Beautiful music soothes pseudo sibling rivalry

By JAMES DOOLITTLE
Collegian Arts Writer

In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as war or famine. Ricki Lake would still be a bloated actress in low-budget John Waters' films and sibling rivalry would be virtually nonexistent.

But because we live in an imperfect world, war and famine are everyday occurrences. Ricki Lake has shed some weight to become Generation X's answer to Phil Donahue and the white trash participants of her forum prove that sibling rivalry is all the more bitter for it.

While sibling rivalry in the entertainment world used to center around who was the better Sheen (Charlie or Emilio -- is there really a difference?), we now have Kristin Hersh and Tanya Donelly.

While those two rock demi-queens are only half-sisters, there has to be a little competitive friction between the two with the all-too-close-releases of new albums by their respective groups; Throwing Muses' University and Belly's King.

On their eighth release, the Muses rebound from 1992's dreary Red Heaven by greeting the "alternative age" with new bassist Bernard Georges, a fuller sound and their best album in years. Kicking off University with the roaring, anthem-like "Bright Yellow Gun," Hersh and company set a pace that continues through wonderful tracks like "Shimmer" and the Pixie-ish "Surf Cowboy."

Set against the backdrop of David Narcizo's soulful drumming and her fierce guitar, Hersh's voice rises up to the occasion. Along with Johnette Napolitano of Concrete Blonde fame, Hersh has one of the most distinct voices in the music world.

It swerves with subtle ease between the direct whine of "Bright Yellow Gun" and the seductive crawl of the bass-heavy "Snakeface."

While a number of songs seem more suited toward the acoustic stylings of Hersh's 1994 solo outing, the brilliant Hips and Makers, there is no denying the expert craftmanship inherent in them. When the album's tempo slows down, on tracks such as "Crabtown" and "Flood," it's Hersh's passionate vocals and lyrics that shine in the spotlight.

It's those small moments that make University such a compelling listen.

On the other hand, Donnelly, a founding member of Throwing Muses and The Breeders, presents us with her outfit Belly's sophomore effort, King. While the new album doesn't have the exuberance of their previous outing, 1993's Star, it does show Belly growing more musically assertive as a unit.

While Donnelly grabbed most of the spotlight for Star, it's the names of guitarist Thomas Gorman, drummer Christopher Gorman and new bassist (oooh . . . a common thread) Gail Greenwood that deserve some attention here. Whether it's the dense thunder of "Puberty" or the atmospheric "Silverfish," King is less Tanya Donnelly and more Belly.

The group is finally a band.

While "Puberty" and the album's first single, "Now They'll Sleep," could have easily fit in on Star with their upbeat, moving tempos, the majority of King has a very low-key nature that is a little off-putting at first. Tracks like "The Bees" and the overlong "Judas My Heart" take awhile to get into, but payoff with some great guitar riffs and Donnelly's soothing voice.

Trying to compare the two albums is like comparing an orange to a nectarine; there's not much difference besides the spelling. Hersh and Donnelly's roots are in the same places on the musical map.

While University is a more accomplished work, King is further proof that Belly is a band to keep an ear on. Let's just hope we don't see these two half-sisters sniping at each other on Ricki Lake anytime soon.