Cyrus McNally McNally is a fourth-year
neuroscience student who is currently developing some
high-dimensional matrix analysis software to predict folding
patterns for every protein in the human body, thus creating virtual
man. E-mail him at [email protected].
Hey there. I must say, as an avid popular music
appreciator/critique/aggrandizer extraordinaire, I am quite excited
about the next month, as many old favorites will be releasing new
albums. Aging giants Depeche Mode and R.E.M. promise something of a
return to their “earlier work” (both circa 1990), while
Radiohead is expected to deliver exactly what its hardest fans
want: the unexpected. Although we now at least have something to
look forward to, in the middle of all the Napster ruckus and the
boy band/girl idol revolution, many worthy albums managed to slip
by largely unnoticed by the college campus population. In this
episode I would like to go over what I would consider to be a few
of such albums, some of which you might not have ever heard of, and
some of which you probably have heard of but maybe not actually
heard. They all hit the shelves less than a year ago, and might
have broad appeal, which would quite possibly have been broader if
they were released on a different weekend or with a different
advertisement agency. If nothing else, let this column serve to
help expose you to some music you might never have known existed,
and being the intellectually-adventuresome UCLA student you
probably are, you might not be so content living in a static,
normalized environment. And good for you, because normal is boring,
and change is life:
Underworld, “Live” (V2)
The sound of the European club scene has never been so elegantly
captured as on Underworld’s first live album. Although the
revolutionary electronica outfit has been making club music a genre
of its own for more than a decade (remember “Born
Slippy” from the Trainspotting soundtrack?), Underworld has
never really broken it big, coming closest with 1994’s
“Dubwithnobassinmyheadman.” Separating it from your
run-of-the-mill electronica band are a nonsensical yet impassioned
vocalist, a guitarist left over from the band’s ’80s
days of new-wavery, and aptly high production quality standards.
“Live” features a live mix of some of the band’s
bigger smashes (including “Born Slippy,” “Push
Upstairs,” “Cowgirl” and “King of
Snake”) set against processed vocals, synthesizer effects
wizardry and devilishly enveloped guitar riffs; all merging
together to recreate the feeling of actually being in a club
““ granted that the album is played loud enough. The lush
tones, pulsing rhythms and steady beats of “Live” are
perfect for an apartment party, a pre-club gathering or just for
spacing out to after that last quantum mechanics midterm.
Modest Mouse, “The Moon & Antarctica”
(Sony)
With this latest release ““ the group’s first for a
major label ““ Modest Mouse helps bring respect to the word
“emo.” While emo (short for “emotional,”
referring to a heartfelt version of poppy grunge) has had trouble
taking off from the ground ““ with new releases from other
emoists like Sunny Day Real Estate and Jimmy Eat World falling flat
““ Modest Mouse keeps the indie dream alive. Blistering guitar
work, frenzied drumming and a warm bass tone throughout “The
Moon & Antarctica” prove that you don’t necessarily
need more than three instruments to kick some butt in this day and
age of synthetic pleasures and musicianless craftsmanship. Songs
like “3rd Planet” and “Tiny Cities Made of
Ashes” can’t get much poppier, yet are kept from
oversimplification and dullness by well-placed structural flecks of
the avant-garde. While a few tracks might be a bit morose for the
indie-rocker and a bit slow for the emo fan, most tracks are
well-confected explosions of sonic pop energy, picking up where
bands like Pavement left off, except with an even more interesting
lead singer. In fact, lyricist Isaac Brock’s eerily
pre-pubescent, yet frighteningly confident voice can’t really
be compared to many others, besides (with a stretch) that of the
Cure’s Robert Smith.
Steely Dan, “Two Against Nature” (Warner
Bros.)
What’s that you say? Steely Dan won a Grammy this year? For
best album? Yes, that’s correct. But have you heard
“Two Against Nature?” Do you know anybody who has
(besides your parents)? Steely Dan might regard themselves as two
of the biggest Caucasoid pimps to ever roam the West Coast, but
this is no longer the ’70s. Granted, times have changed and
it’s probably cooler to be able to play two turntables than a
classic instrument at a virtuostic level and definitely cooler to
just spew what’s on your dirty mind than subtly relay it
through extensive metaphors, but Steely Dan are still definitely
worth checking out. Frontman Walter Fagen still comes off looking
like a dirty perv. With subjects ranging from pedophilia to illicit
drug use to vampirism to incest, comparisons of lyrical material
have been made with the likes of rap entertainer Eminem. But when
asked how his lyrical talent compared to the Slim Shady’s in
a Rolling Stone interview, Fagen coolly responded,
“favorably.” Now how many other self-respecting,
Grammy-winning musicians would say something like that? Well, not
enough, but Steely Dan lead the way by beating out Eminem for a
highly competitive Best Album Grammy this year. And let’s not
forget about the music. Since its early-’70s conception,
Steely Dan has been making jazz-rock fusion cool by adding soul and
R&B influences ““ all without going over the top. While
the band might be pretentious, impersonal and downright full of
itself, it reigns supreme at making the kind of music you would
want to play on that second or third date while driving west down
Sunset Blvd. to the ocean. Much like the rest of its catalog (its
previous album came out over 15 years ago), “Two Against
Nature” is “mood music” at its best possible
definition: sleek, skillful, mellow and polished. Well, I had a
long list that I was going to continue, but I’m almost out of
space, so I’ll just leave you with synopses for three more
exemplary albums, which you just might like if you liked the sound
of any of the aforementioned titles:
The Shapeshifters, “Adopted by Aliens”
(Celestial)
Paving the ground for psychedelic hip-hop that doesn’t suck,
these Los Angelenos combine De La Soul and A Tribe Called Question
with a pinch of Wu Tang to produce some beaty mind candy.
Air, “The Virgin Suicides” Soundtrack
(Astralwerks)
This French duo takes the most accessible of Pink Floyd and
combines it with studio tech wizardry to provide a macabre film
with a classically-futurist soundtrack.
A Guy Called Gerald, “Essence”
(K7)
One of the original forefathers of electronic music returns to
release a mixture of sweet vocal pop space sonatas and
paradoxically ambient drum “˜n’ bass excursions,
resulting in probably the most profoundly innovative electronica
album of the year. Well my friends, that about wraps it up for this
time, and while I’m sure there are dozens of great releases
that I, as well as the charts, missed, I hope you’ve been
able to do some exploring on your own while the whole Napster thing
is blowing over and before the new Radiohead album comes out. Now
if you’ll excuse me, I must return to my cave, where I
cantankerously fiend in anticipation of its arrival…