The Michigan Daily - michiganclaily.com
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 -5A
The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Wednesday, September17, 2008 -SA
When legends fall
and iPods sell: The
anatomy of a sellout
a
a
my mo
listened
times g
no mat
how ma
times I
my way
throug
album
The Lon
some C
" ed Wes
will ne
have lis
to thos
tracks
thing li
or "Cop
tinged
trips to
or my f
moose
that wi
It's h
being f
the firs
tainly r
a talent
got a d
But
me, an
QVC -
cials fe
and pro
the "Ug
Known
Off." T
live sho
band; n
somethi
networ
perforn
the net
"Jacque
Collect
cert," w
proclai
the cha
showca
began.
Jar
a lo
to d
* QV
Tayl
album,:
say I w
James '
thing li
on a Fr
deliver
what J
to do to
Jam
hate th
broadly
many is
Plus, I
ing out
"$19.97
that wa
on thes
clinche
But t
out" ar
ing mo
" bands t
in comp
have ch
Modest
song "G
to a neu
IgetI
Making
able as
made a
to begin
really 4+
all, esp
indie ba
mes Taylor - you, sir, are Because of this, they offer an
douchebag. album's worth of M3s linked on
This statement will kill their website. It's easy cash when
ther; she loves the guy. I a company comes up to you as an
d to his songs thousands of artist, asks to use your song from
rowing up, enough so that a past album and, just like that,
ter you have $25,000. We all need to
any pay the rent, but you don't have
make to shoot the neighbor's dog or
destroy a career's worth of clas-
h an sits to do it.
like '-^So for God's sake, please pick
ne- your method of promotion care-
rowd- fully.
tI MATT In respecting the art, yes, I
ver EMERY concede that maybe it's not the
stened noblest way to stay true to the
e craft and that yes, selling a song
as many times as some- to Ford to hook trendy twenty-
ike "Carolina in My Mind" somethings, thus building a big-
pperline." They're songs ger and stronger conglomerate,
with memories of road sounds awful, but give the artists
Glacier National Park, a break. If you're an indie band
ather swearing about a that hardly makes money outside
in the middle of the road of touring and t-shirt sales, is
ll not fucking move. there a better idea than promot-
ard to love someone after ing your music in a new, multidi-
orce-fed their songs for mensional, artful way?
t 12 years of life, butI cer- Apple's iPod commercials are a
espect the man's skills as perfect example. Sure, Apple isn't
ed songwriter, and he's exactly strapped for cash any-
amn good voice. more, and they're clearly using
James Taylor's dead to indie music to hook indie kids
d it's mainly because of (something they've succeeded at
the network of infomer- doing). But come on, their com-
aturing Christmas in July mercials are always well done.
bably something called From the initial silhouette spots
gliest-Fucking-Sweaters- to the new runny paint ads,
i-to-Man Weekend Sell- they're all visually appealing
aylor was performing a and damn it, really cool. And the
ow with a full backing music does nothing to hurt this.
ot all that uncommon had Is Feist really selling out by let-
ing like VH1 been the ting her song be used in such a
k the ones showcasing the trendy, hip way, a way that almost
nance. But this was QVC, single-handedly landed her a
work that showcased the spot on "SNL" and catapulted her
eline Kennedy Jewelry album to a top spot on many year-
ion" following the "con- end lists? iPods aren't exactly the
rith a fake, bubbly woman worst product to be associated
ming, "Do not change with, and their advertising team
nnel!" when her hour to does a fantastic job of compli-
se overpriced necklaces menting the music with appeal-
ing visuals.
Animal Collective is another
example. Is Crayola really a bad
Taylor has company to sell a song to? We all
esr loved Crayola as kids, and why
t of explainin not give back to the company
p g with a track that will undoubted-
to - hopefully ly fit their quirky color schemes?
But then there are the true
Cisn't involved. idiots. A band like Of Montreal -
who sold just the melody of their
song "Wraith Pinned to a Mast
(And Other Fun Games)" to Out-
back Steakhouse - committed
or was marketing his new an atrocious crime. Marketing
aptly titled Covers. I can't their image with a tacky, national
as all that surprised to find chain is just laughable, especially
Taylor showcasing some- when the ad agency replaces a
ke this during primetime key line of, "Let's pretend we
iday night, but it was the don't exist" to "Let's go Outback
y that irked me. Is this tonight," plastered over images of
ames Taylor actually has the Bloomin'-frickin'-Onion.
make a buck these days? Or take Ratatat, who sold
es Taylor is a sellout. I "Seventeen Years" to Hummer, a
e term, and I think it's company often seen as the sym-
'used and attached to bol of America's dependence on
nappropriate situations. foreign oil - America! Big cars!
wouldn't even label it sell- Guzzle that gas! - for one of their
if it weren't for the damn commercials. It makes iPod com-
(plus $3.97 for shipping)" mercials look like a cuddly puppy
is lounging in the bottom next to a shaved, three-legged
screen - that was the real feral cat. Or just take any number
r. of hip-hoppers who rap for gum
'he idea behind "selling or Coca-Cola. It's just pathetic.
e changing. It's becom- These are the people who
re and more common for really should be ashamed of
o sell their songs for use themselves. And what about
mercials, but in ways that James Taylor? Probably the worst
anged quite a bit since of all. No art; no effort; just a
Mouse attached their shitty gig to promote his "album"
ravity Rides Everything" on an extended infomercial. I
w minivan. may cringe when I hear one of my
the "selling out" thing. favorite bands backing an online
g music just isn't as profit- college, butI won't want to kill a
it used to be. Artists never legend.
ton of money on albums Artists: Choose wisely.
Playing
odd God
Creator of "Sim City" single cell (which somehow has
very cute eyes) and evolving it
mixes elements of RPG over eons through five stages of
sentience. After the cell stage,
and evolution to Create creatures develop legs and ven-
twisted, addicting game ture onto land, gain intelligence
and form tribes, defeat or team-
up with other tribes to form
By JAMIE BLOCK civilizations and finally venture
For the Daily off into custom-built spaceships
to dominate or unify the galaxy.
If you've always wanted to cre- Throughout evolution, the game
ate a monster with eyes for hands, is filled with fun challenges and
seven mouths and one leg, then surprisingly difficult strategy
"Spore" is the game for you. decisions.
After years of development, Gameplay mainly consists of
"Sim City" creator Will Wright's interacting with other creatures
so-called "God to unlock new abilities, parts
Game" has and stages. In the early stages of
finally arrived the game, these interactions can
on the PC and Spore unlock new body parts. In later
Mac, and while It stages, players earn access to new,
comes very close PC and Mac technologies, parts for their "trib-
to meeting its EA al outfit" and eventually a vehicle
galactic poten- editors for cars, boats, planes and
tial, attempts to spaceships. In addition to the sat-
accommodate novice gamers have isfaction of earning new parts,
left some gameplay elements feel- there's something indescribably
ing redundant. enjoyable about watching your
"Spore" gives users the power creation devour its enemies.
to evolve a galaxy of their own. "Spore" is not a visually stun-
Players start by controlling a ning game, but the cartoony
Nuclear disasters might be cooler than we think.
graphical style is complemented
well by humorous cut-scenes and
character animations. Sometimes
creatures' legs will pass through
their arms when they run, or
their tails will magically vanish
underground when they, sit. But
given that the programmers were
faced with the immense challenge
of animating anything the user
could come up with, they deserve
to be cut some slack.
Although it might not be the
earth-shattering simulator some
anticipated, "Spore" 's deep cus-
tomization tools and accessible
nature will appeal to a broad
spectrum of gamers.
It looks like Will Wright's
resume just got a little stronger.
Some assembly required:
"Spore" 's claim to fame is its edi-
tors, which allow players to make
everything from cells to space-
ships. The editors let players
unleash their creativity, assem-
bling a creature out of a set of parts
in whatever freaky formationthey
wish. The same goes for buildings
and vehicles, with no convolution
too weird for the game to allow. A
free trial of the creature creator is
available on Spore.com.
Internet Creature Data-
base (ICDb): One of the game's
most groundbreaking features is
the seamless sharing of creations
between players via the internetL
Everything created is uploaded to
the Sporepedia section of Spore.
com. Creations will then exist
on other players' planets, and
gamers can even track what hap-
pened to them. For example, one
of my recent species was driven
extinct by two different 'players
on the same day. R.I.P. Kwillp.
While Maxis provided a substan-
tial amount of pre-made content,
the most grotesque, absurd and
fun playmates are those made by
other players.
Luke, I am your previous
generation: The force is strong
in this game, with the light side
See SPORE, Page 10A
n with, but now they
on't make much money at,
ecially if they're a niche
and bloggers rave about.
Emery's just mad his Kitana sword
hasn't arrived from QVC. E-mail
him at emery@michigandaily.com.
J AA A