JAYPLAY
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April 12,2001
For comments, contact Erinn R. Barcomb at 864-4810 or email jayplay@kansan.com www.kansan.com/arts
Music for the college experience Kansan staffers SOUND off
with essential albums
By Clay McQuistion writer @kansan.com
Kansas senior staff writer
Every college student needs music.
Music forms the aural backbone of college experience — from the poppy garbage spilling through the airwaves from the Lazer on drives around town to the rhythmic thump pounding through the floorboards at a really good party. The right compact disc can make a good day that much better, and make a bad day worth getting through.
But what music should every college student have? Oh sure, some might say that college students are all unique and different, with varying tastes. But certain albums transcend boundaries of taste. I've put together a list of a few albums that—as a self-respecting college student—you can't be without.
These albums will make your life better. They will clear up acne breakouts. And they might just be fun to listen to.
In the interests of fairness and equality, I've also asked some fellow Kansan staff members to write about albums they think you can't be without either. Think of it as just more advice from serious music lovers to you.
Mohv
Plav (V2.1999)
Play is an amazingly useful album. It has up-tempo tracks ideally suited for your house party and some quietly seductive tracks useful for those quiet moments with a sweetie.
Or you can just listen for fun. It's even good then.
Not only is Moby vegan and a distant relative of Herman Melville, he also pulled together this album — an amazing stew of electronic beats, samples of gospel music, compelling melodies and his own reedy voice. Tracks such as "Porcelain," "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?" and "Natural Blues" both touch the heart and engage the mind.
Matthew Sweet
In Reverse (Volcano, 1999)
If you've heard of Matthew Sweet at all, it's because of his *Girly* iend album and song of the early '90s. But the pop rocker has continued to make worthwhile records, and *In Reverse* is the best of them all. Crammed to bursting with orchestral pop and crunchy rock riffs, the album is a tribute to classic sounds of the '60s and '70s, with a forward-thinking spin.
I still can listen to In Reverse two years after its release and enjoy it. I can't say that for many other albums.
Runners up:
The Beach Boys. Pet Sounds
The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Ben Folds Five, Whatever and Ever Amen
Pink Floyd, The Wall
Rufus Wainwright. Rufus Wainwright
■ Rufus Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright
▶ Clay Mcvictor
Clay McCuistion
Lifter
Melinda (Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt) (Interscope, 1996)
When I get pissy and depressed, I like pissy and depressing music. With all the bubblegum pop around nowadays, my favorite album to put on is 1996's Melinda (Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt) by a little-known group named Lifter.
How could you go wrong with lyrics such as: "And I wanna know what you think, but could I ask you without crying at a time when you must think that I'm a loser?" Cheers me right up.
Be careful, though. This CD also sent my ex-roommate into a crippling bout of depression. Of course, getting the wrong flavor from a gumball machine will do the same thing.
Unfortunately, Lifter disappeared without a trace in early 1999 after a tour with Keanu Reeves' Dogstar. Possibly because of shame.
If you're looking for something similar but more recent, ubl.artistdirect.com recommends Son Volt.
I recommend Travis' The Man Who, one of the best albums from last year.
Built to Spill, Keep it Like a Secret:
baby emo.
■ Outkast , *Aquemeni*: bass-thumping hip-hop.
Marcy Playground, Marcy Playground: hippy rock.
Local H, As Good as Dead: good and anger
Some other great albums are:
Chris Hopkins
Jimi Hendrix
Blues (UNI/MCA,1994)
The blues — everyone's had 'em.
Remember how you spent that one Friday night studying for a barrage of tests while your buddies drank themselves into oblivion? Or the time your boyfriend/girlfriend broke your heart? Or when you were rudely awakened by a call from your parents telling they were "just in the neighborhood?"
That's the kind of emotion Jimi Hendrix captures on the appropriately titled *Blues*. And it's the CD every college student (and music lover, for that matter) should own.
Hendrix truly was a master of rock 'n' roll (and maybe the father of heavy metal), but his roots were in the blues. His wailing Fender Stratocaster appears on this disc as in all his others, but he also breaks out the acoustic guitar on this release. There are two versions of his classic "Red House" as well as a bevy of enthralling traditional jams iraqs.
It's perfect background music for any occasion—studying diligently, wallowing in self-pity or even reconciling with that significant other.
Runners-up:
Fiona Apple, Tidal
■ Neen Young, Oghamgga
■ Radiohead, The Bends
■ Nirvana, Nevermind
■ Soundgarden, Superunknown
Cypress Hill, Temples of Boom
Fiona Apple, 'Tidal
Kid A(2000)
Radiohead
Being a college student is all about being thrifty — getting the most for your money. This is a good reason to buy *Kid A*. The latest release from Radioadhe.
Although the songs all have a slightly ambient feel, the album never becomes mired down in sound. Instead, it is a magical aural journey that will compliment anything from the heaviest of makeout sessions to the longest night of homework. Basically, Kid A is a soundtrack that makes the unpredictable college years and everything involved in them — broken hearts, road trips, parties and more — feel like a movie set to the most perfect of music.
The best time to break in your new *Kid A CD?* Making out with the person of your choice during a thunderstorm. Make sure you leave the window open, turn the music up, and lose yourself completely in the awesome transcendent tones of one of the best albums of last year.
— Megan Bainum
Rows for Dolce (Atlantic 1996)
Undoubtedly in college, you'll need some good break-up music.
Although there are several good breakup albums (Anl DiFranco's Dilate comes to mind), *Pele* has that perfect aura: not too angry, not too sad.
Instead of wallowing in your own sorrow, *Pete* tells us to rejoice in our friends. "From Caught a Lite Sneeze" to "Marianne" to "Twinkle," *Pete* teaches us that there are more important people in our lives than whoever you just dumped or were dumped by.
— Kristi Elliott