Oasis (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (Epic) This is British pop at it’s best. Nowadays British music is stereotypically bubblegum rock along the lines of Blur. Although the bands of that genre are great, it is refreshing to hear something a bit harder like Oasis. With amazing songs like ‘Morning Glory’’, ‘‘Wonderwall’’, and ‘Hey Now’’, this album is a definite winner. Their style has not changed much since their very successful first release, “Definitely Maybe’’, and this is something is definitely supersonic. (4.5) -- Melissa Buote Sonic Youth Washing Machine (David Geffen Company/MCA) Over the fifteen year span of Sonic Youth’s career one thing they are definitely not losing is creativity. This album is very upbeat and fast through most of it like most punk bands but there is a reason that Sonic Youth is the most popular internationally: style. SY just keeps getting better and better as time goes by staying true to their style and not conforming to the commer- cialism of most pop bands. The CD is well worth listening too whether you like hard punk songs or ballads. Good across the board. (4) -- Melissa Buote Various Artists Mallrats Soundtrack This CD is really. . . good. The music is really great but the fact that they Put in one-liners from the movie kind of Tuins it. Big hint to movie makers: avoid putting the stupidest lines from your movie on the soundtrack too. Why ruin both things? The music is superb, ranging from artists like Sponge (now known as Smoother) and Thrush Hermit from up here in Canada, to really big name American bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers. If it was hot for the movie quotes this would be a Winner. G.5) -- Melissa Buote #-* Bs eC ERE November 28 music lovers should be thankful for. Oasis ACRACVWEE BY Dandelion Dyslexicon (Ruffhouse/Columbia) This CD is so cool! Talk about a talented band. Well...to a certain crowd of music lovers anyways. Anyone who pays attention to the North American music scene has noticed the second coming of the British Invasion. Bands like Blur, Oasis, Elastica and Radiohead have all gained major footing in the American market in the last few years and this is the type of sound that Dandelion has to offer. Don’t get me wrong, they are not British -- they are a good ole Yankee band -- but if you like those aforementioned bands, you will probably like Dandelion too. ““Weird-out’’ is a great song, but those of you into main stream music (a la Mariah Carey) should avoid this CD because ‘‘Weird-out’’ is probably the way you would describe the CD. But I like it. (4) -- Melissa Buote Len Super Star (Funtrip Records) Len! Len! Len! This CD will leave you shouting for more. It’s a combination of trippy soul, hip hop and just about everything else you can think of all wrapped up in a young Canadian band. The song ‘‘Candy Pop’’ totally blows me away every time I hear it. There is no way anyone could not like this album -- there is something to like in it foreveryone. What makes it even better is that Joel Plaskett of Thrush Hermit plays drums on two of the . tracks and sings with Chris Murphy of Sloan on another. Anything with a Hermit or a guy from Sloan on it is automatically on my A-list. If you see it, buy it. There are not too many and they are definitely worth having (the blue fuzzy case makes it even better). (5) -- Melissa Buote Various Artists Mortal Kombat Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 8 PANTHER PRINTS Guide to Christmas CD Shopping Various artists Strange Days: Music from the motion picture (Epic) This soundtrack feature a diverse variety of tracks with such artist as Peter Gabriel, Lords of Acid, and Me Phi Me. The music fits the movie perfectly -- hard driving and frantic. The CD starts off with a great song by Slunk Anansie ‘‘Selling Jesus’’. Some of the music is too bland and repetitive but there are enough good cuts to make this soundtrack worthwhile. Check out the song ‘‘Hardly Wait’’ by the movie’s starlet Juliette Lewis. Her music is definitely better than her acting, but that really is not saying much. Regardless of your feeling on Ms. Lewis talents, try this CD if only for Ralph Fienne’s sexy eyes on the cover. --D. Murray Symphonic Pink Floyd: — Us and Them This is a symphonic orchestra performing Pink Floyd rather than Pink Floyd performing orchestra music. It is a 72 minutes of music adapted from Pink Floyd songs. Although it contains no lyrics, it does have the same flavour as the original compositions. This CD is very relaxing and I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys purely instrumental music -- Coralie Gill Rick Shadrach Lazar & Montuno Police Touch Percussion, Percussion, Percussion! That about sums up this CD. Using an assortment of styles from jazz to African, Rick Shadrach Lazar and the Montano Police have created a fun CD. The music is all instrumental until the last song. The only flaw with this recording is the attempt at rap on ‘Yo Drummer’’ but if one skips that song the rest of the CD is a real treat. -- Coralie Gill Page 11 The Beatles Anthology: volume one (EMI Music) I was not born when ‘‘The British Invasion’’ started, or when the Beatles played the Ed Sullivan Show. In fact, the Beatles released their last album in 1970, 3 years before I was born. However, I grew up listening to their music and I can’t help but dance when I hear ‘‘Twist and Shout.”’ Lately, the Beatles have made a comeback of sorts, in the form of this anthology and a TV special. The big selling point is a new song entitled ‘‘Free as a bird’’. This was a demo recorded by John Lennon before his death. The mono recording was reworked to add in Paul, George, and Ringo. This appals me, regardless of the quality of the finished product. While I am sure fans would love to hear more from the Beatles, do we really need posthumous recordings? Volume one of this anthology is huge, with 57 tracks spread over two CDs. Several tracks are little speech excerpts which can be skipped over. On to the music -- many common favourites are present, like ‘“Twist and Shout’’ and ‘*8 Days a Week’’ but there are also several demos and less common tracks. Many of the songs are from their live appearances and feature out-takes which are fun to hear. I will not make the pretence of attempting to critique this music. Most of the world knows whether or not they like the Beatles and those of you who have never heard of them can go home and listen to Tiffany mangle ‘‘I Saw Her Standing There’’. This anthology is a fun album, it is truly an overview of the band -- not just a “*best of’ album. However, if you are only a marginal fan, you may find it a Beatles overload. I highly recommend these CDs and I can’t wait to hear volume 2. Neat fact. In 1964 the Beatles held the top 5 slots in the Billboard Charts: 1. ‘‘Can’t buy me love’’ 2. ‘‘Twist and Shout’’ 3. ‘‘She Loves You’’ 4. ‘‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’’ 5. ‘‘Please, Please Me’’ -- A. Chisholm Based on the motion picture by the same name this CD is designed to be played loud. It contains songs from a variety of artists and features two versions of the title track. My personal favourites are ‘“Goodbye’’ by Gravity Kills and ‘‘Burn’’ by Sister Machine Gun. This CD is definitely for anyone who enjoyed the movie. -- Coralie Gill PEACPRSESSR ERE eRe eee re 200442 et Ea te Oe Raha tah hobs Bake ke bah SERB eee