The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, July 28, 2004, Page 7, Image 7
BY JORDAN REDMOND
THE GAMECOCK
SCISSOR SISTERS - “SCISSOR
SISTERS" (POLYDOR)
The debut album from New
York’s Scissor Sisters really ought
to come with a warning label that
reads, “Those allergic to 70s white
polyester kitsch and glitzy pop bal
lads should not consume the con
tents herein.” Putting this into
your CD player is akin to finding
a disco-ball-shaped time capsule
that, upon being opened, emits a
shower of magical Technicolor
rays which give birth to the only
five genie-like beings that are ca
pable of creating such a putridly
retro yet undeniably appealing al
bum. Dance floor gems like “Tits
on the Radio” and the reworking
of Pink Floyd’s -"Comfortably
Numb ex
ude a defi
nite Bee
Gee-esque
quality, es
pecially in
the falsetto
vocals.
“Take Your Mama" is the best
song George Michael never wrote,
a smash hit in the UK that is the
perfect soundtrack to any won
derfully decadent evening. Not
hopelessly upbeat however, the
Sisters are also capable of switch
ing up the tempo with soaring pi
ano pop ballads that give a wink
and sly grin to Elton John’s best
work. The cheesy aliases the band
members take on simply put a
tacky red maraschino cherry on
the top of this double-fudge sundae
of an album.
M83 - “DEAD CITIES, RED SEAS,
AND LOST GHOSTS” (MUTE)
“Dead Cities, Red Seas, and Lost
Ghosts” is, quite simply put, the al
bum William Wordsworth and
Henry David Thoreau would make
if they were 21st century electron
ic musicians. The album cover,
which depicts four hikers laying flat
on their backs in awe-inspiring win
ter landscape, gives M83's initial
nod to the natural world. But what
is truly stirring is how this French
group communicates unabashed
natural beauty through sound.
Layers of synthesizer wash over the
listener like a mystical mountain
! .. -----
stream
bursting
with color,
icy blues,
sparkling
yellows,
and sooth
ing reds.
Like My Bloody Valentine s classic
album “Loveless,” “Dead Cities” is
meticulously constructed so with
every listen some beautiful new as
pect reveals itself. This album is
best experienced in the cozy sonic
nest created by good headphones
and, like nature or life itself, appre
ciating the little things on display
will provide a grander, ultimately
more fulfilling picture.
STIFF LITTLE FINGERS - “GUITAR
& DRUM” (KUNG-FU)
“Is this the new Green Day?” If
you are a fan of “High Fidelity,” a
film that is required viewing for
any self-respecting indie music fan,
you might remember the scene
where a young, curious punk cus
tomer is buying the new Green Day
album and the ever-perceptive
record store clerk throws on a Stiff
Little Fingers record. The influence
of this Belfast band is often crimi
nally overlooked, especially con
sidering they were contemporaries
of pioneering melodic punk-minded
groups like the Clash and the
Buzzcocks. On this album’s stand
out track, “Strummerville,” SLF
founder Jake Burns pays his re
spects to his close friend, the
Clash’s dearly departed Joe
Strummer. Most of the songs pack a
powerful pop punch, and the lyri
cal content displays optimism tem
pered by years of viewing the world
through a cautious punk lens.
“Guitar & Drum” celebrates the
band’s 25th
anniver
sary by
showcas
i
ing the
trademark
Stiff Little
T7\l_
J. o
sound while incorporating mature
elements that see the band aging
gracefully.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu
r
Goin’
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
had the names of celebrities who
had stayed there. One woman had
Gene Hackman. I had some lame
Arizona congressman.
I saw the Grand Canyon.
There should be a law requiring
all living organisms to see it.
’Nuff said.
Some time later that day, I
“stood on a corner in Winslow,
Ariz.,” in the tradition of the
famed Eagles song “Take It Easy.”
On that very corner stood a
bronze statue of the song’s co
writer. Jackson Browne. I guess
some small towns have to take
what they can get. Unfortunately,
a “girl in a flat-bed Ford” didn’t
“slow down to take a look at me.”
It was more like “a guy in a death
trap Pinto speeding up to get away
from me.”
After a $125 speeding ticket out
side Amarillo. Texas, I was back
to my favorite place: Oklahoma. I
hunkered down outside OKC for
the night and drove back into the
city for one more glimpse of the
memorial. Seeing the place lit up
at night was worth every plastic
surgeon that cut me off in
California.
My last distinct memory
comes from somewhere in
Oklahoma the next day, where
the fields of grain moved like
ocean waves in the wind. I stood
outside my car and tried to feel
everything. I can only describe it
as painfully beautiful, like a girl
so simply gorgeous that the mere
sight of her makes you ache in an
indescribable way.
After more Arkansas rain and
more Tennessee boredom, I got
home Wednesday, May 19. It was
bizarre getting an oil change just
one week after my last one, but
5,000 miles is 5,000 miles. More
than a month later, I’m concen
trating on school, my band, and
the newspaper, and the urgent
voice telling me to take the trip
is gone. It’s replaced with reflec
tion, understanding... and the
sound of screeching tires in
California.
Comments on this story?E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu