10A - The Michigan Daily - Thursday, November 11, 2004 ARTS 0 Oh No makes his own name By Cyril Cordor Daily Arts Writer Dear prom rejects, welcome to dumpsville. Popuiation: YOU! FOXS reality s pOof finds some laughter but mosty'Obnoxi( The music and entertainment industry has repeatedly seen people who try to gain fame by riding on the coattails of their more famous and more accomplished siblings. Emcee and producer Oh No, the younger brother Courtesy of FOX of beat virtuoso Madlib, must prove on The Disrupt that he is Oh No not just cashing in on Madlib's The Disrupt reputation. Throughout the Stones Throw album, Oh No proves that he may not be able to work a mixer like Madlib, he definitely spits fire better than his brother. Oh No stuns the listener with his verbal wiz- ardry and complex delivery. On the opening , song, "Right Now," he displays his skill to rhyme :)Us syllables: "It's Oh Niz here now, intricate child, unlimited style / Always reppin' Cali, wild vet- eran / Might see me smoking on herbal medicine s, are what / Then I'm known to shift your host chief like re hilarious. David Letterman / I'm the power of the Edison, w the teams I serve the blackouts / The snap arms cause tap- are change, outs that routes South California." Even with even more more laid-back production, as on the self-pro- fights, bas- duced "Perceptions," he delivers a nice and lax ent trips to flow, and he mentions that he is, "Wild for the izzi (for the night, ill for the day / And I don't need weed and end of each liquor, but it's here anyway, hey." Yo, this Is supposed to be more symbolic than gin and juice, or something. By Nick Kochmanski Daily Arts Writer It's not "The Apprentice," but then again, FOX's new reality show, "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss," isn't intended to be. Instead, the new show is shoot- ing (quite literally, it seems, because in future episodes the contestants get shot at with paintba guns) for laughs, Todd's insanely zany antic give the show life. They ar While the first episode saw begging in the streets for sp future episodes look to be entertaining with paintball ketball matches and frequ N. Paul Todd's private jacu ladies of course!). At thee The album melds together in part because of Oh No's diverse lyrical content and nice skills and also because of the originality and creativity of the beats. Again, Oh No's handling of most of the production is evidence of his ability to cre- ate his own reputation. Nonetheless, Madlib does provide him beats for six tracks. The pumping feel that Madlib gives to the drums and bass on tracks like "WTF" lay down a solid basis for Oh No's extreme hunger for emceeing. The real gem on the album is "The Ride," in which Oh No samples music from the videogame "Ninja Gaiden" and slaps it over thick drums and a riding bassline. The Disrupt is simply quality hip-hop which, ironically, is its only real weakness. The album is highly creative but has neither the focus and consistency nor the innovation that would push it to classic status. Nevertheless, this is another quality release from Stones Throw Records. Do not let the relation to Madlib nor the fact that Oh No might have the worst rap name ever fool you about his skills. Pick up this album. A not drama. In this endeavor, the show succeeds. To a point. The pilot epi- sode begins by introducing the supposed president of IOCOR, a fake My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss Sundays at 9 p.m. FOX corporation invented by the demented bigwigs in FOX's creative department. Named N. Paul Todd, and played by William August, this "billionaire" truly is the boss from hell. In fact, Mr. N. Paul - Fox has yet to reveal what the "N" stands for - even insults one of the contestants for being short. Now that's a low blow! The basic structure of the show is very similar to NBC's "The Appren- tice." Twelve contestants are split into two teams by gender, after which they are forced to duke it out in a series of increasingly ridiculous challenges. These challenges, along with N. Paul show, one contestant is booted off. The catch is that the decision is made by a mystery man whose identity will be revealed at a later date. Sounds sortof interesting. While easily the show's best asset, the hilarious situations these contes- tants are forced to endure is also the down-fall of "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss." Simply put, this program is very obnoxious. The jokes and challenges have a high propensity for annoy- ance as opposed to hilarity. After just an hour of viewing, laughter became forced, and the actor's performances seemed grating. This will inevitably hurt the show, as future episodes will rehash more of the same. In small doses, FOX's "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss" can be a funny little diversion, but it's no "Joe Schmoe," simply because the gag has already been pulled. Audiences would be better served watching FOX's under- rated "Arrested Development," on right before this reality TV farce. It's funnier, sharper and certainly less obnoxious. By Puja Kumar Daily Arts Writer MUSIC REvEW The results of last week's election have spurred talk among students of moving to Canada. If any of these dissenters end up in Toronto, they might want to look up Jason Amm. After almost a decade of scat- tered releases Solvent joins local label and takes off Solvent Apples and Synthesizers Ghostly international with melody-driven, hook-infused songs that humanize a characteris- tically aloof genre. Standout track "My Radio," for example, packs enough liltingly layered melodies and high energy to make even the warped vocoder vocals seem like they're being delivered by a misty- eyed robot. These detached vocals, which appear on a number of tracks and are a new turn in Solvent's work, sound best when done mini- mally. Heavy vocals on songs such as "Think Like Us" tend to dominate and flatten what should be moving, pounding lines. Occasional tonal repetition gives the album a tedious feel, but Apples and Synthesizers varies enough to prove that Solvent takes synthesis seriously. "Science With Synthesis" is a euphoric offering of different sounds with tight enough production to avoid sounding cacophonic. The following track, "Background Noise (Don't Become)" is an aptly ambient piece with a kind of transience and fluidity that is distinctive of label- mate Kiln. Emotional lyrics - though fil- tered through a vocoder - add to the album's warmth. "For You" is arche- DAILY ARTS. FREE ANNYONG. at different labels including Morr Music, Ersatz Audio and his own imprint, Suction Records, Amm, aka Solvent, seems to have found his ele- ment on Ann Arbor's own Ghostly International. His latest release, - and first full-length in three years - Apples and Synthesizers, is holistically an homage to the skilled artistry of synth-pop and, at a dis- mantled level, 13 melodious tracks equally worthy of booty-shaking and contemplation. Electro-pop is often derided by critics as being clinical; Apples and Synthesizers evades this pigeonhole What a lovely day for a tea party! typically romantic and nostalgic, and "My Radio" mourns an old FM sta- tion: "It doesn't seem so long ago / When I loved you, my radio." Though Solvent's tracks revolve around cozy centers, there is an overall sharp, metallic production that creates a balanced sound fun enough to dance Courtesy of Ghostly to but intelligent enough to appreci- ate as artful exploration. In Apples and Synthesizers, Solvent masters, without recreating, the retro appeal of catchy electro-pop (think '80s Brit-synthers The Human League) while respecting and polishing a pro- gressive vision of electronic music. 40 What Do These Leaders Have in Common? If you thought pharmacy was only filling prescriptions, think again. The University of Michigan College of Pharmacy has been Gwendolyn Chivers, Chief Pharmacist, University of Michigan Health Service Gayle Crick, Senior Marketing Advisor, Eli Lilly & Co, Cynthia Kirman, Manager, National Managed Pharmacy Program, General Motors Corp. developing leaders for positions in business, biotechnology, health care, the pharmaceutical industry, education, engineering, law, and other careers for 128 years. It's one reason our College is consistently ranked among the world's best. You owe it to yourself to find out about the outstanding, high-paying career opportunities available to U-M College of Pharmacy graduates. 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