The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 17, 1995 - 9 Kodo Drummers h By B. Tubbs For the Daily It's Tuesday night, and I'm sit- ting in the back row of the Power Center - beginning to feel that I won't be able to write a fair article. Then the drums are carried out onto the bare, black stage. The drum- mers prepare the stance, address- ing their drums. And the ceremony begins. The pounding of the skins in their deep rhythm is soon matched by my heartbeat. Everyone in the audience must have been synchronized, un- willingly joined to the sound. Just as the huge wooden drums were unre- lentingly struck, the vibrating air pounded through our own bodies. It was entrancing. The rhythm seemed constant, but its slow transformation constantly led you through a dense jungle of enchantment. . The number of different drums RECORDS Continued from page 8 mended experience.) Check out the attack vocalist Lou Koller unleashes on "Desperate Fool": *"step up to the plate you challenge fate / you've earned a castration / you're face to face/with your victim's rage / you deserve this laceration." In "Goatless" they strike back at last year's coverage of the Massachusetts boarding school student who shot and killed several people while wearing a Sick of It All t-shirt, a notoriety they never received as an underground *band with a small following. That incident and subsequent sign- ing to a major label might have smacked of exploitation and scarred the band, if they bothered to stop and give it half a thought. They're prob- ably too busy kicking Green Day's ass to care; at least this is one band that won't spend an entire video wan- dering empty streets lip-ynching their hit single and looking bored. Some *have to fake it, Sick of It All doesn't need to. - Kirk Miller London Jones for you MCA Records London Jones, oneofMCA's new- est artists, is seeking fame in the mu- sic biz. He hopes that "for you," his *debut release, will propel him there. There's no doubt in my mind it will. When I listened to "Intro," the first cut on this CD, I could have sworn that a woman was singing. Jones' soprano-soft voice could fool anyone, butnot forlong. LondonJones is a man, and with his boyish looks and innocent-sounding voice, he can make even the strongest woman *swoon. London Jones' voice, and the ac- companying music, really set "for you" off. The lyrics were definitely meant for a voice like London's. "For you" is, in actuality, a very simple CD. It doesn't vary much from a single-worded script: Sex. Steamy titles like "Joi," "I Lust 4 U" and "Baby Get Yours Tonight" easily fore- shadow the lusty songs beneath them. This is definitely a CD to take along with you on one of those "booty calls." But, "for you" is more thanjust that; it's a very decent collection of good, relaxing music. (Like I said, perfect for booty calls.) -Eugene Bowen Mule If I Don't Six Quarterstick Records Comprised of former members of the Laughing Hyenas and Wig, Mule aurally threatens but never fiercely attacks the senses like their brothers in sludge rock. "If I Don't Six" is, however, a tight but sloppy offering with decently slurred guitar and few pretensions. Much of what comes out of Touch *& Go Records territory (Quarterstick, Skin Graft, etc.) attempts to pass it- self off as abrasive art rock and ends up boring as only schlock with all balls and no brains can bore. But Mule thankfully avoids such problems. Sure, they have abrupt tran- sitions and bloodcurdling singing like much of this area's shock and roll, but the three-piece adds a unique twist. whey sound like backwaterJethro and the boys on vacation in the big city for the first time. Country-tinged muck seeps forth from the speakers when this album is spinning. Imagine across between early Urge Overkill and created an eclectic percussion en- semble, but after closer listening, you could also hear the countless tones they develop from each indi- vidual. The drum had just as many - Kodo Drummers Power Center for the Performing Arts February 14, 1995 notes as the bamboo flute that one performer played. Along with the flute, the instruments included a gong, a metal chime, a shamisen string instrument, a series of tiny hand symbols, a series of wooden instruments and a 900-pound drum called the 0-daiko. All of these were played with such sensibility and fe- rocity, the audience was mesmer- it the spot ized. The performers, as well, drove themselves into a trance-like aware- ness. It became difficult, however, to fully reach that hypnotic state with the ambiguity of the rhythm. The Kodo Drummers performed more as entertainers than as monks. With the preconceived notion that they used drum rhythms as a medi- tation practice, I expected to gain more of an experience from them. The audience created distractions also. Feeling the need to clap intru- sively at every break, some created a circus-type atmosphere. And with all of the coughing and sneezing added to the clapping, a fulfilling experience of the silence that the Kodo created was completely lost. If you're looking for an entertaining show, you should definitely put them at the top of your priority list, but, sad to say, the Kodo Drummers could have been a whole lot more. Hey, little drummer boy ... he's in the doldrums. Aren't you glad he used Dial? and the "Love Boat" theme song.) and everything in between. Marc Dorsey has some powerful vocs which he sports in "Forever Yours," but the background vocalists could use a little fine tuning. "Gently in the Night," also by Bearden, is too hip to be elevator music; it sounds much like something you'd hear when the operator puts you on hold. The music on this CD tends to be fairly decent, but it just drags on too much. And when it comes to the ques- tion of whether this CD is worth the bucks? Well, the jury's still out on that one. - Eugene Bowen Donna Summer Endless Summer - Donna Summer's Greatest Hits Casablanca / Mercury Disco diva Donna Summer's career has taken her up and down, but her greatest hits package "Endless Sum- mer," gathers up 18 of her favorites onto one disc for the ultimate Summer compilation. Along with her most famous hits "She Works Hard fortheMoney," "Bad Thinking Fellers Union Local #282 Strangers From the Universe Matador Space Rock: the Final Frontier. These are the latest songs from the Thinking Fellers Union Local #282. Their mission: to create some of the most consistently warped, disturbed, beautiful music on this planet or any other. "Strangers From the Universe" combines TFUL's usual quirkiness and guitar experiments with a softer, contemplative approach that yields prickly dreamscapes like "Guillotine," "The Operation" and "Cup of Dreams." Guitars crunch and swirl while muffled voices whisper surrealisms on tracks like "Socket" and "The Piston and the Shaft," and even the more stripped-down tracks like the goofy "My Pal the Tortoise" and gentle "Noble Experiment" are extraterrestrial experiences. "Strang- ers From the Universe" is a hypnotic work with enough kinks to ensure the Thinking Fellers remain strangers to the mainstream universe. -- Heather Phares 'Lake' reflects a slice of Chinese life By Fred Rice Daily Arts Writer "Women from the Lake of Scented Souls" has a lot going for it. It offers a brief glimpse at life in a small Chi- nese community. For those interested in Asian cooking, it reveals the se- vvi Women From the Lake of Scented Souls Directed by Xie Fei with Siqin Gaowa and Wu Yujuan At the Michigan Theater crets to the making of a tasty season- ing. It also tells of ordinary people, who by their resilient personalities, achieve small yet brave feats of hero- ism. What this small gem does not have is a lot of violence, action and mayhem, nor a quick and well orga- nized plot. But it doesn't need a well organized plot. That was clearly director's Xie Fei's intention. Instead, he presents us with the day-to-day struggles and tears in what is best described as a small "slice of life" - a brief glimpse at characters that are very real and very engaging. Xiang Eraso, played by Siqin Gaowa, is responsible for her family's tremendously successful sesame-oil company. She is a hard working and ruthless business woman. Unfortu- nately, she is also trapped in an op- pressive marriage, sold at the age of seven and married at thirteen. Her husband abuses her and remains drunk throughout most of his scenes in the movie. Xiang's chief source of defi- ance in her unhappy life comes from various trysts with a lover. Tired of caring for her mentally handicapped son, she sets out to play matchmaker and set him up with the poor peasant girl Huanhuan, played by Wu Yujuan, and ulti- mately traps her in a relationship much like her own. All her son can do with his purchased bride is pinch her and bite her. The simple heroism rises from the women's amazing strength and bravery, and their ability to put up with the treatment of the men who are always either child like or abso- lute assholes. Xiang and Huanhuan's resilience make this movie rather special, but also rather sad. Very few times do they look to be happy or content. But their frustration is always evident. And their ways of venting it provides plenty of hope. The title of this pleasant tale comes from the water of nearby lake that she uses in her recipe for sesame-seed oil. She informs an in- vestor interested in giving her prod- uct a wider market that the water has a special fragrance and fresh flavor. Hence, like the special water that makes an ordinary seasoning extraordinary, the ordinary, but dif- ficult lives of the female characters provide for a unusually terrific story. Bebey proves to be an original By Kimberly Braton For the Daily In its first tour of the U.S., the Francis Bebey Ensemble proved to be a tremendous success at Rackham Auditorium on Wednesday night. The audience gave a warm welcome and were clearly won over by the artists' musical variety. Francis Bebey performed with his two sons, Patrick and Francis Jr., in a charm- ing, delightful and, at times, comi- cal style. A total of sixteen musical se- lections were performed, played on several different African and European instruments, as well as vocal and poetry selections. All except one were composed and written by Francis Bebey, al- though his compositions were not the only original aspect of his per- formance. Bebey's technique of fusing two different cultures to- gether is an idea that is entirely his own. Bringing elements from his native homeland, Cameroon, and blending those with the influ- ence of his current residence in . Francis Bebey Ensemble Rackham Auditorium February 15, 1995 Paris, Bebey created an evening that had amazing musical spec- trum. The Ensemble opened with "Sunny Crypt," with Francis play- ing pygmy flute and his two sons accompanying him on percussion. Francis quickly developed a per- sonal atmosphere for his audience by taking time to explain each of his instruments. The pygmy flute, he said, was also called the "magic flute" and was a one-note instru- ment. To generate other sounds, he used other African vocal techniques such as patting his chest. A large portion of the music was sung in Bantu, although French and a bit of German were also heard. In "Mwano 0," Francis invited the audience to sing-a-long, and convinced us that we could speak Bantu well enough to be "recruited" for his Ensemble. However, the self-taught classical guitarist had such a dynamic vocal range that would be difficult to match. He even went so far as to question his audience's hospitality. "You're a nice audience. What's down with you? Are you working tomorrow?" The highlight of the concert was a humorous love song of an "oral swing" style. "My Love For You". had the audience laughing and clap- ping when the musicians returned for an encore. The final song, "Idiba," was a sweet melody that celebrated the morning sun. Francis invited us to "come with him to go and see the light." Our journey did not take us far because Wednesday night the light was shining on him.. Donna Summer is a disco diva in a disco dive. Girls," and "On the Radio," are nu- merous other greats she recorded over the years. There is also one new track, "Melody of Love (WannaBe Loved)," which was co-written with David Cole and Robert Clivilles of C+C Music Factory. This was one of Cole's last tracks before he died in late January. "Endless Summer - Donna Summer's Greatest Hits" is a good collection for a Donna Summer fan, but may be a little slow for just the average listener. However, her pow- erful songs outnumber the bad, creat- ing a good retrospective of her old and new music. - Brian A. Gnatt Dag Righteous Columbia Say this much about Dag: they know how to lay down a groove. Each song on "Righteous" starts out very nicely. But after a minute or two, each and every track becomes boring and ultra-repetitive. The problem here is that this North Carolina quartet never bothers to develop any of the grooves that they compose - no B sections, no bridge, no chorus. Like so many Spade Ghetto De- struction Spade Ghetto Destruction Zoo Entertainment Black rock is back and it's sure not your father's black rock. SGD's rap style riff rock (dare I say metal?) crawls along with as much intensity as Rage Against the Machine. SGD is heavier than any of the recent contenders for the rap rock crown which is great considering that many of the art- ists have tread the metal boundary for so long without ever giving in. Finally, SGD has thrown their hat into the proverbial ring leaving sucka imposters like Shootyz Groove in the dust. Of course just being heavy is not what this genre is all about. It takes rapping ability also. Al- though the raps are neither lyri- cally original nor very good, they seem to sound good over the blis- tering music. From the cheese of "Strike Three" ("Homerun! I bought another gun, Leave it up to you and I wouldn't have one"), to the bandwagon rebellion of "Mur- der" ("It's not '63 it's 1994 and racist cops like jail house mops x 47 0 'lil.;