Tuesday November 8, 2005 arts. michigandaily. com artspage@michigandaily.com R TeSlitligan tiig 0 8 r l 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 (or maybe Simple P eventually grow ou punk rockers and m Daily Arts staff MTV Overdrive division of mtv.c offers exclusive live performanc- es, interviews, music videos and more. You can also learn more abou your favorite Lagu Beach characters! A by "characters," In psuedo-humans. good Charlotte "lan), but she'll it of the lame nove on to the writer phase. e - A sub- om, Overdrive ut na knd mean "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! 1: ryrs ecS aE ire ne c ines