Duh! (Rise)
Miss Universe used the delay between the August 1994 recording of
Duh! and its release last month to make the 11 songs the very best they
can sound live. That doesn’t make the songs sound any less fresh on
Duh!, it just makes the impetus for seeing the band play and
buying the record more salient. Solid, Midwest-bred pop pours out of the
record from the opening track “Where Are My Shoes?,” as Chris Braun launches
chunky guitar riffs intercepted by drummer Josh Power and former bassist Paul
East. But the evening star in Miss Universe is Michelle Rule, whose voice
swoops and soars in and out of Braun’s smart, catchy songs – such as
“…Shoes,” “Peas in a Pod,” “14,” and “Love So Odd.” Duh! goes to show
that fun music isn’t necessarily stupid and meaningless.
HHH – Margaret Moser
This article appears in October 6 • 1995 and October 6 • 1995 (Cover).