Cat Power stripped clean of gimmicks in latest CD
Matt Terrell | Staff Reporter

The most impressive thing about Chan “Cat Power” Marshall is that she’s willing to unzip, strip down, and show the world her unmentionables. She’s not a hussy; she’s just a musician with an incredible talent. Her type of beauty is an acquired taste. Not everyone likes looking at those nudie Renaissance paintings, excluding pre-pubescent boys, but oh man are they fun when you get used to it. Going the minimalist route as a songwriter is a tough choice, being that the less accompaniment there is the more obvious bad songs become. That’s why Neil Young can sell out concerts as a one-man show, and I’m assuming that’s why Styx didn’t whip out the mandolins for an unplugged set at the KYC. With Cat Power, the songs are usually Marshall solo on a piano or a distorted electric guitar, purring out words that alternate between room filling echoes or repressed cries that come off as whispers. The effects of this approach on her new album “You Are Free” are chilling and nothing else. When she sings, I never want to stop listening. When she stops singing, her voice drops from above and the left and right as a schizophrenic answer to herself. She doesn’t use back-up singers to echo her words, she uses herself in the most striking use of vocal tracking I’ve ever heard. Listen to “Good Woman” and “Fool” to understand how it’s possible for extremely sparse songs to be eloquently produced. On songs like “He War” and “Free” that break from the minimalist tradition, Marshall makes a point to be understated and refuses to explode. Unless I told you so, you wouldn’t know that it’s Dave Grohl playing drums on those tracks. What a tease. Doing the same thing is Eddie Vedder who does background vocals on two songs. In “Evolution,” he sings in an almost inaudible bass that ambles along with Marshall note for note instead of making it a recognizable duet. There are no gimmicks with Cat Power.

Concert, jazz bands to perform
Matt Terrell | Staff Reporter

From classical to bebop to strange songs called “Funkathustra,” the MSU band department will offer a wide variety of music in a series of upcoming concerts. On Friday, the Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble will perform their spring concert in Akin Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. following a three-day tour in Oklahoma. Larry Archambo, director of bands, says a wide variety of music will be played that is both fun to play and listen to. Expect to hear music featuring harp solos, xylophone solos, and loads ear-splitting brass that will also part your hair. On Tuesday, the Jazz Ensemble will perform its spring concert in Akin Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. preceding a performance at the Kell House on April 11 and a performance with the Wichita Falls Ballet on May 8 and 9. Playing a song called “Funkathustra” is no joke. According to associate director of bands Alan Black, the jazzed up version of Strauss’s “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” will be included with other songs like “Big Red Bus” from “The Great Muppet Caper” and classic pieces like “Jumpin’ At the Woodside” by jazz great Count Basie. Both concerts in Akin Auditorium are free and open to the public. For more information, call the band hall at 397-4583.

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