Tuesday September 30, 2003 michigandaily. com artseditor@michigandaily.com mkTks 7 Poet Palmer reads verse to 'U' By Courtney Meeker For the Daily What amazes Micheal Palmer so much about poetry is that it "goes to the heart of language." As a kid he was first drawn to verse because it was a "door into the world of imag- ination and out of the world of con- ventional con- Michael Palmer Davidson Hall Today at 5 p.m. in the past three decades. Palmer will be reading from three of his books today at 5 p.m. in Davidson. He plans to read from "Promises of Glass," "The Lion Bridge: Selected Poems 1972- 1995" (2000) and the book he is currently working on, to be titled "A Company of Moths." After the publication of "Promises of Glass," the Harvard Review acclaimed him to be "one of America's most impor- tant poets." "The Lion Bridge," his best work according to Publishers Weekly, "has something to show anyone who wants to know where poetry might go next, or where its fringes have been." His poetry is complex and diverse, partially due to its develop- ment over the years. But when asked how his poetry has matured, Palmer replies with a chuckle, "Well, I haven't matured over the years." But he adds that his writing has become "more open in address to the readers and less interiorized." He has also opened his fields of expertise over the years. Not only has he has written radio plays and works of criticism, he has also col- laborated on many dance works, as he is also a choreographer. formist behavior that was a norm of childhood in the 1950s." After entering that world his writing has become a perfect example of how poetry "goes to the heart of language" in nearly 20 books of poetry that he has published ... BUT YOU CERTAINLY SHOULDN'T By James Pfent Daily Arts Writer In anticipation of the release of Dave Matthews' solo debut, fans may have wondered: Will it rock stagnantly like the Dave Matthews Band, or will he totally break rockin' new ground? Word on the street is that Matthews Dave originally offered the material for Matthews Some Devil to the band, but they Some Devil declined, noting need for time off and RCA Records qualms with the quality of the songs. So, does it sound like the Dave Matthews Band? While the record is more guitar based than DMB stuff, thanks to Tim Reynolds and Phish's Trey Anastasio, there's nothing awfully new here. What could have been a low-key, intimate singer/song- writer debut proves to be an experiment in overbooking. Boyd's endless violin solos are replaced by an entire orchestra, while the Dirty Dozen Brass Band sub in for Leroi's sax and flute. Dave-o, you should be stripping away stuff instead of adding to it on a solo album. Like the recent end of the DMB catalogue, songs go on longer than they need to and drift into noodling snoozers. To be fair, I wasn't stoned while listening; per- haps some weed would make Matthews' meandering jams and trite stream-of-drunken-consciousness lyrics on songs like "So Damn Lucky" and "Gravedigger" (which inexplicable appears on the record twice) more enjoyable, but it's doubtful. Dave Matthews' many shortcomings are all the more glaring when he tries to branch out, especially in the vocal department. Matthews isn't much of a soul singer. His attempt at falsetto on "An' Another Thing" sounds like a pubescent voice cracking and is just as pleasant. Of course, regardless of how the record sounds, Dave's faceless legions of fans will be so happy they'll stain them- selves. Hopefully I'll meet Dave someday. I'll steal all of his drugs and booze. For once, I'll have more fun at his one concerts than he does. Courtesy of Warner Don't go back to Rockville. RE.M. plays a game of sing-along at the Palace By Andrew M. Gaerig Dily Arts Writer Sting offers thoughts on Sacred Love By Andrew Horowitz For the Daily On his eighth studio solo album, Sting has chosen to explore Sacred Love. Unfortunately, he has little to say. The new EP is filled with gushy lyrics and over- bearing arrange- ments that sound Sting flat and unin- Sacred Love spired. The major- A ity of the tracks A&M Records play like filler, and the few intelligent tracks are not enough to carry the album. Sacred opens with "Inside," a catchy acoustic, guitar-driven con- templation on love. Sting sings, "Inside the doors are sealed to love," and what follows is a discourse on the need to open these "doors." "Inside" is actually quite successful with Sting's powerful vocal buildup and ominous harmonies, but this proves the highlight of the album, as the following track (and subsequently the album's single) "Send Your Love" is a cheesy drum machine synthesiz- er-induced dance failure. The Middle Eastern motif and lyrics that include "There's no religion but sex and music" do noth- ing but add to the song's annoyance. The song's possi- ble savior, the fla- menco guitar of Vicente Amigo, gets lost in over- production. Making Sacred Love even worse, the B-list guests are continuously misused through- out on tracks such as the lackluster "The Book Of My Life," featuring sitarist Anoush- ka Shankar, and the dry "Let's For- get About the Future," with trumpeter Chris Botti and bassist Christian McBride. Other disap- pointments include the harmonically lacking "Dead Man's Rope," "This War" (which concludes "Make it easy on yourself / And don't do any-- thing") and the overly climactic "Never Coming Home." The album's shortcomings aside, there are two tracks besides "Inside" that do reinforce Sting's artistry: the powerful Mary J. Blige duet "When- ever I Say Your Name," and "Sacred Love" a funky blues num- ber that succeeds if we overlook the pretentious biblical references. Regardless of the album's quality, Sacred Love is still above average. A world tour coupled with numerous charitable actions will ensure we hear plenty of Sacred Love in years to come. No worries, Sting is here to stay, for bet- ter or worse. Lost amid discussions of R.E.M.'s artistic credibility and relative impor- tance is the fact that the group has con- sistently produced great singles. Merging sophisticated pop with the lit- erate, starry persona of singer Michael Stipe, R.E.M. provided rock radio with a jolt few other bands are capable of generating. The band's current "Sonic Overview" tour pays homage to these tracks, eschewing the album cuts for singles and crowd R.E.M. favorites. The Palace of When the band Auburn Hills hit the Palace Monday, Sept. 28 stage, it became indisputably clear that the group still lives and dies with Stipe's confident howl. Stipe ran around the stage like a class-clown Iggy Pop: ever moved by the music, yet acutely aware of his own icon. Unfortunately, he seemed to be the only living member of the band. Bassist/keyboardist Mike Mills and gui- tarist Peter Buck stood stone still, while the band's touring partners looked ready to clock out and grab a paycheck. The large, sparkling banners of the group's faces did little to dissuade the notion that this show was a big rock produc- tion, featuring big rock stars. Fortunately, the set list - a veritable mixtape of mid-'90s alternative radio - provided an energy the band could- n't. "Losing My Religion" was flaw- less, while burners like "Man on the Moon" and "What's the Frequency, Kenneth" catapulted off the stage in waves of melody. "The One I Love" benefited from Stipe's theatrical pan- dering, and "Finest Worksong" sound- ed triumphant amid the huge, careening guitars. "Radio Free Europe" provided the only link to the band's rich past, while "It's the End of the World As We Know It" closed the show with anxious exaltation. Despite the positive vibes, "Nightswimming" was rendered sterile by the stadium atmosphere, and "Every- body Hurts" was reduced to a shame- less sea of lighters. "Imitation of Life," the only song culled from R.E.M.'s lat- est album, Reveal, failed to hold up to their more sophisticated work. Oddly enough, lesser-known tracks like "Walk Unafraid" and "At My Most Beautiful" fared better, allowing the audience much-needed breathers. R.E.M. remains an extremely talent- ed group of capable musicians, though in the last 10 years they've gone from "hey ... kids ... rock 'n roll" to "Hey! Kids! Rock 'N Roll!" By catering to their admittedly impressive catalog of radio standards, the band downplayed its greatest asset: their ability to produce not only massive sing-alongs, but also entire albums of intelligent pop music. It was a fine night of karaoke, but it lacked the humanizing charm of the band's best work. SHORT TAKES FRANK BACKAND THE CATHOLICS SHOW ME YOUR TEARS SPIN ART Coming off a year when the Catholics released two rockin' albums on the same day in August, FB infuses the new release with a wide awakening of emotionally-written lyrics, insti- gated by Black's recent divorce, all enthused with Black's unique talent for stretching his vocals several times over in a three- minute span. The ex-Pixies frontman also continues his recent penchant for genre exercises, like when elicit- ing an indie rock Roy Orbison on the sexual growlings of opener "Nadine." "Massif Centrale" finally merges the liberating spaciness of FB's early solo mate- rial with the more grounded, rawer Catholics era of songs. - Todd Weiser/Scott Serilla VERTICAL HORIZON Go RCA RECORDS The release of 1999's Every- thing You Want marked the beginning of Vertical Horizon's current electric anthem binge. Their new record Go is very similar. Catchy hooks catharti- cally burst out to fill the cho- ruses of almost every tune. "I'm Still Here" is destined to become as big a hit as "Every- thing You Want" and "Inside" uses rolling strings and forceful vocals with great success. The last track, "Underwater," could only close the album. It's the only one that maintains tension throughout, its guitar picking eerily reminiscent of "The Sounds of Silence." *** -Laurence. 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