SoUnDsALVaTiO KiRbYfErGuSo

Brutal Youth

Elvis Costello

(Warner)

Despite reuniting him with the Attractions for the first time since 1986's Blood and Chocolate, Elvis Costello's Brutal Youth (3) sounds closer to the baroque-pop of Mighty Like a Rose than the spare brilliance of My Aim is True. Since those stunning early albums Costello has pretty much been in a tailspin, erratically hopping from genre to genre and tantalizing us with albums brilliant

enough to suggest that his best music is not |

necessarily behind him. With last year's The Juliet Letters, a collaboration with the | Brodsky Quartet, Costello eloquently i executed what is normally the most revolting of all concoctions: the pop/classical hybrid. Gorgeous in its restraint, grace and simplicity, the album exposed a vital and unexpected new facet of Costello -- but | with typical impatience, Costello has i abandoned that direction and reunited with his original backing band, the Attractions. / Supposedly inspired by listening to his Ryko rereleases, Costello doesn’t seem to have learned.a.thing.from listening to those eatly albums -- Brutal Youth is showily clever, | forced and busy. While his melody- -making has ¢ertainly been more bracing, the album does deliver a barrage of hooks that most songwriters could never dream up; but | Costello isn’t content to let his melodies stand on their own, needlessly dresses them up in masses of overdubbed vocals and rushes of sonic stunts. It’s a shame, too, considering the\quality of songs like “Kinder Murder,” “Yéu" Tripped at Every Step,!" “Rocking Horse Road” and “Sulky Girl.” Still, he could have pulled it all off if his singing weren't equally overwrought.) Sounding méré nasal and ugly than ever, Costello -- like Bob Dylan, also one the possessor of a very unique, nasal voice -- has become a self-parody. When he doesn’t Push so hard Costello can still sing, land he can certainly still write, but Brutal Yputh only frustrates us with its uncut (or maybe verpolished) diamonds.

} j

= subsequently has been recently honoure

j largely of slick, contrived, modern r&b.

5 ys sound like anyone; Stevie Wonder is

A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield: By

_ Vario s Artists ~ we et oe We eS (Warner) - ee So sy | : =

With the Impressions, Curtis Mayfield was. the driving force behind one of the 60's | greatest soul groups. He was paralysed jin a freak stage accident in the late 80's, ie by

uy the Grammys i in some sort of way. We | now have this tribute album featuring a host of inoffensive heavyweights: Eric Clapton} Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins. A Tribute to Curtis Mayfield (3) consists

Hearing such transcendent stuff turned i pleasant lite soul is a tad offensive, but | Mayfield’s material seems invulnerable to

bul th most inept of performances: the

in/fine voice, but his rhythms percolate i ing like he’s on autopilot; Whitney ouston is Whitney Houston; Gladys night is Gladys Knight. Meanwhile, Bruc springsteen, Stewart and Clapton, among others, do some solid reinterpretations. | sure ain't the real thing, but it's all right.

| |

The Downward Spiral Nine Inch Nails

(Warner)

Trent Reznor has to learn that the straighter he plays it the better. Reznor has yet to top “Head Like a Hole,” in which he ignited his white noise with a genuine melody and dance beats. The rest of the less-than-wonderful Pretty Hate Machine suggested that Reznor was a popster at heart, but Nine Inch Nail’s latest, The Downward Spiral (3.5), seems to indicate that Reznor’s musical. goal is simply to frighten us with abrupt blasts of aural shrapnel. Fortunately, he succeeds, though there's no kind of structure to offset Reznor's formidable onslaught of automated chaos, and his lightning-like mood swings will leave many a few moods behind. But as always the utter intimidation of it is impressive. As a lyricist, Reznor displays the same philosophy: shocking and numbing us with disturbing images of sex and violence, often combined. Misanthropic and narcissistic, he’s a bitter bore, and despite the chilling qualities of Reznor’s electronic apocalypse, The Downward Spiral would only get more potent with added structure.

oe

Superunknown Soundgarden (Polygram) Soundgarden continue to get better and better as their songwriting improves, relying more and more on melody and dynamics than sheer volume. Superunknown (4) is their tastiest batch of rifforama yet; there's an overwhelming grandeur to this band's guitarchitecture. The way “Spoonman” kicks into overdrive towards the end floors me. At seventy minutes, though, it’s tough to stay at the level of songs like that or “Let Me Drown” or “My Wave,” and the band still sometimes seems a little plodding and single-minded, but the majority of the time Superunknown is devastating.

Mellow Gold

Beck

(MCA)

The one-man band Beck seems poised to become the next big thing on the college scene: “Loser” is an addictive single and the new album, Mellow Gold (3.5), is a fun, diverse affair displaying influences from Clinton (George, that is) to Dylan to Zeppelin, which should have a little something for everyone. The sleepy, bluesy stuff is okay, but he's the most fun on the Beastie Boys-ish hip-hop cuts, like “Loser” and “Beercan.” The guy has a winning melodic way about him, even at his most abrasive. His stream-of-consciousness lyrics are pure Dylan and | find them quite interesting, and sobering, in their complete and total meaningless.

Time’s Time

Dead Reckoning

(BMI Canadalnc.)

The trio of Dead Reckoning have done very well with their most recent release Time’s Time. Performing what could for the most part be classified as alternative music, they have an acoustical sound which gives them a very original and pleasing product. Though you probably won't hear their material on the charts or over the radio, Dead Reckoning shouldn’t be missed. At the very least, a 3 out of 5.

—Dana Dennis

l

(x,press marchfifteenth 1994 page e2i

| Top IS

= 9 a > ws

Artist 1. Sarah McLachlan

Title Fumbling Towards Ecstasy

God Shuffled His

2. Crash Test Dummies

Feet | 3. Ramones Acid Eaters 4. Crowded House Together Alone 5. Anna Beaumont Rise Above | 6. Skydiggers Just Over the |

| Mountain |

¥: The Lemonheads 8. The Cranberries

Come on Feel Everybody Else

1S: 9. Teressa Doyle

Stowaway

10! Tom Gallant Clean Get Away 11{ Alice in Chains Jar of Flies | 12! Marc Lanegan Whisky for the

. Holy Ghost | 13) The Boo Radleys Barney (and Me) 14) Cub Betti-Cola 15! Entombed Wolverine Blues

CIMN News

For those of you who somehow missed last week's article in this paper, I’m writing this article to let you know what is going on at CIMN. CIMN T-shirts are at the printers, and will sell for around ten dollars. All CIMN volunteers are invited to the Student Union's Year End Banquet. If you are a Student Union Volunteer and do not get an invitation, call the Student Union. If you are not a volunteer, drop by the third floor of the Barn, fill out|an application form, and become one. This station has recently sent all information

~ needed for the technical brief to the engineer

who will be doing the brief. This brings us one step closer to getting an FM license from the CRTC. ,

| Reserve Saturday, March 26 for the last CIMN music pub of the year. The Stand GT, from Ontario, and several other bands willlbe highlighted. Don't miss it. Until next time, keep listening.