ARTS
10A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, November 15, 2004
Mates takes playful
show to the Magic Stick
that it qualified
as a spectacular
guilty pleasure
for millions of
"singletons" all
across the globe.
Who, after all,
could watch
Hugh Grant and
Colin Firth's
street rumble to
Bridget
Jones: the
Edge of
Reason
At Showcase
and Quality 16
Universal
By Aaron Kaczander
Daily Arts Writer
CONCERT REVIEW
Kori Gardner, one half of the
quirky pop duo Mates of State, does
not have fond memories of their
April opening gig for the Strokes.
"The last time we played in
Detroit, somebody threw a bottle at
me," she scoffed
to the nalf-full
crowd of shaggy, Mates of
beaming young- State
sters at Friday's Magic Stick
show. Kori made
sure to cover up
her spiteful comment with a rush of
compliments. "But I hear in Detroit
that means we love you!" The
crowd obliged and happily brushed
off her stage banter in eagerness for
the next frantic pop gem.
Mates of State were out on a spe-
cial date Friday, to prove that a
male-female duo could indeed cre-
ate wonderfully layered, spastic love
songs without a guitar. The San Fran-
cisco couple, who married in 2001
and took their eccentric mix of organ
and drums on the road, played like it
was a cozy movie night in their living
room. Like other rock spouses such
as Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore
and Kim Gordon, Mates truly play
off each other's swaying rhythm
and inside jokes for an entertaining
night of indie pop. Drummer/vocalist
offered wildly danceable disco beats
and nasally yelps amid wife Kori's
undeniably sweet and honest vocals.
Noticeably lacking a lead singer,
Mates embodied everything that is
remarkable in a musical duo. Nearly
every word was sung together, either
in harmony or in playful singsong,
while surprisingly pounding bass
lines and melodies were provided
by Kori's complex organ riffing.
The crowd, though lacking in atten-
dance, sang along with nearly every
word and added to the family-like
setting created by the amorous cou-
ple onstage. Listeners couldn't help
but smile at the playfully loving
gestures and glances Kori and Jason
shot back-and-forth to each other
mid-song.
The duo, who welcomed their first
child over the summer, ran through
material from their three full-length
records and variety of EP's. Near the
end of the set, they called on open-
ers Bishop Allen and Pas/Cal for
a collaboration on "Along For the
Ride," from their newest All Day EP.
Though they left out their notorious
cover of David Bowie's "Starman,"
the crowd danced joyously through-
out the entire set.
The Mates of State rounded out a
night of vocally soaring harmonies
and crashing drums with a modest
thanks, retreating from the stage
quietly. Relentlessly touring in small
club settings, they seemed all too
content with their current musical
status - playing intimate shows to
appreciative friends - and not fill-
ing up the local large music venue.
Their overt honesty and cutesy
banter left the crowd longing for a
chance to be part of the family.
CoureofUnvesa
Look Renee, there goes your Oscar nomination.
the soundtrack of "It's Raining Men"
without giggling in girlish delight?
To those who savor cinematic
empty calories, the good news is that
the sequel, "Bridget Jones: The Edge
of Reason" has them in droves, prac-
tically duplicating the original. The
bad news is that the film lacks the
kind of narrative cohesion, restraint
or respect for the characters neces-
sary to make the little moments of
embarrassment and emotion into
anything resembling a good movie
- guilty pleasure or not.
The film picks up some six weeks
after Mark Darcy (Firth) and Bridg-
et (Renee Zellweger) shared their
first kiss in the snow at the end of
the last movie. Before long, howev-
er, cracks in the relationship begin
to manifest. Bridget doesn't fit in at
a Law Council party, the two dif-
fer on politics and marriage and to
top it off, rather predictably, Mark is
working late hours with a beautiful,
leggy coworker ("Real World: Lon-
don" survivor Jacinda Barrett). All
this conspires far too conveniently
to throw a newly single Bridget
back into the arms of Daniel Cleaver
(Grant), the smarmy, fidelity-chal-
lenged ex-boyfriend who's now her
co-worker in Thailand.
Along the way, there are so many
moments for Bridget to embar-
rass herself that they cease to have
any comedic effect, and instead of
seeming like a witty and lovable
neurotic with the world against her,
the script transforms her into a bor-
derline freak. Even the movie's most
charming scenes feel a bit over-
played. In particular, a gratuitous
fight between Mark and Daniel lift-
ed straight from the original seems
a bit too self-conscious to replicate
the spark of the first.
The film takes a disastrous turn
when Bridget is arrested on drug-
trafficking charges and thrown into
a Thai prison. Luckily for the plucky
heroine, Thai prisons turn out to be
remarkably clean and filled with
young girls who not only speak
excellent English, but love nothing
more in the world than to gossip
and sing Madonna songs. Eventu-
ally Mark comes to her rescue, the
aforementioned leggy co-worker is
dismissed in a monumental cop-out
and the two live happily ever after.
The film's little moments of wit
and sporadic quality scenes are
played to full effect by the outstand-
ing cast, which manages to partially
overcome disastrously written cari-
catures. Zellweger, though clearly
in danger of a heart attack, is once
again funny, sharp and deeply sym-
pathetic reprising her Oscar-nomi-
nated role. The returning supporting
actors and newcomer Barrett are all
flawless as well, but the real credit
has to go to Grant and Firth, who
once again elevate the movie with
charming, nuanced and profoundly
funny performances.
Despite all obvious problems, the
producers of "Bridget Jones" appar-
ently had such confidence in the
film that they pushed its release up
a week in order to garner good word
of mouth and strong reviews. Well,
here's one from the Daily: "Fans of
the original 'Bridget Jones's Diary'
will most likely find this worthwhile
sequel most entertaining."
tI
Wu-dTang's 01' Dirty
Bastard dies in studio
NEW YORK (AP) - The rap artist
O.D.B., whose utterly unique rhymes,
wild lifestyle and incessant legal trou-
bles made him one of the most vivid
characters in hip-hop, collapsed and
died inside a recording studio Satur-
day. He was 35.
O.D.B. had complained of chest
pains before collapsing at the Manhat-
tan studio, and was dead by the time
paramedics arrived, said Gabe Tesori-
ero, a spokesman for O.D.B.'s record
label, Roc-a-Fella.
The cause of death was not imme-
diately clear, but O.D.B. had recently
finished a prison sentence for drug
possession and escaping a rehab clinic.
He would have turned 36 on Monday.
O.D.B., also known as 01' Dirty Bas-
tard, Dirt McGirt, Big Baby Jesus or
his legal name of Russell Jones - was
a founding member of the seminal rap
group the Wu-Tang Clan in the early
1990s. With his unorthodox deliv-
ery - alternately slurred, hyper and
nonsensical - O.D.B. stood out even
in the nine-man Clan, which featured
such future stars as Method Man, RZA
and Ghostface Killah.
The Wu-Tang blueprint was for
each member to pursue solo projects,
and O.D.B.'s were among the best. He
released hit singles such as "Shimmy
Shimmy Ya" and "Got Your Money,"
and appeared on remixes with artists
like Mariah Carey.
"GOD MADE DIRT AND DIRT BUST YO ASS.
STOP ANNOYING ME, YEAH! PLAY MY MUSIC LOUD.
IT TAKES THE BASTARD OL' DIRTY TO MOVE THE CROWD?"
DAILY ARTS MOURNS.
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