ARTS- The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, March 10, 2004 - 9 Get Up Kids release boring emo By Rachel Kruer Daily Arts Writer Music REVIEW The release of The Get Up Kids' new album Guilt Show demonstrates that the emo phenomenon is a long way from dying off. Short for "emotional," the term describes musicians that not only sing with candid feel- ing, but wallow in a pool of their own tragic pain. This melodramatic whimpering usually turns irritating, but a few bands, such as Juliana Theory and Thursday, culti- vate intensity through their instru- mental prowess instead of relying on a shrill whine. The Kids, on the other hand, are too entrenched within the emo scene to qualify as either horrible or great. Guilt Show is an attempt to retain The Get Up Kids Guilt Show Vagrant Courtesy of ABC Hello, Clarice. 'KINGDOM COME STEPHEN KING RETURNS TO TV their sensitive fanbase as well as please the general pub- lic. They simply follow the paradigm and churn out the expected material, which in the end hurts them as their music becomes the complete opposite of what it was meant to be: hollow. Following the direction of their last album On a Wire, The Kids traded in their aggressive, gut-wrenching crescendos for placid, mid-tempo beats. Each song pre- sented on its own evokes the mindless happiness of a beautiful sunny day, but juxtaposed with each other the beats become monotonous and sterile. Matt Pryor's nasal vocals lack any conviction as they glide over the innocu- ous guitars riffs and without any range, his voice tireless- ly trods along without any climax. This wouldn't be problematic if the album was intend- ed to be taken lightly. Histrionic titles such as "Martyr Me" and "The Dark Night of the Soul" reveal The Kids' attempt to manufacture something sinister, yet they somehow come off sounding juvenile. Most of the songs are brimming with allusions to unrequited love or glam- orized notions of suicide. In "Sympathy" Pryor croons, "Bound and tied / Keep the bottle down / To our surprise / Suspect you had discipline or nerve." Without the lyri- cal context, the upbeat melody suggests the frivolity of a first kiss. After a decade, The Get Up Kids have still not grown up. Although their sound has become glossier and more heavily produced, the quality of their music has yet to improve. The Kids are not the band to lend credibility to a scene that is becoming more associated for its fashion than its music. They are merely the harbingers, for better or for worse, of the infiltration of emo into the mainstream. Indigo Girls stay in niche with latest many facets of the hospital at work. In the pilot, painter Peter Rickman (Jack Coleman) is the victim of a hit-and-run. As he lies near death on the side of the road, viewers can hear his thoughts. When he is taken into the hospital, it is very doubtful he will make a significant recovery, but neurosurgeon Dr. Hook (Andrew McCarthy, "Weekend at Bernie's") will do all he can to ensure a recovery. This is where the spirits of the hospital come into play as Rickman, while on the operating table, hears the voice of a girl trapped within hospital walls. At this moment, he realizes that he can communicate with the spirits in the building. Following his encounter, Rickman makes a miraculous recovery. The voices he hears are the same as those heard by Mrs. Druse (Diane Ladd, "Christmas Vacation"), a patient with psychic abilities. She convinces Dr. Hook to help her investigate them, which establishes the premise for the series. This would not be a work of Stephen King without eccentric characters. The series focuses on Dr. Hook, a well-versed surgeon who sings the theme from "The Beverly Hillbillies" while saving lives. He is opposed by Dr. Jesse James (Ed Begley Jr., TV's "Six Feet Under"), the head of the hospital, who is concerned only with its public image. There are also the requi- site abnormal secondary characters, such as a nearly blind security guard and a nurse who faints at the sight of blood. While a little off the beaten path, "Kingdom Hospi- tal" is classic King fare, containing the elements of an odd location, peculiar telepathic characters and the undead. This series has potential, but it may be too early to tell if "Kingdom" can remain a dark thriller in the same vein of King's classic "The Shining," or if it will lapse into "Dreamcatcher"-like absurdity. By James Pfent Daily Arts Writer MUSICREVIEW ** Activist folk duo the Indigo Girls are back with the ninth studio album of their lengthy career. All That We Let In shows why Amy Ray and Emily Sailers have stayed together complementary voices. Through- out the record, the Girls harmonize like nobody's business, effort- lessly weaving for so long: their Indigo Girls All That We Let In Epic is the case here. While a couple of tracks falter (including "Heartache for Everyone," which features an awkward ska beat), most of them succeed, like the sing-along single "Perfect World." Lyrically, All That We Let In shifts between bittersweet personal outpour- ings like "Dairy Queen" and angry yet optimistic political rants, such as the aforementioned "Tether." Their writing rings true, even if the emoting can be corny and their politics are sometimes self-righteous. All That We Let In breaks little new ground, but that's probably the worst criticism one can make of it. The record probably won't win them many new fans (especially males), but that's hard- ly the point. Longtime followers will enjoy its consistently catchy numbers and vibrant performances. The Indi- go Girls have found a comfortable niche for themselves that they won't be letting go of anytime soon. complex and satisfying vocal tapestries. They keep the instrumentation rela- tively simple, sticking mostly to reso- nant acoustics on spirited folk tunes like "Fill It Up Again" as well as somber ballads like "Cordova." The volume increases occasionally though, especially on the epic "Teth- er," which employs keyboards and distorted guitars. Songwriting duties are split evenly; Sailers's stuff is unashamedly folky, while Ray's songs are a bit darker and edgier. After many years, the Girls have learned to make their songs work together as cohesive albums, and such Tired of being a Want to be a Summer Internship Opportunity Build your resume while working during spring, summer or fall semesters. C -11n --,...:.. ...u. ....-I . A 4: IL. r- *- r i ir^APm n n ir+ n rt r -mw