8 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 27, 2004 ART S 4 1 l l t 1 i c t t E } Office-base1dcartoon finds ho 0wpn DVD By Adam Rttenberg alass cs like "The Simpsons" or Daily Arts Writer Famiy Guy." Even though it's noth- ing th t special, there is a lot to like D VD R IEW about e acerbic office comedy. eTl.y D release allows the entire Turning the insanely'popT, sries to h seen again in sequence. "Dilbert" comic strip *itr 'arni* T h ctrtransfer is mediocre, mated program seem like a n w ca ioaia color mistakes, and brainer. Landing vo$e talent aa>,nd : ows in the same vein Daniel Stern, f er tel ision sitcoms by being Kathy Griffen broadcast cu of a single, central and Chris Elliot Dilbert: The speaker, m pig it nothing out of helped to make Complete the ordinary upplemental features the show seem Series are also a age in this release, like it had a m'. duple of episode com- fighting chance. tracks and a few fea- Creator Scott but nothing more. Adams even had the assist' rt" is a DVD set that should veteran sitcom writer Larry fans of not only the series, ("Seinfeld") to bring the w of the comic strip who may "Dilbert" to a fully animat ver seen this show. What So what went wrong? Thre ike a sure thing was squan- letters ruined the chances 4 poor scheduling on a poor series ... UPN, where good i The show itself may have to die. nto something great, but Fans of the original com even two full seasons of will see that, in the sc s, it only manages to be episodes produced, the conce better than the average humor are retained. The ani e cartoon. Courtesy of Matador, You know, if you make this caption a little longer, it looks like I have a moustache. ACROSS THE SEA UK IMPORT STUNS AMERICA WITH HIS POLARIZING DEBUT By Andrew M. Gaerig Daily Arts Writer "I'm sick of head raps" Sage Francis intones on the Non-Prophets "Damage." We can all empathize. For all of its successes, underground hip-hop's chief failing is its "head raps." Aesop Rock, one of the genre's grandest MC's, showed he can put together a chorus on last year's incredible "Babies With Guns," but too often resorted to angry mono- logues. We know you're reliance on said Dizzee Rascal Boy in Da Corner Matador accent, it is impossible to describe in print. Put it this way: Dizzee could probably take this review and brilliantly spit it into something worth hearing. The beats are similarly fantastic. Bare, organic drum beats, keyboards and burbling bass fill out the rare sonic spaces that Rascal's throaty buzz leave open. He can bring the hooks, too: Both "I Luv U" and "Jus a Rascal" are downright infec- tious, and the stateside single "Fix Up, Look Sharp" is masterfully sparse and catchy. If you can get past the sound, which admit- tedly may not even be necessary, you realize what a head-trip Boy in Da Corner is. Dizzee's got anger, to be sure, but he molds it into throb- bing, sonic wholes, as if bracing against the ter- rors of his street: teen pregnancy, gang violence, and the steamroller realization that innocence doesn't come back. "Sittin' Here" is a slow-leak realization of these things, and things only get more frantic and hurried from there. "Jus a Rascal" is playful and childlike, but the disease-ridden "Jezebel" grows up fast. "Wot U On" is rife with playful wordplay, but there's no room for such indulgences in the painful, beautiful nostalgia of "Do It." Dizzee's occasionally vulgar and occasionally a braggart, but he's never believable. "Fellas wanna stop me / probably come together / it's probable they'll stop me / probably, never" isn't the game's most convincing threat. But that's smarter than Juvenile, guys - that's why we're here in the first place. Dizzee Rascal, a 19-year old prodigy from Britain, proclaims, "Don't insult my intellect" on "Brand New Day," it feels like he's speaking for quite a few of us, even if the rest of his debut album, Boy In Da Corner, shows just how entrenched he is in his own thoughts. Rascal is a rare prodigy, an MC/producer who has seam- lessly integrated UK garage into the craziest, silliest flow anyone has heard in years. Dizzee's tongue is immaculate. A mush- mouthed mix of growling Southern adrenaline, head-spinning wordplay and 16-stone of British isn't incredible but fits in style of the source materi . rylines and come the show is a ste' anim 'e the charm: The album is so believable because Dizzee sounds like he has the same kind of frustration, anger and deviance as an average teenager, even if his experience is far more acute. It doesn't hurt, of course, that Boy in Da Corner is one of the most sonically addictive albums hip-hop has seen in years, but it's capti- vating for other reasons: There's something wonderful about an MC who's scariest threat is "Just remember this / I am you." Boy In Da Corner is the fascinating, brilliant buffer he provides. Be grateful. a. . ' 8a. t. 8 H 0 P ' ;,:?#B:GHT 's i"V iRYc IPredictability Js the.staple of r~wO. : "Overnight Deliey," the late90s afa b " . fim that follows ...ds..te nder- i I4mtaThb " grad ashe crosses the Midwest t < locate a package sent in haste When.Th& npyk y Wt . Wya.tt Tripps (Pail Rudd) thinks ~iis tta> VP 5< 0pt high schol sweetheart Kim (Chris that ~i~pi line Taylor "'The Wedding Si .er" ThgoeOipt~ ~ W s. i&cheating On him, he decides to t isg send a cue. ettr wih a akedpic-.with wde ~ ~ r >1#; tune of him and erotic~ dancer Ivy t ti l as >dy >~ta~ Miller {Reese Withr oen} inside uro 8ti 'Alas, Tripps> soon ierns Kim was not e'heafrandMe ndI staot ea trphestricken quest toreive No the agesent overnight e.e'delivery, PiweStd **u8 With few laughable interludes and Fea ~rs ' Stereolab lose steam with latest release Margerine Comedy resurrected by cable network By Kevin Hollifld Daily Arts Writer By Laurence J. Freedman Daily Arts Writer MUSIC REVl EW **I Stereolab has garnered an excellent reputation in the rock universe over the course of a 12-year career. Introducing and then honing their futuristic space- pop on one stylish album after another, the London-based collective has unquestionably deserved the admira- tion it has received from college and art-rock audiences alike. Even so, Stereolab are certainly cel- ebrated more for the general innova- tion of their sound rather than for any particular album or song. Comforting- ly atmospheric, their music is both intricate and simple simultaneously. TV REVI EW *** In a welcome trend, cable stations have recently been giving second chances to deserving shows. Cable outlets, less dependent on ratings than the networks, can afford to take risks Blips and bleeps from synthesizers and horns pepper repetitive rhythms that steadily cruise along. It's difficult not to appreciate Stereolab Margerine Eclipse Elektra the skill and creativity that permeate each of their records, especially with a good pair of headphones. Stereolab's eighth full-length release, Margerine Eclipse, finds the UI I INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY RIGHT ON CA.PS! Interested in building your resume while you're still in school? Want to work during Spring/Summer/Fall Semesters? The Michigan Daily will give you the opportunity to gain the following business experiences: " Sell Advertising to Local and National Businesses " Manage your own account Territory " Work in a team-oriented environment " Earn Commission-based pay Please pick up application at THE IhCHIGAN DAILY Student Publications Building 420 Maynard Street, 2nd Floor AM:ti 72I7dn 4192ne, band on all-too familiar ground, creat- ing glowing music that is easier to appreciate than enjoy. Despite the fact that this is Stereolab's first album with- out late vocalist and keyboardist Mary Hansen, this record seems to pick right up where their last LP, the loungy Sound Dust, left off. While fascinating in general (like the band itself) and wondrous at moments, Margerine simply fails to interest the listener from start to fin- ish. Each song begins to sound essentially the same, with the deli- cate, yet sophisticated, voice of Laetitia Sadier soaring above the band's spacey licks and beats. The highlights come right at the beginning of the album, starting with the excellent "Vonal Declosion." With bouncy bass, French language vocals and tasteful strings - Stereolab has created a great song - the kind of tune that will grab anyone's attention. From here, however, the album begins its slow descent into familiar and bor- ing territory: mechanized bossa-nova beats and generally fuzzy synths. This is music that sounds as if it were con- cocted in a lab. Musicians should take notice of Stereolab's chops. Like their other records, Margerine is full of ideas. Nonetheless, it's somewhat surprising that an album so upbeat, fun, and bright manages to lull the listener into a state of complacency and disinterest by the halfway mark. on the quirky niche programs. While lauded by critics when it aired on FOX last summer, "Keen Eddie" suffered from poor ratings and was dismissed seven episodes into its run. Bravo, slowly but surely becoming more mainstream, has awarded "Keen Eddie" a triumphant return. The fish-out-of-water scenario that forms the backbone of "Keen Eddie" has been done before but never with such style. Mark Valley ("Pasadena") is NYPD Detective Eddie Arlette, who, in the pilot, is shipped out to London by a district attorney who sees him as no longer credible after a failed drug bust. Eddie agrees to go because he thinks he still has a lead on the case. Eddie is not so much "keen" as he is able to clumsily luck his way out of Courtesy of Bravo It's keen to be clean. Keen Eddie Tuesdays at 9 p.m. Bravo potentially dangerous situations, sort of a Leslie Nielsen for a new genera- tion. Ever the stereotypical loud- mouthed, ill-mannered, outspoken American, he immediately begins to annoy his British hosts, including his reserved boss at Scotland Yard, Super- intendent Johnson (Colin Salmon, "Die Another Day"). Superintendent Johnson, who thinks of Eddie only as the unorthodox Amer- ican, receives him coolly at first. When Eddie's brash style leads to several arrests, Johnson realizes he can use Eddie's help to propel him up the ranks. Eddie is then, of course, invited to stay in the land of Big Ben. Eddie's life is full of interesting peo- ple. At work, Eddie has to deal with his paradoxical, sex-addicted partner, Inspector Monty Pippin (Julian Rhind- Tutt, "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider"), in addition to Superintendent Johnson. At home, Eddie is constantly at odds with his college-dropout roommate (Sienna Miller), whom he ends up blackmail- ing in order to stay in the apartment. "Keen Eddie" is, at best, an enter- taining caper yarn, in a vein much sim- ilar to '70s cop shows. Although it is fairly well written, the presentation is the main attraction. Fast, "C.S.I."-like edits are used to suggest clues to the audience while symbolism also plays a role, such as when the New York City map on Eddie's wall catches fire before his transfer to London. Later, a soccer match is used as a metaphor for a police raid. As it did with "Boomtown," Bravo will now show the entire run of "Keen Eddie," including six episodes that have not aired. With a new home, this worthwhile show may be able to find a solid fan base. Does "Keen Eddie" deserve a second chance? As the British like to say: "Quite." Oneida stumble with shaky, rushed LP By Laurence J. Freedman Daily Arts Writer Music RmEEW Oneida make ferocious, groovy music. Blending old- school garage rock with unyielding repetition from fuzzy keyboards, Oneida's sound is psychedelic in the darkest way possible. Loud and imposing, there is little reassuring about what one hears on their records or at their adrenaline- Oneida soaked shows. Secret Wars might be the Brook- Secret Wars lyn-based trio's most successful Jagjaguwar recording yet. Imposing throughout, Secret Wars grinds, screeches and pounds its way through generally memorable hook-laden tunes. Repeti- tion is the central theme, a reliable choice that allows the band to experiment with traces of different genres including punk and folk.