|
|
 Sound Corner: New releases by Beck, Nas, Tonic, Rob Zombie, Third Eye Bland |
by Tom Snyder
Correspondent |
Midnite Vultures
Beck
(UNI/Geffen/DGC Records)
Last year around this time, Geffen Records made a big stink about Beck’s then-latest, Mutations, not--they repeat, —being the official follow-up to 1996’s Odelay, the album that single-handedly took alternative rock to therapy.
What a bunch of bull. Mutations was a gorgeous bottle of ear freshener that offered as much Beck for your buck as Odelay.
Oh well. Now all the folks with technical diamonds up their cans can rest assured, because the ever-so-esteemed “official” follow-up is here, queer and sounding very, very cool.
Strings? Spoken word? Soliloquy? Fugeddaboutit. Midnite Vultures isn’t as memorable as Odelay or gutsy as Mutations, but it ain’t ‘sposed to be. This is a party record, a celebration of disco for the antidisco set. The tracks may be more stacked than a lego mansion, but where these vultures fly, art is a four-letter word. Don’t use it here. Don’t even think about it — hell, don’t even think. Just soak it all in. It’s just that good.
As in the past, Beck’s motions are so catchy that they immediately send the music to your subconscious. Five minute songs (and most of them are) feel like two, and almost everything has the makings of a radio staple. For once, that’s a compliment.
So put this one on shuffle, and play it any way you like. Just be sure not to pass up “Hollywood Freaks,” a whimsy apocalyptic romp in which Beck and Kool Keith, one of the best and wildest rappers in the game, trade licks on the mic. For those who can’t handle one of the best duels of the year, “Sexxlaws” will make any head nod; ditto for “Pressure Zone.” And anyone who has seen the stage show will recognize the high-pitched yearn of “Debra,” the album’s soulful nightcap. The man has a vocal range that would make even Pavarotti green.
Beck is a performer with so many corners that every album defines a new genre. Would another Mutations, perhaps one that will be appreciated more, be worth our time? Hell yes, and it better happen. But until then, Midnite Vultures is Beck at the top of his game, winning ugly and having the time of his life. Pack your headphones, because you’ll be hanging with this one for a long time. - Billy O'Keefe, Viewpoints/New Media Editor
Nastradamus
Nas
(Sony/Columbia)
Don’t let the name of this one scare you back to your Bible; Nastradamus is not a dreary millennium prophecy but a statement, a declaration of the party and how it shall be held. At its worst, Nas’ latest passes off some filler that still sounds decent; at its best, Nastradamus will break your ankles, it rocks so heavy. Lace up those shoes.
Mobb Deep pops up on “Family,” an anthem of rap solidarity that Shawn Combs has been dying to write for a few years now, while the hostile strings ‘n’ beats of “Come get me” features some of Nas’ tightest mic work to date. And if you need to ease some of that premillennium tension, let Dr. Nas ease your fears on “New World’s” unlucky track 13: “Now it’s back to the caveman era / When we made fire by two sticks rubbing together / The truth is many are scared of new data / America Online cut off, see you later.” Clearly, hoarding raw meat and emptying bank accounts isn’t everyone’s New Year’s resolution.
In a land of posses (witness the generals Master P, Jay-Z, Combs and Dr. Dre, and their armies of seemingly millions), Nas is the Lone Ranger, going solo but still doing it better than most. When the man is in his zone, few do it better. - Billy O'Keefe, Viewpoints/New Media Editor
Blue
Third Eye Blind
(WEA/Elektra)
Sugar
Tonic
(UNI/Universal)
It took people an awful long time — almost two years — to realize just how terrible a band Third Eye Blind really is. It won’t take that long this time: Blue, the band’s follow-up to its criminally popular self-titled debut, is music’s answer to fresh-melted blue cheese: It stinks, it’s messy, it has no purpose, and anyone who picks it up is in for a nasty burn.
Tonic, on the other hand, seems to understand that the sophomore slump isn’t something you fall into on purpose. The band has dropped an album that is every bit as sweet as its title and miles more fun than its so-so debut from three years ago. There’s nothing here as forcefully catchy as the band’s commercial breakthrough “If you could only see,” but Sugar shows us, with such yummy nuggets as “Sunflower“ and “Waiting for the Light,” why that’s not such a bad thing at all. - Billy O'Keefe, Viewpoints/New Media Editor
Hellbilly Deluxe
Rob Zombie
(Warner Bros.)
Rob Zombie seems to have it all together. In terms of music, he accomplishes everything that he sets out to do. He left his first band, White Zombie, without missing a beat and released an impressive first showing for a solo act, Hellbilly Deluxe. Not only that, the man wrote all the songs, co-produced and acted as graphic artist on the project. He seems to have control over his entire universe and that’s something that not many musicians can say. In addition, he seems to have great fans. Rob keeps them happy by touring constantly (it does cost about $30 to see him--ouch).
With all this going for him, it seems a bit unusual that he would choose to release an album like his second disc: American Music Made to Strip To, available from Geffen records. Rather than releasing another album of fiery new material, he has released a disc of re-mixes of the tracks from Hellbilly Deluxe.
I guess it’s not that surprising–we do seem to re-mix just about everything these days. The really horrible part is the music. Zombie has always had a very electronic edge. In these re-mixes, he has gone off the techno deep end, and the result is a lot of weak versions of his once hot songs. I really liked Hellbilly Deluxe and even looked forward to hearing the re-mixes of the songs. Only the re-mix of “Living Dead Girl” lives up to the original version. Everything else is a staggering departure.
I can see two possible explanations. Perhaps, Rob wasn’t completely satisfied with the sales of his first album and so decided to release it again with some cool new art that he threw together (the album art for American Music is all Zombie and includes photos of his live show. It’s the best part of the album.). The other explanation is that Rob is trying to gain a listenership within the electronic community, which I don’t see as likely to happen. Most electronic fans don’t listen to Zombie and wouldn’t go out shopping for one of his discs--unless persuaded by some kind of review in some kind of newspaper.
Whatever his motivation, if you own and like Hellbilly Deluxe you have no need for this new album. If you are not a fan and want to check out his stuff, pick up Hellbilly Deluxe or any of his extremely long titled releases with White Zombie. If you read this review and still really want to pick up American Music made to Strip To, come to me--I’m already sick of my copy and will sell it to you for $2.50.- Charlie Umland, Correspondent
|
|
|
