Staff Reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 12, 1998

Music Meltdown

Various Artists

Rhythm & Quad 166 Vol. 1

(Elektra)

Have your walls been shaking? Windows rattling? If there have been more things vibrating in your house lately than in a Las Vegas brothel, chances are it's too late. It looks like the recent phenomenon of bass music has already begun to sweep through your neighborhood.

Originating in Atlanta clubs, these earth-shaking sounds have begun to soar across the country, taking every night club and dance floor along the way prisoner, with heart-thumping tracks like "Swing My Way" by Mixzo featuring K.P. & Envyi and "Bass Dealer" by Emperor Searcy - just two of the songs featured on Elektra's new bass-compilation, Rhythm & Quad 166 Vol. 1.

It's a rather unique collaboration of musical styles, with the mellow, laid-back feel of "Kissable Spot" by B.M.E. featuring Romance, along with the old-school, make-you-want-to-run-out-and-get-your-drop-crotch-pants flavor of "Shake for Me" by DJ Smurf featuring MC Shy-D & Pop. Throw in the roughneck lyrical stylings of Sammy Sam on "Get the Party Crunk" and "Stationwagonpimpin" and you've got a virtual smorgasbord of R& sounds, all highlighting the explosive bass in each of the 15 tracks. Even though some of the artists appear on more than one track, each song has its own unique sound, which makes listening to Rhythm & Quad 166 Vol. 1 easy to do, as opposed to the plethora of other bass albums out there that are nothing more than 90 minutes of thumping with little or no substance behind them.

If you have yet to experience this ground-shaking music, as the title of the last song on the album suggests, "It's About Time."

-Eric Anderson

Know Qwestion

Eclipse

(Lost Cause)

Phoenix is not really renown for being the hip-hop center of America. Phoenix is not really known for much at all. Know Qwestion, a Phoenix rap group, could actually change this, though, with their debut album, Eclipse.

The first track, "The Beginning," sets the scene with a deep and dark tone. This is followed by the best track on the album, "Everyone Ready," featuring Doom. "Everyone Ready" combines smooth flow with precise and liquid beats. "The Game" is also one of the better tracks on the album, effective in its chaos.

Eclipse is a genuinely decent debut release, although in parts it lacks the experience of more commercially viable rap albums. That said, though, Know Qwestion has far more going for it, lyrically and musically, than say - the Puffster.

Know Qwestion has gained a fair bit of national attention through its openings for the Wu, Alkaholics and most recently, having the Sugar Hill Gang present at the record release party here in Tucson.

Track 10, "Paper Chase," is also an extremely notable track with an edge often not heard in recent years. A combination of wicked scratch, jazzy groove and stylish lyrics is what really makes the song listenable.

Eclipse may be the turning point for Phoenix's hip-hop community. Know Qwestion is possibly the most interesting thing to have come out of Arizona in a long time and definitely looks set to achieve its fair share of grandeur.

Support local rap music, pick up Eclipse, ASAP.

-James Casey

Various Artists

MTV 120 Minutes Live

(Atlantic)

Over the years, "120 Minutes" has been a lot of things to a lot of people - a forum for new music that's really new, a place to see videos that MTV wouldn't show at any other time, a way to waste away the wee hours of Sunday night/Monday morning.

Many bands and musicians have appeared on the late-night video program, as guest hosts, plain old guests, and as performers. Now, some of the live material from the show has been collected onto a CD, "MTV 120 Minutes Live."

There are 14 bands featured on the album, which would be really cool if this were a true "best-of" collection. However, although it starts and finishes strong, there's a whole lot of weak material in between.

The opener is Oasis, with "Supersonic," their first ever single, which still remains one of the band's best songs today. Live, the sound is raw, but full of confidence and energy, with Noel's catchiest guitar hook and Liam's vocals stealing the show, as usual.

The closer is Radiohead, with "Fake Plastic Trees," one of the most heart-rending songs of our times. Vocalist Thom Yorke sounds like he could break down at any second as the tune hits its soaring, world-shattering high point.

In the middle is some pretty awful stuff: The Verve Pipe, Bad Religion, Evan Dando, Porno For Pyros. Surely they had some better tracks to choose from than these.

Weezer's "Undone (The Sweater Song)" remains endearing, though, and Bjork and They Might Be Giants are always fun. PJ Harvey's "C'mon Billy" is pretty chill, too.

Actually, listening through this CD is a lot like watching "120 Minutes" itself: you know you'll hear some things you like, but it just takes way too long, overall.

- Doug Levy

Sleeper

Pleased To Meet You

(Arista)

Back in late '93, Sleeper was playing small venues around London, sending critics and soon-to-be fans into a frenzy with their catchy brand of pop-rock, showing off a reverence for The Pixies while joining contemporaries Elastica in the emergence of a new female-fronted British rock movement.

Listening to Sleeper's debut album today, it sounds overly simple. But that's only because with each progressive release, the band's music, as well as its style, has become more and more complex, diverse and entrancing.

There's nothing romantic about Sleeper's songs; vocalist/guitarist Louise Wener is not known for subtlety in her lyrics or her often strong sentiments. However not many bands could actually make you dance and sing along to a line like, "Don't write/ don't call me/ unless you're lying in a traffic accident." Sleeper can.

Pleased To Meet You is the band's third full-length release. The first song, "Please Please Please," sets the tone for the album, starting off slow and quiet, then bursting into a full-blown pop chorus belted out with an excess of feeling.

The music is still guitar driven, but plenty of attention is given to horns, programming and keyboards as well, the latter to excellent effect on "Motorway Man," which bathes you in its retro-dancy splash of sound.

The first singles, "She's A Good Girl" and "Romeo Me" are among the poppiest, catchiest numbers, while "Because Of You" dips into the trip-hop fountain on its way to a highly emotional turn.

And it just keeps getting better. Score one more for the UK.

- Doug Levy