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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 2000)
PULSE EDITOR: MONICA HANDE U2’s latest release shouldn't be left behind ■ U2’s 10th LP proves more sophisticated and less in-your face than their earlier albums U2 ‘All That You Can’t Leave Behind’ Interscope ★★★★☆ By Rebecca Wilson Oregon Daily Emerald Twenty years ago, four scrappy hooligans from . Dublin’s urban wasteland released an album called “Boy”; an abrasive, political debut full of adolescent rants and religious confusion. There was even some Gaelic thrown in. You could tell they were trying to be The Clash. It was 1980, after all. In the proceeding years, the young band developed and showed they could retain their political con science and even sell a few albums along the way. And now, with the release of their 10th LP entitled “All That You Can’t Leave Behind,” U2 has proved once and for all that they can evolve al most as fast as Microsoft and far more successfully than Madonna. In a characteristic move, the lat est album, released Oct. 31, is vastly different from earlier efforts. In the weeks (OK, months) leading up to the album’s long-delayed release, the word on the street was that the album would feature a stripped down sound and a back-to-basics theme. Fans eagerly awaited the re lease of another “Joshua Tree” or “AchtungBaby.” Fools. About the only thing that is stripped down about this album is the cover art. “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” sounds nothing like the rock classics of the late ’80s or even the band’s more recent proj ects. But if you hated the 1997 elec tronic dance opus that was “Pop,” be sure to check out this gem of an album for a listening experience like no other. The album marks the reappear ance of the production dream-duo of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, last heard in 1991 on “Achtung Baby.” The complex layers of sound form thick, sensual,,energetic rock; cer tainly not stripped down or simpli fied. The music definitely isn’t for the lazy listener — true apprecia tion demands full aural attention. Eno and Lanois’ collective genius can be felt in every musical nook and cranny, from the delicate strains of the mellotron — a first for U2 — on the intro to “Kite” to the swirling throb of the album’s first single, “Beautiful Day.” But even if this album doesn’t sound like any of its predecessors, it is still uniquely and unmistakably U2. Look for “Elevation,” the ener getic highlight of the album, which is reminiscent of “The Fly.” And gui tarist The Edge’s trademark guitar chime rings clearly on “Walk On. ” Frontman Bono’s lyrics are as pro voking as ever on the majority of tunes, such as “Beautiful Day,” which celebrates Jubilee 2000, a cam paign to forgive the debts of develop ing countries: “See the Bedouin fires at night/See the oil fields at first light/See the bird with a leaf in her mouth.” But some of the songs’ words fall short, such as those on “Wild Honey”: “In the days/When we were swinging from the trees/I was a monkey.” But even with a few lyrical lapses, Bono drives his words home with his powerful voice and fa miliar falsetto. So don’t listen to the people who are disappointed that “All That You Can’t Leave Behind” didn’t actually mark a return to the anthems of the mid-’80s. The album features top notch songwriting, sophisticated production and a lovely listening experience. New release in a jam: King Black Acid tries to go pop ■ King Black Acid and the Starseed Transmission is fence-sitting between a rock and a pop place King Black Acid ‘Loves a Love Song’ Cavity Search By Josh Ryneal Oregon Daily Emerald King Black Acid and the Womb star Orchestra released their first al bum, “Wombstar Sessions,” in 1995, and the Northwest music scene was lulled into a druggy trance. Running over an hour but only containing three songs, “Wombstar Sessions” was recorded off of a largely improvised set at Portland’s KBOO radio station. KBA and the Wombstar Orches tra decided to go their separate ways in 1997, after two more albums, and those who had fallen in love with the band’s transcendental space jams were disappointed. But they soon had reason to rejoice when King Black Acid was resurrect ed in 1998. Their newest incarnation, King Black Acid and the Starseed Transmission, has just released their newest album, “Loves A Long Song,” an offhand reference to the band’s penchant for extremely extended im provised jams. However, this album is a depar ture from KBA’s previous efforts. Shorter, tighter songs, linear song progressions, and even (gasp!) pop hooks all make an appearance on “Loves a Long Song.” Frontman Daniel Riddle’s voice is a little too airy for the slabs of in dustrial rock the band lays down, but fans of the band won’t really pay attention to that. They want to rock, and KBA lays it down for them in spades. The deceptively mainstream al bum opens with “Butterfly Bomber,” a somewhat successful modern-rock songwriting effort that features a lulling guitar hook that morphs into a buzzing noise attack. The band brings back echoes of Pink Floyd with “Kiss the Beast,” not only with their psychedelic im agery but also the vocal effects and echoing guitars. The album’s standout track, “GentleCollapse (Feels Good),” cre ates a great atmosphere with its swooping guitars and keyboards. But like many of the songs on the record, it suffers from the malaise of being too long. KBA has tried to move away from the spaced-out jams of previous al bums with “Loves A Long Song,” but they are stuck somewhere in the middle of being a jam band and a pop band. Die-hard fans will proba bly be put off by the new KB A pop sensibility, while new listeners probably won’t have the patience to sit through the whole album. 010612 IDB3 The Campus Video Store Outstanding selection of new, foreign, cult classic, children’s, adult and other hard to find videos DVDs. Your choice of 2 or 5 day rentals Great prices on used movies for sale Free popcorn Reservations gladly accepted Gift certificates available Still locally owned EASY TO FIND! 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