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,.
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Presenting an evening of traditional
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