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Show DVDs continued from page I'm still waiting for it to do something for me. It's not that it's bad, just sort of, you know, blah. Wait, I think it's no, false alarm. Maybe nope, that wasn't it either. I'm just sitting here waiting, waiting for something, anything, getting a little sleepy, waiting more no! Why'd they have to make that chord change? Why is he singing about monkeys again? I know monkeys are funny, so why am I not laughing? Am I actually writing all this? Are you reading it? Music shouldn't make me ask questions like this. Music, like a fine cracker, should taste good even if you just found it behind the refrigerator, or if you spread wax cheese on it. But if you start asking questions like "wait, why am I eating this cracker that I just found behind the refrigerator?" or "why didn't I just draw on it with a crayon because that would be cheaper?" then the cracker just ain't doin' its job. And that's all I really have to . say on the matter. r if . v ,; - . - ' R4 i - ' w r-- 1 ' A I I r i - 3 1 '.iy it J ?. ; "- iX 1,-- 4 Y j Asleep in the Back Elbow 1 V2 -I dmittedly, Elbow also is a Pretty stupid name for a kband to have. Maybe all the good band names are taken or something, I don't know. And it doesn't help that the band doesn't already have a good track record with me. Seriously though, names are that important to me. Because let's face it no one is really all that superficial, but who could ever love someone named Elbow or Meredith, or for that matter Arvino or Jason? So, it's a pretty amazing feat that Asleep in the Back is actually pretty all right. It sure beats listening to my own elbow anyway, which incidentally does not sing or play an instrument but only snaps when I extend my arm all the way. Right from the getgo, Elbow draws you in, like a slinged arm to the chest. "Any Day Now" intones monotone, urn, intonations over a dark, burbling accompaniment "Little Beast" jams so coolly it On "Powder Blue," singer Guy Garvey almost wants to be trip-hoevokes so much David Bowie, and hopefully David Bowie is listening so lie 'remembers what he's supposed to sound like. This is the instantly accessible, light and breezy Britpop a la Coldplay or Travis that confuses people on the radio with its lack of rapping, faceless gear chords and prematurely retro-bo- y bandisms a la '"Weird Al' Yankovic: The Videos" Image Entertainment Directed by a bunch of people including Weird Al Not Rated 0 p. Linkin Park. Granted no wait, strike that; Let's make it "admittedly" the album begins to lag and sag under its own comforter cushions midway and endway, never quite equaling its stellar opening third. The effect is something like falling asleep with your head nested on a plush couch whilst your torso, waist and legs recline on a cold wooden floor. Sure, these guys are asleep in the back, I guess, but are they really getting any rest? Are their bodies receiving the ample time they need to regenerate for a new day of singing and dancing, laughing and loving, and singing and dancing? Maybe, like good band names, the world has run out of room for more light, fluffy Britpop. Pscchhht, yeah right. I almost had myself there for a minute. Why, that would be like having teatime without cakes. I rue the day that that happens. Have you ever thought to yourself, "boy, my life sure would be more fulfilled if I had a lot of Weird Al Yankovic's music videos .; on one handy DVD." I didn't either, but I can tell you that once you do have them, you won't want to let them go. While all the classics are there, Weird Al shows that he is more than just "Eat It," "Fat" and "Amish Paradise," with 22 strong videos that go in all sorts of directions. It's amazing how often Weird Al records a song that is better than the original both "Ricky," a tribute to "I Love Lucy" done to the song "Mickey" by Toni Basil, and "Smells Like Nirvana," a parody of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, fall into that category. In fact, "Smells Like Nirvana" is such a well-don- e video that I now like NiTvana while I used to feel ambivalent about the band. A number of videos featuring Al's own songs are included, many of which are better than their obscurity might indicate. Weird Al is currently king of the strange music and strange videos, and if he continues to make videos like these, his reign will be a long one. Mix and enjoy. Fri 0324 brentored-mag.co- m no 11 mm li r " TURDflY niOIIT IS LADIES MIGHT 17IT1I iiiPi!i!iiij!Vii;j.iiHffl!i!m.i!Q ti m m Next week: See it happen. BED Magazine march 7, 2002 R5 |