Corrosion of Conformity

Wiseblood

Corrosion of Conformity’s latest release Wiseblood is a proper successor to the band’s five previous albums.

The hardcore rock band that came to life in 1983 has now, 13 years later, reached a medium core sound that seems to be almost patented since Corrosion’s third release Technocracy.

Even though the band has had outstanding efforts on its first four albums, it wasn’t until 1994’s Deliverance that COC broke into the big time with such monster tunes as “Albatross” and “Clean My Wounds.”

A barrage of vocal effects, muddy guitars and groovy baselines that pulsate through nearly every song laid the framework for Deliverance, and COC’s latest effort did little to escape that sound.

In fact, they perfected it. Wiseblood sounds simply like a continuation of Deliverance, but with more flavor.

The first release off Wiseblood was “Drowning in a Daydream.” This tune is simply cool. No more, no less. The rhythms have a sort of systematic break scheme that keeps your head bouncing, while the bass line just moves along.

Vocalist Pepper Keenen’s slightly southern vocal style mixed with a monstrosity of vocal effects leads to a very radio friendly groove. The problem is that the tune is too catchy.

It’s the equivalent of the first time you heard Bon Jovi’s “Bad Medicine.” Don’t lie, you loved and you know it. But a week later it was boring.

Metallica’s James Hetfield makes his first ever guest role on the album by joining COC on “Man or Ash.” My first reaction to this tune was that Hetfield should be absent. My second reaction was the same.

The final bright spot of the album would be the rarely seen hardcore on “Wishbone.” It has it all. Great drumming, monster guitar riffs, hair raising vocals and once again, a pulsating baseline. “Wishbone” springs the memory of what COC once was, a hardcore beauty.

The album ends on a down note with a corny, noisy instrumental entitled “Bottom Feeder.”

COC fans of the Deliverance era will dig this album. But if you’re looking for COC to break new ground, don’t look to Wiseblood.

— Chad Calek

Snoop Doggy Dog

Tha Doggfather

The beats of Dr. Dre have packed up and left, Tupac suffered a death that matched the subject and nature of his songs and Snoop Doggy Dogg put his tail between his legs and went to sulk in the dog house.

Wrong.

Snoop’s latest is Tha Doggfather and he is here to let everyone know he isn’t an old dog that can’t learn any new tricks. As usual his doggie-style is smooth and his rhymes flow effortlessly from his voice box and into your subconscious. You’ll find yourself humming his tracks over and over again.

Yes, Dre the hit maker with the dope beats is gone, but Snoop’s lyrics and samples from songs that everyone used to groove to years ago help push this CD over the edge of mediocrity.

“Freestyle conversation” is different, but fares well for Snoop. It’s pretty tight. You find yourself in a hypnotic trance trying to figure out what he’s saying and at the same time nodding your head.

The CD is influenced by Charlie Wilson and The Gap Band. Their influence is heard on six of the 21 tracks.

“Gold Rush” features Kurupt the Kingpin and L.B.C. Crew. This is one of the tightest tracks on the CD as the snare beat and almost eerie sound keep the melody going. You also get to hear The Dogg Pound kick it on the another tight track,”Blueberry.”

“(Tear ’em Off) Me and My Doggz” starts off with a woman sobbing about how some dogs attacked her husband. She is terrified and tearful, but it’s a funny intro to the song.

The voice of the DJ from Snoop’s first CD is back at the beginning of “You Thought.” Too Short and Priest “Soopafly” Brooks lend their lyrical wizardry to the tight beats from this track. The three are slamming all women who are “gold diggers.” They tell all the women “you thought you had my cash … until I turned around and whooped your ass.”

Following the success he had with the remake of “Lodi Dodi” by Slick Rick, Snoop blew off the dust from Biz Markie’s “Vapors.”

The self-proclaimed Doggfather also covers “Six Minutes.” That was the cut back in the day and Snoop brings it back without disrespecting Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew.

The reason Snoop gets away with this CD is because his lyrics cover you like your favorite blanket when it’s cold outside. It’s security from the cool air that you know will whip under your cover when you get up in the morning.

It protects you all night and soothes you with thoughts that you can wait 10 more minutes before starting your day.

— Vernon Johnson

The Presidents of the United States of America

II

There are no lumps in The Presidents sophomore effort, aptly titled II (but didn’t Boyz II Men already use that idea).

Musically, the trio’s latest record shows vast improvement from its debut, grabbing listeners with catchy guitars and percussion.

The shiny headed lyrical poet Chris Ballew is up to his usual tricks, covering topics from cars to amplifiers to shoes. His best work is on “Tiki God,” a delusion of troublesome relationships.

Ballew relates his women problems to everyone’s favorite family, The Brady’s, with lyrics like “When Bobby Brady found the idol in the rubble, he had no idea it would cause so much rubble. When Greg tried to throw it back in the ocean, there was a rumble, and awful commotion.”

Now that’s about as good as lyrics get these days (and I always loved that episode), so it’s fitting they come from one of the most interesting personalities in the business.

“L.I.P.” follows “Tiki God” with a fitting description of Ballew’s latest crush, a Little Indian Princess.

OK, so the lyrics are still cool, but what about the sound of the band that kept its debut from being anything close to great.

To say that something has changed within its composition would be an understatement.

The two-stringed guitar work of Ballew combines with the three-stringed bass work of Dave Dederer in much better fashion than on previous work.

Dederer proves to be a strong point on II, with bass lines that carry some of Ballew’s strangest lyrical journeys.

The disc opens with the introduction track “Ladies and Gentlemen Part 1” and closes (sort of) with “Ladies and Gentlemen Part 2.”

You think they are going to be pointless as on other albums with bookends, but the tracks are actually really cool.

A cute little guitar repeat fills most of the songs, but Ballew makes them even more interesting with some very sincere words that sum up the record.

But in reality, we all know that II can only be summed up in word. Peachy!

—Corey Moss