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CD REVIEWS New sound may leave some fans out in cold “LOVE” The Juliana Theory ★★ ★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY ERIN CLINE , THE UAMECOCK Just in time for Valentine’s Day, The Juliana Theory has cre ated an album that focuses on the drive and effects of love and the inspiration this intense emotion brings. However, the band might not be feeling the love from its de voted fans; its sound has gone from emo to more alternative rock. The Pennsylvania-based band has enjoyed success in the inde pendent scene, gathering a cult following with its poppy, emo sound. The band has sold an impres sive 130,000 copies total of its de but album, “Understand This is a Dream,” and its second album, “Emotion is Dead.” A recent split with Tooth and Nail Records in 2002 for the more recognized label Epic has brought about changes in the music and the band that its cult following had come to know and love in the past. This shift is heard throughout the newly released “Love,” an al bum oroduced bv former Talking Head member Jerry Harrison. The album starts off strong with two convincing songs that seem bound for radio play. “Bring it Low” and “Do You 'Believe Me?” are equally explo sive an<Lentrancing tunes that will have you drumming your fingers to the beat. Unfortunately, the unique sound that drew so many fans to this underground emo band has been exchanged on this album for a more mainstream-rock sound. The next few songs on the al bum run together without much distinction. The tracks begin with quality rhythm guitar, pi ano melodies or lead singer Brett Detar’s wailing, only to be eventual ly drowned out by grunge-like guitar and drums. It final ly begins to sound like the thousands of other modern rock bands that are over Dlaved on to day’s radio. A relief comes in the middle of the record with the soothing “White Days.” Detar conveys intense emo tion through his harmonic voice, which is accompanied by a driv ing beat and melodic integration. The band remakes a favorite song, “Into The Dark,” from its earlier release, “Emotion is Dead.” The new version keeps its original, techno-beat beginning, but this time around,.the focus is more on the song’s musical com position than on Detar’s voice. Again, it seems like this version is geared more to an alternative rock crowd than toward the band’s traditional followers. The album’s theme is fully ex pressed in the final track, “Everything.” Detar sings “Love is a reason for living/ a reason for dying” while backed by piano and elec tronically produced sounds. The song then leads into a blend of guitars, drums and bass that rep resents what the band is truly about and what captured fans’ at tentions from the beginning. The band’s musical reinven tion might deter some of its fans, who could be somewhat disap pointed with this album. However, The Juliana Theory could gain a following amid a modern-rock audience which, until now, has never heard of this traditionally independent-rock band. This album will undoubt edly earn the band some new devotees, yet might leave previ ous lovers out in the cold. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Unfortunately, the unique sound that drew so many fans to the underground emo band The Juliana Theory has been exchanged on this album for a more mainstream rock sound. Socialburn fails to achieve originality “WHERE YOU ARE” Socialbum ★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ BY BEN ANGSTADT THE GAMECOCK Someone once said that imi tation is the greatest form of flat tery. More and more, it’s be coming obvious that this well known quote has become the of ficial slogan of the modern-rock scene. The vast majority of the new rock acts appearing on the radio fit into the template of popular acts that came before them. These rock-clones have multi plied so much that they are near ly all that is heard anymore on al temative-rock stations. Then comes Socialburn, a band that does little more than reinforce the fact that main stream rock music is synony mous with redundancy. If any thing, Socialburn only achieves a synthesis of its contemporaries such as Fuel, Our Lady Peace, Bush and Puddle of Mudd. In fact, on “Where You Are,” Socialbum’s Elektra Records de but album, front man Neil Alday’s voice is almost indistin guishable from that of Puddle of Mudd’s Wesley Scantlin, with lamenting whines and Kurt Cobain-like growls. Socialburn has everything it need to make its one-hit dent — a meaningless-yet-catchy name, repetitive chord progressions, overused guitar effects and wail ing vocals. Skin-deep lyrics like “Please don’t go away/ ’Cause I will nev er be the same/1 will never be the same/ Please don’t go away” on “Never Be the Same” and “I want you/ ’Cause I love you/ And ev erything about you” on the bril liantly titled “U” round out the mix. Furthermore, it has “Stacy,” the token warning about the girl who attracts every guy in town, shows him a good time and leaves him emotionally vacuous yet beg ging for more. Apparently, Stacy “will take you down” and “spin you ’round” before, in a rather vi olent fashion, “she’ll make your head explode like no one else in town will.” Sounds like a dan gerous town. However, “Where You Are” isn’t completely devoid of appeal. “Break Back,” “Down” and “Everyone” sound polished for the radio and are relatively en joyable. Even more shocking is the semblance of originality that sneaks out in a handful of places scattered throughout the album. Except for these few standout songs, though, the tracks just be gin to run together and become unrecognizable from one song to the next. They create a manufac tured feel that makes the other nine songs on “Where You Are” seem like mere filler. It would have made more sense to release a single contain ing the three worthwhile songs rather than tack on a few more and charge the consumer full price for a sub-par product. With its copycat style and abysmal lyrics, Socialbum is just another casualty in the war of musical innovation. Sure, the band’s new, but we’ve heard it all before, and frankly, it’s gotten a little old. “Where You Are” is a bitter disappointment that will proba bly be completely forgotten in a year. It wouldn’t be surprising if it were gone even sooner than that. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Chesney CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 country music in general — the remembrance of days gone by. While “Young” celebrates the carefree mischief of youth, tracks such as “A Lot of Things Different” take a more somber stroll down memory lane. The album also frequently ad dresses lost love, perfecting the heartbreak ballad with tracks such as “I Remember” and “On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful.” Chesney has an en dearing, if typical, voice that is well adapted to such fare. Surprisingly, the standout tracks on the album don’t come until the last two tracks—the cov er song and the bonus track. Chesney’s remake of Springsteen’s “One Step Up” is sur prisingly well done; it captures an earnestness that remains buried throughout the previous 10 songs. Listed as the bonus track, an acoustic version of an older Chesney song, “I Can’t Go There,” also sounds distinctly heartfelt. Although its production is sleek, the song remains sparse and sym pathetic, allowing Chesney’s aching vocals to ease into the fore front. Overall, “No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem” is a solid album—too sol id. The earnestness that pervades the album’s closing tracks proves that Chesney can indeed transcend the glossy finish of typical country. Unfortunately, mainstream country seems decidedly too guild ed to allow for a troubled troubadour. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecockmixeditor@hotmail.com Direction*: Just aero— the Gervai* St. Bridge - Left at Second Light I w west Virginia j HkWJW and WmdeifuJ ^ [ina Productions Pres