Wednesday
March 31, 2004
arts.michigandaily.com
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ATusMOa
5
EVEN-STEVENS
INSTRUMENTATION TAKES CENTER STAGE
By Andrew Horowitz
Daily Arts Writer
Music REVIEW *
Less than a year after establishing himself with
Greetings from Michigan: The Great Lakes State,
Sufjan Stevens returns with the introspective
Seven Swans. Produced by Daniel Smith of the
Danielson Famile, Seven Swans is a much barer
effort, showcasing Stevens
without any of his usual Sufjan
exorbitance (on Michigan,
Stevens is credited with play-
ing nearly 20 instruments). Seven Swans
This pared-down approach is Sounds Familyre
a welcome change, bringing
greater lucidity to Stevens's spiritually centered
lyrics. Seven Swans, tender from start to finish,
reinforces the honest voice of a first-rate talent.
The album is so honest, in fact, that it's easy to
ignore the fact that this release isn't just Sufjan
and his banjo. As on Nick Drake's Pink Moon,
there's a certain vulnerability in Stevens' bare-
bones approach. The vocals are delivered with a
nonchalance and sincerity strong enough to solidi-
fy an instant listener rapport. And like Pink Moon,
the sound is so captivating that it creates an entire
world in which all other sounds exist unnoticed.
Album opener "All the Trees of the Field Will
Clap Their Hands" is as poetic as its title implies.
The repeated banjo motif is layered with simple
melody and a single-note pianodfigure, and it
builds with minimal drums and doubled female
vocal harmonies. After climaxing, the sound
immediately fades into "The Dress Looks Nice on
You." Similarly, this tune begins with just Stevens
and his guitar and crescendos to a peak.
Stevens enjoys taking unadorned backdrops -
usually banjo or guitar - and building complex
polyrhythmic structures. This compositional
approach works on each individual song and on
the album as a whole. Each song is crafted to gen-
tly expand on an initial concept, and many times
Stevens chooses to muse on certain phrases. By
the album's conclusion - the quirky, elevating
"The Transfiguration" - something intangible
has happened. Stevens's vocal presence seems all
the more present, even with intensified symphon-
ic texturing.
Thematically, Stevens draws inspiration from
various sources. The Flannery O'Connor-
inspired "A Good Man is Hard to Find" reveals a
dark unease inspired by the story of the same
name. The biblically referenced "Abraham" pon-
ders the Hebrew patriarch and his test of faith.
Religion takes a backseat to faith, and this, when
it comes down to it, keeps the album from isolat-
ing listeners.
This music has the power to transcend and
inspire. It's honest, affirming, truthful, hurtful and
beautiful. Stevens has created a testament of faith
so breathtaking in its simplicity that we're stuck
wondering: What's more to say?
THE HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT
FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER
"Reno 911!" and "The Apprentice" - "Reno 911!" is pure bril-
liance and it airs during dinner, which is a definite plus. "The
Apprentice" ... well, admit it: Reality TV is addicting. Someone
needs to make it stop.
The Federal Communications Commission - Thank God some-
one's putting a stop to nipples, deplorable violence, naughty curse
words, Howard Stern and everything else that's wrong with our
country. For fuck's sake, it's about time.
3
"Songs of Innocence and Experience" - Pulitzer Prize winner
and Music Prof. William Bolcom is one week away from having his
New Yorks Times-labeled "masterpiece" return to Hill Auditorium
for the first time since its U.S. premiere in 1984. The roughly 450
musicians required to pull off the William Blake song cycle include
a full chorus, orchestra, reggae band, rock group, multiple soloists,
maestro Leonard Slatkin and hell knows what else. It doesn't get
much bigger than this.
2
Remember that scene In "Deliverance?"
Shakespeare's first drama 'Titus' performed at 'U'
Arthur Miller on campus - How
often is it that one of the greatest
living playwrights attends his
alma mater to speak during "An
Arthur Miller Celebration?"
Jon Brion - With his recent score
for "Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind," an upcoming
album from Fiona Apple, an
experimental rock
group,and a follow-up to
the pop masterpiece Mean-
ingless, producer/compos-
er/musician-extraordinaire
Jon Brion will continue to
conquer the world.
By Rachel Berry
Daily Arts Writer
ful is to be noble and one doesn't
always have to substitute one hand for
another. With this play she hopes to
send the message that, "In the post-9-
11 world there is another way besides
Senior Megan Marod will con-
clude her directing career at the Uni-
versity with William Shakespeare's
first tragedy, "Titus Andronicus,"
and an equally powerful political
message. Notorious for its morbidity,
psychological games and characters
pushed to emotional limits, "Titus
Andronicus" deals with the conse-
quences of violence.
The play begins and ends with the
words "Noble pity." Marod believes
Shakespeare is saying that to be piti-
violence."
Poet Ben Jon-
son once said that
Shakespeare "was
not of a time, but
for all time."
Marod hopes that
the audience will
see that "people
have been having
the same problems
Titus
Andron icus
Thursday - Saturday
at 7 p.m. and
Sunday at 11 p.m.
Free
At the Arena Theater
for basically all
"Titus Andronicus" prove especially
timely in today's world. By taking the
classical works that aren't about Iraq,
but that deal with the issues of "war,
media, politicians and violence and the
loss of loved ones ... by presenting the
message in a more allegorical way,
hopefully the message becomes an
even more powerful one and reaches a
larger audience," Marod said.
Consequently, she has eliminated a
distinct time period in order to accen-
tuate the timelessness of the story's
themes. The cast will be outfitted in
mainly Roman togas, and the females
will be wearing Elizabethan dresses to
represent the influence of the Shake-
spearian era on the story. The audience
can see how the Roman story inter-
sects with modern life and is flavored
by Shakespeare.
Marod's advice to perspective audi-
ence members is to pay special atten-
tion to the "dinner scene, where Tamara
is fed a pie with her two sons baked in
it, and to Marcus's monologue to
Livinia after her hands and tongue have
been cut off." These exemplify the
power struggle in the play and are
among two of her favorite scenes.
"It is important to do this play right
now because it lets us see the conse-
quences of the morbidity," Marod
said. "It also shows how as people
push past the violence, they create
these amazing bonds."
Courtesy of International Creative Management
eternity and maybe we can find better
solutions." The issues and message of
- 1
21-
wk../
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