Arts & Entertainment Gan Lee Buffalo were a band that should have been huge but never really made it to rock star status. In the time that they were together — between 1993 and 1998 — they released four records. Their breakup was an unfortunate event because they were one of the greatest rock bands to come out of America during the now fabled 90s. Taken from Fuzzy, Grant Lee Buffalo’s first release, “Jupiter and Teardrop” is, big surprise, ruled by guitars. But what begins with an amplified power-chord falls into acoustic strumming. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Grant Lee Philip’s full- throated vocals soar over a jangling guitar, while drums and bass fill-out the slow shuffle of the music. As if to remind the listener that this is rock and roll, an electric guitar punctures the texture of the music throughout the song and peaks in an over-the-top guitar solo. Similar to many of the songs on Fuzzy, “Jupiter and Teardrop” ‘s slow and dark but contains a power and energy that elevates it above the seemingly grief- stricken music. In terms of subject matter, the lyrics for Fuzzy express both personal and political themes. Songs containing scathing social commentary on mainstream American society are heard alongside tracks where longing and loss are the primary subjects. In “Jupiter and Teardrop,” the listener is told the story of two star-crossed lovers doomed by circumstance to be forever cut off from one another. The reasons for their estrangement are never really indicated but race is vaguely hinted at: “She divines by radio / Pushing buttons show to show / And she wonders about the fate of / Lovers in the Barrio.” This last line seems to be indicative of the fragmented nature of society; specifically, the picture that “Jupiter and Teardrop” offers is one where individual races are assigned their separate and socially prescribed locales. In this case it is the poverty stricken Barrio of an inner city. But even though geography necessarily provides its own division and separation, it is social prohibitions that offer the most powerful form of imposed denial and isolation: ““And they want to have a child / Walk together down the aisle / But the world they live in is mean / And it’s built on sheer denial.” At the same time it provides a vivid description of modern love gone wrong, “Jupiter and Teardrop” gives a poetic account of the social ills underlying society. In the end, the two haunted lovers cannot be separated from the social forces that have given rise to their sad predicament. 14 Song of the Week: “Jupiter and Teardrop” by Grant Lee Buffalo Pat Mackenzie, OP Columnist Win $2500. www.campusresearch.ca Seriously. Fine print: Prizes: One $2500 grand prize, one $1500 second prize, one $1000 third prize and twelve $250 extra prizes. Contest is only open to students currently enrolled at a Canadian post-secondary institution. The good news is It's availabie for a very limited time, so your odds of winning are awesome. This survey is sponsored by your Campus newspaper and Campus Plus, a division of Canadian University Press. All personal information provic private and confidential and will be used for research purposes for the improvement and advancement of campus newspapers in Canada. View our privacy policy online at Www.campusplus. conVprivacy.aspx.