ARTS The Michigan Daily - Friday, October 1, 2004 - 9 Arcade Fire work within emosace By Chris Gaerig For the Daily The Arcade Fire are not the quintessential emo band, and they do not embody the sound of bands like Braid, Dashboard Confessional or Cursive - their sound more closely resembles groups such as Inter- pol, The Walkmen and The Cure. Often though, emo bands are classified solely on their lyrical content; if this were true, The Arcade Fire are an emo group. However, because all music conveys emo- The Arcade tions, and much of it is about Fire loss, it is clear that the feel of the Funeral songs and musical arrangements Merge are what actually categorize groups. It is this catch-22 that creates such ambiguity in The Arcade Fire's music. With guitar riffs that would fit in with the most common New York rock band, and Win Butler's distinct yet familiar voice - most closely mimicking The Cure's Robert Smith - The Arcade Fire are clearly not emo. During the recording of Funeral, The Arcade Fire's debut album, relatives of several band members died. Because of their overwhelming grief the artists' feelings and tribulations have seeped into the songs. Nearly every track on Funeral deals with a different emotion from love to loss and anything in between. On "Neighborhood #2 (Laika)," a violent household is portrayed to the excitement and intrigue of the neighborhood: "So the neighbors can dance / in the police disco lights." The most emotional track on the album is "Crown of Love" in which Win repeatedly croons, "If you still want me / please forgive me." At nearly four minutes, however, this sappy ballad 'Cadillac' retelling paints a vivid picture By Bernie Nguyen Daily Arts Writer Heartbreak, regret, nostalgia and utter joy; inextricably bound to one another, these emotions form the core of "Autopsy of an Engine," Lolita Hernandez's sweetly sad book about the factory workers on the floor of Cadillac's Clark Street Factory in Detroit. The book's 12 short stories are full of life and a bewitch- ing truth about the most basic labor- ers in any industry - assembly line ghosts whose oily hands and muffled voices echo within each page. Hernandez has written a book both Autopsy of an Engine and Other Stories from the Cadillac Plant By Lolita Hernandez Coffee House Press beautiful and raw. a world that is ending fast. Like the workers on the motor line, Hernandez has created a lasting product - people who remain in the memory long after the last page is turned and stories that resonate real life. The incredible virtue of this book lies in its nature as a collection of sto- ries, which parallels the factory floor as a family of colorful individuals. Hernandez shows her background in poetry through powerfully grace- ful narration. However, her prose is sometimes overwhelmed by the mag- nitude of her description. Occasion- ally, Hernandez falls into the trap of allowing her words to blur her mean- ing. Some sections are so verbose that the reader may lose the story. Despite this, her style is lyrical, with bursts of onomatopoeia that bring to mind the grinding and pounding of the Cadillac assembly line. Hernandez excellently conveys the sweat and open love of the factory floor that characterize the beauty of the book. She draws from her experience of 21 years at the Clark Street Cadillac Factory and infuses her writing with a conviction that could only come from life. "Autopsy of an Engine" is an ode to Detroit. It is a celebration of the auto worker in his most primal form, fitting the chassis and the hood and pounding the pistons into place. Mourning the end of the glorious days of Cadillac, it is a eulogy to the hordes of phantom workers whose lives revolved around the wheels of those Sevilles and ended when Cadillac closed its Clark Street line. The book laughs, cries and breathes life. Start the engine and let it run forever; these workers will Courtesy orMerge These guys can't believe "Star Wars" pushed them off the lead Arts page. becomes overly upbeat and the music suggests a hap- pier tone. This technique displays The Arcade Fire's ability to see beyond the misery and pain of their cur- rent situation - a concept almost never associated with emo groups. The overused string arrangements add a mel- ancholy tone to almost all of Funeral's 10 tracks - a common fix-it among many groups. When The Arcade Fire attempt to convey sadness through the music (and not just the lyrics), it appears that their only answer is adding an assortment of strings lay- ered slightly over their poppy guitar riffs ("Neigh- borhood #3 (Power Out)"). Funeral does not improve upon this pretentious effect that has already been overused in the past - the guitar riffs and outcome of most of the songs destroy any feeling of sorrow that these additions created. Funeral's melodies and instrument arrange- ments are solid enough to fight on the frontline of the underground music scene. The guitar riffs throughout the album are all strong and catchy, and with the delicate piano and keyboard drones in the background, the songs are extremely listen- able and nearly infectious - Rdgine Chassagne's soft feminine voice adds to the eloquence of the album ("In the Backseat"). Funeral is not with- out its faults, though. The sporadic feel of several songs (reverting back to a dance beat and optimis- tic feel) detracts from the sincerity. Many times, the lyrics are slightly too sentimental for the music playing behind them. However, The Arcade Fire's musical aptitude and promise on their debut album, Funeral, are an extremely strong showing that puts them in a position to be pop mainstays, despite their possibly damning sense of gloom and emo labeling. She chronicles the continuing decline of the Detroit auto industry in the early 1990s and the dismantling of the Cadillac factory that follows hard on its heels. Her characters are as real and alive as the people of Detroit's dim post-glory present. She covers the entire spectrum of the human experi- ence, from Abbie, whose keen imagi- nation brings the empty plant back to life, to the anonymous woman whose life spent on the line drives her to insanity. Some hate the factory, some love the factory but no one knows how to live without it. The characters draw emotional response from the reader as they go about their everyday lives in Jam veteran returns with 'Honest Hour' Far-fetched 'Vegas' still intriguing By Abby Stotz Daily Arts Writer By Jared Newman Daily Arts Writer The reality of Reid Genauer's situa- tion is that he doesn't really belong in a jam band. The singer/songwriter whose roots are based in Strangefolk is so prolific that his performances are captivating even as a solo acoustic act. But when Genauer surrounds himself with other musi- Vermont jam band Assembly of Dust The Honest Hour Hybrid Recordings rock songs with a few extended solos and jams works well in showcasing the band's cohesiveness. Make no mistake, however - this is Genauer's show. It's hard not to notice his voice, which is clean and strangely Southern for a Vermont man. He's got a knack for songwriting too, using phrases like "Well-healed girl," "Borrowed light from the moon" and "Blinking possi- bilities shuddered" that sound just right coming from his throat. The band defines their sound as "Hick Funk," but "Folk Rock Done Right" seems more fitting for this set of nine songs. Though the melodies are clear- cut, Genauer's songs rarely stick in the brain like other folk tunes. Instead, there tends to be scattered passages of melodic and rhythmic greatness. These parts are blissful, but there are instances of medi- ocrity as well, usually when the songwrit- ing becomes overly simple. Nonetheless, songs like the opener "Man With a Plan" are great all the way through. Then there's the jamming. Drum- "Dr. Vegas" is a show about a doctor whose practice is stationed in a fancy casino with big hotel suites. Within the first show, a man gets beaten in the parking Dr. Vegas lot, a man pulls Fridays at 10 p.m. a huge nail out ofC his own chest and _ B_ _ a singer headlin- ing in the casino is hooked on drugs and pregnant. As far-fetched as it is, "Dr. Vegas" is actually entertaining. Dr. Billy Grant (Rob Lowe, "The Outsiders") pulls out his sweet office space by pulling a bullet out of casino owner Tommy Danko (Joey Pantoliano, "Daredevil"). By way of thanks, Tommy hires Billy to work out of his casino. The casino is pop- ulated by characters like Tommy's right hand man, Vic (Tom Sizemore, "Black Hawk Down"), and Veronica (Sarah Lancaster, "Everwood"), a blond business student who deals blackjack at night, round out the cast of characters. All seems cheery and well as Tommy runs what is referred to as his "giant godless cash machine." But really, Tommy acts like the godfather of the casino, hav- ing Billy give on-the-spot prognoses to high rollers and making Veronica wear a skimpy outfit to be dealer for a rich foreign jerk. As much of a God complex as Tommy has, he's the best part of the show. Pantoliano plays Tommy like James Caan in his prime and leaves little doubt as to why everybody does what Tommy says. He also acts as an excellent bad cop to Billy's almost saintly good cop. The good doctor and Danko's buddy banter is enter- taining and their fights are explo- sive. Also good is the quick cutting of the show. It jumps back and forth between three or four different sto- ries before one gets too boring. Admittedly, "Dr. Vegas" is cheesy at times and a bit predictable, not to mention far-fetched with its doctor- in-a-casino premise. But "Dr. Vegas" is well acted and slick enough to wind up being a pretty good show. cians, he sometimes takes a back seat to the musical muscle flexing of the jam. Fortunately, his latest group, Assem- bly of Dust, is capable enough to put on a great show that, yes, does include a few jams here and there. The band's second album, The Honest Hour, is comprised entirely of live tracks for that very rea- son. The combination of shorter folk MOORE Continued from page 1 CNN five times in the past 18 months. He thinks the general perception has him being featured as frequently as Bill Bennett or Ann Coulter. "I don't think I'm on much, actually," Moore responded. Moore thinks that most young people are ignoring traditional media outlets and instead getting their news from satirical programs like Comedy Cen- tral's "The Daily Show with Jon Stew- art." "It's kind of a sad commentary on where people get their news," Moore said. While not a complete opponent of this growing trend, he views humor as a "great way to communicate" and he's "glad it's been rediscovered." With the election near, Moore has his eyes set toward the future. "I think I am going to do something on the health care industry, but my plan at first is to take it easy for a while." Additionally, he thinks more levity will return to his work after the election. "I'll probably get funnier after Bush is gone. I'm at kind of a low - a migraine mood right now," joked Moore. - Sarah Peterson contributed to this report mer Andrew Herrick and bassist John Leccese hold up a good groove, but lead guitarist Adam Terrell isn't inven- tive enough to keep things interesting - he's more functional as filler, add- ing licks here and there between vocal passages. Still, he has a great chemistry with keyboardist Nate Wilson, whose keyboard chops are always a pleasure to hear, especially when he takes the center stage. All in all, The Honest Hour can be long-winded or boring at times, but the high points more than make up for these moments. Anyone who wants to see what Reid Genauer is capable of should pick up a copy. "Absolutely stunning.., boasting dazzlingly evocative sequences. Oshii's vision is certainly impressive enough for this viewer to want to go back for more." Midnight Eye - Jasper Sharp "'Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence' is that rarest of birds: it matches the original, continues it, and even kicks DAILY ARTS. SMELLS LIKE ANOTHER GEORGE W. TRIUM , FOR I AM VICTORIAN. The UM School of Music 2004 HALLOWEEN CONCERTS Sponsored by Jim and Millie Irwin Sunday, October 31 4:00 PM & 7:30 PM at Hill Auditorium The annual Halloween Concert returns to Hill Auditorium this year with all new excitement and thrills. Come dressed in costume or as you are to enjoy this beloved event for young and old alike. Tickets will go on sale in person and by phone at the League Ticket Office starting Friday, October 1, 2004. Tickets may be purchased by cash, check, and major credit cards. Limit 10 per customer. Halloween Concert Tickets on Sale Friday, October 1, 2004 League Ticket Office 9 911 N. University M-F 9am-5pm; Sat. 1Dam-1pm PTS RECORDS & USED CDS 617 Packard Upstairs from Subway Paying $4 to $6 for top CD's in U __~UU ~ U .51A~ ~KU UU_.