Daily Staff Writer

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Soundtrack Volume Two

Various Artists

Just as erratic and vivid as the film, Romeo and Juliet 2 combines dialogue and background music, as well as new music and variations of tracks from the first release.

Everything from the gothically choral “O Verona,” to a remake of Prince’s “When Dove’s Cry” comprises the 24-track disc. But instead of showcasing the trendy pop tunes that emerged as a result of updating The Bard’s classic, this disc is really not about the music.

Rather, it’s an illustration of how music affects the sights and other sounds taking place on screen. The love theme, “Kissing You,” is an instrumental unlike on the first volume.

It is bookended by Romeo’s (Leonardo DiCaprio) exalted utterances when he first sees Juliet (Claire Danes) and her astonished words at learning who he is, “my only love sprung from my only hate.”

It is worth mentioning their names for they are as much a part of this second offering as the bands like The Butthole Surfers and The Dust Brothers that fill in the moments between dialogue.

If you haven’t seen the flick, steer clear. Volume One will satisfy your auditory needs. But if you not only saw, but were enveloped by the movie, buy Volume Two and relive it.

3 stars

— Kris Fettkether

Like Swimming

Morphine

The wait is over. Just as its name promises, Morphine gives music lovers that needed fix — decent music. Vocalist Mark Sandman has more baritone than Todd Parks (Big Head Todd and the Monsters) and saxophonist Dana Colley swings more than Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band).

The trio, completed by drummer Billy Conway, weaves a complex tapestry of sounds and flavors. Bass rules (note the lack of a rhythm section), but is interrupted with psychedelic riffs from the two string, slide bass and tritar among others.

The slow motion, molasses sound permeates on such tracks like “French Fries w/ Pepper” and “Empty Box.” But the boys bring in da funk on the radio friendly “Early to Bed.”

The many instrumentals are welcome, not trite guitar solos. They are noirish melodramas played out on a treble clef.

The only way to summarize the music of Morphine is to say it is the future of what once was. What you say? Part beatnik, part jazz, part industrial, Morphine combines elements of music that logically should not meld. But thank God music doesn’t have to be logical, just good.

4 1/2 stars

— Kris Fettkether

Hold Your Tongue (and say apple)

Claw Hammer

Claw Hammer sure has a knack for naming records. While the band’s current release is guaranteed to get you to say asshole, past records have gone by such titles as 1991’s Are We Not Men? We Are Not Devo! and 1995’s Thank the Holder Uppers.

But what the band doesn’t have a knack for is making music, or more specifically, singing. Claw Hammer vocalist Jon Wahl makes Neil Young and Janis Joplin sound like the Carpenters.

His worst attempt is easily “The Valley So High,” a song about God knows what, and that’s only if he can stand to sit through the whole thing.

Opening with a solid, almost surf-rock track, the record takes off in a whole new arena of honky-tonk punk far worse than what Rocket From The Crypt did on its last record.

Jim Dickinson, who played piano on the Rolling Stone’s Sticky Fingers record, produced the record and must have had a definite say in its sound. While some of the music is reminiscent of the Stones, the Claw Hammer sound is in desperate need of Jagger.

After one listens to Hold Your Tongue (and say apple) you won’t believe the band has been around as long as it has (1988). And when you see Interscope’s logo on the cover, you’ll probably wonder what kind of drugs it was on when it signed Claw Hammer.

1/2 star

— Corey Moss

All ratings are based on a scale of zero to five stars, with five being “the bomb” and zero being “a bomb.”