WEDNESDAY, JULY 3, 2002
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN - 21
4
Band similar to White Stripes, without incest
Jucifer, I Name You Destroyer, Velocette Records
Looking like a reversed White Stripes, but without the potentially incestuous overtones, Jucifer features girlfriend and boyfriend, Amber Valentine on guitar and Ed Livengood on drums, spitting out intense noise-rock.
Jucifer is also different from that other two-piece outfit by eschewing treble as often as possible and focusing mainly on bass, an obvious fact once one hears I Name You Destroyer, the band's second full-length release.
The deep, dark tones work well for the duo and the production on the album, which according to the liner notes was "recorded without Pro Tools, loops, samples, studio musicians, big shots or lackevs."
When aiming toward a more poppy, Sonic Youth sound, like on "Memphis," "Fight Song" and "Little Fever," Jucier sounds like a band near the top of its creative peak — an apex that appears higher than that of Meg and Jack White — by teaming Valentine's riffs and sensual voice with Livengood's ferocious drumming.
Songs like "Queen B" feature too much screaming from Valentine, though, drawing away from the pair's ability to write pop song lyrics and melodies.
"Dissolver" is a perfect example of the band's two faces, switching from a severe beginning to a soft and soothing end just more than a minute into the song. If Jucifer could stay away from that severity just a bit more often it could be the next indie rock darling and the follow-up to I Name You Destroyer could be a bigger hit than the Stripes' White Blood Cells.
Rating: 7 out of10
COMMENTARY
Levi Chronister lchronister@kansan.com
Songs like the first single, "Get Free," the title track and "Outtathaway" sound like outtakes from some early '90s Nirvana studio sessions reworked to fit today's pop-friendly radio waves.
The band comes across as its own entity and shows definite potential and originality on slower songs like "Autumn Shade," "Country Yard" and "Homesick." The tunes do have roots in Brit pop but they aren't as deep or obvious as those in the grunge movement.
Originally from Australia, The Vines turned to a paragon of American rock Nirvana — for inspiration and it shows in their debut. Highly Evolved.
The Vines, Highly Evolved, Capitol Records
If they can stop ripping off an alternative rock icon, The Vines show enough promise to be fully in bloom by their third album. Unless you like blatantly derivative music, just listen to your old Nirvana album and wait for The Vines to truly evolve.
"Factory" melds these two influences as the ska revival in England in the late '70s meets a grunge rock chorus and the result is as unsavory as it sounds.
Rating: 5.5 out of 10
Chronister is a Lawrence senior in journalism.
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