Monday, February 9, 1998
Soundbites
David Poe, "David Poe" (550 Music) Acoustic-style rock artists
often face the threat of falling into the hole of dull folk tunes.
Artists like David Poe, however, jump right in without a rope. In
his debut album, Poe’s collection of pathetic love-lost ballads
weigh down the potential of his few instrumental highlights.
His few good songs do not carry the album’s unsuccessful
experiments with various styles. For example, "Telephone Song"
starts off as a soft, thoughtful blues melody that culminates in a
sour attempt of the big pop-song finale. Awkward and uninspiring,
it kills what could have been a great song. "Apartment" shows Poe’s
talent with its guitar solo, but its clumsy, wannabe Latin flavor
is the song’s downfall.
The lyrics of the album are embarrassing. Far from touching,
they reflect more the thoughts of a bitter woman who’s just been
dumped. Even worse, they sound like someone who should be
committed. "Silver Eyelashes" proclaims: "This is a song about the
end of our lives. Don’t get me wrong, baby, I want you to die …
If I can’t have you, I don’t want anyone else to."
Poe’s back-up musicians hold the only element of excitement in
the album. Great guitar moments loom in the background of the songs
"Moon" and "Settlement." Sim Cain’s drum solo in "Bloody" also
livens the stale monotony of the song’s insipid rhythm. But if you
don’t listen hard enough you can miss the only really good parts of
the album. Take advantage of these precious minutes. Poe doesn’t
create them often. Michelle Zubiate C
Various Artists, "Music From the Motion Picture ‘The Wedding
Singer’" (Maverick/Warner Bros.) OK, how many ’80s compilations are
they going to make? More specifically, how many ’80s soundtracks
are they going to release? We had the double threat of the two
"Grosse Point Blank" soundtracks and the "Romy and Michelle’s High
School Reunion" collection recently. Now there’s "The Wedding
Singer," a movie that actually takes place in the ’80s and focuses
on the music, more or less, of that era.
Overkill, maybe? Nah. Of course we’ll keep buying these
collections, just as you should buy "The Wedding Singer" if you’re
a fan of ’80s New Wave. And this gathering of ’80s flashbacks
certainly makes up one of the best New Wave collections ever
made.
All the essentials are here. It’s like a Richard Blade
"flashback lunch" on disc. The Smiths’ gloom classic, "How Soon is
Now?" makes its appearance, as does seminal pop hits "Blue Monday"
by New Order and "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" by the
Police. Not convinced yet? There’s "Hold Me Now" by the Thompson
Twins, "Love My Way" by the Psychedelic Furs and "Do You Really
Want to Hurt Me?" by Culture Club.
Not that "The Wedding Singer" is flawless. Some moron gave the
Presidents of the U.S.A. permission to cover the Buggles’
MTV-launching classic, "Video Killed the Radio Star." Ellen Dow’s
handling of "Rapper’s Delight," originally by rap pioneers the
Sugar Hill Gang, doesn’t do the real deal justice, nor does it fit
into the New Wave theme very well. Adam Sandler’s "Somebody Kill
Me" also disrupts the flow, but at least the song’s funny. But
these are hardly reasons to dissuade anyone from checking out a
great compilation for ’80s alt-rock fans. Mike Prevatt B+
Limp Bizkit, "Three Dollar Bill, Y’all$" (Flip/Interscope)
Looking at the band’s name, songs, and the title of its album, Limp
Bizkit goes out of its way to prove how festive it is to be
fun-loving slackers. This free and easy quintet’s combination of
hard-core metal/funk infusion laid over Beastie Boyish rapping
captured the underground’s ear and has quietly moved into the
mainstream consciousness (it’s currently on Billboard’s Heatseekers
chart). Bizkit’s stint of the ’97 Warp Tour further helped spread
the buzz on the band. For the most part the album lives up to the
billing.
Bizkit is strictly a one-dimensional band playing incredibly
loud and aggressive music. Vocals furnished by Fred Durst strike a
well of raw, controllable energy that conjures up fond head-banging
memories. The guitar and bass work on "Pollution" and "Stuck"
invigorate the songs with riotous impulses, making up for the lack
of melodious originality. Bizkit’s cover of George Michael’s
"Faith" replaces the R&B strumming with in- your-face guitar
riffs morphing the song into a tongue-in-cheek metal anthem.
Not everything on "Three Dollar Bill, Y’all$" is all good. Limp
Bizkit, in its all-out attempt to be energetic, forgot to craft
songs that are worthy of such diligence. The songs are devoid of
any legit lyrics, and most of the tracks sound like close relatives
of each other. They create the same frenzy that Rage Against the
Machine can induce, but the content is far lacking. Limp Bizkit’s
saving grace is the amount of intense emotion that it delivers in
each song. As evident on the disc, Bizkit’s live performances must
be joyfully chaotic as equally vacant. Trinh Bui B-
She Moves, "Breaking All The Rules" (Geffen) It was bound to
happen: Spice Girl wannabes (no pun intended, really). But how can
a group want to be an act that’s already a group of wannabes?
She Moves is like an early ’80s trio composed of styles a la
Debbie Gibson (the pre-"Grease" years, mind you), Cyndi Lauper and
Stacy Q. Every now and then a hint of Pat Benatar pops in, but only
on occasion. Sadly, compared to the sounds of the other three, the
Benatar-esque interludes are a blessing in disguise.
The group’s appearance says it all. Complete with a big-haired
redhead biting her finger, mouth agape; a black sequined
bustier-dressed diva (tired extensions and all); and a heavily
made-up, bare-midriff queen, the cheesy album cover makes even Tori
Spelling look good. Ouch.
As for the actual tracks, well, let’s just say hearing one song
means that you’ve basically heard them all. While "Breaking All the
Rules" is a slightly sugary-sweet and catchy tune full of
fluttering altos (and a detectible Sony sing-a-long keyboard in the
background – you know, like the one you got when you were, like,
10), "Wouldn’t It Be Good," "Just For Tonight" and just about every
other song (all seemingly titled after those teen magazine
articles) sound like a remix of the first. For that matter, maybe
they are. Nerissa Pacio D
DAVID POE
"David Poe"