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Arts
Monday, April 9, 2018 — 5A
WORK ON MACKINAC Island
This Summer – Make lifelong
friends. The Island House Hotel and
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in all areas: Front Desk, Bell Staff,
Wait Staff, Sales Clerks, Kitchen,
Baristas. Dorm Housing, bonus, and
discounted meals.
(906) 847‑7196.
www.theislandhouse.com
SUMMER EMPLOYMENT
2 & 4 Bedroom Apartments
$1400‑$2800 plus utilities.
Tenants pay electric to DTE
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1015 Packard
734‑996‑1991
5 & 6 Bedroom Apartments
1014 Vaughn
$3000 ‑ $3600 plus utilities
Showings scheduled M‑F 10‑3
w/ 24 hour notice required
734‑996‑1991
ARBOR PROPERTIES
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FALL 2018 HOUSES
# Beds Location Rent
5 1016 S. Forest $3600
4 827 Brookwood $2900
4 852 Brookwood $2900
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ACROSS
1 Romantic kissing
at the mall and
such, briefly
5 Skier’s challenge
10 Ref’s decisions
14 Finnish architect
Saarinen
15 Egg-shaped
16 Tipsy
17 Rich
19 To be, in
Bordeaux
20 English china
21 With 61-Across,
seriously
overweight
fictional sleuth
22 Chick’s cry
23 Tree-toppling tool
25 “That’s cheating!”
27 Wine evaluators
31 Get in your face
about
34 Lisbon hello
35 Shankar’s
instrument
38 Personal, as
thoughts
39 Break in relations
41 Lawyer’s backlog
43 “I’m paying for
the drinks”
44 Dined at home
46 Indian breads
48 “A mouse!”
49 Sound
equipment that
may pick up a
private remark
51 Prayerful chants
53 Scold loudly
56 Sticky stuff
57 “Cosmos” author
Sagan
59 Chief Asgard god
61 See 21-Across
65 Healthful berry
66 Object of the
puddy tat’s
pursuit
68 Skinny
69 Dominican
Republic
neighbor
70 Triangle
calculation
71 Prefix with -pathic
72 Max of Dadaism
73 Consider
DOWN
1 Benches flanking
church aisles
2 Thoughtful
3 Guthrie at
Woodstock
4 Went for in an
auction
5 Homer’s
bartender
6 Pizza maker
7 Ancient Greek
physician
8 In __: not yet
born
9 Batted first
10 1993 film with an
instrument in its
title
11 2000s best-seller
involving flying
toys, with “The”
12 Fairy tale meanie
13 Herding dog
name
18 Evil spells
24 Guitarist Clapton
26 Muhammad in a
ring
27 Hebrew scroll
28 Samuel on the
Supreme Court
29 Protective bar on
a flat roof
30 X-Men co-creator
Lee
32 Mythical lion’s
home
33 Arduous journeys
36 Words that
connect each
pair of four-letter
words intersecting
at a circle
37 Unit at Staples
40 Facebook feature
42 Stocking tear
45 Zip, in soccer
47 Wintry and white
50 Provide apparel
for
52 “Tough!”
54 No-holds-barred
commercial
competition
55 Advertising link
57 Suffragist Carrie
58 Tooth pain
60 Brooklyn NBA
team
62 Old Italian cash
63 Priceless?
64 Cheese from the
Netherlands
67 Tiny songbird
By Lila Cherry
©2018 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
04/09/18
04/09/18
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:
RELEASE DATE– Monday, April 9, 2018
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
To be quite honest, this
particular column is not so
much about an album as it is
about a song. A song that’s
one of those rare tracks that
transcends being an ultimately
forgettable cut on an album. It’s
one of those songs that requires
your undivided attention for
its entirety and leaves you in
a whirlwind state of slipping
in and out of lucidity as you
lose yourself to its downright
infectious groove. And when it
ends, you have no choice but to
put down your headphones and
recuperate since you know that
music in general just won’t live
up to your expectations for the
near future.
But first, some background.
Fela
Kuti,
the
legendary
Nigerian “Afrobeat” musician
(a term which he himself
coined),
wasn’t
originally
planning on being one. He
arrived in London in the late
1950s to study medicine, but
instead decided to end up
studying music, enamored with
the burgeoning jazz scene in the
city. He soon traveled back to
Nigeria to fully devote himself
to music and (to abridge things
quite a bit) developed a long,
legendary career making music
just as daring and inventive
politically and socially as it
was musically. From Zombie to
Best of The Black President, his
music was revered throughout
Africa
and
eventually
the
world, combining upbeat, jazzy
instrumentals with scathing
social commentary.
Gentleman
is,
in
comparison, not one of his
most canonized albums, but
its titular track is Fela Kuti at
his bold, catchy and doesn’t-
give-a-fuck best. The first 30
seconds set the track’s groove,
with an electric piano that
solos shortly but eventually
acts as an announcement of
Kuti’s tenor saxophone. As
the percussion drops out, Kuti
performs the first of several
solos until introducing the
track’s main melodic theme
around two minutes in. Soon,
the percussion reappears with
a funky electric guitar backing
as Kuti spends the next six
minutes
launching
into
a
meandering, delightful solo.
Kuti
himself
arrives
at
around the eight-minute mark
singing, “I no be gentleman at
all” in his uniquely powerful,
soaring voice. He punctuates
his repetitions of this line with
energetic vocalizations that
make him seem like he’s running
out of breath before he launches
into an even more powerful
chant. He confidently asserts: “I
be Africa man, original.”
In typical Fela Kuti style, he
sings in a distinct pidgin dialect
as he criticizes the hypocrisy of
those of his countrymen who he
feels have been too Anglicized.
He sings, “Africa hot, I like am
so / I know what to wear, but
my friends don’t know” as he
then describes the impractical
uniform some of his countrymen
dress in as an indirect form of
acquiescence to their colonial
masters while forgetting their
own roots.
Throughout its 14-minute
span, “Gentleman” never ceases
to be wildly entertaining. Like
a lot of Fela Kuti’s music, it is
imbued with a sense of utter
freedom,
individuality
and
relentless
energy.
Although
the two other tracks on the
short album are worthy cuts
themselves, the title track is a
Fela Kuti magnum opus and a
‘Gentleman’ by Fela Kuti
WORLD MUSIC COLUMN
‘Legion’ basks in trippy
state of second season
In its first season, FX’s “Legion”
was revolutionary in the way it
abandoned the predictable limits
of superhero TV. Taking a more
cinematic approach towards telling
an intimate and introspective story,
“Legion” focused
less on its Marvel
origins and more
on the complexity
of
the
mental
illness consumed
protagonist,
David
Haller
(Dan Stevens, “Downton Abbey”).
Shooting every scene with the look
and feel of a movie, the combination
of the series’s hypnotizing special
effects and Jeff Russo’s (“Fargo”)
stimulating score made “Legion”
one of the most ambitious television
thrills of 2017.
Last season revealed that David
— whose delusions and ravaging
thoughts were believed to be caused
by schizophrenia — was, in truth,
one of the most powerful human
mutants to ever exist. It turns out
that much of his mental instability
was really the result of being
infected by an evil parasite called
the
Shadow
King,
aka
Amahl
Farouk
(Quinton
Boisclair,
“Channel
Zero”),
since childhood. If season one was
a dynamic look into David’s insanity
in
a
“normal”
world,
then
season
two
will be more about the ways David is
actually “the sane man in an insane
world,” as intended by creator Noah
Hawley (“Fargo”).
This season’s premiere begins
with David waking up from his year-
long comatose state inside Division
3, a hidden organization which
recruits good mutants to search for
the missing Shadow King. Though
David believes that he was only gone
for a single day, all of his comrades
have quickly adjusted to the new
normal of working alongside the
old enemy without him. Just as
David questions, we
all too are wondering
what happened to
Summerland
and
why
there are women with
mustaches singing.
But being “Legion”
means
it’s
highly
unlikely that we’ll get any direct
answers right off the bat (or ever).
While the premiere does provide
some recapping and follow-up on
the cliffhanger of the last season’s
finale (you know, when David was
captured by a glowing orb and
suspiciously floated away), it’s clear
that this time around, “Legion”
would still rather take us through
a maze than provide us with direct
resolution.
Yet, it’s exactly that mystery and
frustrating lack of clarity that makes
“Legion” so addicting. By traversing
through the inner workings of
David’s mind, we are constantly left
questioning what we see. Do the
random dance-fight sequences have
a greater meaning? Are the trippy
intermediating narrations from Jon
Hamm
(“Mad
Men”)
foreshadowing
of what’s to come, or just pauses to
provoke self-reflection? Important
information within “Legion” is
conveyed through moments of
intense detail and overwhelming
action alike, which leaves us to piece
together our own interpretations.
Once again, Dan Stevens is
exceptional as David in every way.
Portraying moments of hopeless
confusion
to
heart-wrenching
compassion, Stevens manifests the
unforeseeable
future
of
his
character
with sublime ease. With a cast of
other greats who will hopefully
get more screen-time as we go on
— including Aubrey Plaza (“Parks
and Recreation”) as Lenny, David’s
confidant who is currently held
captive by the Shadow King, and
Rachel
Keller
(“Fargo”)
as
Syd,
David’s
recurring love interest — “Legion”
has all the necessary flair to excel in
season two.
Additionally, with the familiar
but
just
as
awe-inspiring
cinematography of the premiere
alone, it’s evident that “Legion” will
remain
as
artistically
inventive
as
last
year.
Though
“Legion”
has
no
distinct
time setting, the opening scene
depicting
Lenny
and
Oliver
(Jemaine
Clement, “Moana”) laying on a pool
raft under the sun is colored and shot
impeccably, aesthetically reflecting
the retro vibe of the ’70s. It’s those
mind-bending camera angles and
distorting
effects
that
flip
the
visuals
of your typical superhero shows on
their
heads,
and
prove
that
skillful
TV
can feel like a film.
Though the season two premiere
may be unsatisfying in giving us any
sort of explanation, it is extremely
satisfying
in
style
and
potential.
With
the anticipation of a larger focus on
David’s character evolution and the
substance of his delusions, season
two is shaping up to elevate and
impress.
MORGAN RUBINO
Daily Arts Writer
“Legion”
Season 2
FX
Tues. @ 10 p.m.
Throughout its
14-minute span,
“Gentleman”
never
ceases to be wildly
entertaining
SAYAN GHOSH
Daily World Music Columnist
“Life is like sex. Sometimes
you
have
to
change
your
position.” These words appear
in Kali Uchis’s handwriting
on an art poster inserted in
every physical copy of her
debut
album
Isolation.
On
the poster, Uchis is sprawled
across a sea of sapphire satin,
strikingly contrasted by her
revealing
ruby
attire.
This
scene is pictured from a more
intimidating
angle
on
the
album cover, but still remains
a visual vignette of the music
contained within, a flaring heat
and eclectic heartbeat subdued
by the essentially blue themes
espoused right from the title.
Uchis has always operated
from the sidelines. To the public,
her name was only noticed
when it was preceded by a
more renowned one, like Tyler,
the Creator on his two latest
records, 2015’s Cherry Bomb
and last year’s Flower Boy, or
Daniel Caesar on his Grammy-
nominated single “Get You.”
However, while not discounting
her stellar collaborative work,
Uchis’s solo output has far
outclassed her features yet
received a fraction of the love.
Deciding to release a debut
album on a weekend dominated
by Cardi B’s own Invasion of
Privacy and another chart-
topping Drake single may seem
a poor bet, but the premiere of
Kali Uchis in her entirety is a
statement. With Isolation, the
magically subtle new-age pop
star seduces attention under a
kaleidoscope limelight.
The
album’s
colorfully
filtered mood lighting is set
right from the opening track,
where
Uchis
croons,
“I’m
sick and tired of talking, told
you
everything
you
need
to know / The rest is in the
body language,” over a bossa
nova-inspired
Thundercat
bassline. That selfsame body
is
consistently
profound
in
its language over the next 45
minutes, melodically narrating
the story of a woman long
manipulated,
slighted
and
tossed aside. Uchis is insistent
on leaving a regretful lover
behind on “Dead to Me,” the
harsh realities of cheating are
almost happily recounted on
the
Amy
Winehouse-esque
“Feel Like A Fool,” and she
juxtaposes her tiresome life
making ends meet with the
destructively glamorous image
of “Miami.” The latter track is
actually one of the few moments
on the album where Uchis is in
control of her body, above the
infidelity of heartbreakers and
detractors, reiterating her fierce
attitude towards fame with one
of the best self-assured lines in
recent memory: “Why could I
be Kim? I could be Kanye.”
By portraying this tested
and tempestuous version of
herself, Uchis speaks to “the
people who feel trapped in their
position” in hopes “the music
will enable (them) to change
it,” like the poster cursively
declares. Her music is capable
of change, wonderfully inviting
and artfully hypnotic. The silky,
mellifluous blanket that Uchis
dons with poise is interwoven
with threads of soul, funk,
hip hop and Latin grooves, as
Isolation has enlisted a veritable
team of wide-ranging musicians
to soundtrack its spirit. Steve
Lacy’s
uniquely
youthful
bass is layered over a beat
produced by Romil Hemnani
(of BROCKHAMPTON fame)
on “Just A Stranger.” Damon
Albarn chimes in not only
vocally
but
with
Gorillaz’s
bleeps and bloops on “In My
Dreams” and Kevin Parker
galvanizes “Tomorrow” with
his signature psychedelic flair.
British
R&B
phenom
Jorja
Smith and Colombian reggaeton
leader Reykon round out the
impressive and international
list of features.
While it would be easy for
Uchis’s voice to be drowned in
such an ocean of talent, Isolation
remains distinctly hers. Even on
the album’s most star-studded
single “After the Storm,” where
Tyler,
the
Creator,
Bootsy
Collins and BadBadNotGood all
pour in, Uchis harnesses those
contributions to intensify her
essence. The track manages
to furtively bear the central
weight of the album while
staying
sonically
warm
as
sunshine. In the music video,
Uchis appears to be longing for
love (which she finds by literally
and humorously growing Tyler
from a packet of seeds), but
her nuanced movements and
unflinching eyes tell another
story.
The
person
who
Uchis
addresses
throughout
the
song is the listener, not some
sweetheart of her dreams. This
person is anyone who has ever
experienced the isolation she
has, left to face their demons
alone. The title of the album
does not refer to absolute
solitude — instead, it embodies
loneliness in the face of others,
masked by self-deception and
empty sentiment. Uchis is too
familiar with the endless days
of struggle yet still she knows
“times are rough but winners
don’t quit / So don’t you give
up, the sun’ll come out.” Even
though Isolation is rooted in
empathy, it is aware it doesn’t
quite have all the answers.
After all, “everybody’s gotta go
on, don’t they?”
Kali Uchis offers sublime
world on debut ‘Isolation’
ROBERT MANSUETTI
Daily Arts Writer
Isolation
Kali Uchis
Interscope Records
ALBUM REVIEW
FOX SEARCHLIGHT
TV REVIEW