1
*i
Chemic
By hllip Son
Daily Arts Writer
With the likes of Juan Atkins and D
no music was essentially created in D
the foremost disc jockeys in the c
dance music scene, Tom Rowlands a
otherwise known as The Chemical Br
an homage of sorts at
Pontiac's Clutch Cargo's. They
came along with their trademark
dub and jungle beats with a blend
of rock 'n' roll, hip-hop and tech-
no.:
The Chemical Brothers start-
ed up some three years ago as
The Dust Brothers. But they
neglected the fact that there already e
same name; these Dust Brother
Beastie Boys' "Paul's Boutiq
"Odelay." The threat of a lawsuit p
change the band name. This was a n
pair's rise to stardom.
Last year, the pair released its cri
"Exit Planet Dust." This debut albur
singles "Chemical Beats;" "Song tc
2)Y.
~4
- J
Rodney Dangerfleld's evil twin stars
'Microcc
By Neal C. Carruth
For the Daily
The opening credits
0,icrocosmos" take us sailing throe
e clouds and over the idyllic Fre
countryside. Suddenly, the cam
plunges toward solid ground a
before we know it, we are staring u
the heavens above through tower
blades of grass. Opening narration
Kristin Scott
Thomas tells that
this meadow con- I
ceals "a world as
vast as our own," /
*ere "time pass-
es differently."
"Microcosmos"
is a visually stun-
ning and uniquely satisfying film
together over the course of four year
biologists-turned-film makers Cla
Nuridsanty and Marie Perennou.
entire film elapses at the level of
myriad critters that inhabit an ordin
ench meadow. Much of the film
ot, painstakingly, on location; cer
scenes had to be captured in a spec
ly-designed studio in Aveyron, Fran
Nuridsanty and Perennou guide
viewer through one complete day in
life of their "actors." It is a typical
MIT
-- -itupg=
'U' member to read at Rackham
University fiction writer and poet Charles Baxter will be reading from
his work today at Rackham Amphitheatre. This event should provide a
unique opportunity for members of the University community to hear
one of our own renowned authors share some of his work. One of the
final readings of'the term, the occasion kicks off at 4 p.m. and, of
course, it is free.
Tuesday
December 3, 1996
5
Brothers groove in Pontiac
Derrick May, tech-
)etroit. Last week,
current electronic
nd Ed Simons -
others - came to
RE
existed a pair with
xs have produced
ue" and Beck's
rompted them to
minor hitch in the
tically acclaimed
m featured the hit
o the Siren" and
T
"Life is Sweet," which featured the vocals of Tim
Burgess of The Charlatans. The Chemical Brothers'
most recent single, "Setting Son," has debuted at No.
2 in the British charts, and it features Oasis' Noel
Gallagher on vocals. The group's music is also fea-
tured on those MSNBC commercials. With a new
album to be released next year, this pair seems to have
just started the road to break
electronic dance music into the
V I E W mainstream of American tradi-
he Chemical tional rock.
Brothers Their show at Clutch Cargo's
featured a setting that was quite
Clutch Cargo's surreal. Here were two DJs atop
Nov. 25, 1996 their Roland synthesizers, mod-
ulators and drum machines
playing in an old church that has been converted into
a concert hall. Behind them, a video screen displaying
a hypnotic visual collage of fractals and moving
images complemented their sounds to create a mes-
merizing atmosphere. But there really was no concern
as to how dazzling the visual effects were, because the
Chemical Brothers put forth an intense set that
spanned more than 80 minutes - nonstop.
After opening DJ Will Webb finished his set,
Rowlands and Simons started things up with "Leave
Home." The bass-booming beats immediately prompted
the crowd to start dancing and the dancing didn't stop
until the end. They continued with "Chemical Beats,"
"Song to the Siren" and "Life is Sweet." The stereo-
phonic effects of these tracks really came through live
due to the deafening volume and raw intensity of the
beats that blared through every speaker and monitor.
"Loops of Fury" with its break-beat loops followed
the continuous mix of dance music that created a
heart-thumping effect due to the heavy bass boosts
dropping in and out. They proceeded with the new sin-
gle, "Setting Son." As the studio version features the
vocals of Noel Gallagher, this track featured an instru-
mental mix with the only vocals (pre-recorded) of the
night. The pair deftly broke up the vocals of Gallagher
and chopped it up to accompany the groove.
Neither of the Chemical Brothers said a word; they
hardly even moved. There were no rock poses or pos-
turing on the part of the crowd. Nothing as stupid as
moshing occurred. The only thing that the crowd
grooved to was the sounds produced by the pair. The
raw intensity of the show could be described as
rockin', and that could only begin an endless string of
superlatives to describe the concert's excitement.
The Chemical Brothers strutted into Michigan last week.
MTV expands to realm of literature
Genevive Field
MTV's Road Rules Road Trips
MTV Books
MTV's The Real World Diaries
MTV Books
The press release for "MTV's The Real World
Diaries" proudly announces that the book
"coughs up what readers want to know." If
it's a big, wet glob of voyeuristic pleasure
that readers desire, then "The Real -
World Diaries" certainly delivers.
"The Real World Diaries" is the
sequel to last year's "The Real Real
World," which sold an astounding
200,000 copies. I guess the producers of
the show decided that the previous book wasn't
sufficiently real, leading them to gift eager fans with yet
another revealing volume.
And as if that weren't enough reality to go around, "Real
World" producers Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jon Murray have
released "MTV Road Rules Road Trips," for those of us
who want to relive the first two seasons of the "Road Rules"
show in painstaking detail. "Road Rules Road Trips" bills
itself as a "guide to planning the perfect road trip," giving
eager readers rare insights into the care and feeding of a
Winnebago, as well as route information from each cast's
orgy of travel. There are disturbing similarities between
both books, although "Road Rules Road Trips" manages to
distinguish itself from "The Real World Diaries" by featur-
ing much bigger pictures.
Seriously, though, there's a sickening and funny aspect to
these books that attracts the inquiring mind: "Road Rules
Road Trips" and "The Real World Diaries" are nothing more
than the MTV equivalent of pornography - they promote an
unnatural interest in others' private parts. I believe that MTV
Books had the same idea, for "Road Rules Road Trips"
includes centerfold-like profiles of its stars.
Less meditative minds will want to read "The Real World
Diaries" and "Road Rules Road Trips" for the shameless and
hilarious ways the cast members rip on one
another. I couldn't possibly insult the cast mcm-
bers as well as they do themselves. My per-
sonal favorite came from would-be shock
rocker Neil, of fourth-season fame: "... I
.<:thought Sharon was a useless human
being. I'll amend that: I think cur-
_ rently she is useless, but she may yet
serve some purpose to somebody." In
"Road Rules II" Timmy describes spas-
tic Effie: "People sometimes think there's an attraction
between Effie and me, but it just wouldn't work - I'm
Catholic, she's schizophrenic. I'm American, she's annoy-
ing."
All in all, MTV has done a good job of transferring the for-
mat of "The Real World" and "Road Rules" into book form.
"Road Rules Road Trips" and "The Real World Diaries" are
made for those with short attention spans and the need for
lots of visual stimulation. Die-hard fans will love the candid
photos and snippets of personal information the books pro-
vide. People who are inclined to take the show less seriously
should read them for the laughs. This is not great literature,
folks, but then, it was never meant to be.
- Mary Trombley
iSmoS' buzzes into A2
RE
put
s by
ude
The
the
nary
was
tain
cial-
ce.
the
the
day,
1
marked by work, rest, natural disasters,
sex, cooperation, conflict and death.
"Microcosmos" treats us to a thrilling
menagerie of creatures, each supremely
well-adapted to its particular niche over
the vast span of evolutionary time.
The day opens with a splendid yel-
low-and-black butterfly valiantly
attempting to emerge from its sticky,
constrictive cocoon. This is a fine
metaphor for the
rebirth that
:VIEW accompanies
Sicrocosmos each new day
and the "struggle
**** for existence"
that ensues.
At the Michigan Theater Morning in the
world of insects
is much like morning for many human
beings: Flies groom themselves for the
long day ahead; bees busily flit about
searching for sweet nectar; two
amorous ladybugs engage in acrobatic
loveplay.
The hard work of everyday life is
represented by a group of ants that
labors continually to complete its
labyrinthine lair. The ants martial a
massive effort, with each individual
busily gathering materials and playing a
valued role. A dogged little dung beetle
captures the sense of futility and frus-
tration that results from such a grind.
His exasperating, seemingly insignifi-
cant struggle with a giant dung capsule
comically evokes the existential plight
of Sisyphus.
Later in their day, the film makers
vividly present the horror and immedi-
acy of death, in the form of an unfortu-
nate grasshopper that becomes entan-
gled in a spider's web. As the grasshop-
per attempts to free itself, the spider
glides gracefully across its web to deal
the final death blow.
Since "Microcosmos" gives us death,
it must also give us sex. One of the
film's most remarkable sequences is an
astonishingly tender love scene
between two snails. They move toward
one another slowly, at first, but with
purpose. As they press against one
another and begin to undulate, rich,
operatic strains swell on the soundtrack.
In perhaps the best-conceived seg-
ment of the film, a windy afternoon
shower is viewed from the perspective
of the insects. Globular raindrops slam
into the parched soil with the force of
cannonballs and the insects scatter for
cover. After the storm, a pervasive calm
settles over the meadow, represented by
See INSECTS, Page 8
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Tag Records
The debut album from Fountains of
Wayne is one of the most enjoyable
discs of the year to date. This duo of
Chris Collingwood and Adam
Schlesinger, both multi-instrumental-
ists, romp through 12 low-key, hilari-
ous ditties about life, love and cars.
They make no attempts to change the
world, they come across as geeky-but-
lovable boys next door, and they win
over our undying sympathy in the
process.
Few are those who couldn't find
solace in the lyrics of "Joe Rey" and
"Leave the Biker." As centerpieces for
the album, these two songs may recall
many a lonely teen-age night, but they
do so in a such a lighthearted way that
the pain is eased. Elsewhere on the
album, we hear a plethora of pleading
crush songs ("Sink to the Bottom,"
"Barbara H.," "I've Got a Flair"), anti-
anthems ("Please Don't Rock Me
Tonight," "Survival Car") and just
plain silliness ("Radiation Vibe," "You
Curse at Girls," "She's Got a
Problem").
But Fountains of Wayne is far from a
novelty act. Rather, the group fills a
much-needed void in the "rock groups
who just want to have a good time" cat-
egory. The only thing I would change
about this album is to increase its length
beyond its paltry 35 minutes. Then
again, brevity is the soul of wit.
- Mark Feldman
See RECORDS, Page 8
Fountains of Wayne impresses with debut album
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