The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, September 11, 1992 Page: 10 of 16
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10 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1992 THE RICE THRESHER
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT
Sonic goo
The most pleasant this alternative band has sounded in years
by Booth Babcock
The list of one-time relevant,
interesting, or creative bands who saw
their vitality and originality sapped by
the leeches of the corporate music
machine is a long and sad one. Recent
examples include REM, L-7, and
Nirvana; bands that were once at the
forefront of the college music scene
who are now watered down enough to
be palatable to the great unwashed
big operation like DGC, the songs
themselves are rougher than those on
Goo, and the whole thing has a harder,
more insistent sound.
Admittedly, gone are the long,
cacophonous instrumental breaks the
band is known for.
These songs are good because they
are actually good songs, not just
platforms from which guitarists
Thurston Moore and Lee Ronaldo can
take off into an ecstasy of feedback
With all of the hype crashing around
them and the hefty ticket price, I expect
nothing short of Godhead this time
around.... As much as I hate the idea of
giving money to Tab Productions, this is
a show not to miss.
masses who still fool themselves into
thinking they are "alternative" (what is
an album that sells a million copies an
alternative to?).
Some people thought Sonic
Youth's last release, the super
expensive, multitrack orgy Goo, was
the inevitable result of the steady rise
in popularity enjoyed by one of the
most original and interesting bands in
the United States.
Even Sonic Youth claimed that
they never again wanted to go through
the arduous experience of cranking out
a big production like Goo. And it
really wasn't so bad. When it was
announced that Butch Vig (the man
who brought us Nevermind and Bricks
Are Heavy) would produce the new
Sonic Youth album, it was difficult to
suppress a growing feeling of dread.
Was the great Sonic Youth finally
slipping into the yoke of commercial-
ism, surrendering their integrity and
their art for a few more bucks?
I'm happy to discover that the
new album, Dirty, is actually pretty
good. Make no mistake: the David
Geffen Company is making money on
this one, and Butch Vig is not going to
get a black eye. This is probably as
pleasant to listen to as Sonic Youth is
ever likely to get.
This album can't touch some of
their earlier releases, especially
Daydream Nation or Evol. It is an
improvement over their last attempt,
however. Though the production is as
smooth as one would expect from a
and distortion. They still have plenty
of opportunities to make a lot of really
great noise, however.
More prominent is bassist Kim
Gordon. Though her bass playing isn't
much improved over her past work (on
other albums, the band has used
Firehose member and bass God Mike
Watts as a fill in on more complicated
tunes), the lyrics are something of a
Kim Gordon fest: she sings on a
whopping eight songs—a far cry from
her usual role as an only occasional
singer.
There's not much to distinguish the
individual songs from, say, Daydream
Nation-era. stuff, with two exceptions.
"100%" is the token sell-out on this
album. There is no question that this
one was written to be the lead-off
single from this album; it sounds like
nothing else on Dirty. In fact, what it
most resembles is something by The
Jesus & Mary Chain or even (gasp!)
the Soup Dragons.
Though it has been scientifically
designed to be irritatingly catchy and
get under your skin like a hungry tick,
and even though it has rocketed to the
top of the bogus "College Music"
chart they print in the paper every
week, your best bet is to simply start
the CD at song #2 and avoid it
altogether. The other notable song is
"Youth Against Fascism." This one
features punk rock demigod Ian
MacKaye (of Fugazi) on guitar.
Sonic Youth is, of course, touring
all over the place, and Houston's turn
Happy Hour 11AM-7PM daily!
Monday Night is College Night
$1.00 off all drafts
Live music, darts,
sports, private parties!
1617 Richmond • Houston, TX 77006 • 528-3545
Fri.,
Sept.
11
Flying Fish Sailors
Sat.,
Sept.
12
Sentir Venezolano
Mon.,
Sept.
14
The Road Dogs
Tue.,
Sept.
15
Songwriter's Night
Wed.,
Sept.
16
Woodwinds Quintet
Thur.,
Sept.
17
Jazz Medics
Fri.,
Sept.
18
David Rice Band
lillllilliiiii
Sonic Youth dirties up Houston on Sept. 18.
comes September 18 at the Unicorn
(run by our slimy friends over at Tab
Productions). The show features big
name pricing (something like $16—
yikes!), but then, Sonic Youth is a big
name band these days. Their live
shows are supposedly amazing.
I'm a little skeptical—when I last
saw them about two years ago at
Numbers, they put on a good show but
it was a little short and it didn't exactly
rock my world and make me turgid.
With all of the hype crashing around
them and the, hefty ticket price, I
expect nothing short of Godhead this
time around.
The strength of their new material
would tend to support that assumption,
so as much as I hate the idea of giving
money to Tab, I'd have to say that this
is a show not to miss.
I'd also like to put in a plug for the
opening bands. I don't know much
about Pavement except that an English
prof I had at UT this summer
described their latest album as the
biggest cultural event of the last two
years. I don't know if that says more
about Pavement or the UT English
department, but it is food for thought.
Also opening is local band The Pain
Teens, in what is a killer slot. Their
latest album is doing great across the
country, and they've managed to land
themselves in a great position for some
exposure. Expect quite a show.
Sonic Youth
The Unicorn, 699-1215
Sept. 18
Holocaust
from pace 8
existed, we should not flinch from the
horrors of their deaths.
Thus, there are plenty of shots of
walls where resistors were themselves
shot; as well as close-ups of meat-
hooks for hanging "traitors." It's not
self-indulgently scary, but the point is
made.
Language is not enough, we learn,
to express the courage and inner sense
of rightncss within these people. Thus
the stress placed on the silent cell with
the cord for hanging; thus the still
photographs, one after another, of men
dead, with simply their names and
dates of death.
And this also comes through in the
exhibition of photographs by Gay
Block, which you may want to take in
after watching the film.
At the entrance to the exhibition
there is a photo of Arnold Douwes and
Seine Offen, both from the Nether-
lands.
Douwes fled from the Nazis and
was taken in and protected by Offen
for the rest of the war. Together they
were in charge of the local Resistance
movement which helped Jews escape
from enemy-occupied territory. A
piece of writing underneath the photo
recounts a conversation between the
two men. Offen says, "Arnold's my
best friend;" to which Douwes
responds, "There aren't words in the
dictionary." This is the sort of
inexpressible altruism which forms the
uniting core of these two different
displays.
The Restless Conscience
Sun., Sept. 13, 20, 3 p.m. Thurs., Sept
10,17,7 p.m.
Rescuers from the Holocaust
Photos by Cay Block
Thru Nov. 1
Museum Of Fine Arts
Nigkt Owl
I * 1
I With this coupon, get |
I $ 1.00 off any sandwich during lunch (11 AM - 3 PM) |
I -or- |
I 50C off any beverage after 7 PM |
Expires 10/11/9ZJ
from pace 8
you are wearing all white, the
powerful black lights ensure that
everyone in the club can see your
moves—remember to brush your
teeth.
Faces has no alcohol but it makes
up for that with its high tech, laser lit
atmosphere. If you do get thirsty,
cokes are available, as well as "smart
drinks."
Faces could be a hit, but only if it
can attract enough people to stretch its
300 capacity. The cover price is $5,
although Wednesdays and Sundays are
free for the ladies and $4 for the non-
ladies.
Faces, 3330 Hillcroft at Richmond
Wed.-Sun., midnicht-6 a.m.
jack up your
campanile
fiiday at the ski tg,
4-6 pm. in the
rmc courtyard.
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Kim, Leezie & Carson, Chad. The Rice Thresher (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 80, No. 4, Ed. 1 Friday, September 11, 1992, newspaper, September 11, 1992; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth245817/m1/10/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.