Thursday, February 25, 1999
Sound Bites
MUSIC:
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, "Live At Luther College,"
(BMG)
After three major releases, the Dave Matthews Band (DMB) has
become fairly established with its own brand of folk world music.
Just as this style may begin to wear thin on some audiences,
Matthews has revealed a totally different twist to his own songs.
Recorded in 1996, the full-bodied sound of his usual quintet is
traded in for that of an intimate acoustic duo.
Matthews provides vocals and guitar, and longtime collaborator
Tim Reynolds, a featured guest on past DMB albums, complements him
perfectly.
Most of the songs from the two-disc set are taken from the DMB’s
first two major releases. While it would seem that the material
would suffer without the horn and string augmentation that the full
band offers, it does not in the least.
Matthews’ voice is as warm as ever, lending a rich, personal
feeling to each tune. The recording is particularly well done,
capturing the intimacy and emotion of the performance with acoustic
precision.
Reynolds’ sharp lead on "Typical Situation" sounds just the same
on CD as it would live, and Matthews’ calculated drawling of
"Dancing Nancies" could not be more authentic sounding.
The less familiar material, such as the opening track, "One
Sweet World," or "Deed is Done," is interesting, but is not nearly
as impressive as the re-working of the popular material.
The melding of "Jimi Thing" into "Pantala Naga Pampa" is
particularly notable, with Reynolds replacing both violin and
saxophone solos with unanticipated and brilliant guitar solos. He
also turns in one self-written track, the rapid-fire "Stream."
Though more than two hours of music may seem to be a bit of an
overdose, strangely enough, it isn’t. The pair keeps things moving
and mix songs up well enough so the tracks speed by, making the
finale of "Two Step" seem to come too soon. As it fades away, it is
as if the concert has come to an unexpected halt. Rather than
growing monotonous, the album instead provokes a further craving
for Matthews tunes. Hopefully, he’ll keep them coming.
Brent Hopkins
Rating: 9
Underworld, "Beaucoup Fish" (Formula)
The band that brought you "Born Slippy" (that beatalicious
10-minute single on the Trainspotting soundtrack) is back with a
new album of dark, trancey dance music – perhaps a little wiser and
definitely a little better. Underworld returns for 1999 with the
progressive "Beaucoup Fish," to be released in early March.
Originally a New Wave duo in the ’80s, Underworld released two
albums with little acclaim before recruiting revolutionary
mix-master Darren Emerson. It was Emerson’s new up-tempo hardcore
sound that helped usher-in the future of house music in England,
and ultimately, in the states as well.
Underworld’s biggest previous success comes from the
Trainspotting sleeper "Born Slippy," which helped further propel
the band into famedom. Although "Beaucoup Fish" is sure to outdo
it, the 1997 extended play, "Pearl’s Girl" broke the band through
to the U.S. audiences.
The first single off of "Beaucoup Fish" is the quiet "Push
Upstairs," which builds soothing layers of synth washes around an
eclectic mix of samples and a rather subliminal beat. This track,
along with a couple of other tracks in the first half, do not
prepare the listener for the furious trance breakbeats which await
them on the other side.
Songs like "Bruce Lee" remind one of a trance-like Depeche Mode
at their gothiest, while tracks like "Skym" (which asks, "Do you
still feed the animal?") and "Winjer" could pass for an
intellectualized Orbital. Lyrics abound with oblique sexual
connotations: removal of clothing, boyfriends, bad breakups,
phallic gestures – not to mention the occasional samples of heavy
breathing, groaning and cooing.
Probably the album’s most intense moments can be found in the
very last track – the seven and a half minute "Moaner." The song
starts off with your regular Goa Trance beat, slowly building up
synthesized layer upon layer, until the mind cries for no more.
That’s about when the vocals come in (which are, by the way,
surprisingly pleasant for the average electronica outfit).
Even if the lyrics only barely make sense, the music does make
sense, and is definitely worth emptying the penny jar for.
Underworld is to be enjoyed by any mind-altering electronica lover,
and even fits the party you’re planning to throw.
Cyrus McNally
Rating: 8
The Interpreters, "Back in the U.S.S.A." (RCA)
This is like Greenday. You don’t need it. If you’re like the
people on most UCLA dorm floors, you already have it. The thing is,
that album homogenizing, migraine rock beat, coupled with the
prudent brevity of the song writing, are the only things going for
this album.
Any other Euro pop trio with a fetish for throwing obnoxious
horn arrangements over indulgently trite rock anthems would
probably draw their songs out to four or five minutes. These guys
don’t take themselves that seriously. These are quick, disposable
mosh tunes. They know that if the songs were any longer, they
wouldn’t sell any records. It’s that or they all have attention
deficit disorder.
Sometimes the songs are downright hilarious. If they were any
longer, these guffaw-inspiring "whoo-hoo!" "Hey! Hey! Hey!" and
"whoa, whoa, whoa-aa-oh-oh" back up vocals wouldn’t be such an
effective punchline to the kitschy pop themes. Here’s some lyrics:
"You are the one, one for me. We could be one, beau-ti-ful-ly,"
repeated four times. English accent. Snotty little pre-pubescent
cousin of the Gallagher brothers. You can either laugh at it or
with it. There’s a pervasive feeling that one big inside joke was
the basis for this whole album.
But don’t waste time reading all that crap in, this is just a
rocking album of songs that average two minutes and sound like the
Kinks, just more bratty, nasal and British. And it’s not half as
good.
Their gimmick is pretending they’re secret service agents. The
album jacket is designed like a passport, and has information
inside about secret spy frequencies sandwiched between AM and FM
radio, and how to beat lie detectors by stepping on a tack in your
shoe or giving exaggerated responses to the control questions.
Since you’re not 15, this album might not be for you. This is a
great album for getting hungover vagrants off your couch in the
morning, along with Ornette Coleman. But don’t really buy this
thing. Go get some Fugazi or something instead.
Wes Medina
Rating : 2
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