10 - The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, October 26, 2004 ARTS BREAKING RECORDS REVIEWS OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY 'S NEW RELEASES Asian emcee goes mainstream* By Cyril Cordor Daily Arts Writer Music REVIEW % Jin gained muchrecognition andrespect among underground hip-hop junkies for his unbelievable freestyles in emcee bat- tles and contests around the country. This Chinese-American emcee got picked up by Ruff Ryders after stunning The Rest performances on is History B.E.T.'s "106 and Ruff Ryders Park Freestyle Fri- days." His debut release, The Rest Is His- tory, is a big disappointment. Poorly sung hooks and terrible beats, coupled with razor-sharp lyrics, charac- terize this album. Production credits from Just Blaze, Kanye West and Mark the 45 King do not even save this album. The first song, "Here Now," has a horrible melody composed of just four notes and a weak chorus. The next track, "Get Your Handz Off," produced by Swizz Beats, also lacks creativity, but yet Jin drops lyrics like, "Hip-hop without Jin is like shootouts without guns / Churches without nuns, bankers without funds / Smoking without lungs / Cities without slums." It is difficult to understand why emcees of Jin's caliber have the mindset that producing commercial trash will gain mainstream acceptance. This album will probably evoke the tragedy of Canibus, an incredibly ill emcee who gained much recognition before releasing his highly Courtesy o V2 Looks like it's shirts versus skins. BLOODY SUNDAY 'CRIMES' FALLS IN SHADOW OF ITS PREDECESSOR Where the hell are this guy's fingers? anticipated debut, Can-I-Bus, a below- average album that caused a falling out among his fans. In fact, much of Jin's lyr- ics, such as on songs "Here Now" and "C' Mon," is dedicated to retorting to accusa- tions of selling out. All is not completely lost. There are a few tracks that would not make one feel completely embarrassed to own this album. The track "I Got a Love," featur- ing Kanye West, is the easiest on the ears. The song is exactly the signature soul that hip-hop has come to appreciate from Kanye West. Usually battle emcees have trouble composing lyrics that have a real theme or subject other that, braggadocio rhymes, but this is not the case for Jin. His storytelling skills are showed on songs like "Love Story," "Senorita" and "Same Cry." On "Same Cry," he raps about the 1989 massacre at Tiananmen Square in China and how it affected him and his family. Despite the poorly made beat, his simple delivery and straightforward lyrics convey heartfelt sincerity. On "So Afraid," Jin criticizes rappers who, "Sell your soul for joints and jams / Until you fall off and disappointment your fans." He asks if "You in it for the check / Or you in it for respect." The Rest Is History will probably not make a dent in mainstream rap. Jin is a perfect example of talented emcees who waste their time pro- ducing commercial garbage. Jin needs to follow his own advice, drop Ruff Ryders, and make quality music. By Chris Gaerig Daily Arts Writer With the inclusion of noise experimentation, keyboards and the sporadic and occasionally mellow feel, Burn Piano Island, Burn created a wholly new perspective on hardcore. Quickly following its release, the album changed how many see the hardcore genre. After relentless touring, the Blood Brothers returned to the studio to work on their follow up record, Crimes. Rather than something new, the album feels like a collection of B-sides and Piano Island experiments gone awry. The album's opener, "Feed Me To the Forest," is the first signal that Blood Brothers Crimes V2 rial created. The guitar work on the rest of the tracks is inter- mittent at most. Even without the Brothers' standard style, they are still as artistic and experimental as ever. The album art on Crimes is as conceptual as earlier material, which serves as an indicator of the emotions, moods and sporadic feel of the record. The tracks that ensue mirror the outlook transmitted by the art- work. Every song on Crimes takes one or more drastic changes in style throughout its course; changing from shredding gui- tars and feedback to bass- and percussion-driven croons with screams from Blilie and Whitney. The album's closer, "Dev- astator," most obviously exemplifies these shifts. Despite its three-minute run time, the track could possibly be three dif- ferent songs. Its intro, a minute-and-a-half-long keyboard drone under Whitney and Blilie's screams, leads into one of the heaviest and most abrasive parts on the album; after which, the song returns to a guitar and keyboard approach. Crimes's experimentation and risks, in a genre that gener- ally sticks to its archetypal sound, makes it extremely unique. The departure from the Brothers' earlier material also shows their musical abilities and songwriting talent. The aptitude to leave the standard hardcore sound while still releasing a hardcore record is phenomenal. However, it may be too ambi- tious. Sometimes, the record simply sounds like outtakes that wouldn't fit on Burn Piano Island, Burn. The Blood Brothers had a colossal album to live up to, and although Crimes is not nearly the phenomenon of their last release, it is an extremely strong showing from an always-evolving band. By Alex Wolsky Daily Arts Editor collection of Pixies tracks re-recorded by Black and Two Pale Boys. The first disc in the collection is clas- sic Black Francis - alone with a guitar, laying down prepubescent Pixies tracks Pixies frontman mixes his identities Crimes is not a prototypical hardcore album. It opens with a single bass and controlled feedback before morphing into a percussion-driven scream fest. The most apparent dif- ference from the Brothers' earlier material, seen here and throughout most of the record, is the lack of guitar heavy songs. Although Johnny Whitney and Jordan Blilie con- tinue their vocal onslaught, the tracks still seem to lack the intensity of their earlier works. Crimes is not, however, devoid of guitar-ridden songs. "Trash Flavored Trash," "Teen Heat" and "Beautiful Horses" all carry the same power and prowess that their earlier mate- Earlier this year, in an interview with LiveDaily magazine, enigmatic Pixies frontman Frank Black Francis sounded like a man who finally knew himself. "People don't try enough to be themselves," he said. "All these people trying to sound like some soulless diva, they're not letting their true personality shine through." In fact, Charles Kitteridge Thompson IV discovered a precious brightline this year between his Pixies moniker, Black Francis, and the name he's used on all his solo work, Frank Black. Now, his two sides have come together for Frank Black Fran- cis, a two-disc collection featuring a demo tape from Black's pre-Pixies career and a at producer Gary Smith's Massachu- setts apartment one night before record- ing their debut EP, Come on Pilgrim. Although Black was admittedly ner- Frank Black Francis Frank Black Francis SpinArt The second disc, on the other hand, is a total oddity and might be disheartening to long-time Pixies fans. Replacing the Pixies' guttural sound with glitchy elec- tronica, dripping in quaaludes, Two Pale Boys manage to completely overhaul the songs, reworking their instrumentation and structure. The disc isn't a total loss: "Velouria" is run through slow, growling instrumentation akin to Tom Waits, and the horn-fed, eleva- tor-muse of "The Holiday Song" is at least upbeat. "Into the White" is reimagined with see-sawing strings seeping into Black's vocal track. In fact, the songs that immedi- ately resonate with listeners are those that stick to the time and pace of the original Pixies tracks. And, while there's nothing really worth keeping here, it's interesting enough to witness how history can be bent through a time-warp. vous about releasing the tape because of its stripped-down nature and whathe described as "bootleg quality," the tracks here are crisp and clear. Cuts like "Holiday Song" and "Caribou" paint an early Black Francis as a spirited young performer and stand up to the final versions that have already found their place in alternative music's canon. Merrill ynch mI.com/careers/americas SHARE OUR PASSION MERRILL LYNCH PRESENTATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN juniors and sophomores are invited to attend: Wednesday, November 3, 2004 5:00-6:30 pm D1273 Whether you look at us in terms of people, culture, products or our virtually limitless possibilities, Merrill Lynch defines "exceptional" in every sense of the word. It's a source of pride for all of us who work here. And a source of exceptional careers for those eager to share in our passion for doing great things. Attend our presentation. And let's explore the possibilities together. Summer opportunities: Accounting Finance 01 0