he Cadre + 27 October 1998 Arts & Entertainment 9 arious Artists ; Art of Darkness >) (Universal) An impressive album all ound. ThisCD was full of t music and the whole album "was a treat to listen to. I knew Puppy, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, The Cult) but there were some totally new bands to me and many of them turned out to be even better The Mission UK, and Gene pone cae songs were gener- See Coeeaeon te dark atmospheric music that is throughout. Some songs, such asthe Cult’s "Rain," werea bit out of the theme, bat are still great panes. This CD is aoe 28 vised; it’s bloody fa alf of the bands featured be- than some ofthe onesI knew, en vogue these days -- and | forehearing the record(Skinny such as Fields of Nephilism, was relatively consistent -by Richard Haines sing by talking about hisown were not as crude as others, myownexpectations had been is is one of the worst CDsI anatomy.InmymindtheCD they did not themselves make increased by the fact that a only lacks any talent as a mu- sician, but alsoa man who tries to make up for his inability to has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The music was mediocre at best and dull -- the themes left nothing to be desired. Although some songs up for this album's other fail- ings. Frankly, | wonder what the point of this album was at all. | was particularly disap- pointed by this album because Henry Rollins >) Think Tank (Dreamworks) Henry Rollins is a rock ‘n’ roll icon. Singer, rocker, author, straight-edger, this has been out there for the twenty years giving his all every night on stage. This guy exudes energy and honesty. He is not a “liar.” This guy is in your face and as straight forward as they come. He will get his point across to you if he has to pound it into your skull. Have you ever seen the size of this guy? He’s huge! Hisneck is the size ofa douglas fir. If I did not know who Henry Rollins was and I hap- — to be walking down a onely dark street some night in some faceless urban waste- land and I ran across this be- hemoth I would run and duck for cover. But luckily I do know who he is and what he stands for; therefore | would walk up to him and say, “Good day Hank! How ya doin’? Can you tell me a story?” Which is exactly what he does on Think Tank -- his newly released spoken word doubleCD. Spoken word? That is correct, but do not be afraid. Rollins tells his story with as much energy as he sings that rock music with (sorry, no head banging onthisCD, only stories about it). There is more than two hours of sometimes hilari- ous, sometimes thought-pro- voking, sometimes enlighten- ing storytelling. His audiences at these live shows are so fa- miliar with Rollins that he deliv- ers his bits with the case of worthwhile musician, Ani ne had produced this “by Richard Haines talking to a best friend. His topics range from waiting in lines at ai torock ‘n’ roll doctors. Two of my favorites are his stories of how he knocked himself out on stage at a festival in Brazil, and his visit to a hospital in Chicago to see a kid with cancer who was a fan of his. There is some mature subject matter but Rollins tells it all with such intelligence and PC that he makes everything he says jus- tifiable. Overall! thought this CD was great and | am glad to make ita part of my collection. ~ Shawn Griffin Local H Pack Up The Cats (Island/Polygram) Pack Up The Cats is the third and newest album by the Chicago based two piece combo Local H. Yes, that is right, there are only two of them; Joe Daniels covers big gimmick is having such a big sound for such a small band. “Man, their sound is so full yet there are only two of them. How do they do it?” you might hear someone ex- They are definitely good musicians though and know how to write a catchy riff or playacool ve. Their sound is somewhere between the Rolling Stones (who are wor- make me want to listen to it some more, and the more I hear it the more | like it - it’s one of those CDs. Songs of interest: “‘Cha!’ Said the Kitty,” with its closing chorus s eee ys) lore 2 X - Files < 4 alt) t Cea ler lt Be eat air te > Perfect Murder a, ae TL yA City of Angels 3 Wild Things & Primary Colors ww The Big Hit i ile Scott claim while listening to this thyofimitation)andStoneTem- of kitty cats, and “500,000 Laces ue a ietariet beset CD. The answer to that is ple Pilots (who age not). In Scoville," whichishighlighted PCT ee and vocalistall upinone. Lucas studiooverdubbing andlotsof fact, Dean De even with Daniels’ sonic percus- on yet yy: plays a guitar with bass pick it. I would be very curiousto plays a guitar “Cool sive prowess. Locally owned and operated. on the low sxinas t teats hear these guys live because | net.” So, wh the can play guitar and bass at the amsurethattheirsoundwould musiconthisCD dotsnotagree -Shawn Griffin same time. Supposedly their be quite a lot sparser. with me there is enough here to