4B - Thursday, January 11, 2007 {the b-sidel The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 0 Folk: the adjective, the tradition ByANNAASH DailyArts Writer 0! Courtesy of Geffen Just try and jack this dude's beats. Pop star ear?.Tii By BRIAN CHEN DailyArts Writer Timbaland didn't just produce two No. 1 albums and perhaps the best single of 2006 - he made it look easy. Arguably last year's most successful and prolific producer, he's established himself as a gen- uine auteur, transcending genre classifications while retaining his Midas touch. Among his highlights last year, Timbaland produced almost all of Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/ LoveSounds and Nelly Furtado's Loose. He has a singular ability to convincingly reinvent artists, from crowning the former boy- band member as the King of Pop to transforming Furtado from a win- some folk singer to a promiscuous sexpot. When Justin Timberlake described his first single as "Bowie and David Byrne covering James Brown's 'Sex Machine,' " it was hard not to anticipate a crash-and- burn like fellow 'N Sync mem- ber JC Chasez. Yet "SexyBack" accomplished all that it set out to do, at once stupefying and mes- merizing. Timbo even made us accept Justin's startlingly pruri- ent boasts of "bringing sexy back" without dwelling on their asinin- ity, an achievement in and of itself. "My Love," the latter half of the Timberlake/Timbaland one-two punch, was the icing on the cake, a pop masterpiece-reinforcing Jus- tin's regality. Meanwhile, Loose might as well serve as a blueprint for artistic rebirth. Cynics predictably label Furtado a sell-out, but Timbaland makes the transformation seem organic, as if the mainstream arena were a natural progression. In "Promiscuous," Furtado sounds entirely comfortable over Tim's of the n a and flute loops and rapturous synths, surprisingly believable with her talk of casual sex. I can't recall a producer that has so impressively brought out the best in his artists since Dr. Dre or Rick Rubin. What's surprising is that Tim- baland never really changed his method of production. His idio- syncratic staples - thrilling, ebb- and-flow synthesizers, stuttering bass-heavy beats and his signature low mumbling - are still essential elements, yet his tracks now gam- Bringing cred to that "I'm Like a Bird" girl. ble with a shocking unconvention- ality foreign to mainstream radio. His ability to blend familiarity with avant-garde experimentation is a talent few can emulate. And now in 2007, Timbo is sure to have another eventful year, soon set to release his second solo album, titled Timbaland Presents Shock Value, with a smorgasbord of guest artists including Dr. Dre, Bjork, Lil Wayne and Elton John. The first single, "Give tt To Me," featuring (who else?) Furtado and Timberlake, already finds Timba- land venturing into more experi- mental territory with minimalist synth stabs laid over tribal bon- gos. He even raps, bragging "I'm respected from Californ-i-a way down to Japan /I'm a real producer and you just a piano man." Self-aggrandizement aside, Tim- baland has nothing to prove - he's already cemented his status as the most entertaining and stimulating producer of 2006, if not the decade thus far. Granted, iTunes isn't the most reliable source. But when it labels Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Jolie Holland and Joanna Newsom all under the folk genre, it's hard not to tilt your head slightly to the left and giggle at the thought of all three on stage with acoustic guitars singing "This Land is Your Land" in three-part harmony. Then again, Newsom's early albums Walnut Whales and Yarn and Glue are actually labeled "rock," and to fur- ther discredit this genre business: iTunes claims that Regina Spektor is both folk and anti-folk. Damn, talk about versatility- you know a musi- cian is impressive if she can be both the thing itself and its opposition. All contradictions aside, the more interest- ing problem with this iTunes genre business (or whoever rocks the Gracenote CDDB database) is that the walls defining the genre of folk have become so thin that even a wailing harpist can squeeze in. This is because modern use of the word "folk" in regards to music has almost com- pletely evolved into an adjectival role. Folk as one of many descriptions, folk as an influence, folk/blues/jazz or even folky or folkish instead of just plain folk music. This doesn't mean that folk music is dead, and this isn't an implication that today's "folk" musicians are less deserving of this label than early-20th-century musicians like the Carolina CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Tar Heels. And it's not catastrophic that the iTunes folk genre is so blatantly misleading. the word folk in their Yes, it would be more accurate for Gracenote are far from this orn to describe Newsom's new album as folk/alter- still a few who relis native/indie, or something of the like, instead of making a one-word generalization, but the strangeness in its conception of the folk genre W hat's is far too interestingto become indignant about. Today, folk is casually attached to acoustic iTunesI music that tells a discernable story, but before and during the romantic period, folk music was ans categorized as music created by and for the com- mon people; it's association with the lower class was especially prevalent during the 19th centu- tions of folk music, ta ry. As American folk music (primarily from the feeding them to youtf Appalachian mountains) became popularized in knowledge of Joan B; the mid-20th century with musicians like Pete Life Aquatic With Stev Seeger and Woody Guthrie, it also became a tool ics would consider BC of activism while remaining rooted in its tradi- folk/bluegrass/countr tional forms. What's unique about folk music is ditional tunes such at the anonymity of the authors and composers; Grove" and numerou with less emphasis on who actually wrote the one of the few group song and more emphasis on passing the music their roots. Last winte down from generation to generation, folk music of seeingthem atTheI isn't so much a genre as it is an oral tradition. by Aoife O'Donovan's Althoughmostoftoday'smusicians whoboast Eggleston's outrageou V .'.5C7 OT E BOOK On 'Love,' allyou need is the Beatles Courtesy of Smithsonian Folkoays, Vanguard, Drag Cty, Signature LEFT: Pete Seeger, Woodie Guthrie Joanna Newsom, Crooked Still. '"m - r biographies and reviews ginal definition, there are h and thrive in the tradi- [n a name? has all the wers. king classic melodies and ful audiences whose only aez is her song on the The 'e Zissou. While most crit- ston's Crooked Still to be y, their renditions of tra- s "Darling Corey," "Shady s others establish them as s who remain devoted to r, when I had the pleasure Ark, I was not only stunned delicate voice and Rushad s and uncontrollable cello playing, but also completely in awe of their abil- ity to retain the authenticity ofAppalachian folk music without allowing the its stigmatisms to hinder their original interpretations and alter- native approaches to the age-old tradition. Groups like Crooked Still beg us, as musi- cians, scholars of music and listeners of music, to approach today's redefinition and reappro- priation of the folk music genre with a certain degree of caution. Joanna Newsom's music certainly has folk influences, and using folk as an adjective to describe her music seems com- pletely appropriate, but there is something jar- ring about her and musicians like Jolie Holland and Bonnie "Prince" Billy being thrown into the same iTunes genre simply because their music includes storytelling or finger-picking. Yes, genres in general are limiting and mildly unnecessary, but looking aside from this, we still resort to them in an attemptto organize and classify something so unmistakably unclassifi- able - which is probably the best genre option iTune's offers - and thanks to alphabetical order, it conveniently falls right in between "nbergenre" and "world." InninntcI .. IInInnc_ By ANDREW SARGUS KLEIN ManagingArts Editor As if "Because" - the second track on the transcendent second side of Abbey Road - wasn't ethe- real enough. The track's isolated vocals, with a subtle backdrop of chirping birds, sound nothing less than a troupe of chanting monks. The viewer's ear, instead of filling in the rest of the instruments, can't help but be trapped in awe - the vocals seem to hang suspended in time, untouchable, holy. That is, until the opening chord from "A Hard Day's Night" barges in, extended with samples from gui- tar solos on "The End" right before effortlessly launching into "Get Back." Thus begins Love, the recent remixing of the entire Beatles catalogue by none other than the group's original producer George Martin and his son Giles - who else would have the permission, the authority to undertake such a project? Part of a collaboration with renowned theater group Cirque du Soleil, Love and its sig- nificance nevertheless extend far beyond simple logistics. Not since 1988 have we seen any reissues of the Beatles's masters. Choose any track off of Love and you'll find clear evidence of a dire situation: We need more remas- ters of our favorite Beatles album (that would be all of them, right?). Without question, the sound qual- ity is staggering: Every single track sounds tremendous regardless of insipid Mac speakers or half-bust- ed car stereos. We're listening to serious, professional-grade remas- ters, and the quality is impossible to ignore. And let's not forget (how could we?), this is the Beatles we're talk- ing about. They're untouchable, remixes and remasters be damned. But Love can't escape playing a large part in a dialogue that will extend for as long as there is music to be talked about. Here we have perhap fied to a: i materi throug juxtap thing Liverp before cation. or orig studio somett and ac Guitar Eric C matter is the only two people quali- biographical element. It's as if we handle the original Beatles can find out something more about George just by isolating his voice. And these moments are all over Reverence Love. They're uplifting at points, such as the demo used for "Straw- nd tact reign berry Fields Forever" and the string section on "Eleanor Rigby." on 'Love.' History is being picked apart and reanalyzed under an aural micro- scope, and damn, the Martin boys know what they're doing. "Being al, creating an album that for the Benefit of Mr. Kite" ends h its interpretations and with the birthpangs-of-metal ositions is revealing some- outro from "I Want You (She's So about those four lads from Heavy)"; "Drive My Car" mixes in ool that we didn't know the riffs from "The Word" and the - at least, that's the impli- resplendent "What You're Doing." When vocals are isolated The placement and layering of ginal demos put in place of seemingly disparate tracks is near tracks, that's when we hear perfect - as perfect as perhaps hingnew. George'slone vocal anyone could achieve. oustic guitar on "While My But (of course, they're had to be Gently Weeps" doesn't have at least one "but") Love isn't the lapton's riffing - it doesn't first album to do just this. The three . Tracks like this take on a anthologies from the mid '90s and the two volumes of masters from the late '80s are completely full of revealing moments. On Love, those moments are fewerbut emphasized by the juxtapositions of samples. You won't find as much insight into the Beatles, but - and maybe this is the simplest, most necessary thing that can be said about the album - you'll end up appreciating them and their unmatched accomplish- ments even more. Appropriately, the album ends with "AllYouNeedisLove,"spliced with instruments and vocals from several tunes and ending with loose studio chatter from the boys. The message is simple: The album was put together with a love only the Beatles and their music can invoke. Love won't make its way into any of your Beatles top 10 lists, but it's a touching addition to the most important section in your music collection. 7 3 0 6 0 0 6 Double your MCAT* Prep - for free! 5 2 91 i 6 3 4 - - - -4--- up to a $1,749 value Not sure which of the 19 MCAT dates is right for you? Enroll in an MCAT course in January and prepare for any 2007 test date. You'll have unlimited access to online resources and can take a second course - FREE! 6 9 9't 7 2 e S 6 1 Enroll by January 31st! j t?1eg gua, herM iY back * J'Otr 5 1-800-KAP-TEST | kaptest.com/mcat 6MCA0026* MCAT is registered trademarkofthe Association of American Medical Colleges. Must enroll in an MCATClassroom, Class +5, or Online Course. Or 15-, 25-, Or 35-hour tutoring program between January and January 31, 2007 in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada. Tutoring students may repeat the classroom course only. 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