Wednesday April 20, 2005 arts. michigandaily. com artspage@michigandaily.com ARTS 11 . . ........... Jones spreads Houston's sound By Evan McGarvey Daily Music Editor When the camera isn't focused on the two stars of the 2001 music video for Ludacris and Jer- maine Dupri's "Welcome 2 Atlanta," you can make out clusters of people Mike Jones lurking in the background. Look hard. Who is Mike Even among the video's massive club Jones? and street-side scenes you can pick Swishahouse/ out a then-unknown T.I., Ying Yang Asylum/Warner Bros. Twins, Jazzie Pha and a pre-crunk Lil' Jon. It's a wonderful moment to look back on simply because we know how much the modern hip-hop scene is saturated with Atlanta talent. Mike Jones may ultimately do for Houston what that epochal video did for Atlanta: take a local scene and thrust it into national prominence. Should all go according to plan, Mike Jones's debut album, Who Is Mike Jones?, may be the first notable emissary from Houston's legendary "Screwed N' Chopped" scene. With the tempo ratcheted down to a snail's pace, slug- gish sampling and best enjoyed while drunk off cough syrup, Mike Jones, a Houston rap stud from the famed Swishahouse label, is an ambassador from a nation of rap music unlike anything you've ever heard. And when Who Is Mike Jones? sticks to its guns, it's a sloppy, hazy and mesmerizing listen. The lead single, "Still Tippin'," is five minutes of bleary- eyed greatness where Mike Jones repeats the same lines, Slim Thug and Paul Wall (two other Swishahouse studs) give admirable guest verses and the bass drum kicks at the rate of a slow moving glacier. Casual pop fans keep expect- ing an obnoxious helium-like vocal track to rise from the background or some ubiquitous fly girl to begin chanting an asinine hook. But, in what must be a first, none of the above happens. The song concedes to no lame pop conven- tions. "Still Tippin' " is the most unique, uncompromising song of the year and reason enough to own the album. The plodding, screwy melodies of "What Ya Know About," "Back Then" and "Screw Dat" take the foreground of the album. Jones touches the usual themes with a fop- pish-dandy, singularly Texas confidence that puts a nice twist in places where someone like Fat Joe might sound uninspired or lazy. He often giddily recites a line four or five times in the same song, and is certainly a stylish, if not lyrically commanding, rapper. But that's not really the allure of his album. Jones is personable enough, but it's the beats that stick around. When they leave their natural element and try to sound like everything else in the Top 40, like on "Flos- sin' " and "Laws Patrolling," they lose their charm. When executive producer DJ Michael Watts is left to his own devices, the keyboard alchemy he makes sinks in like that famed Houston syrup. It's no secret that Mike Jones isn't the best MC from Swishahouse. But he's a hungry underdog, and he's smart enough to let the melodies of his album work for him. While there's never any clear answer to the titular ques- tion, maybe it's for the best. Mike Jones has opened the door for Houston; let's see who walks through it next. Curtesy of Fox Searchlight "Who Mike Jones?" LIKE A FINE WINE 'SIDEWAYS' MAINTAINS THE MAGIC ON DVD By Adam Rottenberg Daily Arts Editor 'O.C. Mix 4' evokes sun and surf By Abby Frackman Daily Arts Writer Sun, sand, surf, shirtless Benjamin McKenzie ... What more could you ask for? Fox's "The O.C.," now in its second sea- son, revolves around four super-rich high schoolers dealing with everyday life in beau- tiful Orange County, The 0.C. Mix 4 Warner Bros. Calif. How about a hit soundtrack burst- ing with songs ideal for days spent lament- ing over what outfit to wear? No problem. The O.C. Mix 4 succeeds in producing a stellar collection of tracks, but still falls a step below its predecessors. The mix opens with the heavy British accents of The Fitureheads on "Decent Days and Nights." Laden with infectious guitar riffs and non stop, snapping drums, this track is sure to have listeners tapping their feet in no time. The rest of the album is devoted to softer, more contained songs. Sufjan Ste- vens lends his Elliott Smith-esque vocals to "To Be Alone With You." Indie rock- DAILY ARTS. WE LIKE GIRLS WHO WEAR ABERCROMBIE t FITCH. WRITE FOR SUMMER ARTs. E-MAIL SsUMERaAuEsZK5. ยง 'UJM ICH.ED U. ers Modest Mouse also make an appear- ance with "The View," a cut from their 2004 release Good Newsfor People Who Love Bad News. This song rocks in usual Mouse fashion, complete with pulsing drums and sizzling guitars. Also present is "Scarecrow," a track from Beck's lat- est release, Guero. While the lyrics are difficult to decipher, Beck's innovative recording style still succeeds in grabbing listeners' attention. For a change of pace from previous mixtapes, The O.C. Mix 4 features more than a handful of tunes from female vocalists. Singer-songwriter Imogen Heap dazzles listeners with "Goodnight and Go." While her smooth, soaring vocals sound uncannily like Sarah McLachlan's, her keyboard skills are a welcome change from the glut of guitar-wielding rocker chicks. However, like every episode of "The O.C.," this mix is not without its low points. Every time Marissa gets caught drinking, or Ryan gets in a fight, these are the songs that should be playing - if only because they're as unpleasant as the char- acters' situations. San Diego quartet Pin- back opens "Fortress" with a catchy guitar hook, but the song quickly loses its appeal Director Alexander Payne revels in the minutiae of life. It's the little nuances and foibles of his characters that give his work a unique Sideways feel. From the biting satire of "Election" to the moving character-piece "About Fox Searchlight Schmidt," Payne fills his films with people who rise above their mundane existences. With "Sideways," Payne perfected his craft. "Sideways" moves Payne out of middle America and into sunny California. Dour writer Miles (the always outstanding Paul Giamatti) and overgrown child Jack (the surprisingly excellent Thomas Haden Church of "Wings" fame) take a trip through wine country right before Jack's wedding. Miles thinks that they're headed out for a nice, relaxing vacation, but Jack has other intentions - to get laid one last time. They ulti- mately meet two women, Maya (Virginia Madsen, "Candy- man") and Stephanie (Sandra Oh, TV's "Grey's Anatomy"), who become the objects of their affections. The lies build up and hilarity ensues, but not without Payne pulling at his audience's heartstrings. Though Jack's feelings toward Stephanie are constantly in question, Miles falls hard for Maya. Yet, the film never settles for being pigeonholed into either comedy or drama; instead it com- bines both with ease. What could have been just another buddy movie becomes so much more. It's about life, love and overcoming fears. The characters develop with such radiance, which is all too because of obnoxious drone. Additionally, indie rocker Aqueduct stuns listeners with his shockingly hostile lyrics: "Don't ever ask me where I go / Last man who asked me had to go ... If you start asking / I'll pull this heat I'm packing." The O.C. Mix 4 redeems itself with the last track, matt pond PA's cover of Oasis's "Champagne Supernova." When he sings, "Where were you while we were getting high?" the listener can't help but wonder if Sandy Cohen gets high to this song while Kirsten is out of the house. And the tone of that track serves as a fitting end to a show with such excess-prone characters as "The O.C." uncommon in most films. "Sideways" uses wine as a meta- phor for this growth, which could have come across as rather hokey, but instead speaks volumes for the abilities of the cast and crew. Few films in 2004 had better acting, tighter direct- ing or wittier writing. The cinematography and direction are beautiful, and the DVD replicates the images with great precision. The sound is just as strong, recreating the theatrical experience. Unfor- tunately, that's where most of the DVD's strengths end. The commentary track, featuring the normally entertaining Gia- matti and Church, is mostly boring and uneventful. Though it is a character piece at its core, Payne can be felt all over the film, and his absence on the track is unforgivable. The brief making-of featurette gives viewers almost no new information and instead serves as a sort of infomercial for a product that they have already purchased. However, the DVD handles its deleted scenes well - only offering ones that were cut at the 11th hour. Each scene is accompanied by written descriptions of the scene in question, why Payne cut it and where it fits into the film. This technique should be used more frequently as it really helps viewers understand film editing. How Oscar mostly ignored such a memorable and heart- felt film is unconscionable; "Sideways" won Best Adapted Screenplay, but struck out in the rest of the major races. Still, it rejuvenated two careers (Church and Madsen), showcased one of the best actors today (Giamatti) and showed the growth of its director (Payne) into a true Hollywood force. Film: ***** Picture/Sound: **** Features: ** An Afternoon in Corporate Strategy, an Evening with the Red Sox Choose from over 600 courses. 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