The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Monday, April 9, 2018 — 5A

WORK ON MACKINAC Island 
This Summer – Make lifelong 
friends. The Island House Hotel and 
Ryba’s Fudge Shops are seeking help 
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
Showings scheduled M‑F 10‑3
w/ 24 hour notice required
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 
Award‑Winning Rentals in 
Kerrytown 
Central Campus, Old West 
Side, Burns Park. Now Renting for 
2018. 
734‑649‑8637 | www.arborprops.com 

FALL 2018 HOUSES
# Beds Location Rent
 5 1016 S. Forest $3600
 4 827 Brookwood $2900
 4 852 Brookwood $2900
 4 1210 Cambridge $2900
Tenants pay all utilities.
Showings scheduled M‑F 10‑3 
w/ 24 hr notice required
734‑996‑1991

FOR RENT

Classifieds

Call: #734-418-4115
Email: dailydisplay@gmail.com

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

