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Flesh of my Flesh, Blood of my Blood

DMX

(Def Jam)

What does out-of-no- where superstar rapper DMX do after releasing a highly suc- cessful debut album, touring on Def Jam’s Survival of the

Arts & Entertainment

Illesttour and guest appearing on countless artists’ songs. Release a sophmore album. The reason for the quick re- lease of the second CD is be- cause Russel Simmons, the owner of Def Jam is selling the label. The fans are blessed with "Flesh of my Flesh," "Blood of my Blood." ThisCD

does not reach X’s first effort but that would have almost been impossible. However, it is still a good disc. Some may feel that DMX has been com- pared to Tupac Shakur (R.I.P) because if the tattoos, bald head, rape charges, or ban- danas, but the real reasons are apparent on this CD as they

The Cadre

were on the first. On songs like "Slippin, Coming From," featuring Mary J. Blige, X raps about love, respect and life. On"Omen," which is reminis- cent of Snoop’s "Murder Was the Case," DMX raps back and forth with the Devil and it appropriately features Marylin Manson. On the final track,

¢ 19January 1999

"Ready to Meet Him" where he raps about and to God, X exhibits even more similarities between him and Tupac by this and by reciting poetry. Much of Pac’s poetry did not surface until after his death by DMxX had included his poetry on his CDs.

- Marc MacDonald

Einstiirzende Neubauten | Ende Neu | (Nothing/Interscope Records)

Although German industrial/dance group Einstiirzende Neubauten’s most recent album, Ende Neu was released in Europe in 1996, Ende Neu only made it to North America last year. It’s apity, since inmany ways Einstiirzende Neubauten can be thought of as a post-modern equivalent of Pink Floyd. Well-known in Europe for their use of a wide variety of sounds in their music ranging from drills and saws to the scratches of pens upon paper, Ende Neu is a fairly coherent album. “The Garden” — the only English-language track on the entire album—with its hypnotic chorus, is probably the most accessible track on the album, but “Stella Maris” and “Bili Rubin” are also oddly attractive.

Ende Neu is worth a listen.

- Randy McDonald —

Dada

| Dada

(MCA Music)

In 1998, Dada released its self-titled fourth album. Though they apparently had a US hit in 1992 with the oddly-named “Dizz Knee Band”, this is the first that I’d heard of them. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Dada is an excellent album. The Dada “Sound” is jaded California pop-rock music, inthe vein of The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, perhaps even Hole. The opening track “Information Undertow” — a sunny, ironic take on the mass media — set the tone for the rest of the album. Tracks like “California Gold”, “Beautiful Turnback Time Machine”, “Spinning My Wheels”, and “The Ballad of Early Grey and Chamomile” all could be Top 40 singles. The closing track “Agent’s Got No Secret” is disap- pointing, but it is also a happy exception.

I highly recommend Dada to anyone inter- ested in melodic, ironic, pop-rock music. - Randy McDonald

IC The Smugglers

2C Screaming Beavers Awanpp....

3 Soul Coughing Circles

4C The Immigrants AKwardly Mobile Re a Bh Mae

5C Volume All Star Close Encounters of the Bump Students, Faculty and Alumni are - and Grind ___ invited to submit nominations for the

6C Various Thirty Hour Famine _ UPEI Faculty Association Awards for

7C Jamie Sparks The Time | Excellence in Teaching. The

8C Noise Therapy Myton Lowrider ) awards are open to ail Laney

9 Monster Magnite Power Trip : faculty ‘members.

10C Various (Sonic Unyon) Now we are 5 . eee

11 The Delgados Peloton |

12 System of a Down System of a Down : The deadline for nominations is is

13C Kaffeine Fish Eating Grin . noon, Thursday, January 21, 1999.

14C Strawberry Brokeheart Audio | Information about the awards and

15 Korn Follow the Leader | Se forms are available at

16 MIC MIC the Faculty ET (Main

17 Placebo Without You I’m Nothin Bidg, Room Bae es

18 Xzibit 40 Daja and Nights 25 ee Office.

20C Punchbuggy My Norwegian Cousin — a

Top 20 at CIMN

Growing up Smuggler | |

The Church Hologram of Baal (True North Records)

The Church is that rarity, an Australian band with a million-selling album that actually is musically competent. The Church’s 1998 release Hologram of Baal isaslow-burning guitar-popalbum. Though~ the production is at times too extensive, sometimes muffling Steve Kilbey’s delivery, the overall mood of the album is dramatically pensive.

“Louisiana” and “The Great Machine” are probably the two best tracks on this album, with their highly atmospheric sheen. | found, though, that this album is better listened to in one sitting. Just take a cup of coffee, a good book, a comfortable chair, and relax.

- Randy McDonald