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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 8, 2004)
Indigo girls bore, Minethirtyseven shows potential ‘All That We Let In’ by the Indigo Girls is rather dry, but locals Minethirtyseven make a good punk effort By Ryan Nyburg Senior Pulse Reporter Once again, folk rock seems to be suffering from a distinct lack of rele vance. After a revival in the 1980s, the style has since fallen by the way side, and for good reason. Most dissatisfaction that first made folk rock such a powerful medium. The latest release from the Indigo Girls, "All That We Let In," is an unin tentionally sad testament to this loss. Apart from folk rock as a genre, the album is not worth much on its own. The music is clean-cut and bland from beginning to end, so much so REVIEW modern folk rockers have lost the power of protest or the sense of that it's hardly noticeable except as a mood setter. This musical dryness puts all the weight on the lyrics, which alternate between laundry lists of re lationship quibbles and vague politi cal protests. All of it is lighthearted enough to be likable, even if it does n't have much of an impact. Courtesy The Indigo Girls’ album “All That We Let In” doesn’t take chances musically or lyrically. The lyrics just never strike any hard notes. They’re too vague to have any specific meaning but not abstract enough to encompass any larger con cepts. And while there are hints of a I;.1 Courtesy Minethiryseven's EP reveals the band's influences and strengths. The local rockers play tonight at the Black Forest Tavern. political agenda, the band makes no serious stands. "Do we tether the hawk or do we tether the dove" is about as direct as it gets. The music expresses a severe case of complacency. Nothing in the album isn't musically safe, and no chances are taken either lyrically or composi tionally. The music has no edge and nothing new to offer, meaning that it serves no purpose other than as radio filler. While it might be listenable, in the end it means nothing. Now for something a little more off the beaten path. Local punk band Minethirtyseven has just released a self-titled EP in which they at least make an attempt to do something new within their niche. Ihe band gen erally plays straightforward melodic punk, but makes things a little more interesting by including slightly more complex arrangements than the stan dard three-chord riff. The experiment doesn't always work, however, either because the band isn't ambitious enough to take it all the way or because they don't yet have the ability to do so. Either way, there is a lot of potential in the group, provided they work through some of the problems that are evi dent in this recording. One of these issues is the band's obvious Pixies influence. Like most bands inspired by that particular brand of indie angst pop, Minethir tyseven has trouble making the sound their own. At least they don't actively plagiarize from "Doolittle," unlike a number of mid-1990s bands I could mention. Overall, the pluses outweigh the minuses on the EP. One standout track in particular is "In the Event of a Water Landing." The song has a rough guitar sound and a killer chorus that propels it to a climax of sustained bor derline chaos. It's the real powerhouse track on the recording. So, while the band is still at a stage where they could either become worthwhile or just another processed emo done, they're worth looking into. If they learn some better instmmental and lyrical chops before their next recording, they could really set the aty on fire. They'll be playing tonight with Yeltsin and Pelletgun at die Black For est Tavern, located at 50 E. 11th Ave. Contact the senior Pulse reporter at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com. Courtesy Leon Johnson’s “Faust/Faustus in Deptford" will be shown at the Colin Raugh Thomas O’Fallon Memorial Lecture in Art and American Culture tonight at 8 p.m. in 177 Lawrence Hall. Johnson is an associate professor of art at the University. FAUST continued from page 8 film festivals, including the Rain dance Film Festival in London. Johnson is glad his film was chosen as the topic of discussion for the me morial lecture. "The project is a good fit since it draws on so much literary and musi cal discourse," Johnson said. "It real ly represents a complete humanities project in a really lovely way." Those in charge of the lecture feel the same way. "We don't typically use people from the University of Oregon for this lec ture," Oregon Humanities Center Asso ciate Director Julia Heydon said. "But given the amount of notice the film has gotten nationally, we thought it would be good to give it some local attentior The lecture will take place in 177 Lawrence Hall and will include a r showing of "Faust/Faustus in Deptford." The lecture is free and open to the public. Contact the senior Pulse reporter at ryannyburg@dailyemerald.com. During the Month of April Come Join the Fun! Be^V/ki/hop 13th& Lawrence* 683-1300 • wwM.bergsskishop.com Musique Gourmet Classical Music Opera Broadway Filmscores CD's SACD'S DVD'S Open Noon - 5:20 Sundays Noon - 4:00 Closed Tuesdays Behind Bradfords Across from Library 942 Olive St. FREE PARKING 349-0461 018475 Special Spring SAVINGS We accept UO purchase orders %ixza Pipeline 12" Two-Topping Pizza Two 22 ox* Sodas ft Tricky Stfat FREE DELIVERY mw N° ” %izza Pipeline 16" One Topping Pizza Four 22 oz« Sodas FREE DELIVERY Eugene: 686-5808 valid with any other offer Expires 4/30/04 Eugene: 686-5808 valid with any other offer Expires 4/30/04 ^Pipeline Eugene: 686-5808 *wc&caX W* *11 ancarlo Guerrero, Conductor hn Corig liano. Composer tz Gearhart, Violin Don't miss a stunning evening with Pulitzer and Oscar winner John Corigliano. Hear evocative excerpts from his gorgeous film score "The Red Violin" and hit opera "'Hie Ghosts of Versailles." Tickets going fast! Hull Center 682.5000 EMU Box Office www.eugenesymphony.org
