Monday, November 25, 1996
DJ Shadow "Endtroducing …" (Mo Wax) "Endtroducing …" is a
collage of snippets from literally thousands of vinyl records
pasted together into a new musical composition. The remarkable
thing about these musical compositions is that they sound very
dissimilar from the actual songs DJ Shadow is sampling. In this
sense, his album is simultaneously a tribute to the past legacy of
musicians and a proclamation of his musical vision of the future.
What DJ Shadow has constructed is an entirely instrumental hip-hop
album. Without a rapper to share the audio spotlight with, DJ
Shadow keeps the listener interested with the amazing arrangements
of his samples. Drum beats are sampled, then tweaked and rearranged
as strings and keyboards float effortlessly in and out of the
groove. This album is definitely not suitable for bumping in a
Jeep, nor is it going to be a hit on the dance floors. It is a work
of musical art that must be listened to in order to appreciate.
Nelson Saldua Grade: A
Blind Melon "Nico" (Capitol) Why is it that the death of a
musician must always be accompanied by an album like this?
Following the drug-related death of Blind Melon’s lead singer,
Shannon Hoon, this supposedly nostalgic look back at the band’s
time together on the road and in the studio does nothing more than
bring out the mediocrity that encompassed Blind Melon when they
were still around. Dedicated to Nico Blue, Shannon’s daughter,
"Nico" is filled with everything from hotel-room recordings to a
song from an answering machine, none of which leave much of a mark.
Hoon’s vocals are touching at times, especially on some of the
studio tracks like "Soul One" and the lost title song from their
second album, "Soup." However, the rest of "Nico" is filled with
whatever they had left in Blind Melon’s recording collection. The
completely unnecessary "No Rain (Ripped Away Version)" takes all
that was great about the original hit single and literally "rips"
it away. Covers of Lennon’s "John Sinclair" and Steppenwolf’s "The
Pusher" are unsurprisingly mediocre. The only feeling of sadness
here should be directed toward the music industry itself for its
insistence on milking every last ounce of cash out of the public.
Brian Remick Grade: D
Shaquille O’Neal "You Can’t Stop the Reign" (T.W.Is.M.)
Shaquille O’Neal is more than a dominant basketball player Â
he is a multimedia entertainment entity, whether his venue is the
basketball court, the movie screen or the recording studio. Shaq
steps up to the microphone and delivers a surprisingly good rap
album on his own label. Detractors may say that Shaq only has a
recording career because he is a multimillionaire, and
multimillionaires do whatever they please, but there is no denying
that this is better than the average rap album. Shaq has decent rap
skills, and he has bolstered his album with excellent producers and
guest appearances by some very talented rap and R&B musicians.
The first single "Still Can’t Stop the Reign" is a smooth groove
which features Shaq and Notorious B.I.G. trading rhymes. Other cuts
feature Jay-Z, Mobb Deep, Rakim and Bobby Brown. The album also
features forthcoming artists on Shaq’s label, rapper Peter Gunz and
female R&B group S.H.E.. Shaq may not win any Grammys nor will
he ever garner a "Rhymes of the Month" selection from "The Source,"
but his album is better than most would expect. Nelson Saldua
Grade: B-
Wilco "Being There" (Reprise) Southern country rock for the
purists in the genres. This double CD contains 19 tracks of Wilco’s
honest "straight-ahead country meets ’50s- era rock," with no
filler in the lyrics and plenty of soul. Using everything from an
accordion and harmonicas, Wilco usher in some of the most beautiful
arrangements of mellow laid-back tunes you can imagine. Jeff
Tweedy’s downbeat vocals add a distinct blues vibe that gives a
sometimes melancholic character to the music. The piano adds a
smooth shine to tracks that would otherwise be swimming in the
usual syrupy country that every now and then pops up throughout
both CDs. Tweedy’s lyrics best express the vibe on songs like
"Someone Else’s Song": "I just keep singin’/ your eyes they just
begin to roll/ it sounds like someone else’s song/ from a long time
ago," exemplifying the bland feeling of about a third of the songs.
If it could be put in quantitative terms, the third of the album
that rocks does so because it takes something that’s been played
1,000 times and does something fresh with it. A third of it is too
conservative, and the other third is nice for a sedentary
lifestyle. Lyrically and vocally, Tweedy is definitely worth the
price of the CD because of the smokey flourishes, but listen before
you buy. Michael Nazarinia Grade: B
Satisfact "The Unwanted Sounds Of" (Up Records) How does a band
dive deep into the pool of ambient post-punk called new wave,
touching on every hit-and-miss ’80s artist, and still emerge with
enough air to play their own style of synth-driven rock? God only
knows, but Satisfact has done it. Their spacy art rock fuses a
fresh mix of electronic distortion, brooding vocals and groovy
rhythms into 11 ambitious tracks in the vein of Bauhaus and Devo.
Lead singer Matthew Steinke’s robotic monotony parallels Chad
States’ atmospheric synthesizers, creating a sound that sometimes
can be mistaken for the score to a Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie.
The first track, "First Incision" is especially extraterrestrial.
It begins with echoing drum beats and chiming guitars that lead to
a rocking intro of Steinke’s entrancing vocals and buzzing
keyboards. Suddenly the chorus hits, with Steinke raising his tone
and singing, "I have made the wrong incision" set to syncopating
electronics turning inside out in an eerie yet melodic way. There
are a few times though, when Satisfact seem to try to hard and lose
the interest of the listener, something that all progressive
rockers experience when their musicianship turns incomprehensible.
However, it is conceivable that if Satisfact had originated a
decade ago they would have fit in quite nicely. Brendon Vandergast
Grade: B
"Evita" The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack (Warner Bros.)
With the movie’s hype and the three talents that mold this double
album  Madonna, Disney maestro Tim Rice and Broadway godhead
Andrew Lloyd Webber  one could expect an over-the-top
soundtrack, grandiose and powerful. One will be disappointed.
Madonna is the first one to point the finger at. The most
radio-friendly tracks, the beautifully composed "Don’t Cry For Me,
Argentina" and the current hit, "You Must Love Me," made especially
for the movie, carry great emotional potential, but with Madonna’s
flat range it is never realized. The most powerful track here is
the youth choir-led "Waltz For Eva and Che." It gets more
problematic from here. The album is inconsistent and lacks any
flow, with the cheesy electric guitar-laden "Requiem for Evita" at
one moment and the Latin-flavored "Oh What A Circus," sung by a
surprisingly listenable Antonio Banderas. The Latin music seems to
trivialize the themes here, especially "Buenos Aires," which sounds
like a bad B-side to Madonna’s "La Isla Bonita." This album may
meet the expectations of a Broadway musical connoisseur, but for
the normal pop music listener and Madonna fan, this album sounds
like a bad Disney score. "Evita" aims for the sky but never really
gets there. Mike Prevatt Grade: C-
Soundbites runs Mondays and Wednesdays.
DJ SHADOW
"Endtroducing …"