0 A - Monday, February 19, 2007 V-DAY 2007 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Lyrics sings same old tune By CHRISTINA CHOI Daily Arts Writer For better or worse, Hugh Grant and romance are the peanut butter and jelly of the chick-flick world. Tried, true and down- right satisfying, he and his puppy-dog eyes triumph once * '* more opposite a docile Drew Barrymore in "Music and Lyr- MusIC and ics." This time around, Grant LynCS ("Love Actually") plays the At Quality16 quippy Alex Fletcher, a has- been star of the appropriately- and Showcase named '80s group Pop! who Warner Bros. makes a living off his antiquat- ed musical glory by performing at assorted fruit fairs and high school reunions. His mediocre singing career gets a shot at res- urrection through mega-pop star Cora Corman (newcomer Haley Bennett), a beautiful New Age blonde who could easily pass for a runaway Pussycat Doll. Cora bids Alex to write her a hit channeling her devastating breakup from a two- month long relationship, tobe titled "A Way Back into Love," and he quickly finds himself in des- perate need of a lyricist. We can wait for this soundtrack. Enter Sophie Fisher (Drew Barrymore, "SO First Dates"), the temp who waters Alex's plants. With a nervous innocence, a pinch of poetry and a dash of hypochondria, Sophie's hidden ability to write catchy lyrics becomes a lifeline for Alex -and a convenient preamble for close proximity leading to inevitable attraction, heartbreak and reunion. Because - cue the Percy Sledge - when a man loves a woman, well, you know. While their chemistry isn't off the charts, Barrymore and Grant's cumulative stock in the romance industry is enough to create a whole- some camaraderie that buoys the film's sunny plotline. Theirs is the type of relationship that always sails smoothly, as evidenced by the two- minute argument that precipitates the movie's climax. When Sophie's self-esteem is temporar- ily crushed by Alex's harsh words, he must learn how to croon his heart's song directly into her wounded soul before she deserts him forever. Cynics beware: This may not be your cup of tea. Highlights of this songwriting tale include Sophie's older sister Rhonda (Kristen Johnston, TV's "3rd Rock from the Sun"), a fearsome moth- er and a former diehard fan of Pop!. Her enthu- siasm for Alex bests even the pre-teen throngs that worship Cora - who, in accordance with her "shanti shanti" salutations to the crowd, seems strangely untouched by the corrosiveness of, say, paparazzi crotch shots. However, this doesn't stop her from wearing the customarily scanty outfits and lamenting over the threat of being outdanced by Shakira. With winning supporting characters like Cora and Rhonda, "Music and Lyrics" forms a solid love-conquers-all storyline that bridges the gen- eration gap between the teen and adult audience for which the film is surely aiming. The result is a polished and perfectly timed follow-up to the hearts and flowers of Cupid's month. Whether you're snuggling up next to your sweetheart or nursing a smuggled pint of Ben & Jerry's in the theater, "Music and Lyrics" is a reminder of an idyllic love only Hollywood can get away with. Doiron's awakening more of a snooze Proceeds from "The Vagina Monologues" will go to Safehouse, a woman's shelter. RANDOLPH COURT APARTMENTS zS 2 Bedroom Apartment Homes Ground Floor Ranch Style! Private Entrance! Patio! Spacious Kitchen! Air Conditioning! Laundry Facilities! 24-Hour Emergency Maintenance! Pets Welcome! And much, much more! Call today to reserve your new address! 734"97=-2828 By RACHEL COMMON Daily Arts Writer Is Julie Doiron's Woke Myself Up just another indie-rack bore? *. Maybe. The album's lazy mix Woke of grainy vocals and stripped- Myself Up down arrange- mentscandrowse Julie Doiron you faster than Jagjaguwar your 8:30 a.m. poetry lecture. With the thrown-together feel that pervades Woke Myself Up, it's surprising to learn that Doiron's been doing the music thing for a while. She started her career in 1990 at 18 playing bass in the Canadian group Eric's Trip. They became underground favorites before signing with Sub Pop and finding international recognition, tour- ing widely. When the band split in 1996, Doiron began her solo career, releasing six full-length albums and two EPs through the years. Woke Myself Up is her seventh full- length album, a collaboration with former and founding Eric's Trip bandmate Rick White. The album is entirely intimate without sacrificing song-to-song distinctiveness. On each track, Doiron finds a new way to spell out "vulnerable" with differing tempos, keys and instrumentation. "Untitled" is remarkably intro- spective and restrained; "Don't Wannabe / Liked by You" is gritty, grungy and distortion-drenched. These musical changes, though subtle, are engaging. The lyrics, penned by Doiron herself, are unabashedly personal, through the common love-and- loss thread turns quickly from melancholic to melodramatic. On "The Wrong Guy," slow-motion guitar twangs underline Doiron's utter humiliation at a party. Open- ing her eyes "in horror," she real- izes she just kissed the wrong person with everyone watching. "Swan Pond," a waltz in a minor key continues the emo half-whin- ing as Doiron mumbles through the words, "Oh swan pond please set me free! / Hear my song and please bring him to me." What the album lacks is qual- ity production. For someone who's Canuk's seventh album marked by lazy production. been in the biz for more than a decade, Doiron's choice ofagrainy, demo-like finish gives WokeMyself Up the sound of an unsure debut. This is especially apparent on "I Left Town." The simplistic do-re- mi melody and tardy guitar strums bring out the worst of the raw feel, producing an amateur sound - a record of ideas scrawled on pieces of paper and recorded on a four- track in her bedroom. Doiron's creative range is evi- dent. The album's recurring themes of loss and love flow seam- lessly between songs. Like a col- lection of diary excerpts, Doiron's songs are open, emotional entries on relationships and their ups and downs, romantic and otherwise. And like the rest of the Tegans and Saras of the indie under- ground, Woke Myself Up boasts careless production - intentional or not. A little polish on Doiron's part would signal artistic growth, atleast outwardly.Itseems strange that a seasoned musician as Doiron would be content to continue on with the same lo-fi sound of her early-'90s stomping ground. But she's already released six albums, and she seems OK with it. 6l 4 6 0 Stop by the Alumni Center (main lobby doors), 200 Fletcher St., at the corner of Fletcher and Washington, to get up to six blue books for free! All you have to do is show your student ID. The building is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 0 Questions? Visit www.umalumni.com or call 800.847.4764 ALUMNIASSOCIATION UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Uniting the Leaders and Best a ---- --- ---- 0 A