Monday, 4/14/97
Soundbites
Soundtrack "The Saint" (Virgin) This is where the much-hyped
movie and the over-hyped "electronica" fuse for a killer, hypnotic
soundtrack that perfectly showcases what is being proclaimed as
"the future of music."
There are some extremely infectious dance songs on the "The
Saint." The Chemical Brothers give us their absolutely fabulous
"Setting Sun," a bombardment of synth guitars, pounding drums and
blaring keyboards, this time minus the vocals of Oasis’ Noel
Gallagher. "Pearl’s Girl" is classic Underworld, an atmospheric,
ambient techno sound a lot like their classic "Born Slippy" from
"Trainspotting." Moby, the king of techno, gives us the dizzying
"Oil 1" with its furious beats firing beautifully. And newcomer
Daft Punk offers their thumper, "Da Funk," destined to be a
dance-floor classic with its hip-hop funk, buzzing guitars and
catchy rhythms.
The other 10 songs are either fine offerings of mellow dance,
ambient music or relaxed acoustic rock numbers that can serve as
time-outs between the blitzkriegs of beats and rhythms. David Bowie
hands over one of his better "Earthling" songs with "Dead Man
Walking," and both Orbital and Dreadzone dabble with the ambient
genre here too. The only slightly banal songs featured on "The
Saint" are Luscious Jackson’s "Roses Fade" and Everything But the
Girl’s "Before Today."
If you’ve thrown your last corporate rock magazine against the
wall in frustration because you still don’t know what the hell
"electronica" is, then "The Saint" is the most ideal purchase for
you. But on a less superficial note, it’s a fantastically compiled
mix of eclectic songs that will all warrant some sort of body
movement and could very well be the best movie soundtrack of the
year so far. Mike Prevatt A-
Third Eye Blind "Third Eye Blind" (Elektra) All too often, bands
who try to combine energetic pop with lighter acoustic ballads end
up in failure. Their "lighter" songs put you to sleep, and the
"pop" songs sound more like metal to compensate. Third Eye Blind,
on their debut eponymous release, mixes the two perfectly.
The album kicks off with "Losing a Whole Year," a good taste of
guitarist Kevin Cadogan’s choppy playing style. His peak
performance, however, is on "Semi-Charmed Life," the
all-too-infectious first single. Lead singer Stephan Jenkins’
singing style is original but too repetitive. After a few tracks,
even songs that differ significantly in tempo begin to sound alike
just because of the vocals.
The dynamic songwriting and lyrics more than make up for this
one weak point, though. Slower tracks like "Jumper," "Graduate" and
the phenomenal "Motorcycle Drive By" exemplify the diversity of
Third Eye Blind, especially in their ability to blend heavy rock
sounds and gentler acoustic guitar in the same song. Most bands end
up at the two extremes, starting out with droning guitar-picking
while spontaneously interspersing a mess of distortion that
completely destroys the mood. Third Eye Blind has found the
elusive, happy medium between them. With such a strong debut album,
Third Eye Blind is easily one of the best new bands to emerge from
the pool of mediocre alternative music. And based on the number of
potential singles from this album alone, they might be around for
awhile. Brian Remick A-
Various Artists "Grosse Pointe Blank" (London) Usually most
soundtracks have a mood that stays consistent throughout the album.
And then comes a soundtrack like the one for the new movie "Grosse
Pointe Blank," which sounds like a tape someone recorded from a
Flashback Weekend on KROQ, then added a few off-the-wall songs to
throw things off. Most of the artists here were never meant to
share CD space.
The CD starts off with the essential modern-rock classic,
"Blister in the Sun," the Violent Femmes’ ode to masturbation. But
at the end of the disc, the Femmes come back and remix their
signature song, renaming it "Blister 2000." Now full of horns,
synthesized sounds, string sections and xylophones, it will surely
make any devout fan of the Violent Femmes cringe.
Other classic modern-rock bands make their appearance here, like
the Clash with the reggae/ ska tinged "Armagideon Time" and "Rudie
Can’t Fail," and U.K. legends the Jam, with Paul Weller’s "Absolute
Beginners." Ska-meisters the Specials contribute "Pressure Drop"
and the English Beat offer their old hit "Mirror in the Bathroom."
Faith No More appear with their funk-laden "We Care a Lot." Even
David Bowie and Queen show up for the always-welcome "Under
Pressure."
Then the misfits come in. Johnny Nash’s
feel-good-ditty-turned-commercial-jingle "I Can See Clearly Now" is
the first to break the classic alt-rock flow. Then, strangely
enough, ol’ Guns N’ Roses offer their cool remake of the Paul
McCartney hit, "Live and Let Die." The Brian Eno-esque "Let My Love
Open the Door," by the Who’s Pete Townshend is the album’s only
real stinker, making you wonder if this is really the same guy who
brought us "My Generation." And Los Fabulosos Cadillacs have their
percussion-friendly "El Matador" randomly placed on the soundtrack
as well.
"Grosse Pointe Blank" almost comes off as one of those specially
priced flashback anthologies, which wouldn’t be horrible in the
least, but then it hits us with the random oddities. Just because
the album is mixed, though, doesn’t make it bad. After the initial
awkwardness, "Blank" is a pretty cheery compilation of modern rock
must-haves and miscellaneous ditties with something on it for every
alternative rock fan. Mike Prevatt B
Run On "No Way" (Matador) Some days, you look around and see
plastic, painted faces of grinning, beaten lackeys. They flock to
classes in their shiny new clothes, dispassionately taking notes
and chattering to friends about what looks good on an application
to a job their parents think would help get them a decent career.
They don’t seem to question what the point of their attending
college is, but you do.
And then you put on Run On’s latest album, "No Way," and you
begin to remember what the hell it is you’re doing with your life
and why. There’s just something unexplainably raw about Run On’s
unsteady beats and unharmonic guitar doodlings that can’t help but
ground you. The band’s two singers, who alternate between tracks,
never really hit the right notes or keep you transfixed. But the
words, drums and idling guitar feel good. They’re like that
sensation you get when you dig your bare hands deep in the earth’s
soil and then smear the cool dirt on your cheeks and on your
stomach. It’s like visiting that cabin by the river of your
childhood where you can just walk around outside in nothing but a
T-shirt and forget to comb your hair for a week.
Throwing in violin parts at times, Run On seems closest to
finding truth when Alan Licht cracks out a somber melody. For
example, in "Anything You Say," his lost-sounding, broken voice
trails "No one hears anything we say, we don’t care, we don’t
argue/ We’ll get there/ We don’t value, anything, anything they
say." Somehow, they seem to sputter out an odd kind of
inspirational suicide note. Glum but personal, "No Way" lives up to
the tranquil intensity of their debut album released just last
year. Vanessa VanderZanden B+
Daft Punk "Homework" (Virgin Records) The first of many attacks
by electronica music is hitting America with the release of
"Homework." One of the more anticipated albums to come out of the
genre, Daft Punk creates outrageously infectious vibes with their
debut album.
Having relatively little recording experience, the Punks only
had three singles before "Homework." They are able to put together
a disc packed with tons of bass beats and funky melodies to revive
that of more established groups. The album opens up with the quirky
"Daftendirekt/ Wdpk 83.7 fm," a tune with an indescribable voice
repeating an undecipherable lyric backed by a bumping beat.
The opener leads to the first real song of the disc, "Revolution
909," a passive anthem against authority. This track sets up the
tempo for remainder of the record. A mix of jungle and funk,
there’s lots of bass laced into every track combined with
rapid-fire beats. Along with the jungle/funk, the Punks throw in
ambient noise and plays around with recording and sound
effects.
On "Around the World," the Punks muffle the song at certain
intervals, and "Fresh" has a trippy ocean wave sample that comes
down and around the listener. The first half of the disc leans
toward the widely known music that is electronica, culminating in
the radio-friendly "Da Funk," and the second half is used for
experimentation. Though the latter part of the album initially
isn’t as appealing, the break from the constant drums and bass is a
refreshing change of pace.
With "Homework," the Punks composed a laid-back disc displaying
all their musical creativity. With influences ranging from Dr. Dre
to Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, these eclectic Frenchmen have
injected their own unique blend of dance music into the dance
genre. There is more to this band than just da funk. Trinh Bui
B+
Soundbites runs Mondays and Wednesdays.SOUNDTRACK
"The Saint"