Sound Bites
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 24, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 Big dumb Face “Duke Lion Fights the
Terror!!” Flip/Geffen Records
Big dumb Face “Duke Lion Fights the
Terror!!” Flip/Geffen Records
There are many promising possibilities open to Big dumb Face, a
side project of Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland. Perhaps Borland,
who wrote, performed and produced this album almost entirely by
himself, could explore an edgy subgenre of rock music and take
advantage of the lower-stakes aspect of a side project, to be
adventurous and risk-taking. Alternatively, Big dumb Face could
parody modern rock, including bands like Limp Bizkit, in an ironic
and entertaining twist on Borland’s “day job.”
Falling short of any such potential, however, “Duke Lion
Fights the Terror!!” isn’t smart enough to be a parody
or sophisticated enough to be anything else. Instead, wallowing in
self-indulgence and suffering from a lack of any musical quality,
Borland’s project begs the question, “˜What the hell is
this, anyway?’ “˜Dungeons and Dragons on acid’ is
a possible answer. Most of the songs describe bizarre characters,
like the album’s namesake, Duke Lion, who uses his fiery
sword to battle other oddities like Blood Red Head on Fire and
Organ Splitter. The songs named after the last two characters are
almost, but not quite, parodies of death metal. Goofy lyrics like
“It will suddenly fly at you and hit you in your head or
chest, and your body will disintegrate because the Blood Red
Head’s the best,” establish that Borland is only
kidding, but the songs aren’t well crafted or satirical
enough to land them in the category of “parody.”
Instead, they fall in somewhere around “intentionally
bad.” Other tracks, like “Kali is the Sweethog”
and “Space Adventure” have a childlike feel, as if
their synthesizer sounds were borrowed from bad Saturday morning
cartoons. What effect Borland was attempting to accomplish is
unknown, but his unnaturally high voice and the overall squeakiness
of the tracks are annoying. None of these failings and misfires is
quite as bad though, as the fact that these songs were obviously
created by someone who knows nothing about writing, constructing or
producing a good song. Smoother progressions and a great deal more
control are needed. It’s obvious that Borland isn’t
taking himself very seriously here. On one hand, that makes his
self-indulgence a little more acceptable, and on the other, it
feels like a waste of his, and the listeners’ time.
Mary Williams Rating: 2
Run DMC “Crown Royal” Arista
Run DMC’s latest, “Crown Royal,” is trying to
reclaim the group’s golden title after almost a decade
hiatus. Unfortunately, no one told the old school trendsetters that
they forgot to finish their album. On “Crown
Royal’s” mere 12 tracks, listeners will hear a lot of
Reverand Run and a plethora of collaborations from Jermaine Dupri,
Nas, Prodigy, Fred Durst, Kid Rock, Everlast, Method Man and more.
If this sounds good to fans, then by all means, this is the album
to purchase. But in just under 45 minutes, the “Kings of
Rock” give their long awaited LP an unfinished aura. Not much
can be debated about the quality of the music. Run DMC not only
takes its hip hop style to the next level, but also its unique
fusion of rap and rock. Five of 12 tracks are designed to remind
fans of who led the way for today’s Korns and Limp
Bizkits. That’s precisely why the likes of Fred Durst
and Kid Rock hopped on the project to pay their respects. Too often
though, Run DMC’s songs sound as if they themselves were the
guests appearing on the album. Old School hip hop fans might
be a little disappointed by the idea of the group’s
collaborations with Sugar Ray and Stephen Jenkins from Third Eye
Blind, as opposed to Dr. Dre or Wyclef Jean. Honestly though, even
these unexpected collabs are top notch and progressive,
encompassing more then just the hip-hop genre. This album is an
easy buy because after all, it is Run DMC. A major problem on
“Crown Royal” though, is Reverand Run’s excessive
bragging and the virtual absence of his co-stars, DMC and Jam
Master Jay. Both however, are much acknowledged. In reality though,
this album wouldn’t receive a low rating if it had more hip
hop joints or less collaboration. The problem is that the
group’s presence on its own album is too limited for fans
that have been waiting eight long years for something new. Run DMC
should get an “I” for incomplete, and consider itself
on academic probation. Next time, the “Kings of Rock”
should cut at least 18 tracks (not including skits), with
collaborations featuring Robert Plant, KRS-ONE and the King of Pop
himself, Michael Jackson, at least. Oh, and this time,
let’s hope the group doesn’t wait another decade to
grace its fans.
Ruvin Spivak Rating: 7
