Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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EtCetera Granciaddy becomes futuristic on latest CD by Pete Johnson Gamecock Critic The Sophtware Slump, the second full-album from Modesto, Calif.’s Grandaddy, creates a hesitant friendship between these human units and the tech nology that we embrace as a society every day - microwaves, air conditioners, re frigerators, toasters, etc. Oran daddy not only incorporate modern sounding bleeps and boops into their music, creating a futuristic sound, but they also have the songwrit nig iu inaiui ii. nicy uick le themes like the heartbreak of a dead humanoid (“Jed the Humanoid”) and searching for a friend in an old neigh borhood by using a satellite view (“Min er at the Dial-a-View”). In a way, “Broken Household Ap pliance National Forest” puts a new, more positive spin on the concept of landfills, creating the perception that they might actually be nature preserves for broken machinery. Spouting lines like “mud and metal mixing good” and “a family of deer were happy that the clearing looked like a laundry mat,” you get the feeling that Grandaddy are telling us this is the na ture of the future. They seem to be toying a bit with futuristic paranoia, as Radiohead did on their brilliant 1997 album OK Comput er, but it isn’t quite paranoia because it doesn’t come across as a means of foreboding. OK Computer more or less conveyed appre hensions about the future and mocked the technological “ad vances” of our society, while The Sophtware Slump takes a more personal approach. It cre ats the image that, in a lot of ways, these machines are our friends. Technology is advancing so quickly that a computer you buy today will be obsolete in six months and destined for the scrap heap. The message that Grandaddy seem to be saying is “love thy technology.” It may sound silly of me to say, but your air conditioner might need a hug this summer. Music of Nixons contribution unoriginal, lacking by Jonathan Dunagin Gamecock Critic If you like Matchbox Twenty, you’ll love The Nixons’ newest release Latest Thing. It is the quintessential pop-rock album. Unfortunately, I don’t. Like many other bands in this era of rock ‘n’ roll, The Nixons originally were a heavy band that changed its sound to ac commodate new fans. Much like Sugar Ray, whose song “Fly” catapulted them into popularity, The Nixons realized their ability to draw in new listeners through their radio hit “Sister” off of their Foma album. Because of that song, the band had found a formula that brought in fans, and it stuck with it. After all, if the rest of the band’s songs remained heavy, their new fans would be disappointed by the heavy music found on the other tracks. Some people call this idea innova tive and smart. However, I call it sell ing out. After a decade of music whose ma jor contribution to history was grunge and is still regarded as the first decade in rock without a definitive sound, I hoped that 2000 would bring changes to the mu sic industry. This album just stands to show that once the industry has found a way to make money, it’s innovation that suffers. Overall, the album adds nothing new to music, just borrowing ideas from oth er bands in the genre such as Seven Mary Three, Third Eye Blind and Sister Hazel. nowever, inis just leads one to question: Is it the Nixons’ songs that are repetitive, or is it the genre as a whole? My belief is that the genre, not to mention the mu sic industry, is keeping bands from displaying their true mu sicai acuities. After all, even if you don’t like the sound, anyone would agree that the band has talent; it just shines through so rarely that it is easily dismissed. On Latest Thing, it is songs like “Call ing Yesterday,” which reminds one of Ra diohead and Pearl Jam, or the heavy-laced title track which show the band’s talent trying to emerge. Unfortunately, it is songs like “The One,” which is destined for radio play, that keep the Nixons returning to the for mula that further degrades rock ‘n’ roll. of ‘90s from page 6 Country music has been a success in the ‘90s, with three artists in the Top 10 artists of the decade. Crossover stars such as Shania Twain and Faith Hill have relished in success in both the Top 40 and country genres. Although there was much to choose from in the ‘90s, fans stayed loyal to what they liked and weren’t afraid to try out a new sound. An Alfred Noyes quote sums up s&e music of the ‘90s; “Yes; as the music changes, like a prismatic glass; it takes the light and ranges through all the moods that pass.” mmmmm |K9|| SSMHI'lfflfBi' r. WEI MAY 31 9PM UNBFKK n chain^snd DEATH TO VAN GOEH S EAR TIUR JUNE 1 8PM VRGINWOOL teiepjiomc rnl JUNE Z 10PM 2 FULL SETS ©f■3© & eto©s SUNJUIt 4 8PM BBB3 wm°) MARIES MIRRLEIIN MON JONE 5 8PM NEW MUSK MONDAY I I I I I ITTII ■ Mill • VANILLA ICE ||