The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Monday, September 10, 2007 -11A
Don't 'Pass'
this up
Aesop flows from golden
silence to solid verse
By CAITLIN COWAN
Daily Arts Writer
Aesop Rock, one of the underground's
sharpest MCs, has decreed that none shall
pass.
None shall pass him in
ability, that is, and none
shall be able to pass up
his third album for the Aesop Rock
N.Y.-based label Defini-
tive Jux. Considering his None Shall
most recent project was Pass
completely devoid of all
lyrics - the 45-minute Definitive Jux
instrumental "All Day,"
which Nike commis-
sioned for its Original Run series - the
wordplay on his latest is biting and inci-
sive.
He might just be as good as he thinks
he is. Throughout None Shall Pass, from
the loopy, liquid "Catacomb Kids" to the
spooky stomp of "Citronella," Aesop seems
fully aware of his abilities. He is endear-
ingly verbose, but never boring. With each
rhyme and stutter, he dares the world to
challenge him with his forceful, bantering
lyrics delivered at top speed.
Aesop has a long working relationship
with producer Blockhead, who crafted
half of the songs on None Shall Pass. In
addition to Blockhead, Def Jux whiz El-P
appears on several tracks and produced
the dark, undulating "Gun for the Whole
Family." As far as guest artists go, unlike
so many current hip-hop collaborators,
Aesop knows how to pick them. While for-
midable MCs like El-P and Cage, as well
as John Darnielle of indie rockers The
Mountain Goats (!), all make appearances
on the album, none outshine Aesop him-
self, and all complement his distinctive
flow and razor-like elocution.
Then again, maybe Aesop doesn't live up
to his word or words. Many of the cuts on
None Shall Pass sound alike - all are slick
and sinister, all showcase Aesop's knack
for rhymes and his liquid-gravel voice
courseslike anundercurrent through even
the most forgettable of tracks. But-none of
the songs leap out of the speakers. Instead
they simmer and bubble in some shadowy
corner. None Shall Pass works better as an
album than on a song-to-song basis, and
though listeners would be hard-pressed
He might be looking a little too far inside his own head, but regardless Aesop Rock knows what he's doing.
to name specific cuts that aren't up to par, your summers in the sky / Collar pop jolly entertaining, as vivid or as diverse as if
they'd have just as much trouble naming roger / Die motherfucker die / Apache on could be.
any of the songs at all. the ship shape /And Bristol fashion snuck In what might be a revealing moment,
A few of the tracks, like "Bring Back a jammy through the red tape." Aesop raps, "Let's be friends / From oppo0
Pluto" (we hear you, man) or "The Har- The album is as dark as it is wordy, and site ends / Wave to the kid / Don't hop on'
bor Is Yours," tell stories. But the prob- the outlook prophesied on it is equally the fence" on the disc's closer, "Coffee.'
lem with some of Aesop's more narrative gloomy. But is it really unthinkable that The words embody the kind of restrained
jaunts is that in his desire to fit in string it should match its social context? In the spirit that pervades NoneShallPass.Aesop
after string of words, he retreats into his end, None Shall Pass plays more like a text- is always ready to dazzle with his words
own head when it comes to telling coher- book than a graphic novel: Aesop's work from afar, but whether he's able to make
ent tales. Just try to decipher a few sec- is technically proficient - brilliant, even any sense to his listeners - whether he
onds from "Citronella" without making - but what keeps the music from achiev- can create something that affects people
your head spin: "Cutters of the pie throw ing greatness is the fact that it's not as up close - remains to be seen.
'Knocked Up's idiot
little Brother'
By BLAKE GOBLE
Daily Arts Writer
About 20 minutes into "The
Brothers Solomon," as the titular
brothers worry about nudie mags
at a "liquid repository," I wearily
began to ques-
tion the need **
for this movie's
existence. Sure, The
pregnancymixed
with social inept- Brothers
itude can make
for decent enter- Solomon
tainment (see At Quality16
"Knocked Up"), and Showcase
but really, who
the hell wants to Tristar
see this movie?
It's not going to
make headlines, change lives or
even make a dollar - few people
are going to see it, and the best
chance "Solomon" has in even find-
ing an audience is through Comedy
Central or OnDemand reruns.
If it's convenient.
In short, this is a very medio-
cre, sometimes amusing farce that
someone might accidentally see.
The story: Edward Solomon
(Lee Majors, "The Six Million
Dollar Man") is in a coma, and
according to his doctor, Edward
requested that he be able to see a
grandchild before he dies. Enter
his sons, John (Will Arnett, forev-
er Gob of "Arrested Development")
and Dean (Will Forte, "SNL"), so
anxious and naive in wanting to
fulfill their dying pa's wish they
must impregnate someone as soon
as possible.
Or as the two socially stunted
brothers say, "Make a baby for
When it works,
which is not
often, it's not bad.
Dad!" Home-schooled, slightly
slow and always in agreement,
John and Dean are a fine pair of
boobs. But thanks to their com-
pletely unaware and oblivious
lifestyles, they march on despite
consistent difficulty. For 90 min-
utes we watch the quest fail and
succeed, much like the humor,
Energy Day
September 19, 2007
Part of Global Awareness Week
Schedule of Events
-Scavenger -unt-
9a.m, onthe Web
-Industry Fair-
11a.-3 p.m., Mason Hall
-Poster Competition-
12-2 p.rn., Mason Hall
--Car EsPo-
3:30-5:30 p:.r, Lurie E ngineeing Center Visitor Parking
-Speaker Series & Panel Discussion with Dinner-
5 p.m, Chesebrough Auditorium, Chrysler Center
For more information, please visit:
www.mmpei.umich.edu/energydayl
rd x-
COURTESYOFTRiSTAR
Reminiscent of a freshman bumping into a junior during Welcome Week.
and when "Solomon" works, it's bottles on it to prove how secure
actually not that bad. the child will be inside. Oh, the
When you think they're grab- wonders of home-schooling and
bing champagne to celebrate, Dean bad behavior free of guilt and con-
is actually grabbing his air horn. sequence.
When John goes on a first date in What feels like a parody of bad
hopes of pregnancy, he assumes male parenting flicks ("3 Men and a
that by paying taxes and propos- Baby" or "Look Who's Talking") is
ing immediately, he can copulate. actually a mild-mannered comedy
And when John and Dean want to about boneheads making babies
protect their newborn baby, they trailing in the wake of "Knocked
acquire a mini vault and smash Up's" super success.
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