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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2013
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
CONCERT REVIEW
GEORGE MULLINIX/KANSAN
On Monday, Desaparecidos, a Nebraska rock band, performed at Liberty Hall along with The So So Glos from Brooklyn. N.Y.
Desaparecidos, So So Glos bring powerful rock show to Liberty Hall
DUNCAN MCHENRY
dmchenry@kansan.com
There's something about Liberty Hall — maybe it's the hand-painted murals on the walls or the huge general admission standing area — that makes it perfect for a chest-rattling rock show.
Monday night's concert featured alternative bands Desaparecidos and The So So Glos, and drew a varied audience of fans. The music roared and flexed its sonic muscles, but the vibe stayed mellow as a young guy perched on his dad's shoulders and thrust a neon green glow stick skyward alongside head-nodding college kids.
Brooklyn, N.Y., paid graphic tee homage to East Coast rap groups Wu-Tang Clan and The Beastie Boys as they warmed up the crowd. Lead singer and bassist Alex Levine animated the initially sleepy room with his loose attitude and stage presence. As they launched into the energetic standout "Speakeasy," he climbed atop the amp stacks and conversed with the onlookers, at one point even jokingly commanding someone in the front row to turn off their phone.
Desaparecidos, a Nebraska band that recently reunited for the first time since their 2002 album "Read Music/Speak Spanish," began their set list with the single "The Left Is Right." Although Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst, on vocals and guitar, is the band's most famous member, Desaparecidos is a powerful, cohesive unit onstage. Guitarist Denver Dalley whipped his chest-length hair with abandon as keyboardist Ian McElroy accentuated drummer Matt Baum and the growling tones of bassist Landon Hedges.
The defining characteristic of Desaparecidos is their politically charged subject matter and aggressive attitude — both of which were evident in songs such as "The Happiest Place on Earth" and crowd favorite "Manana." Oberst, clearly aware of the setting, also threw a verbal jab at Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and his hardline
stance on immigration policy. The content of his message drew cheers from the crowd as he used some choice words that won't be reprinted here.
Musically, Desaparecidos and The So So Glos complemented each other perfectly on a chilly fall night at Lawrence's Liberty Hall. To hear more from the bands, check out Desaparecidos' newest tracks "Te Amo Camila Vallejo" and "The Underground Man," and the So So Glos' latest album "Blowout."
Edited by Chas Strobel
MUSIC REVIEW
The Game improves lyrics, beats on 'OKE'
RYAN WRIGHT
rwright@kansan.com
THE GAME
Ever since the 2005 debut of "The Documentary," The Game has had one of the most hit or miss careers in all of hip-hop. "The Documentary" is often regarded as his best album, but since then he's had his fair share of projects that didn't quite live up to fans' expectations. Historically, The Game is very prolific — he's released more than 20 projects. With "OKE: Operation Kill Everything." The Game looks to return to his former glory.
The production isn't particularly bad, it just becomes repetitive. But that's a problem that frequently plagues projects with a high number of tracks — "OKE" clocks in at 19 tracks.
The Game is known to have an ear for production and, as expected, the beats are great. The production on "OKE" is handled by DJ Mustard, Cool & Dre, Cardiak and others. The production features a good balance of soulful beats meant for introspection and bass-heavy beats for party songs.
One standout of "OKE" is "Love on Fire." The Game's mother recently had a heart attack and he recalls the anxiety of possibly losing her. It's emotional and one of his best lyrical efforts in a long time. On the other hand, sometimes The Game phones it in on a few tracks and sounds uninspired, but this happens much less frequently than on "Jesus Piece."
The main problem many had with The Game's last project, 2012 "Jesus Piece," was that even though the production was fantastic, his lyrics weren't up to par. As a response, his lyrics are much better on "OKE," especially on the introspective tracks.
"OKE" is very feature heavy — only five songs don't have a featured artist. The good thing about this? Every artist holds his own. However, when The Game is co-rapping he begins to sound exactly like the other artist by using similar flows or changing his voice. Perhaps he thinks that this technique will help him appeal to a larger audience. Frankly, it does not work.
even though it's flawed, "OKE" is perhaps The Game's best project since 2006's "Doctor's Advocate."
— Edited by Kayla Overbey
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