I
Wednesday
Septermber 21, 2005
arts.michigandaily. com
artspage@michigandaily.com
ctefitit"RlTSil
9
0 Let's get it on ...
hate talking about sex. The whole
pseudo-banter of "do this, not
that," and a frank inability by
most people to express what they
actually feel have taken the fun out of
what's apparently the most fun part of
the human experience.
But of course that won't
stop me from contemplat-
ing what kind of music
people actually like to use
in their own bedrooms.
Yeah, you've heard
the jokes: Mom and Dad
totally conceived you to
a Pink Floyd soundtrack
(side note: gross - Floyd,
a total Roxy Music rip-
off, is probably one of the E
least sexy bands ever). If Mc(
you listen to Al Green or
Earth Wind & Fire on a regular basis,
you've probably heard a song that
your parents used to bump at around
2:30 on a Saturday morning while
they rolled around naked in front of a
raging fireplace.
Ain't nothin' wrong with that. In
fact, that's probably hotter music then
we've got now.
Condoms are thrown at us every-
day, people on "Sex and the City"
and "Nip/Tuck" are tossing their legs
behind their heads most nights on
TV, and we seem to know more about
orgasms than at any other time in
human record.
But are our iPods sterile? Do people
actually get naked to Coldplay without
laughing to bits? Would you take some-
one seriously if they made out with you
after putting on a Nelly record? We've
got songs we like for drinking, running
and sleeping. Anyone fancy themself a
bedroom composer?
After a rough survey of my class-
mates and friends (let's say about a
dozen or so people), I can say with
some confidence that most people
actually have playlists ear-marked for
the sole purpose of ... uhhh ... getting
it on? - another awkward contempo-
rary slang term for everyone-knows-
what-I'm-talking-about.
The bands that crop up the most
for guys on these lists seem to be
outfits with sad-sack-love lyrics and
a penchant for tender little break-
downs. See: Badly Drawn Boy, middle
period Wilco and frequent nods to the
sad-eyed king of love, Nick Drake.
Other than that, guys lean toward the
planetarium deep, extra-soft arena
rock moments of U2 and The Rolling
Stones. Oh, and one of my friends has
the most perverted, disturbing sexual
caveat in history - he actively listens
to Journey in the bedroom.
Women seem to have less of a need
for a music warm-up, but gravitate
way more towards classic, sexy, bul-
letproof soul (excellent call) and
Dave Matthews - a not-so-excellent
call. I know he's the perfect quasi-
sensitive rich-ass bohemian guy,
but his freaky voice modulation and
bi-polar fiddle solos kill the mood
faster then a sentence starting with,
:V
G
"My old boyfriend IM'd me the other
day and ... " But stick with the Al
Green and Sam Cooke. They'll prob-
ably treat you with more respect and
caring then college guys. Yeah, Iam
one. We suck.
The middle ground between
the sexes seems to be
brooding soul voices
over kick-ass rhythm
sections. I'd try and
justify this by talking
about psychosexual
human behavior but
I'm scared my parents
are reading this - and
laughing. Another
shared trait: The mod-
JAN ern music scene hasn't
ARVEY really produced that
many artists who ooze
pure liquid sex.
R. Kelly, for his gorgeous voice
and heroic libido, unfairly gets the
short end of the stick thanks to some
filmmaking and songs that swan dive
overboard ("Sex In The Kitchen" and
"I Like the Crotch On You" come to
mind). D'Angelo is probably the best
R&B singer of the past 25 years and
all people remember is one music
video. Britain's Craig David is a
cream puff for sure, but some of the
dub-step remixes of "Seven Days" can
probably dub-step a few people out of
their pants.
Okay, okay, so I'll relent and spill
the beans. Yeah, I made one; it serves
me in good stead. Though it must be
noted if you actually care about some-
one, you may want to like, pretend you
care by altering songs to ones your
partner actually enjoys. She may like
kissing you, but kissing to a G-Unit
soundtrack? She's a good woman for
even tolerating you.
So here are the five best songs,
straight from the iPod of an angst-rid-
den smart-ass direct to your brain.
Don't ask questions, just download:
"The Truth" - Handsome Boy
Modeling School. Sexiest rap song
ever.
"Seven Days (Premier Remix)"
- Craig David. The coy British guy
gets scandalous with the help of Mos
Def. That's right, scandalous.
"Shadow Boxer" - Fiona Apple. I
likes me some angsty girls.
"Smooth" - D'Angelo. Oh come
on. You try and ignore the piano.
"66" - The Afghan Whigs. Filthy;
little lyrics in a candy rock shell.
Try not to download the cosmically
ridiculous make-out songs that have
migrated onto my "Must Have Friends
Listen to For Comedic Potential"
playlist. Unless you like making out
to R. Kelly's "Sex Weed" or Bobby
Valentino's "Slow Down," of course.
Those are on the make-out playlists of
the gods.
McGarvey's favorite make-out
song is "Kiss Me," by Sixpence
None the Richer. E-mail him at
evanbmcg@umich.edu to commiserate.
Courtesy of Geffen
"Dude, where's my car?"
SIGUR IS SWEET
EICELANDIC QUARTET ILLUMINATE THE MICHIGAN THEATER
By Kat Bawden
Daily Arts Writer
CON'cERT EI W
The experimental-rock group Sigur R6s is
moving art. The Icelandic band is notorious
for its boundless creativ-
ity and surreal live shows,
and its performance last Sigur ROS
night at the Michigan The- Atthe Michigan Theater
ater lived up to its reputa-
tion, while still managing
to wow the audience by
offering the unexpected. For the opening song,
a thin, mesh-like curtain stood in front of the
stage, behind which orange light illuminated
the distorted figures of guitarist and vocalist
Jon Thor Birgisson, bassist Georg Holm, key-
boardist Kjartan Sveinsson and drummer Orri
Pall Dyrason.
The light changed to green as a track from
their new album, Tekk, meandered through
the speakers. Then emerged drums, a high
androgynous voice singing a made-up lan-
guage and the shadow of a bow piercing a
guitar. Few people in the audience could pos-
sibly know what Birgisson was saying - the
lyrics and song titles are either written in Ice-
landic, a made-up language called Hopelan-
dic or a mix of the two - or why he decided
to play guitar with a bow, but there was no
complaining. The audience wailed, cheered
and whooped at the beginning and ending of
each song.
Perhaps the strangest part of the concert
was when that sheer curtain was lifted after
the first song, when the audience saw the cre-
ators of that powerful sound were only four
men. The music is so intricate, so ferocious
and so emotional that it's almost surreal to
see it recreated onstage. They may simply be
musicians, but not many man-made entities
have the natural, transcending beauty Sigur
R6s achieves with every song.
Occasionally they played a softer piece
and were joined by opening act Anima - a
long-time Sigur R6s collaborator. Classical
strings and keyboards would mark the musi-
cal centerpiece, and Birgisson's voice would
take a less prominent role - humming and
moaning without words. But even those even-
tually build up and erupt, even if only for a
minute or two.
Sigur R6s has their share of theatrics. In the
middle of "Untitled One," they paused. The
band remained in place, the projected video
froze and the lights were stationary. It was
one full minute of creepy anticipation before
they continued and filled the theater with light
and gorgeous, undulating sound. They sang,
thrashed on violins, stomped on drums and
wailed furiously into microphones. Together
they constructed layers of unbridled orchestra-
tion. Birgisson hunched over his guitar look-
ing like a spider with his bow before collapsing
into a heap on the stage floor, a projected flock
of birds zoomed across the stage and the the-
ater went dark. Then the song ended and the
thin curtain descended again.
Something needs to be said about the cre-
ativity of Sigur R6s's technical team. They
flashed spotlights to a songs' drum rhythm,
changed colors and shapes, traversed the
audience, illuminated the entire theater and
abruptly left the audience in darkness. A boy
leaping, flying birds and dolls faces, were a
few of the distorted images projected on the
screen, the band and the audience; it created a
total vertigo effect.
Pre-conceived ideas of art and music were
shattered. Sigur R6s blur the lines between
concert and performance art; obscure the
autonomy between art and artist. The band is
theatrical without coming off as pretentious
and gimmicky - everything worked together.
Our parents may have had Pink Floyd and The
Velvet Underground for uncanny live shows,
but we have Sigur R6s.
New dean
conducting
orchestra
son at Hill
By Shiori Ito
and Jack Russo
For the Daily
The University Symphony Orchestra Concert,
taking place tomorrow night at 8 p.m., will be
Legendary Clapton
falls flat on new album
By Abby Frackman
Daily Arts Writer
somewhat of an initiation for
celebrated conductor and new
School of Music Dean Chris-
topher Kendall. He is guest
conducting a piece in his first
University concert as dean.
"It's special to have the new
dean be a conductor as well
... It's a way to introduce him
to the University as a conduc-
University
Symphony
Orchestra
Tonight at 8 p.m.
Free
At the Hill Auditorium
When we last heard from Eric
Clapton, he was busy making tribute
albums (most notably one to legendary
bluesman, Rob-
ert Johnson) and Eric Clapton
compilation CDs. Back Home
Paying homage Hme
to music greats is Reprise/Duck
a respectful ges-
ture, but after a while, fans, especially
Clapton's, will start clamoring for orig-
inal material. After listening to Back
Home, Clapton's first album of original
material in five years, however, fans
may think twice before wishing for
another Clapton studio venture.
The album opens with the upbeat "So
Tired," a song filled with guitar twangs,
crashing drums and some sweet Clap-
ton scat. However, near the end of the
song, there is an unusual cameo appear-
ance that seems to come out of nowhere
by - get, ready for it - a baby.
On Stevie Wonder and Syretta
Wright's "I'm Going Left," Clapton
dazzles with his gruff, sexy growls.
But with painstakingly repetitive lyr-
ics: "I'm goin' left / 'Til you lead me
to the right," the song quickly becomes
succeed, hitting a high note with The
Spinners' "Love Don't Love Nobody."
The R&B groove juxtaposed against
Clapton's soulful voice leaves a lasting
impression. Additionally, Clapton's sig-
nature guitar licks shine on the George
Harrison-penned "Love Comes To
Everyone."
"Lost and Found" is another track
worth listeners' attention. Although the
opening guitar licks sound suspiciously
like George Thorogood and the Destroy-
ers' "Bad to the Bone," the contagious
rhythm is a welcome respite from the
excess of sleepy tunes that fill the rest
of the album.
One would think that Eric Clapton,
seasoned artist as he is, would know
what it takes to make a great album.
However, on Back Home, the guitar god
tor (and) as a new dean of the School of Music,"
said David Aderente, School of Music managing
director of all ensembles.
Kendall said preparing for this concert was a
great way to connect with the students.
"It has been great working with these won-
derfully talented students. It's very important to
make music with these students. Not just be the
Admin k trntnr of the school- " saidl Kendall. He
STEVEN TAI/Daily
University students practice yesterday at the Hill Auditorium.
was a three-time recipient of a Washington Area
Music Award.
Music freshman Alice Culin-Ellison said that
it was written back in the late 1980s - today
(pieces) are a lot more sophisticated, we're repro-
ducing (the comooser's sounds) with what we
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