the other press Culture CD Reviews Justin Ray OP Critic Spring seems to be here already, so why not celebrate the great weather with a spring cleanup (well, it was great when I wrote that)? This week we drudge through our growing heap of CDs to find a few worth men- tioning, some to warn you against, and others we just don’t know what to make of. An intriguing note about this selec- tion: the albums I liked the least had pack-ins, either a DVD with videos and band information, or a maxi-single full of remixes. While the extras are a nice bonus, I wonder whether the publishing companies are simply trying to compensate for the dreadful music. You be the judge. 3 Doors Down Away From The Sun Mad radio play and marketing hype can’t save this sorry album. Sloppy and formulaic guitar work, forced nasal whine and some bad sound mixing make Away From The Sun one album you ll be seeing a lot of... in used CD shops. This album exudes bland. 3 Doors Down seem proud that their first hit single, “Kryptonite,” was “inescapable,” but the overbearing penetration of that single is the likely factor in much of Away From The Sun sales. There is nothing special in this sophomore effort. If you've heard anything by Creed or Staind, expect to hear more of the same. If you like those bands, maybe you'll like Away From The Otherwise, there’s no reason to listen. Sun. Whitney Houston Just Whitney If you're old enough to remem- ber Debby Boone’s version of “You Light Up My Life”, you might enjoy Whitney Houston's rendition of it. The rest of the ten tracks on Just Whitney (strangely, one song features Houston's hubby Bobby Brown) ranges from Disneyesque sound- track fluff to dance floor thumpers. While Just Whitney has a few good songs, most are mediocre for a diva once considered the greatest singer in the world. The lack of original songs suggests a deficiency of good material. While album diversity is usually a plus, there does not seem to be a decided audience for this track: was it intended for middle-aged women or younger audiences? Just Whitney is an album that seems to lack direction. Whitney's vocal range is still impressive, but although each song stands well enough on its own, the album seems to be put together haphazardly. Check it out if youre a fan. Prairie Oyster What Is This Country? Prairie Oyster seems to have left a comma out of their newest http://otherpress.douglas.bc.ca album title. After listening you might ask yourself, “What is this, country?” The group's sixth album spans the breadth of the genre's evolution. Lately, coun- try music has become a lot more interesting with the development of alt-country, and Prairie Oyster capitalizes on the trend while staying faithful to its roots and pulling off everything between. What Is This dabbles in every- thing remotely country, from big band to rockabilly, from folk pop to some shade of shuffle groove. For better or worse, Prairie Oyster reminds us of how influ- ential country music has been. If you can get past the typical country-rock songs that begin What Is This, you might actually find the album enjoyable. 1 ee a never liked Prairie Oyster before, but was pleasantly surprised by the level of interesting and sophisticated song writing. This album—and, more generally, country music—has found a place in my collection. Shinen Shinen The Lyric Police should outlaw all overused rhymes like “I drove in my car/I don’t know how far.” On the other hand, the fustiness of Shinen’s self-titled debut indi- cates that they don't mind the overdone, and they embrace the successful sound of past musi- cians. Whether the result is rev- erential homage or unoriginal | rtagdatabase.com tripe depends on your perspec- tive. That is not to say Shinen is a bad debut. Mark Andrie, the singer, songwriter, guitarist, mixer and producer of the album, has previously worked on many of Vancouver's alt-rock such as bands, New Town Animals, Nasty On, and the Black Halos. Not surprisingly, then, the album sounds profes- sional. There are some great tracks here, including “Ladykiller,” a little glockenspiel ditty that could have been writ- ten by Scott Weiland. Shinen have also been compared to The Cure and The Clash, and the similarity is striking. | Mark Andrie seems to have learned a lot from rubbing shoulders with other bands, but he is now, per- haps, a little too familiar with successful rock formulae. Shinen sets its sights far too high for something that has already been done to death. Nevertheless, Shinen is a nice debut that holds much promise for an unknown Vancouver band. And it’s great to see inde- pendent musicians capable of putting out such well-recorded material. Take note—you may be seeing more of Shinen. The Verbrilli Sound Leisure War Nettwerk Records has been expanding their distribution of electronic music over the last few years, including the Plastic com- Mach 5, 2003 pilation series. I was therefore pleased not to see another Sarah MacLachlan remix on_ this album, also distributed by Nettwerk. You couldn't tell by listening that The Verbrilli Sound is a local project from Don Verbrilli. The Verbrilli Sound deserves comparisons to several UK electronic groups, and is best likened to The Orb, in their affable ambience days. Leisure War, the follow-up to The Verbrilli Sound’s debut Many Coloured Butterflies, is a concept album that claims to provide a soundtrack for our “leisure wars,” which Verbrilli describes as the battle for our free time, waged by corporations, politicians, churches, and other individuals, and the individual battles we each wage for more free time. But Leisure War is not a violent, ear-splitting contrivance as its theme suggests. Programmed drums and bass lines find their place on this album, and a vari- ety of other synthesized sounds, but they sound more floaty and organic rather than rigid and mechanical. Thanks to The Verbrilli Sound, there is some- thing very relaxing about this War. Join the fight. This website allows Xbox live gamers from all over the world to come together, and not only talk about gaming, but also post comments on people they've gamed with. Did somebody trash-talk your momma? Go trash his, on his online profile. It will give you stats of all regis- tered users, and also give you a breakdown of gamers, region by region. There are a ton of XBL users, right here in BC There are a lot of cool features on this site, and I encourage you to explore them all, as this site is also currently ad-free. A very nice break from the seem- ingly endless barrage of pop-ups that we websurfers have become accustomed to. So check it out already! 2k Gua \ 1 io RY Neko 4 AE page 13 ©