Wednesday September 28, 2005 arts. michigandaily. com artseditor@michigandaily.com eTiSgan tilg 8 Rock of Ages CLASSIC ROCKERS STAY STRONG FOR ANOTHER GENERATION By Uoyd Cargo Daily Arts Writer Paul McCartney has had the most successful, albeit least consistent, solo career of any Beatle. His last four albums, beginning with 1997's Flaming Pie and continuing through Chaos and Creation in the Backyard have been hailed as a "McCartney renais- sance," a return to the aesthetic of his debut solo album, McCartney, and his only true classic, Ram. Oh, lowered expectations. Chaos and Creation in the Back- yard may very well be his most con- sistent effort since Ram, but none of Paul McCartney Chaos and Creation in the Backyard EMI none of his legendary experimentation. First track and lead single "Fine Line" kicks off the album with a rollicking piano riff and shows that Sir Paul is still capable of rocking. "Fine Line" is buoyed by the pro- duction of Nigel Godrich (Radiohead, Beck), who manages to make even complicated arrangements sound simple and the simplest instrumentations sound grand. The following track, "How Kind of You," is an interesting tempo change, but it's twice as long as it needs to be. Like other middle tracks, "Jenny Wren" opens with a promising acoustic gui- tar line but is killed by abnormally vapid lyrics. "Friends to Go," the album's most memorable melody, is the logical choice for a follow-up single to "Fine Line." It's concise, clear and to the point. Unfortunately on the next track, "English Tea," the album begins to falter. "Would you care to sit with me / For a cup of English tea /Very twee / Very me / Any sunny Morning / What a pleasure it would be / Chatting so delightfully / Nanny bakes fairy cakes any sunny morning." The rest of it is nearly as cringe-worthy. The major weakness of Chaos and Creation is that McCartney never really says anything. Life can't possi- bly be too hard when you're worth a billion dollars, have a beautiful wife and were a frontman in The Beatles. His life, however, should be more of a hint to move away from the autobiographical songwriting approach than an excuse to stay there. At 63, it's hard to get away with singing lovelorn lyrics inferior to the ones you wrote when you were 23. Despite this, McCartney does sound like he's having fun, and though mediocre, is still better than most every- thing else that's out there. Chaos and Creation continues his streak of crafting consistent albums that find a middle ground between his soft-rock schlock and his early acous- tic gems. He may never get back to his glory days, and it's insane to expect him to, but he's still capable of more than this. The man is a fucking Beatle for Christ's sake. By Abby Frackman Daily Arts Writer its songs are better than his worst Beatles tune. While it's unfair to hold him to that standard, it's mind-boggling to think about where all that talent went. Listen to the Beatles' Anthology Three demo of "Mother Nature's Son" and it's clear that if McCartney had put out a solo album in 1968, it would have been the greatest singer/songwriter album ever. Years of absolute shit, from Back to the Egg to the hor- rific Give My Regards to Broad Street, have diminished McCartney's legacy so much that Chaos and Creation may really be his best solo album in 34 years. McCartney plays all the instruments, a wise choice since his effortless musicality makes for a more unified sound than any backing band besides the other three Beatles could provide. His voice, though still good, just doesn't hit those high notes like before. That wouldn't matter so much if his melodies weren't so conventional. While there's none of his patented Wings-era saccharine drivel, there's also Sex, hangovers, walks of shame. Sounds suspi- ciously like a typical weekend in college, but actu- ally, this is what The Rolling Stones are still singing about, nearly 40 years after they took The Rolling the United States by storm with Stones their first American release, 1964's England's Newest Hit- A Bigger Bang makers. On A Bigger Bang, their Virgin first studio album since 1997's Bridges to Babylon, the Stones prove that they, like fine wine and good cheese, only improve with age. Jagger and Richards put aside their infamous animosity while making this album, waiting for drummer Charlie Watts to recover from throat cancer. The end result is raw, unadulterated rock served in classic Stones fashion, making all aging rocker stereotypes and labels meaningless. The album dazzles right from the get-go with the dirty guitar licks of "Rough Justice." Rife with delightful, steadfast, double entendr6s and sexual imagery like "Once upon a time / I was your little rooster / But now I'm just one of your cocks" and "So put your lips to my hips baby / And tell me what's on your mind," this song immediately picks up where the Stones left audiences hanging almost 40 years ago. Fans longing for earlier-sounding Stones songs are sure to be taken with "Let Me Down Slow," a track that showcases Jagger's sound with a country twang, backed by a chain-smoking Richards play- ing some wicked chords. It doesn't really matter that Jagger sounds just like he did on "Dead Flow- ers"; what really matters is that on this song, his voice sounds just as good as it did on the Sticky Fingers classic. On the remorseful "Biggest Mistake," the listener can't help but empathize with Jagger as he patheti- cally whines, "I acted impatient / I acted unkind / I took her for granted / I played with her mind." Richards also gets a chance at the mic, attempt- ing to show off his vocal prowess on "This Place Is Empty" and "Infamy." However, the role of sexy frontman is better left to Jagger. Richards trying to sound sweet and tender is just as creepy now as it was in the '60s. The only missteps of Bang are some spots of unsophisticated lyrics and a few unoriginally titled songs. Lyrics like "I was a stupid jerk / She was a piece of work" on "She Saw Me Coming" and "Driving too fast / I think you're gonna crash" on the unsurprisingly titled "Driving Too Fast" are much too juvenile. Maturity is also lacking for song titles such as "Oh No, Not You Again" and "Laugh, I Nearly Died." Childish titles and lyrics should have no place on a record by the gang who once proclaimed themselves "The World's Greatest Rock'n'Roll Band." Love and heartache are the overarching themes of Bang, but diehard Stones fans shouldn't worry that their legendary classic rock idols are going soft. If age is a sign of things to come, listeners can expect to be rocked just as hard on future Stones albums. 0 -E Bow Wow' By Hyatt Michaels Daily Arts Writer S 'Bounce' lacks bite Rapper-turned-thespian Bow Wow ("Like Mike") leads a charming cast of Hollywood newcomers and veter- ans in the flawed, but passable com- ing-of-age comedy Roll Bounce "Roll Bounce." At the Showcase The film, set dur- and Quality 16 ing the '70s when Fox Searchlight the Bee Gees and roller-skating were cool, conjures up disco nostalgia with groovy music, roller rinks and bellbottoms. "Roll Bounce" follows a simple plot explored in many other teenage-driven movies: A group of talented and under- privileged kids compete against snobs. This time around, Bow Wow's Xavier and his group of cronies are forced to roller bounce to the glossy Sweetwater Skating Rink after their neighborhood roller paradise is closed. Here we find knock-off villains: skinny heartthrob Sweetness (Wesley Jonathan, TV's "What I Like About You") and his two annoying henchmen. But Xavier and his boys (led by the charismatic Brandon T. Jackson, "8 Mile") are more than typical underdogs and pack a humorous punch that balances out the cheese. The tension leads to one of the lamest dance-offs ever, but, thankfully, much of the film takes place outside of the rink. With a '70s backdrop, it's surpris- ing how much more enjoyable "Roll Bounce" is compared to the similar, but embarrassingly bad, "You Got Served." Although it becomes obvi- ous that many of the young actors are imitating '70s TV shows and movies, it's still genuinely fun watching them do it. In between the momma jokes and skating formations, "Roll Bounce" becomes an infectious and sometimes heartwarming film. Bow Wow displays some definite dramatic potential with actor Chi McBride ("Boston Public"). The play their roles well, a father and son reeling from the loss of a beloved wife and mother. Equally sweet are the performances of Megan Good and Jurnee Smollett ("Eve's Bayou") playing the love interest and tomboy, respectively. "Roll Bounce" never quite captures the era the way Spike Lee's "Crook- lyn" did, but it's not really the fault of the actors so much as the screenplay. "Roll Bounce's" dialogue has all the complexity of an Ashlee Simpson bal- lad, and no one is affected more than poor Rick Gonzalez. The up-and-com- ing "Coach Carter" scene-stealer is not only reduced to a minor support- ing role, but is given some of the worst lines in the entire film. "Roll Bounce" also offers lackluster dance sequences, primarily because of its noticeable use of body doubles. Even more distressing is the film's attempt at complex racial humor that comes off more awkward than amusing. It's actually hard not to like Bow Wow's new movie, but it just misses the mark. With talent and disco nos- talgia behind it, the film has all the ingredients to be a successful movie, but it never quite finds itself. "Roll Bounce" is best when the actors are simply allowed to have a good time on the skating rink to the backdrop of the film's amazing soundtrack. If only that were good enough. 0 -- - - - - - -1 THE MALL OUTLET CLOTHING WAREHOUSE SALE Don't miss the recruiters from Quicken Loans, the nation's #1 online mortgage lender, and one of FORTUNE Magazine's 100 Best Companies to Work For in America. Stop by to "Meet and Greet" recruiters from Quicken Loans to learn about the amazing career opportunities. Friday, September 30 from 12 noon to 3 pm. University of Michigan, Ross School of Business. 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