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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1987)
Yogurt Shop MOW at the Comet 8 Flavors ★ Fresh Fruit, Candy and Nut Toppings * Open early • Open late Across from the UO Bookstore • 345 5566 BUY YOURSELF A LITTLE FREEDOM BUY A YUGO.*90“ PER MO Purchase a new Yugo GV lor $4399 50. put $440 down and wtth credit approval make 60 $90 payments. 12.5% APR. DUNHAM YUGO VALLEY RIVER EUGENE 345-1511 Rough Hewn Shin $68.00 • Rough Hewn Skin $60.00 Ralph Lauren IVmm Jacket SllS.tX) Belt hy Ralph toiurcn & Shoulder Bag by lini\a □ MUSIC Releases represent best, worst selection The Oregon Daily Emerald would like to thank Mike McAdams and the Record Garden. 927 Willamette St on the downtown mall for providing several of the albums reviewed below. The Icicle Work* If You Wool lo Ikifeat Your h'nnmy Sing His Song Beggar's Banquet The Icicle Works have made a lot of changes in its sound since the hand released its self-titled debut album a few years back. That one consisted of an almost minimal musical background: a lot of guitars and basic drums. And then- was a very nature orientated theme throughout By Carolyn l.ainberson the album, as shown in the in dividual song titles: "Whisper to a Scream (Birds Fly)," "As the Dragonfly Flies,” "Factory in the Desert" and "Nirvana." On “If You Want to Defeat Your Enemy...,” the band takes a different approach Mom specifically, it makes a progres sion from a band trying to find a distinctive sound to one that has found a distinctive sound "The Icicle Works" was an album that seemed to proceed the recent (Hipularity of groups trying to espout values of the t>Os in both message and musical style (like the Dream Academy and most recently 10.000 Maniacs). While "...Defeat Your Enemy..." still has its basic roots in the tiOs. this record is much more rock n' roll that its predecessor. Songs like "Evangeline" and "Understan ding lane" have that irresistible beat that made the band a hit in its native England, Vocalist-guitarist Robert Ian McNabb's intriguing vocals highlight this record, as does his guitar performance Bassist Chris laiyhe and drummer Chris Sharrock's steady, solid rhythm section add the other important component of any album with groat success. However, don't think under all the rock there isn't a thought. That's not the case at all. "Sweet Thursday" sounds as if it took many of its themes from the John Steinbeck novel of the same name. "Up Here in the North Of England" is an in sightful look at "life in a nor thern town," so to speak McNabb and company put the national battle between the Brilish political parties on a local level, and make careful observations at the difference between countrymen. All in all, this is a solid American release from a band who has hit it big across the Atlantic. The Icicle Works has avoided the dreaded sophomore slump. And if this album doesn’t break the band in this country, all it has to do is keep up the progression. At this rate, the next record's going to lx; a knockout. Heroes Here We Are RCA I must say 1 had some high ex pectations for this record. Fron ting Heroes is Darren Cost in, whose departure as Wang Chung’s drummer after the release of that band's best record "Points on the Curve" seemed to trigger a degenera tion from the interesting to the mindless. Maybe Costin had taken that old Wang Chung sound and improved it, I thought. I was disappointed. "Here We Are” started pro misingly enough. The first chords of "Driftaway” were vaguely reminescent of Wang Chung’s "Don’t last Go.” Hut as the song progressed, things went rapidly downhill. The song is horribly over produced; so much so one can’t even understand Costin'* vocals. It’s a good thing the record com pany included a lyric sheet. As the needle moved across the grooves. Costin was more vVi'ow/ / (and ( lothimi A decade of service A iv \[ \\ able coiuvpt IX'iniur, Ni-w Wave m fashion shopping. and Carver Stvlvs \\ e BL \ . trade and consign daily! Call tor Appi, (SO CSt r>0 arrivals everyday) H>0 t. 1 llh Ikiuan Mill anj Hint *44-70 W Hfv 10*6 MttivNii. understandable, but a lot was being drowned out in a sea of monotonous drumming and repetitive guitar. The bad even reaches the level of the ridiculous on "Liv ing on a Time Bomb.” The background music is complete ly forgettable, but Costin isn’t. His vocals reminded me of a young George Michael and An drew Ridgely trying to be tough rappers on “Young Guns (Go For It).” As a matter of fact, a lot on this album sounds vaguely familiar — too familiar. “My Heart Beats” could almost dou ble for Wang Chung's "Let's Go,” off of the latest “Mosaic" record. But maybe that can be attributed to the fact Wang Chung's bassist Nick Feldman co-wrote many of "Here We Are" tracks with Costin. Well, regardless of the rhyme or reason of if, "Here We Are" is no way to present a new hand to the public. I suppose it'll make good dance room fodder Aside from that. Heroes take a fall Silencers A l.elter from St. Paul RCA It's easy to see why Silencers thanked Elvis Aaron Presley in the liner notes of "A letter from St. Paul.” The band's straight ahead music owes much to Presley, at least in the days before he became a fat, annoy ing Las Vegas celebrity. The overall production of this record is clean and clear And the musicians: Jimme O'Neill, guitar and vocals: Martin Hanlin, drums; Cha Burns, guitar; and |oe Donnelly, bass, knit together an interesting lit tle record highlighted by the re cent hit "Painted Moon." For a band that writes a lot of up beat melodies, the subjects of the songs are nothing light and fluffy. "(]an't Cry" is a desperate plea for attention with McNeill singing "So I sit here insane on the floor/And 1 make up my mind who to kill." Pleasant thought, huh? Yeah, well, "Bullets and Blue Eyes" is even better. What starts off sounding like a nice, pleasant ballad turns to a fast-paced at tack on violence in the home (a child who plays with toy guns) and the the consequence of life in the nuclear age. However the band isn't pretentious about it. like so many politicized bands these days.And even without the message, the music itself makes the song exciting. These guys sure do seem facinated with the spiritual relm. Not that they are a Chris tian band. The songs seem to mention religion, God. angels and the such but do not preach or glorify. And they don't pre sent a negitive position about a certain belief either. It's simply used as a base or subject. But its there and it can be thought provoking. That's refreshing in these days when everyone is ready to scream if someone so much as criticized another per son's beliefs. Turn to Review, Page 15C
