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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (April 2, 1991)
Arts & Entertainment Courtesy of Sire Royal Crescent Mob Mob s talent fails to save boring release By Carter Van Pelt Staff Reporter “Midnight Rose’s” marks the fourth release from Columbus Ohio’s Royal Crescent Mob, the first since 1989’s well received “Spin the World.” The group, which got its first studio time by rigging a battle-of-the-bands contest, has earned fame from intense live shows and a sound that can’t quite be pinned down. Unfortunately, its latest release resembles a car’s reaction to ethanol-blend gasoline. It basically just sputters along and doesn’t really get going. “Midnight Rose’s” isn’t a bad album, but it seems to lack any distinguishing characteristics. The album does have an almost unique sound, but this results from a contradictory combination of elements. Royal Crescent Mob has a reputation for its rap/funk influences — it claims The Ohio Players as its spiritual leaders Royal Crescent Mob “Midnight Rose’s” Sire Records Rating: 21/2 Ratings are 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent). — but on “Midnight Rose’s,” that sound is defeated by a sort of laid-back Texas/ Jack Daniels attitude. Both rap and funk demand an intensity that just doesn’t mix with lead singer David Ellison’s southern drawl. Not all of the songs are ruined by these good-old- boyish overtones. The band sobers up its sound enough by the end of the album to produce the legitimately I funky “Woodsnakc” and movin’-’n’ groovin’ “Timebomb,” both of which live up to the band’s previous musical reputa tion. Looking for intellectual inspiration? Don’t look here. The Mob admittedly follows the age-old rule of writing about ever-enlightening subjects — drinking, cars and girls. The lack of profundity is eloquently demonstrated by the redundant “I’m sayin’,” in which Ellison repeatedly bellows “I’ve got something to say/ But the words ain’t coming my way/ I’m sayin’.” It’s convincing after about the second chorus of that kind of poetry. The band can hold its own as far as pure musicianship. All the songs, though not musically complex, arc tight and fairly well played. However, good musicians and tight playing are common enough these days that they can’t be seen as this album’s saving grace. Other than two good songs, I “Midnight Rose’s” is basically a yawner. Martial arts film fails miserably “The Perfect Weapon” Starring Jeff Speakman, John Dye Rated R Rating 1 1/2 Ratings are 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent). By Jim Hanna Senior Reporter Perhaps there is an unwritten Hollywood maxim floating in the smog of Los Angeles that says a person who is good in the martial arts can’t be a good actor. If so, it’s a damn sound maxim. There have been no exceptions to this rule in the recent history of American films. “Perfect Weapon” is the latest movie to challenge this fundamen tal law of nature and, like all attempts before it, it fails. Jeff Speakman joins his high-kicking bud dies, Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal on the junk heap of miser able martial arts movies. Speakman stiffly portrays Jeff Sanders, a character with the same first name (maybe he couldn’t comprehend playing a person with a different name). banders is a driller who happens lo be a master of kenpo karate. As the movie begins, he drifts back to his hometown, Los Angeles, and looks up his old mentor, Kim (Mako). When Kim is killed by an organized crime | thug, Sanders is naturally enraged and seeks to - ' dispense his own brand of kenpo justice. Jeffs little brother Adam (John Dye) is now a police officer in Los Angeles and his dad (Beau Starr) is a police chief. They tell Jeff to back off and let the law take care of Kim’s murder. Oooh, that defiant Jeff will have none of that, and he pursues Kim’s killers on his own. Along the way, he gets into a few violent batdes with people who have nothing to do with the story. Apparently, the movie’s crea tors just wanted a few more fight scenes. All of these unnecessary fights are but pre cursors to the mother of all kenpo duels that Jeff will have with Tanaka (Toru Tanaka), the enormous, unbeatable bodyguard of the man who ordered Kim’s death. Movies like “Perfect Weapon” are sort of like Mad-libs, those childhood puzzles where you fill in the blanks to gel a different story. This movie fits every formula cliche, from the tough guy who is a renegade from the law to a final battle with the ultimate bad guy (com plete with a major fireball explosion) to an unneeded love interest. The film’s creators probably just look the script from Jean Claude Van Demme’s last movie, erased a few character names and changed See PERFECT on 15 Brand spanking new Nova Mob Ex-Husker vocalist resurfaces By Michael Stock Staff Reporter __ HUsker DU is back. Sort of. Sorry to get your hopes up — it’s really Grant Hart’s brand spanking new band, Nova Mob. It just sounds a hell of a lot like HUsker DU. “The Last Days of Pompeii” finds ex-HUsker drummer/vocalist Hart turning his talents to guitaring and vocalizing. Nova Mob is a three-piece, as all great Minneapolis bands should be. Hart’s first solo album from last year, “Intolerance,” met mixed re views. “Intolerance” featured some great pieces of pop, but lacked the direction in lyric- and songwriting that Hart has found on “The Last Days of Pompeii,” which is currently on the British Top Ten album chart. Nova Mob “The Last Days of Pompeii" Rough Trade Rating: 4 1/2 Ratings are 1 (bad) to 5 (excellent). Tracks on “Pompeii” vary from the folksy acoustic strum of one gui tar on “Introduction” and “Admiral of the Sea (79 A.D.)” to the power chords of “Wemher Von Braun” and the title track. The entirety of “Pompeii” is or ganized like Hiisker Du s landmark 1983 concept double-album “Zen Arcade.” Hart weaves a talc of post war Germany and the destruction of Pompeii to power his lyrics. Songs like “Wernher Von Braun,” “Where You Gonna Land (NextTime You Fall Off Of Your Mountain),” “Over My Head,” “Admiral of the Sea” and “The Last Days of Pompeii” Find Hail at his best as both a song writer and guitarist/vocalist. “Wernher Von Braun” opens with a Hiiskcr-csque barrage of guitar power chords. Michael Crcgo’s drums are slammed and smacked in various ways as Tom Merkl’s bass walt/cs a fancy bass line. Hart whips up a stirring, bitter sweet love song in “Where You Gonna Land,” conjuring images from “Back See NOVA on 15 Courtesy of Rough Trade