ARTS The Michigan Daily - Tuesday, January 25, 2005 - 11 Misguided Dead fail to continue success on 'Worlds Apart' By Andrew M. Gaerig Daily Music Editor Courtesy o K Records Despite all of the lavish praise indie/punk godfathers Sonic Youth have received in the last two decades, guitarist/singer Lee Ranaldo has rare- ly gotten his fair share of the credit. "One, two, buckle my shoe." The Blow's early songs resurface on LP Though he pos- sesses neither the ultra-cool art hip- ness of frontman Thurston Moore nor the impas- sioned riot girl persona of Kim Gordon, his contri- butions have often been the defining ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of the Dead Worlds Apart Interscope dom of indie-rock. Purporting to be a band of equals, Busch, Conrad Keely and Jason Reece split singing duties, dispensing with the notion of a tradi- tional frontman. Everything seemed to be working perfectly: Source Tag's strength lay in its remarkably clar- ity and sequencing. The band's spine- splitting guitar rave-ups were eerily good, and its live presence was hailed as a stunning recreation of mid-'80s punk vigor. Worlds Apart, however, seems out to trash the band's history. It props Keely up as the sole vocalist and shifts Busch's low-end duties to remain- ing members. Keely is an undoubt- edly talented songwriter, but his nasal sneer doesn't hold up for the album's duration; his writing lacks the abra- sive shifts that made the band's previ- ous albums great. Guitarist/drummer Reece, whose meaty, aggressive com- positions provided contrast for Keely and Busch's melodic excess, is sus- piciously absent. In his stead, Keely submits track after track of mid- tempo rock slush, simultaneously too good to ignore and too weightless to remember. The loss of Busch's energetic bass lines is felt immediately on the plod- ding opener, "Ode to Isis." The band's trademark guitar attack fades quickly in favor of a meandering, melody-less monstrosity that wheezes for over six courtesy of Interscope And you will know us by the trail of bad country-Western fashion. By Alexandra Jones Daily Weekend Editor MUSIC REVIEW You'd expect an album titled Everyday Examples of Humans Fac- ing Straight into the Blow to fea- ture intense beats, The Blow athletic melodies, Everyday Example bombastic, full of Humans arrangements or Facing Straight a tense urgency in into the Blow tone. Not so: On K Khaela Maricich's latest release, lis- teners aren't assaulted with material. Maricich disguises Everyday Exam- ples with shy, almost fragile, vocals and earthy acoustic accompaniment, but the album is really a challenge. She confronts her audience with her earliest, most fundamental songs, then waits on her side of the dare to see how they'll react. Everyday Examples collects music written several years ago, right after Maricich learned to play suitably delicate guitar; she record- ed the album in her bedroom with just a four-track and no guest artists. While it's sonically dissimilar to the lo-fi electronic propulsion found on 2003's The Concussive Caress, her Everyday Examples possesses the same versatility of tone. Her lyrics revolve around introspection, whim- sy, intimacy and sadness. Her mat- ter-of-fact yet gossamer-thin vocals underscore understatement, but she's not afraid to get upbeat on the cheer- ful "Surf Song." Maricich deepens her voice to the point of darkness on "Walk In" and adopts a lighthearted, free persona on "Milkmaid." While this release is a few evo- lutionary stages behind the more heavily produced work she did with the Microphones or on The Con- cussive Caress, Maricich's poetry stands out as an individual strength as well as a perfect complement to her endearing DIY musical style. On "Did You Drive," she asks with pixieish pathos, "Did your blood run through you like orange juice? Did your clothes swirl around you like a cloud?" Maricich's appeal lies in her songwriting ability, both lyrical and musical, as well as her ability to combine those elements to make her songs sound organically in tan- dem, as if her words and their musi- cal accompaniment were fraternal twins. Because her music and lyrics seem to be linked so intrinsically, they radiate an otherworldliness that draws listeners into her dreamy, emotional ruminations. When Mar- icich takes over, listeners hear her music on her terms alone. She con- fronts them with her easy, pure-of- heart aesthetic, but once they listen, she takes over with a blend of medi- tative ostinati, intriguing rhymes and her honest, angelic vocals. What could come off as monotonous or amateurish sounds charming and real - elegant, not undeveloped. Everyday Examples of Humans Facing Straight into the Blow isn't just a lo-fi lover's dream - it pro- vides an enchanting introduction to Maricich's work. Revealing her origins as a bedroom chanteuse, Maricich is a quiet conqueror who set her sights on listeners' psyches even then. moments< "Teenage by which of SY albums. His epochal Riot" is still the standard all of the band's tracks are minutes. The album's other bookend, "The Lost City of Refuge," fares simi- larly, fading into non-descript key- boards. Keely's best moments, not surpris- ingly, come when he pushes the tempo and ups the grandeur. "Let It Dive," for instance, rides a deep, silky bass line, while "Caterwaul," the album's best track, announces itself with a chorus huge enough to rattle hockey stadi- ums. "Worlds Apart" at least captures the charm of the band's heavy/melodic dynamic, but its lyrics drone on about banality of MTV and swears child- ishly ("We're so fucked these days"). This from the band that used to ramble in interviews about obscure 19th cen- tury philosophers? Disappointing. Any melodic joy these tracks pro- vide is immediately dulled upon realization that songs like "A Classic Arts Showcase" and "The Summer of 91" are nearly identical in composi- tion, tempo and mood. Even "Let It Dive's" monolithic churn wears thin: It's nothing Husker Du frontman Bob Mould didn't traverse with early '90s alt-rock also-rans Sugar. Come to think of it, Mould is starting to look like an apt comparison - a former punk who retired to middle-of-the- road melodic rock. Of course, if occasionally great rock melodies were all Trail of Dead had to worry about; things wouldn't be so bad. Unfortunately, they're also churning out sub-B-side throwaways like "The Best" and "The Rest Will Follow." On "All White," the band actually finds some new sonic ground, alternating between popping piano chords and huge choir swells. It's a refreshing break, but the track's two- minute runtime all but relegates it to interlude status. So it goes on Worlds Apart, an album filled with good inten- tions and some kick-ass hooks, but one that moves the band decidedly farther from its role as relevant punk revival- ists, which is a beat-around-the-amp- stack way of staying inconsequential. measured. On the disappointing Worlds Apart, it becomes all too apparent that depart- ed bassist/singer Neil Busch played the same role in ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, a band long considered the logical heir to SY's pawn-shop guitar excess. When 2002's career-defining Source Tags and Codes dropped, the then-quartet rallied against the perceived bore- Finnish ensemble prepares for first U.S. tour By Victoria Edwards Daily Arts Writer FIEAR-PRVE No one would imagine that symphony orchestra in Finland would have the resources or fan base to hold an American tour - but the Lahti Symphony Orchestra is doing just that. The Lahti Symphony Orchestra, under the leader- ship of Chief Conductor Osma Vanska, has sold over half a million dollars in records and released an impressive 50 CDs, making it one of a small regional Lahti Symphony Orchestra Wednesday Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. $ 10-56 Adults $10 Students At Hill Auditorium .EA brings garners back to Middle-Earth' Finland's premier orchestras. Besides its lucra- tive success, the relatively small-sized 60-player orchestra has won an array of accolades includ- ing the Gramophone Award in 1996 and the Gold Record in 1998. Spokeswoman for the Lahti Orchestra Kather- ine Johnson said that the Orchestra has found its primary niche in playing pieces by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. "They've recorded a whole series of John Sibel- ius - a Finnish composer (who's one of) the most famous. They've recorded a whole lot of his work - they're considered to perform that repertoire better than any other orchestra," Johnson said. Johnson said that the biggest advantage that the Lahti Orchestra has over other internation- al orchestras is that they are a Finnish orches- tra interpreting a Finnish composer's work, as opposed to an American orchestra who would interpret the composer's work differently. Still, the Helsinki City Philharmonic has been called the premier orchestra of Finland. With its size and reputation, some say that there has been The Lahti Symphony Orchestra practices for its first tour of the U.S. By Jason Roberts Daily Arts Editor "The Lord of the Rings: The Bat- tle for Middle-Earth" is one of those movie tie-in games that does what most others can't; it floats seamlessly between the awe-inspiring direction and production of what may be the defining films of our generation and them more fluid and life like. The beautiful art direction and integrated storyline are enough to keep fans of the series satisfied, and the sheer scope of the project combined with the engaging game- play should be enough to keep hard core real-time strategists busy. It's a unique take on the strategy genre, but "Middle-Earth" pulls it off well. a competition between the smaller, lesser known Lahti Orchestra with its impressive reputation and the Helsinki Philharmonic with its large size. Kalvi Aho, a Finnish composer, said in an interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the rising popularity of the Lahti Orchestra has altered the previous balance of power that exist- ed in Finland, in terms of groups with musical prestige. According to Aho in the interview, this com- petitive nature was augmented when a new hall built for the Lahti Orchestra was considered by some to be better than the performance hall for the Helsinki Philharmonic. During the Lahti Symphony Orchestra's 10- week tour of the United States, the world-renowned Canadian pianist Louis Lortie will accompany them. Lortie has gained worldwide acclaim for his interpretation of Beethoven's works. A hidden jewel, a small regional band that could have easily been overshadowed, the Lahti Symphony Orchestra has earned a unique place of prestige among nationally acclaimed orchestras. It has formed a niche that few acts can fill. U U the tactful preci- sion of a solid real-time strat- egy game. The game results in a unique chance for fans of Tolk- ien's trilogy to take the helm as either friend or The Lord of the Rings: The Battle foi Middle-Earth PC EA Games tairs at the Bivouac on State Street foe and choose their own destiny in the realm of Middle-Earth. The game's beautiful presentation is easily its best selling point; "Mid- dle-Earth" faithfully recreates the environments and follows the story- line of the "Lord of the Rings." Both art and voice direction are dead-on since the majority of the main cast returns to provide their voices for the game, most notably Ian McKel- len and Christopher Lee as Gandalf and Saruman, respectively. 5 Though it is dubbed a "strategy" game, "Middle-Earth" has stripped down its strategic elements to a bare minimum. There are still resources to build, but the heart of the game is in its action components. Charac- ters level up as they gain experience much like they do in role-playing games. This, combined with the very distinct locales where the char- acters battle, move the game along at the same kind of pace as the films, keeping the gamer's attention focused on the action at hand, rather than on the mundane micromanage- wit tisa4 with this ad