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Ja Rule\'s new album more radio-friendly, lacks imagination

Anyone who listened to Ja Rule's 1999 debut Venni Vetti Vecci and the compilation Irv Gotti presents … The Murderers knows how annoying the Murder Inc. crew can get. Both of those albums are so single-mindedly obsessed with murder and death that you get tired of them before you want to play them again. But who can blame the Murder Inc.? Half of the East Coast rappers, including Cam'ron and The LOX, mistake trash talking with street cred.

Nonpoint not bad

South Florida metal band Nonpoint made a pretty decent debut with its freshman release Statement. Unlike many of its metal compatriots, Nonpoint can actually harmonize and, for the most part, exceed the clichés of incoherent lyrics, over-bearing guitar riffs and the angsty B.S. that so many other metal bands are rife with. Sounding like a hybrid of 311 and the Deftones, Nonpoint exudes a smooth yet ruffled sound.

Music school alum jazzes it up on new album

IU's jazz studies department can be proud. Kyle Quass, hailing from the School of Music with his master's in jazz studies, has just released another CD that testifies to the nation's top jazz program. Eye of the Beholder starts strong and carries the talent all the way to the end.

New Less Than Jake album less than stellar

Borders and Boundaries marks Less Than Jake's 77th release and fifth full-length album of original material. It is quite an accomplishment for a band that has only been around for eight years and has released most of its material on independent labels. The band's latest album might be an example of how all this time and non-stop touring has taken it toll.

\'Giving birth to a stone\' just Peach-y

Somehow this reviewer thinks that giving birth to a stone would be horribly painful, but listening to Peach's rerelease of Giving Birth to a Stone is surely not.

Clowns

"Shhh, it's a dead body in my trunk. Wanna see it? F**k around and you\'ll be it." That's right, Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope are back -- back and lamer than ever. The shock-rock rap duo Insane Clown Posse just released its latest album, Bizzar, which fails artistically on a number of levels. Poor spelling is the least of ICP's woes. Then again, that's something of a given -- it would be hard to say Insane Clown Posse has a lot going for it in terms of band concept. Granted, rock isn't known for a rich intellectual tradition. Still, the psycho ninja clown schtick -- it really can't get any more inane.

The week in music

Ja Rule\'s new album more radio-friendly, lacks imagination

Anyone who listened to Ja Rule's 1999 debut Venni Vetti Vecci and the compilation Irv Gotti presents … The Murderers knows how annoying the Murder Inc. crew can get. Both of those albums are so single-mindedly obsessed with murder and death that you get tired of them before you want to play them again. But who can blame the Murder Inc.? Half of the East Coast rappers, including Cam'ron and The LOX, mistake trash talking with street cred.

'Titans': Spawn of Satan

I think I know how NBC's new prime time soap opera, "Titans," (8 p.m. Wednesday) came to be. God was having a nice chat with Satan when the conversation turned to one of Lucifer's most diabolical creations: Soap operas. Then God asked the Devil, "Do you know Jeff Schogol?" "The TV columnist?" Mephistopheles asked.

Music school alum jazzes it up on new album

IU's jazz studies department can be proud. Kyle Quass, hailing from the School of Music with his master's in jazz studies, has just released another CD that testifies to the nation's top jazz program. Eye of the Beholder starts strong and carries the talent all the way to the end.

Campus Foundations

There is a point to architecture. It is sturdy and strong. Amid the changing world, architecture remains. At IU we have lost Herman B Wells and most recently Bobby Knight. But one thing has not changed: our buildings. They're the same as they ever were.

\'Giving birth to a stone\' just Peach-y

Somehow this reviewer thinks that giving birth to a stone would be horribly painful, but listening to Peach's rerelease of Giving Birth to a Stone is surely not.

\'Beau travail\' has a certain \'Je ne sais quoi\'

In the strobe-lit, mirror-endowed empty corner of a discotheque, the pieces of a man\'s existence crash to the ground one by one in the calculated chaos of his dance moves that accompany Corona\'s techno-pop work \"Rhythm of the Night.\" All the stagnant conformity of the French Foreign Legion life he has led has been peeled away to reveal the inner insanity of his loneliness.

No such luck

In the new film "Lucky Numbers," playing the Pennsylvania state lottery can be not only dangerous but insanely painful to watch. The star power of John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow as well as the famed directing of Nora Ephron can do nothing to help move this film along.

\'Blair Witch 2\' lacking

Cashing in on the love-it-or-hate-it cultural phenomenon of last year, "Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" is an interesting yet highly flawed horror flick and a cynical marketing ploy.

Even dorks have to get their fix

For many a single and soon-to-be-single young and slightly dorky man, last Thursday was a historic date. No, some third-world regime wasn't overthrown, and no major/beneficial legislation reached our Supreme Court. Thursday saw the launch of the highly anticipated Playstation 2 game system, and luckily enough for me, my roommate happened to procure one.

Local band\'s new album as solid as \'Wood and Steel\'

The Deric Rush Band is further proof of the range and depth of the Bloomington music scene. The blues-mixed-with-classic-rock sound is a great listen every time. The music is new, but it has the awesome, true feeling most often associated with the rockers of days past.

New Less Than Jake album less than stellar

Borders and Boundaries marks Less Than Jake's 77th release and fifth full-length album of original material. It is quite an accomplishment for a band that has only been around for eight years and has released most of its material on independent labels. The band's latest album might be an example of how all this time and non-stop touring has taken it toll.

Guru holds his own with guest singers on \'Jazzmataz Streetsoul\'

Usually when a CD is showered with guest vocalists on every single song, one must proceed with caution. It is a frequent sign that the singer cannot pull his or her own weight. However, Guru's Jazmatazz uses these guest vocalists efficiently, and his soulful style is not overshadowed.

\'Beau travail\' has a certain \'Je ne sais quoi\'

In the strobe-lit, mirror-endowed empty corner of a discotheque, the pieces of a man's existence crash to the ground one by one in the calculated chaos of his dance moves that accompany Corona's techno-pop work "Rhythm of the Night." All the stagnant conformity of the French Foreign Legion life he has led has been peeled away to reveal the inner insanity of his loneliness.