8 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 16, 2005 Ann Arbor rap duo climbs hip hop's ladder of success.. ARTS 0 Khepra Akanke Daily Arts Writer What happens when everyone wants to be an artist and no one wants to be the audience? Detroit natives Alfred "Griot" Austin and Kavari "Magnif" Tatsico, the duo of Lawless Element, know first hand that people who want to be art- ists themselves seldom listen to other under- ground musicians; everyone is trying to figure out how they can get on stage themselves. Griot, an LSA senior, noted that jealousy in combina- tion with a small fan base that's hesitant to listen to new and local artists creates a competitive atmosphere where some people are reluctant to support each other. "The local scene is not based on people lik- ing hip hop in general. The fans tend to follow a particular musician instead of listening to all types of music. We have some of best artists here in Detroit and Michigan, however the fan base isn't that great. The same people that you're com- peting with is your audience ... which can breed jealousy," Griot said. Thankfully, Lawless Element has persevered. These two men have been able to start their climb to success despite the haters and fickle fans. A full length album, entitled Sound Vision: In Ste- reo, is set to hit stores soon, and their music was featured in the Bronze Elegance fashion show on March 12th. Lawless Element has been able succeed because they're not afraid to show some love to other art- ists and shout out the underground producers and artists who have helped them along the way. "We've worked with Madlib and he's one of the hottest producers on the underground right now," Magnif said. "We've also worked with Diverse from Chi, and he's hot too." Lawless Element also works hard to get their name out there; they know the benefits of connect- ing their brand to those who are more recogniz- able. They often venture outside Ann Arbor to do shows where they are much more well received. "We travel out of town and get a lot of love. We get spins on mainstream radio in California and a little here in Detroit. But everywhere else we take it, we're doing it a lot bigger than we're doing it here," Magnif lamented. No matter where they are, fans are drawn to Lawless Element's talent. They have been making music together since they were children. "We're cousins, and we've been doing it together since we were like nine. We used to use regular tape recorders to record out voices," Griot explained. Their years of working together have created a chemistry that can't be duplicated and won't be found on "Making the Band" anytime soon. By studying a range of artists, they have been able to Bri'tish Courtesy of Raw Material Our next song features Lawrence of Arabia. come up with a style all their own. "I'm influenced by De La Soul and a lot of stuff Jay Dee was doing. And Pete Rock and DJ Pre- mier influenced me on the production tip," Mag- nif said. Griot said he listens to Nas, Slick Rick and Rakim, and names them as his main influences. Recently receiving coverage in the Metro Times, on the Okayplayer website and in this month's issue of Elemental Magazine, these cousins are definitely moving on to bigger things. Their newest self-titled 12-inch vinyl was released earlier this month and it has received a lot of underground praise. The single "High," arranged by critically acclaimed underground producer Madlib, is a burning, taut three minutes of cap- tivating, high-energy rap. Each element of their songs compliment each other; neither the beat nor the vocals becomes overwhelming. Both spit pro- vocative lyrics and Magnif already shows talent behind the boards. His beats are a mix of classic break beats and contemporary electric loops. "Everyone should listen to us because our beats are hot, and we're different from the rest. We have a wide range of music - there is something for everyone to listen to," Magnif said. To find out more check out rawmaterialre- cords.com. Doves release tepid L By Mike Vukich For the Daily . Doves are a bunch of soft-spoken, reverb-loving lads from the UK, I I but thankfully, they're not sim- ply another Cold- play derivative. Despite its nods to the obvious influences, their sound, a quirky Doves Some Cities capitol / 00- mixture of equal parts pop and moody atmosphere, is uniquely their own. Crafted more by the group's collective funky persona than, say, Radiohead's oft-copied landmark The Bends. The group's latest effort, Some Cities, has this foggy sound reaching its creative apex: the dense, headphone-filling pop of this album is, at times, among the best the group has written during its five-year career. Sadly, only about half of the album fits this description. The rest of Some Cities is a frustrat- ing mix of lukewarm space oddities and amorphous rock tracks that inev- itably hurts the outing as a whole. The album opens with the title track, a slow-burning, straight- ahead rocker washed in '60s fuzz and reminiscent of the loose con- fidence of The Walkmen or early U2. The listener gets a glimpse at how Doves operate here: Like many of Some Cities' finest, the song is one constant crescendo guided by vocalist Jimi Goodwin's ugly, yet elegant, knack for melody. The band allows this song to sputter out at its climax, ushering in the pounding drums of "Black and White Town," the album's lead single. With Good- win again at center stage, the track's climbing verse explodes into a mon- strosity of a chorus, a sun-soaked mix of jangly guitars and percussive piano that begs to be blasted. After breaking in the album with two standard rock anthems, Doves travel into a spacey midsection. High- lighting this section is "Snowden," a lush glacial ballad. Its textured construction is standard Doves: a reverb-rich, huge soundfield filled with bleeping electronics and glock- enspiels, a softly strummed acoustic guitar, Goodwin's soothing vocals and an unearthly high-pitched, soar- ing guitar. "Almost Forgot Myself" is a funky concoction that blends a little bit of quirky organ-laden soul with liquefied guitars and delayed vocals. Frustratingly, between the bril- liance of the opening four tracks and the closing combo of the opti- mistic "Sky Starts Falling" and the drugged-out lullaby "Ambition," Some Cities doesn't offer anything of the same caliber. Sandwiched in the middle are a handful of mediocre tracks that, for the most part, weaken progressively upon further listens. The anxious "One of These Days," rocks harder than anything else on the disc but suffers due to numerous momentum-killing passages and lack of a definable hook. "Walk in Fire," while punchy, is essentially a retread of the band's earlier hit "There Goes the Fear." And some of the tracks are just boring, such as the sparsely to-fi "Shadows of Salford" and the aim- less "Someday Soon," which sound like unfinished B-sides with A-side studio polish. Despite a few lackluster spots, Doves deserve credit for the flex- ibility they show on Some Cities. This album, while blending signature ideas from the group's many influenc- es, comes across as an original prod- uct, not bland mimicry.:Likewise, the group's sonic shape-shifting from guitar rock to lunar weirdness on one track to the next is a welcome alter- native to stagnation, even if the band falls on its face occasionally. But ultimately, Some Cities is little more than an occasionally great, anthemic pop release with major consistency 0 Thirsty for knowledge? Sa whn At Ernst Young, the opportunity for growth is enormous. 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