Entertainment
Tuesday • December 2 :
Save Ferris offers poor
start with first album
O ne-hit wonder bands are
the norm for the ’90s, and
one area where most of
them can be found is in the genre
of ska music. This is especially true
when a band’s hit single is not
even its original song.
Save Ferris is just one band prov
ing this condition exists with their
new album it means everything.
First and foremost, the band’s
lead singer, Monique Powell, must
have it in her mind she is Gwen
Steffani of No Doubt.
The vocal styles are
the same, and the
horns blow the same
garage tunes.
Granted, Powell’s
voice is sharp and
unwavering, but in
the long run, Save
Ferris will probably
see no more success
than David Bowie
teaming up with
Trent Reznor to cre
ate a spiritual song
about the many
ways God represents
an American. Still,
the band is fun to
listen to — a good
buy for people who
desire something to keep their
heads bobbing during a road trip.
The No Doubt allusion, howev
er, rings true even in song titles.
Featured on No Doubt’s Tragic
Kingdom are songs such as “World
Go ’Round,” “Sixteen” and “Differ
ent People.” On Save Ferris’ it
means everything, “The World Is
New,” “Under 21” and “Little Dif
ferences” make appearances.
The band’s rendition of “Come
On Eileen” is a snazzy revamping
of the original, but most remakes
are the same. All it takes is a
younger generation of musicians
to retool a song many people have
forgotten. The only drawback to
this is once the remake starts get
ting airplay, the older version
somehow makes its way back to
the radio.
But on a good note, or remake
for that matter, the band’s sound is
older than No Doubt’s and other
ska bands; it is more classical. With
lyrics from “Goodbye” such as,
“Hey cool cat / Does this apply to
you / Don’t you lie / ’Cause you
can’t hide the truth,” the band
makes a good impression. It knows
the time frame in which ska music
would work — a black-and-white
film with hip characters who burst
into song at the drop of a hat or the
twirl of a trenchcoat.
There is still room for Save Fer
ris to grow. On one
of the band's tracks,
“Spam” — well, the
title alone should be
enough to convey
the band needs time
to work on new ma
terial. “Spam it’s
pink and it’s oval /
Spam, I buy it at the
Mobil,” gives listen
ers a reason to either
laugh out loud or
turn the music
down, way down.
Moreover, there
still will be compar
isons to No Doubt —
Steffani and her
boys assuredly
winning the race.
For now, Save Ferris
should stop worrying
about catchy song ti
tles or horns and
drums beating to a
different tune
from other ska
bands. It should
focus on lyrics
that are a bit more
meaningful and
take the rest from
there.
Save Ferris may
not be as “sick” as the
character portrayed by
Matthew Broderick, but
the band could use a hand
in achieving individual stabili
ty for its future success.
— By James Francis
rTrs«2JSE»r-#:e£
Save Ferris
it means everything
Starpool Records
★★ 1/2 (out of five)
Reload comes off h.
cocked for Metallic;
■ 11
Ti L
M etallica’s new release Reload,
the sister album to their 1996
release Load, is proof the kings
of mainstream metal are dethroned.
Reload continues the trend the band
set with Load: selling out hardcore met
al for mediocrity.
From the musical styles on both al
bums to the cover of the album,
donned in blood and semen, the para
doxes between Reload and its prede
cessor are undeniable.
One big difference between the al
bums still remains — as
much as Load strayed
from Metallica’s original
style, it still doesn’t
come close to being as
bad as Reload.
The new 13-track
album offers
nothing new for
music lovers
from the
pop/alter
native crap
getting air
play these
days. OK,
maybe it is
slightly
better than
other radio
S/ crap, but if
r"
Y pn
tld
Metallica
ReLoad
Electra Records
★ * (out of five)
the Metallicas of past and
present were rated against
each other on a scale from one
to 10 — Metallica old: 11, Metalli
ca new: -5.
With albums such as ReLoad,
Metallica has no chance of redeeming
themselves to their old fans — fans
who at one time couldn’t control the
banging of their heads and fists to the
metal artistry of Master of Puppets.
Ever since the band members trad
ed their matted, long locks for short
hairdos, the music went downhill. Co
incidence — I think not.
Metallica’s music from the days be
fore load had so many fast-paced
changes, you didn’t know from one
beat to the next whether to sway or
mosh. Metallica since is predictable.
If judged just by the song titles,
some of the tracks on ReLoad, such as
"Devil’s Dance" and“Bad$et;
promising. But once thealbui
CD player, this promisegoesi
Perhaps the only good son
album is “Unforgiven II,"asp
“Unforgiven” from their'92si
Cl). The two songs soundver
and contain similar themes,\
slight differences betweenil;.)v|
and there. to
I ley guys, I have an idea- H
leave the remixes up to/od
But really, when the bests ||
album is a new
old tune, the all
real problems.
While them
lacking, lames
vocals growl tht |
stereo speake
force of thetra cy
Metallica. Heoi Y
better. It make
wonder whyH
hasn’t kickedtl
band member:
going so soft.
Metallica, do t
a favor. The nexttfe
want to product iti
it uinil'i ,i newb
name. That way, at least thedeJL
metal Metallica fan won't ac.
buy your album.
But in all fairness, maybe Is
ing down a little too hardontb
They have been making music
years now, and ingivingtl \(
efit of the doubt, chalk this late
lease up to musical evolution
In lari, mam argueasabai
they must progress with theniw)
around them. But if ReLoad\n\
of a band’s progression, thenp '
sion sucks.
In the words of my 17-yearu
ter, “Uh, Pel oa<F I think it's tr/(Q 0 ||
Metallica to unload." ^ t |
Reload proves the metal 1 3U c
Metallica, and with this lossy-ts k
the death of mainstream me anr
know it. s t<]
— Ei#
fiv
me
i§i&. Hade ijott ahdays Wanted to tradet to the £ggg|||,,.
Breezy Tropical Caribbean? -c?t f "
Welcome to
• ..;,r
DOMIAUCA
Spend your first summer session in the
rainforest of the "NATURE ISLAND"
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MltlilttlJiVl
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Available at Marooned, Dixie Chicken
& Rother’s Bookstores
YTYirV fY 1 <v Rothers ibookstores
b SHADOW CANYON
TKNAS NOTKS: Vat Green
One of Aggietands most popular enter
tainers will be "coming to town..." for this
special evening with the Holiday Season
ftairt Credited with two outstanding
albums. Pat Green has received
nr.*,,",™, National attention leading to an already
BROUGHT TO YOU BY DICKSON PRODUCTIONS promising future as a Texas singer/song-
f » m writer' And to see Green five is some-
* * “P /» H/t A C U thing you don’t want to miss. This
\hv,nv v/vrit w . evening P ,(5mises to be the porfect night
ZiPm. m ,,
SPliClAV-
10UGHT TO YOU BY DICKSi
. vitcr V/H/it »Y ■ We/a
MSC L.T. Jordan Institute
for International Awareness
Are you interested in Mexico?
Do y ou want to know more about
Mexican Culture? If these sound like
things you are interested in, come
join us at this presentation!
Decembe r 2, 1997
MSC 292A
7pm
Fo r more mlormahon or lc irform us ot your special needs please call the L.T Jordan Office
»at 645 8770 or visit us in room 2231 ot the MSC
Off Campus
General Meeting
Tuesday, December 2nd
8:45 pm in MSC 225
And before the
meeting
OCA Aggieland
Picture
7:30 pm in Zachry
Study the
Ore a test Conflict of thfs Century
In Normandy, France
Summer II 199$
<311 is an honor and a privilege to
jwrticifwte in this program \i)dl
studies the most fHm’erful invasion
in modern history when Ttocas A&M
/ University's former President Col.
! James Earl Rudder scaled the cliffs
f of Normandy and began the liberation of
j France and ulthnatley the end of World
t War II. this firogram is designed to
firefMre students of today to be pioneers
of a peaceful tomorrow.
/:
- Earn 6 hours of TAMU credit
- No language requirement
~ Financial Aid Available
More Information and Applications Con 1 '
Study Abroad Program Office
161 llizzell Hall West, 845-0544
Application Deadline December 8,1991
The