CD Reviews

Shampoo

Girl Power

(Food)

Say what you like about Jacqui and Carrie. Mock them for contributing a song to the first Power Rangers movie. Laugh at their girlish vanity. But, beyond all that, or maybe within all that, there's something else.

When I first saw the video for "Trouble" years ago I was hooked. Yes, they were young and pretty, but that was just the catch; it was the damn silly fun of the music that reeled me in. As they shouted (never really singing) about how great they were over horribly simple drum-machine tracks and cheesy guitars, it was impossible not to laugh, but also not to be sucked into the sheer audacity, and yes, the poppiness of it all.

But alas, times change. I waited forever for the release of Girl Power in the United States, but it never came, even six months after it was released overseas. It may still hit stores one day at domestic prices, but if not, I'll have no problem figuring out why. Jacqui and Carrie are back, it's true, but somehow they managed to leave behind all their charm.

All of the brash vanity of youth seems to have dissipated at the wave of a wand, leaving the tracks on Girl Power without that essential ingredient of plain old fun. Almost every number feels like a run-through of an established routine, and the drum-machines and cheesy guitars no longer bring a smile, only an annoyed grimace. There are two or three tracks that have a hint of the old magic, including a cover of "I Know What Boys Like." But if they really knew what this boy liked, they would never have released this album. For curiosity seekers only.

-Doug Levy

Lost Highway

Original Soundtrack

(Interscope)

I have to admit, Trent Reznor certainly has vision. Although my days of Nine Inch Nails-fawning are long over, I still have respect for the man and this latest project of his does nothing to diminish it. Just as he did with the Natural Born Killers soundtrack, Trent has managed to faithfully recreate the feel of a film through music alone while producing the soundtrack to David Lynch's "Lost Highway." In this case I even prefer the CD to the movie, because it creates that same eerie atmosphere without the unnecessary confusion David Lynch loves so much.

As you would expect, Nine Inch Nails makes an appearance here, delving into jungle music with "The Perfect Drug." While this song isn't NIN's best work, it's notable for its departure from their standard sound alone. Trent also wrote the score for two songs on the album, atmosphere-creating pieces from the film.

David Bowie is included in the soundtrack with the haunting "I'm Deranged," and Lou Reed delivers a cover of "This Magic Moment" as only he can.

David Lynch fans will be pleased with the numerous score pieces from long-time collaborator Angelo Badalamenti, who twists jazz and orchestral visions together with practiced ease, and the contributions from German artist Rammstein will just plain scare the hell out of you.

The gem of the soundtrack is the Smashing Pumpkins "Eye." Delving headfirst into electronica, Corgan and co. toss aside the guitars and deliver their best track in ages. Overall the only real drawback is the inclusion of Reznor protégés Marilyn Manson for two tracks. If only Trent's vision had gone a bit further and he'd seen how awful Marilyn Manson truly is, this would have been a flawless effort.

-Doug Levy

Marcy Playground

Marcy Playground

(EMI)

and

Semisonic

Great Divide

(MCA)

Well, it looks like it's time for me to eat my hat. I just got through saying a few weeks ago how unappealing I usually find three-piece bands, so of course I had to have my words thrown back in my face. The two bands responsible for this, Marcy Playground and Semisonic, are both three-pieces, both American bands, and both pretty darn good. This wake-up call couldn't have come at a better time; I was just starting to despair that there would never be another new American group worth listening to.

My original complaint against three-piece groups is their tendency to rely overly on the power chord and the simplified song structure engendered by punk rock. Neither of these bands suffers from that problem, however, and in fact show clearly that a rock trio can write songs that are just as musically diverse and complex as any larger group. Not that I'm really shocked or anything. I mean, there have obviously been great bands that have proved this in the past, with Nirvana at the top of the heap, but I always felt they were the exception to the rule.

Anyway, Marcy Playground immediately caught my attention with the fact that they recorded their album on my home turf in Long Island, New York. They kept my attention with their very strong opener, "Poppies," a down-home rocker that oozes pop-sensibility from beginning to end. Next was the slick groove of "Sex and Candy," which first gave me the idea that there are more similarities between this band and Nirvana than the number of members they have. In fact, Marcy Playground sounds like a "happy" Nirvana, a potential glimpse of Kurt on Prozac. As you might suspect, that means there's not as much intensity to the music as there could be, and at times the lighter qualities of the record drag it down. The album also starts out much stronger than it finishes, with the better tracks coming first. As a first effort, "Marcy Playground" holds a lot of promise.

Likewise, Semisonic's first full-length release bodes well for the band's future. Their songs embrace classic-rock sensibilities with open arms, while throwing in a trippy spin here and there and enough effects and hooks to keep you on your toes.

The band hails from Minneapolis, where they were originally called "Pleasure," now the title of their first EP. On "Great Divide" they open with the groovy slink of "f.n.t" before blasting into "If I Run," a great rock tune that recalls the Allman Brothers and their kin while making you swear you've known the song for years. Interestingly enough, that was bandleader Dan Wilson's goal - to write songs that were instant classics, that were new and familiar at the same time.

And with a hard-driving melodic romp like "Down In Flames," the first single off the album, he may have done just that. "Great Divide" also has its inconsistencies, but it's a very ambitious record, and even the songs that fall flat seem admirable in what they attempt.

While neither one of these albums seems destined to join the ranks of the all-time greats, the potential that's stirring within them seems to indicate that maybe one of these bands will make their mark soon. Semisonic especially seems to have caught onto something with their album, and with luck, it'll take them far.

-Doug Levy