Over The Edge Page 6 SOUNDSCAPE April 7, 1998

Tears
Fueled By Ignorance

From the very beginning
of the album, Tears, a lis-
tener is gripped by the
music of Fueled by
Ignorance (FBI). There is
an emotional energy to the
music, which is refreshing
and captivating. Raw emo-
tion, most of which is not
pretty, helps to differentiate
FBI from other bands and
gives them a unique, origi-
nal feel.

The vocals of Simon
Springer are one of the
best features of Tears.
Songs like “Unieashed”
and “Klutz” show
Springer’s vocal depth,
diversity and range. The
vocals on Tears sound lay-
ered and | searched for
sometime for a note on
who sang backup until |
realized that, as incredibly
as it seemed, Springer did
all the vocals on the

album. Remarkably,
Springer ‘switches from a
tender, almost soulful

sound to a growling anger
and back again with little
or no transition.
Vocals are not the only
impressive aspect of FBI,
Adrian Castley, the gui-
tarist, also plays an inte-
gral part in their music.
The strength of the guitar
in songs like “Pastel” gives
Tears musical depth and
Dearceeaay 2d. th
Occasionally drums are
what make or break and
up-and-coming band, FBI
does not have to worry
about that. The drumming
of Shawn Gairdner is ener-
getic and contemporary.
His rhythms are solid and
help carry the music along.
The. bass lines supplied
by Todd James Wickstrom,”
especially in “Unléashed,””
provide a solid backbone
for FBI's music. Tragically,
Wickstrom was killed in an

‘Jamie.

automobile accident three
months prior to the release
of Tears. The album itself
is dedicated to the memo-
ry of Wickstrom and Karl
Griffin, another man killed
in the same _ accident.
Proceeds from Tears go to
the aid of Wickstrom’s

Tide edie Sei Metin) Ve
Tears is an amazing first
album. Fueled By

Ignorance will be around
for a very long time with
the musical diversity and
creativity they have shown
on their first album. They
are a band with a tragic
past, but their future looks
bright and full.
-By Nicole Larson

The Orchid Highway
Fourplay
(Naughty Records)

What can be said about
The Orchid Highway’s
album fourplay? Quite a
bit despite the fact the
album contains only four
th Eo yiae oul "ky (Sm:

The Orchid Highway,
originally from Winnipeg,
spent a year in London
refining their sound, and is
now based out of
Vancouver. Their year in
London has given them a
very British feel, but they
are not as raw as other
bands recently out of the
United Kingdom, such as
Oasis and
Chumbawumba.

The strongest portion of
the Orchid Highway’s
sound is their guitar. Jamie
Macdonald and John
Woods play riffs that are
not only catchy but also
present each song's pro-
Git esis Oo Nn

Every member of Orchid

John Woods supply back-
ing vocals and handle the
instrumental portions of
the tracks.
The sound of the Orchid
Highway is reminiscent of
the music of the ‘60’s.
They do not, however,
sound like American bands
of that era. The band they
most resemble are The
Monkees. Their music is
fun and light, and so is
their attitude.
One point of interest
about The Orchid Highway
is that three of its members
are brothers.
The Orchid Highway
plays music, which would
have been comfortable in
the ‘60’s. Their sound is
mellow and just feels
groovy. They are not “big-
ger than Jesus” but the
Orchid Highway is definite-
ly on the way up.
-By Nicole Larson

Ozomatli
(Almo/Universal)

Li YE

Emanating from an LA
sick of gangs and violence,
Ozomatli is a band com-
mitted to creating a new
future for the music of LA,
and they have come up
with a unique amalgama-
tion of traditional, and non-
traditional styles. Amongst
others, predominant musi-
cal genres which can be
found in Ozomalti’s tunes
include hip-hop, salsa,
funk and jazz. The diverse
band uses_ instruments
ranging from congas and
claves, turntables and
tablas, trumpets and saxo-
phones. According to
tenor sax player Ulises
Bela, the group has “a

Highway. supplies vocals.- ~ deep reverence for the

ie, and . Rory:
Macdonald share the lead
vocals, as well as sing
back up to each other.
Derek Macdonald and

archaic. traditions of
music...but also likes to
incorporate modern
SF 40) tu WN “dees: 7%

Well known in LA for fill-

ee
ing first the Opium Den
and then the Dragonfly
Clubs on a regular basis, a
block party would begin
around the club when they
were too full for more peo-
ple to go in and see the
live performances. Most
famous were the samba
lines which would com-
mence at each perfor-
me ab nierc; ie
Ozomaili consists of ten
members each bringing an
extremely different style to
the band. Too many, in
fact to list them out now.
Named after the Aztec
God of Dance, Ozomaili is
a fast paced edition of all
styles of traditional and
modern music thrown in a
blender and then whipped
on frappe for a few years.
What you get is an uncom-
promising mastering of
fun, intellectual music with
a political message to it,
and a Spanish, Latin twist.
In the band’s words “Viva

la Revolution!”
-By Kevin Milos

Caliente

Latin Hits

{Toro/Universal)

A fast paced, rhythmical
sampling of Latino music, »
Calintene offers something

for everyone. With Latin
musical styles ranging
through merengue, dance,

salsa, and pop, it’s a disc~

for those of us who like to
listen to Latin, yet don’t
know enough about the
music to go out and buy a
single artists album.
With Latin music not so
readily available as other
genres of music, especial-
ly in Prince George, this
will be a disc that will bring

’ Latino club music to every-

s

fe) n e :
Caliente features recent
fast breaking Latin stars
such as Derek Lopwz,

Liliana Rodriguez, Patricia
Navidad, Rosana, and
Todos Tus Muertos. The
fast brassy, beatright style
is a nice break from con-
ventional top forty when
driving down the highway
jamming to the tunes. Pop
this disc in and one
instantly is transferred to a
fast, fun, flowing festival
that you just can’t help but

bust a move to.
-By Kevin Milos
CAN-I-BUS

(Group Home/Universal)

“Hip-Hop for the thinker.”
Canibus is going to be a
major player on the scene
this year, joining the ranks
of L.L. Cool J., Mase, and
Puff Daddy. Produced by
Wyclef Jean, Canibus is

an intellectual CD.
Canibus can be remem-
bered by his appearance
on L.L. Cool J’s “4,3,2,1”
which led to the retaliation
of “Second Round K.O.”,
wrongly leading to
Canibus being labeled as
a battle mc who wasn't
going to be able to com-
pose competent music and
who would never make it
to the top. “Canibus does-
n't retread old pathways
though.” Instead, he
speaks intellectually, and
with a message for every-
one, “whether you are a
intellectual thug or an intel-
lect in general.”
Canibus attended several
schools, eventually gradu-
ating with a degree in
Computer Science. This
degree aided him some-
what in setting up the
Group Home label, work-
ing for five years in the
music industry biz before
pursuing a deal at all.
The DJ’d antics of
Canibus’s songs let you
know where you stand in
the world. They embrace

conspirational topics such
as gray aliens and cattle

mutilations in “Channel
Zero”, his own form of
mathematically correct
“Niggonometry”, and the
recountation of his rela-
tionship with his mother in
“| Honor You’, also featur-
ing the vocals of female

duo MB2.
Bassy and rhythmical, the
last track, “Rip-Rock”, is

worth checking out if you
have ever wondered what
happens when hard rock
and raw hip-hop collide
head on. Great new
sound. Canibus has what
it takes.
-By Kevin Milos

Elliot Smith
xO
(Dreamworks//Universal)

Ever seen the movie
Good Will Hunting? If so,
then you have heard Elliot
Smith’s Miss Misery, a
song he wrote specifically
for the movie.
Although XO doesn’t con-
tain Miss Misery, it con-
tains more of the same.
Elliot's academy award
nominations for his music
officially finger him as .a
very talented artist. He
began writing his music at
the age of fourteen,
recording his own music
on a four track system.
When he reached his
twenties, he began to per-
form locally, and released
his first album Roman
Candle in 1994. After
releasing a couple more
CD's, Elliot took time to
tour with such well known
names as Beck, Sebadoh,
Mary Lou Lord, and Quasi.

This Brooklynite is not
just a musician but a fan-
tastic composer as well.
With a higher concentra-
tion on acoustic sounds
with electric only some-