is love this is love, this is love, this is love, this is love, this is love ... /All I know is that I want you/And I'll never be without you" chorus of "Bad Girl" is with a heavy dose of ironic detachment - musically speaking. Occasional- ly, Wiard throws in an electric guitar' or some nice" backing vocals and things pick up, but those moments are spread thinly across this album's 10 songs. "Grace" could easily work on the soundtrack for the next Matt Damon and Ben Affleck vehicle, and "Tale of a Sensitive Male" aptly finds its way around catchy retro-pop, but nothing else here jumps out as uniquely remarkable. Basically, Brandon Wiard made an OK little album that is probably getting him chicks and hopefully allowed him to get the boring out of his system before he makes his next, likely quite good, record. Britney, Britney Spears; Jive Records By Sonya Sutherland Daily Arts Writer Everyone's favorite Star Search prodigy gone mainstream blockbuster has dished out a brand new image- shattering album. Her self-titled third record Britney doesn't even warrant a listen for a review. Oversexed desert single "I'm A Slave for U," employs kitschy nets- peak in its title to snare the very youth proudly clutching to their copies of Baby One More Time. It's more than obvious that Spears' "grown up" sound is her attempt to sell herself into adulthood. She attempts in vain to capture this teen-queen coming of age with Brit- ney. "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet a Woman," thoroughly explains Ms. Spears' conundrum, reminding everyone that she was in diapers when the backing tracks for this tune were penned. Where Spears can't turn to her music for a shot of maturity she can turn to her body, which is continuing to mature (sometimes with the help of a good surgeon). Britney decided to knock off Ms. Jackson with her racy video for "I'm A Slave For U." While the hook won't pull a soul in, Britney's methodic and all too rhyth- mic rubbing of herself will. Once she has your soul, and you have the mute button, the video is somewhat bear- able. This visualization of music's commercial candor poses an interest- ing question: Does it really matter if the album is sonically unique or orig- inal when one can simply flip on MTV and view Britney's metamor- phosis into a dripping wet near-strip- ping dancer? I think not. Her choice to go slut is outed even further by her not-so-subliminal attempts at sekual overture. With a slew of producers, musi- cians and voice coaches appearing-on this record it's likely that this album is a tight work with multiple hit sin- gles which will provide hours of rump shaking at the local clubs. Since Spears has previously topped the charts with her catchy tunes, it's no surprise that this album will prob- ably go multi-platinum and fund her and Justin's future offspring's ability to annoy all of us on a worldwide level. I I I 0 To Someone I Know, Brandon Wiard; Self Released By Keith N. Dusenberry Daily Arts Writer' I hate giving local bands bad press. It's not a prob- lem telling the big boys that they suck, but cutting down local bands is like picking on the heavy kid in grade school_- they start out at a disadvantage and exploiting it only leaves the perpetrator feeling evil and unfulfilled. Local bands usually go through hell to make a CD and it costs them significantly emotional- ly, financially and otherwise, but unfortunately great art doesn't always spring from great pain. I'm going to guess about what happened to Brandon Wiard and his new CD To Someone I Know. First, there was a boy, his new guitar and a radio. He played and played and eventually could strum along, to most of Nirvana's Unplugged hits and the Beatles mid- I Grade: A- Grade: C Godhead expands fan base in Royal Oak Grade: N/A Reality collides with imaginary in familial drama 'Duckwash' BySo yaSuherland Daily Arts Wnter Fall is everyone's favorite time of year, especially the. Godhead Royal Oak ui Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. American Family Association. When dealing with back-to- school it never hurts to keep your kids in line by fil- ing protests in favor of can- celling controver- sial concerts. H o w e v e r, "Preaching to the Perverted" will fans of heavier rock 'n' roll. Opening the show is Godhead, who not only don makeup, but actually have talent that stretches far past their gim- mick. Influenced by a range of artist anywhere from Black Sabbath to The Cure, Godhead gives a more audience- friendly show than the average band by giving its all to everyone in attendance. Often criticized for being part of the darker, dangerous influences of music, lead vocalist Jason Miller related, "I don't believe music affects youth cul- ture anymore than movies do. That to me is what was so ironic about when Ice T was being criticized for 'Cop Killer.' I mean Arnold Schwarzenegger stood next to George Bush critizing 'Cop Killer.' While in the 'The Termi- By Christine Lasek For the Daily Courtesy of E Godhead enjoys their new mainstream success by donning makeup. nator,' Schwarzenegger killed like 30 cops. What's the difference? In the movie it's even more visually depicted than in a song." When asked about their sound, Miller said "that's tough. Most people would classify it as industrial rock. I can say that's OK, but you never really want to pigeonhole yourself into one thing. I'd rather let the music speak for itself." Formed in Washington D.C., God- head has opened for other bands like Gwar, and Christian Death, and contin- ues to spread their music from coast to coast. Signed to Marilyn Manson's label, Posthuman Records, Godhead has grown from their cult status, to enjoy mainstream success. With their guitar-heavy sound and lyrics that range from personal introspection to social and political commentary, Godhead takes their sound from simply another darker rock band in makeup. Miller's background training in Opera and the- ater combined with bassist The Method's vast knowledge of program- ming and Mike Miller's guitar flavor, prove extremely useful in providing entertainment worth attending the venue early to see. This Thursday through Saturday, Basement Arts will perform "Duck- wash," a play in two acts written and Duckwash Arena Theater November 15-17 directed by LSA junior, Laura Deneau. "Duckwash" spans two worlds: Reality and the imaginary world of the main char- acter, Jan. Jan is a 60-year-old woman who abandoned her husband and 11 children 20 years prior. She moved out to California make its debut in Royal Oak to hungry - --__ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ II Wednesday, November 14th 7-9 pm Fea turing MichaelJackson's Real Beer Tour The tasting will feature six beers collected from Michael Jackson's (world famous beer critic) Real Beer Tour. These beers are unavailable from retail outlets making this a truly unique tasting! Casta Morena a Scottish accented ale from Mexico Mash Beer an English golden lager Vrak a Swedish wheat beer lamc NZir. ~Porwter. from rAustral ia Golf Industry Internships/ Careers Available Major Golf Companies'Are RecOing For Career /Internship Positions Sales/Marketing Golf Management, Golf Media www.1800GolfJobs.com __ In the play, Jan's disillusionment comes in three forms: Her imaginary friends Apple, Bead and Becca. Apple and Bead represent the effort to create art and meaning out of Jan's observance of beauty. Becca represents Jan as a young woman, filled with ideals. Becca hovers over the play as a symbol of truth, embodying the happiness that Jan and her family are searching for. "As a family drama, it's about the stratification that goes on in our society, and the way we separate ourselves into categories of age, with the old living one reality, the young living another and the productive middle-aged stuck somewhere in the suburbs,"said Deneau. The set of "Duckwash" is very perti- nent to its plot. The two worlds, reality and that of Jan's imagination, exist simultaneously on stage, with a white sheet to separate the two. All action tak- ing place in the imaginary world is pre- formed in silhouette behind the sheet, with characters moving out from behind the sheet to take part in Jan's reality. The interaction the characters have between Jan's real and imaginary worlds, attempt to demonstrate the struggle between the reality present in family and the beautiful dream existing in artistic expression. "The play comes from a feeling of mine that my genera- tion tends to run away from their fami- lies and root-communities to find a place in the world of art, beauty and meaning; where they can find them- to pursue her artistic vision of life and only communicated with her family through a series of cryptic letters. At the time of the play, Jan can no longer com- municate with people. She prefers nature, which she feels strongly in touch with. Her daughter, Gale, is a 40-year-old single mother, attempting to find happi- ness in her engagement to Yost, the local weatherman. When Gale learns that Jan is ill, she uses the knowledge as an excuse to abandon her confusing life and leaves Michigan for California to take care of her mother. Kyle, Gale's SPRING TERM IN NEW HAMPSHIRE writing, camping, reading, hiking, music, canoeing, art -o Nr ^ " 'Z . I 1