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Reunions, tour dates and drama, there’s never a dull moment in the world of rock and roll! More big budget news from some of yesteryear’s most influential bands

By Jay Schreiber, Arts Editor

\ N 7% doesn’t love a good reunion tour? Reunions seem to be the “in” thing to do in today’s current market and the last decade broke new ground by, well, not breaking new ground at all.

Post WWII, the thing to listen to was jazz and swing, with heavy hitters like Dizzy Gillespie and Charles “Bird” Parker sharing the charts with music greats like Duke Ellington and Sonny Rollins. Along came Elvis, Buddy Holly and The Beatles to create rock and roll, which soon moved into hard rock thanks to Led Zeppelin. After that, heavy metal and electronic music took off until we reached the 1980s when a thing called MTV sparked the pop culture generation.

We, the children of this generation have been living in it for almost 30 years now and as new trends come and go, we are merely along for the ride. In the last decade, more so in the last five years, the popular thing for groups to do is “reunion” or “comeback” tours. This involves a band who was popular several

~ years ago and broke up for some reason or another, only

to re-unite for a special engagement to show the world what to remember. How exciting, no?

The most recent group to announce a reunion is legendary Seattle grunge outfit Soundgarden. The band, who broke up in 1997, have attempted once before to rehearse in an effort to go back on tour, but that was all shut down by the fact that none of the members could get along with Chris Cornell anymore. It seems now that the knights of the sound table need more money, and are even willing to put up with Chris Cornhole for a buck. The things we do for money, eh?

Of the “big three” Seattle Grunge groups, Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, Nirvana was the one to begin and end the movement, while Pearl Jam kept soldiering on despite the other two groups disbanding. Pearl Jam have earned at least some respect in keeping their sound defined where as it is obvious that Soundgarden are only in it for the money and aren’t bringing anything new to the table.

This, in a nutshell, is the problem with disbanded groups going back on tour. After a band breaks apart,

some people are willing to do anything to see them play again regardless of the ticket price, so record execs will charge fans an arm, a leg and half of their mortgage for the opportunity. To me, bands from the ‘90s shouldn’t go back on tour; just look at Smashing Pumpkins

and Stone Temple Pilots, both of which re-united after less than a decade apart and played overpriced shows that received shitty reviews. Score one for the record company and not for the past-their-prime rockers.

Even more ridiculous? ‘90s ska-punk group Sublime have been in talks of touring again. For those of you who don’t know, front man/lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Bradley Nowell died in 1996 from a heroin overdose before the group reached fame. It would be like Nirvana going on tour without Kurt Cobain; there would be riots! The group is dead, everybody move on. We know how you

sounded and if the remaining members want to collaborate

again, don’t ruin the name Sublime for the rest of us. Several months ago, Trent Reznor, lead singer for

Nine Inch Nails, announced that he will no longer tour.

My prediction is that this is a publicity stunt in order to

make the general population think that they will never

get the opportunity to see Reznor’s music played live

“The group is dead, everybody move on. We know how you sounded and if the remaining members want to collaborate again, don’t ruin the name Sublime for the rest of us.”

again, and then butcher them at the box office when he finally decides to hit the stage. Very clever, Trent, you’ve mastered the psyche of the human race— good for you!

Another master of human behavior is Gene Simmons of Kiss. Last time I checked, Kiss were on thei‘ fourth farewell tour, each one more expensive to see than the last. Gene understands that people will pay you if you tell them the danger of not spending your money on things. What a business man.

Hell, Even Metallica is feeling the burn right now.

Soundgarden

They need (more) money and have decided to collaborate with the three other groundbreaking metal groups of southern California and remind people of what that scene was like. The update on that is that Slayer had to pull

out due to Tom Araya’s back problems, Anthrax are on the verge of disbanding and Megadeth are still upset that they’re not more popular than Metallica. Get over it, drama queens, this is supposed to be fucking metal!

So is it really worth our time and money to see bands that don’t have any new material? Even Michael Jackson had a comeback show —after he died nonetheless! It’s almost as if pop culture has reached a stand still and that looking back is more interesting than looking forward. For once, has music stopped “going somewhere” and reached its final destination? I hope not.

One group that should re-unite is Rage Against The Machine. Playing a one-off show in 2007, rumours of getting back together have since dwindled away from Internet bloggers just like the Janet Jackson boob thing. However, the message that they deliver and its validity in today’s current world is needed more than ever. Having them re-unite would be a step forward if anything.

Vampire Weekend’s Contra an evolution, not a revolution

Fans sure to enjoy latest offering from New York indie rockers

By Cody Klyne

ampire Weekend’s Contra, the band’s second

album, shows the sort of natural growth that one

can expect from a band that saw such massive success from their debut back in 2008. With that aside, it should be said that I had my share of doubts before I pressed play on Contra.

Upon first listening to the album it’s easy to

come to the initial conclusion that perhaps Contra is playing it safe, staying close to the source material and appear too wrapped up or absorbed in the afro-pop, ska sensibilities that brought them to where they are today. Given a chance, however, you’ll discover an undeniable refinement and development just below the surface that permeates the album from start to finish.

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Opening up with the enjoyable, self-referential, “Horchata”; Vampire Weekend start things off on a catchy, upbeat, and expected familiar note. An arguably advantageous decision, the track acts as a comfortable

gateway into the rest of the album as it seems to embrace a lot of what made their debut so appealing. Followed up

by the organic “White Sky” and carefree ska breakdown of “Holiday”, Contra starts off well by coming on strong and delivering the goods.

The danceable momentum of “California English” picks up the pace and carries surprisingly well into the sleepy calm of “Taxi Cab,” a mellow, synth-heavy track that blends with pop instrumentation and builds to a crescendo in “Run” and “Cousins.” Already seven tracks deep, Contra keeps them coming with the instantly accessible “Giving Up the Gun.” To call it the standout

song of the album would be a bit of an overstatement but I can already envision this accompanying the trailer of Juno 2: Look Who's Pregnant Now ... or something like that. As the album comes to a close, Vampire Weekend provides an oddly impacting contrast in the six-minute- long, reggae-infused, “Diplomat’s Son” and gentle beauty of “I Think Ur A Contra.”

Stepping away from Contra leaves the impression that you have endured a journey over the course of the album for both Vampire Weekend and for me as a listener. A definite recommendation for those who consider themselves a fan of the band but dig deeper, this album is not going to easily change anyone’s mind. Take it or leave it, this is something enjoyable from Vampire Weekend.