Daily Staff Writer

“Issues”

Korn

Korn is notorious for opening albums with something memorable, and like 1995’s “Korn” and 1996’s “Life Is Peachy,” the opening track on “Issues” leaves quite an impression.

On “Dead,” with bagpipes whaling, Korn frontman Jonathan Davis whispers the words, “All I want in life is to be happy,” to a chorus of harmonizing vocals.

Yet another awesome opening track from hardcore’s most influential band.

Not long after “Freak On A Leash” was retired from the “Total Request Live” countdown, Korn was back in the studio working on its fourth album to succeed 1998’s “Follow The Leader,” the multi-platinum smash that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

Following “Dead” is the first release from “Issues,” “Falling Away From Me,” which begins with an eerie, yet catchy guitar riff leading into the signature hard-pounding Korn tunage.

Much like the previous three Korn albums, “Issues” is stocked full of a hodgepodge of songs.

Some would categorize a handful of the new Korn material, including new tracks “4 U” and “It’s Gonna Go Away,” as “slow songs,” but a much better label would be “intense songs.”

Davis’ childhood-hating lyrics, belted out in different whines and screams and accompanied by detained metal, is hardly fitting of a power ballad — but the ferocity will blow you away.

The guitar creativity, slappy bass lines, crisp drum beats and heart-aching lyrics that is Korn, have made it one of the most original bands ever to be heard.

“Issues” is no different.

Just when you think a song is beginning to sound familiar, Davis will come in with an innovative new way to portray his voice and totally freshen up the Korn sound. (Most notably “Make Me Bad” and “Somebody Someone”.)

If you fell in love with “Blind,” (which earned Korn a spot on High Note’s 90 Essential Songs of the ’90s list), the song “Wake Up” will hit you just as hard and really make you want to break something.

Those who were big fans of the hits included on “Follow The Leader,” there is a chance this album may not be for you, as it lacks the radio-friendly and the hip-hop influenced songs. But if you appreciate nu-metal, “Issues” will definitely be ear-friendly.

As great as Korn is, many will agree its music is not easily digestible at first, but give “Issues” a chance and the true musical genius it contains will become as clear as a bagpipe intro on a hardcore album.

4 STARS

— Kyle Moss

“If I Left The Zoo”

Jars of Clay

It all started with a “Flood” of ideas. A group of college buddies sent a demo into a new artist competition for “fun.” A few years and 3 million albums later, the rain is still pouring on Jars of Clay.

Jars of Clay’s first, self-titled album played with a few Dave Matthews Band inspired fiddle riffs, and the group’s second effort, “Much Afraid,” maintained a distinct Dan Haseltine drone.

As Jars of Clay has evolved, so have its priorities. No longer is any one specific instrument or vocal style a staple. While the band’s third release, “If I Left The Zoo,” keeps the Jars aura, it experiments with a few new percussion instruments as well as a tangoesque accordion, a mandolin and a car horn.

To complement their progressive sound, Jars’ lyrics have gone from straightforward Jesus words to colorful, multiple-meaning metaphors.

“Good-bye, Goodnight” makes a powerful introduction, putting a satiric spin on passiveness with “Raise a glass for ignorance, drink a toast to fear/ The beginning of the end has come, that’s why we all are here/ Strike up the band to play a song and try hard not to cry/ And fake a smile as we all say good-bye.”

Another favorite is “Collide,” which starts out with a mellow piano solo and appropriately collides with a rhythmic burst of drums and guitars.

Evidence of Haseltine’s maturity as a lead singer is featured during tracks like “Sad Clown” and “Grace.” His trademark laid-back, expressionless sound that has saturated previous records has been replaced by a wider vocal range and a capable artistic confidence.

Though Jars was loved as an alterna-folk phenomenon when it made its premiere just a few short years ago, the progress that is evidenced on “If I Left The Zoo” assures fans that Jars is not sitting on past successes.

4 STARS

— Ashley Hassebroek

“‘King of the Hill’ Music from and Inspired by the TV Series”

Various Artists

“King of the Hill” follows in the boot steps of other popular FOX soundtracks such as “The Simpsons Sing the Blues” and “Songs in the Key of X.” It is 15 tracks of genre-jumping tunes by a wide variety of country and alt-rock artists.

Brooks and Dunn do a version of Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind” that could make a grown man cry. The piano work on this track is reminiscent of Bruce Hornsby and The Range and conveys the same sense of wide-open spaces and long summer drives across state lines.

Tonic performs the classic trucker ditty from “Smokey and the Bandit,” “East Bound and Down.” They manage to make it fun without being derisive. The fun is in hearing an alternative band do a serious version of a song that most people look back on with chagrin and loving it like you did in grade school. It’s a good thing.

Willie Nelson and Sugar Ray’s Mark McGrath do a duet without a hint of irony called “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.” The two have a synergy that will surprise fans of both. This kind of fusion opens doors of perception normally closed by conventional society. Swing wide and let slip the fetters of normative musical production!

Barenaked Ladies’ “Get In Line” is well up to the band’s usually high standards, and their appearance on what is essentially a comedy album is not at all out of place. The CD also contains the video for the song featuring characters from the show. Very funny stuff.

The comedy does fly fast and furious as there are loads of sound bites from Hank Hill and other characters as they comment on what we are about to hear and other topics.

Also, there are several songs performed by characters that will bewitch, befuddle and bemuse. Hank’s version of the old trucker ballad “Teddy Bear” is dead on with the exception of his intense emotional reaction and a slip up near the end where he replaces the line “You can sure bet I took my turn giving Teddy Bear a ride” with “You can sure bet I took my turn riding Teddy Bear.”

“King of the Hill” has everything a soundtrack should and maybe even a little more.

4 STARS

— Greg Jerrett

“Darrin’s Coconut Ass — Live From Omaha”

Goldfinger

One night after a two-hour show that featured four encores, Goldfinger headed next door, keeping the party going at an Omaha studio to record its favorite cover songs.

That night would spawn “Darrin’s Coconut Ass,” a supplement album that should tide Goldfinger fans over until the long-awaited third album is released early next year.

What’s most interesting about the record is to see exactly what happens to the songs when Goldfinger gives them its touch.

Every band seems to be making cover albums these days, but Goldfinger challenged themselves by picking some of the cheesiest songs of the ’70s.

Bad Company’s “Feel Like Making Love,” is transformed from a lame love song to an incredible reggae/metal number spiced up with solid harmonies and a melodic arrangement.

The Who’s “The Kids Are Alright,” shines as the best song on the album, and it lacks the lengthy guitar solo of the original version, causing the song to conclude after less than two minutes. Feldmann’s melodic voice runs smoothly through the song like the vein of any Goldfinger original.

The CD clocks-in at just over 20 minutes but contains plenty of unreleased live footage accessed via computer and even a shout out to Ames and Des Moines in the thank you section of the liner notes.

With very diverse covers ranging from The Cure’s “Just Like Heaven,” to The Specials “Nite Klub,” and even old Buzzcocks, this CD is a must have for any Goldfinger fan.

4 STARS

— Dewayne Hankins

“Ascension”

Billionaire

Like college freshman who can’t pick a major or choose what classes to take, Billionaire is undecided.

The band seemingly possesses the attention span of a 3-year-old, sounding at times like bad ’80s ballad rock, “Ten”-era Pearl Jam, the Goo Goo Dolls, Pink Floyd, Soundgarden, Mother Love Bone and occasionally any band that has included Perry Farrell on its roster.

Sometimes Billionaire succeeds in melding these related but different musical influences into a coherent, almost unique sound. So is the case on the record’s opening track, “‘Til You’re High,” and the final one, “The Jesus Train.”

These innovative songs truly rock, in the Zeppelin sense of the word, an aspect the majority of the so-called “modern rock” bands tend to shy away from. Crunchy guitar riffs and solos that just plain kick ass dominate along with screaming vocals reminiscent of Jane’s Addiction.

Though the album contains a fair amount of solid songs, the weaknesses of lead singer Marc Thompkins are revealed in laid back songs like “Someday I’ll Leave It All” and the U2-inspired “I Fell From Space.” Thompkins sounds much better when he is screaming, as his vocal talent is not as suited to rock balladry.

“Someday” also uncovers the band’s possible lyrical shortcomings. During the chorus, Thompkins sings, “Someday, I’m gonna rise/ My star will shine/ The rain is gonna fall/ I’m livin’ it day by day.” Perhaps the lyrical weakness isn’t as obvious on other songs because it is often difficult to determine exactly what it is Thompkins is screaming about.

Whether Billionaire will be afforded the opportunity to establish and develop its own sound hinges on the success of “Ascension.” Though its debut album doesn’t allow any of the guys in Billionaire to live up to its pretentious name, they do have the potential to succeed, once again, like a clueless freshman.

3 STARS

— Jon Dahlager

“‘MTV Celebrity Deathmatch’ soundtrack”

Various Artists

The soundtrack to MTV’s “Celebrity Deathmatch” is a marketing fiasco. From the glam-rock of Marilyn Manson to the hip-hop rhymes of Kool Keith, this album features an array of rap and rock, and even a few bands that feed the new rap-rock genre.

Marilyn Manson’s “Astonishing Panorama of the Endtimes” opens the album with its metal-tinged, fuzzed-out riffs of monstrosity. Manson screams the same phrases he’s purported all along with, “Kill your god/ Kill your TV.”

Following this killer tune is Xzibit with “Celebrity Deathmatch.” The song thumps at the seams with bass bombs and is filled with catchy samples from the claymation show.

Unfortunately, Eminem appears on this album with the cheesy “My Fault,” a story detailing a botched incident with mushrooms.

Powerman 5000 appears as well playing “Standing 8.” The song ends up being a very poor hybrid of rap-rock very different from the band’s hit “When Worlds Collide.” This one comes off a little too funky.

Also attempting to reach the masses with the increasingly appealing rap-rock style is Shuvel with “Clean Slate.” This is the band that can pull it off Limp Bizkit-style. Musically the song falls somewhere between Korn and Tool, while lyrically it juxtaposes the Beastie Boys.

Rob Zombie provides “Meet The Creeper,” remixed by DJ Lethal, for the soundtrack. The song is even more electrified and lightning-zapped than most of Zombie’s work already.

Also providing a surplus of pulses, beeps and buzzes is the Wondergirls with “Let’s Go All The Way.” This song features Scott Weiland, Jay Gordon, Mark McGrath and Ian Astbury on background vocals, along with Orgy guitarist Ryan Shuck. The song rocks in a factory-like manner with all the mechanics that glam-rock of today has bred.

While newcomers Lit can’t hold its own with the punkish “Money,” Liars Inc. steals the show with “No Good” as do the prime-time Primus with “The Heckler.” Both songs screech and pound with riffs that travel in all different directions, making the end of this album just as good as the beginning.

3 1/2 STARS

— Kevin Hosbond

“Moving Cities”

Faze Action

The soothing, gratifying music of Faze Action features the distinct sounds of tambourines, handrums, violins, flutes, chimes and keyboards to set the mood. With special effects such as lasers and relaxed singing, the jazz music is perfect for studying and meditation.

“Heartbeat,” uses Vanessa Freeman’s rhythmical lyrics to create a pulsating song, while “Kariba” could be a huge dance club hit. While three or four tracks stand out, the other eight sound boringly similar.

Band members and brothers Simon Lee and Robin Lee produced their debut album on F-111 Records as a follow up to 1997 UK album, “Plans and Designs,” which also has 12 tracks that contain mostly jazz.

In “Moving Cities,” the musicians offer a smooth album to move the listener. With an many different sounds, the two brothers use their talent to bond.

3 STARS

— Pat Racette

Ratings based on a HHHHH scale.