Wednesday, February 19, 1997
Various Artists "subUrbia" Soundtrack (DGC) Is it live, or is it
Gen X? As soon as you see this is the soundtrack of a movie
directed by Richard Linklater, ("Dazed and Confused" and
"Slacker,") visions of baggy-pants wearing skater boys smoking pot
on the grassy knoll instantly rush to your head. But this album
shouldn’t be written off so easily. "subUrbia" has more range than
the usual "slacker" music, with tracks from Sonic Youth, Elastica
(with Stephen Malkmus), Beck (surprise!), Girls Against Boys and
the Butthole Surfers. Sonic Youth gives three musical
contributions, ranging from the unusually glam "Bee Bee’s Song" to
the typical long and windy "Sunday." In addition, Sonic Youth
guitarist Thurston Moore also gives a solo effort with the
obscenity-laden, "Psychic Hearts." There are a few gems on here.
Elastica are their usually bouncy and hip selves with "Unheard
Music," and Beck plays his most rhythmic folk song yet with the
laid-back "Feather in Your Cap." "Berry Meditation" from U.N.K.L.E.
is a spoken word piece over that kind of cheesy, trippy music you
hear while riding Space Mountain. The Butthole Surfers’ "Human
Cannonball" feels more appropriate for a John Hughes movie, but
that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it here. The songs on this
soundtrack really can’t be labeled together. "subUrbia" offers a
wide range of alternative ear candy for the most part. Its eclectic
style fits the undefineable generation it caters to. Mike Prevatt
B
John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra "The Hollywood
Sound" (Sony Classical) Does this really need to be reviewed? What
can possibly be said about the great John Williams that hasn’t been
said? His list of credits read like a litany of some of the most
imaginative, powerful movies of all time whose artistic and
economic success was fueled by Williams’ music. On this CD, he
conducts the Academy Awards’ best scores, many of which are his of
course. From "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) and "The Wizard of Oz"
(1939) to "Beauty and the Beast" (1991) and the rereleased "Star
Wars" (1997), Williams and the London Orchestra deliver the goods,
bringing us back to movies we grew up with and introducing us to
the passion of past epics we may not have yet seen. Williams’ own
contributions include "E.T." (moving and brilliant, as usual),
"Jaws" (atypical, creepy Williams) and "Star Wars" (duh). Many of
John Barry’s scores are included, such as "Dances with Wolves" and
"Out of Africa." The CD book includes a list of all of the winning
scores since the Oscars’ inception in 1934 as well as sizeable
comments on each score. Sadly missing (it didn’t win Academy
Awards) is Williams’ score to "Raiders of the Lost Ark," one of his
most beautiful pieces. But the disc is teeming with a variety of
artists and styles that give a true, eclectic sampling of the best
Hollywood scores have to offer. Kristin Fiore A-
The Cranes "Population Four" (Dedicated) Any fan of the Cranes’
album "Loved," with its scathing, creepy single "Lilies," will be
shocked by the warmer, cuddlier and just plain mellow feel of
"Population Four." Upon first listen, the album is almost boring,
but if you stick with it, the rhythms become addictive and
harmonies reveal themselves. Their songwriting has improved,
becoming clearer and more penetrable (but by no means
oversimplified or transparent), if less extreme and unique. Many
songs have the feel of "Casablanca," an awesome B-side off of the
"Lilies" single, which contained more gems than the album itself.
"Population Four" has fewer misses and more hits than "Loved,"
especially the first four tracks  the quiet melancholy of
"Tangled Up," the attitude and stomp of "Fourteen," and the warm,
almost folky rhythms and melodies of "Breeze" and "Can’t Get Free."
Singer Alison Shaw’s babyish vocals, which formerly added an evil
irony to the band’s grating sound, now push their more goody-goody
sound into the cutie-pie realm of Shonen Knife or the Cardigans,
though the music is obviously in another genre altogether. Even in
the lighter songs, the band retains a dark edge that makes you
wonder if they’re sniffing the daisies only to later toss them on a
grave. Despite the sad fact that most radio stations (aside from
KCRW, who is already playing tracks) won’t touch them, this strong
album should please old fans and win new ones. Kristin Fiore A-
Moby "Animal Rights" (Elektra) Two years ago, ambient
one-man-band Moby broke barriers with his release "Everything is
Wrong" by pleasing both mainstream listeners and hard-core ambient
fans at the same time. "Wrong" spanned the gap between a blipping,
ambient electronic sound and keyboard-laden punk with tremendous
composure. "Animal Rights" is a step backward for Moby, an
avoidable one that makes one wonder if "Wrong" was simply a fluke.
"Animal Rights" has a distinctly harder feel than Moby’s previous
release and does little in the way of breaking boundaries. Moby’s
is a slightly different sound than found in other electro-punks
like Nine Inch Nails, but not enough to take the listener some
place entirely new. Moreover, little of "Animal Rights" is even
danceable, a quality some may find inconsequential but important
nonetheless to ambient fans looking for more of the ultra
high-quality beats laid down on "Everything is Wrong." The one
exception to the rule is "That’s When I Reach For My Revolver," a
great track that perfectly evokes its title sentiment with guttural
riffs and an other-worldly Moby droning about some domestic
disturbance. There is some solace in new material that comes in the
form of Moby’s trademark filler pieces that serve as mortar between
bricks of distortion. "Anima" is a wonderfully lurching anthem
that’s aural haiku when heard loud. "Alone" is another of Moby’s
master works of complex textures that evolve over an epic nine
minutes. Moby has a tendency to include extremist manifestos in his
liner notes, most of which rant on and on about the sins of a
carnivorous lifestyle and the prime-evil religious right in our
country. If he were more of a musical extremist and stuck to what
he does better than anybody else, namely creating involving ambient
escapes, he could reach megastardom. "Animal Rights" contains some
interesting ideas, but it’s limited by an amateurish exploration of
grittier territory and falls well short of success. Damon Seeley
C+
Karma to Burn "Karma to Burn" (Roadrunner) Industrial samples
spliced with gothic chords hinged on heavy metal riffs provide the
basis of Karma to Burn’s drudgey sound. A comforting companion to
any fan of Ministry or Metallica, Karma to Burn’s debut album is
sure to appeal to many angst-ridden 14-year-olds in southern Idaho.
Yet, there has always remained a certain raw, carnal lure to
hearing dark currents of reverberation spin out of control. Then,
once the ominous strummings have sucked you under, the cold,
distant song "Twenty Four Hours" grabs hold, a chilling throwback
to the hollow sound of Joy Division. The driving beats that ensue
speak of the inward anxieties a misunderstood soul feels when
bottling up every sinister emotion usually let loose in daily life.
Ugh.
Even the most happy-go-lucky of individuals will feel moodily
intoxicated by the lead singer’s low, raspy scowlings. Dripping
with ghoulish cynicism, he pronounces judgments of guilt upon the
indifferent masses like Satan at his fiery pulpit. Grr. Vanessa
VanderZanden B
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