8 - Friday, February 8, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
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PHOTOSCOURTESY OF ABC
At least one of these people is a prophet. Can you guess which one?
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BARSU
I can think of four ugly reasons these guys don't make it onto their album covers.
Primetime prophet
Music for the everyman
Death Cab
guitarist displays
his overshadowed
skills on solo disc
By CAITLIN COWAN
DailyArts Writer
In the video for Chris Wal-
la's new single, "Sing Again,"
the singer, producer and
Death Cab for Cutie guitarist
is shown in a
blue button-*
down and a
red hat, ear- ChflS Walla
nestly look- Field Manual
ing ahead as
the camera larouk
jumps from
cut to cut of his face. But with-
in seconds, another blonde-
haired man appears, dressed
in the same hat and shirt, and
then a woman, and then Walla
again. After a while it becomes
clear that Walla isn't just try-
ing to play the "everyman"
angle: His video doppelgang-
ers aren't unknown extras
- the other Walla look-a-likes
are actually cameos by Death
Cab singer Ben Gibbard, mem-
bers of The Decemberists, lit-
tle Hank Meloy (son of Colin
Meloy of The Decemberists)
and a number of the Pacific
Northwest's other musical
luminaries, all wearing wigs,
hats and oxfords to match.
The "Sing Again" video
is an apt characterization of
Walla's solo album, Field Man-
ual. Walla, a talented musician
and producer, is confident in
his abilities, but he also seems
aware that he's a product of
his musical milieu. Singing
harmonies under Death Cab
frontman Gibbard for over a
decade has given his voice a
breathy quality and a similar
tone. Field Manual sometimes
seems like decaf Death Cab.
But that doesn't have to be a
bad thing.
Though the production is
glossy and tight, Walla does
-take some risks. The album,
released on Death Cab's old
indie label, Barsuk, is far less
conventional than it could
have been. Walla plays all the
instruments on Field Manual
except the drums, which
were done by Jason McGerr
of Death Cab and Kurt Dahle
of the New Pornographers.
"St. Modesto" is Walla at his
vocal best, proving he's most
impressive when he holds
back. "It's Unsustainable"
is a testament to this fact
- the slow, leisurely pace is
reminiscent of Death Cab's
longer tracks like "Transat-
lanticism," and the lush, ethe-
real guitars provide a perfect
background for Walla's sweet,
subtle vocals and expectant
lyrics.
Here, though, Walla does a
few things Gibbard has never
done on a Death Cab album:
He ventures into the territory
of politics and current events.
One of the best songs on the
album, "Everyone Needs a
Home," is about the after-
math of Hurricane Katrina.
Though he focuses on the
personal aspects of the crisis,
he is no less explicit in his lyr-
ics. "A FEMA trailer does not
ease the blow," Walla sings.
He goes on with, "Every boy
needs a roof and bed and
bright, bright light / That he
can turn off at night / And
fall asleep with the love of his
life." On the album's opener,
"Two-Fifty," he laments the
collapse of the country's old
way of life, singing, "We all
are fractured factory lines
/ Once filled with bliss and
drive / Now old bees without
a hive."
CHRIS WALLA AND THE
CAB
Death Cab albums
1999- Something Ahoo Airplanes
2000 - We Have the Facts and
We're Voting Yes
2001- The Photo Album
2003 - Tronsatlanticism
2005 - Plans
There is a downside to the
album. However heartfelt,
tracks like "Archer v. Light"
and "A Bird is a Song," drag
the album down, and not
even Walla's skillful acoustic
strums and keyboard swells
can excuse lyrics like "Torch
the sails and set fire to our
deals / My heaven is here, my
heaven is here" that come off
as silly and saccharine. Walla
proves he can rock if he wants
to on "The Score," but the song
ultimately doesn't fit with the
album's overall aesthetic.
In the end, there are two
ways to think about this
album: As a side project, or
as a debut. Unfortunately,
neither seems fair. The best
approach to this album can
instead be found in the lyrics
to "It's Unsustainable," when
Walla sings "Don't even try /
To explain me away."
By DAVE REAP
Daily Arts Writer
God told Moses he would send a proph-
et to every generation. What God neglect-
ed to tell Moses is that each generation
would also have to suffer through televi-
sion shows like "Eli Stone."
"Eli Stone" is ABC's newest dram-
edy about a lawyer who
discovers that he's a
prophet. God, or anoth-
er higher power yet 'Eli Stone
to be identified, com-
municates with Stone Thursdays
through visions and at 10 p.m.
directs him to people in ABC
need. However, Stone's
friends and familymem-
bers - unsurprisingly - don't believe he
was sentby God, and instead attribute his
"hallucinations" to a recently diagnosed
brain aneurism.
While the concept of the show is origi-
nal and appealing, "Eli Stone" fails in
its execution, One of the main problems
involves Stone's visions. They're meant
to be funny, but usually they're not. The
visions are reminiscent of J.D.'s day-
dreams on "Scrubs," which are used to
break up dialogue and provide comic
relief. Thus far, Stone has "seen" a few
dance numbers and performances by
George Michael - who is a little scary, by
the way - but none of these visions have
been particularly outstanding.
What's really holding "Eli Stone"
back, though, is Eli Stone. He's played
by Jonny Lee Miller ("The Flying Scots-
man"), gnd he's simply uncomfortable in
a role that doesn't suit him. But to blame
only Miller would be unfair. The show's
writers never give viewers the chance to
identify with the main character. In the
pilot, Stone decides to take a case that
could cost him his job. Instead of feel-
ing scared for Stone - or rooting for him,
- viewers are left to watch him as he just
goes through the motions. If this trend
persists and viewers are indifferent to
whether Stone succeeds, the show won't
survive. Stone's character is especially
disappointing because some of the sup-
porting cast is .exceptional, like James
Saito ("I Think I Love My Wife") who
plays Dr. Chen, Stone's spiritual guide
If you're going
through Wham!
withdrawals, this
show is for you
and friend. The rest of the cast is dragged
down by the show's most visible actor
and his less-than-dynamic character.
Although the pilot fell short, "Eli
Stone" has the potential to improve.
The show's cast should have a chance
to grow into their roles over time. If
nothing else, the pilot was successful in
setting up some compelling plot lines.
We discover that Stone's dead father
also experienced hallucinations, which
could mean he was a prophet as well.
Stone also seems to be on the verge of
getting a divorce, a move that would
have serious repercussions, consider-
ing his wife is also his boss's daughter.
All this, however, will not be enough to
attract and maintain attention unless
both actors and writers start executing
instead of waiting for a miracle.
ARAB
From Page 5
and lows that pull the listener along
with a crisp percussion section.
As 'each song progresses, the
compositions that once lasted up to
two hours build with the rhythm
of a climbing emotional catharsis.
Through the repetition of key lines
that translate to "sing for me; I'll give
you anything" and "why do you make
me suffer so?", Arabesque quietly
changes the meaning of the lines each
time they are sung.
Each following verse is more pas-
sionate than the last, creating a uni-
versal language of love, loss and
longing that the music of The Three
Musketeers once emphasized. One
doesn't need a deep understanding
of the Arabic language to understand
the musical language that reaches out
of each of the musicians and touches
the core of listeners all around the
world.
"I believe this is going to be the next
big revolution in Arabic music, and I
hope that it is coming soon," Chami
said. As an artist, I cannot allow such
great music to be forgotten."
However, the music of Arabesque
stretches past simply being a re-cre-
ation of the past. Arabesque strives to
do what many great artists can only
hope to accomplish in their lifetime.
They hope to make a change. Ara-
besque is on the road to bridging the
Arab and Western worlds through
their music.
"Once we step on stage, yes, we are
musicians, but we are also ambassa-
dors," Chami said. "We offer a posi-
tive image of the Arabic world."
Chami recalled his recent perfor-
mance in which he estimated that 90
percent of the audience hadbeen look-
ing at an Arab face for the first time.
Additionally, the group will be teach-
ing a workshop to youth people before
the performance, giving exposure
to the music and promoting under-
standing. Through his art, Chami and
Arabesque build a bridge between the
two worlds, uniting them on a com-
mon front of the humanity found in
their music.
How to put a chem
degree to good use
By JOHN DAAVETTILA
Daily Arts Writer
There's nothing like a terminal ill-
ness to show you how to get the most out
of life, which would
usually entail spend-
ing more time with ***''
family or confronting Breaking
fears. But in the case of
Walter White, the pro- Bad
tagonist in AMC's grim Sundays at
new dramedy "Break- 10 p.m.
ing Bad," it's cooking AMC
crystal meth.
White (Bryan Cran-
ston, "Malcolm in the Middle") is a high
school chemistry teacher with a pretty
depressing life. He's just turned 50, his
wife is excessively controlling and no
one respects him. To top it all off, he's
just been diagnosed with inoperable
lung cancer, giving him less than two
years to live.
In a predictable scenario, White tells
his wife he's dying and tries to live life
to the fullest by skydiving or apologizing
for past misdeeds. But instead, White
decides to use his chemistry expertise to
produce crystal meth.
White comes off as a depressing,
pathetic guy, so it's hard not to root for
him as he cooks up a fresh batch of glass.
Sure, we all know drugs are bad (thank
you, Mr. Mackey), but seeing him fake
charge of his own life is pretty motivat-
ing, illegal as it may be.
The underlying theme of the series is
change. White defines chemistry as the
study of change. He evolves fundamen-
tally as a character throughout the pilot.
The White the viewers see brandishing
a handgun against the oncoming police
is a stark contrast to the meek White we
see at the beginning of the episode. He's
become surprisingly badass.
It should be mentioned there is nudity
in "Breaking Bad," along with a healthy
dose of swearing. Mind you, these are
both blurred/bleeped out, but it's a way
for AMC to edge up."Bad" and still keep
the FCC off its back. This should be jux-
taposed with, say, TBS, which often plays
less-than-wholesome movies with tamer
words dubbed over these expletives.
AMC's version of censorship is a much
better method of cleaning up their show
- it's almost a loophole, a sort of middle
finger to the overbearing FCC and their
incessant fines.
If there are any drawbacks to "Break-
ing Bad," it's the show's graphic detail of
White's sex life. White is in his under-
wear for a large part of the pilot, and
the viewer is also treated to a hand job
A show about why
meth might not be so
bad if you're already
dying
(under the covers - it's on AMC) that's
simply unnecessary. Cranston was often
pants-less in "Malcolm in the Middle," so
there's a possibility he enjoys acting with
out the restrictions of loin-coverage. In
which case, no one deserves to see your
old-man thighs, Cranston. Gird up.
But besides the luminescence of Cran-
ston's pale legs, there aren't many glaring
offenses in "Breaking Bad." It's a funny,
gritty perspective on drugs and while it
may not be a call for men in midlife cri-
ses to start peddling crack, it's a skewed
motivator to live life by your own rules.
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