Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Morphine's swan song by Robert Fleming Assistant Encore Editor Many fans and friends of Morphine were shocked and saddened at the sudden death of lead singer Mark Sandman over the summer. His death marked the end of an era in Mor phine’s music and placed the very existence of the band in However, just a few weeks be fore his death, the band had just completed their newest album, The Night. The Night is the first release from the band since their 1997 elfort Like Swimming, but to call this record a follow up is a cardi nal sin. The Night breaks past the tra ditional sound that Morphine were known for (drums, saxophone, and two-string bass) and refashions it with the additions of strings, or gans, guitars and pianos. The Morphine sound is further augmented with the presence of fe male backing vocals complement ing Sandman’s laid back style of singing. The Nieht also has some sne cial guest apperances by avant jazz artist John Medeski of Medeski, Martin and Wood. The result of all these sonic adjustments presents Mor phine the way Sandman wanted it to be. The strings and pi anos blend effortlessly with the saxophone and bass, giving the music a very dark and mysterious feel. And the addition of vocals other than the band presents a new view on how Morphine sounds. This new, complex sound washes over you like shadows on a moonless night. Sandman’s lyrics unveil the memories of loves disap peared in the past, the ways people depend on each other and parties that dwell on long into the morning. Eerie jazz sounds float over the music in the title track “The Night” and “Souvenir.” Elements of rhythm and blues soul manifest them selves on “Top Floor, Bottom Buzzer.” “Like A Mirror” and “Rope on Fire” introduce tribal world rhythms into the mix. Sandman left behind what could easily been seen as one of the finest albums that he ever made. The Night, a title that reflects its shadowy nature and sound, closes his relationship with Morphine in a phenomenal fashion. Its mix of sounds and styles is a refreshing change in the way Morphine plays and record music. In “Like a Mirror,” Sandman sings, “Leave your world, come to me. I’m closer to you than I seem.” The Night is a portal into the world of sound he created. And lis tening to it puts you closer to his thoughts and ideas. Sandman didn’t know he was working on the last Morphine al bum, but he put his heart and soul into it, leaving it for all of his fans and friends so they could enjoy his music one more time. The remaning members of Morphine, drummer Billy Conway and saxa phonist Dana Colley have decided to carry on the band for now, at least in an orchestral form. Even though the ab sence of Sandman will forever change the band, the memo ry of his life and work will still be carried on. And The Night only adds to this legacy of work. Grief makes good music. by Kevin Langston Encore Editor Since I first heard Belle and Sebas tian more than a year ago, I have had an uncontrollable fascination with melancholy folk pop. Why do these peo ple make feeling bad sound so good? In an eloquent mixture of smart words, gentle guitars and lofty musical textures, The Kingsbury Manx prove that Belle and Sebastian aren’t the on ly ones who can make a good album out of feeling bad. In their self-titled ef fort, this group shows that subtlety is not neces sarily a bad thing in mu sic. They aren’t going to rupure your eardrums with power c.i_... . iui guiuua ui chords, but they will move your soul with very strong words and beautiful musical arrangements. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this stuff minimalistic rock, but it has a def inite “less is more” attitude surround ing it. With obvious connections in sound with Belle and Sebastian, this band takes the sound a bit further than the saddened Scots. The musical spectrum of this album is wide enough to please several of your preferences. At times, The Kingsbury Manx will toss in some country ele ments, and at other times will mix in some pop. In addition to Belle and Se bastian, The Kingsbury Manx share a similar sound with Heftier (who actu any iiau^ume members of Belle and Se bastian work with them on their first al bum), Masters of the Hemi sphere (an Athens, Ga., based group who opened for Belle and Sebastian at the illustrious 40 Witt Club) and the Ele phant Six Col lective ’s Olivia Tremor Control. If anv of these bands appeal to you, The Kingsbury Manx won’t disappoint. Because in the end, we can always feel secure in know ing we aren’t the only ones who feel bad all the time. So if you’re lonely on this Valentine’s Day, curl up with the Manx and curse love all to hell. Artist: The Kingsbury Manx Album: The Kingsbury Manx Rating: <Hhfr out of &&&& Gran Torino's sophomore effort fails to reveal band's flavor by Boyd Fulmer Jr. Gamecock Critic Coming out of Knoxville, Tenn., Gran Tori no released their second studio album rightly named Gran Torino Two. A modem approach to old-school R&B, mixed with a little funk, brings great sec tions out in the disc. The disc opens in a very promising manner, with “Coup d’etat,” in a way that makes you really get into what they have to offer. They set the melody with a great mixture of brass, allowing the rest of the nine-man group to explore several different sounds under the melody. This song gives you the feel of one of those old school ‘70s shows that got you hooked on reruns. In keeping with the theme of completely instru mental songs, “Interlude” and “Outro” follow in the same patterns of brass-driven songs. These songs provide the heart of the disc that could make for such great things. A continuation of “Coup d’e tat” is “Phyllis,” in which the group sets out the tempo in which the rest of the songs follow. The depth of the song comes in its chorus, which is repeated over and over again until it becomes lodged in the side of your head. “Days of the Tested” is the best song on the disc (excluding the completely instrumental tracks), in which the hope of the fu ture for the group is explored. This track shows the ability of the brass section to nicely complement the vocals. After a few of those songs, the range and ability of the group seem to have reached thi er maximum. They have the capabililty to ex pand the sound and do so in subtle sections, but they have to be picked out by listening extremely closely. Radio play is being provided for “Moments with You” by several stations in the Southeast, giv ing encouragement that this will be the first hit from this album. From the onset, this song sounds nothing like what you would expect from the rest of the CD, but they settle back into the same things that lead all the rest of the songs. An attempt to become more of a pop-based group is very pre sent in this song, and the crossover is something that will bring a few more listeners, but probably very few long-time fans. There is no doubt as to the ability of this group, but it seems to be restricted to a certain element in this disc. I hope the jam sessions provided during the shows will bring out the true ability that the group could provide. “Gran Torino Two” is not an instant hit, and it probably won’t make the list of the “best CDs of the decade,” but it does provide an insight in to what it would be like to let loose for one night at their shows. The sound is tight and together, but it seems a little restricted at times. R&B with a lit tle funk is the sound they provide, and will prob ably make my list of discs to play at a party, but probably only the instrumental songs. ‘---—_I Artist: Gran Torino Album: Gran Torino Two Rating: M 1/2 out of