10 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 21, 2005 ARTS Brits take light-hearted view on 'Invasion' 0 By Jerry Gordinier Daily Arts Writer The Coral, six neighborhood boys from England, know one of the gold- en rules of music: Never take your- self too seriously. Their latest state- side release, The Invisible Inva- The Coral The Invisible Invasion Columbia sion, shows that I _ _ they know both laughs and longing. The album is psychedelic-pop in its freest form, taking the listener on a jaunt through the rolling English hills of the band's youth. James Skelly and Lee Southall lament childhood desires in lyrics such as "I'll just say heads or tails / Bicycles for sale it's time to go / But now it seems so long ago." The sigh- ing acoustic melodies and upbeat percussion are bittersweet against the subtle, melancholy timbre of Skelly and Southall's resonating voices. This nostalgic theme is a unit- ing force in the album, which, full of ironic, light-hearted flair, would otherwise fail. Masterful production furthers this end. Haunting lines seem to echo infinitely though long halls on "A Warning to the Curi- ous." Rising samples are intricately woven against fuzzed-out guitar in a creepy, psychedelic sound-scape. The sparse layering builds, rising to an intimidating wave of sound. Just as the weight seems too heavy, how- ever, The Coral step back. From this trippy experience the listener can return to the bouncy pop sounds of "Something Inside of Me," a light-hearted love ballad promising, "There'll never be anoth- er century / There's no time to think about the weather." There is nothing too complicated here, only simple percussion that demands the listener tap is foot and smile at images of Everest or bust! the boys playing the local pub with bottles in hand. own good. On d Though these transitions keep the "Far from the( album surprisingly fresh and allow Southall become the listeners to pause for breath, the with their acous one sad aspect is that The Coral seem like a depressed to take this freedom for granted, delv- Moving throu ing into areas too shadowy for their sion and plights,' Courtesy of Warner Bros. "Don't worry, the walls are closing in and soon we'll be crushed to death." 'Someone' trapped in mundane rock 'ourtesy 01 uolumoia arker tracks such as Crowd," Skelly and e a little too serious stic guitar, sounding Jeff Mangum. gh all sorts of pas- bringing the listener up and sending him down, Invisible Invasion raids minds, hearts and maybe even the dance floor. The boys are a welcome import. Don't expect anything profound; it's no image of Jesus in a pancake, but feel free to trip out. By Caitlin Cowan For the Daily As if there weren't enough bands aiming their sound at the miserable hellions of America's suburbs, Trapt has returned with Someone In Con- trol, an album that is equal parts Frou Frou vocalist formulaic on 'Speak hate and hook. After the success of their 2002 hit "Headstrong" and 2004's "Echo," Trapt has all but passed out of the already over-sat- Trapt Someone in Control Warner Bros. By Joey Lipps For the Daily With "Garden State's" release last year, teenagers clung to Frou Frou's "Let Go" off the soundtrack to symbolize their collective Imogen Heap disillusionment. The voice behind Speak for Yourself this sensation, Megaphonic Imogen Heap, did it again with "Hide and Seek," a song off her new album, Speak for Yourself, that snuck its way onto the always sugary, always trendy "The O.C." soundtrack. Her soothingly emo- tional voice serves the purpose of "The O.C." well as it drifts between anxiety and relief. The album's duality lies in the tension between the drum machine's thumping dance beats and the light ambiance created by piano, harps and looped vocal harmonies. Heap's voice waxes and wanes as it floats above the grounded bass. . The album's trademark is the mixture of her computer-altered, resonating voice and the falsetto that fills in the songs' gaps of pounding rhythms. She pays close attention to the background sounds - she bangs jewel cases against carpet tubes on "Closing In" and uses guest Jeff Beck on "Goodnight and Go" for chaotic runs on the guitar. Although the complexity can be greatly appreciated, the constant jolting from the dappling strokes of harp to the gut-vibrating beats on "Headlock" leaves the listener unsettled. This becomes a formula for most of her songs. Heap rarely reaches a peak, constantly falling back upon trite melodies and shrill moans and ultimately creates noth- ing more than a collection of slightly "That headline sucks" catchy and complex songs. urated nu-metal scene. However, the Los Gatos, Califor- nia quartet showcases more of the same on Control. The band flies through pissed-off post-grunge rock spattered with spaced-out, intro- spective whining that could only pass for substance if listened to in an adrenaline-infused ire. The 40 minutes of predictable punch that make up Trapt's latest are, at best, refrigerator poetry set to the dark fuzz of guitar squall. Lead singer Chris Brown sings himself raw on the album's single, "Stand Up," a thin threat fraught with end rhyme that hits hard but seems likely to end up on a "Tony Hawk's Underground" soundtrack. After four minutes of Brown's bellowing "Why don't you let me be / Leave me alone," his cliched hooks aren't even worth the headache. A moment of musical clarity comes midway through the album; the self-consciously titled "Lost Realist" is a slower, more even- handed tune that includes guitar- ist Simon Ormandy on an acoustic. Still, the lyrics lapse into the banal when Brown begs, "Carve me from stone / Right to the bone." By the time their most attractive song hits, they already have everyone reaching for some aspirin. The band's message couldn't be clearer. They are stuck in the abomi- nation of the middle class, con- stricted by the system and all of its ills. Unfortunately it's all been done before and a lot better. 0i Shiaggy'Drops bomb on past success i n latest Courtesy of Megaphonic By Chris Gaerig Daily Arts Writer I Gla Thinking About Law School? DAILY ARTS. WE'LL REMEMBER YOUR NAME IN THE MORNING. Shaggy claimed "It Wasn't Me" when he finally got his big break onto the American music scene and he worshipped his "Angel" in an R&B-meets reg- gae-groove.Since then, however, Shaggy Clothes Drop Geffen Records I he's been non- existent outside of dance halls and frat parties across the nation. After following his hit record Hot Shot with the flop Lucky Day, he returns once again with the lackluster reg- Meet with the admission deans from these law schools to learn more about legal education and the admission process. is k.%:tsmtl x~waaWwWant to s f: Quit Tobacco? We can help! The Tobacco Consultation Service offers a 7 week "Kick the Habit" a Quit Tobacco Program to help kick tobacco out of your life! 1" Session: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 Location: University Health Service 207 Fletcher St 411' Floor Conference room gae/pop release, Clothes Drop. Shaggy relies heavily on guest appearances on his latest album - eight of the 17 tracks include some special guest. "Shut Up and Dance," featuring will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, fails pathetically, despite its best efforts when try- ing to produce a catchy chorus and dance beat. Instead it comes off as a Neptunes-cum-Justin Timberlake pop track minus the sleek produc- tion and catchy melodies. Other guest appearances include G-Unit's Olivia ("Wild 2nite") and two tracks ("Supa Hypnotic" and "Don't Ask Her That") with the pop- degenerate Pussycat Dolls' Nicole Scherzinger. While "Wild 2nite" has a great beat of handclaps and string bursts, it is destroyed by Olivia's horrible chorus and Shaggy's inde- cipherable, machine-gun vocals. "Don't Ask Her That" is possi- bly the most embarrassing moment in recent music history. Having to listen to a member of the Pussycat Dolls - who sounds strangely like Scandinavian dance princess Annie - quote the famous line from "A Few Good Men": "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth," is painful at best. Clothes Drop is another misstep in Shaggy's fast musical decline. Without an obvious hit single, every track begins to melt together into a pile of lukewarm reggae crossover. It's about time Mr. Lover sticks to just doing whatever he sings about, and leave the music to those who have something to say. 0 For: Time: Faculty, Staff & Students 12:00-1:00 P.M. Cost: FREE to all MCARE, HAP, & Care Choices members, & students with UHS referral. All Others $100. I If you want more information, call: (734) 936-5988 or visit: ww.med.mich.edu/mfit/tobacco Wednesday September 21, 2005 7:00 P.M. University of Michigan w A l l 1 "i ~0 I