Section B · Page 4 The University Daily Kansan Wednesday, June 7, 2000 Mixed Reviews of Eminem, Sonic Youth Rapper Eminem's new CD a disappointment Derek John Derek John Special to the Kansan EMINEM The Marshall Mathers LP EMIR ELMEN *The Marshall Mather's L.* Rapper Eminem or "Slim Shady" to his many legions of young, drooling fans, sold over 1.76 million units of The Marshall Mathers LP, his newest release, last week. Not only did this make the album No. 1 in the country, but it also established the album as No. 2 all-time in first-week sales history. Yet, Eminem continually finds himself atop most censors' lists, forced to endure the wrath of Tipper Gore and her supporters of so-called "family values" in the era of Columbine. Even Eminem's own mother has filed a $10-million defamation of character suit against the rapper, stemming from the slanderous content of his first album. Still as the charts demonstrate, the youthful record-buying public just can't get enough. So what do we make of all this? Exploitation of the scandalous and irreverent to sell records is nothing new. This appeal to teen angst is at the very heart and soul of rock 'n' roll and continues to thrive today in many popular forms of music. Advisory Explicit Content" stickers pasted on the front of CDs, which can serve to attract rebellious teenagers. But Eminem shouldn't be so easily pigeonholed. He is starting to reveal a bit of more of his personal side on his sophomore effort. The album's title gives Eminem's legal name and source of his original M & M mc moniker, and the liner notes have a collage of childhood pictures. Although just when you think Eminem might reveal the soft side and sensitivity displayed in his devotion to his daughter Hallie, he airs his disapproval of her mother, wife Kim, in an arsenic-laced track that bears her name. He still seems to go further than other rappers, shamelessly bombarding audiences with distasteful rhymes bordering on the macabre, not caring whose buttons he's pushing in the process. His obnoxiously nasal staccato voice and incessant, polluted tracks that have the effect of a crude oil leak flowing through a trailer park, can offend the listener's ears. And his tired-sounding diatribes against homosexuals are, frankly, inexcusable. Musically speaking, the beats are economical, as you would expect from producer Dr. Dre, and work well with the bratty timbre of Eminem's flow. Simple piano riffs and dubbed sound effects give the songs an almost comical, circus-act quality, creating an almost grotesque carnival atmosphere in which to operate. He mocks anyone and everyone, including himself, as he likens his rapid rise to fame and fortune reflected in a variety of fun house mirrors. The first single of the million-selling album, "The Real Slim Shady," purports to tell us just that. How much of Eminem is actually Slim Shady? The line between the two, fraught with the prospect of both characters' twisted life- styles, is constantly blurred. Either way, I wouldn't recommend joining the consumer mob in their attempt to find out. And the KAN winner is... Jennifer Curry, Lenexa junior, accepts an award at the ninth annual KAN Film Festival. Curry's film "Because We Are Beautiful," won second place in the documentary category. 80 finalists were featured at Saturday's festival in the Lied Center. Photo by Carrie Julian/KANSAN Sonic Youth CD continues the beat SONIC YOUTH nyc ghosts & flowers The first track of the new album starts quietly with subdued harmonics in a repeating figure as produced by Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo's seasoned six-string electric guitars. The rhythm section gradually fills in the bottom of the track. Sonic Youth's newest album, nyc ghosts and flowers, seems to promise more of the same beautiful art-rock sounds that they have become known for over the past two decades, most recently in the critically-acclaimed 1998 release, a thousand leaves. Steadied by drummer Steve Shelley's off-kilter, but rhythmically sound on the trap set, the song follows Moore's bare vocals careening in a new direction as signaled by bassist Kim Gordon's changes in the lower register. Familiar melodic lines and subtle hooks slowly penetrate the soft mist of the spatially dynamic guitar patterns, as the song eventually dissolves into shades of dissonance before briefly recapitulating the main theme at the end. Sonic Youth has used this unique brand of noise rock to build up a loyal following since its humble beginnings in downtown New York. Although Sonic Youth signed with the major label Geffen in 1990, it has kept its artistic freedom. Their near-legendary status in the "alternative rock" arena seems to allow them a leisurely recording schedule. On nyc ghosts & flowers. Sonic Youth takes advantage of this luxury to explore new realms of musical and lyrical expression in a relatively short album of only 8 songs tallying 42 minutes. plays Sonic Youth's trademark sound, but most of the other tracks don't build the repetitious grooves created by layers of unusual guitar chords over strummed bass lines. The music is still fairly dissant and noisy by progressive rock standards, but more stripped down and laid bare than previous efforts. This inevitably shifts the focus to the vocals and song lyrics, which Sonic Youth may have had in mind from the start. Perhaps inspired by the beatniks, many tracks feature quis-s spoken-word efforts that mirror the work of "50s Beat Generation writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. And the album's cover art is an intriguing watercolor painted by the iconoclastic Beat writer William S. Burroughs. The first track dis- When Moore and Gordon decide to croon on a few numbers, they do not disappoint. Gordon's mournful offerings are as coolly seductive as ever, and years of playing smoky clubs only seems to have improved Moore's silky, rough larynx. Although the lyrics are inconsistent at times ("boys go to jupiter to get more stupider/girls go to mars, become rock stars"), overall the album works. It is another interesting chapter for a band that can no longer accurately be called "Youth," but happily isn't quite ready to hang 'em up just yet. - Edited by Jim O'Malley We Buy, Sell & Trade USED & NEW Sports Equipment 841-PLAY 1029 Massachusetts Monthly Rentals • Lease Pur chase• Retail Sales Rent-To-Own Center $ ^{sm} $ FURNITURE APPLIANCES TV/VCR LIVINGroom - Dinettes Bedroom - Tables & Lamps - BEDS Refrigerators - Ranges - Washers - Dryers Freezers - Dishwashers - Microwaves Quasar - JVC - Hitachi 20", 25" & 27" STEREOS Pioneer - JVC - Alwa FAST FREE DELIVERY! 842-8505 CALL TODAY 2204 Haskell M-F 9-6,SAT 9-5 SUMMER SPORTS & FITNESS With KU Recreation Services The KU F1T Program is offering Morning Fitness Classes and Evening Aqua Classes! The cost is only $25 and you receive a free KU F1T T-Shirt! Get KUFiT this Summer! For more info, stop by 208 Robinson or call 864-3546. w w w.ukans.edu/~recserv Intramurals - INTEGRITY - The Right Choice! 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