Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 1992)
^Tuesday, March 31, 1992 The Battalion Page 9A Cranes bring back classic Goth rock By Kevin Robinson 77jc Battalion tie Battalion to play for ce of the ' Lovett, r en more his best >ys. vett said, n things, tilable in -ie Cranes ?!Wings of Joy" 3MG The last time I checked, Goth rock this good died when the Cure started to smile. I was wrong. It was only hiding out in a small English town. I "Wings of Joy," the second album by the Cranes, was recommended to me by several friends who know of my liking for early eighties gloom and doom music. Since Ian Curtis hung himself and bands like the Cure and the Banshees have become dance floor favorites, the only way to get a healthy dose of musical depression was from that old stand by, 4AD. Even then, it just wasn't the same. As good as many of the 4AD bands are, overprocessed locals and washes of instrumental noise can only progress so far. After that, it tends to grow stale retty quick. The Cranes, thank God, have come along at the erfect time to throw me back to when I first listened to those scratchy old Bauhaus or Joy Division LPs. he Cranes are not, however, just a nostalgia trip, eband is firmly set in the nineties. The group takes their cue from the numerous ther English rock groups with ethereal female vo cals and runaway guitar noise. They're not, however, quite as rock n' roll as Lush, and the happiness of re cent Cocteau Twins is not something the band's mu sic will be expressing. If any musical debts are owed, it's to American minimal groups like Hugo Largo and Hetch Hetchy. The Cranes, however, combine the style of their American cousins with some of the moodiness and atmosphere which the English seem to do best. The Cranes construct most of their tunes around a piano melody or acoustic guitar riff. Siblings Jim and Allison Shaw provide the backbone of the band, with Jim writing most of the music and Allison pro viding striking, shrill vocals and a subtle bass. Alli son's vocals are unusual enough that they take some getting used to, but once they do, its hard to imagine this album without them. The opening track on the album, "Watersong" let me know that I was really going to enjoy this album. The song starts with a quiet little piano melody, and Allison's voice slowly begins flowing over the tune about halfway through. It honestly sounds more like a film soundtrack than a pop song, and while good, I was afraid that this would be one more band at tempting an "ambient" sound. Later songs proved me dead wrong. " Adbration" and "Leaves of Summer" are two of the best songs on the album. They manage to be sub tle, but have a quiet intensity about them. In the completely opposite vein is "Starblood, " a harsh, distortion number from the band's first album. If this was the style of the entire first album, the Cranes have progressed enormously from generic Lush rip-off to a distinct sound all their own. No Doubt's debut takes goofy look at life By Chris Eklof The Battalion No Doubt ijNo Doubt" ^ . Interscope <[ Sprouting from Orange Coun- r jjity, California, home of Disney- ^ land, No Doubt takes a cartoonish look at life and many of its prob- |fems, both major and meaningless. 3—-^—4Fast food, famous models and the L I painful removal of wisdom teeth are all topics within the realm of No Doubt. j No Doubt's wacked out per spectives are laid out over music that is just as fun as the lyrics. No Doubt blends funk, ska and rock into songs that have terminally happy beats. A three man horn section backs up the band on sev eral of the songs. The horn section makes many of the songs sound like the intro- iduction to the "Tonight Show" or a television game show. This sim ply adds to the weirdness of the album. The breeding point for No Doubt's humor is inside the head of keyboardist Eric Stefani. Ste- fani's past work as an animator on "The Simpsons" and "Mighty Mouse" only adds to the band's cartoon image. Stefani is the main writer of the group and gets com plete credit for the album's strangest songs, "Paulina" and "A Little Something Refreshing." Stefani's sister, Gwen, does the majority of the singing on the al bum, handing over the micro phone to her brother only on the lustful love sohg, "Paulina." "Paulina" is Stefani's one- handed tribute to a famous model. He stares at her picture all day long, wishes she would take off all her clothes and then he "single- handedly turns the page." "A Little Something Refresh ing" takes an absolutely essential element of life, food, and makes a song about it. It is meaningless. non-important, but totally fun. It describes a mad eating frenzy then ends appropriately enough with a long, protracted burp. No Doubt does occaionally at tacks a more important song, but even the topic of addiction is treat ed with a nappy feeling. "Sink ing" is about alcohol addiction while "Trapped In A Box" exposes an addiction that is not too often thought of —the addiction to tele vision. More often than not, the sub ject matter of No Doubt stays on the light side. They will write a song about anything and every thing. The song "Ache" goes on and on, telling the story of Ste fani's wisdom teeth removal. It is basically about how much pain the guy was in. Certainly, nobody else cares about that, but it did not stop No Doubt from making an other goofy song. "Goofy" is what the group is all about. No Doubt looks to have fun first and make music second. Guess who can’t touch this? Humpty-Hump (left) and Money-B, rappers for the hip-hop group Digital Underground, play “guess-the-artist'’ (here the popular Hammer) during an MSC Town Hall concert Friday night in Deware Field House. TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY OFF CAMPUS CENTER HOUSING FAIR 1992 1992 HOUSING FAIR Go for the gold in your off-campus housing search! Over 50 management properties and 15 service providers will be on hand with information about their properties and services. Wednesday, April 1, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Memorial Student Center Scuba lessoNS 1/2 PRICE BUDDY SPECIAL (Sign up and set your Buddy in at 1 /2 Price J Classes begin: April 2nd read for schedules! April 20th May 4th Dive Trips: jm* •Heated Pool* •Textbook and Scuba Equip, included* Cozumel- June 24th - June 29th Belize- August Dates TBA SCUBA 115 College Main. College Station TOn NorthgateJ 409-846-9396 SHANNON DURKIN TREASURER 1995 COMING IN CONCERT STEVE CAMP Benefiting Still Creek Boy's Ranch Presented by Aggie Men's Club Thursday, April 2, 8:00 p.m. RUDDER AUDITORIUM Tickets $7.00 in advance $8.00 at the door Sww COLLEGE STATION □ ATTENTION: ALL DEC. ’92 GRADUATING SENIORS If you are a member of the Class of ’92 and will graduate in December ’92, you may vote in the upcoming Class of ’92 Class Agents Election. Stop by the MSC Hallway (across from the Post Office) Tues., Mar. 31; Wed., Apr. 1; or Thurs., Apr. 2, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. to cast your vote. STUDENT ID REQUIRED. The Association of Former Students will hold Fall Senior Induction Banquets for Dec. ’92 graduates in Nov. ’92 Q