New bands range in talent, sound from middling to truly dynamite
Lyrically they are trying to find their way in a post-adolescent world of confusion and rebellion. Reminiscent of Sid Vicious' style, "Our Way" and "I Wanna Be" rebels against parental units and other institutions. The rest of the songs on the album deal with the normal variety of twenty-something angst-fueled topics like drug addiction, vices of other sorts, society's ailments and finding one's own person. In a generation of lost souls (they term it "RadiationGeneration") Klover searches for their own path to happiness.
On the album and cover they look and sound like a punk band, but aren't exactly. The fast rhythms and heavy yet melodic guitar prove punk influences, but the amazing harmonies come from left field.
Singer Mark Stone has captured the art of hollering so it sounds like a capitulated scream. Their choruses, like those on Green Day's Dookie , stick in the brain and make for excellent radio material.
Klover has what it takes to be successful: a fun sound with catchy lyrics and a charismatic leading voice.
As far as pop bands are concerned, Dishwalla does not stand out against the crowd. In fact they sound a little too much like the Arc Angels on the first song, Pearl Jam on a couple others and U2 on yet another.
Along with other alternative bands, Dishwalla is vying for airplay on the radio, but not doing so well. When they are played, their songs tend to blend in with other bands on the radio and do not catch a listener's attention.
Though not original, these guys are definitely not boring. Their first album, Pet Your Friends , sounds fun with simple guitar riffs that can be fun to dance to.
In a world of wussy alternative bands, Seaweed rocks hard. They are a quintet of normal-looking guys with short, short haircuts and Converse sneakers, and they thrash hard enough to rival bands like Bush or Jesus Lizard.
Their first album, Spanaway , sounds heavy, yet very well assembled and rehearsed. The instrumentation creates a harmonious yet loud sound. Their first release, titled "Defender," has the catchy and oft-repeated lyrics, "Where I'll wait for hours and hours." My favorite is "Not Saying Anything" because of the melodic qualities of the chorus.
I would like to see Seaweed live just to find out where the energy in their music comes from.
A quick update from last week: Little Sister will be playing at Party on the Plaza on Thursday, Sept. 14. Have fun seeing a great live band from Texas!
This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the September 8, 1995 issue.
Copyright © 1996 The Rice Thresher. All Rights
Reserved.
This document may be distributed
electronically, provided that it is distributed in its
entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted
without the express written permission of:
The Rice Thresher, Rice University, 6100 Main, Houston, TX 77005-1892, USA.
The Thresher Online Project -- ethresh@listserv.rice.edu