Tuesday' November 2, 2004 arts.michigandaily.com artspage@michigandaily.com ARTs DOUG WERNERT - W"""W""W/ CLAYPOOL'S COLLABORATIVE EFFORT LIFTS OFF By Garrick Kobylarz Daily Arts Writer How many groups that rock one's fucking socks off can a single man form? Apparently at least four if that man's name is Les Claypool. This time, slap-bass mad- Colonel man Claypool - best known Claypool's from Primus - rounded up Bucket of cohorts Bernie Worrell (key- Bernie Brains boards), Brian "Brain" Man- tia (drums) and Buckethead The Big Eyeball (lead guitar) to record the In the Sky funky The Big Eyeball in the Prawn Song Sky under the moniker Colo- nel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. Every highly talented member of this band showcases his eclectic style to create a sound that is truly unique, dynamic and musically inspiring. Bernie Worrell, most widely recognized for his more than 30-year collaboration with George Clinton, proves that he still has what it takes to bang out jamming rhythms on the keys. Draw- ing on everything from organ sounds to timbres that seem to have a home in outer space, Worrell develops lush melodies, harmonies and intricate solos. The sound is well established in the open- ing track "Buckethead," and throughout the entire album. Even when Worrell abandons complexity for basic chord structures, continuously strong elaborations provided by the rest of the band give the triads an invigorating character. The guitarist known only as Buckethead wails away on riffs that are as wondrous as his identity and origin. In most songs, the guitar melodies are sparse, but when they enter, the lines are full of rich, thriving tones. Songs like "Ignorance is Bliss" and the instrumental "Jackalope" give Buckethead a chance to show off his speed and finger dexterity, while still maintaining balance with Worrell and Clay- pool's underlying harmonies. Through Les Claypool may be well known in the musical sphere for his eccentric bass playing - this album being no exception - it is his lyr- ics that really shine through on The Big Eyeball in the Sky. Many of the songs are drenched in social commentary about everything from buli- mia to the war in Iraq. "There is a boy named Junior / Playing Uncle Sam / Got a master plan / Like Vietnam / Don't give a good goddamn about Saddam / Gonna drink his oil right out the can / Look at him go," states Claypool in the song "Junior." His best lyrics, however, are saved for the title track, commenting quite poignantly on the current state of media consumption and dem- onstrating that his skills are not simply limited to the bass. Solidified by Brain's tight, funky grooves on such tracks as "Elephant Ghost" and "48 Hours to Go," the album builds momentum from the beginning of the first tune that lasts to the very end. The body can't help but jitter and sway as the music infiltrates the brain, leaving the mouth salivating for more 21st century-funk mastery from the Colonel and his men. Revival easy as ABC W ell, the fall television sea- the ball by getting greedy and overex- son is once again in full posing the show (obviously never real- swing. FOX is just now izing that nobody could stand Regis unveiling its fall schedule, and now Philbin four nights a week), proving it's time to sit back and enjoy the that too much of a good thing can be many hours of new programming bad, even in television. from the four major networks. In Needless to say, when this current recent years, ABC has been the last fall season first began, I was a bit to make its mark on a fall season, or skeptical. "The Practice" had ended for that matter, even make one at all. and "NYPD Blue" was going into This year, however, is a new season, its last season. What did ABC have a new set of shows and a new ABC left? Fortunately, they decided to try - one that has once again found its something different, and so far, it has place in the television world. paid off wonderfully. This time, when The last couple years have been bringing back an old idea, they did rough for the alphabet. The other it right. "Boston Legal," a relative of networks all found their identities. "The Practice" has done quite well You had FOX (the young and trashy in its Sunday night time slot, as ABC network), NBC (the network with the is proudly proclaiming it the No. 1- established sitcoms and dramas) and rated new law drama of the season. Of CBS (the network with the shows a lot course, it's probably the only new law of old people watch and "CSI"). What drama of the season, but all kidding was ABC? The network that had Drew aside, the show is definitely worth- Carey as its biggest star? The network while. with no good shows except on Sunday ABC's true return to respectability nights? Something needed to be done. can be found in their two new hit series That's not to say ABC hasn't'tried "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives." to fix its woes in the past. It tried a Each has excellent qualities. "Des- variety of different strategies (remem- perate Housewives" delivers laughs ber Dennis Miller on "Monday Night and a dark comedic intrigue, while Football?"), even bringing back the "Lost" grabs the viewer by the throat TGIF Friday lineup last year. This and keeps him totally captivated. The idea was a prime example of what was dynamic duo has been given a full sea- wrong with the network. The origi- son order and, when joined by the sur- nal TGIF, which started in the early prisingly touching "Wife Swap," gives '90s and continued throughout the ABC the arsenal of shows needed to decade, was solid and dependable. be competitive among the other major Anchored by such family-oriented networks once again. fare as "Family Matters," "Boy Meets Sure, ABC still has its share of bad World" and later "Sabrina the Teen- programs. But what network doesn't? age Witch," viewers could count on All that really matters is that it now two solid hours of harmless entertain- has an identity as the network that's ing sitcoms each week. Sure it was a on the upswing. People are watch- little too goodie-goodie, but it was fun ing ABC's shows again. "Desper- nonetheless. The 2003 reincarnation, ate Housewives" even beat "C.S.I." with programs such as "The George one week in the ratings as the most Lopez Show" and "Hope and Faith," watched show in America. That's all was geared more for the adult audi- the network needed. We viewers are. ence and, even now, still has trouhle getting programs we like. That's all finding the balance between pushing we needed. So good job, ABC. You've the envelope and still being funny. got us interested again. Even when ABC had a monstrous Just please, no more Regis. Franchize bring beats but not lyrics on debut By Khepra Akanke Daily Arts Writer Music REVI EW A A Dem Franchize Boyz is another Southern rap group trying to popu- larize its style in the mainstream. Unfortunately, their self-titled debut is a poor representation of Atlanta. They have no lyrical talent, all the songs sound the same and become redundant after four tracks. The only redeeming quality is the bass- heavy beats that inspire listeners to get hype, but even those become monotonous. Glamorizing their ghetto lifestyle of drinking, fighting and dealing. drugs, the album has no substance. All of the hooks are the group chant- ing together at the top of their lungs. The songs run over five minutes because all four members try to rap a full verse. After three min- utes, the listener begins to lose interest. After Dem four minutes. he Franchize becomes totally Boyz disenchanted and Dem Franchlze will no doubt Boyz make a mad dash to the skip but- Universal ton. "Where I'm From," inspires rowdiness with a decent beat, but Dem Franchize Boyz's trite lyrics ruin what little enjoyment could be gained from the track. "White Tee," the first single, is the best song of the album because of the strong club beat. The group hit, they didn't know what to do with it. Case in point: "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" At first, ABC played it right, only bringing out the wildly pop- ular game show when the timing was perfect. But then the network dropped - Doug is planning on rejuvinat- ing the TGIF line-up by infusing it with more Urkel and Tanners than ever before. E-mail to help him at dwernert@umich.edu. Look, up In the sky. It's a bird, it's a plane. Nope, just the sun. has enjoyed a bit of fame from the single, but disappointment is soon to follow. It's time for Dem Franchize Boyz to head back to school and take some lessons from the king of crunk, Lil' Jon, who has limited lyrical talent but keeps the crowd excited with jumping bass lines. They need to stop pretending to actually be rap- pers and stick to making people dance. Ice Hockey Offici~als Needed!. Why officiate Ice Hockey??? ~ Very flexible scheduling /We provide all training - first time officials welcome / Uniforms provided and yours to keep! / Earn $7.00 an hour / Meet new friends It's never easy getting through to a kid who's troubled, hurt and angry. But you'll find it's always worth it - because there's no greater reward than giving a child the chance for a better future. And it's just one of the many benefits you'll enjoy as a youth counselor at Eckerd Youth Alternatives. 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