The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Friday, January 25, 2008 - 5
ALBUM REVIEW
Magnetic
Fied
forever. .
Frantic musicians shed
the gimicks on their
latest LP in exchange for
pop rock aesthetic
By GABRIEL BAKER
Daily Arts Writer
Something like folk
TOP: When East Quad kids grow up.
BOTTOM: "Seriously, what is he wearing?"
tephin Merritt and the
Magnetic Fields have
penchant for gimmickry.
They also have a way of cre-
ating loony, simplistic album
concepts, effortlessly packaged
with witty,
mordant lyri-
cism and the-
atrical pop Magnetc
melodies. For
years, they've Fields
put out music Distortion
that's joking-
ly self-aware, Nonesach
butdeceptive-
ly smart in its orchestration.
And it all starts with the album
title. The band's 1999 release
- aptly titled 69 Love Songs
- deconstructed romance's
falsities and truths. Its next
release, i, was as introspec-
tive as the title suggests, with
each track beginning with the
subject "I." Distortion contin-
ues this trend by filling up each
track's background space with,
you guessed it, distortion. But
on this album, the Magnetic
Fields drops the gimicks, cre-
ating a more friendly sound
while downplaying some of the
idiosyncrasies that made the
band so appealing in the first
place.
The opener, "Three-Way,"
is a coasting pop number that
layers surf guitar over a Pixies-
esque melody. The band shouts
"three way!" every minute of
the song, echoing Danny Flores
and his shouts of "tequila" from
the '50s. The most recogniz-
able part of the band, Stephin
Merritt's wry baritone, doesn't
kick in until the third track.
But on the plodding number
"Old Fools," we hear for the
first time how Merritt's voice
matches up with the cascad-
ing background distortion.
The problem with filling up
the usually clear space around
Merritt's lyrics is that it adds
another monotone hum to
Merritt's enchanting, unvary-
ing croon.
Merritt's lyrics have always
attracted the most attention for
the Magnetic Fields and while
they aren't at the forefront of
Distortion, there's no lack of
lyrical cleverness here. "Too
Drunk to Dream" offers sar-
castically twisted love (life?)
advice that might contain hints
of Zen philosophy: "Sober, life
is a prison / Shitfaced it is a
blessing / Sober, nobody wants
you / Shitfaced they're all
undressing / Oh sober, it's ever
darker / Shitfaced the moon is
nearer / Sober, you're old and
ugly / Shitfaced, who needs a
mirror."
However,it'shard tomaintain
the level of wit and intelligence
that the band incorporates into
its songwriting over the course
of an entire album. "California
Girls" is bouncy, innocuous
fun, but its lyrics lose their edge
in the shadow of other tracks.
But the real vocal triumphs of
the albumare found onsongs
like "Please Stop Dancing"
and "The Nun's Litany," where
Shirley Simms's voice meshes
fluidly with the instrumenta-
tion for a soporific, dream-like
effect. "Xavier Says" is equally
wistful, adding semi-tropical
instrumentation to the wall of
sound.
Past Magnetic Fields albums
had a tendency to divide audi-
ences. People either love the
band's baroque pop and Mer-
ritt's antics, or they hate them.
With a more straightforward
sound that incorporates more
1960s and 1990s pop rock ele-
ments, Distortion is more acces-
sible. Unfortunately, the album
loses some of the band's playful
quirkiness in the process. Its
earlier records are full of flam-
boyant dramatics and pessimis-
tic ballads - songs about dog
leashes and bitterness toward
the moon - and a never-end-
ing catalogue of love songs. For
some fans, Distortion might
be frustrating in its confor-
mity.,But for others, putting'a
leash on Merritt and the band's
eccentric inclinations might be
leading the group in the right
direction.
By ANDREW SARGUS KLEIN
ManagingArtsEditor
Of course it's sold out already.
The Ann Arbor Folk Festival, set
to be reincarnated for the 31st time
this weekend, is a town staple that
ranks somewhere between Hash
Bash and the Art
Fair. It's got repu- A rbor
tation, an hon-
est crowd and a Folk Festival
slightly diluted (if
well-intentioned) Friday and
soul. It gets eaten Saturday
up every year by At The Ark
the hunky-dory, Sold out
over-the-hill Uni-
versity MusicalSociety/HillAudito-
rium crowd for good reason - it's a
slew of palatable artists performing
in one of the country's best venues.
Most of the money goes straight
to The Ark, which brings in folk acts
for college, professional and retired
crowds. You could learn from the
venue's website that in 1965, four
local churches "envisioned a gath-
ering place for students - a coffee
house like many that were spring-
ing up on campuses all around the
country." When those churches
could no longer raise the money,
the festival was created in 1977 and
The Ark soldiered on through the
decades and into its comfort zone.
If my tone has been vague up
until this point, it's because the folk
festival is hit-or-miss at best. Ben
Folds, headlining tonight, doesn't
really fit into the proverbial folk
tracksuit. Emmylou Harris, topping
off Saturday night's lineup, seems a
better fit. The festival has snagged
Ani Difranco and Jackie Gteene-in
the past, but Toad the Wet Sprock-
et? "Something's Always Wrong"
and "Fly from Heaven" aside - and
let me tell you, that's huge seventh-
grade-nostalgia - why is this band
at a folk festival? Sound like mid-
'90s pop to me.
What is also missing from the
event is the atmosphere a folk fes-
tival generally invokes. The Ark is
wonderfully cramped and intimate,
but Hill is wide open. The audience/
performer dynamic islargelyforgot-
ten - people don't know if it's polite
tostandupanddance,lesttheyupset
thecrotchetyregulars. Folkfestivals
are usually outdoors and eclectic to
the point of Appalachian/French/
zydeco tap dancing, but Ann Arbor's
festival doesn't always feellike a real
snapshot of roots and folk music. It
Toad the Wet
Sprocket,_really?
gets the job done but does little else
to distinguish itself as a preeminent
festival on the folk circuit. The same
could not.be said for our annual film
festival, which is enjoying not only
a legal victory for arts funding but
international awareness.
But you can't begrudge baby
boomers and freshmen the chance
to enjoy great acts in their own
backyard. It makes us feel at home,
like Hash Bash (in a "drum circles
meets filling the dorm hall with eau
de ganj" fashion) and the Street Art
Fair - though the latter might be
more of a lost cause. There is a good
deal of legit folk music to be heard.
But think of mashed potatoes ...
lumps with the good, anyone?
I've gone each of my four years
here, and when (if?) I make it back,
I won't turn down another chance.
Good luck finding a reasonable
scalper.
Bringing
back
video
By BLAKE GOBLE
Daily Arts Writer
VHS is coming back. Well, not commer-
cially. Blu-ray is the next step in home video
viewing, and it's making VHS even further
removed from its once-vaunted status. In
2005, Entertainment Weekly officially eulo-
gized the format, calling it a "dead technol-
ogy." But it's never too soon to remember.
Hipsters and collectors alike can appreci-
ate the now antique art of VHS hunting, and
everybody's got their dad's old record player
and Beatles albums, but no one has a Quasar
with a rare copy of Robin Williams's "Toys."
It's ripe for revival. Commercials shot ontape
have amusingly -crappy quality. YouTube is
brimming with weirdo tapes. Hell, there's
even the love for puffy tape boxes old Disney
movies were stored in. VHS can still give.
Besides, we have to find something to do with
all those tapes we bought up until 2005.
Here now are five reasons why VHS is
worthy of nostalgia.
1. YOU CAN'T HAVE IT ALL ON DVD.
Try as you might, you're not going to find
"Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My
Summer Vacation" and "Goosebumps" any
time soon on DVD. The same goes for Ken
Russell's "The Devils," Tim Burton's "Fran-
kenweenie" and even Antonioni's "Zabriskie
Point." Sure, esoteric and obscure as it all
may seem, there's still a demand for these
films. Roberto Benigni in "Johnny Stec-
chano?" Only on tape, folks. Remember that
awesome high school movie "Angus" that
used to be on TBS? You know, the one about
the portly kid who finally becomes popular?
That's only on VHS too.
Obscurity rules. It's what makes variety
within entertainment unique, and VHS sure
as hell still caters to that. Want to see just
how truly, genuinely awful 1986's "How-
ard the Duck" really was? Well, you're only
going to be able to discover it on VHS, or
pure dumb luck on OnDemand.
2. SNOOP USES IT. YOUTUBE USES IT.
Believe it or not, you can still record stuff
From Russia with
love, to Ann Arbor
If you could scratch VHS tapes, people would still use them
on a tape. Conan's on way too late, and if you
don't have a DVR, VHS still works. And now,
with the noticeable difference in digital and
HD quality, there is an aged quality to tape.
It's not quite wine, but it's retro-cool. Much
like the fading in your favorite T-shirt or the
poster that uses a washed-out look, tapes
have an undeniable exuberance about them.
Every time you watch some jackass blow
himself up, or a rally crash or a pet doing
something on YouTube, odds are that it was
once shot on video. Snoop's hilarious "Sen-
sual Seduction?" The "Tim and Eric Awe-
some Show?" It's a bevy of once-awful, now
Who needs new
technology?
amazing in-video techniques. There's an
aesthetic to it, and people notice it.
3. THE HUM OF A VCR.
Ah, the snap, crackle and pop of an old
record. It's that nonstop reminder that while
you take in a certain piece of entertainment,
it's most certainly old-timey. You press
play, and there it is, that sound of the days
of old. You knew a video was workingwhen
you could hear your player running. And if
something was wrong, it came in the form
of a gentle white noise screen. Unlike DVD,
the movie wouldn't just stop; you'd know if
your product was going stale on you, and a
fast-forward was all it took to fix it.
4. PHYSICAL HEALTH.
Fact: You've lost your VCR remote. You
forgot to rewind your tape. Better get up to
do that. But now there are these previews
for horror films you never saw. Well, fast-
forward, or watch and see if that "Children
of the Corn" sequel interests you, now that
you're all grown up. OK, the movie's play-
ing, and you feel compelled to talk about the
good times, and memories surroundingwhat
you're watching. You talk about the noise,
the fuzzy video and ponder over the failed
existence of Betamax. A good time is had by
all. But now, you should rewind, just so you
don't forget it later. Gotta get up for that too.
But guess what? Between the talking and
the mild amount of physical activity of mov-
ing that heavy, old tape, you just burned off
237 calories! Go ahead and drink that can of
regular Coke - you've earned it.
5. WORST CASE SCENARIO.
Well, let's just suppose for a moment that
video has no chance whatsoever of coming
back. You've converted all your old tapes
and bought the new special editions of
"Evil Dead" and "Blues Brothers" two times
over. Maybe we have to give up and admit
that tape will never have its day in the sun
again. Don't throw them out right away:
Video tapes have at least one good use left in
them: They're damn clunky. Tapes are stur-
dier than discs. They stack more firmly. And
with a glue gun, they are incredible building
blocks. Think VHS coffee table.
By PRIYA BALI
DailyArts Writer
Fifty years ago, the Moiseyev Dance
Company of Russia embarked on its first
U.S. tour. The troupe left the audience
of the old Metropolitan Opera House
in New York stunned
and eager for more Moiseyev
of the now-famous
group's theatrical, Dance
Russian folk dances. Company
In commemoration of
the 50th anniversary Sunday at
of that first U.S. tour, 6p.m-
the Moiseyev Dance At Hill Auditorium
Company is on tour $10-$40
again. It will make
its Ann Arbor debut at Hill Auditorium
Sunday.
Captivated by the traditions, dances
and music of his country's folklore, the
late Igor Moiseyev - founder and cho-
reographer of the company - studied
the 180 cultures of the Soviet Union as
a student. In 1937, he discovered a way
to sustain the stories of these cultures
by founding his dance company. In that
year, 40 of the most talented dancers
from around the country began what
is now known as one of the world's
greatest folk dance groups. Moiseyev's
vision was not to simply recreate what
was the thousands of Russian national
dances, but to develop the artistic skill
and talent that would hopefully moti-
vate the creation of new ones. Within a
few years, the troupe grew to 100 danc-
ers and toured throughout the Soviet
Union. During World War II, Moiseyev's
nationalistic dances were appropriately
reflective of the political struggles of the
time.
Their dances began as a way to pre-
serve Russian traditions, but later ful-
filled the necessity of embracing new
ones - even those outside the country's
borders. Georgia, Siberia and Uzbeki-
stan are only a few of the places the
company drew inspiration. The compa-
ny now has 200 dancers and has toured
in over 60 countries and performed over
200 different dances. "The grammar of
movement" is what he called the dexter-
ity of his dancers' craft. This dexterity
results in classical ballet with an ethnic
twist, which makes Moiseyev's choreo-
graphing style uniquely versatile.
This cross-cultural dynamic will
be on full display Sunday evening. The
show will open with a harvest celebra-
tion scene in "Summer," which reveals
aspects of the civilians' lives in the
countryside. Following will be "Kalmuk
Dance," conveying the way of life of the
Kalmuks - Russian nomads - and their
relationship with nature and animals.
"Sirtaki" - themes from a dance in a
local Greek village - will close the first
half of the show.
The second half of the show will
exemplify the group's current reper-
toire of multi-cultural styles, featuring
themes from Romanian, Spanish, Egyp-
Preserving tradition
through dance
tian, Venezuelan and Argentinean danc-
es. Although the troupe has maintained
its identity as a primarily Russian dance
group - all are ballet-trained dancers
- it is certainly not limited to one form
of dance. The dancers' capacity for high-
energy dance gives them the ability to
consistently tell stories through move-
ment.
"EverythingI've done, I love. If you're
not in love, you can't create. And if you're
calm when you've created something,
you can rest assured you've created
nothing," Moiseyev once said, according
to his obituary in the New York Times.
Perhaps it is this strong affection for
artistic creation that makes Moiseyev's
101-year-old life story just as legendary
and vibrant as the stories he attempted
to tell through the choreography of his
dance.