Tuesday September 28, 2004 arts. michigandaily. com artspage@michigandaily.com ART s 8 al MELISSA RUNSTROM The benefits side from standing in long lines to purchase outrageously overpriced ks, there isn't a whole lot to complain about when buying a book these days. It is not a difficult thing to do, espe- cially in a place like Ann Arbor, where bookstores seem to litter downtown. In addition to traditional stores, there is also the convenience of online shopping. Almost every bookstore has an online divi- sion. Additional discounts and the ease of shopping at all hours of the night makes buying on the Internet ideal. I would be willing to bet that overall book sales have increased because of online vendors. This considered, there was a time when people thought Internet vendors, like Ama- zon.com, would either fail miserably or succeed in leading to the downfall of tra- ditional stores. It had been feared that since online stores have reduced overhead and can charge less for their books, that they would steal patronage from local stores. The e-book also spelled disaster for tradi- tional paper lovers. Initially, the same peo- ple who love to buy bound volumes feared that too many would download books to their computer or PDA and there wouldn't be demand for paper copies. These worries were pointless; the only thing that the Internet and e-books have done is help the industry by giving custom- ers more options and cheaper price tags. What happens when competition is taken away though? Now there seems to be something new to fear in the book world, and it takes form in the behemoth that is Barnes & Noble. Last January, America's largest book- store chain expanded its publishing busi- ness by purchasing Sterling Publishing for a considerable sum. Sterling is best known for its variety of how-to and informative nonfiction titles. Barnes & Noble already published on a small-scale basis like other large chains - typically classic works that are no longer copyrighted. However, by acquiring Sterling they have changed the' dimensions of the bookseller/publisher game. Not only are they producing best- selling books, but the store's original pub- lishing division, Barnes & Noble Books, is beginning to churn out more popular titles. "Weird U.S." by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman and an unauthorized hardcover edition of "The 9/11 Report" are two of their newest releases. Barnes & Noble Books published "The 9/11 Report" in relative secrecy, adding to the controversy. Most publishing houses announce their future releases months in advance, in order of B &N to drum up as much excitement as possible. But according to The New York Times, Barnes & Noble chief executive Stephen Riggio said the company didn't make a habit of announcing upcoming releases. Barnes & Noble, playing the roles of bookseller and publisher, is in an oppor- tune position to turn a large profit. It has eliminated the cost of actually buying the title to distribute, so the company can sell their books for less and still make big gains. "The 9/11 Report," published by Barnes & Noble, sells at half the list price of the WW. Norton & Company hardcover. Bor- ders, the nation's second largest bookseller, and the wholesale distributor Costco have both stated that they would no longer carry Sterling titles, according to The New York Times. The companies view selling the books as a conflict of interest. Borders apparently has plans to expand its publishing division as well. What hap- pens if Barnes & Noble decides not to carry Borders' books? I can see the predictions now: Instead of going to one store to find what you need, you have to make the trip to multiple book- shops. Barnes & Noble would carry half the books ,while Borders would carry the rest. The two business-savvy companies would have made exclusive distributing agreements with individual publishers not to sell their products elsewhere. Then the independent bookstores are left high and dry with few major titles to offer, unless of course the publishers band together and stop selling to the superstores. Obviously, this scenario is unlikely, but it is no more far-fetched than thinking that online sales will bring an end to traditional bookselling. As for Borders' decision to ban Sterling Titles from its shelves, I haven't seen that happening either. Amazon.com, the company in charge of Borders' online division, is still selling the books, and the store on East Liberty Avenue still sells the older titles. It is important to be informed about the company you are buying from and what they are doing in order to decide if you want to support their actions. More likely,: however, the two super chains of the indug- try will swallow their pride and carry the* other's titles. This new development hardly spells disaster for the consumer, rather it pres- ents a new opportunity to buy high caliber books at a reduced cost. Melissa's too busy buying books at Barnes & Noble to respond, but if you must, e-mail her at goghrun@umich.edu. It's impossible to separate the myth from the leg- end - in 1967, Brian Wilson's proclaimed "teenage symphony to god" was destined to become the great- est pop record ever released. The stories surrounding Smile were legendary - Dennis Wilson declared that it made Per Sounds, the Beach Boys' master- piece, stink. Gonzo journalists and those around the Beach Boys' sessions called it "genius" and "the best album ever made." However, after the departure of lyricist Van Dyke Parks and intense pressure around Wilson from both Columbia Records and his fellow Beach Boys (notably Mike Love), Wilson scrapped the project and set the master tapes ablaze. Smile was born in the summer of 1966 when Wilson and visionary lyricist Van Dyke Parks began work- ing together. In response to the Brian Wilson musical British invasion, they Smile set out to make a very American response - both in its humor Nonesuch and wide-ranging subject mat- ter - that would have been something radically dif- ferent from the music of their contemporaries. Over the past four decades, fragments from the original Smile sessions have appeared on various Beach Boys collections and bootlegs. The most infa- mous of them all, an official bootleg entitled Smiley Smile, included three final cuts from the original ses- sions: "Good Vibrations," "Surf's Up" and "Heroes 01 ute piece. culminating in the reworked "Good Vibra- something Ijust can't explain." tions." the core of Parks's lyrics still h The album's opener, "Our Prayer," is a choral num- tentious look at humor, philos( ber echoing the great works of Bach and Palestrina the rose-colored glass of Amer - a modern thesis on harmony, it's perhaps one of Whereas the Beach Boys's the most beautiful works in Wilson's catalog, and Pet 5'ounds could be conside the most ambitious of the Beach Boys' harmonies. mentation and orchestration, The Wondermints equal Wilson's musicianship with an experiment in vocal poly perfect harmonization and instrumental proficiency. track uses the voice as accom Wilson's voice is much coarser and less fluid than it mostly doubled melodies. The was 37 years ago, but his enthusiasm and presence "Wonderful" and "Child of the on the tracks triumph over any minor incongruity. par the Wondermints were w Wilson's compositional mastery comes into play Boys. The way their vocals pla on the epic "Heroes and Villains." A musical roller in Wilson's lead reverberates coaster that jumps from fully orchestrated passages strings arrangement. to a cappella harmonies, Wilson's disregard for the Smile is one of the gra verse-chorus-verse structure and his wild, erratic rock'n'roll productions ever, tempo changes mark significant departure from typ- album is composed of fragn ical pop music: Wilson not only challenged typical orchestral instrumentation.rect pop conventions, he advanced them as well. even the sounds of crunchingv Lyrically, Smile was a masterstroke and the cul- animals. By releasing Smile, B mination of a young genius in Van Dyke Parks. His his entire career and the myth playful poetry complimented Wilson's musical craft, resurrecting the most painful Often times, Parks finds the most intriguing lyrics offering it for the world to scr come out of his clever word play. On "Wonderful," he its present and final form, is writes, "One / Maybe not one / Maybe you too / Are' piece, but exists as a milestone wonderin' / Wonderin' who I Oh, wonderful you!l are the history of recorded music. wonderin'." Parks rejoined Wilson in this endeavor casts Wilson in a redemptive to rework some of the original lyrics, casting a more light, one in which he can reflexive tone in the words and making Smile feel finally earn the respect he appropriate for Wilson at present. This is most notable deserves and smile alongside in "Good Vibrations," the most famous track on the the greatest composers of the album. The first verse now goes, "I, 1 love the color- last century. 0 Kweli struggles to get beyond the basics SHORT TAKES MACHA FORGET TOMORROW jETSET Macha's latest, Forget Tomorrow, meticulously blends urban electric gui- tars with '80s pop beats, exotic steel drums and synthesizers. The product is hypnotic and tempestuous, but also graceful and elegant. Macha, however, has a habit of over- use. The songs have a rich blend of rhythms and instruments, but some are too drawn-out, like "It's Okay Paper Tiger." Listening to each song individually, the steel drums are a nice contrast to the predominantly urban tone, but after hearing the songs back to back, the beats become blas6. Although the music is beautifully undulating, it can be a little too hypnotic for comfort - i.e repetitive. But starting with"C'mon C'monOblivion," the album picks up and the songs become more emotional and rhythmically diverse. In By Evan McGarvoy Daily Arts Writer "C'mon C'mon Oblivion," brilliant elec- tric guitars take turns building and col- lapsing with enthralling solos. "Back in Baby's Arms" reiterates Macha's trademark variety, and with reg- gae beats and electronica moods, creates a blend as smooth as swimming under- water. "Now Disappearing" throws the listener back into the strange world the band has come to create. "Sub II" is interesting and bright, a journey in itself. However, nothing compares to "Calm- ing Passengers." Beautifully developed, it's a multi-faceted, yet balanced piece of art. Without using words it perfectly conveys that specific moment of loneli- ness and exhilaration, like driving down a highway. The entire album has a really distinct flow. Each song seems to pick up right where the previous left off and takes the mood one step further. This is more prevalent in the second half of the album, as there's much more coherency and con- nection between tracks. *** - Kathryn Bawden The role of conscious, political thought in the hip- hop community is easily at its most bizarre stage in recent memory. As Kanye West, currently the genre's biggest star, walks the tightrope of spiritually conspicu- ous consumption in the brilliant single "Jesus Walks," most of the public stops to praise West's efforts right before going out to buy more J-Kwon records. Talib Kweli What is, perhaps, most trou- Beautiful Struggle bling about this paradox is that Rawkus we're blessed to have some of the most brilliant prophets of hip-hop change since Public Enemy alive and making records. Common, Mos Def, Kanye and Talib Kweli all present themselves as not just stars, but as apostles. The record- ing booth becomes pulpit, confessional and megaphone. Much like his 2002 release Quality, Kweli stays away from the Nubian-bohemian persona of his early career. Production duties are shuffled between old friend and former partner Hi-Tek, Charlamange, The Neptunes and even the subtly bourgeois Kanye. The Beautiful Struggle, like previous albums from Kweli, has wake-up calls to black youth about both their history and the current state of Africans, both in Africa itself and America. It doesn't take him that long to get into the preaching; on the opening salvo, "Going Hard," he remarks, "People ask me how we wearin' diamonds/ when there's kids in Sierra Leone losing arms for crying while they mining." Salient point, but didn't Kanye ask the same question on his album about five months ago? Therein lies the problem. Kweli isn't saying any- thing that hasn't already been said. The most evocative criticisms in hip-hop have always been specific (Public Enemy), unforgettable (N.W.A.) or inescapable (Kanye, again). He seems content to cover the bases with no particular flavor: Women get used, drugs are bad, men need to be decent and life is arduous. You shouldn't have to wait for a rapper of Kweli's talent to use his record space to deliver a Public Service Announcement. Even worse, the songs sound just as abstract and vague as the messages. "I Try" is a doppelganger of Quality's "Get By" and even the album's best track, "Broken Glass," doesn't have the year's best cowbell (see: Young Buck's "Let Me In"). As a rapper, Kweli uses a dazzling vocabulary, ham- mers out strong narrative passages and manages to weave in esoteric historical allusions. His voice, unfor- tunately, has a ridiculous drone factor. It was passable on Black Star; he and Mos Def traded verses. 0 The inherent problem with timely, socially pro- vocative hip-hop is much like the dilemma faced by journalists round the globe: Do you get the message out as quickly as possible or should you methodical- ly lay out your facts and deliver them with elegance? The Beautiful Struggle may be filled with haunting insights, but like old news, it falls on deaf ears. I 0 1111 NW Is -- 'I'l''MWM~v. .'.N. 00'