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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 12, 1998)
* Soul Coughing “El Oso” Slash Records Grade: B+ Whoever said beatniks are dead has never heard the post-modem lyri cal delivery of Soul Coughing. The band, which carved a creative niche for itself by melding San Francisco of the 1960s with timeless New York attitude has established itself soundly in the ’90s as perhaps the greatest experimental force in modem rock. A virtual assault of bass, drums and sly lyrics, “El Oso” marks the return of the New York band, its first album since 1996’s “Irresistible Bliss.” Somewhere between jazz and hip hop, Soul Coughing dabbles with a kaleidoscope of urban sounds and beats. Its first album, “Ruby Vroom,” didn’t snag legions of listeners at first, but developed an adamant fol lowing among modem-rock circles. With “Irresistible Bliss,” Soul Coughing scored in bigger leagues as the opening track, the explosive “Super Bon-bon,” took radios by storm. The two albums contrast fairly well. “Ruby” combines both high speed tracks and low-speed jazz ram blings, and “Bliss” focused almost exclusively on raw energy. “El Oso” turns the speed down a bit, back toward the more relaxed tracks of “Bliss.” “El Oso” travels along roads Soul Coughing fans have seen before, but never quite so casually. Songs like “Misinformed” and the maddeningly delightful “Circles” (which you will be singing for weeks after you hear it) would have seemed out of place on either of the band’s previous efforts, but here they shine as part of a whole. A key element of the album’s more carefree tone is the diversity of instrumentation. For the most part, guitars never played a big role in Soul Coughing’s music. Here, however, they’re all over the place, as are keyboards. This slight departure from the mostly bass-and-drums mix adds a new level to the tunes. The snappy guitar riff that backs “Circles” implants itself right inside the skull, and vocalist/guitarist M. Doughty’s “Doom da”-ing fits right in. Guitars gain ground and go from being almost inaudible to matching the pounds of the bass and drums. While none of the band’s previous efforts felt like they needed guitar, it’s hard to imagine “El Oso” without them. Little squealing keyboards, like those on “Houston,” also help even out the mix. Like most albums these days, however, “El Oso” has one experi mental track that just really doesn’t hold its own with the rest of the album. For “El Oso,” it’s “Pensicola,” an atrociously unenthusiastic rambling that never gets beyond its murky beginnings to coalesce into some thing engaging or even entertaining. But that’s what the track skip function on CD players was designed for. Besides that rather disappointing diversion, “El Oso” is a rock-solid album that will enrapture old Soul Coughing fans and draw in a few new ones as well. -Cliff Hicks 3t*V&:>XK* x«M(MKMOu REFUSED THE SHAPE OF PUNK TO COME Refused “The Shape of Punk to Come” Burning Heart/Epitaph Records Grade: B The music industry is always looking for the next big thing. However, hardcore punk mixed with techno probably won’t be it Nevertheless, Refused attempts to mix the two genres together on its third release, “The Shape of Punk to Come,” and, for the most part, it works. The Swedish band Refused, Epitaph’s second non-U.S.-based act, is not trying to cash in on the recent success of electronica acts Prodigy and Crystal Method. This album is mostly hardcore, but it has one techno song in “Bruitist Pome #5” and tech no breaks on tracks such as “New Noise” and “Faculties of the Skull.” Dennis Lyxzen’s vocals are remi niscent of the Suicide Machine’s Jason Navarro, yet his lyrics are even more political. The first song on the album “Worms of the Senses” begins with the line “I got a bone to pick with capitalism and a few to break.” The lyrics never lighten up, as other songs are centered around issues such as labor and liberation. The catchiest track on the album is “Summerholidays Vs. Punkroutine.” Lyxzen tones his screaming down a bit, and guitarists Kristofer Steen and Jon Brannstrom take over with very addictive rhythms. The contrasting “New Noise” opens with Lyxzen shouting, “Can I Scream?” Yes, he can, and it contin ues with Lyxzen yelling his message for leadership and originality over the guitars in a frenzy that is the high light of the album. Still, some of the songs on “The Shape of Punk to Come” simply don’t work. Lyxzen is boring when he simply talks through “The Refused Party program,” with buzzing elec tronic sounds not working on the track either. Refused strangely introduces a cello on “Tannhauser/Derivd,” but the solo ends abruptly and doesn’t add to the rest of the song. It seems Refused is trying to break down a few too piany walls at once, instead of making a tighter record. “The Shape of Punk to Come” definitely is not a one-listen record, with the sudden changes in style and tempo becoming more digestible the second time around. In contrast to the title of the record, I’d bet the farm that this is not the shape of punk to come. However, it is refreshing to see a punk band truly breaking the rules and trying something new. -Patrick Miner ■Hr ALL Expenses Paid INCLUDING PERSONAL BILLS Must possess a sense of humor Call toll free 1-888-874-6101 , Please leave area code X_and nmber._y Furnishing company holds contest for undergraduates By the age of 17, S.E. Hinton published her taboo-breaking novel “The Outsiders” to unbridled criti cal enthusiasm. At the age of 23, John Keats cre ated his 4,000-line poem “Endymion.” Young genius emerges rarely and at irregular intervals, and Sulisa Publishing wants to make sure the next Hinton and Keats aren’t lost In an effort to encourage young artists, the company is sponsoring a short-fiction contest aimed at undergraduate writers. The contest symbolizes the company’s mission to provide an opportunity for young writers who cannot compete in the professional ly dominated contests sponsored by journals and magazines. For the contest, Sulisa Publishing asks full-time college students to submit their manuscripts and proof of their undergraduate status. Graduate writing students, cho sen by Sulisa Publishing, will judge die works and choose 20 winners for an anthology called “Let Go of My Ear! I Know What I’m Doing.” Sulisa Publishing will distribute the anthology to various literary institu tions and retail stores across the country. ' Contest submissions should be mailed by Nov. 15 to: Sulisa Publishing, 2732 SE 35th Place Suite 1300, Portland, OR 97202. For more information about the details of the contest or the publish er, call Amy Buringrud with Sulisa Publishing at (503) 233-5232. http ://www.unl.edu/DailyN eb Lincoln’s First Class Center • 30 Brunswick Pool Tables • Electronic Games • 6 Televisions • Spirits • Darts 399 Son Valley Blvd. t (4021 474-3545 IumU 4 Sim 19$4 If you are 20, you can buy a 20-Something Players card lor $20 Mat will allow you to, play pool at Big John's with Mends who are 21 and have alcohol at the table. It will allow you to play in our pool tournaments, and is redeemable on your 21st birthday for 1 hour of free pool and 2 birthday drinks. This card is your pledge that you will not consume alcohol at Big John's until . g you ate 21 years old, ; •./y;;,;' :-... Happy Hour Prices Monday-Friday • Pitcher--$4.10 • Glass--$1.00 • Bottle--$1.55 • Well Drink-$1.45 $1.00 Pool Special • Tuesday & Friday • 11:30am- 1:30pm • Thursday • 5pm- 7pm M a I iir 1 k I *k]B; mhIHhwWHHHHHmHmWBHWb^HmbmHW ■ ! ^MDS Harris Together, We're Making Lives Better 621 Rose Street, Lincoln www.mdsharris.com/rcrt/recruit.htm Why is Mona smiling? Rumor has it, Mona Lisa had pasta on her mind. . Kind of like the authentic Italian pasta you’ll find at Fazoli’s. Fettuccine Alfredo, Spaghetti with rich Marinara sauce. And hearty Lasagna, just to name a few. Come by soon for a real work of art. You'll smile, too. 4603 Vine Street, 466-4045, Lincoln
