Hunting Season
(10/05/01 4:00am)
What do Mos Def, a Dean Martin wannabe, a sultry alto and a jazz guitar virtuoso have in common? Probably not a lot, but when they get together, they make some damned good music.
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What do Mos Def, a Dean Martin wannabe, a sultry alto and a jazz guitar virtuoso have in common? Probably not a lot, but when they get together, they make some damned good music.
I caught your show when you guys were at the Cradle in June, and it seemed to me that you were sort of the wild card of the band. I mean, you played the tin whistle and the harmonica and a little bit of everything. Are you still going to be doing that on the Vertigo tour?
Back in the day, Superchunk were known for creating their own raw brand of indie rock, defined by ragged guitar riffs and rock-out chords that said "Hey, look at us, we're a cool indie rock band. We have no need for fancy production or diverse instrumentation!" And it was good.
orget about what Bono said at last year's Grammys: there's a new band competing for the title of Best Band in the World. They're fat, they're foul-mouthed and one of them is bald. They're Tenacious D.
Armed with a Casio, glow-in-the-dark face paint and some ridiculously gigantic headgear, Japanese trio eX-Girl will take on the lazy indie-rock scene at Go! Studios in Carrboro next Tuesday. The Tokyo trio, known for their fluorescent stage shows as well as their offbeat lyrics about frogs and spaceships, is in the middle of their third U.S. tour, and Go! is next on their hit-list. Are the stoners ready for this?
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There is really only one way to listen to Bjsrk's new album: lights off, candle lit, lying naked in bed, staring at the ceiling with your soul bared to the secrets being shared. That's because Bjsrk is so utterly open here, both lyrically and vocally, it seems like she's performing in some techno-ethereal peep show, wearing only a swan and a smile. And you wouldn't want her to be the only naked one, now would you? Judging by the vulnerable space she places herself in over and over throughout Vespertine, Bjsrk has no problem baring it all. The stark sensuality on every track brings to mind the voyeuristic pleasure of not only hearing but watching someone sing in the shower. It's powerful, but it's also uncomfortable, almost making you want to ask Ms. Gundmundsdottir to please put some clothes on before she goes traipsing around on those glaciers. Vespertine is an earthy concoction of electronica, music boxes and angelic choruses, with lyrics not to be taken lightly. On "Cocoon", Bjsrk describes nighttime bliss with a lover: "He slides inside, half awake half asleep... when I wake up the second time in his arms, gorgeousness: he's still inside me!!!!" Lyrics of this erotic potency aren't for beginners in the game of love, and Bjsrk makes it clear that she is no neophyte. Yet surprisingly, the most tender expressions of her passion aren't always sexual. She sings of her love for her son and her fondness of solitude with as much fervor as she speaks of things passed "from a mouth of a girl like me to a boy." What she doesn't express through her unabashedly sensual lyrics, she manages to convey with a whispering, at times hesitant, delivery that contrasts beautifully with her usual gut-driven wail. Compared to the power-drenched ballads of previous releases like Post and Homogenic, Vespertine's songs are much more vulnerable, although the distinction between vulnerability and weakness is always clear. At times, it seems like Bjsrk's telling secrets not meant for mass consumption, confessions that somehow managed to escape her lips before she could stop them. The result is a beautiful if unnerving portrayal of the ways love plays tricks on our sense of security. On the album's last track, "Unison", Bjsrk sings, "I thrive best hermit-style, with a beard and a pipe, and a parrot on each side. Now, I can't do this without you". She then repeats "I never thought I would compromise" over and over again, like a mantra for the battle between intimacy and self-sufficiency. Apparently, even Bjsrk has to self-sacrifice in order to enjoy the delicacies of love.
Tricky, Blowback
In the economy of pop music, nothing holds more currency than the image. Lets face it--the exposed midriffs and spiked blonde highlights we see in videos, posters, live concerts and more are a hell of a lot more important in helping an artist achieve star status than the music itself. A pop icon must be stylized, poised, groomed, polished and molded into an easily marketable product, ever-prepared to amuse fans with a sassy quip or mildly entertaining scandal, preferably involving another member of the glitter-and-metallic-shirts clan.
Fifteen years ago, Jane's Addiction were the ultimate rock stars. Born out of the mid-80s post-punk scene in L.A., their 1987 eponymous debut and its 1988 follow-up, Nothing's Shocking, paved the way for their superstar status. In 1990, Ritual de lo Habitual earned them commercial success and secured their place at the dinner table of great rock musicians.
We've got another music editor named Kelly coming in next year-Kelly McVicker, of first semester associate music editor fame. From her perch in her study abroad program in sunny Los Angeles, here are the faves of next year's music mastermind.
8. Badly Drawn Boy - The Hour of Bewilderbeast
6. Paul Van Dyk - Out There and Back
2. Radiohead - Kid A
10. U2 - All That You Can't Leave Behind
7. The Sea and Cake - Oui
9. Le Tigre - Le Tigre
3. Ween - White Pepper
5. Sleater-Kinney - All Hands on the Bad One
1. Primal Scream - Exterminator
4. Outkast - Stankonia