Monday, June 8, 1998
Soundbites
MUSIC:
The Smashing Pumpkins, "Adore" (Virgin) For those of you
awaiting a sequel to the Pumpkins’ classic, "Siamese Dream," the
Chicago threesome have created "Adore" to obliterate such
expectations. This new album, the first SP album recorded with the
help of a drum machine, maintains a quieter, poppier atmosphere
reminiscent of the softer material from their 1995 opus, "Mellon
Collie and the Infinite Sadness." Throughout "Adore," one can here
the enduring influences of past hits like "1979," "Thirty-Three,"
and "Eye" (from the "Lost Highway" soundtrack).
While the Pumpkins’ screechingly melodic trademark helped them
become one of alt-rock’s leading bands, the more mellow "Adore"
undeniably continues singer and songwriter Billy Corgan’s tradition
of talent-heavy, emotionally-driven musicianship. In fact, his
signature roars, snarls and blaring guitars are nowhere to be
found. Instead, a refined, touching vocal approach (evidenced in
"To Shiela" and "Crestfallen"), an emphasis on electronic elements
(like the delicious eccentricity of "Pug") and moments of
helplessly catchy, Cure-esque pop (see the standouts "Perfect" and
"Appels + Oranjes") give the Pumpkins’ sound a welcome
facelift.
Except for the extremely closed-minded, most fans of the
Pumpkins and alt-rock will appreciate this symbol of artistic
progression. It reinforces the notion of the Smashing Pumpkins as
one of rock’s last hopes. Mike Prevatt A-
Tricky, "Angels with Dirty Faces" (Island) It’s hard being a
misanthrope, and it’s harder still when gifted with musical talent.
Tricky’s debut album, "Maxinquaye," rewrote the book on trip-hop.
Soon as word spread, Tricky quickly distanced himself from it for
rawer pastures.
On his latest, "Angels with Dirty Faces," Tricky, with help from
long-time partner Martina Topley-Bird, consummates a form of
trip-hop stripped of pretentious posturing. It leaves the music
bare and shivering in its emotions.
Tricky’s music belongs in ghetto bars with ghetto patrons; where
the cigarette smoke wafts and fogs the air, the drinks are served
hard and people simmer in their own dark depression. The disc is
also cleaner and produced with accessibility in mind, unlike 1996’s
"Pre-Millennium Tension," but it’s also not as smooth as
"Maxinquaye."
As usual Tricky’s vocals roll-out like sandpaper scraping gravel
until he goes into frenetic ranting. Tricky has not re-embraced
trip-hop with this album, but uses snippets here and there, adding
melody and tone to rough cuts like "Money Greedy" and "Record
Companies." Bird keeps the disc from completely entering oblivion
with her restrained lyrics, somehow finding the beauty in Tricky’s
dirty songs. "Angels," is a reward for fans who stuck it out
through "Tension," and a reaffirmation of why Tricky was once
hailed as a musical genius. Trinh Bui A
Various Artists, "Can’t Hardly Wait" (Elektra) Toss your books
into the fire and throw away all the vials of Tylenol and Vivarin
… it’s time to Par-tay!!!
Riding along the current wave of top-selling soundtracks such as
"Titanic" and "City of Angels," Elektra Records slams into the fold
with "Can’t Hardly Wait." Remarkably entertaining, the album’s
attractiveness is based largely on its big-name talent and
highlighted newcomers. And while this album may never be seen as a
classic-in-waiting, it is perfect for all sorts of crazed activity:
uncontrolled head-banging, shouting like a ravin’ lunatic, dancing
and dare it be said, getting plastered.
Listening to this soundtrack is like eating at the Rio Carnival
Buffet in Las Vegas: there’s something here for everyone. For those
of us who miss the simpler days of music, songs by Guns ‘N’ Roses,
Parliament and Run-DMC represent their eternal appeal. Need
something a little bit more modern in the genres of rock or
hip-hop? "Can’t Hardly Wait" offers the likes of Third Eye Blind,
Blink 182, Busta Rhymes and Missy Elliot to fulfill the desires of
even the most stubborn music critics.
Oddly enough, for a compilation that is extremely upbeat and
fast-paced, the song that stands out the most is Dog’s Eye View’s,
"Umbrella." Slow and somber, its delicate guitar chords and soft
drum beat are perfect for kicking back and drifting off to la-la
land.
Keeping in mind that this is a soundtrack for a movie about a
graduation party, this is a record to have fun with. After enduring
another year of lectures, papers and finals, each of us deserves to
take a break. This album aims to please and for the most part, it
succeeds. Teron Hide A-
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, "The Best of Nick Cave & The
Bad Seeds" (Reprise) Dark, twisting, churning, gripped with pain
and wrought with emotion, the world of Nick Cave unfolds in his
sixteen-song "Best of …" work. Spanning the fourteen years of his
solo career, the work provides a riveting sampling of the
beat-singer and songwriter extraordinaire’s intensely formed music.
Snatching choice pieces from his previous 10 albums, the
culmination offers a wild, heartbreaking tromp through the
backstage of carny rides to the bell towers of hidden chapels to
the howling winds of barren lands no one should have to tread.
Fitted on the album according to what sounds best, rather than
chronological date of release, the tracks flow smoothly into one
another. His more compassionate, later works offer a downtrodden,
stabilizing pause to the more jarring, madness-laced pieces of the
early-mid eighties. Kicking off with the out-of-tune, explosive
jumbledy-humbledy sing-a-long song, "Deanna," the album may have
audiences questioning the musician’s talent. But by the very next
work, "Red Right Hand," where Cave shrieks like an enraged,
cloaked, nighttime road traveler ready to slit some throats, they
will decide that he is merely deranged. Odd noises circle around
his unwholesome tracks, offering a psychotic circus of intriguing
ear candy. On a quest for love, half-dying in his mission, needing
the death that comes with throwing his soul in a pit, hoping to be
lost in someone else, lost enough in himself, swirling through
building rhythms, spilling messily over emotions, sick with
himself, sick with life, sick with death … the man can do a
number on you. He can sneak up on you and tear you apart, if you
don’t watch out. Vanessa VanderZanden ATHE SMASHING PUMPKINS
"Adore"