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New Order Revitalizes
'Bos Synth'Pop Groove
By Michelle Jarboe
Staff Writer
New Order’s new album is like a very
comfortable piece of clothing that you
bought in the ’Bos but are not embar
rassed to wear out in public today.
Get Ready showcases New Order’s
impressive ability to preserve the past
without reliving it
Although the
album has sounds
like your cookie
cutter ’Bos synth
pop band, it lacks
the repackaged
//ev/Stvs)
New Order
Get Ready
feeling too common with established
bands who have found their style and
refuse to change.
The edgy punk-inspired riffs and
electronica-esque drum beats recall the
discotheque sensation conveyed by the
band’s previous singles such as “Blue
Monday.” Even Get Ready i“6O Miles an
Hour” borrows from the old hit, con
cretely linking the album to the past but
revolutionizing it at the same time.
The familiar sound of New Order has
not mellowed at all from its ’Bos under
ground beginnings - if anything, the
album is more aggressive. The formula
of more assertion, less dance yields an
extreme effect that prefers punk to
synth-pop and new wave. “Rock the
Shack” continually pumps the adrena
line that vocalist Bernard Sumner men
tions in the song’s lyrics.
Both lyrically and musically, there is
no question that the band recalls and
appreciates its roots. The band greatly
retains the flavor common to its con
temporaries, musical icons such as
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Depeche Mode, The Cure and Duran
Duran.
But the David Bowie-inspired Brit
band seems to favor a current spirit of
experimentalism and collaboration with
icons of the present. “Turn My Way”
features striking vocals by former
Smashing Pumpkin Billy Corgan. And
the song encompasses the essence of the
past-to-present nature of the album by
blending a Pumpkins sound with quin
tessential ’Bos melancholic lyrics and
new wave music.
All of this extremism in the blending
of the styles of different musical eras
leads to a similarly extremist quality of
fluctuation between joy and longing for
things lost. The “Blue Monday"-esque
abused sensation intrinsic to tracks such
as “Primitive Notion” juxtaposes itself
with the idyllic, reveling sensation con
veyed by “Someone Like You.”
There is a comfortable balance to this
album, both in theming and in genre,
that presents an end product without a
displeasing track. Every song on the
album is appealing, whether one focus
es on lyrics or on sound. And there is
just enough variation between tracks
that a differentiation can be made with
out any detriment to the continuity of
Get Ready.
New-Order has, after a long absence
from the LP scene, re-emerged with an
album that, out of a perfect nostalgia, is
a perfect mix of the band’s past and pre
sent. This album fits just right on the first
try and won’t be out of style any time
soon.
The Arts & Entertainment Editor can
be reached at artsdesk@unc.edu.
DIVERSIONS
Strokes Have Solid Debut; Bush Matures
Bush
Golden State
★★★★★
Raw and powerful, Bush’s fourth
album, Golden State, makes great strides
while thankfully digressing to real rock.
Returning to the classic grunge style
reminiscent of Nirvana and its own
Sixteen Stone, Bush has matured quite a
bit. The result is an aggressive mix that
makes you feel pumped yet complacent.
Gavin Rossdale’s plaintive voice now
boost lyrics confronting more mature
issues like love and personal growth.
The band has moved past its youthful
angst to find a beautiful yet energetic
voice.
No longer a mass of screeching boys,
Bush’s members have embarked on a
search for themselves, and Golden State
is their inspirational journey. The album
is powerful, leading with grinding cuts
that make you pump your fist and sing
along and finishing with soothing
melodic interludes, creating a cool calm
like the famous “Glycerine.”
At the peak of their musical talents,
the members each contribute a powerful
pulse which thump together in a raucous
throb. Dave Parsons, several times rec
ognized as one of the best bassists in the
world, creates a rhythmic roar that
drummer Robin Goodridge comple
ments with frantic solos and cymbal
crashes.
Screeching above the rhythmic back
grounds are the wailing guitars of Nigel
Pulsford and Rossdale, weaving their
sounds together like lovers. The distor
tion individualizes the guitars while the
melodies unify them in one single cry.
Rising above all the wild instruments
is Rossdale, who aggressively shouts and
seductively sings with equal parts burst
ing energy and introspection. With age,
Rossdale’s voice and writing ability have
evolved, capturing every emotion from
anger to love.
Rossdale’s roar shines as the band
returns to its rock roots in high-octane,
pumping cuts like “Speed Kills” and the
driving “My Engine Is With You.”
On the other hand, the album is bal
anced with several atmospheric tracks
that still sport a rock attitude, like “Out
Of This World” and the liquid
“Inflatable.”
With a smooth mix of rock tones and
hypnotic guitar cords, several tracks
stand out as balanced between rock and
emotion. “Head Full of Ghost” displays
Rossdale’s increasing abilities as a writer
while pouring out soothing instrumen
tals.
Greatly matured both in talent and
personality, Bush has returned to its
characteristic rock while representing
the wisdom of its age. The product is a
driving album, veins coursing with
volatile energy yet still on the verge of
tears.
By Nick Parker
The Strokes
Is This It
★★★★☆
New York’s the Strokes are facing a
dilemma - the hype surrounding them
is louder than their music.
The group’s debut album Is This It,
garnered media attention for its track
“NYC Cops,” a song deemed too sensi
tive for post-Sept. 11 audiences. The
track was consequendy pulled from the
album and replaced with “When It
Started.”
Perhaps the politically correct thing
to do, the absence of the original track
leaves one wondering exactly what the
Strokes had up their sleeves.
All of that being said, the Strokes are
worthy of attention for more than one
reason. It’s too early to tell whether the
Strokes are capable of living up to their
sensationalized reputation, but they
shouldn’t worry too much about the
future. Is This It is more than adequate
for the present.
Similarly, the band members wrote
the album about the here and now -
their lyrics deal with disaffected youth,
cynicism and imperfect love. The band’s
sound draws upon the hip dirtiness of
the Velvet Underground, die weird pop
of early Talking Heads and the guitar
fuzz of the most accessible Sonic Youth.
Unlike those New York bands, the
Strokes weren’t too ambitious in pro
ducing their debut. Is This It works
because it’s short and sweet - the 11
songs clock in at just under 36 minutes -
and because the band has developed a
unique way of structuring its tunes.
The drums set a punchy tempo that
rarely wavers. The guitars enter with
particularly catchy riffs. The bass keeps
the rhythm going while adding some
melody of its own.
And rather than merely singing over
the instrumentation, lead singer Julian
Casablancas’ distorted vocals strut
alongside the music - his weary
beyond-his-years voice drips over and
coats the music.
Is This It is a great album even though
the Strokes’ style becomes predictable.
It’s full of youthful energy and passion
mixed with the focus of musicians who
know exactly what they’re doing.
Sure, the Strokes might not be able to
match their effort here with their future
releases. In the long run, they might end
up disappointing the super-hopeful.
But for a debut, Is This //provides the
life of the confused, jaded and homy
New York boy with a terrific soundtrack.
The potential is certainly there - these
new kids just might become distin
guished gentlemen in the always-chang
ing world of rock.
By Elliott Dube
Thursday, October 25, 2001
■ Guided by Voices I don’t
think a much better or tighter rock
band is out there today. Front man
Robert Pollard used to teach fourth
grade English, and now he drinks
himself off the stage every night.
They have it all in spades: the 10-fi
indie stage and the Cheap Trick-
Weezer-Beatles phase.
■ In the Aeroplane Over the Sea,
Neutral Milk Hotel One of the
very best albums of the last few
years and definitely the best psych
folk record ever produced. It’s twist
ed and seductive. There’s just no
beating fuzzy bass and theromin.
Brian Millikin can be reached at
millikin@email.unc.edu.
go to dailytarheel.com
■ Kojak Struggles
Through Monotony S
By Brooks Firth
■ Nectarine Gets Lost
In Maelstrom of Sound ■
By Jeremy Parker
■ Bedford Climbs
‘Castle’ Walls S
By Nick Parker
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