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By Matt Cox
Folk music boy
Marvelous 3 Hey!
Rating: C-
There is nothing marvelous about a power pop/rock band that sounds like all other late modern rock groups.
the album sounds convived,
its stale themes keep it from
getting anything higher than a
8- The lyric content lowers the
talk even further.
The first song on any album should set the attitude and expectations. However, this album begins with the worst-produced song "You're So Yesterday." The song begins with a rambling sample of a guy saying "Love, excitement, I'm
excited , which has nothing to do with the rest of the song.
Then a syncopated guitar riff prepares the listener for an intense rock experience, which is thwarted by a slightly out-of-tune bass line that is too loud and muddy. The song finally gets going only to be killed by super-intelligent lyrics such as "You were cool as hell like e-mail."
The first single, "Freek of the Week," is on cold rotation on 105.9, the LAZR. This is the most powerful and driving song on the album. The lyrics are witty. The intense harmonies of the chorus bring lead singer/guitarist Butch Walker's words to life. Sadly, this is the
only song that evokes any
perceptive reaction
only song that evokes any "marvelous" reaction. The lyrics vary from the interesting to the mundane. For instance, Walker sings a humorous, "I spend a lot on all the clothes that I got 'cause all the geeks that I see, they all look cooler than me," in "Freak of the Week."
Then he follows up with a trite "This town has turned you into someone you're not" in the song "Let Me Go."
Never once will you feel compelled to listen to any other song more than once. But if you still want to milk the album for entertainment, you could read the creative titles the band came up with.
Events Calendar
Matt Merkel-Hess
Friday, Feb. 5
West Side _ Folk, Peter Keane,
Blues/ roots singer-songwriter. 7:30 p.m.
Ecumenical Christian Ministries. $10
adults/$7 students. 842-1163.
Saturday, Feb. 6
Lawrence Community Theatre. "Night Watch." 8 p.m. $13 seniors/students.
$14/adults. 834-7469.
"Goldinger." 2 p.m., Spence Museum of Art Auditron, free admission. 846-4710.
Baltimore 183-402. Art Auctionroom. Free admission. 864-4710.
St. Petersburg State Ice Ballet. "Romeo and Juliet." 2 and 7 p.m. Lied Center. $20/$15 adults, $19/$14 seniors,
$10/$7.50 students. 864-2878.
imagination Workshop. Radio sketches and comedy satire, 5 and 8 p.m. Liberty Hall Sponsored by KANU-FM 91.5 10:50/7.50 749.192
Lawrence Community Theatre. "Night Watch." 8 p.m. $13 seniors/students.
$14/adults, 843-7469.
Sundav. Feb. 7
Love Songs and Lament: Music Inspired by the Museum's Collections. Spencer Consort, 2:30 p.m., Spencer Museum of Art, 864-4710
Lawrence Community Theatre. "Night Watch." 2:30 p.m. $10 seniors/students. $11 adults. 843-7469.
Faculty Reclut. Christopher Richard Moore, trumpet, and Michael J. Bauer, organ; 7:30 p.m. Bales Reclut Hall. 864-3436
Placebo's new album offers crafty melodies
Monday Feb.8
Placebo: Without You I'm Nothing Rating: B
By Matt Cox
Kansan music boy
Placebo's melodic disharmony and lyric ambition gently pierce through the ears, rewarding the listeners of their new album with imaginative music.
The band's current hit "Pure Morning" can be seen on MTV and heard on every modern rock station in the country. It is one of the best songs radio has to offer today.
The song is based on one chord and succeeds in delivering ear candy. The droning chord is complemented by two guitar leads which are simple but work well together.
In this song, he descends down the one chord scale, singing in sync with the lead guitar rhythm. The vibrant drum track draws the listener closer. Every part works in perfect harmony leaving the listener with a desire to hear the rest of the album.
The following song, "Brick Shithouse," is an intense, but typical quasi-mosh tune. This song is a departure from the creativity of "Pure Morning," but still delivers clever vocals. Lead singer Brian Molko has a distinct voice. It's nasal but somehow gentle enough to work for modern rock. The clashing of the melody and the verses makes it hard on the ears, but the chorus provides a contrasting pleasant melody.
"You Don't Care About Us" offers a groove in the typical "alternative" fashion. The well-crafted lyrics send a message to hypocritical conservatives who pretend to care about everybody. A commendable effort but not the best song if you've had a bad day.
The rest of the album never emulates the innovative efforts of "Pure Morning," but still livens the state of today's music.
Murray shines in witty Rushmore
Bv Brendan Walsh
Kansan movie critic
An oddly irreverent coming-of-age story, *Rushmore* is a witty comedy with a compelling plot. Without losing any of its humor, the movie is an inspiring tale of how two men learn to age their age.
Fifteen-year-old Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is the overextended president of a half-dozen clubs and organizations at Rushmore, an elite prep school he is attending on academic scholarship. He hears a motivational speech given by Mr. Blume (Bill Murray), the school's richest alum. Awed by Mr. Blume'srant against Rushmore's elitists, Max, befriends the only man who he sees as genuine.
When the friends fall for the same woman, the recently widowed first-grade teacher Miss Cross (Olivia Williams), it sparks an intense competition that leads to Max's expulsion from Rushmore, and threatens the pair's friendship.
But unlike The Graduate, Rushmore is not about a troubled youth searching for maturity and a direction in life. Instead, Max is a young
The plot blends beautifully with the movie's music. Any soundtrack with two Cat Stevens' songs has to be good, and that rule proves true with Rushmore. A collection of mostly folk-rock and British Invasion songs, the music compliments the story, while subtly taking off on Simon and Garfunkel's music from The Graduate.
Rushmore Rating: Aman far too worldly and mature for his age; he must recapture his youth or self-destruct. His counterpart, Mr. Blume, is a lovable drunk, but much too immature for his own good.
Murray tends to fare better in movies in which his character doesn't have to carry the entire plot on his shoulders. In Rushmore, Murray gets excellent support from first-time movie actor Schwartzman as well as Williams, whose only previous big-screen experience was in The Postman. Because Murray isn't the only talent in the film, he doesn't have to take his character above and
beyond the role that was written for him. This creates a subdued and intelligent portrayal of Mr. Blume. It's pretty hard to believe that Schwartzman is 15 years old, but since audiences don't usually have a problem with 19-year-old women playing 15-year-old girls, perhaps in the name of equality, they should let this slide.
The film does a great job of scene transitions, switching smoothly from the more serious and emotional scenes to the strictly comedic ones. In one such case, Max slyly sneaks his way into Miss Cross's bedroom and plays a tape of romantic music. Several moments later, when Cross is bemoaning the fate of her dead husband, the romantic music decreases in volume to keep the scene serious. All aspects of the movie blend to form a seamless whole.
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Are you a junior or first semester senior?
The Mortar Board Senior Honor Society is looking for YOUR application
For juniors and first semester seniors. Information and applications for Mortar Board, a highly respected senior honor society, are available at the O&L Office (400 Kansas Union), the School of Journalism Library (210 Stauffer-Flint) and Nunemaker Honors Center.
Applications are due Friday, Feb. 12 at 5 p.m. All juniors with a 3.0 accumulative GPA are encouraged to apply!
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