ARTS The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 9, 2005 - 9 SLOW JAMS BUTLER TOSSES TOGETHER FUNK, BLUES AND ROCK WITH SKILL ..ouurtesy of u, erg -suuiuz, "I fucking hate piano lessons with Gandma." Bejar scores with help from friends By Mary Catherine Finney Daily Arts Writer The John Butler Trio debuted their eclectic fusion of blues, funk, bluegrass, R&B and reggae in their native country of Australia last year, showcas- ing their musi- cal wingspan on Sunrise Over Sea. The band's music is built The John Butler Trio Sunrise Over Sea Lava By Chris Gaerig Daily Arts Writer s E Dan Bejar, better known as the indie-pop act Destroyer, basks in the safety of collaborations. A humble and soft-spoken artist, Bejar was one of the main songwriters for the widely touted New Pornogra- pher release, Mass Romantic. As his contributions Destroyer Notorious Lightning and Other Works Merge to the aforementioned supergroup declined in number, Bejar released several solo pop albums under the Destroyer name. After his most recent full length, Your Blues, received mixed reviews from critics and fans, Bejar used his influence to recruit freak-folk pioneers Frog Eyes for his subsequent tour. With the two indie superpowers traveling and working together, the duo was able to tweak and rework the synthesized songs on Your Blues. As the Crazy Horse to Bejar's Neil Young, Frog Eyes toyed with six Your Blues tracks increas- ing their vigor and volume. Notori- ous Lightning and Other Works is the materialization of that tour and part- nership. Replacing much of the theatrics and trite instrumentation with spastic gui- tars, Frog Eyes assists Bejar in creat- ing a more energetic and aggressive album than Your Blues. The resonant guitars of each song force Bejar to sing more assertively than in the past. On the title track, "Notorious Light- ning," Bejar screams, "Someone's got to fall before someone goes free." Despite Frog Eyes's influence, Bejar never completely abandons his former style. On Notorious Lightning's clos- er, "Your Blues," his 50-second vocal opening about an ex-lover is as sincere and delicate as his disposition in the past. When Frog Eyes' keyboards and near inaudible guitars commence, they only bolster the earnestness of Bejar's lyrics and voice. The only track that seems devoid of flair is "New Ways Of Living." The song structure doesn't match with the new approach; the grandiose feel of the previous recording seems lost. Bejar's left-field lyrics can't make the transition to a more condensed and formulaic structure. The largest objection that can be made against Notorious Lightning is that it wasn't recorded earlier. Your Blues contains several great tracks that gain new life with the inclusion of Frog Eyes and the power they bring to the collaboration. This EP is hope- fully the beginning of a whole new project for Bejar, one that will carry him out of ambiguity and to the real- ization of his full potential. Frog Eyes is not Crazy Horse, nor is Destroyer Neil Young, but this album still proves itself to be a fruitful union. around slide guitar, acoustic guitar and banjo. This album is invigorat- ing, energetic and skillfully execut- ed. Unfortunately, the poor quality of the lyrics and vocals drag down the album. Butler's jaunty, rhythmic deliv- ery sounds at times like a first attempt at reading a textbook over music. His awkward phrasing and lack of smoothness sours tracks like "Old Man," a look at a life's worth of experiences, and "Bound to Ramble," a love song discussing fate and destiny: "Walk for miles, circumnavigate these lands / Walk- ing blindly, holding out my hands / And 1 pass the stones that remind me why I'm here / I follow the set- ting sun and you were there." Both songs sound as though they were performed in one long breath. Butler fares better when he stops the pseudo beat-poetry and stretches his vocal range on more melodic songs like "Peaches and Cream," an ode to his baby daugh- ter, and album standout "What You Want," in which his vocal tenderness evokes Brandon Boyd of Incubus. Supporting Butler's vocals is an epic instrumen- tal backdrop, with rich and raw orchestral strings driven by relent- less drum and bass. "Damned to Hell" and "Mist" act as short interludes that break up Butler's occasionally tiring and predictable vocal style, demon- strating his comfort playing dif- ferent instruments. Played solely on banjo and sung with a muted voice, "Damned to Hell" has a haunting simplicity reminiscent of old-time country spirituals. "Mist," a syncopated instrumental Celtic track, consists of a furiously finger-picked acoustic guitar and a forceful bass drum. On a number of the album's lengthy jam tracks, Butler pays homage to his humble begin- nings as a street musician. During these lengthy instrumental breaks, the rest of the trio - currently Michael Barker and Shannon Birchall - display their musician- ship, which, despite Butler's occa- sional vocal flounderings, creates the band's success. While Butler's vocal capacities fall behind his compositional and instrumental accomplishments on this record, The John Butler Trio commands recognition for their talent. Sunrise Over Sea success- fully touches on an array of genres and musical styles. "They got everything here from a diddled-eyed joe to damned if I know." Classic sitcom arrives on DVD, minus extras By Abby Stotz Daily Arts Writer Take some middle-age barflies, a sex addict, a scrappy waitress, mix with beer and place in a Boston bar where "every- Cheers: body knows SeaSon 4 your name." The Paramount result: "Cheers," a primetime sit- com staple that lasted 11 years and won 28 Emmys. While the four-disc set of "Cheers: Season Four" perfect- ly preserves this 1980s classic, it's completely devoid of extras. By the fourth year, "Cheers" had worked out any of its kinks and became a consistently successful sit- com. It's funny and populated with lovable characters that make the show ideal for repeated viewings. Sam Malone (Ted Danson) is a washed up baseball pitcher who runs the bar and hits on every woman he meets. Sam, undeniably an '80s man, acts as father and brother to everyone who frequents Cheers. Diane Chambers (Shelley Long), a brainy waitress, spouts academia and pines for Sam, her ex-boyfriend. Their on again/off again relation- ship is the central conflict of which the show's sparkling supporting cast surrounds. The best members of the ensem- ble cast have to be barstool philoso- pher Cliff (John Ratzenberger) and his overweight straight man Norm (George Wendt). The show remains a shining mon- ument of formulaic '80s sitcoms. Plus, it has simmered in syndication long enough that all the plotlines seem familiar. Sam and Diane go back and forth in their battle-of-the- sexes shtick to the point of redun- dancy. Thankfully, the predictability is made completely bearable by the acting and pitch-perfect writing. With Dolby Digital Sound, the only thing lacking in "Cheers: Sea- son Four" is the extras. For a show that lasted over a decade, it's disap- pointing that the DVD doesn't have a single feature. There's no incentive to buy the DVD of a show that's still on TV twice a day. With no extras and mediocre visuals and sound, it might be safer to just stay up late and catch the reruns. ;;:RE DAILY ARTS.; W ERE EVERYBODY KNOWS YOUR NAME .. 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