8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, February 19, 2002 REVIEWSOBREAKING RECORDS REVEWSOF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY'S NEW RELEASES NEIL HALSTEAD SLEEPING ON ROADS1 4AD RECORDS By Matthew C. Borushko Daily Arts Writer There's an oddly special place in my musical heart for the glockenspiel. In no way do I claim that the glockenspiel - the percussion instrument with a series of metal bars tuned to the chromatic scale and played with two light ham- mers - is underused in today's pop and folk music. Rather, the properly used glock is a tasteful addition to the mix of any singer-songwriter in search of a moody, melancholic sound such as Neil Halstead on his first solo effort, Sleep- ing On Roads. Halstead, frontman of the British band Mojave 3, plays the glock himself on the new album. In addition to the glock, Halstead also enlists an eclectic variety of instrumentation to comple- ment his acoustic guitar and throaty vocals. The production is deft and surei throughout Sleeping On Roads, and Halstead is able to locate a necessarily delicate balance between the trumpet, banjo, wah-dobro, cello, hammond, piano and computer. The nine-song album clocks in at1 THE NEW AMSTERDAi PARA TODA VIDA VAGRANT RECORDS By Luke Smith Daily Arts Editor almost 50 minutes, meaning that the tracks average over five minutes each. Most songs take root in Halstead's soft, finger-style guitar and halcyon vocals. And the plethora of instrumentation, instead of sounding like pretentious ornamentation, melds effortlessly into Halstead's melodies that strike me as, well, right on. If anything, one might accuse Hal- stead's songs of sounding a bit too simi- lar. Maybe. But I've always been of the mind that, if the same is good, then more of the same is even better. For that matter, though, it is difficult to single out any track as a winner because the album, as a whole, is a winner: A fine attempt at quasi-folk that steers clear of cliche and the hackneyed. "See You On Rooftops" is the album's most rocking number - though "rock- ing" is a relative term. Halstead makes fine use of the caesura to quell the song's emotion just as it reaches a zenith. It then floats away on a majestic coda that reaches past the six-minute mark. Halstead seems to use an inter- com to sing "Martha's Mantra (For The Pain)." It sounds like an elegy: Simply Halstead's guitar and the haunting refrain of the song's subtitle woven through the lyrics that explore the biggest of subjects - God and sex. The album's title track is a tasteful confec- tion of banjo, dobro and hammond. But everything remains subdued, including Halstead's try at a country twang - the only piece of Americana on this thor- oughly British-sounding album. Clearly focused on the "sound" of the album, Halstead ventures away from traditional song structures to evoke an atmosphere and ambience that is truly original. It's almost scary how good these compositions might sound without any lyrics. Halstead's strength, however, is his pen - he writes intelligent lyrics that stunningly intimate a fragile and lovelorn soul. It's no wonder that he gets Nick Drake comparisons. RATING:** **' 9 0 A successful side project is a conundrum in and of itself. Matt Sharp left Weezer to push out a pair of Rentals records. Subsequently Sharp was sucked into pop's Bermuda Triangle and vanished from the face of the earth taking his moog-flavored synth-project with him. The creative urge must be causation for musical side-projects. Artistic need to create pulls musicians away from groups where they are not be the central song- writer (i.e. the Weezer/Sharp paradigm) driving them to their own, often fruitless pursuits. Even worse than starting a side-project though, is a musician starting a side project while staying in his main band. Venturing from a band completely, as Matt Sharp did, is somewhat respectable. It says Sharp had some confidence in what he would create with the Rentals. However, when an artist doesn't leave his central band of operation and starts a side-project it's an admission of said project's mediocrity. Surely, if the side project was going to be worth listening to, the artist would leave the band that had, in all likelihood, brought about their suc- cess and ability to have a side-project in the first place. Frankly, without a previous recording contract, and/or name notoriety, a side project is simply a person or group of people recording into ar! four-track for no real reason other than to a have something to give their respective better halves for an anniversary. With Para Toda Vida, Matthew Pryor has the perfect unthought-out gift to give to his better half. The album (the second from The Get Up Kids; co-frontman and songwriter) rehashes sonic themes of sadcore visited on The New Amsterdams' debut Never You Mind. Fans of The Get Up Kids less-propulsive tunes ("Action and Action") will appreciate much of the thin acoustic droll that permeates throughout the record. Instead of poten- tially propelling acoustic-pop, the New Amsterdams driz- zle too-slow tunes dragging in front of a band that sounds completely empty. Fortunately for Pryor, he still has The Get Up Kids to fall back on. RATING: * f VERMONT CALLING ALBANY KINDERCORE RECORDS ....< :.:..:..:.::.:..:.::... ;K>>> I VIKTER DUPLAIx DJ KICKS K7 RECORDS By Jeremy Kressmann Daily Arts Writer Vikter Duplaix wants you to believe he's a cool dude. Swathed in a giant white fur coat, oversized Bono-esque sunglasses, 5 p.m shadow, and a multi-colored ban- dana, Duplaix oozes a certain not- so-subtle persona that seems out-of-place with his music. As the newest member of K7's epic DJ Kicks series, Duplaix is looking to establish his niche in the jazz- house/downtempo electronica scene. Unfortunately for him, the chill-out music scene has become one of the biggest areas of growth over the past few years. With this glut of new releases, it's tough to be an up-and coming "jazz-house" DJ these days. Yet Duplaix's DJ style is as eclectic as his white fur coat and quirky bandana, touching on a variety of bases over the course of his 73-minute release. Vikter Duplaix's style is reminis- cent of gorging yourself at a buffet. You want to try a lot of food but know you'd have to loosen your belt a few notches to fit everything in. Vikter's track selection is a lot like that - unappetizing at times, delicious at others. Spanning everything from R&B, hip-hop, and vocal house over the course of 20 tracks takes not only confidence, but also a solid knowledge of the different styles of music to make them fit together. Nevertheless, Duplaix's style is not so much aimed at the seamless blend of each track into one giant composition. Instead, the album has different sections that are stylistically dis- tinct. A particular high point is near the end, when Duplaix's hip-hop sensibilities are on display with tracks like De La Soul's "Copa (Cabanga)" and Bahamadia's "Philadelphia," a good chill out Philly-soul-hop groove. This latest DJ Kicks installment carries the torch of quality DJ Kicks predecessors. The series is like a trusted brand name, that one product you go back to buy again and again - but something that can get stale after awhile. Vikter Duplaix is adding his name to .that reputation - but does it live up to the DJ Kicks standard? Aside from the shameless self-promotion sam- ples every few tracks, the mix is technically thorough and full of Duplaix's musical sensibilities. RATING: * * * By Scott Serilla Daily Arts Writer Times have been rough for The Promise Ring. The emo stalwarts have lagged commercially behind their increasingly successful peers, The Get-Up Kids, Saves The Day and Jimmy Eat World, falling short of the crossover triumph that seemed within their reach with the release of 1999's Very Emer- gency. There has been no heavy rotation on MTV2 and no arena tour with Weezer. While younger bands were getting attention for milking his band's formula of melodic, confessional punk with a poppy, suburban twist, frontman Davey Von Bohlen found himself in the hospital with one hell of a headache. Diagnosed with a fist-sized benign brain tumor, the singer/guitarist and his band were forced to cancel a string of dates through the US and Europe. Everything became tentative and fans worried it might all be over. But Von Bohlen is on the mend and Calling Albany, his new record with acoustic side project Vermont, proves that the prog- nosis is very good. Along with Promise Ring drummer Dan Didler and guitarist Chris Rosenau, of fellow Milwaukee indie- rockers, Pel, Albany finds Von Bolhen easing back into music, putting off the usual roar of TPR for a quieter sound less likely pain to his still tender head. The record picks up pretty much where the trio left off with their last outing, Living Together. Both albums are stripped- down, melancholy affairs with simple but usually beautiful melodies complementary to Von Bohlen's introspective lyrics and sweetly straining tenor. Like Bob Mould or Paul Wester- berg, Von Bohlen and company's songs sound just as satisfying or better when you temper the blast and let the hidden melody take over. While still pretty loose, Albany's tunes are a bit more crafted, a bit fuller than Vermont's first time around. The change is sub- tle, though: A country-twang here, a little more guitar interplay or percussion there. It's not a departure from Living Together by any means, but maybe it is a refinement. Von Bolhen's brush with death is also on the record, but only peripherally. Questions about morality, heaven and hell hang about the edges of the record. It is a sad little album about lone- liness and longing, "but I never got much relieve from sharing my grief," as Von Bolhen sings. But the bittersweetness lightens up now and then for some earnest hope or deadpan humor. That humor usually comes from referencing the adolescent world these 20-something youths or parents' record collections. Standouts "Ballad Of Larry Bird" and "Arrest Harrison Ford!" remind us of whom every little boy in the '80s idolized, while "Hello-Goodbye Sex" quotes the chorus from "Long and Wind- ing Road" and "Commodores 64" has less to do with the piece- o-crap computer from your elementary school than it does with Lionel Richie and "Three Times a Lady." Perhaps that's what Vermont is about - three guys getting back to a world that existed for them before they found Minor Threat and Husker Du and formed bands to complain about girls and teenage angst. But for fans, the real test will come April 23 when the Promise Ring drop their fourth album, Woodwater - the band's first since leaving long time label Jade Tree. With British Pro- ducer Stephen Street (Blur and the Smiths) helping out, many are speculating that Von Bohlen and the boys are going to con- tinue the trends of Vermont by moving further away from emo and onto more loose, atmospheric rock. We'll have to wait a few months to find out. Until then, enjoy this mellow little record. RATING:* **7i -- -- ---- - UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA FOUNDED BY BEN FRANKLIN - 1740 PENN BREAKING RECORDS STAR SYSTEM * ***CLASSIC * * * * GREAT . If you missed a week of BREAKING RECORDS * * * FAIR check the archives at www.michigandaily. com * * SUB-PAR * WORTHLESS LOOKING FOR GREAT INTERN HOUSING THIS SUMMER IN NEW YORK CITY. SUMMERSIDEUP Summer Session I May 20-June 28 Summer Session II July - August 9 12 Week Evening Session May 20-August 9 - Comprehensive Range of Courses - Small Classes, Great City m U EU N~