Music Reviews
Scapegoat Wax mixes hip-hop with humor
By Nate Seltenrich
Ass't Scene Editor
Scapegoat Wax's Okeeblow has taught me a very important lesson: never judge a book by its cover. Not even if the name of the book is Okeeblow and the author goes by the moniker of Scapegoat Wax. In fact, especially not then.
Marty James, the singer/songwriter/mastermind behind Scapegoat Wax has taken care to assure that his music belies all expectations and defies all classifications. Jumping from hip-hop to pop/rock and back again, Scapegoat Wax never quite settles into one genre and never fails to offer something new and original.
Each of the tracks has its own flavor and style. The unifying strand is that they all reveal his quirky sense of humor, fresh outlook on life and impressive talent at writing music.
"Freeway" utilizes horns, guitars, record scratching, drum loops and bass to create a funky jam that would make James Brown proud.
The next track, "Crawling," opens with the soft strums of an acoustic guitar and the melodic lead of an electric guitar. Marty sings in a gentle, contemplative tone. His lyrics are meaningful and positive: "You're crawling / Things can only get better boy / Your life could shine in front of you / It catches up with all of us / On certain afternoons."
James' sense of humor shines through in "Almost Fine," an intelligent laundry-list treatment of some of the difficulties he faces in life. Among the things he laments through rap are his lack of money, his ex-girlfriend, having no car, the Mets' losing streak and his bad hair cut.
Scapegoat Wax's humble small-town sound is no accident. Hailing from Chico, Calif., James allows the laid-back atmosphere of his hometown to permeate every aspect of Okeeblow. From the photos of Chico as cover art, to the track "Chico Boy," James seems eager to make the point that you don't have to be from a big city to make big time music. Scapegoat Wax succeeds in proving that it's truly all about the music and not the image. A-
Sweep Alanis under the rug
By Cheryl Noland
TSC Writer
Boy, do I miss the days of angry girl rockers. Who can forget Alanis Morissette's powerful male bashing anthem "You Oughta Know" or Fiona Apple's addictive two-timing smash "Criminal"?
It's tough to think of a few if any aggressive female artists today. Once pop became "cool" again, happy-go-lucky music controlled the airwaves. Even Morissette jumped on the bandwagon with her pathetic sophomore album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie. And she hasn't learned anything since with her new disc Under Rug Swept.
Her commanding vocals, infectious melodies and imaginative lyrics are regrettably absent this time around, except on the opener "21 Things," where she specifies what qualities she's looking for in the opposite sex. On her new single, "Hands Clean," she attempts to crossover into the pop charts with a mix between Natalie Imbruglia's annoyingly overplayed "Torn" and Michelle Branch's equally irritating "Everywhere." But you might actually find yourself humming along to the chorus.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want Morissette to simply recreate her phenomenal debut Jagged Little Pill, even though her recognizable sarcasm seeps out on the track "Narcissus" as she rants about a self-absorbed lover. But why stray so far from what made her fans listen in the first place? Has Morissette completely lost her edge? One track in particular, "Utopia," sounds like something you'd hear playing in the background of a yoga class.
Let me warn you in advance that most of the songs drag on for what seems like forever, so you might be tempted to move on to the next track, like on the monotonous "Flinch." But by that time, the CD might already be over. D+
One Side brings new rock
By Nate Seltenrich
Ass't Scene Editor
Finally, some new hard rock that's worth listening to.
Onesidezero's debut on Maverick records, entitled Is This Room Getting Smaller, positions the band well ahead of most of their contemporary hard-rock counterparts. While so many other popular hard-rock groups today seem reluctant to veer from the trail established by previous work or other bands, Onesidezero has tossed aside many of the old rules and blazed a new path.
The album's strength lies primarily in its ability to mesh numerous styles and influences into a variable yet unified work. For example, utilizing musical elements common in trance and other forms of techno, tracks such as "Instead Laugh" and "A Point in Time" use repeated hooks and melodies to draw the listener deep into the music.
"The Day We Lied" combines delicate acoustic guitar riffs, soaring and atmospheric segues, and hard-hitting rhythms powered by drums and distorted guitars, showing off Onesidezero's ability to compose music that is ever-changing and seamlessly pieced together.
Other songs such as "New World Order" and "Tapwater" follow the modern hard-rock formula more closely, but do so with a unique touch and are no less intense. Tempo, instrumental and theme variations keep the listener focused and hanging on every note.
Each of the 12 tracks has its own personality and none fails to meet the high standards set by the first few songs. Is This Room Getting Smaller not only makes your head spin, but it also makes you want to bang your head and throw up the metal sign.
A refreshingly original and talented group, Onesidezero will almost certainly act as a catalyst for change in today's stagnant hard-rock pool. A