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Thursday, November 7, 2002 18 Index Taylor Hall for the Index We all have them. I know almost everyone has at least one band that no matter how much you love them or how great you think they are, you’re just not quite sure it’s 100 percent acceptable to profess your undying support for them in public. For me, that band is Toad the Wet Sprocket, the bastion of American intellipop in the 1990s. With records such as “Fear” and “Dulcinea,” which spawned clas- sics such as “All I Want” and “Fall Down,” you can imagine my dis- may when Toad ended its 12-year career in summer 1998. It was the end to one of the most talented bands to come out of the alternative revolution of the early to mid- 1990s. With his debut record “Abulum,” former Toad singer and songwriter Glen Phillips collaborates with pro- ducer Ethan Johns, who most recent- ly worked with alternative-country performers Chris Stills, Emmylou Harris and rock ‘n’ roll’s newest messiah, Ryan Adams. Together, the two present a collection of mellow to mid-tempo rockers, which possess many of the characteristics that made Toad so appealing. Phillips still treats the listener with his thin, powerful voice and still displays his incredible talent to craft a song, but gone are the fairy- tale lyrics and thick compositions that were so often a trademark of Toad’s best work. “Abulum” finds Phillips stripping the music down to its bare acoustic bones and offer- ing up seemingly simplistic — yet satisfying — lyrical content that still tackles tough issues from unwanted pregnancies to tattered relationships. The simplistic, appealing ele- The Foo Fighters’ original sound returns in “The Colour and the Shape” Rory Geissler for the Index After the demise of Nirvana, many fans thought that Dave Grohl, who continued with a different band, would be doomed to failure. These fans undoubtedly were sur- prised when Foo Fighters created a fresh sound with catchy, playful hard rock and Grohl’s edgy voice. After the release of its first self- titled album, the band followed up with “The Colour and the Shape,” in which it effectively mixed its original hard rock sound with qui- eter acoustic workings, claiming a place as accomplished artists. The band’s 1999 album, “Nothing Left to Lose,” was somewhat of a letdown. The band abandoned its original sound alto- gether, making an attempt at a mass-appealing, up-tempo album, and in the process the band left the distinctive flavor of its music behind. On the new album, “One By One,” listeners hear a band more reminiscent of the Foo Fighters in the days of “The Colour and the Shape.” From the first track, the band plays with a melodic zeal that was painfully absent from its previous album. The band opens with its first single off the album, “All My Life.” Choppy, progres- sive riffs lead the way into an explosively cadent song. The rest of the album is varied and colorful and has a wide range of sounds, from the heavy, abrasive second track, “Low,” to the melodically meandering rock of the 10th track, “Disenchanted Lullaby.” Another element that separates this album from the band’s last is the subtle transition into each song, leaving the listener with a feel of just having experienced a full spectrum of music, as opposed to being assaulted by separate blasts of partial songs. As with most good albums, the band leads in and exits with its best stuff. The last track, “Come Back,” is a winding-guitar-riddled blockbuster and aptly states in the title what the Foo Fighters have managed to do with their latest album. Band fights back with new album wire photo Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters balances himself on scaffolding at the third annual Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif., on April 28, 2002. Music you missed CONCERT CALENDAR www.pollstar.com Missouri Columbia G. Love & Special Sauce, Friday, University of Missouri James McMurtry, Friday, Mojo’s The Wailers, Saturday, Blue Note The Jayhawks, Saturday, Mojo’s Kansas City Brian Capps, Kristie Stremel, The Morells, Friday, Grand Emporium Holy Ghost, Saturday, The Hurricane St. Louis Jars of Clay, Friday, Missouri Baptist College Better Half, Mikey, Picture Book Of Saints, Ultimate Fakebook, Saturday, Hi Pointe Michael Winslow, Saturday, Funny Bone Hear This: ments of this record are illustrated right away on the second track, “Men Just Leave,” — by far the record’s best track. It provides the listener with a taste of Phillips’ acoustic craftsmanship while offer- ing elements of both country and catchy pop music. The song tells the story of two men who, despite their professed love for the women in their life, leave when the women become pregnant. “He said they’d always be together / But when her belly got big she never saw him again,” Phillips sings. “One and one ends up to be three / don’t need to have love, don’t need to be sweet / when the air gets heavy and it’s hard to breathe / The women get stuck and the men just leave.” Despite its serious theme and somber message, the song is irre- sistibly catchy and will brand itself into the hearer’s consciousness for days after the first listen. “It Takes Time” provides an interesting and welcome departure from the rest of the record. The song finds Phillips’ simple voice backed by numerous string sam- ples, nylon guitars and percussion provided by the whispering sounds of a spook pad (yes, spook pad is the name of the instrument). The rush and flow of the music coincide with the theme of the song: the rush and flow of life. Phillips’ lyrics help the listener recall times when it felt as though there was not enough time and that life was catching up too fast: “The water’s getting deep- er and I can’t feel my feet / I keep on bailing buckets, but it flows right back to me.” While the previous two tracks possess characteristics not often found in the early music of Phillips’ career, tracks such as “Maya” and “Darkest Hour” provide songs craft- ed in the light of many of the mellow, droning, beautiful ballads Toad and his soggy sprockets were known for so well. On “Darkest Hour,” the con- stant rhythmic direction provided by the almost anthem-like percussion serves as a sullen background to the humming electric guitars and Phillips’ moans of, “In my darkest hour I will be freed.” “Maya” calls upon the beautiful, dark sounds of an omnichord cou- pled with Ethan John’s aching elec- tric bass and Phillips’ rhythm guitar to help describe the characteristics of a lost love: “Lips of raspberry, breasts of honey / Tear me open and sanctify me.” Even though Toad the Wet Sprocket has ended, “Abulum” pro- vides a new beginning. Phillips shines throughout this solo effort, and it is not necessary to be a Toad fan to find the talent and beauty that pour from his efforts. In a musical age in which the singer/songwriter has been reborn, Phillips’ seasoned talent stands head and shoulders above the rest. I am not embarrassed to profess my undying support for this record, because it is well deserved. in the News: Myths and Realities I SLAM Dr. Assad Busool , professor and chairman of the department of Arabic Studies at the American Islamic College in Chicago Dr. Mark Appold, social science instructor and leader of the Mideast Archeological Dig and Study Tour Dr. Sara Orel, associate professor of art and teacher of JINS class Gender and Culture: Women of the Middle East and North Africa Sponsored by the Society of Professional Journalists and the Division of Language and Literature 6 p.m. Monday Nov. 11 Magruder Hall 124 A panel discussion
