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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (May 13, 1994)
SOUND OFF How the Ml did I got stuck with this7 Is thorn anything morn diffic ult to do than review a new Sonic Youth album7 I haw* never been a big fan of Sonic Youth Ou a aionally they t ome up with .1 tong that ac tually ha* an ampli» amount of catch mess to it ("Cool Ttung," EXPERI MENTAL JET SET ABTIST Sonic You!! UB£l DGC For diehard Sonic Youth tans For average Joes "Sugar Kane," "Goo,"}, but I've always wondered just how this band got suc h a huge under ground following Why do so many people say Sonic: Youth is suc h a great band? I mean, they were sloppy before it was popular to be so In fact, they am the ones that made it cool. So who worn the pooplo who first jumped onto the Sonic Youth express’ Who were the ones who first said. "Hoy guys, listen to this album. It's two people with boring voices singing over guitars being played with tongues It 's great!"? Who knows Now they are an alternative insti tution. So anyway, if this wore a CD by a new band, I would probably trash it. But, of course. I would write it off ns a Sonic: Youth ripoff band I liked Sonic Youth's previous two albums (Goo and Dirty) but the reason 1 liked them was that they both were leaning more toward mainstream than their previous releases Diehard Sonic; Youth fans, however, generally seem to think those two albums represent the band's plunge into major label sellout status So the fact that 1 don't think their new album Fsperimental Jet Set. Trash arul So Star is up to par with their last two releases bodes well for the rabid followers of Sonic; Youth. It means that the new one is more like the older stuff and therefore s more appealing to the fans of old school Soon Youth With that in mind hare are the songs that turn my crank on the new one (remember these are the catchier songs on the album and thus are the ones true1 fans likely will scuff at) Bull in the Heather " is the song I found myself singing over and over after I listened to it n cou plet of times Neat drums and a pretty little guitar break, plus ! usually prefer the songs where kirn Gordon does the singing Sc reaming Skull sounds |ust like Nirvana s Big Cheese," so ot course I like that one 'Waist and "Quest For The Cup" also are very cool songs I admire Sonic Youth because they know exact ly what they want to do, and they do it W hat oth er band would be allowed by a major record label to put five postcard-like inserts inside the cover that fall on the floor when you open the CD? II you've loved Sonic Youth from the start. I have to believe you'll love this one. If you want to buy the now one because having Sonic Youth on your CD shelf represents your alternative music; hipness. so be i! If you like music for musk:, and not for the to-hell with-the establishment attitude, you'll Find Sonic Youth's now album entertaining at turns, hut weird and. ves truly annoying at times lust ask the Erntraki staff mouthers who wore tr\ tttg to write stories while I was listening to the ( 1) for this review • DAVE CHARBONNEAU Oath f Music ians have a 'sound.' something about them that makes their music stand out Mavis- it s songwriting, mayiie it's how they sing or the how they play, hut it's always some thing And thankfully, in 'Swamp Ophelia, the latest release by the Indigo C.trls, they haven't aban doned their sound.'— the solid songwriling or the creative instrumentation that keeps them from laong just another folk duo with guitars SWAMP OPHELIA ★ ★★★ AflTIST Indigo Girl; LABfl Epic t nr a I imi ill s songs Itlt ludu onus on Iovk, growing up and occasional stx ini issues The most notable of these is 'This Train k('visited, an updated version ol the spiritual. 'This Train Is Round For f'.lhrv ' What used to he a good-times, dap vour-hands sort of song is now a tense and searing condemnation of the Holocaust with startling and disturbing images The duo's songwnting is a good blend of th«' abstract and spin ific with songs like 'Dead Man's Hill,’ which combines lyrics like "Talk to me face to face lying on the bright blue lumping mat dinner bell is ringing, harking dogs and model planes/ and the sound of passing trains with the more abstract Don t you write it down remember this in your head' don't take i picture rememiier this m vour heart Their versatility is apparent is well on songs like ' 1 ouch Me Fall, w inch in the ourse of oniv i few os:-,i , cal style to another \ string cpiartet blends into vocals w hich blend into something that < on Id sound psychodwlii but doesn't quite make it before the song ends with 'mss drums and two electric guitars The diversity in sound is helped hv the assort ment of bucking rnusn tans the duo assembled int hiding a string quartet on some trm ks and a trumpet and fliigelhom player on others The percussion moves beyond the cxpm led rock and roll drum set is well and includes an assortment of other instruments like bongos, tri angles, snare drums, timpani and a marimba all of which would usually be found bat king the New York Philharmonic or a high school hand rather than two women with guitars The intelligent songwnting and creative instru mentation makes this an album Indigo (.iris fans will want and probably an album that will create some new fans as well MEG DEDOLPH O'egon Doily (me'aki n,. •<C*ITJ AVARAtU AT TW* MU1T CANTf A (01 OMICt OX CMAKGI IT fMOMI. 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V’ «st “OPCN 7 DAYS" 687-0139 “ 7*01 * *'i fc r ’ m„ u* m UO School of Music's World Music Series presents Music for a Small Planet Presenting an evening of traditional music and dance from many cultures: Eastern Europe—Slavej —Oregon Ethnic Dance Theater North India—Doug Scheuerell South India—Raman Iyer Kuwait—Amer Jaafar China—Mei-Kui Chen Japan—Yuhji Takeuchi Chile—German Maquehue Peru—Monica Rojas Saturday, May 14 8:00 p.m. BEALL CONCERT HALL TICKETS: $10 General Atfncsswn, $8 Students & Seniors; available at the door For more Info: Mark Levy (346-2852) or Nancy Blake (485-8466). Co-sponsored by the UO Office of International Affairs
