10 - The Michigan Daily - Monday, May 16, 2005
Prefuse
performs
glitch-hop
at the Pig
By Cyril Cordor
Daily Arts Writer
Prefuse 73 performed a fusion of rock,
electronica and hip hop last Tuesday
at The Blind Pig. He is on tour with an
eccentric, under-
ground MC named
Beans andthemath- Prefuse 73
rock band Battles. with Beans
Along with his per- and Battles
sonal band, Prefuse Tuesday, May 10
73 - though not AtThe Blind Pig
an MC or a vocal-
ist - passionately
played his brilliant "glitch-hop" composi-
tions and left the crowd craving more of
his avant-garde sounds.
As the crowd stood waiting in the
dimly lit main room of The Pig, an odd-
looking man with a long beard walked
up to the stage and began rhyming a
cappella into the microphone. The man,
who turned out to be Beans, impressed
the crowd with his verbal gymnastics
and animated persona as he performed
tracks by his now-disbanded crew, Anti-
Pop Consortium, and his solo endeavors.
At times, the crowd responded well to
Beans, but his peculiar brand of B-boy-
ing - which is similar to breakdancing
- were met with awkward silences,
Li shines in action-
packed 'Unleashed'
Drummer Marcus Evans performs onstage at The Blind Pit
simply because the audience did not
know how to respond.
With no vocalist or MC, Battles also
had difficulties captivating The Pig's
audience, but they were ultimately no
letdown to the crowd. Without being
introduced, the band took the stage
and started to jam. Since they didn't
stop between songs, it seemed as if
they played one long, intricate piece
made up of different movements. Their
hard and heavy drums backed complex
tones of edgy guitars and high-pitched
digital sound effects. Battles's unique
sound engulfed The Pig with dissonant
melodies that grabbed the ears of the
audience. The techno rhythms moved
people to dance, and the beatboxing
caused heads to nod.
Finally, featured act Prefuse 73 and
his tour band arrived to the stage. Pre-
fuse 73's band slowly started to play,
introducing one instrument at a time.
The crowd gathered closer to the stage;
some began hollering when they recog-
nized the song about to be played. The
music composed of synth horns and
mechanical glitch sounds served as
Prefuse 73's signature. At many points
throughout the show, drummer Mar-
cus Evans unexpectedly took the spot-
light away from the other musicians
with his energy, sweat and raw talent.
On pieces like "I've Said All I Need to
Say About Them," Prefuse 73 jumped
on a second set of drums to accom-
pany Evans and further recreate the
kicking drums from his most recent,
highly-acclaimed album, Surrounded
By Silence. The heavy applause when
he concluded their set prompted Evans
and Prefuse 73 to hold a short improvi-
sational session to close the show.
Because the performers did not
communicate enough verbally with
the audience, the three acts seemed
a little disconnected from one
another, despite the fact that their
musical styles are very similar. Nev-
ertheless, seeing Prefuse 73 work his
magic with a live band was a rivet-
ing, unique experience.
By Imran Syed
For the Daily
Action fans looking for a butt-kicking
Jet Li flick will be pleased with the fight
sequences offered in his latest movie,
"Unleashed." How-
ever, even in its earli- Unleashed
est moments, the film
breaks themoldestab- At Showcase
lishedby predecessors and Quality 16
such as "Cradle 2 The Rogue
Grave" and "Romeo
Must Die." Sure, there's no DMX - but
more importantly, "Unleashed" stands out
because of its focus on character develop-
ment rather than fight sequences.
LiplaysDanny,ayoungmankidnapped
at an early age by crime boss Bart (Bob
Hoskins, "Maid in Manhattan"), who
trains the boy to be his enforcer. Danny
knows nothing except violence, having
never had the chance to meet anyone out-
side of Bart's crime crew. Bart controls
Danny via a collar he must wear - but
this changes when Bart is in a car crash
and presumed dead. As an escaped Danny
walks the streets, he befriends a blind pia-
nist (Morgan Freeman, "Million Dollar
Baby") who takes him in and teaches him
the ways of the world outside crime.
Though audiences outside of China do
not know Li for his acting, and he doesn't
tend to have much dialogue in his Eng-
lish-language films, he plays a battered,
troubled soul in this movie brilliantly.
Even at the side of Freeman, one of Holly-
wood's finest actors, he displays style and
flare while convincingly portraying his
anti-social character. Li's slight twitches
and grimaces are depicted with expertise.
Had a similar performance been turned
in by a Hollywood regular, some Oscar
buzz may have gotten started.
Freeman reprises his familiar, wise-
old-man role commendably. Even
though some of his lines are repetitive
and overly sentimental, he once again
turns in a worthy performance by mak-
ing his character stand out as a voice of
rationality in a film full of images of an
unimaginably brutal alternate reality. 4
The action sequences, while plenti-
ful and well made, are nothing special;
indeed, they're similar to those in Li's
other movies. There are no gravity-defy-
ing moves as in "Crouching Tiger, Hid-
den Dragon" or humorous antics as in the
recent import "Kung Fu Hustle." What
"Unleashed" does would have been cut
ting edge 10 years ago, but now it seems
tired and mundane. Still, the fighting and
a hip soundtrack keep the film afloat.
Unfortunately, certain plot details
remain unclear throughout the film. The
workings of the controlling collar are
never fully explained, and the ease with
which Danny adjusts to his new life out
of bondage is rushed and unbelievable.
Moreover, Bart's miraculous survival of
one car crash after another and the absurd
method of his character's eventual demise
only add to the film's narrative lapses.
"Unleashed" accomplishes the difficult
task of mixing strong emotional sentiment
with all-out action. Viewers wholove fight
scenes won't be disappointed, while those
who are bored by them may find them-
selves checking their watches. Even so,
the film's combination of action and skill4
fulcharacterizationultimately makes fora
highly enjoyable and entertaining movie.