t Thursday, November 7, 1985 10,000 Maniacs play pure, fresh folk sound By Charles Lieurance Senior Reporter It's taken a long time for modern folk music to recover from the verbose aesthetics of Bob Dylan. Those who try to pull folk music back to the purely simple casualness of rural storytelling are usually pushed into irritating obs curity by some pretender to the "poet's" throne. 10,000 Maniacs' completely winning folk style and the off-center delivery of lead singer and irresistible wood sprite, Nancy Merchant, makes "The Wishing Chair" a stunning debut LP. Record Review The lyrics, written mostly by Mer chant, have the cool, unadorned sim plicity of the best of John Prine's work. Occasionally they take the listener all the way back to Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Ronnie Gilbert. Most of the time, the music, pure as the best unrecorded mountain music and sometimes an invitation to clog dance, is a delicate and gorgeously layered pastiche of mandolin, pedal steel guitar, accordion, organ, piano and hammer dulcimer. You might well doubt the folk purist ethic of a band with a name like 10,000 Maniacs and, I'll admit, the band often "lapses" into the jangly rock made popular these days by R.E.M., Let's Active and 28th Day. Merchant has a strong voice that would be suitable for straight ahead rock 'n' roll but the miracle of the band is how well it works on the folksy tracks. Merchant sometimes sounds like a hybrid of Emmylou Harris and Pat Benatar. "Scorpio Rising," co-written by R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, with itsPlimsouls like guitar riff Ls the hardest rocker on the album and Merchant's voice, all guts and no compromise, whips out the hook: "If I could calm or restrain Merchant Weekend... WEEKEND from Page 8 MOVIES Cinema 1 and 2, 13th and P streets "Streetwise," 5:15, 7:15 and 9:15 p.m.; "Krush Groove," 5:30, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.; Sneak preview of "Once Bitten," Saturday at 7:15 p.m. in place of "Streetwise." Douglas 3, 1300 P St. "Jagged Edge," 5:30, 7:35 and 9:40 p.m.; 'Target," 5:40, 7:40 and 9:40 p.m.; "That Was Then This is Now," 5:20, 7:20 and 9:20 p.m. , East Park 3, East Park Mall "Plenty," 5:10, 7:20 and 9:30 p.m.; "Deathwish III," 5:40, 7:40 and 9:40 p.m.; "After Hours," 5:35, 7:35 and 9:35 p.m. Plaza 4, 12th and P streets "Better Off Dead," 5:30, 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.; "To Live and Die in LA.," 5:45, 7 and 9:30 p.m.; "Deathwish III," 5, 7 and 9 p.m.; "Journey of Natty Gan," 5, 7:15 and 9:30 p.m. Stuart Theatre, 1 3th and P streets youfor the sake of pitysave the pistolsave the cynic's tongue save the cool white stareand treat me to an honest face some time. " Moving from this to the ornate bal lad, "Lily Dale," with its sweeps of acoustic guitar and mandolin, Mer chant's voice does not lose an ounce of strength but the power becomes per fectly benevolent. Images of the bucolic and arcane are so strong in Merchant's lyrics that one can almost smell the lace tablecloths, oak stairways, attic treasures and mag nolia. Like R.E.M., who they opened for at Tuesday night's concert in Omaha, 10,000 Maniacs are heavy on atmos phere. They perform haunted music, echoes and patches of the past, slowly dispersing and losing their inherent melancholy. There are some flaws on "The Wish ing Chair." Some of the music Mer chant writes is derivative, almost to the point of plagiarism. "Maddox Table" for instance has a hook lifted straight from Crosby, Stills and Nash's "Wasted on the Way." This is not a good place to be stealing your choruses. Merchant's sea shanty in flected "Arbor Day" also is dead weight and the lyrics on this one are not much more than a parade of slogans. Then there are the victories. On "Back O' The Moon," a beautiful single released last year, Robert Buck's acoustic guitar and mandolin play a quick, almost ska riff and an organ bubbles up between verses. The song is completely unique and the sound is a trumph of songwriting, musicianship and production. The opening track, "Can't Ignore the Train," is similarly the work of a band full of ideas and a gambling spirit. There are so many fine things on "The Wishing Chair" that listing flaws seems completely nit picky. Melody and substance make the album a tri umph and 10,000 Maniacs is another in a refreshing series of American bands with truly indigenous visions. ; - : i L - ' pi f ' . V ij David CreamerDaily Nebraskan "Back to the Future," 5:20, 7:30 and 9:40 p.m. R.E.M. Southern dream sequence R.E.M. from Page 10 "Had a dream one nightthat the tree had lost its middleso he built a trunk of chicken mireto try to hold it upbut the wire turned to lizard skin... " Peter Buck's guitar playing is as intricate as the weaving on some ancient quilt. Old hands, knuckles smooth as marbles, twitch and make stitch after stitch. His guitar jangles like a pocketful of old confederate coins, the hypnotic pangs of memory... "Thanks," says Michael Stipe. He's gone. "Wait Lemme just finish this here dream this here" Carson McCullers, 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter." Daily Nebraskan i6. SfmflU WINE ' Bartles&Jaynies 99 Carlo Rossi fJ9 BoUa Wncs $(TJ)S9 StaTam's Wine Coolers t-j oxuif.RMfM.vinRaM.Bur. Li s. rwdour.. v.ipoUciu L D m pk Pink OuMK. Sangria. U. CNwil Th Italian dry red or white wines that Two of the Nation's best pick up a pair. Th Big Jug Wine Is back on sale here at N St. compliment any meal. 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