{ Page 8- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 23, 1991 Buffalo Tom Birdbrain Beggars Banquet For those obsessed with all things Dinosaur, this album is a necessity. Now that J Mascis has taken a break from the joyous screaming and strumming known as performing, he has moved on to producing. One of the groups lucky enough to benefit from this twistedly-inspired musi- cian's guidance is Buffalo Tom. Mascis produced Birdbrain with Sean Slade as well as the members of the group. As with Buffalo Tom's epony- mous debut release, Mascis' influ- ence on this album is unmistakable. But Tom Maginnis, Bill Janovitz and Chris Colburn don't rely too much on what's been done before to sell their sound -- at least not what's been done befofe by other groups.' While the melodies of Birdbrain sound more like an extension of Buf- falo Tom rather than an entirely new album, the group has forsaken the easy route of cloning their pro- ducer's power trio and opted for a more distinctive sound which works at times and falters at others. While there is nothing comparable to Buffalo Tom's pride and joy "Walk Away" on this album, there are other guitar-driven wonderments -- most notably "Directive" and the title track. There is also a heavy dose of inane lyrics which, luckily, are muffled by the bass/guitar din. Oh, yeah. And the acoustic stuff. As a "bonus," the compact disc con- tains two acoustic tracks - a cover of thePsychedelic Furs "Heaven" and a re-make of "Reason Why" from Buffalo Tom. While both ex- ceed the musical quality of Phil Collins' new version of "In the Air Tonight," and "Heaven" is even a bit infectious, the songs are much more reminiscent of the mellower side of G 'N R Lies than of anything truly innovative. But everyone has their low mo- ments. Buffalo Tom, even at their weakest, are better than the majority of what masquerades as rock music these days. While Mascis may be the name that gets them noticed, this band's talent will carry them out of Dinosaur's shadow and into their own power-fuzz notoriety. -Kristin Palm Front Line Assembly Caustic Grip Wax Trax! Front Line Assembly is the epitome of hardcore industrial music. Dark, brooding, complex and above all, intense, this is the speed metal of the synthesizer and sampler world. The attraction of this style is its complexity and unpredictability; any one of the dozens of different sounds in a given song may pop up just once and then never reappear. The downside of FLA is that because their music is totally programmed, all spontaneity is lost and the music often sounds too rigid. When they play live, FLA can sound exactly like the record if they so choose. In short, this is the type of stuff that people either love or hate (although.it does have that "grow on you" tendency), and as such, I am not going to try to convince some classic rock purist that this is where it's at. If you hate industrial, chances are you'll"hate this record. If you like it, read on. As mentioned, FLA is extremely harsh. Like Skinny Puppy, this is stuff that usually has to be taken in small doses--otherwise, the listener would either go out and kill someone or become horribly de- pressed or both. Nonetheless, Caus- tic Grip is slightly toned down from earlier FLA records; there are even a couple of songs with melody here, hummable melodies, no less. But the bulk of the songs continue in the same sci-fi - horror movie vein. Of the ten songs on the disc, "Iceolate". is by far the best. Using the typical FLA approach but adding a catchy synth line and an almost danceable beat, this may be the best song these guys have done yet. An- other notable track is "Provision," which one can almost sing along with, providing one would want to sing about controlling minds and stealing dreams, etc. As expected, the lyrical subject matter is typically depressing, dealing with such topics as death and destruction. These lyrics are delivered in a very low monotone which rarely Hipper-than-thou guitar band Buffalo Tom are looking pretty hip here, especially the guy in the middle, who is so - hip that he won't even look into the camera when he is posing for a publicity shot. But are they hipper than drivin' r, cryin' (below left)? You be the judge. shows any emotion other than anger. Along with the computerized music, I imagine FLA is making some statement about the dehumanization we feel in this - you guessed it industrial age. There are a few exceptions to this bleak rule, however, such as "Threshold," which finds the vocals sounding surprisingly (dare I say it?) soulful. Overall, Caustic Grip isn't very different than earlier FLA records, which is how their fans would probably prefer it. Noncheless, there are some hints of musical growth and development, which show the band to be more than a bunch of tech-heads. Not bad at all. -Mike Molitor drivin' n' cryin' Fly Me Courageous Island I live in a dream world. In that paradise, there is no such thing as bad music. Bob Mould is welcome there anytime. Dave Pirner can come over on his good days, and Kirk Hammet and J Mascis can visit when the notion of peace and quiet is the furthest thing from my mind. The Patti Smith Group will be there too, of course, as will another, lesser known band who will hopefully never brush so close to fame that they lose their, ahem, spines (see Sting, Westerberg). That band is drivin' n' cryin', previously three men and now four who have put together a whole series of power chords that result in pure, untamed energy. While drivin' n' cryin"s 1987 release, Whisper' Tames the Lion, at times provoked All rgnt. I hat Bufalo Tom guy was pretty hip. But see how the members of drivin' n' cryin' are holding their heads at such unconventional angles? Do they all have neck problems? Hell no. They're just damn cool. EVE Continued from Page 7 podge of our repressed cultural unconscious, drawing from a literary tradition that's manifested itself into film and from the seemingly horrific, exploration of the possibilities of woman without Superego - unbridled sexuality and violence. The story is simple, the script drawn not only from the horror tradition but also from clich6s of patriotism, freedom, the American armed forces and female sexuality. Dr. Eve Simmons (Renee Soutendijk), working for the U.S. government, has created the best android to date. It is a female model, Eve 8, which can pass for human while maintaining astounding military capabilities. Coincidentally, for reasons presumably scientific and philosophic, Eve 8 has been patterned after her maker, thus providing Soutendijk with the stun- ning theatrical opportunity to play two characters in one movie. Perhaps Eve's individual ideol- ogy can't be held culpable for its assertions because it taps into the male fantasy of the female mind as consistently acted out in films and books - namely, that every woman secretly wants to be a whore, inhib- ited only by complex social and psy- chological repression. Inevitably, Eve 8's liberation is marked by a come-hither red leather jacket, a tighter-than-paint black dress and some ammo for her gun. Eve 8's first stop in her pre-men- strual rampage is a sleazy motel in Northern California. In a film with countless casualties and death via semi-automatic gun, the only weapons that put a character down for the count are Eve 8's teeth. In Eve's attempts to wax psychologic, Eve 8's memory implant consists of Dr. Simmons' most repressed mem- ories, which include a Freudian aversion to the word "bitch." To complete the female revenge theme, Eve punishes man in the most vul- nerable of areas: the sound effects of her pearly whites coming together at the uppermost point of her victim's "big surprise" are indeed chilling. Is castration a cliche, or a valid fear? In this case, it seems a blatant male' projection of the idea that all women would castrate men if only they could act out their hidden desires. "I think she may be acting out a fantasy of mine," muses Dr. Sim- mons. To be a whore? Summing up the psychological depth of the sce- nario, military hit man Jim McQuade (Gregory Hines) analyzes, "So this device of yours is horny as well as psychopathic." The rest of the movie dramatizes Eve 8's journey back through the men in Dr. Simmons' life - her abusive father, her ex- husband and her son. At points, one wonders about the self-awareness of the film (or lack thereof) and the audience it's hoping to tap into, which, in my case, in- cluded a three-year old boy. At points, Eve seems aware of its own devices, though never apologizes for their misappropriation. Some se- quences are meant to be comical, which gives one pause about the rest of the movie. Are we seeing a spoof on misogyny, or a sure-fire way to make money? The filmic quality of Eve of De- struction depends on whether you musings as to whether this band was taking the (gasp!) pop route, Fly Me Courageous has put such evil thoughts to rest. It rocks hard and Southern-like, putting Kevn Kinney O and his crew just a step below the Stones in my little Nirvana. There are periods of slickness on this album, but they are well-hidden. There are moments when the guys sound like the Black Crowes, but hey, they were here first. There are times when it mellows out, but lis- teners sometimes need a breather. Scarred but Smarter was a great work by drivin' n' cryin'. Fly Me Courageous draws on that epiphany and results in another keeper that shakes and rattles in all the right places. --Kristin Palm seek parody or messiah. The scril including Dr. Simmons' complete explanation of the reproductive body parts to her young son, is entertain ing along the same lines as the Christian Broadcasting Network game show to raise money for evani gelism. To invoke a popular bumper-, sticker, "Make Dance, Not Fim" goes to Hines for his anti-Oscar per-, formance, and Soutendijk is twice as bad considering her double role. Pathetically, Eve's significance.. lies in its indicator of our values as* culture. Woman-as-Schwarzenegga (homage to The Terminator) shows that we still fear female sexuality and desire enough to dramatize its release, calling on po less than the United States Army to stop it (after, of course, having created it). EVE OF DESTRUCTION is being shown at Showcase and Fox Village. 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