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Jfagpok JHagazine
October 30, 1991
Ear Wax Facts
Will
Pearl of Great Price
(Third Mind Records/Roadrunner Records)
Pearl of Great Price is CREEPY; there simply is no other
way to describe it. Picture New Order coming up with the
most morbid techno-pcp you’ve ever heard, and you'll
have a pretty good idea of what’s on this debut album from
Will. It abounds in portents of Doomsday and other forbod-
mg fire-&-brimstone imagery. Creepy, creepy.
The songs make you feel as if you ought to be listening
to them while relaxing in a musty library of a shadowy
haunted house somewhere., with lurking ghosts, thunder
bolts, the whole bit. But hey, what more could you ask for
as Halloween approaches? Pearl of Great Price would be
a great way to scare away all those little people banging on
your door, begging for candy.
Vocals are shcuted in a menacing manner on the few
non-instrumental songs, but forget about figuring out what’s
being said. Not that you’d really want to know, though,
since titles range from “Sacrament of Penance" to “Furnace
Of Souls." By the time you reach “Crimson Flow," the
morbidity of the situation is enough to depress even the
most avid fan of the Smiths. These guys are big on the “Life
Is Hell" theme.
However, there are some very interesting quirks to be
found here. Will has come up with a song that could have
been taken from any part in Star Wars in which Darth Vader
makes an appearance. You—know the rigid commanding
drum/trumpet combo that says, “Pay attention to this evil
thing—or else!" And it must be admitted that Will uses
church bells in the most creative ways. Now THAT is talent.
(Maybe.)
“Pearl" could be the album you dust off for the 31st of
October, then stick it back under all those Abba records
until the next year. Or better yet, just give't a permanent
home under there. R.I.P., Will. And say "hello" to all those
demon friends of yours for me, okay?
Katherine Yeske
Skin Chamber
Wound (Road Runner Records)
Skin Chamber is a new industrial band from New York
City. Their debut album, Wound, is a work that gets to the
heart of industrial music. Grinding arrangements as well as
growling vocals make
up this whole album.
With titles like,
"Carved in Skin,"
"Swallowing Scrap
Metal," and "In the
Sewer of Dreams" the
band is obviously
aiming itself at a hard
core audience. Most
of the songs consist of
power chords that
evoke a heavy and
forboding tone. The
lyrics are also hard
core and are literally
growled in order to
enhance their already
macabre theme. The
whole ugly motif is then polished off by drum machines and
various industrial sound samples.
To be honest, I must say that I’m not a fan of industrial
music. I believe that industrial music is an acquired taste
and Skin Chamber is definitely one of the genre's hard core
bands whose music borders on death metal. Listening to
this album did absolutely nothing for me, however, if you
want to hear some industrial music that’s considerably
harder then Ministry then check out Skin Chamber.
Charles Weeks
Queen Latifa
Nature of a Sista (Tommy Boy)
If there’s one thing that I’ve learned about rap in my little
musical existence, it’s that when it's good, it's damn good.
In this age when the down-right bad aspects of rap are
going mam stream, (i.e. Vanilla Ice and that sort of crap), it’s
really refreshing to dive into something as innovative,
thought-provoking, and just plain fresh as Queen Latifa’s
Nature of a Sista.
God save the Queen — this woman is hot!! Once again
Her Royal Highness breaks it all down for us with hard
hitting lyrics that give straight-foward insight into the life of
an African American Woman.
On this, her latest release, The Queen brings a certain
element of class to the land of hip hop, while still managing
to stay funky, funky, funky.
So crank it up and jam, but don’t lose those lyrics in the
beat—you’d miss out on a lot. Stimulate that brain while
groove to tracks such as "Latifa’s Had it Up 2 Here," "Bad
as a Mutha," and my personal favorite, "Nature of Sista."
Remember; "The kingdom is possible because of the
Queen...The King is the sign, while the Queen is the
symbol."
Dottie Alexander
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Sugar Tax (Virgin Records)
For over a decade, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
have created some of the most innovative and unique
electronic music since such influential predecessors as
Ultravox and Kraftwerk. Their latest effort, though, falls
short of the novelty of their previous experimental techno
pop works. Sugar Tax is instead a flat and uninspiring
recording from an otherwise delightful band.
Most of the tracks on Sugar Tax are repetitive and lack
the innovation of such songs as "Enola Gay" and "Joan of
Arc” or the lively catchmess of such pop favorites as "So In
Love” and "Secrets." In fact, with the exception of "Neon
Lights" the songs on this recording are for the most part for
gettable Yet, “Neon Lights," too, becomes as boring as the
rest of these tracks, especially with its trite rhythms and
overused synthe
sizer sounds. A more
inspiring and ethe
real version of this
Kraftwerk song is
found on Love
Tractor’s 'Til the
Cows Come Home
EP.
On the whole,
O.M.D.s latest re
cording is a disap
pointment. Witn all
the advances in
electronic instru
mentation over the past ten years, coupled with the pro
gressive outlook of the band itself, one would think that
O.M.D. would be able to extend beyond the synthesized
New Wave pop music of the early 1980s. In a time where
much of the techno-pop music relies on the familiarity of hit
sampled tunes and bland dance beats, O.M.D., with all
their experience and creativity, would do best if they again
dared to be lyrically and technologically experimental.
Donna Marie Smith
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ALTERNATIVE
Halloween 1st Anniversary forty
Costume Fbrty
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Winning $50
2nd & 3rd Prizes Also
Commemorative T-shirts free to the frst 100 people!
$1 Jagermeister Shots
Two Special Halloween Daquiris:
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312 Washington St. • 613-0021
(Downtown Across from the Courthouse)
Rotation for the week of
30 October 1991
HEAVY
Nirvana
Dinosaur Jr.
Soundgarden
MC 900 Ft. Jesus
Public Enemy
Cypress Hill
Bullet La Volta
Robyn Hicthcock
Head Candy
Carnival Art
Blue Areoplanes
Teddy Edwards
A Luaka Bop
Doctor's Death vol.5 c
Seven Simons hud
Tom Watts n
Jello Boarta ^ Pro P8
Pixies
Roosevelt
MEDIUM
They Might be
Giants
Smashing Pumpkins,
Lullep
Skin Yard
Matthew Sweet
Clockhammer
Tribe
God flesh
Bullet LaVotta
Alice's Donut
Big Drill Car
Into Paradise
Curve
Poster Children
Melvins
Coil
Tunnel
reul
ige
Gn
1 IWItkL
C.regSagc
LOCAL
Bullet Proof
P.S. Jonah
Hip Heavy Lip
Wicked
Annabella
"Skinpops
Anadc.usian Dog
"Red Letter Day
"Little Debbie
The Yams
Deacon
Lunchbox
Thorny Hold
The Stonesouls
BLAH
Heavy Ethel
Liquor Cabinet
CLAMP
"Mombo Fury
* DENOTES
ADDS
ADDS
Machines
of Loving*
Grace
Crust
Shamen
Pegboy
Dinosuar Jr.
His Name is
Alive
Leaving
I'raihs-7*'
They Might Be
Giants
Dash Rip Rock