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has a place in ils music, there is always
a relum to the tight group payoff-
something ot a lost art in hip hop. J5
pays special attention to distributing the
talent load, trom individual MC lyncism.
to calculated DJ breaks, to the group
working in unison.
‘The Influence," the first cut on the
album, is probably the best example of
this multi-faceted musical approach
working in proper harmony. DJs Cut
Chemist and Nu-Mark lay down a sam
pled a cappella scat underneath the
vocal work of J5$ four MCs. When the
collective breaks into a chorus, the
effect is mesmerizing, with the tight
unison of the vocal quartet harmoi.izing
over the a cappetla sample. Rarely is the
interaction between hip hop DJs and
MCs as sophisticated as it is in this
track.
Qu2lity Control is not a perfect
effort, homer. The distinctiveness of
the J5 sound loses a little steam as the
album progresses. While MCs Chali
2NA. Marc 7. Zaakir and Akil all pos
sess proper lyrical skills, the crucial
ingredient is J5$ DJ tag team. When the
beats lose the flavor of early tracks like
‘The Influence.* ‘Great Expectations*
and ‘Quality Control." the final product
seems flat. The group is still young,
however, and a big part of fhe J5 attitude
involves not getting comfortable with
any level of success. While the name
evokes the past, expect to see a lot more
from this group in the future. (825 8th
Ave., 29th Floor. NY. NY 10019)
Matthew Hutchinson
e
THE CATHERINE WHEEL
Wishville
Columbia
I could describe this slab o’ wax in
terms of the name "The Catherine Wheel
and its delinitional dichotomy (British
torture device/particularly spectacular
variety ot firecracker), but somehow I
can sense that you don’t give half a luck.
Very well then. We’ll start over from the
beginning.
There’s a sense ot desperately
hedonistic festivity buried between
Wishvillds grooves that can only be
described as the sound of a nasty fit of
depression in remission. As the dogs
howl and bang their invincible skulls
against the cellar door, CW frontman
Rob Dickinson bounces around the
living room, taking shots of corn
whiskey, propositioning platonic female
acquaintances and occasionally ven
turing outside to bash the broken appli
ances in his backyard with a cheap
hatchet. He$ hurting, but he doesn't
know he’s hurting. Trust me. that beats
the shit out of actually hurting.
Unfortunately, as soon as Dickinson
is about to start some shit, he gets side
tracked by an inevitable emotional draft,
as on the dented, quivering hook in
‘Lifeline,’ within seconds of an
enthralling one-two punch like ‘Sparks
Are Gonna Fly* and ‘Gasoline.* His
newly-adopted carefree desperation is at
continual odds with his predilection for
grandiose self-pity and Queenish over
statement. Not that this is a bad thing.
Necessarily. I’ll go ahead and tell
you. anyone with a lack of tolerance with
Mercurial histrionics would be wise to
steer clear of The Catherine Wheel com
pletely. To be fair. Ihe Rocky Horror
grandiosity only gets completely out of
hand on ‘Idle Life.’ but be forewarned
nonetheless: this one isr’l for minimal
ists. (To be fair, you're missing out if
Mercuiial histrionics are all it takes to
steer you away from a rock record.)
Memo to the uninitiated: this 'un
doesn’t pack the merciless recoil of
1995's stick o’ dynamite Happy Days.
nor does it approach the cinematic
scope of 19971s Adam And Eve. Start
with those. That said, the main tactor
that sets Wishville apart is Dickinson's
newfound hesitance to indulge in
explicit death fixation and suicidal ideal
ization. and it's not like you can hold
that against him. It's good to see the guy
out of his straitiacket and back on the
sheet, even if he’s overplaying his liber
ation a bit and toting a can of gasoline.
(550 Madison Ave . NY. NY 10022)
Emerson Dameron
K0041I
WOLFIE
Wolfie. And The Coat And Hat
Kindercore
This wonderful 6-song EP from
Wolfie is at-times Weezer-esque rock is
the perlect remedy for sudden bursts of
depression or musical cynicism.
The playful voices of Mike Downey
(guitar). Joe Ziemba (guitar, bass) and
Amanda Lyons (organ, piano) take tunb
weaving enchanting sing-along verses.
Rather than sticking to traditional pop
formulas. Wolfie sneaks a few surprises
in the songs, shifting from one won-
derlul pop segue to another, like in the
delightful *ll’s Hard being Me* Lyons'
wonderlul Broadway musical voice
glides as effortlessly as her intro organ
part in the playful ‘Calvin Grove.’
making the backing vocals as wonderlul
as the ones Downey and Ziemba take
turns sharing Let the pop resurrection
begin with them in the lead (P. 0 Box
461. Athens. GA 30603)
Geofl Carr
SLURR
Superspeedcure
Butt Lettuce
Columbia. SC’s Slurr’s debut full-
length joins the efforts of Aaron Day on
drums. Melcher Petermann on bass,
and Marty Dunn and Jack Dunn, both
on guitar and vocals. The album opens
with ‘My DNA,* a cool instrumental
with a solid sound from all lour players
Track two was equally solid, this time
with vocals all about ‘Nanotech Cows.*
Satanic mooing added a nice touch to
this song.
The album's frequent change of
tempo certainly doesn't lend the music
to anything that could be called
dancing. There are high points along the
way, however, such as the end c! ‘The
Fermata’ and another instrumental
accomplishment called "Fire Alarm* that
reminds of the sound of The Cure, com
plete with strolling guitar and bass,
ambient rhythms, and eerie-sounding
samples of a female voice speaking.
Honestly I hall expected to hear Robert
Smith's voice come floating out of my
speakers during that track
The title track opens with cool
drums and a bass line tha* dives into a
moment of guitar and Dunn$ vocals a
few times before rounding out the tune
behind a guitar conclusion. Again I was
impressed with Slurrts instrumental
offerings, with "Crime Fighters," a tune
with a fast bass line, lots of dissonant
guitar, and plenty ot drumming
enhancements. That Cure sound pops
up again on the final track, this time
replete with Dunn s vocals actually
sounding Smittiesque. I wondered
where this influence had come from as
this sound is in contrast with much of
the album.
Although the mix of music styles
featured throughout Superspeedcure
isnl really my cup of tea. the album
shoveases musicians who definitely
have imagination and that comes across
loud and clear in their lyrics and in their
playing, however speedy. (P. 0. Box
4466. Columbia. SC 29240-4466)
Dawn Maynor
VARIOUS ARTISTS
Return Of The Rock
Roadrunner
I was watching "Saturday Night
Live’ the other night when Ki J Rock was
the musical guest When he took the
stage wiui his troupe of midgets, cock-
rockers and other carnival denizens, he
yelled. ‘I thought this was Saturday
Night Live.' but the other night I saw
Britney Spears on here lip-syncin'." He
then yelled his name and the song
^egan: it was the music nom Me»allica$
"Sad But True.’ with the only change
being Kid Rock’s vocal 1 1 don’t imagine
the irony was apparent to Kid Rock or
his entourage, but this is a perlect
example of the fallacy behind the whole
"Return of the [Clock" movement and
their success with the disenfranchised
young, white males.
The feud between the neo-glam
rockers and the boy bands and girl
bands is kind of like your average fight
between r.nth-grade sweethearts. The
teeny-boppers make the disclaimer that
they are "entertainers’ in the old Vegas
sense of dancing and singing other
people's songs, which is fine. I don't
want to hear it, but that's why I don't buy
it. The rockers try to paint themselves as
' artists’ because they can write and play
their own music, and as "realists’
because they profler doom and gloom
fantasies rather than Abercrombie and
Fitch ones. If anything disproves that
claim to artistry and realism, it’s The
Relum 01 The Rock.
Weak rhymes, lame Satamca, and
riffs lifted from early-’90s Helmet and
311 albums abound. II you can read the
names of these bands (Methods Ol
Mayhem. Staind. Machine Head.
System Of A Down. Coal Chamber, Full
Devil Jacket, etc...) without laughing or
puking, this record might be fur you. If
you’re in Athens lor the college or the
music (what else is there?), either you’re
too old or your taste is too refined for
most ol this stuff. Buy an old Helmet
record and an older 311 record and
you'll hear all the white-hoy rap-metal
you’ll ever need. (902 Broadway, 8th
floor. NY. N v 10010)
Brandon Butler
BLHDSGtir.COfft
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