8 - Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Filmmaker
delves into
federal debt
By HANS YADAV tions of the national debt because
Daily Arts Writer of all the financial jargon associ-
ated with the topic. However,
Change seems to be in demand this is an area where "I.O.U.S.A."
these days. But the adjustment shines. The film does a great job
in the White explainingallthe terminologyin a
House is only way that pretty much anyone can
half the battle. understand. And for even greater
The next big- LO.U.S.A. clarification, the explanations are
gest issue is the supplementedby an array of help-
American econ- At the ful visual aids.
omy, soit seems Michigan But like many other documen-
only appropri- Theater taries focusing on sociopolitical
ate to release Roadhouse issues, "I.O.U.S.A." attempts to
a weighty film scare the piss out of you. With
like "I.O.U.S.A." details like the fact that the Unit-
in the wake of an emotional ed States is over $8 trillion in debt,
and groundbreaking storm a good majority of which is held
like the presidential campaign. by foreign governments (who can
"I.O.U.S.A." is an eye-opening use it to gain leverage over us),
documentary about our economy the scare tactics work. Again, the
that's meant to shock its viewers, movie is structured very logically
and above all, explain how fucked so that none of the predictions
we are in the near future. seem farfetched. To add weight
The movie is about the United to the facts, the movie includes
States' national debt. The premise interviews with some of the most
is simple: The debt isgrowing, and powerful men in the country, like
at its current rate, children today investment guru Warren Buffett,
will be left with nothing in the former Secretary of State Robert
Rubinand formerFederalReserve
Chairmen Paul Volcker and Alan
Greenspan.
Shocking truths The one problem with the
documentary is that after shock-
encourage ing the audience with the alarm-
Americans to ing truth, hardly any time is
devoted to proposing solutions to
w ake up the problems. Out of roughly the
90 minute running time, only a
fraction is devoted to figuring out
how the United States is supposed
future. The movie makes it very to dig itself out of its own mess.
explicit that the luxuries of today But one can surmise that maybe
are being paid for using our gener- there is no way out, and we're all
ation's money. While the problem inevitably doomed because of the
seems very simple - Americans unsustainable lifestyle Americans
are spending more than they're enjoy.
saving - the documentary care- On the other hand, by not
fully explains that in reality, the establishing any real solutions,
situation is compounded by a the movie may be trying to
number of factors. yank viewers from their com-
The national debt is a subject fort zones. After all, if we know
manydumbAmericansdon'tknow something is already being done
a whole lot about, a fact the movie to fix a very serious problem,
demonstrates with interviews of why should we change the way
several ordinary people. And to we live? Either way, the prob-
some degree, it makes sense. The lem is very real, and hopefully
average person isn't inclined to Americans will finally wake up
learn about the various complica- and do something about it.
"The world is so deep, man."
oldplay is one of the most
polarizing bands in the
business.
Matching boy- ,
ish charm with
hollow wit, and Coldplay
mature instru-
mentation with Prospekt's
stadium-ready March EP
anthems and Capitol
chart-topping
success, there is
much to love and hate about Cold-
play.But for every argument against
their sound or meager attempts at
musical grandeur, there's another
one heralding the fair London lads
as the saviors of rock music.
With 2008's Viva La Vida,
Coldplay employed famed Brit-
ish producer Brian Eno to give its
arena-rock a more vivid and pur-
poseful texture. As a result, the
band ended up with its most eclec-
tic - albeit inconsistent - album
to date. Companion EP Prospekt's
March provides eight tracks that
follow the logical progression
laid out in Viva, with very similar
results.
Beginning with "Life in Techni-
color II," areworkingofthe instru-
mental Viva opener complete with
lyrics and glimmering choruses,
Prospekt's March includes four
new songs, a remix, a single mix
of "Lovers in Japan" and a brief
48-second piano interlude titled
"Postcards from Far Away." Cold-
play is at its best under the ornate
string arrangements in "Rainy
Day," where a more youthful and
playful Chris Martin croons, "I
love it when you come over to my
house."
"Glass of Water" begins with
locomotive guitars and a frantic
beat courtesy of drummer Will
Champion, and launches into a
heavy-hitting chorus with more
firepower than nearly anything
in the Coldplay canon. But Mar-
tin's shallow philosophizing is
once again evident as he warns,
"Son don't ask / Neither how full
nor empty is your glass." The EP's
title track offers a more organic
take on the newer Coldplay sound,
with a slow crescendo of organ
and strings insulating a delicate,
acoustic guitar-clad Martin.
"Lost+," a remix of Viva's "Lost"
with a verse by Jay-Z, is the odd
man out on an otherwise cohesive
collection of songs. Had it been a
Jay-Z song from the start, with
Martin only offering the chorus,
it might have worked. But the rap-
per's addition sounds forced and
out of place, and a song about los-
ing doesn't seem too appropriate
for someone like Jay-Z in the first
place.
Expounding on the lyrical
themes from "Life in Techni-
color II," album closer "Now My
Feet Won't Touch the Ground" is
another one of Martin's humble
folk songs, enlisting a surpris-
ingly modest horn section at the
song's climax that shows taste-
ful restraint instead of Coldplay's
usual penchant for overblown bal-
ladry.
U2 comparisons aside, Cold-
play's most consistent criticisms
concern Martin's tired lyrics. Pair-
ing clever couplets around wide-
eyed melodies, it's a rare occasion
when he actually has much to say.
Lines like "Just because I'm los-
ing / Doesn't mean I'm lost" and
"Gravity release me / And don't
ever hold me down / Now my feet
won't touch the ground" are trite
and recycled without much sub-
stance behind the quips. Luck-
ily, the musical arrangements and
production flourish with Eno man-
ning the helm, nearly drowning
out all of Martin's stale musings.
Though Prospekt's March has
redeeming qualities in its pristine
production and shimmeringsound,
it's more of an appendix to Viva La
Vida than anything else, destined
to become little more than a sea-
sonal stocking stuffer.
Araving Christmas
By SARAH CHAVEY
DailyArts Writer
Christmas albums have a bad
reputation, and it's probably a
well-deserved
one. Aside from
the classics, holi-
day songs tend Th
to be cheesy and
devoid of any RaveonetteS
real redeeming Wishing
qualities. That's You a Rave
especially true Christmas
for those rush-
released albums Vice
by contemporary
artists to garner a few bucks from
the consumer's often misguided
holiday purchasing. Last year, The
Raveonettes released "The Christ-
mas Song," a single that proved an
unexpected hit among their fans. An emo's Christmas. COURTESY OF VICE
This year's EP, Wishing You a Rave
Christmas, is a similarly pleasant a hard-hitting beat, it sets the tone Melody" - begins the song and
surprise that puts other holiday for the energetic EP. The verses continues throughout, accompa-
howls to shame. Although only are filled with loud electronic nied by a more minor composition.
four songs deep, the disc includes embellishments that periodically Wagner's vocals lag behind the
both covers and original tracks, give way to welcomed relieves as beat, emphasizing his melancholy
and provides a new and refreshing Foo sighs a sultry chorus against a pleading: "The whitest of snow
take on the Christmas collection. sparse backdrop of bass and bells. can turn black /But when I'm with
On Wishing You, the Danish duo If it weren't for the lyrics, it could you, that's all I need / Oh baby,
sticks to its time-tested formula of pass for a top-40 pop song. don't leave me tonight / Pretty
amped-up electronics and simple "Come on Santa" is more obvi- baby, the stars all sparkle in your
chord progressions. Like previous eyes / Oh baby, the snow turns this
work by The Raveonettes, the songs night into a dream."
follow the basic melodic structures A ,k1i ' ' rThe EP finishes with a more
and steady beats of classic 1950s C A- 'R streamlined sound on "Christ-
and '60s rock'n'roll. It's this tactic album omas in Cleveland." The keyboard
that lends the tracks a feeling of mimics the vocal melody, floating
ease as members Sune Rose Wag- alltoo soon. octaves above the rest of the mix
ner and Sharin Foo effortlessly and - while spending the holidays
whisper their way through chorus- in Ohio sounds like an even worse
es. The simple foundation is juxta- idea than making a Christmas
posed with hard-edged electronic ously a holiday track. When the album - the song sings the city
instrumentation and overlaid with words "Santa" and "Christmas" into a fantastical world of snowy
layers of frilly electronica. If the are in every other line, it's harder white lights.
Everly Brothers grew up in the 21st to hide the theme. Adding to the Clocking in at just under 20
century, had an electric guitar, fre- seasonal sound is the intro of tin- minutes, the brevity of Wishing
quented euro-raves - and one of kling bells. The song's more bla- You A Rave Christmas affords
themwas agirl-they would sound tantly carol-based approach allows just a taste of festivity. It's sweet,
a lot like The Raveonettes. for playfulness and buoyancy. but not too sweet. Jingle bells and
"Christmas (Baby Please Come The antidote to this jaunty seasonal lyrics are present but not
Home)" starts the album off with jingle comes with "Christmas prominent, and it would make a
an inimitable cover of Darlene Ghosts," a tribute to the sadder great stocking stuffer for those
Lane's holiday standard. Opening side of season's greetings. A sweet seeking a touch of offbeat musical
with fleshed-out major chords and piano arpeggio - a la "Unchained merry-making.
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