Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / March 29, 2001, edition 1 / Page 9
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(Ztyi* iaily ®ar Mrd Guided by Voices Turns Sad, Accessible; Eve Hits Sophomore Slump Guided by Voices Isolation Drills ★★★★ 1/2 Artists make their best work when they’re in pain, and Guided by Voices ringleader Robert Pollard is no excep tion to the rule. The fourth-grade-teacher-to-indie rock-star has been touring heavily in the last year, following the exposure from 2000’s Do the Collapse. While away from his Ohio home, he’s been separated from his wife and family for longer stretches than ever before, and the dys function has weighed heavily on him. Fear not, Guided by Voices fans, Pollard’s quirkiness and inscrutable lyrics are still around. But the man of a thousand melodies is sad, and it shows. The new record, Isolation Drills , is a somber outing for the normally bright Pollard, as the tide suggests. The loneli ness of the road is draped over the 16 ■ De La Soul, Friday at Duke University's Page Auditorium. Masters of artful hip hop kick out the jams at a place where everyone can afford the $25 tickets. 684-4444. ■ "Arcadia," starts Friday in the Student Union Cabaret. Company Carolina's production of Tom Stoppard's play about the historical, scientific and sexual goings-on in an English manor. 962-2285. ■ Far Too iones. Runaway Cab, Saturday at Cat's Cradle. Pull on your A&F vest and get down to the pop stylings of these two area acts. 967-9053. ■ AC/DC, Sunday at Raleigh Arena. These Australian rock gods will shake you all night long. 834-4000. ■ Amy Ray and the Butchies, Tuesday at Cat's Cradle. Legendary lesbian folk rocker teams up with everyone's favorite local lesbian punk rockers. 967-9053. Frsl Tx-Mx in Noxtk CxrolmX? ARMADILLO GRILL TortilUi, EhckilixlliS, Fvcsk Sklski, Xt\d tnOKc! Com by tU Upstkirs Bkr for u/<kly specials! TV’s Upstairs! Pktio Dihihj Ekt-ih or Cfcrry-out. 120 E. MAIN STREET CARRBORO 929-M449 m Course Open to the Public Spring Specials *Mon-Thurs S2O with cart sl4 walking Friday $22 with cart sl6 walking Sat & Sun S3O after 1 lam and S2B after 3pm Book your tee times at yX. wwwsouthwickgoff c0m0r 942-0783 Directions: Take 54 West 20 miles to a stoplight. Take a left on Swepsonville Rd. and go 1 mile to a stop sign. Take 8 ri 9 ht on Swepsonville-Saxapahaw Rd. and go 17> miles. Take a left on Boywood Rd. We re 17; miles on the left. 3,36 S()UTHWICK Drive • Graham, NC 27253 Expires 4/30/01 * Valid with student or wcuuy i.p. CARDS St UNIQUE CIFTS 122 E. Franklin Street • 942-2516 Easter is right around §H§ the conil Large selection of cards, gifts and baskets. Hundreds of new cards u * and candles! c for alt clfosgital and L estate Mm^loyees songs he has submitted for your approval. But if anything, the depres sion translates into great music - the best and most beautiful Guided by Voices has produced since 1996’s Under the Bushes Under the Stars. For perhaps the first time, Pollard is writing about himself. “How’s My Drinking?” is a fight with his alcohol abuse set to sad, deliberate music. “Fine to See You” is about a melancholy visit home. Both songs are gloomy, and the better for it. Even the brighter rock songs are bit tersweet and moodily atmospheric. “Fair Touching,” “Twilight Campfighter” and “Unspirited” all have subtle hooks and a tinge of wistfulness despite their jangly sound and catchy melodies. Speaking of catchy, that’s what Pollard does better than anyone: write a song that plants itself in your head. “Glad Girls,” he has admitted, is one of DIVERSIONS the catchiest songs he’s ever written. It’s a superbly bright anthem that dares you not to sing along. The same could be said for “Chasing Heather Crazy.” He sings both with his endearing pseudo- British accent, and with gusto unbe coming in his middle age. Isolation Drills has a thick, gritty rock sound, a tweak of the maligned pop gloss of Do the Collapse. Credit new pro ducer Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith and Beck) for focusing the band’s rock edge. It’s a refreshing sound - Doug Gillard’s strong, ringing guitar - though not a return to form. The hissing, four-track all-stars of the mid-’9os are now long gone. Enter a more accessible incarnation of the band, different but equal. All the bleeding heart 10-fi fans should stop screaming “Judas!” and wake up to the best solid album their hero has produced since first breaking through. Pollard is one of the best songwriters of our time, and Isolation Drills proves he can do it smiling or crying. Brian Millikin Eve Scorpion ★★ Scorpios are known to be enigmatic, receptive, introverted and, most impor tantly, forces to be reckoned with. Just when you think you’ve got them figured ALL SERVICES FREE AND CONFIDENTIAL 1 j Pregnancy tests Compassionate post Counseling on all options abortion support Medical and community Convenient location PREGNANCY referrals Abstinence suDoort SUPPORT SERVICES Abstinence support We understand and we care . a L Lr m . 431 W. Franklin St., Ste 23, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 A member of Care Net pss@pregnoncysupport.oig Kenan-Flagler Business School 2001 Dean's Speaker Series 1 i,osc ** ,v 'wk *m. * Koury Auditorium I McCoil BijiUlimj Jeffrey B. Swartz, Presidfw r and CEO, Timberiand || The Future of the Balkan s: V Beyond Conflict & Underdevelopment A conference "X atUNC Thu. March 23: Dr Gilbert Loescher of Oxford speaks on “Refugees, UNHCR, and World Politics” (Morehead Bldg) Fri. March 30: Panels on conflict resolution, US policy, and economic development; speech by the Bosnian Ambassador to the US (Graham Memorial) Sat. March 31: Panel on international policy; stu dent-organized workshops (Morehead and Graham) For details, see www.unc.edu/depts/slavic or call 962-0901 out, they’ll stun you with their passion and spontaneity. When Eve stormed on the scene in 1998, she exhibited all of these qualities. As the first (and only) lady of the Ruff Ryders family, she was an exciting and relevant addition to a domineering posse that includes hard-core rappers like DMX and Drag-On. After holding her own on the label’s Ryde or Die Vol. 1, Eve’s no-nonsense flow and eye-catching physique helped to lift her into the small cadre of credible female rap pers. Indeed, the Philly native’s first solo effort was so widely anticipated that she became the first woman to have her debut album (First Lady of Ruff Ryders) enter the Billboard 200 chart at No. 1. With her sophomore album Scorpion, Eve certainly remains an enigma, but the only sting you’ll experience is the disbelief of having paid for this disorganized ode to played-out rap themes. The first single “Who’s That Girl?,” which is anchored by a chorus line lifted from Madonna’s chart hit, is a catchy ditty that is wholly unrepresentative of the album’s sound. One reason for the inconsistency is the rush of gritty, mean ingless tracks. Another is the simply fact that for much of the album, you aren’t even listening to Eve. Apparendy, the definition of “solo” has yet to enter the Ruff Ryder dictio- nary. Following the trend set by her label mates and her own multiplatinum debut, Scorpion has so many special guests that only two cuts are actual Eve tracks. That pair of tracks (“Cowboy” and “Girl") is the best twosome on an album that features Da Brat, Stephen Marley and Teena Marie, among many others, like First Lady, the majority of the pair ings on Scorpion are well-intentioned but ineffective. Despite her successful commercial efforts, Eve still finds herself hard pressed to prove that she’s “pretty with the heels on and shitty with the Tim boots." So there’s “Gangsta Bitches,” a promising posse cut with Trina and Da Brat that is ruined by the former’s off beat verse. Then, for three songs, Eve lets her Ruff Ryders dogs loose. Their bite isn’t quite what it was a few years back as WMIEIBaMIM, Eastgate Shopping Center Dansko^^^^j^ Birkenstock Comfortable Soles SPECIALTY STORt f I Raleigh I Y , Cameron Village S j 828-9567 S 933-1300 Open 7 days 1 j QUfitm ; | With this coupon or j UNC Student ID, get... ■ $1 OFF Dinner Buffet | ! 968-3488 1 otjuafo BOY A BAGEL, GET A BAGEL FREE! (up to a dozen total!) purchase your ~ 'Y.y choice of delicious freshly baked L mm bagel and get another FREE with this coupon. Buy as many as six l v bagels and get one FREE for each purchased. ” * 5 Limit six free bagels per customei per day. Offer good with this coupon only. Otter applies to freshly baked bagels only. Does not include cream cheese, toppings or other condiments.One offer per coupon. One per customer Not valid in combination with other offers. Expires 5/15/2001. RRUEGGER’S BAGELS™ CHAPEL HILL: 104 W. Franklin St. • Eastgate Shopping Center DURHAM: 626 Ninth Street • Commons at University RALEIGH: 2302 Hillsborough Street • Mission Valley Shopping Center • North Hills Mall • Pleasant Valley Promenade • Sutton Square, Fails of the Neuse Rd < Stonehenge Shopping Center, Creedmoor Rd. Harvest Plaza, Six Forks t, Strickland Rds. GARNER: 117 Small Pine Drive (Hwy. 401N at Pine Winds Dr CARY: 122 S.W. Maynard Rd. • Preston Business Center. 4212 Cary Pkwy. Open Seven Days a Week NEWS Bet youll polish off your FREE bagel sandwich in no time with thfecoqpoi). One otter per coupon One per customer Not valid in combination with other otters. Expires 5/15/2001. RRUEGGER’S BAGELS™ —° CHAPEL Hill: 104 W. Franklin St. • Eastgate Shopping Center DURHAM: 626 Ninth Street • Commons at University RALEIGH: 2302 Hillsborough Street • Mission Valley Shopping Center • North Hills Mall • Pleasant Valley Promenade • Sutton Square. Falls ol the Neuse Rd • Stonehenge Shopping Center, Creedmoor Rd. Harvest Plaza, Six Forks A Strickland Rds GARHER: 11/ Small Pine Orive (Hwy. 401N at Pine Winds Dr CARY: 122 S.W Maynard Rd. • Preston Business Center. 4212 Cary Pkwy. Open Seven Days a Week NEWS Thursday, March 29, 2001 each track is worse than the one that preceded it. Thankfully, the good Dr. Dre is in the house to keep Scorpion from flat-lining. His production on “That’s What It Is,” which sports a well-placed chorus from Styles of the Lox, will have heads nodding; and the track he laces for “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” makes sure that Eve’s teaming with No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani isn’t a waste. But when the smoke clears, Scorpion is still little more than a schizophrenic collection of stars, sounds and styles. The album lacks a true center to keep it all together. There are 13 tracks, 14 guests artists, nine producers, four original beats and three decent songs. It all adds up to one big disappointment in the first lady’s second term. Michael Woods 9
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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March 29, 2001, edition 1
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