Page 8
The Battalion
Love on Ice thrashes blaring
unpredictability with 'Nude'
By Chris Eklof
The Battalion
Love On Ice
"Nude"
Interscope
Spring break is over. We've tested the lim
its of the human gastrointestinal system,
learned a few new mystical hangover remedies
and analyzed the liquid absorbency rate of a T-
shirt. Not surprisingly then, the best thing
that I discovered over spring break was
"Nude."
The tape had innocently enough been
picked out of a pile of new releases and
popped into the car's stereo. Expecting to hear
another lame album, I was surprised to hear
the energetic music of Love On Ice. Blaring
out of the stereo with a high-octane was a
brand of rock that leans towards the thrash
music scene.
The tape stayed in the car stereo for the rest
of the break.
The music of Love On Ice helps fill the void
left by the breakup of Jane's Addiction. The
screeching vocal style of singer Dan Krueger
combined with the intense guitars of Dirk Sul
livan and the band's conviction to not follow
any formulas make them sound like a distant
relative of Jane's Addiction.
After listening to the album for a week, I
knew the names of only three songs because of
Krueger's vocal style. That didn't matter much
because it was easy enough to make up my
own lyrics to fit the songs. Most of Krueger's
lyrics are unintelligible, but that doesn't take
away from the songs 1 power. Krueger's howl
ing is not used to deliver political or social
messages; instead it becomes another instru
ment by adding an extra bit of noise to the
music.
Underneath all the noise. Love On Ice takes
the time to play a melody or two. "Foot In The
Grave" and "Ugly" have melodies that can be
followed and their choruses can actually be
understood (most of the time).
Love On Ice's music should be noted for its
unpredictability. Just when you think you
Love on Ice offers screeching thrash and energetic rock on their debut, “Nude
know where a song or guitar riff is going, it
storms off in another direction. The songs of
ten flip-flop from one musical style to the next,
right in the middle of the song.
This album is not all screeching thrash,
though. It also includes screeching, horn-
drenched blues boogie and a screeching ballad.
Only four or five songs are truly hard thrash
ing songs; the rest demonstrate a wider range
of music. The music varies from the piano in
tro of "Sweet Thing" to the violin-backed cho
rus of "Self In Blue" to the country style of
"Country Boy."
"Country Boy" stands out on the album be
cause of its unusual style and sense of humor.
The background percussion consists of the
clip-clopping of horse's hooves and the lyrics
describing a country boy's love.
The acoustic ballad, "Gone Away," was
recorded after the band had been upallnifi
drunk and then got stuck in an elevator 111
three hours. At 7 a.m., they got out of thet:w LL cHUDZEtT
vator and stumbled into the studio to recoiJctED sawo .
the song. Their physical and mental conditi^ 5
probably had a large impact on the songp/D n't look^
slower pace and volume because there isnd
ing else like this song on "Nude."
Love On Ice are probably at their besta
the wilder songs when they cut loose andlJ
out all of their frustrations. The free-wheeli*
"Foot In The Grave" and the angry "Leavelf
Alone" spotlight the band at their best,
do
'Nude" was a huge surprise with itsinte;
... .JB
sity and spirit. Love On Ice is another altemL .
five band from the Northwest that is lookingjpT'l QO1
bust out and make it big. Even if they dona
make it, the album has found a permanei^^g^ f r<
place in my collection.
mte dowi
Article 99' diagnosed as lacking
originality in typical hospital script
By Timm Doolen
The Battalion
"Article 99"
Starring Ray Liotta and Kiefer
Sutherland
Directed by Howard Deutch
Rated R
Playing at Post Oak 3
Isn't it painfully obvious to
writers, directors and even ac
tors when they find themselves
in the middle of a cliche? The
new Howard Deutch film "Arti
cle 99" is a one long cliche cling
ing to a formula plot.
"99" is a hospital movie,
pulled straight from the files of
other hospital films, anywhere
from the "Dr. Kildare" series of
the '40s and '50s up to last year's
"The Doctor."
• The only twist is that this
time the hospital is a Veteran's
Administration hospital, and the
good guys are doctors trying to
help veterans, while the bad
guys are the government.
The first 30 minutes of the
movie are captivating, as we are
shown how impossible it is to re
ceive help from the Veteran's
Administration, and how the
surgeons working in this partic
ular hospital work around the
rules to givd p'atienfs thbmedical
treatments they de£4rrve. Kiefer
Sutherland is the new intern on
the block, and Ray Liotta is the
champion of patients' rights,
even if he has to bend the rules
sometimes.
Unfortunately, after the ini
tial bustle of the setup dies
down, the movie starts dying as
well, falling into the comfortable
dressing of a formula hospital
movie.
We have these typical clich
es: young, righteous surgeons
battling for good; an evil admin
istrator only worried about
keeping costs down; an upward
ly mobile intern who eventually
learns there's more to life than
just making money; the female
doctor who scorns the intern's
advances at first, and then
changes her mind towards the
end; a love interest between the
rebel surgeon hero and the by-
the-books psychiatrist; a heart
patient who gets his operation at
the climax of the movie (will he
pull through?); and the old, dy
ing war hero who imparts a little
knowledge and love to the up
start intern.
Admittedly, there are some
G enuine concerns and issues
rought up. We see how doctors
have to keep shifting patients
who need care from department
to department, because if they
stay in one place too long, the
administration discharges them.
And we sympathize with the
plight of the doctors who have
to steal equipment from the ex
perimental labs because the ani
mals are receiving better treat
ment than the humans.
But most of the general is
sues of inadequate health care
have been touched upon in tele
vision (St. Elsewhere, for in
stance) and in other movies,
most notably "Born on the
Fourth of July." And the gener
ally good drama has to be wa-
touches that just don't
r or agaim
dred and
ivor, 7 were
decided.
ne citizt
Json, Dian
ught the
ed enougl
"Ordinary
’ suited ear
son or rot,
a major di
tered down with unlikely and !
unnecessary love stories, and
comic toucru
work.
Also, the movie makes h prison) will I
seem like all the problems ot ths of our commi
entire medical community m -Kaplansa>
caused by this one administ about thesafi
tor, although we all know|
much more complicated tte
that.
To the film's credit, all tin
acting performances are first
rate, but even the best crew cant
keep a sinking ship afloat.
"Article 99" has been 1
as the sequel to "M.A.S.H.,"!
it is far from the quality of the
Robert Altman movie, or the
television series. There is scarce
humor, unlike "M.A.S.H.," and
the little that is attempted seem
out of place.
As formula hospital dramas
go, this isn't all that (pad. Butif
you want to see first-rate pro
ductions that hit on issues in
unique ways, watch Kiefer's fa
ther, Donald Sutherland, in
"M.A.S.H.," or stay up and
watch the series on television.
The Re-Unified
Germany:
Dr. Jurgen H. Wolff
Professor of Sociology at
Ruhr - Universitat in Bochum
Wednesday, March 25,1992
0 7:00 P.M.
Bfe 292B MSC
^ Free Admission - Reception Following
r Presented by the MSC Wiley Lecture Series
th is Vi
Three i
Opportunities in Texas Medicine
Saturday, March 28, 1992
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Kleberg Center
Texas A&M University
Medical, Dental, Veterinary, and Allied Health Schools from all overTenas
will be available at Kleberg to answer any questions students might have
about the schools. Everyone is welcome, and the admission is free.
Sponsored by:
Alpha Epsilon Delta
Biomedical Science Association
Minority Association of Prehealth Aggies
Premedical/Predental Society
VJSCOTT&VC'HITE
HCA Greenleaf
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St. Joseph
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