Tuesday
November 8, 2005
arts. michigandaily. com
artspage@michigandaily.com
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IE HOTTEST PICKS IN ENTERTAINMENT
FROM A DAILY ARTS WRITER
'Rocky Top' - The second best fight song in the nation is currently
stuck in my head after spending last weekend in South Bend and going
to the Notre Dame/Tennessee football game. Singing along to this clas-
sic with a bunch of Tennessee fans at a post-game party was great fun
and if you are not familiar with it, you should definitely give it a listen.
S
'The Simpsons' - America's favorite dysfunctional family may not
be as funny as they used to be, but in my mind the show will always be
better than "Family Guy." Plus you can always get ahold of the DVDs if
you desire that classic Homer.
Hilary Duff - She's only 18 and she already has a greatest hits album.
If this doesn't attest to her brilliance as a singer, I don't know what
does. Her movies are often heavily flawed (or so I have read), but this
kid can easily look past that. She's rumored to be dating
9
6
Courtesy of Sire
some dude from C
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eventually grow ou
punk rockers and m
Daily Arts staff
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good Charlotte
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"Our past was so bright we had to wear shades. We suck now."
'PLAYING GOD
SUDDENLY RELIGIOUS DEPECHE MODE DISAPPOINTS
By Aaron Kaczander
Daily Arts Writer
On their 11th proper studio album, Playing
the Angel, Depeche Mode sound almost atmo-
spheric. This ambience isn't really expected
Soundclick.com - Great
website for new music artists to
check out other artists' music or
create their own page and post
their own (plus it's all free).
Doug Funny, Phoenix Produc-
tions and Buttaz are some of
my favorites.
- as a Depeche Mode record
to dance or maybe even get
in touch with your inner sav-
ior. Playing just comes off as
background music. Not that
"lighter" music isn't enjoy-
able, but for the English
granddads of an incredibly.
Depeche
Mode
Playing the Angel
Sire
kind of disappointing.
Gahan's boredom aside, Playing's ambient
flourishes are indeed mechanically gorgeous
and sprawling. Listen to the record on good
speakers and enjoy a three-dimensional rush of
sound. Simulated walls of synth buzzing, minor
piano chords and baritone guitar plucks envelop
the listener. Great production, however, doesn't
make for a great album. Playing comes off as
a pacemaker of a record compared to classics
like Mode's 1990 staple Violator or even newer
attempts like 2001's Exciter. Pacemakers do their
job, but they're automated, and in Mode's case,
don't allow for an exciting addition to the catalog
this late in their career.
"A Pain That I'm Used To" kicks things off
with trademark jarring buzz. Gahan laments,
"I'm not sure what I'm lookin' for anymore,"
and he's not kidding. Though maybe it's Mode
lyricist and keyboardist Martin L. Gore that's
unsure. Some of Gore's once bold and simple
lyrics now come off as mundane and trite. Gore
attempts to be poetic, but there's just something
increasingly banal with lines like "Can't conceal
what I feel / What I know is real." Gore also
takes Playing as an opportunity to wax dber-reli-
gious self-righteousness. The album is wrought
with sinners, saints, angels, Gods and revelators.
"John the Revelator" is mildly entertaining, but
the rest is kind of uncomfortable for the unaf-
filiated listener. Granted, the Mode hit "Personal
Jesus" ran in this same vein, but for a band that
may now be considered demigods of modern
electro-pop themselves, it's on the verge of self-
indulgence.
The recent influx of electro-copycats like
Brooklyn dance partiers Fischerspooner or mass
marketers The Killers aren't without debt to
bands like Mode and their contemporaries. Yet
with generally boring tunes like "Introspectre"
and "Damaged People," Playing the Angel is an
unfortunate letdown. The album doesn't take
care to celebrate Mode's well-deserved spot on
the hierarchy of hipster dance-band granddad-
dies. But they do deserve forgiveness - they've
surely been feeling spiritual lately.
successful Generation X musical invasion, it just
falls short. Singer David Gahan's morose deliv-
ery hasn't changed in decades, but on Playing
there's an inflection in his vocals that screams
- well, boredom. And for a guy that still has the
ability to draw shouts of delight from fans who
claimed stake in Mode in the early '80s, that's
Courtesy of Fox
Three 6 Mafia revels as 'Unknown'
By Anthony Baber
For the Daily
Dirty South music has never been
universally respected in the world
of hip hop. So they got their own
club-thumping genre and they've
been happy working there since.
Some got huge (OutKast) and others
stayed quiet (C-Murder). Somewhere
in the middle is Tennessee's Three 6
Mafia. Their adrenaline pumping,
horror-core beats have been keep-
ing people destructive for almost a
decade. Famously, the city of Mem-
phis banned the playing of "Tear The
Club Up '97" because partiers began
quite literally tearing the club apart.
They make their triumphant
return with their
new, destruc-
tive album Most
Known Unknown.
If you know any-
thing about Three
6 Mafia, then you
likely know their
style - promis-
cuous women,
Three 6
Mafia
Most Known
Unknown
Hypnotize Minds/
Columbia
The intro, "Most Known Unknown
Hits," is a compilation of all their
best songs, from their first singles
until now, played over one beat for
1 minute and 29 seconds. It then
leads into the breakneck, instantly
memorable "Stay Fly." The album
continues with their usual style of
hardcore bass and yelling crunk as
they collaborate with artists from all
over the South.
A little versatility would be nice,
but don't hold your breath. It's the
same thing you've been listening to
for years now. They're just not really
progressing, though they still produce
a drunkenly good Dirty South album.
So if you've got a killer sound system
that violates city and state regula-
tions, this just might be for you.
candy-painted cars, absurd, fatalis-
tic party raps.
The album is a nonstop fun house.
What will I find in a sales career at Lilly?
Answers.
We want to share with you why over 250 of Michigan graduates
enjoy their work at Lilly. PLEASE JOIN US......
Go Sun or Snow for
Spring. Break!
What:
Who:
When:
Time:
Where:
Corporate Information Session
Students Interested in Pharmaceutical Sales (all majors)
Thursday, November 10, 2005
6:00-7:30 PM
The Michigan League - Hussey Room (Food will be
provided.)
A 7-day trip to Switzerland sponsored
by the U ofM Ski Club for only $1,199!
Airfare, lodging, 4-day skipMss
transportation, daily breakfast, and more
are included in this trip of a lifetime.
Have a great time skiing in the Alps and
explore the happening city of Zurich
with fIriends. A trip offered exclusively
through the Ski Club and
Huron Valley Travel!
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